Surya's comeback!!

[Mathman]

I hate to sound negative, but I don't think the content listed here is enough for a eligible career programme.

Not enough? She just did (in Layman's imaginary program) 7 triples including a triple/triple combo and a triple/triple sequence. For comparison, Arakawa won the Olympic gold medal with five triples and no triple/triple, nevertheless scoring all-time high marks. This seven triple program would utterly blow away anything we saw at U.S. Nationals last week.

Anyway, the question was, should Surya come back and compete for France? All she has to be is better than the current French ladies champion. That she could accomplish with half of this technical content. No one would expect her to win worlds.

Surya's problem was never with her jumps but with her basic skating skills. Edges and that sort of thing.

 

[layman]

Surya has jumps and spins, but she sure doesn't have footwork and spirals. Her edging is among the worst in the business. She has ALWAY skated on the flat of her blades.

Why would she want to return and skate for the French federation anyway? Surya always complained about their treatment of her when she was competing. Her having become a US citizen since then isn't going to improve her image in their eyes. If anything, the French Fed is worse than ever in its attitude towards its athletes. What could possibly be in it for her?

Chuckm have you ever seen Surya skate in person? She's almost never on the flat. This myth needs to be put to rest. Looking at her patterns on the ice, it's clear she's a "figure" skater, who came up during the figure's era. The speed in her skating comes from using her edges (beautifully). The edges are deep and secure. If you want shallow, flat edges, look at Sasha Cohen or Elena Sokolova.

Some complained that Surya set up the lutz and flip from a straight-line but everyone does that these days. Maybe Surya was ahead of her time.

Surya is a dual citizen of both France and the US. Technically, she could skate for either country. What's in it for her? She's a competitor. I think she really enjoys competing. She reminds me a great deal of Denise Beilmann who kept up her skills and competitiveness for two decades after her World Championship win.

 

[SeaniBu]

Not enough?

Geesh, I did say think. The main reason I said anything is that was there is no mention of SpSq, skating skills or footwork. Hence not enough.

 

[_Ladybug_]

Wow Surya... She is my oldest skating memory. I remember being a kid watching her on my grandmother's black and white television.
I'm not sure about her comeback though. I don't really like the comeback thing.

 

[gkelly]

Surya has jumps and spins, but she sure doesn't have footwork and spirals. Her edging is among the worst in the business.

Agreed.

She has ALWAY skated on the flat of her blades.

Not true.

At any rate, I doubt very much if she would be allowed back into eligible skating. It was my understanding that returning pros would be allowed for the 94 Olympics only, and not after that. Other skaters have tried to reinstate since then, but all were firmly turned down.

Actually the window of reinstatement was between the 1993 and 1996 seasons, with paperwork being due the spring after the preceding season. Thus there were reinstated skaters at 1993 Worlds (three of the four ice dancers on the US team -- Renee Roca, Gorsha Sur, and Suzie Wynne). Then a lot of reinstatements for 1994 including a number of big names who competed in another Olympics. And then Midori Ito (who had turned pro in 1992) and Josee Chouinard (1994) reinstated for the 1996 season, and then promptly turned pro again afterward. A number of US professional skaters had been talking about reinstating for 1996 but the USFSA didn't get the paperwork to the ISU in time so they were prevented from doing so.

There may have been some other less well known skaters who also reinstated at some point during those three years.

So yeah, it was only an option for a limited period of time around the 1994 Olympics, but it wasn't available ONLY for that year.

Moreover, Surya's pouting rejection of her '94 Worlds silver medal on TV and her backflip at the '98 Olympics won her no friends in the ISU.

I don't think this would matter, except that for her to return to eligible competition there would have to be rule changes or exceptions made specifically for her, and that would be unlikely without offical friends.

 

[gio]

Seeing the not good situation of French ladies skating, I think the French Federation will like a comeback of Surya.

 

[gkelly]

They might like it, but unless they can get the ISU to change their rules, it's not going to happen.

 

[Maribelle]

I think it would be great if Surya decided to make a comeback, what a story that would be! I am afraid the judges would still be biased towards her however, even with her amazing technical skills.

 

[scorekeeper]

I still don't see what she would really gain by it. Judging by what I've read (interviews with Joubert & Préaubert, for example), the French Federation hasn't changed much since Surya was an eligible competitor, and as others have already noted, she wasn't happy with them then and has no reason to expect anything different now, no matter how badly they need a lady skater of her calibre.

 

[dutchherder]

Surya's comeback? Oh dear. I hope not. :frown2:

 

[Jhar55]

Why come back the judges really didn't like her before she had poor attitude and most of all isn't she a pro or did she not give up her amature status?
The day she refused her 2nd place medal steps off the podium was just poor attitude and I've never cared for her since.

 

[dutchherder]

Ditto.

 

[Antilles]

Did Surya actually do anything to give up her eligibility? Simply saying "I'm retired" won't keep you from reinstating. Skaters have to compete at a non-sanctioned event to lose eligibilty. There aren't many of those left. I think if skaters stay away from Ice Wars, then they can still go back to eligible skating. I doubt that Surya would really want to return, though.

 

[scs]

I have heard nothing about a comeback for Surya...except for a story on another board about her skating nude in an upcoming show in support of PETA.....!

 

[SeaniBu]

The day she refused her 2nd place medal steps off the podium was just poor attitude and I've never cared for her since.

This is true?

 

[tae04]

LoL no way she would ever come back at 34.

Even though, I think the ISU should throw out the Ineligible rule its dumb. I think skating is the only sport with this dumb ruling. Let whoever wants to compete at the olympics go if they qualify.

 

[Mathman]

...Even though, I think the ISU should throw out the Ineligible rule its dumb. I think skating is the only sport with this dumb ruling. Let whoever wants to compete at the olympics go if they qualify.

That's the one thing Cinquanta will never do. It would mean giving up ISU control over the sport and it's athletes.

The only thing the ISU can do to make the athletes toe the party line is to threaten them with loss of Olympic eligibility (for instance, if they decline a grand Prix event and skate in a show instead).

 

[Spun Silver]

I have heard nothing about a comeback for Surya...except for a story on another board about her skating nude in an upcoming show in support of PETA.....!

Because skating costumes are usually covered in fur?:sheesh:

 

[Kasey]

It seems like I am in the minority here, but I think IF she were to try to come back in the age of CoP, she would be eaten alive. As an amateur, mostly what she had were the jumps, and the telegraphing of them was so bad (and some leg wrap too if I recall) that I doubt she could get +GOE on them. Her "artistry" was pretty non-existant.

 

[skater 17]

I agree, she would not fair well in the new system. I do not agree with the professional coming back, it always takes a spot away from some else. How would they have felt it that happened to them when they were up and coming.