Pro Grand Prix Series

[russell30]

I thought in order to bring back professional competitions why doesn't a governing body - maybe ISU do a professional grand prix series. I thought there would be a

Skate America
Skate Canada
Skate Europe
Skate Asia
Grand Prix Final

Each pro could enter two competitions and four in each discipline with the highest scores go through to the Grand Prix Final. I think this would do a lot for Pro Skating: possible line up:

Skate America Line Up

Ladies:
Shizuka Arakawa
Angela Nikodinov
Yuka Sato
Caryn Kadavy
Oksana Bauil

Pairs:
Ina/Zimmerman
Sato/Dungjen
Petrova/Tikhonov
Shen/Zhao
Kovarikova/Novotny

Men:
Todd Eldredge
Brain Boitano
Kurt Browning
Michael Weiss
Alexei Yagudin

Dance:
Fusar Poli/Margagalio
Krylova/Ovisannikov
Drobiazko/Vanagas
Lang/Tchenyshev
Wing/Lowe

This would be great and a good format!! and to do it under 10 system like other pro events. Be a Technical and a Artistic Program. What do people think!!

 

[hyoo]

How would that affect the show schedules for pros? Also, how many pro competitions are there currently?

 

[SeaniBu]

And did you see Ice Wars this season? Oksana? Her performance left most wondering if she is a ice performer and not a Figure Skater anymore. She is entertaining to watch but the content to compete was not there. IMO

Sato twice? Not that I mind, but I think she might. It is nice to see her and Jason skate to gather, hard to decide which I would more want to see.

Pairs look great! Shen and Zhao vs Ina and Zimmi would be awesome.

Guys is a superb line up.

And to be more honest than I need. I have no desire to ever see Babs again.

I think the key to pro is not going TOO FAR over the top with silly. Like Mike and the 70s fro, then tops it off with a variation of the spread eagle that requires blades that no one else has, that is the line between show and comp crossed right there.
2cents

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

This is an excellent idea but like a PGA Tour, each one would have to be sponsored by a big corporation. And would the Pros want to practice hard every day to win these events, and leave their easy going life in show biz?

How much interest would the general public have in seeing these? I think the Holiday Specials and some kind of Skate War is fine for these guys who are now married and must insure money is coming in to support a family.

Joe

 

[attyfan]

Maybe, they could bring back something along the lines of the "world team challenge", as follows:

Team USA: Todd [or Brian or Mike]; Angela; I/Z; L/T

Team Asia: Takeshi Honda; Shizuka; S/Z [if they are really turning pro]; but I don't know about ice dance

Team Russia: Yags; Maria (or, after the child is born, Irina); B/S; L/A

Team Canada: Kurt; Jennifer; S/P and bring back B/K (or Wing & Lowe)

 

[iloveaxel]

doubtful

I doubt many will be interested in watching such 'competitions'. Grand Prix's attendance is in decline, let alone some new 'pro competitions'.

At least half of the names on the roster, I have no idea who they are. I am a regular lurker on this board, you can imagine the general public awareness of the old timers.

 

[Tonichelle]

ISU doesn't control the pros... and thank god for that... let's not give Speedy anymore of skating...

iloveaxel... most of the names on the proposed roster aren't even all that old... most of them have retired in the last - what - 4 years? maybe you need to check that ol' memory of yours and where are these 'new' pro competitions? all of the comps that were -save for the two team events they still have each year - are now gone...

I miss teh world pro championships... as well as the other more 'serious' comps... heck I even miss the rock and roll championships...

I just miss pro skating... I miss the golden era generation :no:

 

[chuckm]

The TV networks have devalued competitive eligible figure skating and the current ISU contract shows it on ESPN when it is convenient. The new USFS contract pays nothing for the rights to Skate America and US Nationals.

With the interest in figure skating on TV waning, how can anyone think the networks would be interested in showing a Pro Grand Prix series? With no TV, the skaters couldn't make any money so it would be pointless.

BAD idea!

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Worse, if they come out with tacky costumes.

 

[attyfan]

I think that a lot of the reasons cited for the lack of interest in competitive skating -- the CoP not being audience friendly; no confidence in the judges; and the kind of skating now mandated by the system (the classic perfection of Angela's layback, for example doesn't cut it any more) would not apply to pro events.

Maybe, if a new group (along the lines of the World Skating Federation) spent its time putting together actual events, they could get into a better position to challenge the ISU. It was not unreasonable (IMO) for the IOC to refuse to dump an organization with a lot of experience in favor of a new group that has never hosted an event. However, if the new group put on events with an easily understood scoring system, where the audience had confidence in the judges, and if those events got ratings as good or better than the ISU events, the IIOC's reaction might differ.

 

[krenseby]

I think a pro GP series might work is they would adopt the World Team Challenge format!

I think that format was perfect: it required three jumps for singles skaters, two of them in combination.

I think this was great because it wouldn't overtax the skaters: a three jump program doesn't require intense training and wouldn't overburden pro skaters. They could take it easy and train just for a bit before coming and doing a program like that. On the other hand, it's still somewhat of a challenge...

