Opinion: The brevity of skating careers | Page 16 | Golden Skate

Opinion: The brevity of skating careers

But that's even beyond the point. Isn't it obvious that the French judge openly and cheerfully fixing the score? And ya'all are okay with that so long as Aymoz makes the final?
I am never okay with blatant nationalistic judging. Is there something I can do about it? No. I was asked to clarify a rule about why Shun beat Aymoz today but is not making the finals. I explained the qualification process. I don't care either way if it's Aymoz or Sato in the finals. My boys are Adam Shoma and Yuma. :) So that will be it for me.. this thread is getting derailed with the talk about judging.
 
But obviously, some judges don't see it the same as you do, same with fans. Sato here lost quite a lot of points on spins too. In the end, both skaters are great skaters. Both of them deserve a spot in the finals. One of them had to come short. It could have gone either way really as people, fans and judges, have different perceptions. This is sport. This is what happens. Rules. For instance, LaLa didn't get a spot for worlds last year yet they are firmly top ten in the world. Just bad luck for them that had NOTHING to do with them.
In this case, it's not just bad luck as demonstrated by the French judge's scores. It's obviously NOT in the ballpark with 8 (!) other judges on 4 different competitors, all of which just happen to be in direct contention with Aymoz for the spot in the final. Ms. Florence even stopped lowballing Ma in the free when it became obvious he wasn't going to keep his 3rd place. How can she be even more obvious than that?
 
I am never okay with blatant nationalistic judging. Is there something I can do about it? No. I was asked to clarify a rule about why Shun beat Aymoz today but is not making the finals. I explained the qualification process. I don't care either way if it's Aymoz or Sato in the finals. My boys are Adam Shoma and Yuma. :) So that will be it for me.. this thread is getting derailed with the talk about judging.
It's judging like that and the complacency that ensures 'longevity'. I mean, it's either a dishonest system is okay or it isn't... imo, it isn't and longevity ain't worth it, when it obviously involves taking us all for idiots by the specialists. And the specialists' opinions are not exactly something to use as an argument, since they are so easily corruptible.
 
In this case, it's not just bad luck as demonstrated by the French judge's scores. It's obviously NOT in the ballpark with 8 (!) other judges on 4 different competitors, all of which just happen to be in direct contention with Aymoz for the spot in the final. Ms. Florence even stopped lowballing Ma in the free when it became obvious he wasn't going to keep his 3rd place. How can she be even more obvious than that?
We could certainly look at scoring of worlds 2022 and see where Piper and Paul and Nik and Lolo were lowballed by a few judges to get the 13 aggregate needed for Canada to keep its 3 spots. :) It may have been a judge in particular that favoured their team that caused all of that.
 
It's judging like that and the complacency that ensures 'longevity'. I mean, it's either a dishonest system is okay or it isn't... imo, it isn't and longevity ain't worth it, when it obviously involves taking us all for idiots by the specialists.
Skaters who have long career are not always the most prolific. They are the ones who do it because they love the sport. Many very successful champions had very short career and benefited from positive judging. I think the thread is more about health and long term vision.. not so much about judging as it goes in both directions in terms of longevity.
 
Judging that unduly favors young jumpers and doles out "PCS quad bonuses" like candy could just as easily be seen as dishonest.

I am not saying it is, I am saying dishonesty and objectivity and bias and all those words do not describe a single reality, but are in the eye of the beholder.

Could it be that "dishonest judging" in favor of young guns discourages "older" skaters from a longer career? I don't know, we would need to ask them.
 
Skaters who have long career are not always the most prolific. They are the ones who do it because they love the sport. Many very successful champions had very short career and benefited from positive judging. I think the thread is more about health and long term vision.. not so much about judging as it goes in both directions in terms of longevity.
Oh, of course, if the OP meant that the skaters that never make it past 15th place in the Nationals for 15 years greatly increase the appeal of figure skating...then okay. But nope. They brought up Uno as an example. That we got to see the same skaters for 3 Oly cycles in top 10 to enjoy sport all the more...something that is simply not physically possible in 2023 without some serious scoring shenanigans.
 
