- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I think the CoP is a big obstacle to reviving the popularity of figure skating in the United States.
To enjoy watching a soccer game, all a person needs to know about the sport is that if you kick the ball into the goal you score a point. If you can work the ball down deep into the other guys' end of the pitch then at least you might get a good shot on goal.
To enjoy a tennis match, all you need to know is that if you hit the ball into the net or out of the lines, then the other guy gets a point. If you win a few points, that's a game, and if you win a few games that's a set.
Of course if you know more, that's all to the good, but it is not necessary for enjoying the sport as a live or television spectator.
In figure skating, it used to be that all you needed to know to enjoy watching the sport was, if you do a bunch of hard jumps and don't fall down, then you get a 5.7 or 5,8 in tech. If you look graceful and skate with pizzazz, you might get a 5,8 in presentation, and if you look really, really graceful and skate with a lot of pizzazz, then you might get a 5.9.
With CoP scoring the general audience does not have the foggiest notion of what it is the skaters are getting points for (he turned to the right at least one-third of the time in his footwork sequence?), or why one skater ended up higher than another.
It is all very well to say that the ISU and the television commentators ought to educate the audience, but the audience is not seeking education. You cannot tell the audience what they ought to enjoy or appreciate. On the contrary, the audience will tell you -- with their remotes.
To enjoy watching a soccer game, all a person needs to know about the sport is that if you kick the ball into the goal you score a point. If you can work the ball down deep into the other guys' end of the pitch then at least you might get a good shot on goal.
To enjoy a tennis match, all you need to know is that if you hit the ball into the net or out of the lines, then the other guy gets a point. If you win a few points, that's a game, and if you win a few games that's a set.
Of course if you know more, that's all to the good, but it is not necessary for enjoying the sport as a live or television spectator.
In figure skating, it used to be that all you needed to know to enjoy watching the sport was, if you do a bunch of hard jumps and don't fall down, then you get a 5.7 or 5,8 in tech. If you look graceful and skate with pizzazz, you might get a 5,8 in presentation, and if you look really, really graceful and skate with a lot of pizzazz, then you might get a 5.9.
With CoP scoring the general audience does not have the foggiest notion of what it is the skaters are getting points for (he turned to the right at least one-third of the time in his footwork sequence?), or why one skater ended up higher than another.
It is all very well to say that the ISU and the television commentators ought to educate the audience, but the audience is not seeking education. You cannot tell the audience what they ought to enjoy or appreciate. On the contrary, the audience will tell you -- with their remotes.