Your favorite and least favorite figure skating commentators

[CaroLiza_fan]

Mark is a year younger than me?!

Damn, you know you're getting old when the commentators are younger than you!

Fortunately, Mark is a few months older than me. (Enough months to have been in a different school year). So, I don't have that problem.

HOWEVER, Phillip Harris, who has been doing a great job commentating on the British Championships for the past few years, is 4 years younger than me!

Phew, he is older than me

I don't want to ruin your Sunday, but don't forget that the commentators we had at the Nebelhorn, Niko Ulanovsky (ISU Bio) and Michail Savitskiy (ISU Bio), were born in 1997 and 2003 respectively...

I think all of us felt old then!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[cto888]

I liked this past worlds where we had Javi commenting with someone (I think it was at eurosport so it wasn't with paloma del rio), he was quiet but added some insight. I was sad to discover that we didn't have the rights for the GP, i miss the commentary (the "madre mia" ladies) in spanish. Hoping we have the rights for euros. Until then, Mark will do!

 

[AquaSeas]

"This is all about Murphy. I don't think anyone can catch Murphy. It's gonna be Murphy, I'm sure... No! Rylov!"

Rowdy Gaines. The voice of swimming, sadly. He is a font of information but so pro American, he’s impossible to watch for any length of time. He also tends to fixate on one or two swimmers (Michael Phelps, Regan Smith, the above-mentioned Ryan Murphy) and yaks and yaks through the race, failing to comment on who is actually swimming/winning. I can’t think of any skating commentators as bad…

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Sorry, can’t figure out how to make my reply not end up in Flanker’s comment. Old and tech-impaired here…

There is a button at the end of the toolbar that looks like [ ] . If the other buttons on the toolbar are the same colour, then click this to get out of WYSIWYG mode. The other buttons will now be faded out.

After your shrugging emoticon ( ), you should see [/QUOTE] . Copy this, and paste it in after flanker's laughing emoticon ( ). And then delete the one that is after your .

That should do the trick.

Hope this helps

CaroLiza_fan

 

[AquaSeas]

There is a button at the end of the toolbar that looks like [ ] . If the other buttons on the toolbar are the same colour, then click this to get out of WYSIWYG mode. The other buttons will now be faded out.

After your shrugging emoticon ( ), you should see

. Copy this, and paste it in after flanker's laughing emoticon ( ). And then delete the one that is after your .

That should do the trick.

Hope this helps

CaroLiza_fan
[/QUOTE]

thanks so much

 

[alexocfp]

Will you accept a feed with no commentator as the best commentator?
Skates hitting the ice without noise is bliss.

 

[PaulE]

Mark is a year younger than me?!

Damn, you know you're getting old when the commentators are younger than you!

We really old people were fortunate since we had Dick Button for many, many years .

 

[el henry]

We really old people were fortunate since we had Dick Button for many, many years .

I feel old when I realize I can be my dentist's or my doctor's mother, not about commentators. At least Dick Button is older than me

and he introduced *so many* US fans to figure skating.

 

[yelyoh]

Rowdy Gaines. The voice of swimming, sadly. He is a font of information but so pro American, he’s impossible to watch for any length of time. He also tends to fixate on one or two swimmers (Michael Phelps, Regan Smith, the above-mentioned Ryan Murphy) and yaks and yaks through the race, failing to comment on who is actually swimming/winning. I can’t think of any skating commentators as bad…

I cannot stand Rowdy and his shrill loud voice. And I remember one Olympic 50 meter where he was focused on a non-US swimmer who won gold and ignored the US Black swimmer, Cullen Jones, who won silver and just mentioned him as an afterthought - totally disrespectful.

Back to skating. Yes Ted Barton. And Tanith and Charlie and Ben and Mike Weiss. They are all measured and informative and respectful.

Least are Sandra and Scott Hamilton (again the voice) and Tara and Johnny (though they do what they are talking about).

 

[lariko]

I was so, so happy with Mark until suddenly during IdF he decided to throw shade on Russian men collective performance. I understand that the Russians won’t rest until they breed, train and crown a champion of champions (and then immediately switch to complaining that they can’t have three) but what horse does Mark have in this race?

So, Ted, only Ted.

 

[TT_Fin]

I wish I could understand more Russia to understand what Yulia L. says. She has so great voice. The all time rock bottom was here in Finland, when the oldest one of the national commercial TV channels won the rights for big competitions years ago. They just hired somebody sports announcer (I remember exactly who he was, but the name does not matter, so I leave it away). But commentating was like this "triple jump, douple jump..or was it triple" he really knew nothing about FS, maybe just read something before the competition and thought he can do it. It was only (thank G) a year and so long ago, it might have been in the beginning of the decade, I don't remember exactly.

 

[Mauvedreamer]

I was so, so happy with Mark until suddenly during IdF he decided to throw shade on Russian men collective performance. I understand that the Russians won’t rest until they breed, train and crown a champion of champions (and then immediately switch to complaining that they can’t have three) but what horse does Mark have in this race?

So, Ted, only Ted.

I don't like Mark Hanretty, he is knowledgeable yes! I did pick up a negative attitude towards Russian skaters. Quite obviously shows his bias!! Personally I find him a bit robotic his delivery! Not for me!! I like a bit of personality! He has zero !

 

[Angie Grams]

I cannot listen to Tara Lipinski! All she can comment upon is jumps! She says nothing about the skater's grace and style and artistic merit. This is very annoying, though not surprising because when she skated, all she brought were jumps, absolutely no grace and artistry at all.

 

[Blades of Passion]

You're mistaken about Tara's skating, she did have a lot of grace, and energy.

She's not a good commentator but there is very little artistry in the sport now, so...

 

[Joekaz]

I definitely still see lots of artistry and grace with many performers. Lipinsky only comments on the jumps, so there is noticeable silence between those jumps.
I never saw any grace or gentleness or emotional artistry in her skating. She was an energetic and mechanical jumper, more than a true figure skater. JMO.

The problem is that grace and artistry is greatly devalued now, even though what your body and arms look like when you skate and how you move to the music is just as important as what your feet are doing, if not more so, just as with judging a dancer. Plus the GOE and other technical evaluations are just as subjective as the artistic ones.

 

[lesnar001]

I don't really care what your opinion of her is (commentary or skating), but at least you could show her just enough respect to spell her name correctly.

 

[Angie Grams]

The problem is that grace and artistry is greatly devalued now, even though what your body and arms look like when you skate and how you move to the music is just as important as what your feet are doing, if not more so, just as with judging a dancer. Plus the GOE and other technical evaluations are just as subjective as the artistic ones.

I agree with you. The artistry and feel of the skater is every bit as important as the technical skill. But even if, as you say, those aspects are now devalued (I hope not), a commentator should try to recognize and comment upon artistry, which is honestly what I think many fans tune in to see.

 

[Angie Grams]

I don't really care what your opinion of her is (commentary or skating), but at least you could show her just enough respect to spell her name correctly.

You are right, and I apologize for the mispelling which I will now go back and correct.

 

[Joekaz]

You are right, and I apologize for the mispelling which I will now go back and correct.

You shouldn't apologize until he goes back and has the decency to show you more respect in the way he points out your error.

 

[Skater Boy]

To each their own. I personally think Tara and Johnny make figure skating sound like a "quasi" sport. Their demeanour and dress kind of makes a mockery to the sport. As for Tara's skating she had a lot of joy and energy - is that artistry I am not sure.