And also, the other great thing about the WTC format was the fact that the jumps were only required for the technical program and weren't important for the artistic program. So even the skaters who didn't care about doing their jumps well could still win by doing a great artistic progrma.

 

[iloveaxel]

I think a pro GP series might work is they would adopt the World Team Challenge format!

I think that format was perfect: it required three jumps for singles skaters, two of them in combination.

I think this was great because it wouldn't overtax the skaters: a three jump program doesn't require intense training and wouldn't overburden pro skaters. They could take it easy and train just for a bit before coming and doing a program like that. On the other hand, it's still somewhat of a challenge...
.

Sorry, I won't sit through a telecast with skaters doing only three triples.
I was already bored with the only SOI show I had seen in my life. Your proposal makes those 'competitions' even less like a sport, which is exactly the reason why many people have no interest in watching FS.

 

[iluvtodd]

I'd love to see a pro series come back, or if not a series, at least some opportunities for the pros to compete. I do not care to see Oksana Baiul embarrass herself by her recent programs & goofier behavior , nor do I wish to see Barbara Fusar-Poli (whom I felt was a disgrace at the Torino Olympics). I have nothing personal against Maurizio - if he were to team up with someone else, that would be just fine. I'll take Yuka both ways, anyday, as a singles skater & as a pairs team with Jason. I do not want the competition judged under Cop, however.

 

[Mathman]

ILoveAxel, different strokes for different folks. The same way you get bored with a program that has only three triple jumps, other people might get bored watching teenies bopping their way through a program with little grace or attention to the music, falling on many of their attempted tricks.

But IMHO Joe's post makes the real point. It's all about the Benjamins. We can have any kind of skating show or competition we want as long as we can find someone to put up the money.

 

[pennyfromheaven]

It would be awesome! There are hardly any pro competitions

 

[gio]

heck I even miss the rock and roll championships...

That competition rocked!!! I miss the Rock'n Roll Championships.

I miss those cheesy competitions with programs that were TOO FUN to watch. I enjoy rewatching from my video archive

some examples will be missed
Brian "Blue Techno" Boitano :chorus: and techno Denise Biellmann
The naughy girl Yuka Sato
Viktor Petrenko "too sexy for his shoes"
every Kurt Browning and Scott Hamilton fun programs Scott Hamilton dressed as a rock star with long hair or dressed as being in Rio de Janeiro carnival
Rudy Galindo as a violinist
Kristy "Bjork" Yamuguchi
and the list can continue

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

It would be awesome! There are hardly any pro competitions

Ask yourself: Where have all the audiences gone? Where will the sponsors be?

 

[pennyfromheaven]

Well, where have all the audiences gone?

 

[krenseby]

ILoveAxel, different strokes for different folks. The same way you get bored with a program that has only three triple jumps, other people might get bored watching teenies bopping their way through a program with little grace or attention to the music, falling on many of their attempted tricks.

But IMHO Joe's post makes the real point. It's all about the Benjamins. We can have any kind of skating show or competition we want as long as we can find someone to put up the money.

I find ILoveAxel's complaint about 3 jumps as being boring quite ironic, considering there are now a bunch of cheesefests (US, Russia, etc) where some skaters only 2 jumps in exhibition, one of these jumps often botched.

So from the perspective of the pro world, 3 jumps is not bad at all... Take Sasha Cohen's "Hurt" exhibition for example. She did two, one of them really badly. Nevertheless her performance was still enjoyable. If she did 3 and all of them successfully, perhaps it might have been slightly more enjoyable. Either way, if you look at Sasha Cohen, good pro performances can come to fruition even without lots of jumps.

 

[antmanb]

I think that a lot of the reasons cited for the lack of interest in competitive skating -- the CoP not being audience friendly; no confidence in the judges; and the kind of skating now mandated by the system (the classic perfection of Angela's layback, for example doesn't cut it any more) would not apply to pro events.

BUt wasn't part of the problem with the old pro 10.0 judging that everyone got 9.9 or 10. I thought on top over oversaturation of the same programs on tv all the time it was the completely stupid judging in the pro events that made people lose interest?

Maybe, if a new group (along the lines of the World Skating Federation) spent its time putting together actual events, they could get into a better position to challenge the ISU. It was not unreasonable (IMO) for the IOC to refuse to dump an organization with a lot of experience in favor of a new group that has never hosted an event. However, if the new group put on events with an easily understood scoring system, where the audience had confidence in the judges, and if those events got ratings as good or better than the ISU events, the IIOC's reaction might differ.

It would never work - it would take a whole raft of elligible skaters taking a chance on the new organisation. The ISU banned for life its members who had anything to do with the WSF and would simply do the same if a new organisation cropped up. Elligible skaters have short enough time scales in which to win big to secure their future that i can't see a single promising skater deciding to take a chance on losing their ISU elligiblity by competing in a non sanctioned competition and sticking two fingers up at the ISU on a whim that maybe the new organisation could challenge the ISU.

Ant