Figure Skating Pet Peeves

[Bluebonnet]

Back on topic, fence sitters, flip floppers, fans without you-know-what (don't want to get censored again, lol).

I think the people you refered to were the people who are figure skating fans. They may not be crazy fans to any particular skater, but they are the devoted fans of this sport. They could acknowledge the good as well as the bad in a skater unlike those crazy loyal fans. What people get to know was only the skaters' skating and the side they wanted and allowed the public to know. Why do people need to have loyalty on a specific skater any way? It's neither necessary nor reflecting one's honor and integrity.

 

[brightphoton]

If you only cheered for who was winning in football, for example, it wouldn't be much fun. You'd just look at whoever was winning at the time and say "go Team _______!" Whereas if you had a favorite team, or a hometown team, you could get much more excited for them as they faced their opponents. Eventually you'd develop an attachment to a specific team. For figure skating, you grow attached to certain skaters. Some people grow more attached than others.

 

[Nadine]

born and raised west coaster, by west coasters and I've never heard that term. A fair-weather fan has always been just that, a fair-weather fan... or a bandwagoner.

Aren't you from Alaska?

And I said "in my circle", which you are not, I don't know you, never met you, hang out with you, et al. My circle is my gang of friends and people, this is the way we talk.

But it seems you moderators want to make an issue of it, without first contacting me about it, hmmm. Instead preferring to side with those that reported me, no questions asked.

But God knows the truth, and that's all that matters. Finito!

 

[Bluebonnet]

Some people grow more attached than others.

That's true. I do have prefered skaters and sentimental favorites at given time. But that sentiment could change. I was a Johnny Weir fan but now I'm not. Call me "fair-wheather" fan. I don't care.

Aren't you from Alaska?

And I said "in my circle", which you are not, I don't know you, never met you, hang out with you, et al. My circle is my gang of friends and people, this is the way we talk.

But it seems you moderators want to make an issue of it, without first contacting me about it, hmmm. Instead preferring to side with those that reported me, no questions asked.

But God knows the truth, and that's all that matters. Finito!

The more paint, the blacker it becomes.

Maybe your circle is using the word incorrectly. So either your circle of people need to change the habit of calling it, or you could just keep it within your private circle but not spread it on the internet where general understanding of this word is different from your private circle.

 

[claphappy]

I think Polybob is the chief of the Unwavering Support for Caroline Zhang Department.

Does anyone else read this thread and think, "I don't mind those things/I'm okay with that."

What's with all this costume talk ... about the underwear part of the costume? Honestly they all look the same to me.

Bielmanns/donuts/I spins are difficult spins. The most important part of a spin is that it's centered and of a moderate to fast speed. I'm probably in the minority in that I do like the variations on the spins more than the "ideal" of the spin. I like the layback variations more than the classic layback. I also don't like the mentality that only skaters who can do an element perfectly should do them. You gotta start from somewhere.

I absolutely agree with almost all of this post. The only thing is the first part as i don't know Polybob well enough to comment. But, all the rest of it: totally agree!

 

[Buttercup]

I spent several years living in the Pacific Northwest when I was younger, and followed a number of sports back then - football, baseball, basketball and of course skating . I'm still a baseball fan and lurk on a couple of baseball-relevant communities. In all this time, I have never heard the term "mud people" used in a sports context; fans who came on board to follow successful teams were labeled fair-weather fans and occasionally bandwagon fans.

While I've no doubt it was not meant in any offensive way, I would suggest using the more commonly known terms in the future to avoid confusion.

 

[gkelly]

I think the people you refered to were the people who are figure skating fans. They may not be crazy fans to any particular skater, but they are the devoted fans of this sport. They could acknowledge the good as well as the bad in a skater unlike those crazy loyal fans. What people get to know was only the skaters' skating and the side they wanted and allowed the public to know. Why do people need to have loyalty on a specific skater any way? It's neither necessary nor reflecting one's honor and integrity.

I agree. If I'm a fan of all skaters, or even just of many skaters, I will often be rooting for several skaters who are competing against each other. Some of my favorites will win and I'll feel happy for them. Some of my favorites will do poorly and I'll feel sad for them -- but that doesn't mean rooting against my other favorites. Or against my non-favorites. At the elite level, even the skaters who don't happen to grab me by the heart still have plenty of qualities to their skating that are worth admiring.

If you only cheered for who was winning in football, for example, it wouldn't be much fun. You'd just look at whoever was winning at the time and say "go Team _______!" Whereas if you had a favorite team, or a hometown team, you could get much more excited for them as they faced their opponents. Eventually you'd develop an attachment to a specific team. For figure skating, you grow attached to certain skaters. Some people grow more attached than others.

True. And different fans grow attached for different reasons and in different ways. There's no one "right" way to be a skating fan.

