- Joined
- May 15, 2009
It's a bit strange (ironic in a way) that NBC has been less willing to toot the USA horn and hype our ladies than ABC (and ESPN) was...
I think it was a bit strange for US Skating to leave Jeremy off the schedule and the three Ladies they chose are not necessarily USA's most exciting Ladies.
If US Skating and NBC are trying to get some viewers back they might have considered Mirai, Alissa, Ashley or newcomer Agnes rather than Alexe and Caroline. I am fine with Rachael because she is the current US Ladies champion and even though she did SA last year she medaled and also was a good bet to medal this year.
It might not be as easy to hype skating board members but looking at the way Alexe has skated lately and with Caroline going through a major transition the odds were always going to be on Kanako or maybe Caro being featured. Not to knock Rachael - and she did a good job - but she is not the type of skater to light a fire under an audience and boost viewership.
So if I had been selecting last May or June it would have been Mirai, newcomer Agnes and maybe Alissa or Ashley. Skate America is supposed to be the showcase in the USA leading into Natls. After seeing how the Ladies fared I think they did themselves no favors.
It was dull and the fact that I haven't gone back to watch a clip of any of the USA Ladies is not a good sign. I am a skating fan and if it is dull for me it might seem 10 times worse for those fans who only watch occassionaly.
I hear about "protecting" skaters but first ......don't you need something to protect
Japan had Mao and Kanako - probably their two most popular skaters at NHK. They also had Miki and Akiko at COC together. The thing that has to be considered is that a good skate from Ashely could have medaled and so could have Alissa.
If Agnes was on she could have won a medal and maybe created a little buzz.
I don't get it and US Skating should try and showcase more than one top skater at Skate America if they want to bring back fans.
I got a kick out of seeing Kanako on my TV which has a much bigger and better pic/reception than a stream on my computer. I feel like a real fan of hers and maybe that is a good thing......losing some of the nationalism. I was happy Kanako won and hope to see her skate Live in USA in the future.
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