Figure Skating Popularity is Rebounding

[ImaginaryPogue]

1. The most watched television event in Canadian history was the gold medal match in SLC/2002. Hockey by far will be the number one event here. Number two? I dunno - I think speed skating will definitely be a threat to figure skating.

2. I don't know how much effort was expended in 1988 in terms of getting medals from Canada, but it's worth mentioning that the total medal haul was the most since the 1932/Lake Placid Olympic Games. And since, it's grown every Winter Games.

 

[i love to skate]

1. The most watched television event in Canadian history was the gold medal match in SLC/2002. Hockey by far will be the number one event here. Number two? I dunno - I think speed skating will definitely be a threat to figure skating.

2. I don't know how much effort was expended in 1988 in terms of getting medals from Canada, but it's worth mentioning that the total medal haul was the most since the 1932/Lake Placid Olympic Games. And since, it's grown every Winter Games.

The demand for figure skating far exceeds that of speed skating though - there are many more events in speed skating. I think figure skating tickets will be much more popular with scalpers and prices will continue to rise on sites such as Ebay.

Well we only won 5 medals in '88 - 3 of them in skating . So I don't think much funding was available - I don't really know though.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

Agreed, but more events means a better chance at more medals and I think that Cindy Klassen, as the most medalled athlete at the last game, is likely the non-hockey player athlete Canadians remember which should also give the sport a boost. Also, it's purer, which helps perceptions.

 

[i love to skate]

Agreed, but more events means a better chance at more medals and I think that Cindy Klassen, as the most medalled athlete at the last game, is likely the non-hockey player athlete Canadians remember which should also give the sport a boost. Also, it's purer, which helps perceptions.

Very true, Cindy Klassen is awesome! I actually skated at an event where she attended...it was very cool! It will be interesting to see how she does in Van after not competing last year. Kristina Groves and Clara Hughes are also spectacular athletes :yes:

 

[janetfan]

The demand for figure skating far exceeds that of speed skating though - there are many more events in speed skating. I think figure skating tickets will be much more popular with scalpers and prices will continue to rise on sites such as Ebay.

Well we only won 5 medals in '88 - 3 of them in skating . So I don't think much funding was available - I don't really know though.

It was an off year in '88. I am sure I have read a few articles about trying to get more support so the athletes and teams will be more competitive. It is natural when hosting......

 

[Tonichelle]

I think the Eastern Bloc have been sending subliminal messages to Lysacek that he doesn't need a better 3A and that his presentation is second to none

they're also sending Patrick messages to say it's ok to wipe up the ice with your rear...


brainwashing both will ensure, more so than secret judging, that only Europeans would win...

:sheesh:

 

[Mathman]

^ :agree:

 

[evangeline]

What if Patrick skates great but the marks appear to be gifted towards the European men?

Don't think this could happen?
I not only think it could happen, I would be surpised if it doesn't happen.

Poor Patrick and Poor Evan. And Poor Japanese skaters too

:scratch:

I don't get it. Didn't we have a discussion a while ago about how Japanese skaters may or may not have been benefiting from heavy Japanese sponsorship in figure skating (*cough* Daisuke's PCS *cough*)? And, well, aren't Evan and Patrick and reigning World gold and silver medalists right now, awards that have been given to them partly by those apparently horrible anti-non-Euro European judges? Wasn't the entire men's GPF podium last year non-European? Haven't the last two men's world champions been North American? Isn't the current highest score this season so far held by a Japanese man (Oda)?

If there's some Grand European Conspiracy going on in the men's event right now, I must say that the Europeans have been particularly lousy at their conniving as of late.

 

[katha]

I'm sorry, what? There's a huge conspiracy going on to deny the poor downtrodden NA skaters medals? With the Olympics in North America? In the men's event? That same men's event that produced the two NA World champions in the last two years? I'm not sure I'm living in the same reality here...

