Should the pros have been reinstated in 1994? | Golden Skate

Should the pros have been reinstated in 1994?

Should the pros have been reinstated in 1994

  • Yes

    Votes: 37 47.4%
  • No

    Votes: 35 44.9%
  • Yes-but they should have only been allowed to compete at the Olympics, and lost all eligiblity after

    Votes: 5 6.4%
  • My favorite skater (who won) was an eligibile skater-so I could care less about them reinstating the

    Votes: 1 1.3%

  • Total voters
    78

lulu

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Yes, this is monday nite quarterbacking and I'm sure this has been discussed almost as much as "Who was robbed in----?"
 

brenlynn

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 9, 2004
actually i wish they would allow this again... it would help keep the sport fresh... imo anyways.
 

jesslily

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 4, 2004
None of the reinstated skaters did well in1994. Even ISU allow this happened again, I still don't think any of professional skaters can make much impact. To do well at Olympics you need years' well structured training. Most professional skaters lost triples right after turning pro. Touring with SOI and COI does not give you the edge to compete with eligible skaters who train 3 to 4 hours a day, under sharp eyes of great coaches.::)
 

icewings

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 12, 2003
jesslily said:
None of the reinstated skaters did well in1994. Even ISU allow this happened again, I still don't think any of professional skaters can make much impact. To do well at Olympics you need years' well structured training. Most professional skaters lost triples right after turning pro. Touring with SOI and COI does not give you the edge to compete with eligible skaters who train 3 to 4 hours a day, under sharp eyes of great coaches.::)
None?? Are you forgetting about G&G who won GOLD? I think that's doing pretty well...
 

ouridol

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
I think this is a great idea and it *does* bring freshness to the sport..it's also nice to see some pro skaters get back under the competitive atmosphere. Its also good because whenever they decide to turn Pro it's not 'set in stone' because they can still compete in the Olys...and it also gives them more work if they think their getting comfortable:p
 

lulu

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
jesslily said:
None of the reinstated skaters did well in1994.

Icewings already mentioned G&G won the gold, and don't forget M&D got the silver. In fact the reinstated pair teams did as well as you could possibly do-going 1-2.
T&D got in dance got the bronze which is not too shabby at all;)

You are right in single skating, the reinstated pros did not do as well as the "hype" around them. I remember people were predicting Browining/Boitano/Petrenko for a sweep on the podium and lo and behold-Urmanov/Stoijko/Candeloro just came and swept the medals up. Although if I remember correctly all of the pros had mistakes in their short program and then performed great long programs.

So in pairs the reinstated pairs did great in terms of results.
In single skating, they had struggles but still delievered some nice performances.
 

jesslily

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 4, 2004
Sorry that I forgot about G/G. They had been training hard for many many year. For the 2nd OMG, they still developed very good training strategy. They seemed always kept that fresh young look. For freestyle skating, people really want to see new faces. The environment provide better support for the eligible skaters.
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I voted yes........these competitions are suppose to be the "best of the best".......let them skate and let the judges decided..(now there's a scary thought!!) 42
 

bronxgirl

Medalist
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
I also voted yes. This line between "eligible" and "ineligible" seems as absurd as the old Olympic rulings about amateur and professional athletes.
 

RealtorGal

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I voted no. It bugged me to no end that they got reinstated, and I still feel the same way. Their time for glory had passed, and I was totally thrilled that none of the men medalled.:sheesh: :\
 

Pookie

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I voted no. As much as I enjoyed seeing some of them again (Torvill and Dean especially) I think it should remain the amatuer athletes. I wish they wouldn't allow professionals in basketball, baseball or any of the sports. There are college athletes that I'm sure would love the opportunity to compete in the Olympics but they can't because that isn't the best opportunity to win. :\
 

frozetoez

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
RealtorGal said:
I voted no. It bugged me to no end that they got reinstated, and I still feel the same way. Their time for glory had passed, and I was totally thrilled that none of the men medalled.:sheesh: :\

