Please remove Ice Dance from the Olympics! It's not a sport.

[Mathman]

I have to admit, I am unfazed by this perennial debate. Call it a sport, call it a mackerel.

Figure skating and ice dance are disciplines which combine athletic derring-do with performance art. If you like it, do it. If you don't, do something else. :yes:

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Before the code of points, I would have absolutely called for the removal of ice dance from the Olympics... seemed just like a pageant of over-the-top proportions, so the Russians/Soviet could collect another gold medal for having the best histrionics. Now that difficulty is actually a factor, and there are elements with levels and tangible technical differences between teams, it's much more of a sport. Before it seemed so arbitrary and of course the standings were pretty much set from the get-go as long as everyone stayed on their feet. Now, a teams can actually move within the standings if they have more difficulty than even more favourable/popular teams.

I know plenty of people who saw D/W, V/M and I/K and were really impressed at how athletic the performances were, compared to prior notions that it was all preening for the judges.

 

[usethis2]

I agree to a degree. Lots of people around me don't know the difference between pairs and dance. I think the existence of pairs is what confuses more, than that the competition is about "dancing." Viewers don't know what pairs can do that dancers cannot and vice versa. (Other than exotic costumes, which of course help with identifications)

I myself consider it like rhythmic gymnastics. I wouldn't miss ice dancing but it seems harmless enough. (If I had it my way I would get rid of both ice dancing and curling )

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Ice dancing is a sport of subtleties. It's like gauging ski jumping, or aerials, or snowboard halfpipe. The judges who are set out for those events are far more trained to assess the quality of a performance than a lay person.

Plenty of people I talked to today about V/M didn't realise there were moments of their unison being off, and they didn't realise two lifts were very similar to each other. Viewers go for the overall feel. V/M were emotionally better, but D/W were more exciting to watch, for me and didn't put a skate wrong.

 

[Olympia]

One of the things that makes ice dancing so rewarding for me to watch is that there are so many good couples. Often in ladies' and men's (and I'm not talking about the debacle of this Games' men's final at all), there are two or three fabulous skaters, while the rest of the field is just not able to measure up. Contrast this with something like halfpipe snowboarding, speed skating, or ski jumping, where just about everyone is at a high level of competitiveness. Ice dancing is more like those sports to my mind. Often the top eight or ten couples bring dazzling skills to the table and make the event interesting to watch for the duration of at least the last two groups.

 

[iluvtodd]

^ Right on , Olympia! :agree:

 

[RobinA]

The problem with ice dance is its very nature. Basically, it's not a sport. I love watching it, it's beautiful, but it's not a competitive sport. Period. And it should be taken out of Olympics. Right now!
I can watch performing arts, read poetry and listen to music, but I will never demand to include them into Olympics.

If there is global demand to take Ice Dance out of Olympics, I want to add my signature!
The reason for this is that it is not measurable by a casual observer at all. For a casual observer, as long as there is no visible flop or fall, there is no difference between 20th performance and the best performance. Absolutely no difference!
Outside of the very elite nobody else can tell a difference. There is no clear and obvious measuring stick. This is why the sport should disappear from the Olympics. Period. It defies the definition of competitive sports.

In all sports we measure time, distance, points, etc. Even in figure skating pairs or individual competitions a casual observer can tell if the performance was successful by seeing jumps, rotations and failures. In ice dance it's impossible. You have to belong to the very inner elite to see things. And it defies the idea of the Olympics, where sports must have global appeal, must be globally clear and transparent.

So my vote: remove ice dance from the Olympics! Is there any organized group or movement to enforce it, I want to join!

I have to say, I don't understand this whole line of thinking. Why are so many people obsessed with the "sport" label on figure skating. Why does it matter? Four disciplines of figure skating are in the Olympics. If it doesn't meet your definition of what should be in the Olympics, don't watch it. I have parts of the Olympics that I don't enjoy, but I would not presume to say, based on my personal bias, that they shouldn't be in the Olympics. What's bad for figure skating is not ice dance in the Olympics, but this quadriennial requirement that figure skating justify its existence.

 

[RobinA]

I have to admit, I am unfazed by this perennial debate. Call it a sport, call it a mackerel.

