2018-19 U.S. Ladies' figure skating
- Thread starter Spirals for Miles
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2016
Maybe because the ladies are very unpredictable? I heard many people predicted Nathan Chen was going to win Nationals, while they were unsure of the ladies. Could also be because everyone is relying on Rocker Skating (Jackie Wong) now.
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2019
So strange that men's skating gets less viewership than ladies', while being vastly superior in all respects.
I wonder, what's the rational of that missing one third of the ladies' spectators, (over 1 mil!), that chose not to watch men? "They don't wear short skirts, and don't have boobs, so we're not interested"? "They don't look like us, or like our figure-skating daughters, so who cares?"
I'm genuinely curious.
Well I think part of it is there are a lot more little girls growing up doing figure skating than little boys. And if you're a little girl, you might really look up to someone who you see as an "older you" more than you would look up to a man. And yes, maybe its as shallow as little girls liking the pretty dresses and stuff like that more. As for adults, I don't know, but in every sport there always seems to be one gender category that is more favored for whatever reason. Its the same way in gymnastics - in fact I think its a much larger difference between women and men's viewership in gymnastics.
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2018
So strange that men's skating gets less viewership than ladies', while being vastly superior in all respects.
I wonder, what's the rational of that missing one third of the ladies' spectators, (over 1 mil!), that chose not to watch men? "They don't wear short skirts, and don't have boobs, so we're not interested"? "They don't look like us, or like our figure-skating daughters, so who cares?"
I'm genuinely curious.
I think the answer is that many people disagree with you. Ladies figure skating has always been more popular in the US. People like watching ladies more than men. For example, me. I like mens too. But sometimes it's painful to sit through even just the last 2 groups of men, but I can easily sit through a ladies competition. I think ladies are more well-rounded, competitive, and polished as a whole, compared to men.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
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So strange that men's skating gets less viewership than ladies', while being vastly superior in all respects.
I wonder, what's the rational of that missing one third of the ladies' spectators, (over 1 mil!), that chose not to watch men? "They don't wear short skirts, and don't have boobs, so we're not interested"? "They don't look like us, or like our figure-skating daughters, so who cares?"
I'm genuinely curious.
At least in America, this is what I think. And, I must stress, THIS GENERALIZATION DOES NOT APPLY TO MYSELF.
We have a long tradition of lady champions being "America's Sweetheart." The girl next door. The kind of girl we fantasize our daughters being like. Peggy Fleming. Dorothy Hamill. Michelle Kwan.
Male figure skating struggles against the stereotype of being a sport of gay men. Viewed suspiciously. Not who we want our sons to be. When he was the US Champion, nearly every interview with Michael Weiss included mention that he was married. I thought he should just wear a headband that said "Not Gay!" so he could convey his message with fewer words.
Obviously, things are changing in respect to how gay men are viewed generally, but there's no question that the ladies are still the premier event in America.
ETA: There's even a perception that most male fans of the sport must be gay, otherwise, why would they watch?
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2018
Isabelle Inthisone shows us her 4T on the harness. Work on the 4T began a few months ago.
Check out her story --> https://www.instagram.com/isabelleinthisone/
Check out her story --> https://www.instagram.com/isabelleinthisone/
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2018
Such a sad case, but I do concur. I mean, at the end of the day, they're missing out on one of the most creative sports in the entire world so... who's loss is it really? They can wallow in their ignorance.
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2016
Is Kaitlyn Nguyen still competing? Did she compete at regionals and sectionals last season but just not make it to nationals?
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2016
I agree! Figure skating is not a gay sport! It may look like one, but it definitely isn’t. We should look at the ones that married/dating the other gender, such as Evan Lysacek (spelling) and Andrey Lazukin.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2018
I don’t necessarily think something can “look” gay. You cannot look like a sexuality, that’s absurd.
