Will Sochi's Olympic team skating return in 2018?

[Bonnie F]

I cannot imagine this happening because of the amount of time and money that goes into putting together an additional program.
Money for the cheographers (at least a couple thousand) and coaches (paid by the minute) ; time (HOURS!) for the skater to perfect the routine.

Some would say that many skaters already have a 3rd exhibition program. But that exhibition program is not being judged (which includes points for each spin and jump) at the same level as the competitive program. Exhibition programs are enjoyable to watch but they rarely have the same level of difficulty as a competitive program.

I think repeating the same long program really hurt those who skated the long (the short programs didn't bother me as much but to me a SP never has as much choreographic and emotional impact). I guess I am of the opinion that each program can only have one true Olympic moment. I don't think you can put your heart and soul as well as adrenaline into a program twice in two weeks. Inevitably the two performances will be compared and one will be weaker than the other. If it were me, I would choose my strongest program from the preceding 2-3 seasons and repeat this for the team event while performing my current Olympic season program in the individual event. This way the skaters wouldn't have to develop a completely new program, they would just have to dust off and maybe add a little to one of their old programs and casual fans would be more interested because they would not see the same programs twice.

 

[Icey]

As a team event, I would have preferred only one medal be given (to the team), not individual medals to each member of the team. The names of the individuals could be engraved on the medal and it permanently housed somewhere. I do not see each individual on the team as an Olympic medalist: the team is the medalist. Is each member of the winning team of the Ryder Cup given a cup.? I don't think so. One problem too is that journalist are confusing things by the way they write about skaters who have won a team medal but no individual medal. In golf, writers will say golfer x was on the winning Ryder Cup team; in fs writers are simply saying skater x is an olympic medalist. That being said the cat is out of the bag and things can't be reversed. Confusing.
If they are going to have such an event in skating, why not have it at Worlds too?

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

As a team event, I would have preferred only one medal be given (to the team), not individual medals to each member of the team. The names of the individuals could be engraved on the medal and it permanently housed somewhere. I do not see each individual on the team as an Olympic medalist: the team is the medalist. Is each member of the winning team of the Ryder Cup given a cup.? I don't think so. One problem too is that journalist are confusing things by the way they write about skaters who have won a team medal but no individual medal. In golf, writers will say golfer x was on the winning Ryder Cup team; in fs writers are simply saying skater x is an olympic medalist. That being said the cat is out of the bag and things can't be reversed. Confusing.
If they are going to have such an event in skating, why not have it at Worlds too?

They don't give out trophies/cups at the Olympics. They give out Olympic medals. Do they only give out one medal for team gymnastic events with engravings on it? How about in basketball and hockey or even curling. Does each team receive one medal?

Is this really a big deal if someone wins a medal and puts Olympic champion on their résumé. It seems kind of petty to deny them this. IMO every Olympic athelete is deserving of recognition. Especially the medalists.

 

[GF2445]

Yeah in normal team events everyone gets a medal. We have to remember that skating is one of many olympic sports and so if we have a team event, we have to follow how the olympics usually awards a team. We have to see each figure skating team as a team who contributed and earned points for their nation rather than many individuals who incidentally make a team.

 

[SkateFan66]

Do the gymnasts repeat the same routines from the team event in the individual event ? I feel the same about the effect the team event had on Julia. So much attention and pressure before she competed individually. If she'd switched performances, she might have won 2 gold medals as the Russian Team was strong enough to overcome her mistakes.

I also think it kind of made the individual event less exciting as I'd seen the performances before. Still, I loved being able to see some programs twice. I'd be interested to know what the skaters thought.

.

Yes, the gymnast repeat the same routines. If a gymnast qualifies for the all-around competition, and an event final, they will end up performing the same routine three times.

 

[StitchMonkey]

Yes, the gymnast repeat the same routines. If a gymnast qualifies for the all-around competition, and an event final, they will end up performing the same routine three times.

Couldn't it be four? Qualifying, team, all-around and flour individual.

 

[SkateFan66]

Couldn't it be four? Qualifying, team, all-around and flour individual.

Yes. Totally forgot about the qualifying round.

 

[Amei]

but you know it's not going to happen.. yeah more countries participating.. but they HAVE NO CHANCE TO MEDAL..

the purpose of team event is to give more medals to powerful feds.. that's all..

But you could say that about both the Pairs and Ice dancing disciplines as well. Below is what I got from a quick Google search of Olympic medalists for both disciplines:


Pairs Skating - mostly Russians and Germans - sprinkle in a few from the U.S., Canada, and Chinese (and a few Hungarian, British, Belgians and Austrian, years and years ago)

Ice dancing: mostly Russian and a few from the U.S., Canada and French; then like 1 Italian, Hungarian, and Ukrainian team.

