Article with some interesting quotes from Eldredge

[bekalc]

I am amused by the total irony of Todd, one of the dullest and most boring skaters ever criticizing anyone for not engaging the audience! Methinks he is just jealous of Evan's quad and Johnny's international popularity. With all his medals and achievements, he never had either of that.

Huh? Todd has been way more successful in his career than either Evan or Johnny.

 

[Buttercup]

I saw this article earlier and just new Todd was going to get flack for his statements. I happen to agree w/Todd.... We all see things differently,( and have our favorites) Why shouldn't skaters have opinions of other skaters?

I've no problem with Todd Eldredge having his own opinions - I've often written that skaters should feel free to speak their minds. What did bother me was that they were not represented as opinions but as facts. It's one thing to say "Johnny and Evan don't work for me, it's cool that the new guys have a different style, and good for US skating, too" and quite another to criticize Weir and Lysacek in the manner he did. Or in the manner which was quoted. I realize that might not be the same thing.

bekalc - I'm not sure psycho's post contradicts what you wrote. Yes, Eldredge was more successful. But not having a quad hurt him, and I'm pretty sure that he was very popular in the US and well respected everywhere, but maybe not as popular internationally as Johnny is.

 

[psycho]

Huh? Todd has been way more successful in his career than either Evan or Johnny.

Success is not always measured in medals. And for all his medals, Todd couldn't manage to land a quad to save his life, and Lysacek has, on many occasions. And for all his medals Todd never had as much international fans as Johnny, or was as beloved worldwide.

Plus, if you ever had to sit through a Todd program, you would know that it is next to impossible to think of anyone who was as dull and boring as Todd. So yeah, Todd is jealous. All this criticism of their "personas"? At least they have a personality. He was as dull off-ice and he was on ice.

 

[icedancedevotee]

I think he was just voicing his opinion - not a bash at either Johnny or Evan. One could argue if those boys do draw you into their programs? Their rivalry smacked of personal wins and not of beautiful skating, for me. Todd is apparently taken in by Abbott and Mroz. That's ok. Why not?

It could be too, that Todd is worried about the decline in the Sport (and SOI?) and he is hoping for a winner, particularly in the Ladies discipline.

I agree with Joesitz. And I would also like to add that my take on Todd's comments are that he's thinking about the future of US skating, not making a value judgment of Evan, Johnny, or anyone else. The reality is that the window of opportunity is getting smaller for Evan and Johnny, while the window has pretty much just opened up for Jeremy and, especially, Brandon. I love Johnny and would turn cartwheels if he could win the Olympics or Worlds. But it's more likely that Jeremy, Brandon, or some other "young gun" is going to do that.

Todd's totally right-on about the decline of skating popularity in general. I'll be happy at this point if ANY US skater can win something huge and start restoring figure skating to its former glory--at least in terms of TV coverage!

 

[bekalc]

Success is not always measured in medals. And for all his medals, Todd couldn't manage to land a quad to save his life, and Lysacek has, on many occasions. And for all his medals Todd never had as much international fans as Johnny, or was as beloved worldwide.

Plus, if you ever had to sit through a Todd program, you would know that it is next to impossible to think of anyone who was as dull and boring as Todd. So yeah, Todd is jealous. All this criticism of their "personas"? At least they have a personality. He was as dull off-ice and he was on ice.

So what if he couldn't land a quad.. It's not like Evan is that consistent or that quads have brought Evan Olympic (or even world medals, Evan never won a world medal with a quad, I believe) Yeah Todd's boring but he's been plenty successful and I doubt either Lyseck or Weir will be 2 time World Champs.

 

[waxel]

I enjoy Jeremy's skating, so I don't mind Todd singling him out for praise. But I'm not on the Mroz band wagon.

 

[Mathman]

I wouldn't pay too much attention to this article.

...defending world champions Jeffrey Buttle and Yuka Sato...

America's last two Olympic champions, Tara Lipinski in 1998 and Sarah Hughes in 2002, never skated in another Olympics.

