The role of fans in shaping skaters’ careers

[Anna K.]

A truly vile, even demonic, attack on skaters. What kind of an evil fiend would post such a thing?

It was me, of course
It was in 2010, well before I became a member of this forum. I was posting my usual content in the OGs comment section ("I have not watched figure skating for fours years, blah-blah-blah, and isn't biathlon exciting?") of the news platform that I visited back then. So, I engaged in a conversation about skating and eventually got asked what I thought about the women category. The said fashion trend was then all the rage, so I decided to sum it all up in one sentence In my head, it was a diplomatic way how to say that I was not interested. Not in any'head, alas. When I refreshed the page, the first thing I saw was a supporter of some skater X exposing me as an undercover fan of the skater Y with a mean intent to destroy X and also, by the way, a miserable hypocrite because didn't I notice that Y wore her tights over her boots, too? Oops

 

[Mathman]

^ Biathlon You ski across country, then stop and shoot at some targets, then if you miss, you go around in a little circle before starting out again, My favorite sub-discipline is Pursuit." I am fuzzy on the details, but I assume that you try to catch up to your rival on skis and shoot him.

Edit: This led me to find out the real dope of the sport. I assumed that they used BB guns (air rifles), right? Wrong They use a specially made 22 that was invented in West Germany by a biathlon athlete who was tired of always losing to Soviet and East German skiers because they had better rifles.

So then I Googled," has anyone ever been killed in the sport of biathlon?" Yes. In 1991 an athlete got so exhausted while doing a loop that he collapsed in a heap on his own rifle and fatally shot himself.

 

[Anna K.]

^ Biathlon You ski across country, then stop and shoot at some targets, then if you miss, you go around in a little circle before starting out again, My favorite sub-discipline is Pursuit." I am fuzzy on the details, but I assume that you try to catch up to your rival on skis and shoot him.

Edit: This led me to find out the real dope of the sport. I assumed that they used BB guns (air rifles), right? Wrong They use a specially made 22 that was invented in West Germany by a biathlon athlete who was tired of always losing to Soviet and East German skiers because they had better rifles.

So then I Googled," has anyone ever been killed in the sport of biathlon?" Yes. In 1991 an athlete got so exhausted while doing a loop that he collapsed in a heap on his own rifle and fatally shot himself.

I highly respect every figure skating fan who doesn't confuse biathlon with Nordic combined

Back to the topic (I guess we don't need to get back to the topic any more but I like it), fan wars in figure skating truly are rare and can get you unprepared. In acrobatics-related sports, there always is a different fandom vibe because supporters understand the difficulty and the risks of the sport and respect everyone who tries it; and figure skating is not just acrobatics-related, it is also an art-related sport. Especially in the old days when the programs had more art in them, fans often became fans because they liked the beauty of it. Yu-Na competing against Caro? Double beauty, what can be better than that! (Me: I'll tell you. No tights over boots!) And isn't Mao cute? It is still normal for figure skating fans to go to competitions with big bags of flags to support all their favorites from different countries. Bad behavior rather suggests that there has been an influx of new fans attracted by sudden hopes for gold, who, when it comes to the specifics of the sport, are... shall I say, fuzzy on the details?

I would compare following figure skating with a book written by Jack London: there is a life in a beautiful Northern area where you enjoy the beauty of nature and the drama of natural challenges. Until a swarm of gold diggers arrive with their fussing, and fighting, and disrespect. They certainly ruin everything but, after a while, the goldmine (otherwise known as Winter Olympic Games) is empty. Everything calms down and returns to normal. And you start enjoying the beauty in peace yet again...

I'm already bracing myself before the upcoming Games

 

[TallyT]

By sheer coincidence, when I was out driving today there was a radio program on early cultural fandom in the 18th and 19th centuries, recorded at the 2022 Hay festival - pretty much every aspect of fandom that gets blasted as a symptom of modern life and social media can probably traced back one or two centuries (right up to merchandising, extreme parasocial relationships - Byron and Lizst rather more than just parasocial - organised fannish groups, collecting really weird souvenirs and mementos, screaming and weeping - including by men - and the darker sides of battles between rival fans, stalking etc). I listened to the whole thing when I got home and found it very reassuring for folk like me, and probably most figure skating fans.

Great fun

 

[Anna K.]

By sheer coincidence, when I was out driving today there was a radio program on early cultural fandom in the 18th and 19th centuries, recorded at the 2022 Hay festival - pretty much every aspect of fandom that gets blasted as a symptom of modern life and social media can probably traced back one or two centuries (right up to merchandising, extreme parasocial relationships - Byron and Lizst rather more than just parasocial - organised fannish groups, collecting really weird souvenirs and mementos, screaming and weeping - including by men - and the darker sides of battles between rival fans, stalking etc). I listened to the whole thing when I got home and found it very reassuring for folk like me, and probably most figure skating fans.

