- Joined
- Dec 11, 2011
Here’s something that I haven’t seen discussed, at least in its own devoted thread, Golden Skaters…
Who are the best figure skating commenters (sometimes called, needlessly syllabically (if I may), commentators)?
In my relatively brief period of reading and posting posts in this forum, few raise this question. Quite valuably, G. Kelly on occasion points out that the widespread perception that the current system of judging is “too complicated” is, in part, a product of the fact that figure skating commenters on television fail to adequately explain it.
I would add that the perception that the current system of judging (the IJS) is “too complicated” is also a result, in the U.S. at least, of the ridiculous fact that the standard American figure skating television commenters constantly bemoan how “incomprehensible” the current judging system is. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. People think it’s too complicated to understand because they’re repeatedly told that it’s too complicated to understand…by Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic, Terry Gannon, etc.
On occasion, American television audiences are treated to intelligent commentary on Universal Sports, if one is lucky enough to get that channel. In my experience, the best television commenters in the U.S. are:
Johnny Weir, whose commentary a couple of years ago on Worlds I appreciated because he was honest about the politics involved, and
Tanith Belbin and Judy Blumberg, who manage to explain the intricacies of Ice Dancing in a way that makes sense of the results that usually follow without dogmatically rationalizing them, which most Ice Dancing commenters do.
I have to say, the person I like the least is Tracy Wilson. I wish she would be forever banned. She mispronounces names like it’s her job. I also can’t stand Peter “as it relates to” Carruthers. (Am I the only person who gets annoyed at how he repeatedly and needlessly injects this phrase into every other sentence?)
What do you think?
Who are the best figure skating commenters (sometimes called, needlessly syllabically (if I may), commentators)?
In my relatively brief period of reading and posting posts in this forum, few raise this question. Quite valuably, G. Kelly on occasion points out that the widespread perception that the current system of judging is “too complicated” is, in part, a product of the fact that figure skating commenters on television fail to adequately explain it.
I would add that the perception that the current system of judging (the IJS) is “too complicated” is also a result, in the U.S. at least, of the ridiculous fact that the standard American figure skating television commenters constantly bemoan how “incomprehensible” the current judging system is. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. People think it’s too complicated to understand because they’re repeatedly told that it’s too complicated to understand…by Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic, Terry Gannon, etc.
On occasion, American television audiences are treated to intelligent commentary on Universal Sports, if one is lucky enough to get that channel. In my experience, the best television commenters in the U.S. are:
Johnny Weir, whose commentary a couple of years ago on Worlds I appreciated because he was honest about the politics involved, and
Tanith Belbin and Judy Blumberg, who manage to explain the intricacies of Ice Dancing in a way that makes sense of the results that usually follow without dogmatically rationalizing them, which most Ice Dancing commenters do.
I have to say, the person I like the least is Tracy Wilson. I wish she would be forever banned. She mispronounces names like it’s her job. I also can’t stand Peter “as it relates to” Carruthers. (Am I the only person who gets annoyed at how he repeatedly and needlessly injects this phrase into every other sentence?)
What do you think?
