TASS reports ISU technical committee intends to simplify the skaters' programs

[thatdarncat]

At this point I don't expect these suggestions to become actual rules. Jumpingbean is right, there are always so many proposals and hardly any of them become reality. Also the framing from TASS is of course... framing. You could also simply call these suggestions a shift towards the other aspects of skating. It does not necessarily have to be easier. It really is such a misconception that only jumps are tough and sport.
Ballet does not have jumps with many rotations and does anybody doubt that for instance high level ballet requires strength, stamina, drill even up to complete exhaustion of the body?
Anyone who has ever tried to glide backwards elegantly on one foot while leaning back with your upper body shall not tell me that is not sport.
What about most movements in gymnastics - are those not sport, for instance just holding your position on the rings?
Of course jumps look like the easiest to evaluate in terms of numbers and "objectivity", but let's not pretend the GOE on jumps aren't often just as creative as all the other judging. And whether you give a q or not on a quad combo can have quite a big effect.

As I said I'm in favour of getting rid of a jump passage in singles and an element in pairs to have more choreography, but I think such singular rules may not help if they aren't thought through very well. It needs to be considered what will happen in that case and which other rules need to accompany this one to have the desired effect.

A bit off topic: I would love to see a graphic depiction of the step sequences. As viewers who often have never done any higher level skating we are usually taught to recognize jumps (and revolutions), but what's going on in the step sequence remains a mystery at large. I think commentators need to talk about it more and "educate" the audience, but graphics would also help. That could help to appreciate it more. And then we could also think about having a second step sequence or something similar...

Good point, it would be interesting to understand the footstep sequence better and what are the more difficult moves, what we should be looking for as spectators and to understand the judging, I find the footstep sequence and choreography blur into one. Before ISJ it seemed easier to see the different parts of the programme from the footstep sequence to the spiral sequence, since IJS has introduced using every part of the body to be moving it is hard for me to tell the programs apart.

 

[Rebecca Moose]

And then have a leveled or unleveled step sequence that has to fill the whole length and/or width of the ice as efficiently as possible in a straight line or circular pattern, or serpentine?, as in 6.0 days? If leveled, the features would need to be a bit more forgiving of fitting in the difficult turns than currently but less forgiving of deviations in the pattern. Maybe more like the original ca. 2004-05 IJS step sequence requirements.

And would there still be a choreo sequence like now, where long gliding moves and creative jumps, etc., are more important than actual steps?

Yes -- keep the leveled footwork in the technical short program as is, but more of a 6.0 footwork (circular, straightline, serpentine) in the LP with a focus on speed, musicality, and content.

and keep the choreography sequence in the LP! best change they've made in the last ten years imo

 

[skatesofgold]

I just want a spin in singles that is more about choreography than positions.

 

[Minz]

Okay, I just want to say that I'm personally not a fan of the proposed changes, mainly in singles.

 

[lariko]

I would too.

Meanwhile, these might be useful:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Great resources, but wouldn't it be nice if the never-shut-up commentators actually pointed these things out instead of saying things like, "he will take it!" "clean as a whistle!" and/or go on and on about the skater's past or their expectations. Gosh, the commentators were so bad lately, it's crazy. The only ones who try to get some information across are Ted and Mark in juniors. And they do it at the right time. Mark even tried to explain dancing steps, God bless him.

 

[Skating91]

I wonder if this is a way of 'resetting' the world records so to speak since Kamila is still the holder of all world records.

I don't really see why they would do this for men. In fact, it's absurd for men.

It makes some sense for the women though.

 

[skylark]

@Diana Delafield" "trying to remember which jump .... in the combo coming up, or was it the.....and the whole artistry part flies out the Zamboni gate. The skater becomes just a frantic human adding machine."



@Rebecca Moose" "change the footwork requirement so that speed and musicality are just as valued as intricate turns and steps."



@Cutting the ice: "there is opportunity here for making the sport more pleasing to watch with less rushing from element to element without emotion .... I do think Pairs is getting better - hopefully moving away from the little girl/woman being thrown about by the big man - to partners performing difficult elements together in a skilled and beautiful way,



This last phrase makes me thing of what Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc created together, and they did it to show what they themselves and their choreographers value in pairs skating. They are pioneers. I think that if changes can be made to reflect these values, everyone benefits ... including casual viewers who can appreciate artistry just as well as they can count numbers of jumps. Beautiful lines, synchronicity of the physical and emotional, thrills like Cain/LeDuc's gorgeous side-by-side falling leaf jumps. Etc.

These periodic adjustments have to be made, to correct for imbalances, which will always be present when judges/technical callers have to assign a number to each movement. To paraphrase Tamara Moskvina in her most recent TSL interview, the people who make these decisions and changes have been educated and are experienced in how to create the requirements, conditions and emotions that figure skaters and their audiences are hoping for. It's her job, said Moskvina, to follow the rules they set down and try to do her best for her skaters.

It's my job to enjoy this beautiful category of figure skating,, that combines lifts, twists, throws, etc. and try to articulate what I love.

 

[Skating91]

I wonder if they're doing this so they can reset the world records again.

 

[DancingCactus]

Good grief, this is just a suggestion, nothing is set in stone. No need to insinuate that the evil ISU is trying to steal something from Valieva again.

 

[icewhite]

Good grief, this is just a suggestion, nothing is set in stone. No need to insinuate that the evil ISU is trying to steal something from Valieva again.

Also, different from some fans, the ISU's thoughts are not only revolving around Kamila. Also, the ISU is not one person but very different ones with different interests. We don't even know who supports these ideas or who came up with which, do we?

 

[theblade]

If I understand the analysis of other correctly, in dance we have assisted jumps, and dance lifts have been relaxed to allow lifts above the shoulders. Compulsory dances are practically non-existent in seniors.

Above-shoulder lifts are, IMHO, a health risk for both partners. Most male ice dancers are not physically training for higher lifts, and it risks putting many female ice dancers in an unfair position (muscle/weight/liftability ratios). Back/shoulder injuries are happening more frequently because we have high-flying lifts when ice dancing originally was rooted in the concept of ballroom dancing on ice.

Few teams will be able to execute at the highest level without the possibility of limiting the physical partnerships capable of doing such numbers for an extended junior/senior career without the risk of chronic pain.

There has to be a way we can support skaters without them being taken out by concussions (yes, not all concussions happen in training), back/shoulder injuries and other ongoing physical injuries.