Great fun

Oh, and then there are Middle Ages with their saints and prophets and the people who sometimes got confused about who was a witch and who was a saint and occasionally burned on a stake the same person they idolized a year before... The fan culture has definitely mellowed in the modern era. (Although sometimes it gives me a feeling that it is ready to return to its origins... )

 

[TallyT]

It was actually pretty wild at times - the fandoms for star like Jenny Lind, Lord Byron and Franz Liszt felt positively up to date in their excesses.

 

[Mathman]

Was Mozart a teen idol?

How about Boy Wonder David (later King David), performer on the lyre?.

Reliable records are sparse. but I bet that the poet, songwriter, high priestess of the moon god and history's first astronomer mentioned by name, Edheduanna (22nd century BCE) had her devoted followers.The Taylor Swift of Sumer.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

I joined GS shortly after the Fan Fest section was created here. From what I gathered, the Fan Fests were originally created here because people who loved Patrick Chan's skating were getting constantly attacked by people who were bothered by him, for reasons skating-related or otherwise. I love that GS has a place to cheer for and discuss specific skaters along with like-minded people. It keeps my skating fandom alive and is largely free of the negativity that can happen elsewhere on the forum.

I follow some skaters on Instagram but would never dream of commenting anything but support on their posts. It doesn't matter to them if I, a total stranger, dislike XYZ about their programs or their life, so I keep it to myself. And equally, I'm not entirely sure it would matter to them if I, a total stranger, enjoy XYZ, either. General support is wonderful, but from many interviews I've read and by watching what posts they give likes to, it's usually in regards to their parents, coaches, training mates, fellow skaters, personal friends. As opposed to what a stranger says on the internet. The impact of fans on the skaters will vary from skater to skater because skaters are people first, as are skating fans. There are so many variables.

So the short answer is: I don't know.

 

[Mathman]

@skatubfabforever, that is a very insightful post, and I think your recollection of the origin of the GS fan fests is quite accurate. Patrick Chan took an awful beating, not just from trolls who favored rival skaters but also from posters who were displeased with how the IJS of those days (in particular fall deductions) was working, taking out their frustrations on Patrick personally.

 

[Anna K.]

Having Fast Fest threads - this is a great solution

The only problem is that some users don't respect it and bring their fanfest material over to general threads that makes me feel like... BUT I DON'T LIKE SPAM!!

 

[TallyT]

Having Fast Fest threads - this is a great solution

The only problem is that some users don't respect it and bring their fanfest material over to general threads that makes me feel like... BUT I DON'T LIKE SPAM!!

Thank you for getting that stuck in my head for the rest of the week...... if I find myself singing it out loud in public I am blaming you.

(And I admit one of my many favourite turn-back-into-a-six-year-old guilty pleasures in life is fried spam on fried bread, probably one of the most unhealthy foodstuffs possible. Sad....)

 

[Magill]

So here's from another skater to his fans, this time it is Deniss Vasiljevs thanking for crowdfunding and more.
"I will express my deepest gratitude to all of you!
It was a positive shock to discover the sheer number of all of you supporting me. You all lifted my motivation and your opinions greased the cogs in the state’s machine. Thank you very much for all your emotional, intellectual and financial support!"
Posted last Sunday. Seems like it was the uproar from fans that pressed the fed to pay his long overdue money to him (I mean, delayed for years). And, no, it does not sound like it all was just a misunderstanding.
Good job, fans

https://ko-fi.com/post/W-38-A0A21LM784

 

[Anna K.]

Somebody, please, help steering this viking ship to the Baltic skaters' thread where it belongs because I feel a great big desire to ask: "And how about Sofja's money? Nobody knows, huh?"

Maybe some noticeable fan activity may grease a cog or two if this is a skater of Deniss' caliber but it certainly can't solve all issues that a small state's national fed and skating community has screwed up. Just saying

 

[teddycat]

So here's from another skater to his fans, this time it is Deniss Vasiljevs thanking for crowdfunding and more.
"I will express my deepest gratitude to all of you!
It was a positive shock to discover the sheer number of all of you supporting me. You all lifted my motivation and your opinions greased the cogs in the state’s machine. Thank you very much for all your emotional, intellectual and financial support!"
Posted last Sunday. Seems like it was the uproar from fans that pressed the fed to pay his long overdue money to him (I mean, delayed for years). And, no, it does not sound like it all was just a misunderstanding.
Good job, fans

https://ko-fi.com/post/W-38-A0A21LM784

That is good to hear, glad that the fan outrage yielded some results! I guess that he is skipping Nebelhorn after all, but he is still listed among the entries.

