Skaters back stabbing?

KwanIsALegend · Sep 7, 2017

I have heard Johnny talk about this before and he talks about it again at Tara Lipinski's wedding . He describes skaters/skating as "back stabbing" and "cut throat". I have never seen it as that. I have never viewed skating as that. I know, duh, yes, a skater wants to win, of course. But also, they just want to skate well and put out a good performance.
I believe skaters actually support one another. Remember back at Worlds 2016 when Max Aaron rushed out to hug Adam after Adams LP, it was as if he couldn't contain himself he was so happy for his teammate. We often see skaters in the off season hanging out as friends. Even traveling together.
I think Johnny is just trying to create this drama filled image of skating/skaters that doesn't really exist. Or maybe it existed for him?

I guess Johnny's view of skating rubs me the wrong way since he is a voice for skating he is what people will hear and what they will believe.

Do you think skaters are back stabbers, giving stink eye to one another?

SkaterX · Sep 7, 2017

Johnny and Tara are always playing up the cattiness (I guess for ratings?) but it drives me nuts. These are athletes training hard and doing amazing things. I wish they would just focus more on the skating.

drivingmissdaisy · Sep 7, 2017

It probably is a catty sport. I mean, it's inevitable anytime you put a bunch of rich teenage girls in a room together.

Ic3Rabbit · Sep 7, 2017

Most skaters are friends or at least friendly. Johnny and Tara are just drama queens :drama:

and are just adding more reasons why they are bad for the face of our sport, because those people who only watch say every 4 years or an event here or there and hear these two talking smack about the athletes like this is very misleading. :disapp:

ETA: Anything Johnny or Tara possibly could say was "catty" or "cut-throat" in their world was most likely their own fault so no sympathy here. :sarcasm:

Ic3Rabbit · Sep 7, 2017

drivingmissdaisy said:
It probably is a catty sport. I mean, it's inevitable anytime you put a bunch of rich teenage girls in a room together.

Except a majority of figure skaters are nowhere close to rich. :rolleye:

Enero · Sep 7, 2017

I have no doubt that just like there are/is genuine friendships behind the scenes, there was/is cattiness and jealousy in figure skating. Just like any other sport.

Look at what happened with Tonya/Nancy, though that was an extreme case.

These athletes aren't porcelain dolls without feelings or desires. They are human and humans get jealous and with that jealousy sometimes catty. Shrugs.

Hockeyguy · Sep 7, 2017

Ic3Rabbit said:
Most skaters are friends or at least friendly. Johnny and Tara are just drama queens and are just adding more reasons why they are bad for the face of our sport, because those people who only watch say every 4 years or an event here or there and hear these two talking smack about the athletes like this is very misleading. :disapp:

ETA: Anything Johnny or Tara possibly could say was "catty" or "cut-throat" in their world was most likely their own fault so no sympathy here. :sarcasm:

I was waiting for your reply on this, it didn't disappoint.

To be fair to JW he said this in a personal setting, not as an official representative for the sport, and to enhance some story at a wedding.

He comes out as a bit of a douche sometimes, but I like his honesty ( "A swan he is not" Now that is hockey style trash talk :laugh:

) while I can't stand TL's subjective "emotional" comments.

To me it looks like as in any sport, there is a bond between high level athletes because they know and respect how much hard work there is to be where they are. Then there are some worse or better people in any group.

Ic3Rabbit · Sep 7, 2017

Hockeyguy said:
I was waiting for your reply on this, it didn't disappoint.

To be fair to JW he said this in a personal setting, not as an official representative for the sport, and to enhance some story at a wedding.

He comes out as a bit of a douche sometimes, but I like his honesty ( "A swan he is not" Now that is hockey style trash talk ) while I can't stand TL's subjective "emotional" comments.

To me it looks like as in any sport, there is a bond between high level athletes because they know and respect how much hard work there is to be where they are. Then there are some worse or better people in any group.

