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- Jun 21, 2003
These clips certainly make the case that 16 is better than 9. Still, if we can't have an epic, let's see what we can accomplish with a sonnet.
Synchro9 Earns Its Place at the Alpes 2030
- Thread starter gsk8
- Start date
These clips certainly make the case that 16 is better than 9. Still, if we can't have an epic, let's see what we can accomplish with a sonnet.
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- Jun 26, 2012
As far as I know there exists only one all male synchro team (in Canada I believe) which is a little different from the other sports @Mathman mentions. If you would wish to make it a sport with both male and female competitions, that would be rather difficult. I like the idea both sexes are involved, albeit with a very small male minority who should be encouraged not banned.
I openly admit synchro has always confused me. For example, in those videos @4everchan linked, what is one supposed to judge and how? Singles and Pairs make sense. When there are 9 to 16 skaters... what choreography, performance, interpretation, skating skill - whatever - is being judged and how?
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- Mar 7, 2015
Just like in the other disciplines, there are elements needed to be performed : intersections, pivots, moving blocks, pair moves, etc. Base value is given for levels reached as most of these are leveled elements. ( There are choreo elements as well) And GOE is applied. Closeness of the skaters is important. Keeping the shapes. Timing and synchrony etc. I didn't know the sport at all and started watching In the last few years. It's fun. The scoring sheets look exactly like other ISU disciplines. I know you don't like dance but in some ways, I see it like dance : I don't know all the steps and turns but I still can enjoy better skating over weaker skating.
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- Mar 7, 2015
Sometimes there are programs with story telling or themes.
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- Jun 21, 2003
What's wrong with cheer-sport competitions? Personally, I enjoy trampoline. Something for everybody.
That I don't enjoy them.
I didn't say anything about how no one else should enjoy synchro or how it doesn't belong in the Olympics
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- Jan 29, 2007
Finland has one, Riverbulls, but they are not competing, they just do shows and there are all aged, even middle-aged men in the group. https://www.seinajoentaitoluistelij...ten-muodostelmajoukkueet/aikuiset-riverbulls/
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- Jan 28, 2013
I'm going out on a limb here, because I'm talking about a sport I do not follow or understand very well... but didn't the IOC do the same thing with rugby?
"Yes, you can come to the Olympics, but you have to limit your teams to 7."
And I think the criticism of Nordic Combined being an all-male sport is unfair, because the international federation has been lobbying (unsuccessfully) for the inclusion of women NC athletes at the Olympics.
The cutting of this lesser-known traditional sport that (in my mind) embodies the Olympic spirit makes me fearful for the future of Modern Pentathlon... which is the greatest sport that nobody follows.
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2007
I think 24 was messy, but 16 was nice. Some moves do not work with 9. Twelve could have been fine, just and just.
Finland has made separate synchro 9 team. It is directly a national team and skaters have been specially selected to it. There are 11 members, of course alternatives are needed.
Finland has made separate synchro 9 team. It is directly a national team and skaters have been specially selected to it. There are 11 members, of course alternatives are needed.
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- Mar 7, 2015
I saw 16 live both at Canadian Nationals (competition) and at Montreal 2024 Worlds (Canadian team was reigning world champion and performed an exhibition of their LP which prior to their own worlds)
16 wasn't messy to me. It was simply spectacular.
I too, believe that 12 could have worked out.
9 is a stretch
I guess it will be a bloodbath within the established teams of 16 to make a hyper competitive 9 group... and how does it work in terms of National quota ? I am expecting that only one team per country would be selected.. With the tradition in Canada, Finland, USA who already have a few teams of 16 vying for world spots... would the advantage be to pick from all their teams, the 9 (+ subs) among the different clubs involved and make a hyper national team ? I mean I am sure that Rockettes and Surprise or Les Suprêmes, Nova and Nexxice or Haydenettes and Miami could field their few best skaters each and create the ultimate 9 for Finland, Canada and the USA.
This is what they do with artistic swimming.
So, Syncrho 9, may involve a major shift in how the sport is developed from the earlier levels. There would still be clubs but then, the elite may have to be centralized in one group.
At least, that would be my strategy. Pick the best athletes, remove them from their clubs and make them train together for at least a couple years before the games.
I wonder what synchro skaters think of that ? I am assuming this strategy could also backfire because skaters from the clubs are so used to skate together (though there is change in personnel every year for sure)
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- Mar 25, 2024
I would be interested to see what some US coaches combined could do with a national created team as I think it could be more competitive against Canada and Finland, but from what I have heard the US plans to have the clubs create their own synchro 9 teams. Who knows though, maybe that will change when it comes to the Olympics?
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- Mar 7, 2015
when duet and solo were first nixed in artistic swimming, to promote the team, it was a huge mess in Canada... some of the top athletes didn't want to move across the country to train with the national team.. there were politics involved a bunch of drama. I am expecting similar things to happen.
