Skate Canada statement on Pandemic Decisions

[gsk8]

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada would like to respond to the article published by Jack Gallagher on Japan Forward and a series of social media Tweets by reporter Philip Hersh on February 13, 2021.

Skate Canada stands behind its difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Several factors contributed to this decision, including evolving, unpredictable restrictions associated with travel and event hosting, including the possibility of on-site cancellation. Changing to an alternative location was simply not possible. To read more, please see our full press release announcing the cancellation.

Skate Canada understands that coaches, choreographers, and skaters are frustrated by pandemic-driven decisions. The Board of Directors and its President, Leanna Caron, stand behind their decision that was fully supported by management in the best interest of all involved. The decision was highly informed and based on careful consultations with all Skate Canada Sections, and on the situation in British Columbia and across Canada at the time. The difficult decision to cancel our National Championships was based on the genuine concern for the safety of all participants.

 

[alexocfp]

“The difficult decision to cancel our National Championships was based on the genuine concern for the safety of all participants.”

Let me give you the Canadian English to regular English translation: we don’t have, or we didn’t want to spend, money to make this competition possible.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The junior hockey championships went off with minimum issues.

 

[4everchan]

A lot of events have been canceled in other sports. It is not because hockey was possible when it happened that it should serve as reference.

 

[Baron Vladimir]

“The difficult decision to cancel our National Championships was based on the genuine concern for the safety of all participants.”

Let me give you the Canadian English to regular English translation: we don’t have, or we didn’t want to spend, money to make this competition possible.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The junior hockey championships went off with minimum issues.

Well, they indeed spend money to buy that amount of the vaccines, didn't they

 

[TontoK]

Two points.

1. How interesting that Skate Canada referenced the journalists who reported the news... but did not reference David Wilson, who actually made news.

2. The President of Skate Canada doesn't live in Canada... but in Europe?

Edit: More observations. Hersh retweeted Meagan Duhamel who wished that Nationals could have at least been a virtual competition, stating that it woud have been worth trying, especially as video was good enough for US Nationals qualifications and to establish ISU tech minimums. He also ripped Skate Canada's leadership in terms of results and producing new talent.

Ted Barton made a weak defense in response to Hersh's original tweet sharing the story, saying the Wilson didn't know the whole story behind the decision... to which Hersh replied that only proved they hadn't been transparent about the decision-making process.

This is developing into a little controversy. Forget the journalists... The fact that Wilson and Duhamel have not simply fallen in line with Skate Canada's decision seems like a warning shot.

 

[4everchan]

Two points.

1. How interesting that Skate Canada referenced the journalists who reported the news... but did not reference David Wilson, who actually made news.

2. The President of Skate Canada doesn't live in Canada... but in Europe?

Edit: More observations. Hersh retweeted Meagan Duhamel who wished that Nationals could have at least been a virtual competition, stating that it woud have been worth trying, especially as video was good enough for US Nationals qualifications and to establish ISU tech minimums. He also ripped Skate Canada's leadership in terms of results and producing new talent.

Ted Barton made a weak defense in response to Hersh's original tweet sharing the story, saying the Wilson didn't know the whole story behind the decision... to which Hersh replied that only proved they hadn't been transparent about the decision-making process.

This is developing into a little controversy. Forget the journalists... The fact that Wilson and Duhamel have not simply fallen in line with Skate Canada's decision seems like a warning shot.

ermmm... Duhamel also said that training was not even in the different provinces of Canada, which led to Nationals being canceled.. which is the actual full story. If athletes from some provinces cannot train as much as others, is it fair to hold Nationals? That's one of the main reasons that was given to coaches and athletes, right from the get go. It was not just a question of holding safe Nationals but fair ones. So I wouldn't say that Meagan Duhamel is not in line with Skate Canada's decision.... David Wilson, fine... and though I find Ted too politically correct most times, he is right here... Many are making judgments without proper information.

 

[TontoK]

ermmm... Duhamel also said that training was not even in the different provinces of Canada, which led to Nationals being canceled.. which is the actual full story. If athletes from some provinces cannot train as much as others, is it fair to hold Nationals? That's one of the main reasons that was given to coaches and athletes, right from the get go. It was not just a question of holding safe Nationals but fair ones. So I wouldn't say that Meagan Duhamel is not in line with Skate Canada's decision.... David Wilson, fine... and though I find Ted too politically correct most times, he is right here... Many are making judgments without proper information.

This was Duhamel's quote... copy and paste, no paraphrasing... on Hersh's tweet thread.

I enjoyed the virtual challenge event that was run in Canada. I wish they could at least have done Nationals like that.

Now, is that a full-on attack like David Wilson's "throw the bums out" thinking? No. But is it a backing of Skate Canada's decision to cancel the event entirely? Also No. And she also doesn't come to the leadership's defense against charges by Wilson that they've failed to develop talent or that they are complacent or that the President is mired in conflicts of interest (although I don't know exactly what he's talking about here... but it's an explosive charge).