Whilst I agree with pretty much all that you have said, I need to say this: If he said it in a so-called "private setting" or not, since he is one of the faces of NBC figure skating commentary, everything he says goes into consideration in that matter. He should just keep his "negative opinionated" trap shut.

Blades of Passion · Sep 7, 2017

Ic3Rabbit said:
Except a majority of figure skaters are nowhere close to rich.

Most figure skaters, certainly in America, come from households that are at least middle class, commonly upper middle class. They are privileged.

Ic3Rabbit · Sep 7, 2017

Blades of Passion said:
Most figure skaters, certainly in America, come from households that are at least middle class, commonly upper middle class. They are privileged.

Really because most of the skaters I know or have known in the elite ranks are no where close to being "privileged." :sarcasm:

NaVi · Sep 7, 2017

I think it was probably more catty in the past... back when skating was more popular and there was more up for grabs money wise in winning and prestige.

While they seemed fine between themselves, I heard there was a lot of behind the scenes cattiness between Team Sotnikova and Team Lipnitskaya during the Olympic season. And there was that time when Radionova was obviously mad after Medeveva beat her at Europeans even after making a mistake. I forgot the exact phrasing she used, but there was the time Wagner was negging the up and coming Russians. Among the men, I can only think of that incident between Hanyu and Denis Ten.

One problem with being publicly catty is that it adds more pressure.

I read a lot of foreign figure skating message boards, and the Korean boards I read are hilariously and absurdly catty at times... though google translate might be to blame for some of that.

karne · Sep 7, 2017

Maybe Weir ought to look in the mirror if he wants to see catty and back-stabby...

wasabi · Sep 7, 2017

There are genuine friendships and also friendships for show. But without a doubt there is cattiness, backstabbing, and trashing. AND there are coaches who encourage an "us" and "them" outlook with "them" being the enemy. IMHO

gravy · Sep 7, 2017

Ic3Rabbit said:
Really because most of the skaters I know or have known in the elite ranks are no where close to being "privileged." But I'll leave you to that delusion.

Elite skaters can afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on a luxury such as skating. That doesn't mean they're bad people, but they are most certainly privileged.

Sam-Skwantch · Sep 7, 2017

#BehindTheBackCattyAwesomeness

ejnsofi · Sep 7, 2017

gravy said:
Elite skaters can afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on a luxury such as skating. That doesn't mean they're bad people, but they are most certainly privileged.

Elite skaters on highest level are usually backed by sponsors but before they reach that level (if ever) they spend a lot of money and time. There actually are stories about parents taking second jobs or migrating to afford their children passion.

BTW we have here really nice thread about figure skating friendships which I already like more than this one :rolleye:

Also I believe there is more back stabbing and wars between fans than between skaters.

Ic3Rabbit · Sep 7, 2017

Just ask any elite skaters family how many mortgages they took out on their homes to be able to pay for their kid to skate, or how vacations are non-existent in their lives because that money instead went to pay for their skater to do what they love.

If you weren't in that world then you would have no clue, other than the many skaters who get to the elite level and talk about it from time to time thanking their parents for so much sacrifice. I'm done here.

Hockeyguy · Sep 7, 2017

Sam-Skwantch said:
#BehindTheBackCattyAwesomeness

Hockeyguy · Sep 7, 2017

Privileged or not, they have to get up at 4 or 5 every morning to skate, fall on ice tens of thousands of times before they get to their triples and quads. It takes a special kind of toughness which no money can buy anyway.

gravy · Sep 7, 2017

Sam-Skwantch said:
#BehindTheBackCattyAwesomeness

I already miss my sunny little Lippy.

Skaters back stabbing?

KwanIsALegend

Fly On

SkaterX

drivingmissdaisy

Ic3Rabbit

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Ic3Rabbit

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Enero

Hockeyguy

Ic3Rabbit

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Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be

Ic3Rabbit

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NaVi

karne

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wasabi

gravy

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Sam-Skwantch

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ejnsofi

Ic3Rabbit

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Hockeyguy

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gravy

¿No ven quién soy yo?

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