Thus ART is demonstrated in points - or is it?

[hockeyfan228]

There will never be consensus about whether a program is "one for the ages" any more than there is one skater that everyone loves, but I think a sponteneous standing ovation 20 seconds before the end of the program is indicative of one that will be cited on many "greatest program" lists, and the fact that it is regularly cited on favorite programs lists is also indicative.

 

[gkelly]

Performances for the ages?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5NPk3C5HY8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljPUUm3b5dU

Among sports fans, who are entertained by and remember programs for their athletic achievement? Probably yes. On the same level as great sporting achievements in any other sport.

Works of art? Probably no.

 

[hockeyfan228]

Intellectually I know why Rodnina is considered the greatest competitive pairs skater and why Rodnina/Zaitsev were considered such a great pair, but they leave me not even cold, but bored. (Except when she gives a little hang in her jumps.) I don't see much pairness; instead I see a lot of very accomplished side-by-side skating, not always that close together, and most of the time without the the toe-point, stretch, and finish I associate with great Russian pairs.

Sometimes I wonder if all of the Protopopov's protests about CoP aren't really about how Rodnina/Ulanov overtook them and how they began to change pairs style from lyric to athletic, which Rodnina/Zaitsev extended, because almost all of their aesthetic criticism could be applied to this program.

 

[3lutz3toe]

One of the reasons that FS has the artistic element to it is because it is done to music and therefore requires choreography. Otherwise, it would be like any other usual sports. FS is not like other usual sports. And it always amuses me that people keep on insisting that FS is not a pure sports. For goodness sakes, I’m so glad that FS is not considered a pure sports, where things are measured and clocked. I love seeing both the jumps, spins, spirals, etc, along w/ the choreography and music and costumes.
FS is an artistic sports and should be taken as that instead of trying box it into this neat little box. Since FS is an artistic sports, one has to balance the athelicism skills w/ the artistic part. That's why you have 2 sets of scoring to combine for the total score. Is it subjective? Of course, and that is the most interesting part of all!

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Problem is it can't compete with other major sports. It needs a lot of hype to get people into it, not unlike Curling without music. Music is not enough and it may distract music lovers who happen to like Tosca the opera, and not Tosca on Skates. That is where the questionable 'art form' is. The layman does not differentiate the elements as clearly as a fan does, but the layman does know how people should move to music.

My suggestion would be to let Figure Skating (change its title to 'Artistic Skating') go after a truly original art form for skating and not just mimicing other art forms.
Be an original and do something to Puccini's music without following his operas.

An extremely high free leg in a spiral in itself is not artistic. It is one of many 'moves' a skater can do so that the whole program is truly artistic.

The Whole is the Sum of Its Parts = The Whole Package. If this is not possible and the parts are more important than the whole, then bring on the hype. It is needed! JMO.

 

[Hsuhs]

FS is not like other usual sports. And it always amuses me that people keep on insisting that FS is not a pure sports.

Some ppl like FS for its athletic component, they also happen to be fans of the figure skaters with impressive medal records, who are also known as bad dancers. They don't mind 'empty' / simplistic programs as long as the jumps are OK. The best jumpers are usually the winners.

Then you have these fans of fragile artistique souls. They pray, they voodoo that their fave lands that #@&%^^%* quad he's been talking about for ages. Sometimes, just sometimes, their desire is satisfied. The feeling is like winning a lottery. That's why they stick around, too.

 

[sorcerer]

Getting back, true, we may not expect the PCS marks to be accurate, but can't we hope that they show some meaningful tendencies?

F'rinstance do the Choreo marks below show that the choreos DO get mostly better as the season goes by?


ANDO
short SA 7.05 TEB 7.05 GPF 7.35 WLD 7.36
free SA 6.80 TEB 6.65 GPF 6.90 WLD 7.43

ASADA
short SA 7.30 NHK 7.35 GPF 7.50 WLD 7.43
free SA 6.75 NHK 7.55 GPF 7.05 WLD 7.82

KIM
short SC 6.25 TEB 6.95 GPF 7.10 WLD 7.61
free SC 6.95 TEB 7.20 GPF 7.25 WLD 7.75