Random Figure Skating Questions

[dorispulaski]

Several questions!

1) When do skaters get their ISU bios? Do they have to be juniors or can they be advanced novices participating in ISU competitions?
2) How do I create tables for fan fest threads? I'm sure this isn't the place to post this question, but not sure where else to post it. I thought I saw something about how to do that awhile back but I can't find it now.

Skaters definitely appear to get a blank bio with nothing in it but competition results and their name and birthday the first time they compete in an ISU competition whose results are automatically recorded as Competition Results in bios. They sometimes get one if they are listed as an alternate to a competition (which gets no results). I would guess the ISU must have the birthdays of all entrants to verify they meet the age requirements. If the competition is eligible to determine Personal Bests, the blank bio will have that, too.

What I wonder is why many skaters never fill out the additional info asked for (coach / choreographer for example). Does the ISU ever make a formal request? How does the update process work?

Is it possible to block an entire thread from "What's New/Activity" feed? Is my only option to just start blocking everyone who is posting in it?

I do not know how to do this, but if the thread is against the guidelines, please report it.

I seldom/never use What's New. I find threads I haven't read yet with New Posts. I assume it would behave the same as What's New for display purposes. However, you can create something like a personalized feed by managing your Subscriptions. A thread you are not Subscribed to will not appear in your list.

 

[mrrice]

Good Morning everyone, I wanted to make a quick comment on Bio's. Now, as a Professional Singer, you basically HAD to have a resume to get a job. They're collected when you first enter an audition. From there, you are called in to sing, dance, or act, by the experience listed on your resume'. In L.A., there are so many people at auditions they're called "Cattle Calls" when I auditioned for Grease 2 there were over 500 people and we were broken into groups of 100. The process took over a week for those who were eventually cast.

I wish more people had the opportunity to see the PLAY A Chorus Line. It's nothing like the Movie and gives a very real sense of how physically grueling, and emotionally draining the audition process can be.

Bio's OTOH, are a completely different story. Because you already have the job, most people put very little effort into them. With Movies, you don't get a bio. With Plays, what usually happens is that the Assistant Director ( A.D.) will show up to rehearsal with a pencil and a piece of paper and ask you what you want in your BIO. It's very uncomfortable. They ask you what you want your BIO to say and you have to Brag about yourself. Imagine if I walked into your office or class room and said " Hey Mr. Rice, tell me how great you are and what you'd like everyone to know about you.....Go!

 

[ice coverage]

... You know, next time I write about either them, I will have to have the Season Calendar (ISU Communication 1940) sitting in front of me so that I see which of them has the words "Challenger Series" written on them!

Sorry for making the same mistake again.


Anyway, back to what we were discussing, and the fact that most Entries/Results Pages for Senior B's do not include links to ISU Bios, even when the skaters have had ISU Bios for years, is something that I do find annoying.

OK, so the national federations/skating clubs that run the Senior B's do not have anything like the same resources behind them as the competitions that are run by the ISU. But, let's face it, it is not very difficult (or time consuming, or expensive) to turn a couple of words on each line of a table into a hyperlink.

But, it does make the world of difference in making the page a lot more user-friendly.


The example you used for Thomas/Eaton does tie in with my theory. That you only get an ISU Bio at your first ISU event, and that they are now including Challenger events too.

Which is making me wonder: Was Sean Rabbit ever entered for, say, a Junior GP before, but had to withdraw at the last minute?

... Given that a lot of these bios were last updated on 17[SUP]th[/SUP] August 2011, I think that indicates that Sean did have a prior international appearance scheduled for the 2011/12 season, but it never materialised. ...

Don't mean to sound terse, but want to address several of your comments:

(1) My brain has had its own trouble remembering the full list of Challenger comps for this year ... esp. because this year's list is different from last year's. So no need to apologize re the change in Autumn Classic status.

(2) What I was pointing out above re the 2015 US Classic is that the results page on the ISU's own site did not have a hyperlink to the ISU bio for Eaton/Thomas.

I was not referring to the USFS results page for the 2015 US Classic. Was not talking about a federation issue.
(But maybe your interest in this topic all along stems back to federation issues that already were on your mind before the current discussion?? If so, I had not realized.)​

(3) I do not know whether Sean withdrew from a previous international.

But I am impressed at the tireless detective work behind your theory.​

 

[tulosai]

I am pretty sure Sean did not withdraw from any previous international. To the best of my knowledge this fall at the Autumn classic was the very first international assignment ever offered to him.

