At an SOI show, Scott Hamilton once said something about there being two kinds of skaters, those who use gimmicks and those who *will* use gimmicks (i.e., later on in their careers). I think there must be a lot of truth to that, because audience members often want to see something they have not seen before, and because certain moves, especially certain jumps, get harder and harder to do as the body ages, and acquires injuries.
Over time, I have become more and more appreciative of what skaters go through, first to become famous enough to work in tours, and later on, living through the constant travelling and hard hours, when they enter pro tours.