Marshalls Cheesefest Question - Not a competition?

[Frau Muller]

***no spoilers 'cause there's nothin' to spoil; no longer a competition***

Since when is the Marshall's Springtime Cheesefest only an exhibition & not a competition? [Yeah, yeah - even as a competition, some say that it was an exhibition, I realize.]

I was hoping for some results this morning...and -- lo and behold -- there are no results to be had! So was this 'event' watered-down so that some of the Olympic champs would agree to perform? Something seems fishy.

 

[attyfan]

It was a show -- and nothing fishy about it, IMO. In addition to Michelle (who is obeying her doctor's orders not to jump), other skaters were noted at Worlds as fighting illness or injury (Weir, Lysacek, rumors about Sasha, and IIRC, Kimmie had problems with her ear). They probably don't want to do full competitive performances. Admittedly, this is the first time that the spring Marshall's was not a competition, but the spring Marshall's (I believe) hasn't been around that long anyway -- so it isn't breaking a major tradition by making it a show, instead of a competition.

 

[Mathman]

Yeah, I was mad, too. So I scored it at home:

Michelle: 210.32

The rest: 140.18 to 153.96

MM

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

If Marshalls has to rely on a competitive Kwan then let's just drop the competition.

Let's instead, wait for the Japanese competition to see if there is anything Kimmie can do to challenge the Mao and Yuna threat.

Joe

 

[flowjo35]

I don't think Marshall's was ever scheduled to be a competition, just exhibitions. I thinks it great for those of us who had COI cancelled in their cities to see what the skaters programs look like. I cann't wait until its aired.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I don't think Marshall's was ever scheduled to be a competition, just exhibitions. I thinks it great for those of us who had COI cancelled in their cities to see what the skaters programs look like. I cann't wait until its aired.

As far as I can recollect, it was ALWAYS a competition. It is just since Michelle has been injured that it has turned into a phone-in in December and an exhibtion in April.

I presume the big bucks were paid out to the bickering agents.

Anyone who can, please check the TV ratings on the Sunday where it will be competing with Golf, Baseball, and probably our favorite, NASCAR.

Joe

 

[demarinis5]

As far as I can recollect, it was ALWAYS a competition. It is just since Michelle has been injured that it has turned into a phone-in in December and an exhibtion in April.

I presume the big bucks were paid out to the bickering agents.

Anyone who can, please check the TV ratings on the Sunday where it will be competing with Golf, Baseball, and probably our favorite, NASCAR.

Joe

Well what do you expect she is the Kween.

 

[Mathman]

I think Flowjo meant that this particular show was scheduled from the beginning to be an exhibition. Events sponsored by Marshalls in the past -- lately, one in the spring and one in December -- were billed as some form of competition (sometimes a team competition, etc.)

 

[flowjo35]

As far as I can recollect, it was ALWAYS a competition. It is just since Michelle has been injured that it has turned into a phone-in in December and an exhibtion in April.

I presume the big bucks were paid out to the bickering agents.

Anyone who can, please check the TV ratings on the Sunday where it will be competing with Golf, Baseball, and probably our favorite, NASCAR.

Joe

Joe, maybe I should have stated that THIS Marshall's event was not scheduled to be a competiton. Thanks Mathman.

 

[Alsace]

Will there ever be a complete video for sale of the exhibition? I would love to see all the programs! (Am I just wishfully thinking??)

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Joe, maybe I should have stated that THIS Marshall's event was not scheduled to be a competiton. Thanks Mathman.

flowjoe - I should have realized that. Sorry. and thanks mm.

Joe

 

[flowjo35]

No problem Joe

 

[flowjo35]

Will there ever be a complete video for sale of the exhibition? I would love to see all the programs! (Am I just wishfully thinking??)

Alsace, if you are talking about the COI tour, check out their web site. They might have something.

 

[Mathman]

Well what do you expect she is the Kween.

Actually, I think this is the exact truth.

I think the same thing happened in the December Marshalls. Michelle told USFS she was not able to deliver a competitive program, the sponsors told them "no Michelle, no show," and voila! -- the vote-in popularity contest thing.