 

[OS]

Skaters that are neither musical nor artistic described as such when their technical content does not justify the score.

No proper marking for musicality in the COP when music is an major element to the performance and the interpretation marking are often a joke.

Increasing trend of Templated program full of artificial flavourings and MSGs (Morozov Scoring Gratuitously)

Blank look poseography to slow soft music as a competitive program without balance and risks. I call it a lazy and brain dead program.

Too much smiles in a program that has nothing to do with the theme or content, this ain't the circus or a pageantry, although I understand why people like this sort of thing, but just not for me.

 

[Mathman]

The only thing is the first part as i don't know Polybob well enough to comment. But, all the rest of it: totally agree!

PolymerBob is indeed Caroline Zhang's knight in shining armor.

 

[louisa05]

Additional pet peeve...

The insane hyping of junior skaters with little or no international experience. See also: Gold, Gracie.

(And she may be a lovely girl and she may do very well...but, seriously, it seems that around the web, she already has a fan club proclaiming her the winner of the next ten U.S. national titles, as well as the 2014 Olympics)

 

[Tonichelle]

Alaska has always been part of the West Coast... we're included in the North West section of America. Our state stretches down almost to Washington. So yes I am from Alaska and YES I am from the North West Coast...

My parents were born and raised in Northern California, and their families have several generations in that area. Again while I may not be a member of your small inner circle, I am a west coaster and I know sportsfans in the west coast, and the term I know it by is bandwagoner or fair-weather. The "sugar" term is new to me...

The internet has no tone of voice, and you have to be painstakingly aware that without tone of voice people can only go by the words on the screen.

 

[Olympia]

And you Alaskans have your very own temperate rain forest, to boot. (I think that is so cool....)

 

[Tonichelle]

And you have your very own temperate rain forest, to boot. (I think that is so cool....)

yup, but I've never been to the panhandle lol... our tundra is pretty neat as well...

and we're bigger than texas almost three times over!

 

[skatinginbc]

Our state stretches down almost to Washington.

Really? Is British Columbia so small in your eyes?

 

[Violet Bliss]

Alaska is on the Northest Westest coast of USA, even further west than Hawaii. It is the true Northwest. Alaskans are the ultimate West Coasters. So West, it's almost East, as in being able to see Russia.

and we're bigger than texas almost three times over!

How do you like hearing constantly that Texas is the largest state, or even that Alaska is one of the smaller states? Wouldn't you want to bring up the truth, especially when the false info is used against Alaska or as a matter-of-fact premise for other statements?

 

[Tonichelle]

Alaska is on the Northest Westest coast of USA, even further west than Hawaii. It is the true Northwest. Alaskans are the ultimate West Coasters. So West, it's almost East, as in being able to see Russia.

you can only really see Russia from an island that is part of AK, though... and mainly only in winter (or so I'm told, I've never been that far that direction)

BC is not small, but we're not that much farther from Washington if you count the islands, which is what I'm doing...

 

[Violet Bliss]

Oh, being able to see Russia is now a cliche. Do you know I can see the moon and the sun from where I am?

 

[Tonichelle]

Oh, being able to see Russia is now a cliche. Do you know I can see the moon and the sun from where I am?

I know and we have Tina Fey to thank for that it's a funny joke that we had up here before that but now it's sooooooooooooooooooooooo overused, and people actually believe that Alaskans believe it *facepalm* I used to work the tourist industry up here, so I no longer laugh at the joke lol

 

[skatinginbc]

BC is not small, but we're not that much farther from Washington if you count the islands, which is what I'm doing...

Which island are you talking about? I checked the map and I saw the distance between the southernmost Alaska and the northernmost Washington is about the same as from Vancouver to California. Can I say Canada stretches down almost to California just as Alaska stretches down almost to Washington?

 

[dorispulaski]

Big Diomede belongs to Russia, and is its easternmost point. Little Diomede belongs to the United States. The distance between the two islands is about 2.4 miles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diomede_Islands

In this video, you can see Russia from Alaska. It isn't subtle because the islands are mountainous,as well as being only 2.4 miles apart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWQDZ88-2YM


In other times of year, there's a lot of fog, etc. in the Bering Sea, and sometimes you can't see the end of your own nose. But any clear day, you can see Big Diomede from Little Diomede.


Another interesting thing. The international dateline goes along the Russia/US border, so that from Little Diomede, you can see not only Russia but Tomorrow.

The islands are sometimes called Tomorrow Island (Big Diomede) and Yesterday Isle (Little Diomede) because the time in Big Diomede is 20 hours (approximately a day) ahead of Little Diomede.

Mr. Ski served for two years on the USCG cutter Storis, which spent lots of time in the Bering Sea. That's how I know about the Diomedes. I have a tiny ivory carving, made by carvers on Diomede, too, to remind me, should I happen to forget.