- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
When we go to competitions, we make a game of guessing the scores while we wait for the numbers to come up. The person coming closest gets bragging rights until the next skater. We're usually right in the ballpark and the winner is usually within a point or two of the judges' score. And we don't find it hard to do at all.
That's very cool!
To me, though, the issue is not about whether the IJS is easy or hard to learn. It is the type of programs that it requires and encourages.
I was thinking about this when I was reading the new thread just started by Mao88 about historical performances that define the sport. Mao88 posted Michelle Kwan's 1998 U.S. Nationals performance of Lyra Angelica as her/his choice. If you look at this program from a CoP point of view, it has no transitions or footwork to speak of, the speed is not great, and the majority of the program is just gliding along setting up the next jump. And yet ... this is figure skating! It warms the cockles of our wee little hearts.
What we see now is wonderful if you are a skater, a skating parent, a coach, or a professional judge.
That's what I meant when I said that the IJS makes for a good sport for the participants and the inner circle of avid fans. For everyone else, the performances do not hold our interest as much as they used to -- much less hold our interest so much that we want to examine the protocols afterward.