Judging that unduly favors young jumpers and doles out "PCS quad bonuses" like candy could just as easily be seen as dishonest.

I am not saying it is, I am saying dishonesty and objectivity and bias and all those words do not describe a single reality, but are in the eye of the beholder.

Could it be that "dishonest judging" in favor of young guns discourages "older" skaters from a longer career? I don't know, we would need to ask them.
If you are not saying it is, what are you even saying? The judging is either honest or not. To be honest, it should follow the same rules of judging for every skater, in their first or twentieth year, and irregardless of their ethnicity. And they don't.
 
What would be relevant to the topic of this thread is not whether judges continue to show national or pesonal bias,but rather, do judges show a consistent bias in favor of established stars and against newcomers? I would not be surprised if they do (favor established stars).

For one thing, an established star is an established star. Judges, like fans, come to the contest with a pre-concieved notion that the stars will shine. He's a star, he must be doing something right. Even "corridor" judging pushes the judges in that direction. They figure that the other judges will give 9s to the stars, so I'd better do so as well.

I think there is also a little bit of the psychology of champions at play. The champion is the champion because he beat the old champion. If the even newer kid on the block wants to become champiuon, he must, in his turn, take out the champ who is now reigning. And not just out-point him but knock him out like he did to the first guy. A tie always goes to the champion over the challenger.

My observation is that in figure skating, the exception to this rule comes more often at the Olympics, where newer skaters are often rushed to the fore, in contrast to lesser events like world championships (perhaps because more people are watching). Tara lipinski beats Michelle Kwan. A youthful Yuzuru Hanyu is placed above the three time world champion Patrick Chan (even though neither skater blew the roof off the joint at the 2014 Olympics). Zagitova beats Medvedeva in a contest that could have gone either way.
 
If you are not saying it is, what are you even saying? The judging is either honest or not. To be honest, it should follow the same rules of judging for every skater, in their first or twentieth year, and irregardless of their ethnicity. And they don't.

I would describe dishonest judging as judging such as the pairs event at Salt Lake City. Of course it should not be tolerated.

But if I watch an event, either live or on television, and I see problems that I think anyone with eyes to see would catch, and the judges don't score accordingly, that wouldn't be dishonest judging to me. It would be "wuzrobbing", the source of many a post on Boards (and I am not making fun, I can "wuzrob" with the best of them ;) ) Unless I am sitting in the judge's lap, I do not see what they see, and unless I have the judge's experience, training, I can't analyze as they would analyze.

The OP wanted to know how we could support skaters who want long careers in that endeavor. Does wuzrobbing affect skaters the way it does fans? Does it discourage them from continuing their careers?

I don't know.
 
I would describe dishonest judging as judging such as the pairs event at Salt Lake City. Of course it should not be tolerated.

But if I watch an event, either live or on television, and I see problems that I think anyone with eyes to see would catch, and the judges don't score accordingly, that wouldn't be dishonest judging to me. It would be "wuzrobbing", the source of many a post on Boards (and I am not making fun, I can "wuzrob" with the best of them ;) ) Unless I am sitting in the judge's lap, I do not see what they see, and unless I have the judge's experience, training, I can't analyze as they would analyze.

The OP wanted to know how we could support skaters who want long careers in that endeavor. Does wuzrobbing affect skaters the way it does fans? Does it discourage them from continuing their careers?

I don't know.
Really? You think they are special human beings who love being publically humiluated and gaslighted, put into a queue to wiat till their noses are warmer and drier?
 
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I disagree. Judging is not either honest or not. It is judging. It is making a judgment.
So, as long as the decision is made, you are happy, fair or not? I sure wish the sector I regulate consisted of people like you! Because they tend to rush in with complaints every time they get something they don't like...lol. No matter what the regs say.
 
Really? You think they are special human beings who love being publically humiluated?



No skater for whom I have read any interview has ever described judging with which they disagreed as "Publicly humiliated". Even after they have retired and have no reason to hedge their words. It comes with a judged sport, which the skaters who want long careers have encountered for many many years.

