The thing that Elvis said in the interview article linked in this thread, that seemed most important to me, was this:
"There's no risk....There has to be risk in order for sport to happen. Without the risk, you've got nothing.'".
I think that he was trying to tell us something that may too easily be forgotten. When I watch a male sports competition, I do want it to be more than a Holiday on Ice exhibition. I want to feel thrilled. I have noticed at even the non-competitive shows which I have attended, when the audience gasps, and how enthusiastically they applaud various things, and I have seen that they do not respond equally to everything. When I saw Lucinda Ruh skate in a U.S. Stars on Ice show years ago, she did a fine job of showing her mastery of spins, but she did little if any jumping. The audience's response was tepid, at best. That stayed in my memory.
It was apparent that, even with a female skater, and in a non-competitive show, the audience wanted some thrills. The uncertainty, the *risk*, of landing jumps, provides those thrills. I believe that with a male skater, the majority of the audience most definitely expect thrills, and especially in an athletic competition. "Amaze us!" seems to be the dominant emotion; they come to be amazed, to be thrilled. The mass TV audience that can provide hefty financial support of the sport, does not consist merely of former skaters or those currently studying skating with their coaches; it consists of average people. Mathman once pointed out succinctly and eloquently that you cannot *make* people like a scoring system by scolding them. In the words of the old proverb, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.".
In business, the main thing is to "know your demographic", i.e., to know enough about your consumer or audience, to be able to give them what they want, so that they will keep coming back for more. No businessman ever got rich by arguing with his customers about why they *should* like what he has for sale. He has to please *them*, not himself, if he is going to make money.
Elvis points out that "It has nothing to do with your sexual preference. It's all about what men's skating is -- power and strength. Whether he's gay or straight, it doesn't matter." This is not about costume or orientation; it is about the power inherent in the male body. It is about why we are particularly impressed when a female can do the triple axel, because we *are* aware of the sheer anatomical differences that affect landing the most difficult jumps. Because of this, even the most fluid and lyrical of male skaters does have to be able to show power and strength, when in competition. This is why a solid, strong triple axel is the "without which, nothing" in men's competitive skating.
And who can forget what Tarasova did with Evan.:chorus:
I thought it was colourful and strange in a good way!On the contrary his sp costume of the same season was bad.