IMO EVERY federation tries to influence the judging in their favour, not only those evil Europeans and their dastardly schemes. And those same "Euro judges" that apparently always pick on the victimized Non-European skaters just gave Evan huge PCS, they saved Daisuke from dropping in the standings too much with the PCS, they gave Oda good presentation marks. And they were actually pretty restrained with the PCS of Plushenko's LP, given that it was in Russia and he's Plushenko. So I don't see how all those Europeans in skating are just some mob trying to get everyone...

 

[janetfan]

I'm sorry, what? There's a huge conspiracy going on to deny the poor downtrodden NA skaters medals? With the Olympics in North America? In the men's event? That same men's event that produced the two NA World champions in the last two years? I'm not sure I'm living in the same reality here...

IMO EVERY federation tries to influence the judging in their favour, not only those evil Europeans and their dastardly schemes. And those same "Euro judges" that apparently always pick on the victimized Non-European skaters just gave Evan huge PCS, they saved Daisuke from dropping in the standings too much with the PCS, they gave Oda good presentation marks. And they were actually pretty restrained with the PCS of Plushenko's LP, given that it was in Russia and he's Plushenko. So I don't see how all those Europeans in skating are just some mob trying to get everyone...

Please, this is not about GP's or even Worlds. It is about the Olympics and the favoritism and cheating that has gone on for decades.

But come to think of it, the "Dance" competition at '09 Worlds looked the same as always, with a podium that most certainly appeared to be determined before the skaters ever took the ice. :yes:

 

[katha]

Right, so all the European skaters who ever won Olympic medals cheated their way there. Understood.

 

[janetfan]

Right, so all the European skaters who ever won Olympic medals cheated their way there. Understood.

I did not say that.
But I do understand that it is very hard not to show bias at times. It is natural for an American judge to favor an American skater just as it is for French or Russian judges to feel the same way about their own skaters.

For me I would have liked this year's Olympic panels to have been this way for all disciplines:

2 Euro judges
2 Asian judges
2 North American judges

And for their marks to be publicly displayed.

Why should Oda have to compete against Plushy and Joubert when the five sets of marks used to determine the placements will becoming from 3, 4 or even 5 Euro judges?

That is so inherently unfair as we all know that human nature does play a big part in something as subjective as marking a figure skating competition.

This is the way it is, it feels terribly, terribly flawed and unfair.
Even if every mark cast is honest - the way ISU has this set up makes it impossible for any rational fan not to be suspicious if the competition is close.

Just my opinion after watching many Olympic competitions.

ETA: If the judging panel consisted of 5 North Americans, 3 Asians and one Euro - hah!! the Euro fans would be screaming. Most likely their federations would not accept it and would threaten to pull out of the games unless their judging edge was restored for every panel.

 

[Mathman]

It is natural for an American judge to favor an American skater just as it is for French or Russian judges to feel the same way about their own skaters.

Granted. But as Kunstrijster points out, I do not think this translates into the kind of "continental comeradery" that would compromise the judging panels.

Would you really expect that Ukraine would make common cause with Italy against Canada? That a Japanese judge would inflate the marks of Yu-na Kim to hold Carolina Kostner back, in the name of Asian solidarity? That the American judge would give higher scores to Patrict Chan than to Tomas Verner because Canada is closer geographically to the United States than the Czech Rebublic is?

I agree that each country wants to give its own athletes a push. But I don't really see these vast pancontinental conspiracies in Olympic sports.

 

[janetfan]

Granted. But as Kunstrijster points out, I do not think this translates into the kind of "continental comeradery" that would compromise the judging panels.

Would you really expect that Ukraine would make common cause with Italy against Canada? That a Japanese judge would inflate the marks of Yu-na Kim to hold Carolina Kostner back, in the name of Asian solidarity? That the American judge would give higher scores to Patrict Chan than to Tomas Verner because Canada is closer geographically to the United States than the Czech Rebublic is?

I agree that each country wants to give its own athletes a push. But I don't really see these vast pancontinental conspiracies in Olympic sports.

Did you read about SLC. The "Pairs" scandal as it was erroneoulsy labeled did not begin or end with the judging of the Pairs competition. I am sure you are more than aware of that fact.

