- Joined
- Nov 19, 2010
It sounds to me a major source of all kinds of problems for US figure skating is that there are two sets of skaters, those who perform well at home but not internationally and vice versa. And a skater may even switch from one set to the other in different years! IOW, hardly any skater performs well both at home and abroad, specifically both at Worlds and the prerequisite Nationals. This year it even seems like there is a set that burst out of the gate and another set who brought it at the Nationals.
What are the problems to fix? Maybe one or more of the following:
International success depends on the USFSA sending the best and ensuring they do their best at Worlds. The popularity of the sport depends on one or more truly outstanding skaters, preferably a beautiful, charismatic Ladies World Champion, or at least a medalist if the beauty and charisma factors are high.
eta. Maybe all will be well once Jeremy gets his boots right. Read his interview on Icenetwork. I started a thread on it and his new look.
What are the problems to fix? Maybe one or more of the following:
- Skaters' consistencies - If the only consistency is that most top skaters are headcases, or that most have sloppy unreliable techniques liable to be called by an international Tech Panel, there may be something systemic to look at and change.
- Judges' and Tech Panel's consistency - Is the standard aligned with international judging? Is it different due to incompetence, biases, or agendas? Is there too much inflation and is the inflation evenly applied to all skaters? Is the judging fair?
- Selection criteria - Maybe there should be a balanced evaluation of both national and international results, as adopted by some other federations.
International success depends on the USFSA sending the best and ensuring they do their best at Worlds. The popularity of the sport depends on one or more truly outstanding skaters, preferably a beautiful, charismatic Ladies World Champion, or at least a medalist if the beauty and charisma factors are high.
eta. Maybe all will be well once Jeremy gets his boots right. Read his interview on Icenetwork. I started a thread on it and his new look.
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