I think this argument sweeps all before it. It doesn't matter what scoring system you use if no-one turns out to watch it.But I think the main flaw in the system comes from an audience perspective. One of the greatest things in skating, for the audience as well as the skaters, was to see or skate a fabulous program and then see some 6s come up. The skaters were thrilled and the audience loved it.
As far as it sacrificing spins for positions... I also dissagree. Some skaters, yes, they're just throwing on these hideous positions with no speed onto a terrible spin, but although their level will get them more points, their terrible spin quality will get them a terrible GOE from the judges. So it's all balanced, sometimes it's better to do a lower lever spin if you get a good GOE, it's worth more points.
Maybe CoP should be kept for Dance, but the old system(or something like it, but better) go back to the rest of the fields in skating.
. Guys like Buttle and Lambiel should be crushing mediocre spinners like Plushenko and Lysacek, yet Plushenko and Lysacek and their mediocre spins score higher then the stunning spins of Buttle and Lambiel which is almost like cheating.
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Getting the highest scores for an element does not mean you are the best at executing that element. Lysachek and Plushenko get higher scores on spins because of their higher levels, not because of GOE.
At Olympics, in the LP, Lambiel had three level 3 and one level2 (!!) spins and the GOE he got for these was +2,36 while Lysachek got +1,72 and Plushenko got +1,71 (Lysachek and Plushenko had two level 4 and two level 3 spins).
So the judges do recognize that Lambiel has the best execution but he needs maximize the levels if he wants the highest scores (I also much more prefer a simple beautifully executed spin but rules are rules ).
Dick Button weighed in on this subject on the Skate America telecast today. The CoP is "constipated, constricted and destructive of artistic exprssion."
If the better spins got more points you would never see Plushenko and Lysacek getting higher spin scores then Lambiel and Buttle regularly.
yes, agreed there. but shouldn't the better spinners be able to do the variations also? emanual sandhu for instance, great spinner, comes up with great variations for the spin levels, and they also work with his music. and lambiel and buttle are very capable of switching the edges on a few spins, etc. which if done right gets them the levels and decent GOE's. so really, they can get more points than others, they just have to do their homework on the system, and garanteed that the variations they chose will be done well and score high. I do see your point though that at times the system does not always favour the bettter spinners. but skating is not a sport that is not subject to some personal opinion, so therefore we will always find flaws in the judging systems. this system is also still relatively new, and is ever changing, just last year spin rules changed on how many variations needed to get a level 2, 3, etc.