Coronavirus and the World Championships

[Mathman]

I strongly suggest that we keep ourselves informed by only reading information from the World Health Organization (WHO) website.

In the United States, it's tricky. The President has forbidden the United States' official heath agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from giving any information to the American public. Only the Vice President, Dr. Pence, has permission to do that. Non-political agencies must filter their statements through the Vice President's office.

 

[Step Sequence4]

In the United States, it's tricky. The President has forbidden the United States' official heath agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from giving any information to the American public. Only the Vice President, Dr. Pence, has permission to do that. Non-political agencies must filter their statements through the Vice President's office.

 

[NaVi]

It appears there is an opinion amongst some posters that COVID-19 is a politically motivated concern and reporting is encouraging public panic. To counter that I strongly suggest that we keep ourselves informed by only reading information from the World Health Organization (WHO) website. The information there is science-based and represents amazing expertise from many countries. COVID-19 WHO website

The same WHO which was opposed to travel bans to China. The WHO was completely reactive during the early part of the crisis.

WHO chief says widespread travel bans not needed to beat China virus https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-not-needed-to-beat-china-virus-idUSKBN1ZX1H3

We would be in a lot better shape had South Korea and Japan shut down travel.

 

[rosy14]

In Italy it would have been better to have ONLY ONE OFFICIAL source of news about Covid, not because I trust our government particularly, but because one voice is much better to listen to than tens of pseudo experts saying a thing one day and just the opposite the day after. As for WHO I don’t trust them even less that our government.
By the way I’m a doctor.

 

[TallyT]

If I were CEO of some company like Starbucks, I'd send a minion to US Nationals and have him/her toss a gift bag with my logo onto the ice for the boys/girls to gather up. Think of the promotional benefits of having skaters open the bag in the Kiss & Cry to find a Starbucks gift card and a mug or a small bag of coffee beans for them to take home. And I bet the skaters would appreciate it more than another armful of stuffed animals they've got to dispose of.

Sorry, but that sounds like an incredibly tacky idea, cheap advertising that blatantly commercialises what may to some folks be a silly nuisance but is still a genuine and heartfelt expression of fans' love for the skaters.

The biggest on-ice rains, toys, flowers etc are also actually good publicity for the sport (deny it though some do). The press like to mention them and like clickbait pictures of them. I somehow doubt said press would want pictures of tawdry Starbucks advertising being thrown by 'minions' (and how do they make sure the skaters open them in front of the camera? I wouldn't, not anything with the logo of a corporation that was not prepared to sponsor me properly)

Do any of the competitions do what they do at ice shows, each skater has a box or boxes where presents of any type can be left for them, toys, letters, trinkets, fan art, whatever etc? Given the sheer number of skaters at the biggest competitions like Worlds, it wouldn't be easy - even more work than the little girls happily cleaning up the ice - but possible under the current circumstances...?

 

[silverfoxes]

Starbucks is the last company on earth that needs to promote itself anyway. Having one on every street corner isn't enough?

Back to the subject matter...they aren't going to cancel it and they shouldn't cancel it. I am sure there are those for whom it would be wise not to risk attending, esp. if traveling from the areas with major breakouts, and I would hope they can get their tickets refunded, but life has to go on. People are still going to work, school, traveling, going to conferences, concerts, sporting events, etc. Obviously take precautions, but we can't all live in a bubble until this goes away.

 

[el henry]

I hate to be the one to break this to folks, but US Nationals has no problem with tawdry commercialization, and giving out Smuckers strawberry plushies to be thrown at Nats. I guess I’m cynical, if it translates to more money for skaters, they can advertise whatever they want.

And we can’t live our life in a bubble as @silverfoxes said. Right now, my chances of getting hit by a car are way bigger than my chances of getting the Coronavirus, and I’m still crossing the street.

 

[queenbanana]

Are any of you actually planning on attending the event? I have tickets but the more I read the more paranoid I become. Especially because I live with my elderly parents, so I'm not putting just myself at risk, but them too after I come back home. But I've spent a pretty penny already on tickets and flight.. it'd be such a waste to throw it away

 

[TontoK]

I hate to be the one to break this to folks, but US Nationals has no problem with tawdry commercialization, and giving out Smuckers strawberry plushies to be thrown at Nats. I guess I’m cynical, if it translates to more money for skaters, they can advertise whatever they want.

And we can’t live our life in a bubble as @silverfoxes said. Right now, my chances of getting hit by a car are way bigger than my chances of getting the Coronavirus, and I’m still crossing the street.

Yeah! Someone for my side.

Gosh, think about it. Which would YOU prefer? A stuffed strawberry plush toy or a Starbucks gift card?

Really, stick a long streamer on it and sail it onto the ice. The little girls can still skate around and pick them up.

I wasn't talking about an official sponsorship gift bag... although, why not? I was talking about an enterprising executive coming up with a good idea to treat the athletes and get a little publicity on the side.

Completely agree about the Coronavirus. Take reasonable precautions, as you would with any illness that's going around, and live your life.

Besides, if people (especially Americans) are so worried about our health, then we need to look at the death rates for heart disease and other obesity related diseases. If people really cared, they'd put the donut down and take a walk.

Seriously, why is a 300 pound woman I know worrying about Coronavirus? It's hardly her #1 health concern.

 

[Cutting the ice]

In the United States, it's tricky. The President has forbidden the United States' official heath agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from giving any information to the American public. Only the Vice President, Dr. Pence, has permission to do that. Non-political agencies must filter their statements through the Vice President's office.

Thank goodness that the USA doesn’t block the WHOs websites then.

NaVi. Not sure I am understanding your point. I was pointing out that if an individual wishes science-based information rather than fear mongering as suggested that the media is responsible, that they read only information from informed and balanced websites.

As I mentioned in another post, those in Public Health are either condemned for not doing enough, or doing too much. In Canada’s SARS outbreak in Toronto in 2003, the public health officials did an amazing job stopping the transmission and saving countless lives. Were all things they did necessary? No. Were there things they should have done and didn’t do? Probably. When dealing with a novel pathogen, one applies best knowledge and the precautionary principle.

 

[Step Sequence4]

Are any of you actually planning on attending the event? I have tickets but the more I read the more paranoid I become. Especially because I live with my elderly parents, so I'm not putting just myself at risk, but them too after I come back home. But I've spent a pretty penny already on tickets and flight.. it'd be such a waste to throw it away

I'm going, I figure it's worth it because it's not everyday you get to go to worlds, and the chance of getting the disease at worlds will likely be low; they'll have good security.

 

[ice coverage]

Not relevant to coronavirus, but:

... Gosh, think about it. Which would YOU prefer? A stuffed strawberry plush toy or a Starbucks gift card? ...

If we are talking about gifts thrown onto the ice, if I were a skater, I would prefer NEITHER.

... a genuine and heartfelt expression of fans' love for the skaters. ...

If anything -- in the category of gifts thrown onto the ice -- I would prefer what TallyT is talking about. For example, a small cute/silly toy (or a personal note) that is offered by an individual fan.
I would prefer anything that is not a promotional item.

---

... Do any of the competitions do what they do at ice shows, each skater has a box or boxes where presents of any type can be left for them, toys, letters, trinkets, fan art, whatever etc? ...

Anecdotally ... 2017 Skate America (meaning not too many skaters) had small "mailboxes" for letters to skaters. One mailbox per federation, IIRC.
The mailboxes were not big enough to hold toys.

BTW, at ISU International Adult competitions, baskets have been brought through the stands to collect any gifts for skaters (instead of having spectators throw gifts onto the ice).

https://www.usfigureskating.org/news/article/tossie-baskets-new-tradition (Nov 5)​

 

[Farnaz]

I'm a scientist and today we had the annual American Physical Society Meeting in Denver which was supposed to be held March 2-7 cancelled in fear of spread of coronavirus:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...sical-society-cancel-its-biggest-meeting-year

It is a gathering with 10 thousand of attendees from all over the world and most people were already here, having paid $400-$800 registration fees, flights and hotel. It was cancelled in the last minute. Why shouldn't an athletic event take similar measurements?

 

[TallyT]

Gosh, think about it. Which would YOU prefer? A stuffed strawberry plush toy or a Starbucks gift card?

Hey, give me the plush toy every time. Starbucks is a way worse drain on the planet, being execrable pigswill barely fit to pour down and contaminate the sink... oops. Ahem. Pardon the Australian coffee drinker here. Starbucks is NOT the point of the exercise, I grant you. But then, neither is a strawberry stuffie with a logo on.

I wasn't talking about an official sponsorship gift bag... although, why not? I was talking about an enterprising executive coming up with a good idea to treat the athletes and get a little publicity on the side.

