The new technical program could be longer, with "mastery" at the elite level (as that is what mass skating audience tuned into, carefully considered.)
So is this only for elite skaters?
How does this plan affect the hundreds of senior-level skater around the world, many of whom are over 19 and don't have the choice of competing as juniors, at least internationally? What kind of competitions should all those skaters enter on their way to trying to become "elite" enough to be worth your attention, and TV networks' attention?
My stripped down vision really lets us see who can do what.
But you don't want to see any skaters except those who have already proven themselves to be among the very very best in the world?
At the elite level we are seeing big bucks spent on two similar programs. I think us artistic types will miss the old sp. But think what a well understood and scored tech program with a level playing field could do. Only skills (and presentation/line are skills) Still GOE, levels all that if you want. The TV audience is about Senior elite skaters. Lower levels could be done the same way.
I still don't understand what you mean. The ISU competition rules are not just about the senior elite skaters. They're about
all senior and junior level skaters. These skaters compete under the same rules all season. Those who are the best in their respective countries, and age eligible, get to go to Worlds -- skating the same programs they've used all season (with occasional rare exceptions) under the same format used at all their events.
Cost is huge. SO make competiton really about skill sets and make it more affordable.
The biggest expenses, over the years, in getting to the elite levels in the first place are ice time and coaching. That's not going to change. Taking away the music and the costumes isn't suddenly going to
You could get music and a year's worth of off-the-rack skating clothes for a few hundred dollars. If you have the skills to compete with the best, cheaper packaging isn't going to make a huge difference in your results. If you don't have the skills to compete with the best, more expensive packaging isn't going to make much difference in your results either.
Yes, it can make the difference between almost-elite and elite, or between contending for top 10 and contending for medals.
But just getting to the point where better packaging could get you into the elite takes many years of practicing many hours a week, with coaching for much of that time, preferably from a very knowledgeable coach whose hourly rates reflect that expertise. Over the ~10 years it takes to get from beginner steps on ice to senior level, that's hundreds of thousands of dollars worth. Someone -- whether the skater's parents or government or corporate sponsors -- is paying for that time.
It's not a sport you can get anywhere near elite-level good at without expensive resources. Ice time is expensive. Training only in the winter on a backyard pond isn't going to cut it in the 21st century -- nor in most of the 20th.
I was in my naughty mood. 
