I used to love the COP | Page 3 | Golden Skate

I used to love the COP

Joined
Jul 11, 2003
The CoP system needs a good cleaning up. Get rid of the Skating Skills for one. I've asked coaches and judges what they mean and have gotten different answers to that question. It's blatant 6.0 system and just as vague with personal interests tacked on. When we are looking for a champion, the top ten skaters easily have good edges, etc. and that should not be the point of Skating Skills.

Is CoP really trying to eliminate personal interests by the judges? I think there is enough in the present CoP system to keep personal interests continuing. bleh. I could be a judge from Andorra and still hope that Brezina wins. There may be others that hope for Brezina. That's personal interests.

Can the CoP allow Expected Winners to be 'Held Up'? We've had a number of instances where they did and nationality was not the main reason.

IMO, the CoP has not eliminated human frailties, and probably no scorekeeping can, in judged sport.

What can be done about it? My only meek suggestion is the CoP must continue to improve the system from70% to 80% next year and with percentage increments each year thereafter.

There nothing we can do except swallow the results in a clandestine sport.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Falling off the beam or bars or rings means that the routine has completely stopped and the gymnast has to remount or be lifted back onto the apparatus to continue. That's a much more significant disruption than falling on the apparatus (ice or floor), getting back up, and continuing immediately.

A fall in skating would probably be more comparable to a fall in floor excercise or a "landing" a trick on rings or beam or bars on the wrong part of the body, losing momentum, and having to regenerate it before going on to the next trick but without falling off.

.

They are different sports so of course the "disruptions" will be different.

Alissa fell on her last jump in her LP but got up very quickly. So what? It was still a mistake and because the disruption may not have lasted as long as a a mistake made by a gymnast it is still a mistake and the flow of the program was disrupted.

Skaters don't skate on a balance beam and gymnasts don't tumble on ice.

Why all the need to compare soccer, baseball and gymnastics to skating? We may disagree about the scoring but we all can agree comparing skating to other sports feels like comparing apples and oranges.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
But in skating, what happens in the process of getting from one trick to the next is skating. That's the first, most important thing that's being judged, and the tricks are the second most important...

I think it would still make sense to give zero points for a jump that the skater fell on. The actual skating involved in performing the jump element itself (take away the landing) is pretty minimal. A skater could still get big scores in (the unfortunately named) "skating skills" and transitions if in fact he demonstrated superior skating skills and did a lot of cool transitions. He just wouldn't get any point for the jump.
 

NMURA

Medalist
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
I still don't get that. I don't know what they were watching. Mao definitely outskated Yu na at worlds (short and long). Cheating is still alive and kicking.

The things that comes out of Chan's mouth just baffles me more and more. I really wish he would just say nothing.

That could be one reason of the rule changes. Under the new rules, Asada's score goes up and Kim's goes down.

Torino worlds FS
Asada 129.5 (TES 67.0) -> 130.1 (67.6)
Kim 130.5 (TES 66.5) -> 126.7 (62.6)

Olympics FS
Asada 131.7 (TES 64.7) -> 132.7 (65.7)
Kim 150.1 (TES 78.3) -> 144.0 (72.2)

If Asada's latter 4 jumps were same as Torino worlds, it would be 140.4 (TES 73.3, higher than Kim)

I can imagine Kim's real reason of "withdrawal" from the GPS. That was too much for nothing at this point. Anyway, if Asada skates (at least visibly) clean, I'm sure no one can beat her on paper, especially on the home ice.

ETA
Sorry, I've forgotten 3 2axels are not allowed under the new rules. She has to replace 2A-3T with 3S(3T)-2T or last 2A with 2Lz or something. She'll miss around 2 points including the GOE. Of course she can go for the incredibly difficult 3Lo!
 
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Joined
Jul 11, 2003
But in skating, what happens in the process of getting from one trick to the next is skating. That's the first, most important thing that's being judged, and the tricks are the second most important. So there's plenty of room for skaters to build up enough points with their skating to make up for a few errors on the tricks. Gymnasts don't have that opportunity because of the different nature of the sport.
I agree and it's a good point, but I am not at all certain that judges actually look for transitions. If they see them, they may tack on a plus goe for them. If they do not see them, they are oblivious to their absence. Before Mr. Inman rightfully spoke up, Plushy always did his big jumps by cross rolls and step into jumps. It was like another day a practice. Music was incidental. For the recent Olys, he actually used transitions and his jump landings were wonky. So whether or not, he got scored for the transitions, he scored lower for the actual jumps.
I do believe that blade to ice is more important than air-turns to ice. And for topic, as I said before, a Fall in Ice Dance is detrimental to a Score - not necessarily so in Singles.

