Interesting Dick Button comment-Nationals | Golden Skate

Interesting Dick Button comment-Nationals

lulu

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
BTW-I'm putting this message in the main forum because it has more to do with Dick Button than Nationals per se. Although the moderators can move it to the National forum if they want.

--Dick Button has sometimes been criticized for being harsh on certain skaters. At nationals during the men's LP after Ryan Bradley skated, he said that he only criticizes the skaters that he likes and the ones he thinks can improve.
Or at least that was the gist of it.

I thought that was an interesting comment.

Never fear Sasha and Michelle fans-Dick still likes your skater, even if he hardly ever criticizes them! ;) :D
 

berthes ghost

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
A lot of people on the web are way too much like Mrs. Fleming IMHO.

In her book, Peggy talked about how scared she was to start working with Dick, mainly because her mother hated Dick and had convinced Peggy that he hated her. Just before she started work, Peggy got a hold of some old tapes and was shocked to find that Dick liked her skating. Sure, he had some things to say about what she could do better, but over all he said more good than bad. Peggy's Mom had only heard the bad, and never forgiven Dick. Once she heard it for herself, Peggy decided that her mother had gotten it all wrong, mostly out of overprotectiveness.

Personally, I'm sick to death of all the Dick/Peggy/Roz/Scott/etc.. hate _____________ (insert name of your favorite skater here) talk on the web. Some fans can hear 10 compliments and 1 criticism and somehow only hear the 1 criticism.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Dick's ok. He's getting on now. More than 55 years ago he won gold! Who can replace him? It has to be somebody knowledgable of skating, with a mature voice and good diction and willing to travel. I think Terry Gannon should replace him. Terry's gained a lot of knowledge of skating.

Joe
 

berthes ghost

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
hehe. I was watching 99 nats the other day, and ex post facto, it was so sad. Robin Roberts calling NNN "the future that the skating world has been looking for", all of the talk about it being in SLC and hoping that MK wears gold in that same arena in 02, etc... Anyway, as they were hyping NNN and MK up, Terry sort of meekly threw in Sarah at the last minute and said something like "where will she be in 3 years?". I just thought "out of the mouths of babes". Maybe he's the only one who knows what he's talking about . :laugh:
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I also found that comment to be very funny... I guess Michelle can't improve/has no talent/no potential... funny how he seems to contradict himself

what gets me is when he can't remember the basic names of the moves... or when he jumps in and wont let peggy/peter/terry/susie/whomever finish what they're saying. Personally I think they should all get time on the mic... not just Mr. Button, but he doesn't see it that way. :rolleye:
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I like Mr. Buttons. Figure skating commentary wouldn't be the same without him. I think I've heard all of them make mistakes now and then on which edge or jump or spins they saw. I've heard football commentators do the same calling plays......must be hard to "speak on the spot" even though you've been doing it for years. As for Dick getting too old, or maybe the fall on his head makes him a bit slow, I think he's as sharp as ever, a human encylopedia of knowledge and tidbits about the skating world.............42
 

sk8fanconvert

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
I noticed Dick's comment as well. I think it's nice that he's trying to soften the blow of his criticism some. A little of Peggy has rubbed off over the years! Whether it's absolutely true or not, it was a nice sentiment. I for one think he really does want everyone to do well, but at the same time, he just can't help it when he sees something he thinks is poor quality (like that free leg!).

I think Dick and Peggy make a nice pair, playing off each other very well. One of our favorite pasttimes in the stands is playing "What's Peggy saying right now?" It's usually of the variety: "She's a very happy young lady" or "She's a very poised young lady" or "...and she's wearing a beautiful dress." How can you not love Peggy?!

I'm not crazy about Terry Gannon. I don't understand why they do this, where they pair up ex-skaters (experts) with these talking heads from the TV studio. The guy has nothing to say really. They do the same thing in tennis. I guess they are trying to put a "normal guy" in there to whom us everyday folks can relate. I find it pretty annoying.

Although I like Dick and Peggy, I'd really prefer very little commentary. I don't even like watching it on TV because of the commentary. Sometimes they aren't even commenting on what's happening on the ice- they talk about the skater's past or future, the coach, anything but the skating. Plus, when someone falls, they have to dissect it for a minute or more. When you're watching live, someone falls, but they get up and skate, and you move on with them. The commentary doesn't allow you to be there in the moment with the skater.
 

Grgranny

Da' Spellin' Homegirl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Dick, Old? Now you've made my day. He was born the same year as I was. :laugh:
 

lulu

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Just from watching all of those competitions live, Gannon probably has much more skating knowledge than one would expect from watching him comment:eek: IMHO;)

I agree, Terry is supposed to be the "average" viewer. Remember, the average viewer is not the person who regularly watches FS and posts on messageboards. The bigger the event is -Olympics, Worlds, Nationals, the more chance that the audience watching at home will not be huge followers of FS.

Terry usually asks the question. "What does Team A need to do to beat Team B?" and reads off a skaters ISU bio sheet.

A typical broadcast usually goes like this.

Peggy: She is so beautifuuuuuul.

Terry: She had a great season finishing 4th at the Grand Prix Final.