MM

 

[attyfan]

How long has Marshall's been sponsoring a spring "event" for the USFSA?

 

[Mathman]

How long has Marshall's been sponsoring a spring "event" for the USFSA?

Actually, I think this is only the third year that Marshalls department store was the named sponsor. The first was in 1994, IIRC. Before that the events had names like the Hershey's Kisses FS Challenge, the Kerry Lotion Classic, etc.

 

[attyfan]

Didn't the format change, sometimes, as the sponsor changed? (for example, IIRC, Hershey's was a "team format" competition, etc.) I don't think there is anything unusual in a format change to a comparatively new event -- either this one or the winter one. If it had been an event that had been established with one format, and then it switched, there might be a different problem. For example, when formerly all pro events, such as World Pros, changed format by becoming pro-ams, it killed the event. It might have survived by staying all pro ("Ice Wars" and "World Team Challenge" did), and creating new events to adapt to the "pro-am" craze.

 

[Mathman]

Yes, they changed the format all the time. I don't know if this was because of the preferences of the skaters or whether it was the sponsors and TV people trying to come up with a format that would attract viewers.

For the December 2003 event, for instance, they brought in three ringers -- Dorothy Hamill, Rudy Galindo and Nancy Kerrigan -- and made it a team pro-am. (Dorothy's team, with Michelle on it, beat out Rudi and Tim Goebel's team for the gold, LOL.)

I remember that after Nancy retired from competition the only way they could lure her into any pro events was if they were team affairs. She was adamant about being all through with trying to suck up to judges, LOL.

The other thing that comes and goes is the "International" status of these affairs. Sometimes they are all U.S., sometimes they throw in Slutskaya and Plushenko so thay can call it an international, and once in a while they really do come up with a representative intenational field.

It always seemed to me that during an Olympic year, the events would tend to be all American. I figured the USFSA was trying not to give aid and comfort to the enemy, LOL.

MM

PS. I am only talking about the cycle of three cheesefests for eligible skaters, not all the pro championships, pro-ams, skating with Kenny Rogers, etc.

 

[Frau Muller]

So I was right - something IS fishy! The only way to get Michelle to the show is to take away the competition aspect. Phonies!!! Also, I suspect that the only way to get the Olympic & World champs to participate was to ensure that there would be no embarrasing loss against those who rank behind them. I mean, if Sasha or Irina, for example, would have beaten Shiz and Kimmie at the Cheesefest, then it would have had a negative effect on the marketing 'sparkle' of the reigning champs (and would have given Sasha & Irina a chance to toot their trumpets...). Why ruin a potential one-year 'reign' as Queen of Ice by a stupid loss in a Cheesefest?

Joesitz - You are 100% correct - until now, the USFSA spring-cheesefest was ALWAYS a competition.

Phony manipulators! They deserve crappy ratings.

 

[leon]

. . . Joesitz - You are 100% correct - until now, the USFSA spring-cheesefest was ALWAYS a competition.

Phony manipulators! They deserve crappy ratings.

Well that's a little harsh . . .This was never advertised as anything more than exhibitions. The reality is attendance and ratings would be far worse if it were a competition and Michelle was not skating. Shizuka was called in as a last minute replacement for an injured (read also tired) Lambier. She hasn't been able to train in the post Olympic whirlwind and would not have been there for a competition.

Even when a "real competition" it has been goofy. One year it was teams, men vs ladies with Naomi and Peter as captains of each team. It has never been what you would call a serious competition ... always a made for tv revenue source for the skaters and federation. One year Michelle even used Fields of Gold as her free skate program!

If you want to talk about phony, I'll agree that last December popularity contest disguised as a competition was a "phone in phoney". Newspapers actually reported Michelle "won that competition" -- now that was bad!

I was at the Greenville show and would not have attended if Michelle and Shizuka had not been there. Neither were ready for anything like a competition. I knew that going in.

Kimmie has no fear . . .she'll face mighty Mao in a scored "competition" in Japan in May. Shizuka is scheduled to do an exhibition at that program.