Again, I would need to see more interviews on the topic, to see what the skaters think. I have not seen any interviews where wuzrobbing stopped a skater who wanted to continue, but I certainly have not read everyone and would be curious to see any examples.
 
No skater for whom I have read any interview has ever described judging with which they disagreed as "Publicly humiliated". Even after they have retired and have no reason to hedge their words. It comes with a judged sport, which the skaters who want long careers have encountered for many many years.

Again, I would need to see more interviews on the topic, to see what the skaters think. I have not seen any interviews where wuzrobbing stopped a skater who wanted to continue, but I certainly have not read everyone and would be curious to see any examples.
Look up Tuktamysheva circling her 0 and 4 GoE on the same jump. Oh, and haven't you seen Gubanova receiving her score just now? Shaidorov and Urmanov sitting in K&C stone-faced not sure what to even expect? No?

Kovtun's retirement letter stated openly he was the 'boy who didn't get to go to the Olympics'

Murzin moved to States when he was told to change a coach if he wanted better scores.

Tsybina left with a quote of not interested in remaining 10th.

They obviously complain, because Turberidze once gave a long spiel about how it's the beginning of an end to complain about being underappreciated and underscored...about a month before launching a complaint that Scherbakova was underscored, lol.

But the other point is that prolongued careers keep fans interested...and well, personally, I am on the verge of quitting watching because I am fed up with propping up and fudging the scores that just gets worse and worse with every rule change.

It makes me feel that I am being cheated when I look at scoring sheets and see what's going on there, as well as seeing Malinin endlessly made to apologize for being 4 heads more talented then the closest competitor and promise to glide better to fit into the mold of instead to maybe get a medal...meh. and ice dance results? I just place them by seniority. Women were booming for a bit, but now it's back to princesses outprincessing all other princesses.

Boring, so endlessly boring.
 
Look up Tuktamysheva circling her 0 and 4 GoE on the same jump. Oh, and haven't you seen Gubanova receiving her score just now? Shaidorov and Urmanov sitting in K&C stone-faced not sure what to even expect? No?
In my field, there are competitions as well. It's even more subjective than skating though there are definitely very objective things people can judge and even often agree on. There are some competitors who have disgruntled faces at times. It's hard humanly to receive scores on something one puts so much hard work on. That, I will give to you. However, in general, once the surprise effect has gone, performers are able to accept scores and process them and even learn from them. I think it is the same with skaters. However, I would add that in some cases, some performers just are disconnected with the reality. I am not seeing what you are seeing in both Gubanova and Shaidorov that would make me give them significantly higher marks than what they are getting for what they are putting on the ice. So, my point here : are the skaters not happy with their mark truly aware of what they just put on the ice ? For performers, it is often a few days later, when having the courage to watch and listen to our performance that we get a down to earth perception of how well we really did. Most of the times, I was able to understand and even agree with the evaluation I would have received. In the middle of performing, our self-perception is often misinformed. I can easily imagine that it could be the same for figure skaters. The KnC is definitely not the best place to react to scores... they should wait and watch their performance with their coach and analyze it. That way, they may understand what went well and what went wrong. I know many skaters do that and have even said that. "I will watch the video with my coach and see what went wrong"
Kovtun's retirement letter stated openly he was the 'boy who didn't get to go to the Olympics'
This is a tricky one but it's not about judging really... it's about Federation favoritism. That, like @Jeanie19 mentioned, is a big deal in killing careers.
Murzin moved to States when he was told to change a coach if he wanted better scores.