How can you deny, let's say, a 4 time world champion from Les Suprêmes, a. place on the national team of Synchro 9, against the top girl in the country who may have been in a less successful club ? Thank you IOC for most likely creating some more drama in figure skating.. but you are responsible for that one
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- Mar 25, 2024
The level of drama that would create would need a Netflix docuseries.when duet and solo were first nixed in artistic swimming, to promote the team, it was a huge mess in Canada... some of the top athletes didn't want to move across the country to train with the national team.. there were politics involved a bunch of drama. I am expecting similar things to happen.
How can you deny, let's say, a 4 time world champion from Les Suprêmes, a. place on the national team of Synchro 9, against the top girl in the country who may have been in a less successful club ? Thank you IOC for most likely creating some more drama in figure skating.. but you are responsible for that one
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- Apr 23, 2018
Well, people keep saying what figure skating needs is a Netflix or whatever series....
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- Jun 21, 2003
Every national team faces those problems. One athlete is chosen, another aspirant is disappointed.when duet and solo were first nixed in artistic swimming, to promote the team, it was a huge mess in Canada... some of the top athletes didn't want to move across the country to train with the national team.. there were politics involved a bunch of drama. I am expecting similar things to happen.
How can you deny, let's say, a 4 time world champion from Les Suprêmes, a. place on the national team of Synchro 9, against the top girl in the country who may have been in a less successful club ? Thank you IOC for most likely creating some more drama in figure skating.. but you are responsible for that one
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
That's not what I am talking about at all.
Right now, the teams that are selected for synchro worlds (16) are coming from "clubs". In Canada only, there are 3 top notch club in both junior and senior and a bunch of less competitive clubs. Skaters train at their club, get selected by their home coach to make the team etc.
When a sport is then shifting gears to be included at the Olympics, National Federations have 2 options.
1). They can ask the clubs to earn their berth by competing at nationals, but in the Synchro 9 format. Then, the best club gets sent to the games.
This is how they do in Canada for curling for instance. The best curling provincial team gets sent to the O games.
In comes countries, they do not do this at all. They evaluate from the entire pool of curlers who are the best player at each position and then, they form a national team.
In artistic swimming, that's what happened in Canada a long time ago and created a lot of turmoil. We are talking about young athletes asked to move across the entire country to train in another province, at times, in a language they do not master. A lot of issues came out of that. It took a cycle or two before it got better. By then, Canada was no longer at all a powerhouse in artistic swimming.
So that model would be :
2). Select the best synchro skaters from all the clubs... uproot and relocate them into ONE national team.
If option 2 is selected, there will be many issues for quite a while because the traditional way of doing things right now is not aligned with option 2.
I hope this clears it up for you.
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- Sep 24, 2025
Let me start by stating, boy am I glad there will be more figure skating at OLYs...(This might force the host to separate the venue the short track from FS, as it should be!)
As a very casual fan of synchro, I don't feel equipped to state an opinion on a discipline like synchro9(which so far has not been shown in a competition setting!!! How crazy is that)
However I can aknowledge the 'logistical' problems that gave birth ultimately to this 9 person format.
What I am unable to wrap my head arround is that they plan to make it a brackets style competition!!!!! WHY!!!!!
Not counting the inherent akwardness of an uneven number of contestants( bye system?, or group stage?, or even a found robin???), 9 is just to small as a number of teams for a good tournament setting....at least make it 16! There is a reason why major team tournament have top 32, top 16, top 8, etc)
As a very casual fan of synchro, I don't feel equipped to state an opinion on a discipline like synchro9(which so far has not been shown in a competition setting!!! How crazy is that)
However I can aknowledge the 'logistical' problems that gave birth ultimately to this 9 person format.
What I am unable to wrap my head arround is that they plan to make it a brackets style competition!!!!! WHY!!!!!
Not counting the inherent akwardness of an uneven number of contestants( bye system?, or group stage?, or even a found robin???), 9 is just to small as a number of teams for a good tournament setting....at least make it 16! There is a reason why major team tournament have top 32, top 16, top 8, etc)
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
I'm not sure what you're saying here. It might be a language thing, or it might be because I simply do not understand Synchro and how competitions are structured.
To clear things up, I want to ask some basic questions that might help the novice (like me) understand the proposed competition.
How many teams will be admitted to the Olympics? And how will the ISU decide which teams make the cut for the Olympics?
At the Olympics, how will the teams compete? Is there a short program and a long program?
I'm really not understanding the concept of a bracket competition. Are you saying the teams go head-to-head with others to reach a knock-out stage, where they then continue to go head-to-head? Like in the World Cup? That seems like a lot of skating.
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