- Joined
- Oct 19, 2009
Most of these points were addressed by other posters already, but since you don't address them carefully, here it is to make it easy for you.
Assumption #1: That skaters (YuNa Kim and her ilk) think only about what is best for them, and not about what is good for the sport
Contradiction #1:
FlipFlop #1: Maybe it is the GP's fault after all
Contradiction #2
Assumption #2: Which skater expected heavy promotion and great marks while skipping the GP? Don't know where this one came from, refer to skfan's request for evidence of an attitude of entitlement
Unspoken assumption #3: That what is good for skaters for personal reasons somehow cannot coincide with being good for the sport. It seems more like YuNa isn't doing as much for figure skating as you would hope she would do for it. This is exactly why people think you are saying she OWES anything to figure skating to begin with - your posts add up to saying that she should do more. And why is that? I agree with skfan in that figure skaters and their families "invest in advance" and bear the heavy burdens of all the risks. ISU and figure skating wouldn't have flinched if YuNa had failed, so where does this sense of obligation on her part to "give back" come from (and further creates assumption #4 with a dash of opinion: that what she has done in the world of figure skating still isn't enough.)
Assumption #1: That skaters (YuNa Kim and her ilk) think only about what is best for them, and not about what is good for the sport
I hope that if she does continue to remain eligible she competes in more than just Worlds and Olympics. The sport desperately needs her star power in Grand Prix and other events. Sometimes I wish these skaters would think about not only what is best for them but what is good for the sport that made them a star in the first place.
Contradiction #1:
Every event good skaters skate in constitutes "giving" in the sense of better promotion and higher prestige for the event (ANY event, including Worlds and Olympics.) Moreover, you are arguing that the sport needs skaters to participate in competitions, and yet competing is somehow supposed to be an exclusive privilege. If skaters felt the price of that privilege was too high to pay and started dropping out, I fail to see how that is helping the sport at all. In fact, the sport stands more to lose under such a concept and that is probably why Speedy hasn't mandated any kind of punitive measure on top skaters who decide to skip the GPHowever, continuing to compete is a privilege and, to me, is something you have to earn.
Basically, what troubles me is if a skater competes in only 5 competitions in an Olympic cycle (4 Worlds and an Olympics). To me, that is not giving back, regardless of what you have done in the past. People are going to watch the Olympics (and to a lesser extent the Worlds) anyway, so those are not the events that the ISU needs star power to promote.
FlipFlop #1: Maybe it is the GP's fault after all
I understand your perspectives a bit better now, specifically regarding the length of the season and having to remain in peak form for so long. I'm not picking on Yuna here; I have found the participation of top skaters in GP events problematic for years. The "conspiracy theorist" in me suspects that in some cases skaters who don't participate actively in events are slightly undermarked in important events (Kwan at 2005 Worlds, Cohen's SP at 2010 Nationals, Plushenko at 2010 Olympics, Yuna at 2011 Worlds). Maybe the answer is to shorten the season or have fewer GP events but expand the fields.
Contradiction #2
SeeIt's frustrating and unfair that you so grossly construe my argument just because you don't like the underlying premise. Here is the point, so if you are going to be so critical at least be fair and criticize my main point:
If you are only competing in Worlds and Olympics, sure that helps the ISU and your figure skating federation.
According to drivingmissdaisy, helping the ISU and your figure skating federation is somehow being toooooo selfish and not thinking about what is good for the sport.Sometimes I wish these skaters would think about not only what is best for them but what is good for the sport that made them a star in the first place.
Assumption #2: Which skater expected heavy promotion and great marks while skipping the GP? Don't know where this one came from, refer to skfan's request for evidence of an attitude of entitlement
I just don't like a skater showing up to the ISU's premiere event, expecting heavy promotion and great marks, and not have participated in lesser events that undoubtedly struggle with live attendance and viewership.
It's not clear to me when anyone made such a statement. Ergo, you are completely missing skfan's point which he/she had to assert again.(It's not clear to me how parents' financial sacrifice even benefits the ISU to an extent where it would need to repay injured skaters.
Unspoken assumption #3: That what is good for skaters for personal reasons somehow cannot coincide with being good for the sport. It seems more like YuNa isn't doing as much for figure skating as you would hope she would do for it. This is exactly why people think you are saying she OWES anything to figure skating to begin with - your posts add up to saying that she should do more. And why is that? I agree with skfan in that figure skaters and their families "invest in advance" and bear the heavy burdens of all the risks. ISU and figure skating wouldn't have flinched if YuNa had failed, so where does this sense of obligation on her part to "give back" come from (and further creates assumption #4 with a dash of opinion: that what she has done in the world of figure skating still isn't enough.)
More bawww. This topic is clearly not hands-off, as we are engaging you.Please do get surgical with my posts if you have the time, I certainly don't think I contradicted myself but it is within the realm of possibility. I just didn't think any topic was "hands off" on this board as long as you tried your best to explain yourself and were respectful to others. Apparently that isn't the case.
Sums it up perfectly.everybody wants to see Yuna skate more - the ISU, the fans, and her global sponsors like Samsung, and the TV networks.
I would love to see Yuna compete in GP events as well as the worlds.
But if she doesn't, and only competes at the 4cc and the worlds,
1. Is that still better than her not competing at all? Yes.
2. Should she get a lower score for the same performance just because she didn't participate in GP events? Heck No.
I think most everyone here can agree to the above two questions/answers.
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