Tsybina left with a quote of not interested in remaining 10th.
No idea who these folks are. You do follow a lot of skaters I have never heard about and I follow a lot of skating. :) Just saying :)
On the, not interested in remaining 10th though, it could mean more than one thing. Yes, it could mean that they don't like the judging they get but it could also mean that they know they don't have all the goods to reach the top and they are more interested in winning than in the whole sport. Jason Brown is a very celebrated skater. Yet, he has never won a world medal. If he didn't feel like it was worth it to be in the top 10 but off the podium realm at worlds, it would be up to him. It would be sad because he brings something else to skating. Does it have anything to do with judging? He could certainly complain that young kids are getting high 8s in PCS and he is only getting mid 9s and he should be rewarded with a larger gap. He just doesn't go there and skates because he loves skating.
They obviously complain, because Turberidze once gave a long spiel about how it's the beginning of an end to complain about being underappreciated and underscored...about a month before launching a complaint that Scherbakova was underscored, lol.
Eteri does al sorts of things and shenanigans.
But the other point is that prolongued careers keep fans interested...and well, personally, I am on the verge of quitting watching because I am fed up with propping up and fudging the scores that just gets worse and worse with every rule change.
Of course longer careers keep fans interested. As you are well aware, some skaters are seen by fans 4-5 times a year... couple GPs or challengers, nationals and ISU championships... The ones who do that for a few years, bring in different programs, create expectations and enthusiasm from the fans. Fans want to see them next year, are intrigued and are happy to see the skaters they have been following. When the careers are shorter, there is no time even to get into a skater. I have had myself a couple of changes with time... Some skaters I never cared for at first convinced me of their greatness later on. Keegan Messing is one of them. Kévin Aymoz. Javier Fernandez. The opposite is also true. Interestingly in my case, it was after seeing these skaters live that I got them... they did nothing to me on video.. These revelations helped me accept that I may not be seeing how great a skater I would find "encouraged too positively" by judges from the screen. I am not talking here about nationalistic manipulation or whatever... but when there is a rather strong consensus among judges and I do not see it myself, I am able now to accept much easier that they know much better than I do :) and of course, I am not delusional : i am not a skater so I do not have expertly trained eyes and body awareness a judge who skated would when it comes to evaluating movements of skaters on the ice.

It makes me feel that I am being cheated when I look at scoring sheets and see what's going on there, as well as seeing Malinin endlessly made to apologize for being 4 heads more talented then the closest competitor and promise to glide better to fit into the mold of instead to maybe get a medal...
Malinin is extremely talented in mostly one aspect of figure skating. His jumps. I have seen him live and I know you will disagree with me but I saw many areas of his skating that need improvement. He is lucky that his expertise is favored heavily by the code of points. Jason Brown's expertise isn't as well rewarded. Also, I believe Malinin will have an easier time to improve what he needs to improve but a skater who doesn't have easy quads will probably never have them. Malinin is super young and will get big rewards. Why should it be instant crowning? He is not yet wholesome. Give it time. It's quite possible, considering his strong jumping technique that he may have a very long career.
meh. and ice dance results? I just place them by seniority.
You know, the pecking order can be upseting. I see it too. But I wouldn't put it on seniority only. Seniority in ice dance can equal to better mastery in turn technique. This is super important in the scoring of patterns and step sequences. Like in some performing arts, there are things people can acquire early on, and other things that need more time. So in this case, seniority can indeed mean superior technique. Pecking order is a different animal. Are judges more inclined to recognize edge and turn quality when they have seen a team for several years? I don't know. Ice dance is more problematic BUT at the same time, longevity here is an asset in technique. It's not always the case with single skating when jump quality can erode with time.
Women were booming for a bit, but now it's back to princesses outprincessing all other princesses.
Really? I wouldn't call Kaori a princess. Rion and Amber are fighters challenging themselves with difficult jumps. I don't know. Loena may be overplaying the sensuality card but when she didn't land things last week, she didn't win. So it's all good.
Boring, so boring.
I am still far from being bored with skating :) If I get there one day, I will take a break and watch tennis :)
 
My original point was: skating careers are very short (yes, I only count senior years, 1 because I see juniors in all sports as a developmental stage, 2 because casual or random viewers will very likely get to see skaters only at big senior events), it damages the sport to not have more athletes that can be recognized and then followed by more casual viewers but instead often Olympic champions (tons) or very hopeful talents (Alysa Liu) who quit the sport when casual viewers just discovered them.

