Actually flutzing and URs did matter. The issue was that 6.0 didn't tell you how much a judge deducted for it AND it was very deferential to the judge. Nicole Bobek received a lot of comments during her stellar 1994-1995 season when people started to notice her Lutz and Flip looked very similar. Then Tara's lutz was scrutinized when people wondered why the international judges gave her low tech scores at the 1997-1998 Skate America. Then they started zooming in on Kwan's. Then it became a bigger deal once the Kwan's biggest rivals came from Russia who didn't have as many issues with flutzing as the American women. Then URs became a big deal because Sarah Hughes was rising through the ranks and people started to notice it. Some people think that's why her technical marks tended to max out at 5.8 despite having great spins, choreography with content, and 3/3s while regularly doing 6-7 triples without many falls or step-outs. Slo-mo replays started being instituted in the early 2000s (or late 1990s, I don't remember) before COP to look out for issues like take-offs and and URs.
It was then codified in the COP, and they became very real deductions. What also changed was that UR and edge take-offs were now officially identified on the protocol sheet by callers rather than by judges though they can still score the element lower based on those calls. The UR and edge take-offs were given much more focus after the 2007-2008 shake-up because the ISU wanted to encourage skaters to learn correct take-offs and to rotate fully. Now there's talk of dialing that back a bit as it may have gone too far in the other direction. I think this current code is a little more lenient than the 2008-2010 code.
As for Sarah and Tara, it wasn't for lack of trying. Sarah continued for another season, but peaced out. I don't blame her. I think it's hard to stay motivated when you have other interests, and Sarah didn't have as many professional opportunities to explore. She was probably more excited to go Yale. Tara wanted to cash in on her gold right away and be part of the successful professional trek that made Yamaguchi, Boitano, Hamilton, Browning, Witt, etc. huge stars. It was probably enticing to do something more "fun". However, Tara had major injuries and the age difference between her and the other pros made the experience different from what she imagined, I bet. Add in the fact that pro skating's popularity was winding down and it wasn't as lucrative as it once was. I think that had more to do with why their career ended up the way it did rather than resentment from the general population that they beat Kwan. I mean look at Kwan's career now. It's winded down now that she's been away from skating for some time.
I think your last paragraph answers very well the topic question of the thread.:agree:
thanks also for your history of the flutz and URs. It frustrates me. Just to compare 2 US skaters at Worlds, Ashley lost 3.10 points on the 3F-3T in her free skate, with a UR so slight that some people, better versed than I am in the TEC side of figure skating, questioned it. I calculated her points loss on the basis of the score Ashley received (11.00) in the SP for her 3F-3T.
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Gracie lost the identical 3.10 points (-2.10 GOE, with -1.00 fall deduction) for her fall on the 3L-3T, which was so much more disruptive to her FS program that it's laughable even to speak of it in the same breath. Most commentators, in the moment, praised Ashley's 3F-3T in the free skate, for beauty or lightness or the thrill of it; and they didn't all, in the moment, question if it was a UR. So it wasn't visible enough to be apparent in the moment, even to some of the pros.
I'm not questioning the result AT ALL. I think the placement was right .... and those 3 points wouldn't have made a difference in placement relative to Evgenia. But it does highlight something Sonia Bianchetti has said since 2005, that the technical controller has too much power in IJS. Every human being will make a mistake or have a blind spot on occasion, but if you have 9 judges calling it, an occasional mistake will not be so egregious as when one person has the power to control what all the other judges can or cannot reward.
Beyond that, it baffles me that such a
barely visible UR can cost a skater as much as an unfortunate, awkward fall. And it makes me:angry1:
:curse: as hell. When you look at those two examples, it's absolutely no surprise that figure skating has lost so much enjoyment for audiences.
Did you know that Rgirl was a former touring dancer and that she is the author of a famous book on diet and nutrition for dancers?
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