JGP 2023-24 season announced

[4everchan]

I am surprised nobody yet has commented on the news announced here

2023-24 Junior Grand Prix events announced

2023-24 Junior Grand Prix Announced The International Skating Union (ISU) has announced the locations and dates for the Junior Grand Prix events for the 2023-24 season: August 23-26, 2023 | […]

www.goldenskate.com

If I find it exciting that there are events in countries that are not well-known skating countries like Turkey and Thailand, as well as the return of a JGP in Japan, I cannot remain silent about the fact that the most Western location is Linz, Austria... which is almost in Eastern Europe...

Nothing in North America. Nothing in Western Europe.... I find this is very unfortunate, to say the least.

And then, people complain that there are less and less fans of the sport in the USA, etc... Already, they are splitting the North American Challenger events (one year in Canada one year in the USA)....

Oh well...

 

[yuumagical]

Honestly, my excitement at there being junior events in other parts of the world outweighs the fact that those events aren't in Western Europe or North America. If skating reaches more people, then the sport will grow bigger (and perhaps the ISU sees more potential profit in this than sticking to an already established fanbase in North America and Western Europe). I admittedly kind of want to fly out to Bangkok or Osaka, I've never seen a JGP live before.

As to the Autumn Classic situation, I will say this: it's stupid that there aren't two North American Challengers. But even if there were still two North American Challengers, it would also be stupid to not have one near the West Coast (iirc, US Intl. Classic used to be in Salt Lake City...).

 

[4everchan]

Honestly, my excitement at there being junior events in other parts of the world outweighs the fact that those events aren't in Western Europe or North America. If skating reaches more people, then the sport will grow bigger (and perhaps the ISU sees more potential profit in this than sticking to an already established fanbase in North America and Western Europe). I admittedly kind of want to fly out to Bangkok or Osaka, I've never seen a JGP live before.

As to the Autumn Classic situation, I will say this: it's stupid that there aren't two North American Challengers. But even if there were still two North American Challengers, it would also be stupid to not have one near the West Coast (iirc, US Intl. Classic used to be in Salt Lake City...).

I think the ISU could have easily done a JGP event in "the West"... there are 7 events... so it's actually quite easy to take one out from the Eastern European countries and send the skaters somewhere else

I was willing to buy the logical argument that there are so many athletes in European countries but then, there are still going in a couple countries where it may not be that easy for people from Finland or Estonia to travel to anyways.

Regarding the Challengers... I agree... Let's have one in Canada and one in the USA every year... and let's make sure that they are split between time zones regularly.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

I'm a bit disappointed there aren't any Southern Hemisphere JGP stages next season, we've only had it twice before... guess it's hard to please everyone.

 

[moonvine]

I am surprised nobody yet has commented on the news announced here

2023-24 Junior Grand Prix events announced

2023-24 Junior Grand Prix Announced The International Skating Union (ISU) has announced the locations and dates for the Junior Grand Prix events for the 2023-24 season: August 23-26, 2023 | […]

www.goldenskate.com

If I find it exciting that there are events in countries that are not well-known skating countries like Turkey and Thailand, as well as the return of a JGP in Japan, I cannot remain silent about the fact that the most Western location is Linz, Austria... which is almost in Eastern Europe...

Nothing in North America. Nothing in Western Europe.... I find this is very unfortunate, to say the least.

And then, people complain that there are less and less fans of the sport in the USA, etc... Already, they are splitting the North American Challenger events (one year in Canada one year in the USA)....

Oh well...

Ewww. I didn’t know they were splitting the Challengers. And we haven’t had a JGP event in the US since 2019.

 

[4everchan]

I'm a bit disappointed there aren't any Southern Hemisphere JGP stages next season, we've only had it twice before... guess it's hard to please everyone.

Yes. I agree. I think that the ISU probably thinks of Thailand as "close enough to Oceania" I guess we should send them a map with where they put all the JGPS next year.. and they would see...

 

[lariko]

I am surprised Yerevan is on the list again given this year. I find surprising the complaint about Western Europe given French hosted 4 events in 2 last years, Riga hosted last year, and Estonia hosting literally everything for a while, plus, lol, it’s all Europe, srsly people. Austria will also prob be very taken aback to hear it suddenly ain’t counting… The obsession with borders lol

 

[Jumping_Bean]

I am surprised Yerevan is on the list again given this year. I find surprising the complaint about Western Europe given French hosted 4 events in 2 last years, Riga hosted last year, and Estonia hosting literally everything for a while, plus, lol, it’s all Europe, srsly people. Austria will also prob be very taken aback to hear it suddenly ain’t counting… The obsession with borders lol

I mean, I'm not going to disagree with you on everything, but why even mention Riga (Latvia) and Estonia in why Western Europe specifically has nothing to complain about? Sure, they're in Europe but most definitely not in Western Europe.

