- Joined
- Nov 20, 2007
I've been reading your posts. It is nice to hear some positive responses to what I had to say about Evan and that some of the things that I said were things that some of you didn't know and that you admire. However, it would wear me out to be on this forum for the purpose of defending Evan.
There are a few things I can add. Regarding Jr. Worlds, Griazev won because he had a quad and Evan did not. I do have seen a video of Evan's performance, but not Griazev's. Nancy Kerrigan's commentary said that she thought Evan should win the presentation marks. I don't know how that worked out because I didn't see the scores. Here comment was that Evan had as much flow going into jumps as coming out which was unusual for a Jr. level skater. She also said his interpretation of the music and expression was very mature. I am only reporting what was said.
I do not agree that Evan is over scored. At World's last season his PC scores were hugely underscored. He has worked on that and they have improved. I don't see anywhere that he is over scored.
Secondly, I cannot agree that Evan does not take pride in his sport. I don't even understand how that can be said! Evan loves the sport of figure skating and it is what his life is devoted to. He wishes to change the image of figure skating in order to appeal to a wider audience. He does not want figure skating to become an internet sport, which something I don't think any of us want. That is why he came up with the idea of the X games, because the men are doing extremely difficult tricks. His idea is to present figure skating in a different format than the standard competition to appeal to a different audience who may not necessarily ever watched figure skating at all. It is definitely not because he is not proud of his sport. It is for the exact opposite reason.
It is true that Evan is trying to promote the masculine side of the sport, in that the men are doing extremely difficult elements. He has said that most people think that figure skating is a "girlie sport." By that comment, he means that he is trying to gain more respect for the sport as a "real" sport. Let's face it, there a many people out there who do not think it is a sport because it is done to music and because of the costumes, etc. They aren't looking at the athleticism, or the difficulty, or the fact that is one of most difficult sports to participate in. Also, the fact is that is has been dominated by women and everyone who is just a causual fan usually will tell you that they prefer to watch the ladies. They hardly ever watch the men. That is what Evan is trying to change about the sport. Whether or not that can actually be done, who knows. Another issue is attendance at the shows. Management is becoming increasingly concerned that not only shows, but competitions, are predominantly gray haired people. So they are trying to make shows appeal to all age groups. Personally, I think ticket prices are so steep that younger people find it difficult to afford tickets, and especially families with young children.
It is not harsh words about Evan that bother me. It is the inaccuracy and false statements that are made. What I wish is that people would try to get to know more about him before harsh statements are made. My own personal practice is not to say harsh words about any skater because I believe they are all working hard, and I do not see how they deserve to be criticized by someone who sits in the stands or watches on TV. Everyone can and does have their personal favorites. But that can be done without trashing other skaters. I know how much work it takes because my own daughters were competitors, and only a small few make it to the elite ranks. That is why I do not care for these general forums. Too many negative comments are made about the skaters that I believe are uncalled for. I will stick to the Evan Lysacek Fan Forum where I can support the skater whom I like. We discuss other skaters too, but we don't trash anyone.
There are a few things I can add. Regarding Jr. Worlds, Griazev won because he had a quad and Evan did not. I do have seen a video of Evan's performance, but not Griazev's. Nancy Kerrigan's commentary said that she thought Evan should win the presentation marks. I don't know how that worked out because I didn't see the scores. Here comment was that Evan had as much flow going into jumps as coming out which was unusual for a Jr. level skater. She also said his interpretation of the music and expression was very mature. I am only reporting what was said.
I do not agree that Evan is over scored. At World's last season his PC scores were hugely underscored. He has worked on that and they have improved. I don't see anywhere that he is over scored.
Secondly, I cannot agree that Evan does not take pride in his sport. I don't even understand how that can be said! Evan loves the sport of figure skating and it is what his life is devoted to. He wishes to change the image of figure skating in order to appeal to a wider audience. He does not want figure skating to become an internet sport, which something I don't think any of us want. That is why he came up with the idea of the X games, because the men are doing extremely difficult tricks. His idea is to present figure skating in a different format than the standard competition to appeal to a different audience who may not necessarily ever watched figure skating at all. It is definitely not because he is not proud of his sport. It is for the exact opposite reason.
It is true that Evan is trying to promote the masculine side of the sport, in that the men are doing extremely difficult elements. He has said that most people think that figure skating is a "girlie sport." By that comment, he means that he is trying to gain more respect for the sport as a "real" sport. Let's face it, there a many people out there who do not think it is a sport because it is done to music and because of the costumes, etc. They aren't looking at the athleticism, or the difficulty, or the fact that is one of most difficult sports to participate in. Also, the fact is that is has been dominated by women and everyone who is just a causual fan usually will tell you that they prefer to watch the ladies. They hardly ever watch the men. That is what Evan is trying to change about the sport. Whether or not that can actually be done, who knows. Another issue is attendance at the shows. Management is becoming increasingly concerned that not only shows, but competitions, are predominantly gray haired people. So they are trying to make shows appeal to all age groups. Personally, I think ticket prices are so steep that younger people find it difficult to afford tickets, and especially families with young children.
It is not harsh words about Evan that bother me. It is the inaccuracy and false statements that are made. What I wish is that people would try to get to know more about him before harsh statements are made. My own personal practice is not to say harsh words about any skater because I believe they are all working hard, and I do not see how they deserve to be criticized by someone who sits in the stands or watches on TV. Everyone can and does have their personal favorites. But that can be done without trashing other skaters. I know how much work it takes because my own daughters were competitors, and only a small few make it to the elite ranks. That is why I do not care for these general forums. Too many negative comments are made about the skaters that I believe are uncalled for. I will stick to the Evan Lysacek Fan Forum where I can support the skater whom I like. We discuss other skaters too, but we don't trash anyone.