How that can be achieved I don't know exactly but I think it would be worth it not only for the individual skater but also for the attractiveness of the whole sport if more people had longer careers. I have stated that doesn't mean I want anyone who doesn't want to skate anymore because they have other interests or priorities to be kept in the sport by force or persuasion and that I fully support the athlete's decision.

Instead I would try to reduce the impact of things that hurt young skaters and cut their careers short against their will: injuries, disorderd eating, an environment that is so toxic and abusive that people are very unhappy in their lives.
My intended point was that such things not only hurt the individual athlete but the sport overall.

Yet this became a discussion about scoring because you, @lariko, think that people are overscored because they are "old" and known better and you want better judging and that is a major factor while you don't think longer careers are beneficial for the sport.

Me, I absolutely agree that there is lots of bad judging. I just don't think that in singles it is overly connected with longevity or older skaters. The Eteri girls have been overscored all the way, heavily, and they were never especially old. They were overscored the moment they reached the senior circuit already. Isabeau, in my eyes, is overscored, much more than e.g. Amber Glenn, despite her being 16. Kolyada, in my eyes, has never been overscored even in his last international season, not even with Mishin, despite having a certain age. There are lots more examples.
Yes, seniority can play a role in overscoring, but the impact of feds, coaches, tech content is much bigger and then there are other factors like choosing a music the judges like and such.
So, I think we need better judging overall - not cutting careers short or being fine with short careers because we think then the judging will be much fairer.

I don't know if the second major body of your arguments is even related to the topic. I think for you it definitely is, because you see judging so tied to age and seniority.

But I do start to get an idea of what you like in a skater and what you don't care about, and in my opinion what you perceive as unfair bias towards a skater because they are older or younger, I see as fair appreciation.

I also feel like your arguments are not really coherent here, so it's difficult to answer them. Please know that I am absolutely not into arguing for the sake of an argument or winning. I try to understand everything as well as I can and try to make sense of them.

You have stated that you don't see anything special in someone like Brown or Kagiyama, that you think Kolyada's and Hanyu's last years were not worth it, that you think Shaidorov, Gubanova (and Malinin?) are underscored, that you don't see that much in Aymoz etc.
So, your perception of skaters differs a lot from what the general opinion on a lot of skaters is, and you are making sense of it by attributing it to unfair judging - while I would say the skaters you don't value against the overall consensus are skaters with incredible skating skills, flow, glide, carriage, speed, ease, posture, body control.

Like I said, I'm not going to argue against the fact that judging is often bad and should be improved.
But in the case of many discrepancies between what you think about skaters and how they are judged they don't seem to stem from bad judging as much as from you having a different opinion on what should be valued.
 
Look up Tuktamysheva circling her 0 and 4 GoE on the same jump.
One judge saw things to admire in the jump, another didn't. Even in a court of law, one judge finds the guy guilty, the appeals judge overturns the verdict. Same evidence, same laws and rules of procedure, different judges.

Of course a skater likes it when a judge appreciates his/her performance, and is disgrntled when a judge finds fault with it. Although a judge might be dishonest or incompetent, a range of scores from a judging panel does not by itself constitute proof of anything.
 
In my field, there are competitions as well. It's even more subjective than skating though there are definitely very objective things people can judge and even often agree on.
I think it is thus in every endeavor. In my field :) , I submit a research article to a scholarly journal. It is rejected (after all, the journal gets dozens of submissions each month -- they can't publish them all). Once in a blue moon the referees point out an actual error or insufficiently supported claim (very rarely, in the case of mathematics -- a mathematicqal proof is either correct or it isn't. This is the TES). Now comes the PCS and GOE. Is my paper more interesting and more substantial than someone else's submission?

Naturally when the journal comes out, I am mad. How could they publish this stupid article on an obscure topic that no one gives a hoot about, while rejecting my insightful and weighty contribution to knowledge?

Oh well. At l;east I had a lengthy career (40 years -- longer, counting juniors).
 
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