Although it is sad, I think you have a point here. When non-skating parents sign up their kids to LTS programs, they have different vision depending on whether the child is a girl or a boy. From my observation, LTS from basic 1 to basic 6 are overwhelmingly girls' classes. Even if there are a couple boys in the beginning, they tend to not continue at a certain point. And it is the opposite for the learn to hockey program. When there are not enough boys in the sports to start with, it not only discourages boys who are interested in doing the sports and developing their skills, but also makes this impression that it is mainly a girl's sports among youngsters and their parents, which is worse in my opinion. For most people here, you have already known a lot about the sports, and your knowledge and your appreciation make you immune to the stereotype. But for parents with a skating child, they don't necessarily know enough to understand the sports, not to say support their boy to pursue a career down the road. But then to understand it better, you really have to make an effort to educate yourself, for figure skating is such a complicated and comprehensive sports, so why bother? Ignorance is the real obstacle.
One of the good things happening in us man's figure skating is that Nathan is doing so well both athletically and academically. He is a role model and I hope he inspires more boys to participate in this sports. Oops, this is the women's thread.
Who cares what the sexual orientation or gender performance of a given athlete is? What matters is artistic and athletic excellence on the ice and excellence of character off the ice.
By all means figure skating should promote itself as an inclusive sport, one that welcomes skaters of every orientation--and sex, race, and religion. But it should do so in ways that reject the stigmatization and mockery of homosexuality, not that reject homosexuality or reinforce anti-LGBTQ prejudices.
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2016
Yes! Figure skating should be a sport where everyone is having fun, and doing what they want to do! It shouldn’t be stereotyped.
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2004
I believe Kaitlyn's last competition was US nationals in 2018. The past few months, she has been posting clips on her Instagram of herself doing triples, 2A, and 2A combo. I'm hoping we get to see her compete in the upcoming season.
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2014
I still believe that the lack of top sponsors is a big problem. The lack of commercial advertisement here in California was noticeable. I am willing to search high and low to watch skating and every year it seems to get more and more difficult. I will never give up on this sport that I love but, if it's going to grow, we need beg on bended knee for big sponsors.
As far as stereotypes go, I think they are very real with regards to different sports; and I think it is at an even more basic level than people are suggesting. Google "figure skating stickers" or "figure skating t-shirts." See what percentage of the images are women. When I do so, the images are overwhelmingly women and clearly designed for an overwhelmingly female fan base. (The models for the t-shirts are mostly female). When I do so with basketball, the majority of players' images are of men, and the models are mostly male. Essentially, I think the female sport vs. male sport stereotypes come into most people's psyche very early on when we are kids. It's ironic how easy I found it to grow up and accept the stereotype of figure skating as a women's sport, even when my actual earliest memory of a figure skater was of Scott Hamilton and we had two American men's Olympic gold medalists during my childhood and no women until I was already in high school.
- Joined
- May 27, 2018
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Ooh, I’ll be keen to see what Pooja does with better choreo than she’s had. Her previous programs weren’t exactly of the caliber I think she capable of. Dickson and Nichol are definitely a step in the right direction.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2016
Dickson free omg YES!!!! Lambiel as well!!!! These are currently, imo, the best choreographers in the world atm( also Shae-Lynn). I hope she stays in JGP, and does senior B’s. She had a rough season due to injuries... we couldn’t see her full potential. Is she still with Alex? I assume so?
So strange that men's skating gets less viewership than ladies', while being vastly superior in all respects.
I wonder, what's the rational of that missing one third of the ladies' spectators, (over 1 mil!), that chose not to watch men? "They don't wear short skirts, and don't have boobs, so we're not interested"? "They don't look like us, or like our figure-skating daughters, so who cares?"
I'm genuinely curious.
They put the ladies on in prime time and the men in the afternoon. That is part of it. When I was a casual fan, I only watched the ladies. I think women are just drawn more to the visuals—the costumes, hair and makeup and the balletic moves. I became more interested in the men after I learned more about the sport—the technical aspects. Right now, I think there’s no better competition in sports than Chen vs. Hanyu.
