Boston Globe article on the demise of the "American Ice Queen"

Mathman · Jan 9, 2014

Boston Globe article on the demise of the "American Ice Queen"

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...bygone-days/fw97b4o5PDl1XmFq9C7YaK/story.html

“It’s extremely difficult to create personality with all the jumping, jumping, jumping,” says (Dick) Button,.. “When you’re falling on your face, how do you look elegant and beautiful in ‘Swan Lake’ with all your feathers when you’re plowing the ice with your nose?”

aftertherain · Jan 9, 2014

Mathman said:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...bygone-days/fw97b4o5PDl1XmFq9C7YaK/story.html

“It’s extremely difficult to create personality with all the jumping, jumping, jumping,” says (Dick) Button,.. “When you’re falling on your face, how do you look elegant and beautiful in ‘Swan Lake’ with all your feathers when you’re plowing the ice with your nose?”

What? Like Sasha Cohen? People still adored her. She still had endorsements coming in.

Ashley Wagner has one hell of a personality.

I don't think it's the fault of the CoP, but how skating is viewed in America--society is changing, and there are certainly a larger pool of competitors to choose from in the world.

Tonichelle · Jan 9, 2014

aftertherain said:
What? Like Sasha Cohen? People still adored her. She still had endorsements coming in.

Ashley Wagner has one hell of a personality.

I don't think it's the fault of the CoP, but how skating is viewed in America--and how society is changing.

ITA!

maybe if the "experts" of American Skating would stop griping about the changes and celebrate what skating still is....

lavender · Jan 9, 2014

I like this article. For the people around me that no longer watch it is pretty much true. I'm the lone rider of my friends and family that mostly keeps up with skating. Even my mom bailed after watching skating longer than I did.

I do think Sasha had that ‘it’ factor although it didn’t seem to make the same impact.

brightphoton · Jan 9, 2014

Every year there's an article bemoaning figure skating's lack of popularity and blaming it on CoP.

What our sport needs is another good knee whack.

aftertherain · Jan 9, 2014

Tonichelle said:
ITA!

maybe if the "experts" of American Skating would stop griping about the changes and celebrate what skating still is....

Right! I talked about skating with a few of my close friends the other day (who know absolutely nothing about skating except Michelle Kwan) and they literally know very little about the sport. They didn't know there was a change in the judging system. They don't even know the difference between the 6.0 system and CoP systems. So broadcasting networks have been doing a horrible job at "educating the public" about figure skating.

You can talk about how the CoP system is destroying skating all you like, but at the end of the day, if no one knows what the hell you're talking about, you're not making much of a difference.

I mean, it's like that one article some Silicon Valley exec wrote about libraries. He said something along the lines of libraries having no real purpose for existing anymore because they no longer serve the purpose that they were intended to (i.e. reading physical copies of books) because tablets have ~replaced them all~. What was even more hilarious was that he admitted to not stepped into a library for quite some time and still thought his opinion was like "I'm sorry to have to tell the truth to you guys, but ..." Skating is like that. Officials, broadcast corporations, and even the fans themselves are so out-of-touch with anyone not associated with skating that it's affecting the sport.

Also, as a figure skating fan, if I have to sit through Sandra Bezic complaining one more time about how "this would not have happened under the 6.0," I'd give up watching the sport too.

Barb · Jan 9, 2014

all is about promotion, if not, please someone tell me how One Direction, Selena Gómez and Miley Cyrus are so popular?. it is because media shove us their faces every second of the day

, sorry but those guys has zero talent. I would be loved media did more fuss for Davis and White, they are charismatic and talented. My mom usually hates ice dance, she says they are only walking on the ice :eek:

hwell:, but when I showed her D/W video she loved them.

aftertherain · Jan 9, 2014

chapis said:
all is about promotion, if not, please someone tell me how One Direction, Selena Gómez and Miley Cyrus are so popular?. it is because media shove us their faces every second of the day , sorry but those guys has zero talent.

OT - If you strip away all the gimmicky stuff, I'd have to say that Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber can actually sing. Selena Gomez, however, cannot. But yes, the media does tend to do that.

drivingmissdaisy · Jan 9, 2014

I'm not even sure if a winning American would help all that much. Compare the endorsements of Mary Lou Retton versus Nastia Liukin or Gabby Douglas. You hardly see the last two Gymnastics All Around Champions anywhere.

Robeye · Jan 9, 2014

Someone cute and female needs to step up at some point and win gold, beating all those durn furriners, them Asians and Russkies and Eyetalians and all. I guarantee everyone will be happy, Uncle Dick, the media, the crowds, and corporate sponsors. The End.

lavender · Jan 9, 2014

I think it's other reasons things aren't the same but I don't think it's the COP system. I think if Mirai had kept skating like she did at the Olympics or say Christina Gao/Alissa were consistent then we would have that go to skater with the 'it' factor.

Barb · Jan 9, 2014

aftertherain said:
OT - If you strip away all the gimmicky stuff, I'd have to say that Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber can actually sing. Selena Gomez, however, cannot. But yes, the media does tend to do that.

I know Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande and Pink can sing. Miley and Justin are not in category of good singing for me, they hurt my ears :slink:

.
But I insist american media should focus in ice dance, they are great, simply this nationals are nerve wrecking for the 3rd spot.

And why american insist and only focus in ladies???, it is kind of perverted, Russia and Japan show a lot of interes in men (Russia and Japan), pairs and dance (Russia, in fact ignoring the talented girls)

Robeye · Jan 9, 2014

Mathman said:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...bygone-days/fw97b4o5PDl1XmFq9C7YaK/story.html

“It’s extremely difficult to create personality with all the jumping, jumping, jumping,” says (Dick) Button,.. “When you’re falling on your face, how do you look elegant and beautiful in ‘Swan Lake’ with all your feathers when you’re plowing the ice with your nose?”

