- Joined
- Feb 5, 2004
Ok so reading on the Hersch on Johnny thread, something Soogar said got me thinking but i think it's way off topic on there so have started this new one.
The comment was:
While I think the comment is absolutely right and I agree (mostly) with what is written, my observation of it is - and so what?
Artistically I understand that people should grow - after all don't the skaters spend their whole skating lives attempting to get to the senior circuit by getting the big elements. It's only after they have the big elements (read jumps and high level spins) that they then tend to concentrate on presentation. All the debates we've had about a more mature/older skater will have a greater understanding of music and ability to interpret the music/wishes of the choreographer etc.
So what do we actually expect of our skaters who have been on the senior circuit for a number of years. The criticism of not "upping the technical ante" gets thrown around about Kwan an awful lot and about other skaters, but really - what more can the skaters give?
By and large the talent of skaters that gets to the senior elite level (for me this means international competition - GPs, Champinships, even senior competitions) will either have all the big jumps or have the last two or three to get or get consistent. What more can we expect? Once they're trying or attempting all they can - how else can they up the technical ante? Don't we constantly ask about how old skaters are before they can no longer "learn" new jumps?
So do people really expect a skater who has been ont he senior circuit for 3 or more years to start including new, harder elements?
Ant
The comment was:
The past few years Johnny has been skating on autopilot. He's had good performances but he hasn't really "grown" as an athlete or competitor. At the Olympic practices in 2002 he was practicing beautiful quad-triples and if memory serves me right I think he did a 4-3-3 that looked effortless. Years later he is still doing the same jump content, same spins and his skating seems as if it has lost some spark.
While I think the comment is absolutely right and I agree (mostly) with what is written, my observation of it is - and so what?
Artistically I understand that people should grow - after all don't the skaters spend their whole skating lives attempting to get to the senior circuit by getting the big elements. It's only after they have the big elements (read jumps and high level spins) that they then tend to concentrate on presentation. All the debates we've had about a more mature/older skater will have a greater understanding of music and ability to interpret the music/wishes of the choreographer etc.
So what do we actually expect of our skaters who have been on the senior circuit for a number of years. The criticism of not "upping the technical ante" gets thrown around about Kwan an awful lot and about other skaters, but really - what more can the skaters give?
By and large the talent of skaters that gets to the senior elite level (for me this means international competition - GPs, Champinships, even senior competitions) will either have all the big jumps or have the last two or three to get or get consistent. What more can we expect? Once they're trying or attempting all they can - how else can they up the technical ante? Don't we constantly ask about how old skaters are before they can no longer "learn" new jumps?
So do people really expect a skater who has been ont he senior circuit for 3 or more years to start including new, harder elements?
Ant