rtuerck, you're right. Figure skating has artistic aspects but it is still a sport. It's a competition and it's judged by its components. There's a certain standard you have to live up to. That's really not so in other forms of art. To an artist, it's all about personal expression and creativity. They don't need to yield to popular opinion or any judging panel. That's not the case with figure skating. As we've seen, if you're not in the judges' favor, then you won't be given due credit for your work.