BTW, I hope you haven't forgotten our standing bet in the case of an American ladies Olympic Champion.

Ven · Jan 9, 2014

Stars --> Interest --> Advertising $$ --> Widespread coverage --> More interest

There aren't any American stars, it's as simple as that. If there were, money and programming would follow. It has nothing to do with COP or 6.0. As someone said, most people probably don't even know there was a change in the judging system. They don't know anything about skating. People who sell you that line are full of BS.

Olympia · Jan 9, 2014

aftertherain said:
I mean, it's like that one article some Silicon Valley exec wrote about libraries. He said something along the lines of libraries having no real purpose for existing anymore because they no longer serve the purpose that they were intended to (i.e. reading physical copies of books) because tablets have ~replaced them all~. What was even more hilarious was that he admitted to not stepped into a library for quite some time and still thought his opinion was like "I'm sorry to have to tell the truth to you guys, but ..." Skating is like that. Officials, broadcast corporations, and even the fans themselves are so out-of-touch with anyone not associated with skating that it's affecting the sport.

That Silicon Valley guy's article sounds like something that would make me spit nails. But I'd laugh at the same time because he's so clueless about what libraries can do. Yes, it's extra frustrating being a skating fan these days, and like many of the rest of you, I am virtually the only one of my friends who is paying attention anymore. One of my friends who used to watch more regularly just e-mailed me to ask me for a quick cheat sheet on who is skating in Nationals this week and what their chances are out in the world. He still remembers when we had actual medal contenders. Thank goodness he didn't ask me to explain CoP. (He's a math person, so after a brief introduction, he could probably start explaining it to me.)

I can't believe that no one in the skating establishment and their sponsoring corporations can't come up with a way to make it more popular in the U.S. Come on, they can make people want to watch women with hair extensions yelling at one another in restaurants.

CanadianSkaterGuy · Jan 9, 2014

Mathman said:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...bygone-days/fw97b4o5PDl1XmFq9C7YaK/story.html

“It’s extremely difficult to create personality with all the jumping, jumping, jumping,” says (Dick) Button,.. “When you’re falling on your face, how do you look elegant and beautiful in ‘Swan Lake’ with all your feathers when you’re plowing the ice with your nose?”

This is pretty hypocritical when Button has criticized skaters who aren't performing the most difficult jumps. Competitive figure skating is a sport before it is a demonstration of elegance and if he wants to see skaters not fall he should watch an exhibition. And there's been 7 jumping passes for the longest time in senior ladies, so I don't get his "jumping, jumping, jumping" complaint? Unless he's referring to 3-3's or 3-2-2 combos? How dare these athletes adopt more challenging technical content!

lavender · Jan 9, 2014

Ven said:
Stars --> Interest --> Advertising $$ --> Widespread coverage --> More interest

There aren't any American stars, it's as simple as that. If there were, money and programming would follow. It has nothing to do with COP or 6.0. As someone said, most people probably don't even know there was a change in the judging system. They don't know anything about skating. People who sell you that line are full of BS.

No there aren't. If it's not there naturally then it won't go very far.

Maybe Button meant that they aren't landing the jumps...not consistently like Kwan did. I mean she did 6-7 jumps to win championships.

RABID · Jan 9, 2014

I know it is redundant to say this (I've said it often enough) but I am absolutely convinced if YuNa was an American things would be different, if only for awhile. She has everything America loves; beauty, glamor, charisma, consistent success and a signature big style of skating. Who in the ranks now and up and coming has that? Basically it is going to take an American girl with her own "larger than life" persona similar to YuNa, Michelle or Katerina to get Americans interested again. With the emergence of girl like that the Americans, if smart, could build from that. I would suggest though that time is not a luxury.

miki88 · Jan 9, 2014

RABID said:
I know it is redundant to say this (I've said it often enough) but I am absolutely convinced if YuNa was an American things would be different, if only for awhile. She has everything America loves; beauty, glamor, charisma, consistent success and a signature big style of skating. Who in the ranks now and up and coming has that? Basically it is going to take an American girl with her own "larger than life" persona similar to YuNa, Michelle or Katerina to get Americans interested again. With the emergence of girl like that the Americans, if smart, could build from that. I would suggest though that time is not a luxury.

Katarina, G&G, Torvill & Dean all weren't American, but were pretty well-known in the US. I feel the problem isn't just the lack of stars. The scandal and subsequent overhaul of the system really hurt skating. I think the status of skating in the US can be compared to gymnastics. The US is doing quite well in gymnastics, even winning top medals in the last Olympics, yet the coverage is nowhere near the level they enjoyed in the mid-90s. I'm not sure if these two sports can ever go back to their previous levels of popularity.

sky_fly20 · Jan 9, 2014

I think because it is viewed as a non sport now by most American Public
you get this images shoved on your faces in television/media the rugged, beefy and testosterone fulled is what makes a sport ( e.g. American Football )

they need a new star which can keep the media's interest and the medals to prop up
Gracie Gold fits this, she is young, fresh, a jumper and has then Beauty Queen Aura
something I don't see in Wagner who has a plain personality and not as attractive physically compared to Gracie Gold

note already Gracie is getting media/Ad endorsements

Boston Globe article on the demise of the "American Ice Queen"

Mathman

aftertherain

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll

lavender

brightphoton

aftertherain

Barb

aftertherain

drivingmissdaisy

Robeye

lavender

Barb

Robeye

Ven

Match Penalty

Olympia

CanadianSkaterGuy

lavender

RABID

miki88

sky_fly20

Match Penalty

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