And this is the second time you have used the same argument - that any fixing/cheating is only related to a single event and by the judges on it's specific panel. That is convenient to make a point but fails to acknowledge what has actually happened so often in past Olympic games.

I am sure you don't really believe your last post is fair representation and are very aware that some of the cheating in the past involved fixing the placement of medals through several of the disciplines. Of course Ukraine might not get involved if they didn't have a skater competing for a medal in a certain discipline and did not have a judge on another panel who could play the game.

The SLC scandal was accurately described as "only the tip of the iceberg."

The IOC threatened to eliminate Ice dancing and figure skating in general as an Olympic sport if the problems were not addressed and cleaned up.

Cinquantas statements to the press after SLC virtually admitted the problem was widespread and HE said it would be eliminated.

Why did Cinquanta and other very high ranking IOC officials promise to eliminate "something that you claim did not exist." ?????????

Please let's base this unpleasant discusion on facts and statements made by the highest ranking ISU and IOC officials or atleast consider what we have seen in the past spreading from the Dance to the other events.

 

[prettykeys]

The countries that put the clean Sale/Pelletier performance in 2nd at SLC were Russia, France, Poland, Ukraine...and China.

Last I remember, China was part of Asia, not Europe.

I don't think K&MM are trying to deny the scope of the problem of potential corruption and shady dealing, but limiting it to the notion of continental friendships is actually undermining the complexities of the issue and would lead to more blindness than enlightenment. IMO.

ETA: Berezhnaya and Sikhularidze were amazing. I think even with their errors it would have been possible to give them a tie, if I were a judge.

 

[Tonichelle]

you know Europeans aren't the only ones who get held up...

Scott Hamilton in 1984 (Scott said in his book his Free Skate was not strong enough to win)
Kurt Browning in 1992 - he's 6th and he basically played the zamboni...

hmmmmmmmmmmmm well, there's TWO skaters not in a North American venue getting the benefit of the doubt...

and they were also multi time world champions... from non north american venues.... hmmmmmmmmmm :scratch:


and, you know, we made it almost half a season before the dumb pairs scandal came up :sheesh: heck no one has rehashed the Tara/Michelle 98 (I think the russians hated Kwan so much that they forgot Tara was also from the US and that's why they let her win :sheesh: )

I feel like I'm in a bad (and I mean BAD) NBCUniversal Sports Fluff Piece on the Games.

 

[antmanb]

Yeah and also watch the Eurovision song contest and tell me how unified and friendly Europe is when scoring

Ant

 

[janetfan]

Ans even with regard to the Eurovision Song Contest people are complaining about the number of the Eastern European countries and their "biased" voting.

Well come to think of it - there was an awful lot about the cheating in Euro football just yesterday. Of course it barely caused a stir because it occurs every weekend

The last I heard the Irish want to sever all connections with UEFA and join a different football association. :yes:
And who can blame them??
Such blatant cheating makes skating seem like the fairest sport in the wqrld.

 

[antmanb]

HA!

As an Argentinian Football team supporter living the UK, you can bet i have never heard the end of the "hand of god" despite not being old enough to remember it happening :chorus:

Ant

 

[janetfan]

HA!

As an Argentinian Football team supporter living the UK, you can bet i have never heard the end of the "hand of god" despite not being old enough to remember it happening :chorus:

Ant

I am old enough and saw it happen on TV.
But what do you expect from 'El Diego" ?
He did learn how to cheat with the best after several seasons in Serie A :yes:

What was disturbing yesterday, besides the allegations and arrests over match fixing was the situation between Henry and the ref.
Apparently Henry admitted it was a handball and the ref told him to keep quiet and walked away from him.

I think that says it all.......

It actually causes a huge stir over here. It's all over the news.

Which Fed do the Irish want to join? Concacaf? I see some nice play offs between the US and Ireland on the horizon.

I was kidding, of course. :yes:
But who can blame them for being so upset and demanding a rematch?
But this time the Irish are demanding fairplay and insisting on North American referrees

Geez - USA has finaly caught up with Mexico - the last thing we need is those bloody stubborn Irish winning the Concacaf every year!