Dick: That was first rate!

(our hypothetical skater falls)

Dick: That is unacceptable.

Terry: Can this open the door to...?
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I think Dick is wonderful. He tells it like it is and I almost always agree with him. Sometimes, though, it is discouraging to hear a constant stream of criticism. But, from what I've seen in the past ten years, he has never been unfair to a skater or pointed out anything that shouldn't have been pointed out. I can get past the mislabeling of the jumps, his constant need at this past Nationals to "take his hat off" to people, etc. He is a treasure trove of figure skating knowledge and after commentating for 30+ years I'm confident he knows exactly what he's talking about.
 

hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
berthes ghost said:
Peggy's Mom had only heard the bad, and never forgiven Dick. Once she heard it for herself, Peggy decided that her mother had gotten it all wrong, mostly out of overprotectiveness.
The comment of Dick Button's that I remember most after all of these years is one he made in 1968 about Fleming. Fleming had fallen, I think at either US Nationals or North American Championships, and he made a remark to the affect that she was not going to win the Olympic gold medal if she fell on her "pretty pink" costume, like she did at [whatever competition it was]. That was before she changed to chartreuse at Grenoble, because the skater ahead of her was wearing pink.
 

lulu

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
My thoughts on Dick:

He knows a lot about skating

He does occasionally mis identify jumps.

He can be very annoying. (Generally when he's saying something negative about someone I like;) )

He and his "Buttonisms" are a lot of fun to hear. You know you watched too much FS when you can predict a Buttonism 6 crossovers away.

Even though I don't always agree with him and have :rolleye: and gotten:mad: at more than a few things he said. I'm going to miss him when he eventially retires.
 

berthes ghost

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
I don't understand why they do this, where they pair up ex-skaters (experts) with these talking heads from the TV studio.

The former skaters always comment on the skating: "she's got the best bessi spin in the business, although her free arm could have better turn out" and the talking head comments on the TV transitions: "welcome to the 98th annual Kibbel&Bits Skating Classic here in downtown Hamletteville" and "we'll be right back with their scores after this word from our sponsors".
 

blurrysarah

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 21, 2003
I'm not too knowledgeable on many commentators, but from what I've heard, I prefer Dick above all. Those weird sayings, the verbal stumbles as he searches for the right word, it's pretty amusing, but I think it gives him a more "human" quality than a lot of other commentators.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Dick has "softened" over the years. He sure had some positive things to say about Emanuel Sandhu!

I actually enjoy his comments more than I used to in the past.
 

Spark

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 22, 2003
I never thought Dick was overly critical. I think the reason people see Dick and Peggy as "biased" is not because they're overly critical of certain skaters, but because there are certain OTHER skaters that can do no wrong in their eyes. Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen do have flaws in some areas of their skating and could use a little of that "constructive criticism" from time to time, but Dick and Peggy rarely comment on their flaws. I remember Fumie Suguri performing a layback spin with her free leg lowered, close to her spinning foot, and Peggy said "Terrible leg position on that spin" and explained that the free leg should be held held high up, close to a skater's waist, and turned out. At another competition when Michelle Kwan did a layback with her foot in a similar position, Peggy said something like, "interesting free leg variation". :rolleye: And as much as Dick is a fan of perfect body line and carriage, when Stojko was skating in the last Olympic season Dick did nothing but gush over him. So I think that what irritates people is that Dick and Peggy seem to hold different standards to different skaters.

He's given us a lot of great lines though. I'm with lulu: Mr. Button is very irritating at times, but when he does retire, I'm sure going to miss him. :D
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I think a glossary of phrases could be given to Terry and he could take it on from there. For example: Tracy Wilson.....

Now they're doing Twizzles - They could have better unison

Now they're doing straight line footwork - Nice, but it's not very complicated.

Now that lift was difficult and it showed innovation. the judges will like that.

Their main problem is they do not get close enough.

They need more speed.

etc., etc.

One can easily do a Dick and Peggy as well.

Joe
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Terry Gannon is the network coordinator, the one who pays attention to the director, the cameras, etc. His role is to, as someone said, play the part of the average viewer and ask typical questions, while he keeps abreast of technical (related to broadcasting) matters.

I don't think he could EVER replace Button. Terry doesn't know enough about the technical details of figure skating to provide intelligent commentary. In fact, the remarks he throws in during the competitions are more irritating than Peggy's or Dick's. I want to watch the skaters and hear technical info from P&D when appropriate, not hear Terry's inane comments about a skater's hobbies or when he or she got married.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
good post Chuckon. Terry was never a skater if that is the criteria from being a commentator.

I'm just wondering (in an amusing way:) ), how many posters in figure skating forums actually skated? Yet they are quite emphatic on their views of the skills of a skater. Once they can tell the difference between a lutz and a flip, they are now experts. I am being facetious but there is truth in that. I think Terry must see the difference by now. He's been around for quite some time and sees more competitiions than even Dick and Peggy.

Thanks for the information on his job description. I really didn't know he had much to do with the logistics of the broadcast. In which case, being the 'everyman' viewer should be his role.

Joe
 
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