...or Kristi Yamaguchi in 1992, Dorothy Hamill in 1976, Peggy Fleming in 1968...

I agree with Oreo's take:

This Denver Post reporter has been sent out to write up a small piece about SOI. Obviously he's not a top tier Denver Post reporter, and I wouldn't put much credence in the article. I'd give Todd the benefit of the doubt and say his words were twisted around.

Some poor junior reporter got stuck with writing a column on figure skating. He did the best he could with it, while wishing he was at an Avalanche, Rockies or Nuggets game.

 

[Dee4707]

I agree with Oreo's take:

Some poor junior reporter got stuck with writing a column on figure skating. He did the best he could with it, while wishing he was at an Avalanche, Rockies or Nuggets game.

I agree too. When SOI was in Omaha in 2003 after the Olympics, the reporter covering it made a comment in the review about the male Olympic champion not doing a quad. She didn't print his name but said...male Olympic champion. Her assessment of the show was all about Sarah. That's OK but what a crock. I emailed comments pointing out her mistakes. I kept it up until she emailed me explaining that she really didn't know the 02 male Olympic champion's name and didn't know that you don't do quads in show numbers. If that's the job you have then you better know the facts.

 

[attyfan]

Todd struck me as being really out of touch with the rest of the world. People are worried about losing their homes or not being able to put food on the table, so they don't spend a lot of money on skating shows -- and it is somehow the fault of Evan or Johnny for not engaging the audience?

If Todd is really concerned about skating's lack of popularity, shouldn't he just whack somebody?

 

[yelyoh]

Todd struck me as being really out of touch with the rest of the world. People are worried about losing their homes or not being able to put food on the table, so they don't spend a lot of money on skating shows -- and it is somehow the fault of Evan or Johnny for not engaging the audience?

If Todd is really concerned about skating's lack of popularity, shouldn't he just whack somebody?

Naw that wouldn't work. Evan would have to whack Johnny or vice versa or either of them would have to whack Alissa or Mirai would have to whack Caroline or Kimmie would have to whack Jeremy. THEN it might work.

 

[soogar]

That comment is ironic coming from Todd, considering how long it took for Todd to develop presence on the ice. Having seen Evan and Johnny live, I definitely think that both skaters have good presence on the ice. Evan is crazy energetic and skates so fast- he's very exciting to watch. Johnny does everything so smooth and well that audiences appreciate him as well.

However the statement seems very general and perhaps edited to sound more like a "dis" than anything. It seems as if it were part of a longer explanation.

I think that COP makes it very hard for any particular skater to stand out as a star. Not a good thing for a title hungry tour like SOI, but IMO spreads the rewards to many talented skaters. Also there aren't as many opportunities to develop showmanship in the eligible ranks. Maybe they need to think about having professional competitions again and create their own stars. Rory Flack-Burghart developed her following from those competitions and top amateurs like Brian Boitano, Robin Cousins, Scott Hamilton and Kurt Browning increased their fan base. Right now it seems that skaters win the big one a disappear in touring.. no way for fans or casual viewers to keep up with them. The pro comps were a great way for touring skaters to try different programs and develop their style.

 

[Mathman]

However the statement seems very general and perhaps edited to sound more like a "dis" than anything. It seems as if it were part of a longer explanation.

I agree. I trhink the main thrust of Todd's comments was, good for Jeremy and Brandon for bringing in some fresh faces to stir the pot.

 

[Eurofan]

I'm questioning if that's what Eldredge actually said. Given how poorly researched the article was, I wouldn't trust the journalist to quote him accurately, either.

 

[WildRose]

Normally cast members of Stars on Ice do interviews to promote ticket sales for the show. Kind of counter productive for Todd to be making comments like that about Evan right before he joins the tour as a guest star.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

After reading all these posts, I still do not believe he was bashing. Voicing his opinions is ok with me. I know for sure that professional whatevers keep their cool opinions for the book they will write some day.

Has anyone checked the Denver newpaper for accuracy?

 

[merrybari]

Normally cast members of Stars on Ice do interviews to promote ticket sales for the show. Kind of counter productive for Todd to be making comments like that about Evan right before he joins the tour as a guest star.