 

[rvi5]

It is similar with women's Hockey. Only four countries had a chance of a medal. Only two have a chance at Gold or Silver. After the IOC ultimatum, the situation is beginning to change. In Sochi, the other countries only lost (to Canada & US) by single digit scores instead of the double digits at Vancouver. The Swiss team won their first Bronze medal, instead of the favored Sweden or Finland. It takes time to balance out, if the other countries are willing to make the effort. However with the Figure Skating team event, it appears some people are expecting instant results re: medal distribution.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Developing a better hockey team that could win medals is certainly not the same as developing 4 different disciplines to a world class level in countries where skating needs development.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Developing a better hockey team that could win medals is certainly not the same as developing 4 different disciplines to a world class level in countries where skating needs development.

You're right. It would be way tougher to develop a competitive hockey program considering how many more people would need to be trained and the money involved with coaches and staff. In figure skating we're only asking for about 8 people to be trained. Plus Hockey talent on a national level tends to dip quite low from the bottom up. It isn't that much to ask countries that want to be a part of the ISU and host large events to train at least one team or individual in each discipline. I can't see anything but good coming from it.

 

[msteach3]

I'm indifferent. It was fun to watch but resulted in Olympic medals for people who did not deserve them like Jeremy Abbott.

Oh good grief. Really?

I enjoyed it and don't care if it's before or after the individual events, but having different programs for team would make it much more interesting especially for the casual viewers. I had friends confused after watching the SP's because they had seen those programs several days earlier in the team event and didn't understand why they were skated over. It wasn't as exciting the second time around. More work for the athletes for sure, but hey it's the Olympic Games!

 

[Mathman]

Developing a better hockey team that could win medals is certainly not the same as developing 4 different disciplines to a world class level in countries where skating needs development.

I have to agree with Sam-squanch on that one. What is required in either case are money and will.

 

[concorde]

I have to agree with Sam-squanch on that one. What is required in either case are money and will.

And luck!

 

[karne]

You're right. It would be way tougher to develop a competitive hockey program considering how many more people would need to be trained and the money involved with coaches and staff. In figure skating we're only asking for about 8 people to be trained. Plus Hockey talent on a national level tends to dip quite low from the bottom up. It isn't that much to ask countries that want to be a part of the ISU and host large events to train at least one team or individual in each discipline. I can't see anything but good coming from it.

I actually disagree. It is extremely hard to get male figure skaters to begin with (especially in Western culture) and then if you are a relatively small country it is even harder to get some of those male skaters to agree to do pairs instead of go for singles glory, and the same with the girls. And it would be hard because unlike hockey it would be seen as a very minority sport and funding and sponsorship would be extremely difficult to get.

 

[centerpt1]

I'm hoping synchro is included in the future. It is a true team sport, and it's fun to watch. I have heard talk the number of skaters on a team would be modified. The only problem with watching synchro is the frequent ice resurfacing In the Olympics, though, other sports could be shown during that time.

I don't mind the current team event, but I wish it was after the individual events. The individual events would help determine what skaters for a country did well enough to be on the team. That way if a skater bombed, he/she would not be chosen for the team event.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

My point, to use Matthew Parr again, is getting people like this a chance to shine on the big stage can only help to encourage even more male figure skaters in Great Britain by giving them something to strive for. Just competing in the Olympics is a reward for some. To me there is a lot more to the Olympics than winning medals. Just being involved means the world to most atheletes.

I 100% feel that the team event was a positive thing for skating.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I don't mind the current team event, but I wish it was after the individual events. The individual events would help determine what skaters for a country did well enough to be on the team. That way if a skater bombed, he/she would not be chosen for the team event.

Or the opposite. Someone who bombed in the individual could get a chance to redeem themselves. It was pretty cool though being the first event and I think it helped garner attention from people like me who watch every Olympic sport possible.

 

[Amei]

The only problem with watching synchro is the frequent ice resurfacing In the Olympics, though, other sports could be shown during that time.

Correct me if I'm wrong.... but the events were shown on NBC Sports and other NBC affiliates during the day (being shown live) and at night the tapes of those events were combined together - it wasn't actually a break in the competition.

 

[StitchMonkey]

I think a lot of you all forget that not everyone's goal at the Olympics is a medal. Think about how many skaters just want to make it to the free skate. That is a huge accomplishment for some. Other sports are similar.

So what if it is a while until other countries are medal forces, I suspect there are a lot of skaters that will be thrilled to make it to the free portion of the team event. Those skaters are getting something out of it. Paul Bonifacio Parkinson of Italy did not qualify for the free, but got to perform it as part of the team event. I bet he is pretty happy about the event even without much of a shot at a medal.

It also may help to redistribute talent to the disciplines. Now when skaters are considering shifting their focus, they can look at their chances in the team events. In the USA for instance, not many people are optimistic about getting a medal in pairs. But now, they can get a medal by being best in the USA, they don't have to overcome the drought so to speak. It may seem more worth it to both skaters and parents. This also means that those skaters may not be skating in other disciplines. So now the USA may not have an army of women on the grand prix circuit. If some of them are in pairs, then there is room made in that discipline for others skaters. So skaters from other countries have a better chance of going to more events/doing well. More practice competing, and winning can lead to better results, and more attention back home.