Figure skating and ice dance are disciplines which combine athletic derring-do with performance art. If you like it, do it. If you don't, do something else. :yes:

I happen to agree with you totally, but I have to admit it fazes me. I have loved figure skating since I was a child, it's my longest running interest and I am now 56. I'll call it a mackerel any day with no problem whatsoever. However this constant disrespect and ridicule for figure skating just gets under my skin sometimes. There are a zillion sports/mackerels/performances/games out there and there MUST be something for just about everyone. I just wish people would go find something that does suit their fancy and leave figure skating to those of us who love it. They should stop denigrating MY (and other figure skating lovers') sport and go find your own.

 

[figuristka]

I never want it taken out the Olympics.Its a very demanding and difficult sport. The hard thing though is if there is corruption or politics involved its harder to see than singles and pairs. I for one thought V/M should have won but the judges clearly are judging it more on speed, effortness of their required elements etc. Wish it was not so difficult to judge chemistry between the couple, emotional impact on the audience, detail in presentation, pure dance ability. Seems judges want the athletic side of skating more than artistry.

 

[louisa05]

Well, it is not a formal proposal, I will give her/him another chance
By the way, it is incredible to think that people going to university to study "journalism" or "comunication" to the end to write this

I have been trying to finish a master's degree in order to teach college for nearly four years now--caring for aging parents has been a massive interruption--meanwhile, three different people I know who have varying levels of NO MASTER"S DEGREE are teaching college level journalism. In my humanities field, no one will even look at my resume until my master's is 100% done. These people have 0, 6 and 12 graduate hours in the field, respectively, and get jobs. Hopefully that clears up part of the problem for you.

 

[Big Deal]

I will mention all the Olympic Champions in Ice Dance.
1976. Pakhomova/Gorshkov (CCCP)
1980. Linichuk-Karponosov (CCCP)
1984.Torvil-Dean (GBR)
1988. Bestemianova-Bukin (CCCP)
1992.Klimova-Ponomarenko (UN)
1994. Grischuk-Platov (RU)
1998. Grischuk -Platov (RU)
2002. Anisina-Peizerat (FRA)
2006. Navka-Kostomarov (RU)
2010.Virtue-Moir(CAN)
2014.Davis-White (USA)


They all have been great sportsmen, but yes, you are right, there are too many political decision happened not been connected with the real "sport"achievement accomplished on the ice.

There are 4 results which creates this discussion:
1. Regőczy-Sallay losing to Linichuk-Karponosov in 1980.
2.Torvil-Dean losing to the Russians (again) in 1994.
3.Denkova-Staviyski have been dumped for years in order to make Navka-Kostomarov olympic win sure in 2006.
4. (in a lesser extent) Virtue-Moir losing to Davis-White last year at the WorldChamps AND now.

 

[rvi5]

...It all comes down to the definition of "sport" in the end. And this differs between people.

I had come to the conclusion long ago that nobody actually knows the definition of "sport". It is one of those terms people with all their education think they know, but can't seem to accurately explain when questioned on details. A contradictory sport (or non-sport) can likely be found for any proposed definition. People like to attach athleticism, difficulty, skills, etc. to the definition, but these can also be used to describe other activities which are not typically considered sports. I think the Ballet fans would be quick to argue if you attempt to claim it is not athletic, difficult, or require skills. Yet these fans will usually admit Ballet is not a sport. They prefer to think of it as Fine Arts. In the end, it would seem a sport is anything the IOC gods decide. After all, they recognize Chess and Bridge as intellectual sports (but not necessarily other board or card games).

 

[ginal]

figure skating, yes. ice dancing, no. It is full of ish. Ballroom dancing is not in the olympics but they have competitions. Let ice dancing become like that.

 

[rain]

I happen to agree with you totally, but I have to admit it fazes me. I have loved figure skating since I was a child, it's my longest running interest and I am now 56. I'll call it a mackerel any day with no problem whatsoever. However this constant disrespect and ridicule for figure skating just gets under my skin sometimes. There are a zillion sports/mackerels/performances/games out there and there MUST be something for just about everyone. I just wish people would go find something that does suit their fancy and leave figure skating to those of us who love it. They should stop denigrating MY (and other figure skating lovers') sport and go find your own.

Yeah, I can never understand how people laugh and titter at figure skating but insist something like snowboard halfpipe is a truly legitimate and cool sport. Scoring, tricks and judges? Check, check and check. Aerials? Ditto — an Olympic sport. Diving? Yup. Freestyle — combines judged aerials with a time score. Traditional ski jumping? Judges for takeoff, landing, air flight position combined with a distance score. So lay off figure skating. (By the way, I love watching all of the sports I mentioned above.)