 

[4everchan]

I am surprised Yerevan is on the list again given this year. I find surprising the complaint about Western Europe given French hosted 4 events in 2 last years, Riga hosted last year, and Estonia hosting literally everything for a while, plus, lol, it’s all Europe, srsly people. Austria will also prob be very taken aback to hear it suddenly ain’t counting… The obsession with borders lol

France did step in... yes... But how do you count Lativa and Estonia part of Western Europe???
My comment is not political nor about borders. It's about that junior competitions are pretty much confined to an area of the world.
How can junior skating builds a strong and wide fan base when it is not presented in entire regions... and not only that, but regions including some of the longest traditions in skating... ?

 

[lariko]

France did step in... yes... But how do you count Lativa and Estonia part of Western Europe???
My comment is not political nor about borders. It's about that junior competitions are pretty much confined to an area of the world.
How can junior skating builds a strong and wide fan base when it is not presented in entire regions... and not only that, but regions including some of the longest traditions in skating... ?

Lol. Like I said, borders obsession. YouTube is everywhere. At a guess, with the JGPs it’s who asks for them. So, like… if US or Canada or whatever country you consider Western enough isn’t interested…

 

[lariko]

I mean, I'm not going to disagree with you on everything, but why even mention Riga (Latvia) and Estonia in why Western Europe specifically has nothing to complain about? Sure, they're in Europe but most definitely not in Western Europe.

I am kinda baffled people consider Baltics countries Eastern EU, let alone Austria. Like

 

[Jumping_Bean]

I am kinda baffled people consider Baltics countries Eastern EU, let alone Austria. Like

I didn't disagree with Austria, though Austria is technically central Europe, not West Europe (It honestly doesn't get much more central than Austria).

But the Baltic countries are directly (or almost directly) next to Russia, especially Latvia and Estonia, as far East as it gets for a European country without being Russia. If one wants to be pedantic, then they are North-Eastern, but geographically they still are Eastern.

 

[lariko]

I didn't disagree with Austria, though Austria is technically central Europe, not West Europe (It honestly doesn't get much more central than Austria).

But the Baltic countries are directly (or almost directly) next to Russia, especially Latvia and Estonia, as far East as it gets for a European country without being Russia. If one wants to be pedantic, then they are North-Eastern, but geographically they still are Eastern.

For me they are as Western as they come, lol. I mean, what, Finland or Sweden are Eastern Europe too now? Or Italy that btw also just (and will do) a lot of hosting of Juniors…

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

For me they are as Western as they come, lol. I mean, what, Finland or Sweden are Eastern Europe too now?

The Baltics are definitely not Western European countries.
As a European, I would say pretty much all the ex-Soviet countries (including the Baltics) are considered Eastern Europe, Austria is Central Europe, Finland and Sweden are Northern Europe.
Fellow Europeans, please speak up if you feel otherwise.

 

[lariko]

The Baltics are definitely not Western European countries.
As a European, I would say pretty much all the ex-Soviet countries (including the Baltics) are considered Eastern Europe, Austria is Central Europe, Finland and Sweden are Northern Europe.
Fellow Europeans, please speak up if you feel otherwise.

Lol. What’s Germany?

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Lol. What’s Germany?

Central

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Lol. What’s Germany?

Germany is central or West European, and Italy is South or Southwest European.

 

[theblade]

Thanks for posting this and getting the conversation going, @4everchan!

 

[lariko]

Okay, obviously, there were even more identity lines demarcated since the 90s through Europe… but tbh, for Junior competitions, it probably makes sense in terms of visas and accommodation prices to stay away from like Switzerland.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

For me they are as Western as they come, lol. I mean, what,

There are a number of different classifications of European countries, but the Baltic countries aren't considered Western European in any of them as far as I know.

The UN only has 4 classifications (Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Europe) with the Baltic states being considered Northern European, the European Union also only has 4 classifications (Northern, Western, Southern, and Central and Eastern Europe), with the Baltic states once again being considered Northern European countries.

Surprisingly, the CIA has the classification with the most categories, namely 7 (Northern, Western, Central, Southwestern, Southern, Southeastern and Eastern Europe) with the Baltic states being considered Eastern European. Also interestingly enough, the CIA classification somehow overall feels the most geographically accurate out of the three classifications: