Did the ISU make an anti stuffie rule?

[4everchan]

I had a drawerful of medals and small trophies from a wide variety of activities and only a couple had my name engraved on them. I took all the rest and sold them on eBay. If someone wanted to pretend they'd won whatever event in whatever activity it was, that was fine with me.

I guess Yuzuru Hanyu could open an ebay store to sell his extra pooh bears. Fans would be paying a lot of money for it

 

[moonvine]

There are more than one factor. We see more and more charities asking for money rather than "things". They can then use the money to cater directly to the needs of sick children etc. So when this sort of migration of donation type happens, of course things will have to change. It is a question of logistics, human resources and space. If the charity has moved on to collecting money instead of goodies, then they will not have a storage space or staff sorting through things. The other day, I was walking on the street. It was a pedestrian only area where people walk around, drink on terrasses etc... and there was a charitable organisation there, collecting gifts. You couldn't give them any cash. There were a few stations where you had options to just use your chip card and press one button 5, 10 or 25 dollars. It was made super simple, super easy to give, no fuss, no money, not even a choice of the amount you give... three simple options. I thought it was brilliant. But yeah, this charity would no longer accept goodies for sure. Even the Red Cross is changing. Whenever there was a natural disaster, people would send blankets, clothes, toys, non-perishable food, and now, they often ask for money. It makes sense to me. I am not addressing in any manner the sadness it may provoke to skating fans when venues decide to forbid plushies... simply saying that it's not that easy everywhere to donate those.. and if skaters cannot donate them, it's quite a waste... also considering who makes these plushies, with what material... etc... are these plushies made in poor regions using child labour? Are they made of material that are not good for the environment? Yes... I am going too deep.. But I think it's acceptable not to accept plushies at competitions. How many spiderman plushies did Boyang receive in his entire life? Of course, I am the kind of person who doesn't keep these things... the number of medals my mom had saved for me

OMG my nails are too long, I just typed an entire response and have to start over.

OK, yes, natural disasters always send money unless there is some specific request or requests. For example, after the tornado in Tuscaloosa (F5) they were requesting large sized underwear, so I went and bought some and sent to a friend on the ground in the area. But people send ridiculous stuff....USED underwear, one shoe...and someone has to sort through all of it, and if they were not sorting through all of it they could be doing something more useful. It's called "the disaster after the disaster." I have actually seen video footage of piles of donations being set on fire because there is simply no one to go through it and it is taking up too much room on the runway and preventing planes from landing. People also send water, which, while very useful, is also quite heavy and expensive to ship. Trained volunteers on the ground can make potable water. So better to send $$$ than water. I've seen piles of stuff on runways just set on fire because there was no one to sort through it.

But at the same time, in non disaster times, we have Goodwill, Agape Help House, St Vincent DePaul thrift store and many others. I went by Agape House on Friday and bought a whole huge bag of Christmas cards for $2. So guess what all the Christmas exchange people are getting. Plus I in some small way helped the Agape House. If these places were not profitable they would not be around.

I also do not throw plushies at skaters such as Boyang Jin. Never threw one to Nathan, certainly not because I dislike Nathan, but because soooo many people would throw them. They would throw them from the top and they'd land in the middle, some people would pick them up and throw them onto the ice, some people just left them. I've seen cameramen beaned on the head by plushies meant for Nathan.

Other than Gracie, I tend to specialize in Junior skaters, who often get nothing and seem extremely glad to get anything. At the last US Nationals, we had sweepers who were much too efficient. They got the chick I threw to Kirk and Kirk skated up to them and asked them to give it to him. Also senior skaters like my man Mitchell Friess, lover of fractals and turtles, Andrew Austin, Ben Jalovick before he switched to pairs and started skating for...Switzerland I think? Max and Winter the last time they skated, etc and other skaters most people have never heard of because their goal is simply to skate at Nationals and they know they will not be winning any medals. I like keep notes of what different skaters like.

I am getting Sofia a bear plushie with a t-shirt with her name and the Philippines flag on it. Her mom says she will love it and she's going to get someone to throw it. But Sofia is special.

 

[moonvine]

I guess Yuzuru Hanyu could open an ebay store to sell his extra pooh bears. Fans would be paying a lot of money for it

That's a great idea! Except I don't think he needs $$$. But I could be wrong. He could donate all the proceeds to charity.

 

[moonvine]

I had a drawerful of medals and small trophies from a wide variety of activities and only a couple had my name engraved on them. I took all the rest and sold them on eBay. If someone wanted to pretend they'd won whatever event in whatever activity it was, that was fine with me.

People bought them? I have so many I don't know what to do with them, at the last senior Olympics I got 9 and I took a picture of them and donated them back to the Senior Olympics. But if I can sell them...

 

[moonvine]

I couldn't think of the Spanish word for "goose" @ the time, so I sad "Patito" (little duck "pato" = duck)! The word for "goose" is "ganso."

It was fun! That was a good competition, other than Gracie being absent.

 

[moonvine]

People who make anti-stuffy rules also eat children.

Seriously, there are certainly things to consider and possible downsides, but I think the stuffie throwing in figure skating in general is one of the sweetest things humans do, so please organizers, try to find a way to make it possible.
Do people really throw their used ones on the ice? I mean, I'm sure there are individual cases where that happens - like just everything that can happen happens on earth, but those must be absolutely rare cases. Usually they are bought just for the skater. Also, of course it's possible there's something dangerous in them, they are poisoned or whatever, but someone who wants to do harm will find other ways in case the plushies are forbidden.

Please don't be giving anyone any ideas. I know they can't take anything like food offered them.

 

[TontoK]

I sometimes think there is a little committee whose main function is to stamp out any sign of joy whereever they find it.

I say: Let the Stuffies Fly!

Caveat: I've always thought that if I ever get to go to a live competition, I'd toss modest little VISA gift cards attached to a streamer or something so the sweepers wouldn't miss it. Couldn't afford much, maybe enough to buy a coffee... but I think the skaters might appreciate that.

 

[el henry]

The point is not whether stuffies are kept in pristine condition or whether hospitals currently accept stuffies or if they are the best gift ever for kids at RMDH.

I brought that up only as a counterpoint to an argument that stuffies were "bad" or "wasteful".

Stuffies are a fun tradition that could even, to import from another thread, help marketing. Unique to skating. Way to show appreciation. And if they also go to a sick kid, so much the better.

Is ice hockey outlawing celebrations of hat tricks? (I really don't know, maybe they have. That would be a real shame) If they haven't, then let the stuffies, and Visa cards, fly!)

 

[moonvine]

The point is not whether stuffies are kept in pristine condition or whether hospitals currently accept stuffies or if they are the best gift ever for kids at RMDH.

I brought that up only as a counterpoint to an argument that stuffies were "bad" or "wasteful".

Stuffies are a fun tradition that could even, to import from another thread, help marketing. Unique to skating. Way to show appreciation. And if they also go to a sick kid, so much the better.

Is ice hockey outlawing celebrations of hat tricks? (I really don't know, maybe they have. That would be a real shame) If they haven't, then let the stuffies, and Visa cards, fly!)

I have said this before, but the Detroit Red Wings or whoever they are throw DEAD OCTOPI onto the ice. There is a special guy who retrieves them and then swings them around. They take a shovel out there and make sure there aren't any parts left.

I don't ever want to hear anything else about my stuffies. NOT ONE WORD.

 

[moonvine]

The point is not whether stuffies are kept in pristine condition or whether hospitals currently accept stuffies or if they are the best gift ever for kids at RMDH.

I brought that up only as a counterpoint to an argument that stuffies were "bad" or "wasteful".

Stuffies are a fun tradition that could even, to import from another thread, help marketing. Unique to skating. Way to show appreciation. And if they also go to a sick kid, so much the better.

Is ice hockey outlawing celebrations of hat tricks? (I really don't know, maybe they have. That would be a real shame) If they haven't, then let the stuffies, and Visa cards, fly!)

Definitely. Who didn't love to see the rain of Poohs! I adored it!

 

[Diana Delafield]

People bought them? I have so many I don't know what to do with them, at the last senior Olympics I got 9 and I took a picture of them and donated them back to the Senior Olympics. But if I can sell them...

They did then. This was about ten years or more ago when I was in a decluttering mood. I didn't auction them, just made them Buy It Now items. One person bought five -- skating, gymnastics, Highland dance medals, a piano competition trophy. He said he wanted them as props for an indie film. You could try mentioning that possible use in the listing?

 

[4everchan]

Definitely. Who didn't love to see the rain of Poohs! I adored it!

the following skater entering the ice who had to wait forever for it to be clear may have not liked it

 

[yesterday]

Let's combine this discussion here with the other about how to attract new fans to figure skating.
Would throwing plastic waste do the trick? Or does this give the sport a weird look to outsiders?
If it doesn't help, ban it

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I have said this before, but the Detroit Red Wings or whoever they are throw DEAD OCTOPI onto the ice. There is a special guy who retrieves them and then swings them around. They take a shovel out there and make sure there aren't any parts left.

I don't ever want to hear anything else about my stuffies. NOT ONE WORD.

I was just going to mention this even though figure skating and ice hockey are completely different cultures all together! The playoffs with the Detroit Red Wings have the octopus throw when they score during the playoffs and only during the playoffs. There was also a time when the Florida Panthers fans threw rats when they scored.

There was a time when FS fans threw flowers to the skaters but it got stopped after too many skaters were skating over the floral debris on the ice and it causing issues. They'll occasionally depending on the event, let some florals the arena sells that are sealed off (usually a single rose or whatnot) go but most of the time it's been banned. I used to love watching the flowers rain down but after having baby's breath(tiny flowers) that were in a bouquet get caught on my blade and mess it up and almost cause a re-injury to my ankle, I was over flowers and supported the later ban on them.

 

[Diana Delafield]

the following skater entering the ice who had to wait forever for it to be clear may have not liked it

Had that happen once in a local competition where the family, friends, neighbours et al of the pair before us showered stuffies on the ice. I got cold waiting to go on, and colder still when we got out to centre ice, my partner spotted an overlooked stuffy in a corner, and someone had to rescue it. We were supposed to open with our sbs 2Axels. He managed his, mine was a sort of twizzle. My legs were too cold to get me airborne. (We still managed to rank higher than that previous pair, though .)

 

[Diana Delafield]

I have said this before, but the Detroit Red Wings or whoever they are throw DEAD OCTOPI onto the ice. There is a special guy who retrieves them and then swings them around. They take a shovel out there and make sure there aren't any parts left.

I don't ever want to hear anything else about my stuffies. NOT ONE WORD.

I don't want to even think about being a spectator and finding myself sitting next to a fan with one of those, waiting to throw it! Where do they keep it in the meanwhile? Crammed in a large pocket? Hold it on their lap? What if someone seated higher up throws short and it lands on the head of a rinkside fan? Gack!

 

[moonvine]

I don't want to even think about being a spectator and finding myself sitting next to a fan with one of those, waiting to throw it! Where do they keep it in the meanwhile? Crammed in a large pocket? Hold it on their lap? What if someone seated higher up throws short and it lands on the head of a rinkside fan? Gack!

There was another clip where they were discussing all that. Where did they keep it? What did it smell like after several hours?

 

[Diana Delafield]

There was another clip where they were discussing all that. Where did they keep it? What did it smell like after several hours?

Where do they get them in the first place? I mean, it's not as if Detroit would have a beach littered with dead octopi? Does a fish market stock them specially on game day: "Get yer nice dead octopus here!"?

I'll watch the clips after lunch. Or maybe I won't until somewhat later.

 

[yesterday]

Where do they get them in the first place? I mean, it's not as if Detroit would have a beach littered with dead octopi? Does a fish market stock them specially on game day: "Get yer nice dead octopus here!"?

I'll watch the clips after lunch. Or maybe I won't until somewhat later.

 

[icewhite]

I think the self made ones (stuffies, not octopi) are the loveliest, the ones with customized costumes or fitting the program or skater specifically...

I'm sometimes not sure about the very big ones or the flood of all the same ones from fan clubs etc. On the one hand I love a giant plushy. On the other hand it can become a kind of contest. But a ban? No! Ask the skaters how they would feel about it... I think the huge majority loves to get them.