 

[4everchan]

@skatubfabforever, that is a very insightful post, and I think your recollection of the origin of the GS fan fests is quite accurate. Patrick Chan took an awful beating, not just from trolls who favored rival skaters but also from posters who were displeased with how the IJS of those days (in particular fall deductions) was working, taking out their frustrations on Patrick personally.

Patrick's fans too took a beating. When I first joined in, I got into a lot of trouble for being so forward with my Patrick love. I certainly wasn't aware of the implications my username would trigger on some. I even learned to calm down but I also took some time off. Now that Patrick has retired, some say " I wasn't a fan but yeah, his skating skills were superior". Some even have evolved in their perception of what he has given to the sport. In any case, I'm glad I am 4everchan now because that way, I'm no longer "relevant" in current fan wars I was always a fan of many skaters, even during Patrick's peak years. And as matter of fact, I joined in 2015 and Patrick wasn't even skating that season. It's when he announced his return that it got heavy here. So sometimes, the fandoms also can be difficult on other fans...

 

[teddycat]

Patrick's fans too took a beating. When I first joined in, I got into a lot of trouble for being so forward with my Patrick love. I certainly wasn't aware of the implications my username would trigger on some. I even learned to calm down but I also took some time off. Now that Patrick has retired, some say " I wasn't a fan but yeah, his skating skills were superior". Some even have evolved in their perception of what he has given to the sport. In any case, I'm glad I am 4everchan now because that way, I'm no longer "relevant" in current fan wars I was always a fan of many skaters, even during Patrick's peak years. And as matter of fact, I joined in 2015 and Patrick wasn't even skating that season. It's when he announced his return that it got heavy here. So sometimes, the fandoms also can be difficult on other fans...

It seems odd that you got a lot of static for loving Patrick and being open about it. I know that we can all be emotional about the skaters we support, but I can't imagine criticizing someone else for who they like even if I don't agree. It's a personal decision and really no one else's business!

 

[Mathman]

In the very first years of Golden Skate Michelle Kwan was by far the favorite of most posters. There was one -- ONE -- poster who was a fan of Irina Slutskaya (at least only one who was brave enough to admit it.) He (the poster) was the nicest, calmest person I ever "met" on the internet. He never failed to compliment his girl when she achieved something good, and he never uttered a peep in criticism of any other skater, fan or judge.

This one poster all by himself made me like and appreciate Irina and her skating, without lessening my enjoyment of Michelle's performances at all.

 

[Magill]

Talking about feds, Japan Skating Federation has announced their financial report for 2024 with a deficit of more than 400 million yen (close to USD 2.7 million), being in the red for the third consecutive fiscal year. While they officially blame the weak yen and rising prices for their financial struggles, many skating fans in Japan find it hard not to notice that JSF has been in deficit ever since Yuzuru Hanyu turned professional which was exactly 3 years ago. While I have no personal opinion on this not being privy to JSF finances "before" and "after", I see their point. And the reason I mention it in this thread, as well as a lesson to take from this Japanese discussion, and not just for JSF, is that fan support seems to be vital not just for skaters but also for federations, and they should not take it lightly and for granted, if even a giant like JSF can be affected by one skater's fandom turning away to spend their money elsewhere. As I understand from the reports, it is the sponsorship money that took the main blow in the JSF budget and sponsors obviously are looking to the public's interest or the lack thereof. I understand this includes also the fed's cut of their skaters endorsement and show-pay money which they are not entitled to anymore when the said skaters turn pro.
And of course, this impact on the fed's money means an indirect impact on the careers of other skaters from the same fed. So it could be concluded that big fandoms actually impact not just the income of their heroes (obvious), but also support financing careers of other skaters' from the same fed, local development of the sport etc. which I think is an interesting and positive aspect which has not been properly shared in this discussion. And a greater public interest in the sport often means also easier paths to state donations, media interest and such.
So cherish the fans and the skaters who bring them to you, feds!

 

[TallyT]

I do think that federation favouritism and politics does and has for far too long had an outsize and unfair influence on skaters' competitive careers and therefore longevity and post-competition opportunities, far more than fans do (and even if people don't agree about Yuzuru, Satoko or Wakaba, every single ice dance competition thread is an object lesson in it.) Maybe if it hits them in the hip pocket nerve, they will stop playing favourites so much (I won't hold my breath though).

 

[Anna K.]

What does a student do when he gets asked about sea dogs but he has prepared to speak about fish? He says: "Sea dogs feed on fish." And, from then on, he keeps talking about fish...

Well, when everybody goes off topic, why can't I?