- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
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That's exactly it. Not one real surprise here. 2nd tier skaters remain 2nd tier.
That's exactly it. Not one real surprise here. 2nd tier skaters remain 2nd tier.
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That's exactly it. Not one real surprise here. 2nd tier skaters remain 2nd tier.
Here are the Skate Canada winners.I am curious whether winning the SA is more predictive than another GP, say SC or TEB...
It has seemed to me that recently Canada picks to be sure that its top skater in each event has a good chance at a medal--and hence to make the GPF, resulting in winners that are not always medallists at worlds.
And it appears that's so, from your list. Interesting.
My two cents.
1. I do not agree with basing the finals on garnering CoP points rather than on winning individual events. To me, this would take all the interest out of the individual events. Each skater would just be skating against him/herself, trying to beat his/her personal best or wthaever. The sense of a competition would be lost. The effect would be as if each skater stayed home, skated a practice program, and mailed in the score.
I think the problem with using the CoP points is that judging panels aren't necessarily consistent from one competition to the other. Actually, some just plain aren't. Remember Skate America and Skate Canada last year? The technical specialist (?) at SA was much stricter on downgrades than the one at SCI, and this discrepancy resulted in lower scores. Still, I agree tha tthe old method on placings isn't great, either...
Kypma
For the skaters, yes, I agree. For instance, I was tickled to death that Bebe Liang made the U.S. world team and skated great once she got there.Isn't the point of almost any individual sport to improve upon yourself and not just in comparison to others?
Not bad, necessarily but a power shift, that's for sure.
I am always curious about reports like this. Where did these "reports" originate, and which "Europeans" think the success of Asian skaters is bad for the sport? How exactly is it supposed to be "bad" for a skater of one nationality rather than another to win a championship?There were reports that many Europeans wanted a European/American to be on top at last years worlds they think the Asian "invasion" is bad for the sport.
I am always curious about reports like this. Where did these "reports" originate, and which "Europeans" think the success of Asian skaters is bad for the sport? How exactly is it supposed to be "bad" for a skater of one nationality rather than another to win a championship?
I guess it all depends on who is doing the invading. Did anyone complain when Russia won three out of four gold medals at Torino, or when Canada had great results at Worlds last year?
And they said that while it's great skating is growing popular in Japan and stuff. What the sport really needs is a Pretty European American girl to attract Western audiences.
That seems odd to me since Asian-American women like Michelle Kwan and Kristi Yamaguchi were great for the popularity of the sport. I don't think people cared that they weren't "Pretty European girls". I'm sure that it wouldn't hurt if figure skating had it's own Maria Sharapova or Anna Ivanovic to win all the competitions but obviously it doesn't need a pretty caucasian girl to make the sport popular. Anyways, isn't men's FS more popular in Europe anyways? The men's side always has a few good-looking European boys.
Bekalc - Where are these reports? Can you say who originated them? I hope you have a better answer than you had on the other thread that you remember them, but......There were reports that many Europeans wanted a European/American to be on top at last years worlds they think the Asian "invasion" is bad for the sport. I just don't want the judges to dump her.
Bekalc - Where are these reports? Can you say who originated them? I hope you have a better answer than you had on the other thread that you remember them, but......
I'm not doubting you. It's just with an accusation of prejudice it becomes tantamount to bad sportsmanship. Can't believe any group of Europeans would say that vocally.
(I hope understood your post correctly.)Yes but Kristi was American... Yu-na Kim, Mao Asada, Miki Ando, and Yukari Nakano are not... The idea is that American public won't go for a non American [and the European public won't go for a non-Europeans. That's the reason figure skating isn't big? So let's put a pretty European girl on the medal stand...
And all those good-looking European boys are immensely popular in Asia!Moviechick said:Isn't men's FS more popular in Europe anyways? The men's side always has a few good-looking European boys.
(I hope understood your post correctly.)
This is certainly not a new idea. When successive ladies worlds champions were Ito, Yamaguchi, Sato, Chen and Kwan, with only Oksana Baiul sneaking in there one year, there was talk about the domination of the sport by Asian and Asian-American ladies. There was a lot of speculation about whether Kristi got her fair share of publicity and endorsements out of her Olympic gold medal, compared to "America's sweethearts" of the past, like Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill.
One would like to hope that people don't care as much about stuff like that any more. Anyway, we'll see how the American (and European) public takes to Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu -- unless Rachael Flatt blows them all away.And all those good-looking European boys are immensely popular in Asia!