Yep, and this has always been a hinderance to the sport - most sports have relatively clear cut rules on who someone wins, get the most goals/baskets, etc. its a lot easier to say this is how the winner won; figure skating - you have to try and explain to a new viewer to understand that skater B fell twice and still beat someone that was clean. Then you have the colossal mystery in the presentation and PCS marks (representing the 2 most recent scoring systems); there are few times that everyone is going to agree that those marks are correct. And if that's not enough confusion, there's the lovely 'reputation bonus' - I remember Sasha Cohen's first nationals where it was real tight between her and Kwan and Kwan won; and Dick Button (on a national broadcast I think it was ABC at the time) made a remark about how she (Cohen) hadn't put in her time yet.
What skating "used to be"
- Thread starter Minz
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Yep, and this has always been a hinderance to the sport - most sports have relatively clear cut rules on who someone wins, get the most goals/baskets, etc. its a lot easier to say this is how the winner won; figure skating - you have to try and explain to a new viewer to understand that skater B fell twice and still beat someone that was clean. Then you have the colossal mystery in the presentation and PCS marks (representing the 2 most recent scoring systems); there are few times that everyone is going to agree that those marks are correct. And if that's not enough confusion, there's the lovely 'reputation bonus' - I remember Sasha Cohen's first nationals where it was real tight between her and Kwan and Kwan won; and Dick Button (on a national broadcast I think it was ABC at the time) made a remark about how she (Cohen) hadn't put in her time yet.
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^ I don't think its so bad as all that. In basketball everyone knows that you get one point for every free throw, two [points for every field goal, and three points for every "three" -- then you sit back and watch the score mount as the teams hit one shot, then another, then another. And also that the team is more likely to get a good shot if they execute their pick and roll well, or if they find open shooters in rhythm for high percentage shots, etc. (That is why I don't like to watch hockey, for instance, or soccer -- I can count the goals but I cannot see how the plays develop to generate quality shots on goal, or what the defense is doing to prevent it.)
In skating the concept that you get a certain number of points for each trick that you perform is not too challenging for the fans, even if they can't tell a Salchow from a loop without being told. The score mounts as you do more amd more elements. As for "style points," I think that is an easy notion to master, too, in principle.. Even though we may disagree with the judges as to which skater was more "stylish." still, the idea that one skater skates faster than another, that one skater jumps higher than another even if they get the same base value, and even that one skater expresses the music better than another -- I don't think that this is beyond the undersdtanding of most viewers, if they had any interest.
In skating the concept that you get a certain number of points for each trick that you perform is not too challenging for the fans, even if they can't tell a Salchow from a loop without being told. The score mounts as you do more amd more elements. As for "style points," I think that is an easy notion to master, too, in principle.. Even though we may disagree with the judges as to which skater was more "stylish." still, the idea that one skater skates faster than another, that one skater jumps higher than another even if they get the same base value, and even that one skater expresses the music better than another -- I don't think that this is beyond the undersdtanding of most viewers, if they had any interest.
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I love that ad. Chocolate and skating, my favorites.
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But you couldn’t always fall - let alone fall twice - and win. I remember it being a huge big deal when Sasha Cohen fell and still won the Olympic Silver Medal. The scoring system as it is extremely confusing and a casual fan is not going to try to read and keep up with the yearly changes.
And that is what is keeping many people from learning the system to understand the scoring. These viewers only watchFS during the Olympics or are randomly watching a competition that happens to air at that moment. They aren't interested enough to read the rules and understand them. Commentators can only explain a little, either they don't understand it themselves of they don't have enough time to explain every rule (and we don't want them talking through the entire performance!).
A fan will take the time to understand and learn the rules, a casual viewer mostly won't do that. And end up getting confused.
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