:rolleye:
 

aliaschick

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 21, 2004
I think so b/c pros in so many other sports go to Olympics. Plus a bunch of pros I really liked were there. :D
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
I voted no. Here's why. Reputation counts in figure skating (tho it did more back then than it seems to do now); that is why on many occasions some skaters get held up and get higher marks than they deserve. Of course people with the credentials these pros had are going to be put on their teams. It didn't bug me as much once they got to the Olympics as it did on a NATIONAL level -- Marina Kielmann, one of my favorites at the time, lost her Olympic spot because Witt came back; yeah, Davis did beat Boitano at Nationals, but there was no way on earth Boitano was NOT going to be sent, which left Mark Mitchell out in the cold. (And in retrospect, Mitchell had a fair shot of finishing about where Boitano did in Lillehammer anyway). A couple of Russian pairs could have gone in place of G & G and M & D, and some British dance couple lost their only Olympic chance because T & D came back. These people had their glory. Move on, step aside, and let someone else get at least a chance to go, is what I said at the time. And I found it really interesting that Boitano was the main force behind the whole thing -- I mean, could that man have POSSIBLY had a more PERFECT Olympics in Calgary?? Why go back again 6 years later?? Did he honestly think he was going to be able to BEAT that?? Or even come close to MATCHING it??
 

Koroleva

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 11, 2004
Yes. Seeing M&D and G&G again was amazing. I loved seeing Viktor again as well.

I too wish we could see this again.
 

Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Koroleva said:
Yes. Seeing M&D and G&G again was amazing. I loved seeing Viktor again as well.

I too wish we could see this again.
I don't think there is a need to do it again, since today's "eligible" athletes can pretty much do what they want.

A couple of Russian pairs could have gone in place of G & G and M & D
To me, the big question is who can provide the best performance. Shishkova & Naumov came 4th; none of the other teams could have done nearly as well as G&G and M&D did. I am a supporter of "market place economics"-skating equivalent. Meaning if you can deliver, you should be able to compete as much as possible. Also, would it have been all right for M&D to compete had they not announced they were going pro after 92? Or should we just force everyone to retire after winning Olympic gold?

The only reason I understand against letting pros in is the name-recognition factor. Hopefully, that will diminish with CoP.
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Great post, Ptichka. I agree. If you can still do it, there really isn't any reason why you shouldn't. This is the same type of argument that goes on in the "Should Michelle Retire?" threads. I don't buy the whole "glory hogs" thing. Sure, these pros all had their moments of greatness. But, G&G and M&D came back and improved upon what they had done in 88 and 92. Both teams were far better than they had been in Calgary or Albertville (in my opinion). Also, the pairs event would not have been very exciting without them. B&E would have gotten Gold, and Shiskova & Naumov the Silver (UGHH!!)....and overall, it would have been a pretty boring event. Name recognition had nothing to do with it. Also, it doesn't appear that name recognition had all that much effect on the men's competition either. Sure, the three favorites made mistakes....but they were placed exactly where they should have been in the short program. Urmanov, Stojko and Candeloro all gave wonderful performances and beat the favorites. They knew they needed to be spectacular to beat two Olympic Champions and a four-time World Champion...and they were. The same goes for the Dance event. Even the uber-legendary T&D were not given anything based on prior accomplishments.
However, I do think name recognition and favoritism is an issue that could prove troublesome if this reinstatement situation were to occur frequently. But, I don't think it was an issue in Lillehammer. I can't think of one instance where I felt a pro was placed where they didn't belong. LOL, except for T&D....I would have gone with Gold!
 

Antilles

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I said no. I agree with JonnyCoop, the pros already had their shot at glory.

I don't think it's the same as people asking if Michelle should go. She is still eligible. If someone decides they really want to go, I don't think they should be able to change their minds, especially today. If a skater is on the fence, there is no reason to give up their eligibility. They can compete in Open events and tour without losing that status.
 

Grgranny

Da' Spellin' Homegirl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
How about this, if they're skaters I like let them go and if I don't like them, no. :laugh:
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
JonnyCoop said:
yeah, Davis did beat Boitano at Nationals, but there was no way on earth Boitano was NOT going to be sent, which left Mark Mitchell out in the cold.

Do you mean Aren Nielsen? Mitchell was injured and finished 6th at 1994 Nationals. Even without Boitano, he wouldn't have made it to Lillehammer.
 
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