My only experience in Gymnastics was a Kip in High School which was required for graduation. So I'm mute on that subject.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
The CoP system needs a good cleaning up. Get rid of the Skating Skills for one. I've asked coaches and judges what they mean and have gotten different answers to that question.

I do believe that blade to ice is more important than air-turns to ice.

You're contradicting yourself.

When we are looking for a champion, the top ten skaters easily have good edges, etc. and that should not be the point of Skating Skills.

But there are differences. Some skaters get to the top 10 with adequate-senior-level skating skills and lots of clean/difficult jumps. Others who make it to top 10 have quite good skating skills, and a very tiny handful have excellent skating skills.

If it's appropriate to distinguish between inadequate and adequate basic skating, then why not between adequate and excellent?


I think it would still make sense to give zero points for a jump that the skater fell on. The actual skating involved in performing the jump element itself (take away the landing) is pretty minimal. A skater could still get big scores in (the unfortunately named) "skating skills" and transitions if in fact he demonstrated superior skating skills and did a lot of cool transitions. He just wouldn't get any point for the jump.

That would make sense. Falls on single and double jumps already end up netting negative points after the -GOE taken off the base mark and the fall deduction on top.

But then you'd have skaters who often fall on triple jumps choosing to do doubles instead in the LP, and you'd have skaters medaling with more doubles than triples (cf. Lepisto last year).

Suppose that only two skaters manage to skate clean programs with 7+ triple or quad jumps, and they take silver and gold.

Which would or should cause more outrage -- bronze going to a skater who skates clean but only attempts 3 triples or to a skater who attempts 6 or 7 triples but falls on 2 or 3?

At a ladies' Grand Prix event, that might be the choice even for gold.

Should the sport reward risk or lack of disruptive mistakes?

That's the debate that keeps going back and forth. There needs to be a way to balance out both sides, which is why the rules keep getting tweaked one way and then the other. But whatever rules are in place, there will always sometimes be occasions when decisions come down to clean program vs. difficult program. The jump content might cancel out between the two programs and other elements or components may be the deciding factors.

As long as the contest is being billed as skating contest and not just a jumping contest (or a staying vertical contest), I'm happy with Skating Skills being a deciding factor.

Why do you think "skating skills" is an unfortunate name for, well, skating skills? What would you call it instead? Something like Stroking and Edgework?
 
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NMURA

Medalist
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
More comparisons...

2009 TEB FS
ASADA 115 (TES 55.1) -> 121.6 (61.6)
KIM 134 (TES 67.6) -> 130.2 (63.8)

2009 Worlds FS
ASADA 122.0 (TES 60.2) -> 124.6 (62.8)
KIM 131.6 (TES 63.2) -> 127.6 (59.2)

The final placements of LA worlds change to Kim > Ando > Asada > Rochette
 
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Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
That could be one reason of the rule changes. Under the new rules, Asada's score goes up and Kim's goes down.

Torino worlds FS
Asada 129.5 (TES 67.0) -> 130.1 (67.6)
Kim 130.5 (TES 66.5) -> 126.7 (62.6)

Olympics FS
Asada 131.7 (TES 64.7) -> 132.7 (65.7)
Kim 150.1 (TES 78.3) -> 144.0 (72.2)

If Asada's latter 4 jumps were same as Torino worlds, it would be 140.4 (TES 73.3, higher than Kim)

I can imagine Kim's real reason of "withdrawal" from the GPS. That was too much for nothing at this point. Anyway, if Asada skates (at least visibly) clean, I'm sure no one can beat her on paper, especially on the home ice.

ETA
Sorry, I've forgotten 3 2axels are not allowed under the new rules. She has to replace 2A-3T with 3S(3T)-2T or last 2A with 2Lz or something. She'll miss around 2 points including the GOE. Of course she can go for the incredibly difficult 3Lo!