I would agree it's not too smart to tell readership that the guest star doesn't engage the audience. Even if it was an opinion, it was still ill-advised to voice it.

I'd also like to give Todd the benefit of the doubt and cast the "blame" on an uninformed journalist. However, I don't believe even the least informed would make up words/comments so I have to think, as much as I'd like to believe otherwise, that there is some basis of truth in what was quoted.

 

[Tonichelle]

I don't think the author changed words or added words, but he could have cut down long explanations to save space (or the editor) and then the tone was changed.

journalists like to pretend they are completely neutral, but they're not. You choose quotes that will fit the tone of your article. Todd being all squeaky clean isn't as interesting as him saying 'yeah the losers I'm skating with are all crap. what the heck am I doing wasting my life pretending I like them.'

without tone of voice or complete context I'm willing to give Todd the bene of the doubt.

that being said I can almost see where he's coming from. The Johnny/Evan rivalry appears to be over, they're old news. Whether or not Jeremey is the same age as they are he's a new to the general audience face and he does look younger than he is... he acts like it too (not that Johnny and Evan act any less juvenille in interviews... but at least Jeremey is a bit more light hearted). And Evan's programs this year took a while to be received by the audience... perhaps Evan's even lamented to that fact? and Todd was trying to talk on that and the author misunderstood? who knows!

 

[ae9177]

And Evan's programs this year took a while to be received by the audience...

:scratch: Really? My friends attended SA, Evan got the laudest responses from the audiences and received standing ovations for both of his programs, pretty much everybody in the arena thought he should have won!

 

[Tonichelle]

I'm going by what was said on here and other general skating forums... people complain about Evan's flailing and carbon copy programs

granted his TT programs weren't the same as Tosca and Carmen... but to me - and I am a fan of his - they weren't that stellar. He sells the footwork, I'll give him that. And so I don't get the comment that he doesn't capture the audience...

 

[merrybari]

Originally Posted by Tonichelle
And Evan's programs this year took a while to be received by the audience...

:scratch: Really? My friends attended SA, Evan got the laudest responses from the audiences and received standing ovations for both of his programs, pretty much everybody in the arena thought he should have won!

Yep! I was there too, and I quite agree! For pure entertainment and crowd appeal, and that's what Todd's quoted comments referred to, Evan won - no contest. We were stunned at the results!

It is true that the written word leaves out tone, inflection and body language that can make a difference in how what is being said is interpreted. Words out of context can and often do come back to haunt the speaker. OTOH, IIRC, John Henderson, the author of the piece in question, is not a new kid on the block when it comes to reporting on skating. I seem to remember having read many of his pieces. It's not likely he'd slant - tho' it's possible.

Sadly controversy sells; pot stirring stimulates interest. Competitively that may be true, but in an entertainment venue, not so much and not so good if you're trying to sell tickets.

I'm going by what was said on here and other general skating forums... people complain about Evan's flailing and carbon copy programs

granted his TT programs weren't the same as Tosca and Carmen... but to me - and I am a fan of his - they weren't that stellar. He sells the footwork, I'll give him that. And so I don't get the comment that he doesn't capture the audience...

I confess to being very weary of people commenting on Evan's "flailing" - not that I'm saying YOU do, Tonichelle. What they seem to forget is that arm movements of any kind are part of the choroeography, which is designed by the choreographer, not the skater. So if they have to complain, at least cast the "blame" on the right person. Also, they should consider that at 6'2" Evan's arms are in proportion to his body - longer arms make the moves look larger.

Furthermore, he's not the only one getting the "carbon copy" complaint. The requirments of the CoP are the culprit there, for all the skaters. To maximize points, there are certain elements that must be included.

I agree, I don't get the comment he doesn't capture the audience either. Todd should know better from first hand experience. He's often skated at the same venues, large and small, where Evan has brought the house down. Not only does Evan sell the footwork, he sells the entire package, making the most of what he's been given to work with to completely engage the crowd. He does!