NY Times - Figure Skating: What has happened to it? A Critique

[Joesitz (RIP)]

This is a good read. It mentions Johnny Weir and Virtue and Moir. Check it out!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/arts/dance/27skating.html?pagewanted=2&th&emc=th

 

[Nadine]

Hmmm, my take, just another North American article to validate your love of ice dance, eh, Joe? *wink*

Too bad once again another article has to put down the big bad Russians, and also the Jews. Not good, not good at all.

If I want to see dance for the heck of it, I will watch DWTS (which I've only watched less than a handful of times). Or if I want to see the real thing I will go to the ballet. Or if I want to see dancing on ice I will go to the Ice Theatre of New York, Stars on Ice, Disney on Ice, et al. You get my point.

However, if I want to see *sport* combined with beauty, I watch figure skating. Period. Specifically Mens, and sometimes Ladiezzz.

 

[Lynn51]

Thanks for the link, Joe! The article was, as you said, a good read and I enjoyed it.

 

[Lynn51]

Joe, I've "known" you since ezboard and I believe Paula's About board and I'd like to give ya a big hug so...(((((Joe)))). I don't post much but I always enjoy reading your and Mathman's posts.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Hi Lynn - Those were the days when we were a small club discussing figure skating, and how nice and simple it was. Nice to hear from you again and hopefully all is well.
Joe

 

[Lynn51]

Ditto that, Joe! All's well here except I wish we had lots more televised figure skating! lol

 

[CdnSkateWatcher]

Good lord, she does glance and bounce off a lot of points, many of which are ones that could be subjects of articles themselves. I did appreciate her acknowledging that school figure are a loss to the sport. They are. Considering how the networks, barring CTV and TSN in Canada (thank you to both) - didn't televise much of the competition, and given that entire skating events are now rarely televised - I wonder if we could bring back compulsories and have them as "non-televised" aspects of the program. Yes, it would take some of the better skaters currently in the field out of their rankings, perhaps, and it would certainly take some reworking for many who have never been out on the ice with a scribe and a coach - but, it might make it more of a sport due to the need for precision and quality. (of course, I'm odd, in that I used to enjoy watching the figures part of the combination - the focus on the part of the skater was mesmerizing). Start back, say, at the novice level and bring it back in?

 

[jennylovskt]

I believe the bottom line is that ladies should skate like ladies, and men should skate like men. While I agree that Johnny Weir does skate beautifully, it should never be the way men's skating goes. It cannot be men's skating without power which could be shown in the higher, more revolution jumps, the faster speed, along side of beautiful edges, and expressive body movements. The ladies should emphasize more on the softness, the beauty, the stretching, and the balletic side, and of course, the school figure. I agree with the people who said that there should be two sets of different scoring, one for men and another for ladies.

The article seems talking about figure skating in a whole, and ignored the differences between the single's skating and the ice dancing.

 

[beabstress]

I believe the bottom line is that ladies should skate like ladies, and men should skate like men. While I agree that Johnny Weir does skate beautifully, it should never be the way men's skating goes. It cannot be men's skating without power which could be shown in the higher, more revolution jumps, the faster speed, along side of beautiful edges, and expressive arm, hands, legs, and body movements. The ladies should emphasize more on the softness, the beauty, the stretching, and the balletic side, and of course, the school figure. I agree with the people who said that there should be two sets of different scoring, one for men and another for ladies.

Just to respectfully play Devil's Advocate here, how would you handle the scoring in pairs? If Dick Button is correct, and "two shall skate as one," wouldn't the male in the pair be doing the wrong thing if he matched his partner's "softness," and wouldn't the female in the pair be doing the wrong thing if she matched her partner's power?

 

[jennylovskt]

Just to respectfully play Devil's Advocate here, how would you handle the scoring in pairs? If Dick Button is correct, and "two shall skate as one," wouldn't the male in the pair be doing the wrong thing if he matched his partner's "softness," and wouldn't the female in the pair be doing the wrong thing if she matched her partner's power?

The pairs skating doesn't have the problems of these sort. Why do you worry? They needs more unisonous edges.

 

[beabstress]

The pairs skating doesn't have the problems of these sort. Why do you worry? They needs more unisonous edges.

Um, I'm not "worried" about anything. I simply was curious about an issue that you had brought up, and I really don't think it was unreasonable of me to ask! You'll notice the word "respectfully" in my question; I was not trying to start an argument.

 

[jennylovskt]

Um, I'm not "worried" about anything. I simply was curious about an issue that you had brought up, and I really don't think it was unreasonable of me to ask! You'll notice the word "respectfully" in my question; I was not trying to start an argument.

The men in pairs skating are powerful enough to lift the ladies frequently, you know.

 

[Mathman]

Great picture of Kevin van der Perren as a skeleton (modestly missing a pelvis, but oh well.) Now that's "men's figure skating!" :yes:

 

[Tonichelle]

Now that's "men's figure skating!" :yes:

what, weird costumes?