It's been widely known that Asada is significantly benefited by the new rules (as is Patrick Chan) while Kim is disadvantaged. The results of last year are hardly changed, though. Kim still wins olympic gold, world silver and Asada the olympic silver, world gold.

So what is the point of this? As an argument against the original poster's hate of the new CoP? Bringing up another Kim vs. Asada argument? :rolleye:

Please don't do that. Each skater has their own problematic jump. Kim is not consistent with the triple loop, but Asada herself has problems with the lutz (which she omitted entirely last season) and the salchow.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Why do you think "skating skills" is an unfortunate name for, well, skating skills? What would you call it instead? Something like Stroking and Edgework?

I think the language is unfortunate because it seems over-broad and invites responses like Joe's. It's like saying the best baseball player is the player with the best baseball skills.

"Stroking and Edgework" would be fine.

Anyway, whatever we call it, this component is fine, especially when we consider that the scoring system must be appropriate for the whole range of skaters and skating competitions. I can easily imagine an intermediate whose coach tells him, OK, you got a 3.2 for Skating Skills in your last competition. Today we are going to work on stroking and more efficient acceleration.

The component that I have the most trouble understanding is Performance and Execution. "Performance" is OK -- it means the "Ta-da!" factor (or the "Aw, aint that purdy" factor.) But execution ought to mean something like, did the skater carry out his planned program or not? If you plan a triple Lutz but then bail with a double, you haver not "executed" your program.

Then there is the problem of how P&E relates to CH. You could have the world's greatest choreography, but be unable to execute it.

gkelly said:
Which would or should cause more outrage -- bronze going to a skater who skates clean but only attempts 3 triples or to a skater who attempts 6 or 7 triples but falls on 2 or 3?

I am not overly worried about this scenario. When two programs are not-very-good, but not-very-good in different ways, then no outcome is particularly satisfying. That's life.

Personally, I would give the nod to the Laura Lepisto easy clean program. But the big jumper, even if the rules were changed to zero on the falls, could still win by landing his other hard jumps. Quad (fall), 3A (fall) 3 Lz (OK), 3 F (OK) would still score higher than 3S, 2A, 2Lz, 2 Lo.
 
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gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
mathman said:
"Stroking and Edgework" would be fine.

Anyway, whatever we call it, this component is fine, especially when we consider that the scoring system must be appropriate for the whole range of skaters and skating competitions. I can easily imagine an intermediate whose coach tells him, OK, you got a 3.2 for Skating Skills in your last competition. Today we are going to work on stroking and more efficient acceleration.

Cool.

I don't think it loses relevance at the top levels either, though.

You have a senior skater who gets 7.2 for skating skills and comes in 4th, perhaps with the cleanest or most difficult jumps. That's a good score for senior level, this skater is clearly a strong basic skater. But if s/he is losing to skaters who get 8.2, there is obviously room for improvement, to make up the difference between "very good" and "great."
 

NMURA

Medalist
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
It's been widely known that Asada is significantly benefited by the new rules (as is Patrick Chan) while Kim is disadvantaged. The results of last year are hardly changed, though. Kim still wins olympic gold, world silver and Asada the olympic silver, world gold.

So what is the point of this? As an argument against the original poster's hate of the new CoP? Bringing up another Kim vs. Asada argument? :rolleye:

Asada wins worlds anyway. But the case of Olympics is arguable. If Asada was allowed to do a solo 3A in the SP, Kim couldn't have a big lead, or she could be the 2nd. The whole picture would change.

Patrick Chan's scoring is questionable. But I appreciate his quad attempts (and one success). The quadless men like Rippon will face difficulty of even winning GPS. More men are doing the quads, and more ladies are doing 3-3s. I think the new rules are better than the older ones. The COP is developing into the positive way.
 

NMURA

Medalist
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Despite many changes in technical aspects, the PCS part is untouched. Rather, cutting down of technical elements and +GOE have raised the weight of the PCS. If people's resentment to Patrick Chan Scores continue to rise, there could be some "positive" changes after this season.

I personally prefer flawed programs with more technical difficulties to clean programs with easier contents. The rules that make men like Lysacek or Rippon can't win are "positive", I can understand American fans' frustrations though.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
I personally prefer flawed programs with more technical difficulties to clean programs with easier contents. The rules that make men like Lysacek or Rippon can't win are "positive", I can understand American fans' frustrations though.