Whatever you call it, Duhamel is certainly not "falling in line" and supporting the Federation leadership that is under attack. Considering her stature in the sport, especially in Canada, I bet there were some raised eye-brows.

*Edit to correct spelling.

 

[Adjesusluvsu]

It was not just a question of holding safe Nationals but fair ones.

Although this is a valid concern, I think there is always going to be some unfairness in sports, and it shouldn't decide whether or not to hold nationals. The unfairness and disadvantages of rink closures etc. is even more pronounced and brought on by the pandemic, but cancelling the event also could be interpreted as unfairness for skaters who need the experience/exposure of a nationals. I'm not saying that either is fair or unfair but rather that fairness isn't the best determinant.

However, I am not real familiar with Canada, so my perspective may be flawed.

 

[el henry]

It looks to me like Meagan Duhamel certainly supports Skate Canada's conclusion more than she does Phil Hersh's conclusion, although as far as I know she has no given no direct comment. The entire paragraph regarding the differences in training for Canadian athletes (from a very interesting article worth reading)

Meagan Duhamel: Life After the Olympics - A divine sport

Three years ago this month, Meagan Duhamel stood on the podium at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, having just achieved a lifetime goal. Already a World champion with partner Eric Radford, Duhamel also won two Olympic medals in Pyeongchang (team gold and individual bronze)...

adivinesport.com

"Every province is different. In Ontario, ... you can train. Ice is very expensive, though, because you’re only allowed eight people on at a time. Ice fees are the same, ....
And then there’s different rules in Quebec. In Quebec, you can only skate if you’re part of a sports study program.
Out in Alberta, there’s nothing open at all, ....
And then in BC, everything is open. ....
So it’s very different everywhere. And that’s why Skate Canada really couldn’t run a Nationals, because it’s not a fair playing field for anybody."

She is hardly challenging the SC powers that be .

 

[4everchan]

It looks to me like Meagan Duhamel certainly supports Skate Canada's conclusion more than she does Phil Hersh's conclusion, although as far as I know she has no given no direct comment. The entire paragraph regarding the differences in training for Canadian athletes (from a very interesting article worth reading)

Meagan Duhamel: Life After the Olympics - A divine sport

Three years ago this month, Meagan Duhamel stood on the podium at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, having just achieved a lifetime goal. Already a World champion with partner Eric Radford, Duhamel also won two Olympic medals in Pyeongchang (team gold and individual bronze)...

adivinesport.com

"Every province is different. In Ontario, ... you can train. Ice is very expensive, though, because you’re only allowed eight people on at a time. Ice fees are the same, ....
And then there’s different rules in Quebec. In Quebec, you can only skate if you’re part of a sports study program.
Out in Alberta, there’s nothing open at all, ....
And then in BC, everything is open. ....
So it’s very different everywhere. And that’s why Skate Canada really couldn’t run a Nationals, because it’s not a fair playing field for anybody."

She is hardly challenging the SC powers that be .

thanks.. that's what i was indeed referring to.

 

[rain]

I find it interesting that so many people commenting here seem to think that this was Skate Canada's decision alone. This is simply not true. The different provinces were making a whole lot of decisions about what was and was not allowed, what was and was not closed. Many events, sporting and otherwise, were cancelled or banned.

I think we have to think back to what the situation was around and just after Christmas and the New Year. While things are looking better now, the outlook was extremely dire at that time, when major planning would have been in the works for nationals. Alberta's COVID numbers were spiking out of control. Ditto for Ontario and Quebec. Restrictions were tightening in B.C. due to rising numbers and Manitoba and Saskatchewan were in trouble. Moving anything to the Atlantic provinces is fraught with difficulty due to quarantine requirements. I'm not saying it would have been impossible, just very, very difficult. Skating is not a sport where the athletes could just sit in hotel rooms and quarantine for two weeks and then go out and skate like that time off the ice hadn't happened.

From the vantage point of now, when things are a little more open in some places, it's easier to imagine the championships would have at least been allowed by whatever province they decided to hold it in, but that is by no means a given, and totally out of Skate Canada's control. With so much uncertainty, I can see why an in-person event was just not in the cards. Making comparisons to jurisdictions like Russia and the U.S. is nonsense, as these are jurisdictions whose response to COVID has been a horrifically awful failure to take it seriously. They are not role models.

Now, if you want to talk about the possibilities of a virtual event, that is a discussion worth having.

 

[4everchan]

even with a virtual event though... it would have been difficult for many athletes.

Let's not talk about the beginning of the article where they call Sara-Maude the champion of Canada... she won challenge in Juniors... so for some, as it was the last event of the season, they concluded it was equivalent to Nationals... I do not agree with that, but local journalists who don't know the sport better made this assumption...