If it's being organised by an executive sending 'minions', it's corporate. I take what el henry said, that US Nats were all for corporate rather than fan gifts... but we needn't take it for granted that everyone is. And after all, fair or not, the bulk of the stuffies do go to fan favourites, who can at least give the overflow to hospitals and charities to share out. What on earth did Nathan - what in this and any other world would Yuzu or Shoma or Alina - do with a truckload of whichever advertising souvenir they get?

And as I said, it's not a substitute for fan gifts with real emotion. Bring on and hand out the corporate-emblazoned gifts and fans would still want to give something themselves, something real. So find a way to collect them like the shows do?

By the way, I do agree that some of what is happening over the virus is overboard (I am ashamed of the Australians who at a hospital refused to be treated by other born Australians of Chinese heritage). The sheer number of End Of The Worlds I have lived through since being born in the middle of one is why I find it harder and harder to get properly panicked). Problem is, with any new virus, no one knows until the scientists get a hold on it just how bad it will or won't turn out to be.

Anecdotally ... 2017 Skate America (meaning not too many skaters) had small "mailboxes" for letters to skaters. One mailbox per federation, IIRC.
The mailboxes were not big enough to hold toys.

They'd need bigger boxes in Japan or Russia but it's an idea...

 

[Mathman]

About corporate plushies, etc., I have been to cheesefests where the sponsor passed out plushie Hershey;s Kisses to the skaters to throw to the fans. Also, one time the skaters were given airguns to shoot teeshirts into the audience with the sponsors logo on them. And a good time was had by all. :yes:

But here is what's wrong with gift cards. If you give someone a gift card that means that you don't know that person well enough, or don't like that person well enough, to put any thought or effort into finding a gift that the person might especially like.

Well, everybody likes money, I guess.

 

[Tavi...]

I'm a scientist and today we had the annual American Physical Society Meeting in Denver which was supposed to be held March 2-7 cancelled in fear of spread of coronavirus:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...sical-society-cancel-its-biggest-meeting-year

It is a gathering with 10 thousand of attendees from all over the world and most people were already here, having paid $400-$800 registration fees, flights and hotel. It was cancelled in the last minute. Why shouldn't an athletic event take similar measurements?

They waited until yesterday to cancel an event that starts tomorrow, and attendees include travelers from “countries where the virus is circulating and for which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised people to avoid non-essential travel”?

I’m so happy I work in Denver.

 

[Shani]

I'm going, I figure it's worth it because it's not everyday you get to go to worlds, and the chance of getting the disease at worlds will likely be low; they'll have good security.

The'yll have good security?? How will they see it?Hope you take your own security serious like washing hands, and lysol wipes etc. Security guards don't clean and sterilize. Not overanalyzing this as it's a very nasty virus like a flu without vaccine yet. Best way to stop the spread is personal hygiene, and aware without being paranoid.

 

[Mathman]

The same WHO which was opposed to travel bans to China. The WHO was completely reactive during the early part of the crisis. ...

Well, nobody's perfect (except in hindsight). At least WHO is composed of medical professionals and researchers.

In the U.S. the issue has no reference to scientific data or epidemiological models at all. It is simply a political divide. If you are a Republican, then regardless of the facts, you think that the threat will blow away on the breeze. If you are a Democrat, you think that The End is at hand.

 

[Shani]

Well, nobody's perfect (except in hindsight). At least WHO is composed of medical professionals and researchers.

In the U.S. the issue has no reference to scientific data or epidemiological models at all. It is simply a political divide. If you are a Republican, then regardless of the facts, you think that the threat will blow away on the breeze. If you are a Democrat, you think that The End is at hand.

Nonsense. Coronavirus or covid 19 is a Universal health issue. Let go of the politics. The virus doesn't care who you vote for.

 

[TallyT]

But here is what's wrong with gift cards. If you give someone a gift card that means that you don't know that person well enough, or don't like that person well enough, to put any thought or effort into finding a gift that the person might especially like.

They'd also be hell - even if in a small paper/plastic gift bag or card holder - to gather up quickly off the ice.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people finding presents that the skaters could find useful or worthwhile, especially those skaters who don't get as many, but please, no taking away the personal touch that makes being that person's fan worthwhile... and that the skater can keep as a memento long after their competitive career is done.

We have gotten wildly off topic... okay, given that Worlds, if it runs, will be under an uncertain cloud, what would people suggest fans could give, and how, this time? No matter what is thrown, there's a minute risk...