 

[gkelly]

I have heard a lot of talk lately about how a skater needs to "set up" his/her jumps... but in the past I have also heard that it's not good to "forecast" your jumps.

Can someone explain the difference?

Thanks.

In order to execute a jump, the skater needs to have an adequate amount of speed going in and also needs to get his/her body parts aligned over the blade and in relation to each other, the necessary muscles engaged (or relaxed for other muscles), to make the takeoff and the rotation happen correctly.

If a skater needs a lot of time to get into just the right position to make the takeoff work, that indicates a lower degree of mastery. If they can be doing other movements that require a completely different alignment or that are heading in a completely different direction and can then shift immediately into the position they need for the jump, that shows a much higher degree of skill and will earn more points, in Grade of Execution and/or in the Transitions component (and likely other components as well).

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Don't mean to sound terse, but want to address several of your comments:

(1) My brain has had its own trouble remembering the full list of Challenger comps for this year ... esp. because this year's list is different from last year's. So no need to apologize re the change in Autumn Classic status.

(2) What I was pointing out above re the 2015 US Classic is that the results page on the ISU's own site did not have a hyperlink to the ISU bio for Eaton/Thomas.

I was not referring to the USFS results page for the 2015 US Classic. Was not talking about a federation issue.
(But maybe your interest in this topic all along stems back to federation issues that already were on your mind before the current discussion?? If so, I had not realized.)​

(3) I do not know whether Sean withdrew from a previous international.

But I am impressed at the tireless detective work behind your theory.​

Don't worry, I don't think you don't sound terse. You're merely responding to my points. And responding very well too, I might add!

With regards to the results pages, we were both singing from the same hymn sheet. It was the ISU version I was talking about (I don't know about anybody else, but I find the layout of the USFS/Ice Network results pages a lot harder to follow than the ISU versions. So, I tend to avoid them whenever possible).

Nah, there weren't any federation issues on my mind.

I am pretty sure Sean did not withdraw from any previous international. To the best of my knowledge this fall at the Autumn classic was the very first international assignment ever offered to him.

Mmmm. This makes it even more curious that he has had an ISU Bio since 2011.

I wonder if could be something to do with what Doris mentioned above. That he was given an ISU Bio because he was down as an alternate for an ISU competition, but he was not needed in the end.

Unfortunately, it is hard to find out afterwards, as the provisional entry lists which include all the substitutes get replaced with results tables once the competition is over.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[ice coverage]

... You're merely responding to my points. ...

Don't want to torture you, CL_fan, but here is another piece of data re ISU bios :

(Please know that I am using the smilies in an ironic sense. I can't imagine using them to seriously provoke/taunt someone, and this post is the best excuse I have had for using them in a silly way :dev3:.)

Anyway, Olivia Serafini of the US has an ISU bio that does have a link on the ISU index page.

http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00034372.htm
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/fsbiosladies.htm​

The only result in her bio is from a non-JGP junior international :taunt:. (2014 "Grand Prix of Bratislava.")

OTOH ... would her bio fit your previous theories if she had been listed as a substitute for one or more JGPs?
I think I vaguely recall that she had been, although I can't be 100% sure.

 

[ArgieFan]

I continuos being newbie.
I was viewing Hannah Miller in 2015 Cup of China, here:
https://youtu.be/jWlg8tcb8aM?t=2355
In this moment she did a jump sequence 3F-3S but not a combination. Could it have been a combination?
If she lands on his right foot, then she continuous in this way through a second to show that landed correctly, then puts the left foot over ice and she can start the Salchow with right foot. This is right?

 

[tulosai]

I continuos being newbie.
I was viewing Hannah Miller in 2015 Cup of China, here:
https://youtu.be/jWlg8tcb8aM?t=2355
In this moment she did a jump sequence 3F-3S but not a combination. Could it have been a combination?
If she lands on his right foot, then she continuous in this way through a second to show that landed correctly, then she puts the left foot over ice and she can start the Salchow with right foot. This is right?

Hi! This actually is/does count as a combination- a 3F-1Lo-3S combination Since she has such huge UR issues as it is I highly doubt she'd be interested in trying it without the 1Lo..

 

[ArgieFan]

Hi! This actually is/does count as a combination- a 3F-1Lo-3S combination Since she has such huge UR issues as it is I highly doubt she'd be interested in trying it without the 1Lo..

Oops! I did not see the 1Lo !

 

[gkelly]

Are you asking whether she could take off from her right foot for a salchow? No.

Because (like most skaters), Miller rotates counterclockwise, she needs take off from the back inside edge of the left foot on a salchow.