Here is what matters :

Sara-Maude is in secondaire 4 in a sports-études program... this mean that she is in her second last year of high school in an intensive elite sports program which allows athletes to combine academics and training.. However, as Sara-Maude said, whenever school is closed, she is not allowed to train. High school students like her in red zone in Quebec were not allowed to train from then end of classes in december (so let's say december 18th) until january 18th when on site classes resumed. Of course, let's not talk about covid eclosions and class bubbles, because when that happens, a school may remain open but a classroom or some students in contact with a suspected or confirmed case need to stay home for 2 weeks and get tested.

In any case, after her taping was done for Challenge, Sara-Maude would not have been able to train for the full one month period coinciding with the school closure. Nationals were planned from February 8 to 14... That means, that in the best of worlds, Sara-Maude would have had 3 weeks only to regain her shape for the event whether it was held in person or virtually. This situation is completely unfair as in some other provinces, skaters may have had a hard time paying for ice but it was not shut down.... and in some other provinces, there were no closures at all.

I think it's important to keep that in mind. Yes, in sport, we always see unfairness.. some athletes come from very wealthy families for instance, and can pay for the best coaches, choreographers, the most luscious costumes etc... they could potentially rent more ice time... get better physical trainers and psychological help... However, when an advantage/disadvantage is defined by a provincial law, i.e covid prevention measures, then we get into a lot of ethical problems. In Canada, public health is ruled by provincial governments. Each provinces lead things their own way. The maritimes shut down their boarders at the beginning of the first wave... and I so wish Quebec would have done the same but our government didn't... however it shut down interior sport for MUCH LONGER than anywhere else. Watching challenge was indeed a challenge for me... a lot of the athletes I have seen several times at Championnats québécois d'été were completely rusty and unable to perform jumps they have done easily in the past. It was most striking in senior men category where the athletes are not elite (except for Jo who trains in Toronto, and Nic who is elite) ... these skaters where never expected to be top 5 or even top 10.. but they could land their triples before... the LPs were disastrous...
Myriane Samson, a former skater and the commentator explained that the training situation for these men had been terrible... Marek R for instance, used to train 20-25 hours a week, but was down to 5 hours of ice-time a week... Well... his jumps were a disaster.. like the others... So, already, at Challenge, a virtual event, one could see the disadvantages that were created by provincial measures.

In the article above... Sara-Maude expresses that she is relieved that there are no Nationals because she was very stressed out about when school would reopen, as she would miss all that training..

I put in quotation a statement from Patinage Québec. It simply says they approve of the cancellation of Nationals as with the provincial health measures being so strict in Quebec, many athletes no longer had options to train until the event.

I am in full support of the cancellation, not only because of the disadvantages it would have created for some athletes, depending where they reside in Canada, but also because lack of preparation often means injuries...

We are seeing so many injuries at the Australian Open right now.. and the commentators are all putting the blame on the fact that training was so limited.... I wouldn't want our athletes to suffer from injuries just for the sake of having Nationals.. it's not worth it.

«Patinage Québec appuie cette décision, écrit l’organisation sur son site Internet. Avec le resserrement des mesures sanitaires au Québec, plusieurs de nos patineurs de l’équipe de Québec n’avaient plus d’options pour s’entraîner d’ici la compétition.»

 

[TontoK]

I find it interesting that so many people commenting here seem to think that this was Skate Canada's decision alone. This is simply not true. The different provinces were making a whole lot of decisions about what was and was not allowed, what was and was not closed. Many events, sporting and otherwise, were cancelled or banned.

I think we have to think back to what the situation was around and just after Christmas and the New Year. While things are looking better now, the outlook was extremely dire at that time, when major planning would have been in the works for nationals. Alberta's COVID numbers were spiking out of control. Ditto for Ontario and Quebec. Restrictions were tightening in B.C. due to rising numbers and Manitoba and Saskatchewan were in trouble. Moving anything to the Atlantic provinces is fraught with difficulty due to quarantine requirements. I'm not saying it would have been impossible, just very, very difficult. Skating is not a sport where the athletes could just sit in hotel rooms and quarantine for two weeks and then go out and skate like that time off the ice hadn't happened.

From the vantage point of now, when things are a little more open in some places, it's easier to imagine the championships would have at least been allowed by whatever province they decided to hold it in, but that is by no means a given, and totally out of Skate Canada's control. With so much uncertainty, I can see why an in-person event was just not in the cards. Making comparisons to jurisdictions like Russia and the U.S. is nonsense, as these are jurisdictions whose response to COVID has been a horrifically awful failure to take it seriously. They are not role models.

Now, if you want to talk about the possibilities of a virtual event, that is a discussion worth having.

I've offered no opinion on Skate Canada's decision. I've commented on the articles and tweets which indicate, at a minimum, some questioning (Duhamel) or outright fury (Wilson) concerning a complete cancellation.

These are both highly influential people in the skating world. Their opinions are newsworthy and relevant and a valid topic of discussion.

But I'll also add this... As for Hersh... Either he's a news guy or he's an opinion guy. I thought he fashions himself a news reporter, meaning he can keep his personal opinions on this topic to himself.

Setting aside the Nationals cancellation, has anyone responded to Wilson's comments about development of new talent or conflicts of interest?