What frustration are you talking about?
Evan is the reigning Olympic champion until 2014 - and will be an Olympic champion forever.

If American fans have any frustration it is over our Ladies. We have seven Lady Olympic champions and want more :yes: :)
 
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Poodlepal

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
"So what is the point of this? As an argument against the original poster's hate of the new CoP? Bringing up another Kim vs. Asada argument?"

I'm the original poster, and I don't hate the COP. In fact, i used to like it a lot!

But this year I have seen a lot of "holding people up because they are famous", imo. I mean Carolina doesn't do the hardest jumps and lands even the easier ones not quite right (understandable, due to her knee) and she beats Rachael? I know, CK is faster and more beautiful and RF underrotated and had one step out. But does anyone think if an unknown skated CK's program she would have won? Would they have given a break to a newcomer with a bad knee? I seriously doubt it.

Enough has been said about Patrick Chan's short program. There's nothing I can add. As for other controversies--when it's two clean, excellent programs (as the gold and silvers were in all disciplines in the Olympics, iirc), well, it can go either way. A case could be made in all four disciplines (in the Olympics) that the silver coulda/shoulda/woulda been the gold and vice versa. But there was nothing egregiously bad in that scoring because the gold medalists actually skated extremely well.

What I saw in these Grand Prix's is stars being held up when they don't skate well. And I didn't see that the first few years of the COP. Maybe it's better this way. Maybe interest was waning when the stars lost to upstarts who disappeared a year later, idk. But the veneer of fairness of this new system is fading.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
But this year I have seen a lot of "holding people up because they are famous", imo. I mean Carolina doesn't do the hardest jumps and lands even the easier ones not quite right (understandable, due to her knee) and she beats Rachael? I know, CK is faster and more beautiful and RF underrotated and had one step out. But does anyone think if an unknown skated CK's program she would have won? Would they have given a break to a newcomer with a bad knee? I seriously doubt it.

If they were faster and more beautiful (as you put it) than Flatt, then sure.

E.g., look at the short program from NHK. Murakami, a newcomer to the senior circuit, beat top-10 senior Flatt on the strength of GOEs and PCS (her 3-3 was underrotated so she ended up with slightly lower technical base score than Flatt had).

In the long program Murakami had many underrotations and other mistakes, and she still (barely) beat Flatt on PCS.

She didn't get those scores because of reputation. She sure did look faster, though. (I won't comment on beauty, which is in the eye of the beholder. ;) )
 

NMURA

Medalist
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
"So what is the point of this? As an argument against the original poster's hate of the new CoP? Bringing up another Kim vs. Asada argument?"

I'm pointing out "directions of changes" rather than current situations. "Asada vs Kim" is just an example of "positive" changes of the new CoP. The whole system needs more time to develop. Under the old rules, Kostner would've won FS at NHK Trophy by a small margin. Obviously, the next move should be making arbitrary uses of the PCS more difficult.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
If American fans have any frustration it is over our Ladies. We have seven Lady Olympic champions and want more :yes: :)

we do? haven't seen a campaign memo about that one yet... ;)

I want an Ice Dance Oly champ... or another repeat champion (*ahem* Lysacek, take note, you're the only one with that ability at teh moment seeing as how you are the reigning champ).

honestly I don't care what country does it, I just want to see a two time (consecutive) olympic champ!
 

bekalc

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
If they were faster and more beautiful (as you put it) than Flatt, then sure.

E.g., look at the short program from NHK. Murakami, a newcomer to the senior circuit, beat top-10 senior Flatt on the strength of GOEs and PCS (her 3-3 was underrotated so she ended up with slightly lower technical base score than Flatt had).

In the long program Murakami had many underrotations and other mistakes, and she still (barely) beat Flatt on PCS.

She didn't get those scores because of reputation. She sure did look faster, though. (I won't comment on beauty, which is in the eye of the beholder. ;) )

Yes because Rachael Flatt sooo totally compares to Patrick Chan. She's hardly a judges favorite by any stretch of the imagination and the judges will have no problem letting the reigning Junior World Champion and new Japanese ladies star, beat out Flatt. :rollseyes:

I don't think the judges really cares if a top 10 girl loses to a newcomer. But they do pretty much care about holding up favorites. Just look at the difference Chan got in GOES in his spins in the short program vs the long. Its ridiculous.
 
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