Several years ago the ISU decided that putting a half-loop between to other jumps to get onto the back inside edge of the non-landing foot counts as a three-jump combination; it is not currently considered a sequence.

Or are you asking whether she could land the first jump on her right foot and then, instead of jumping up and rotating once in the air to change feet to left back inside salchow takeoff, instead she just changed feet from the right foot flip landing to the left foot salchow takeoff? I have never seen that done with triples, probably not at all. In theory it would be possible. But under the current definitions, changing feet with a step like that instead of half loop jump would make this a sequence, not a combination, and it would get fewer points.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Don't want to torture you, CL_fan, but here is another piece of data re ISU bios :

(Please know that I am using the smilies in an ironic sense. I can't imagine using them to seriously provoke/taunt someone, and this post is the best excuse I have had for using them in a silly way :dev3:.)

I don't blame you using every opportunity you can get to test out the new emoticons. The problem I am finding is that there are so many now, it takes a long time to find the right one on the menu. So, until I can get used to the codes, I am just sticking to the old ones I always used.

Anyway, Olivia Serafini of the US has an ISU bio that does have a link on the ISU index page.

http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00034372.htm
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/fsbiosladies.htm​

The only result in her bio is from a non-JGP junior international :taunt:. (2014 "Grand Prix of Bratislava.")

OTOH ... would her bio fit your previous theories if she had been listed as a substitute for one or more JGPs?
I think I vaguely recall that she had been, although I can't be 100% sure.

You know, the further this conversation goes on, the more I wish that there was a permanent record kept of who was down as substitutes at the various competitions. Not only because it would settle this discussion, but because in years to come it would be VERY interesting to look back and see just who was down as a substitute.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[ArgieFan]

Or are you asking whether she could land the first jump on her right foot and then, instead of jumping up and rotating once in the air to change feet to left back inside salchow takeoff, instead she just changed feet from the right foot flip landing to the left foot salchow takeoff? I have never seen that done with triples, probably not at all. In theory it would be possible. But under the current definitions, changing feet with a step like that instead of half loop jump would make this a sequence, not a combination, and it would get fewer points.

Thank you, very informative.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

How often do they resurface the ice at competitions? Always between each warm-up group? Does it vary from competition to competition, e.g. from GPs to Worlds?

 

[Princessroja]

Thanks, CaroLiza_fan and Doris for the questions answered. CaroLiza_fan, I might just take you up on that PM offer. I'll be trying to tackle the Team Jellie table later in the week and I find formatting here so intimidating. But hey, I figured out how to bold things yesterday, so I'm making progress.

 

[gkelly]

How often do they resurface the ice at competitions? Always between each warm-up group? Does it vary from competition to competition, e.g. from GPs to Worlds?

Generally after every 2 warmup groups.

I don't think it's ever less frequently than that at ISU events. Sometimes at larger, lower-level competitions they'll do it less frequently.

And sometimes after one warmup group if that's the whole event (e.g., Grand Prix Final).

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Generally after every 2 warmup groups.

I don't think it's ever less frequently than that at ISU events. Sometimes at larger, lower-level competitions they'll do it less frequently.

And sometimes after one warmup group if that's the whole event (e.g., Grand Prix Final).

Thanks. So really the only logistical reason for having warmup groups is to have only a few skaters warming up on the ice at a time? Does anything important actually happen between groups other than using the Zamboni?

 

[dorispulaski]

I am pretty sure Sean did not withdraw from any previous international. To the best of my knowledge this fall at the Autumn classic was the very first international assignment ever offered to him.

And fixing potholes in the ice.

 

[gkelly]

Thanks. So really the only logistical reason for having warmup groups is to have only a few skaters warming up on the ice at a time?

Yes.

Both for safety in terms of the number of bodies on the ice at a time (that's why the groups for pairs and dance allow fewer entries than for singles) and also so that the skaters at the end of the group won't have have an hour or more to wait between their warmup and when it's time to compete their program.

Does anything important actually happen between groups other than using the Zamboni?

Not really.

When the competition is 7 hours long because there are 50+ ladies competing in the same event, they gave the judges a dinner break.

And then they instituted the minimum technical scores and they tweak them each year so that there won't be 50+ ladies at Worlds.

 

[Mathman]

Are you asking whether she could take off from her right foot for a salchow? No.

Because (like most skaters), Miller rotates counterclockwise, she needs take off from the back inside edge of the left foot on a salchow.

Would it be theoretically possible for a bi-rotational skater (there is probably no such thing at the level of triples) to do a wrong-way (clockwise) Salchow off the other foot as the second jump of a combo?