Too many skaters skipping season

[russell30]

It seems a lot of top skaters are skipping the upcoming season or two or is it because the word "retirement" is now not used as skaters like to leave the door open??

In Ice dance both D & L and D & S are skipping the season. I can understand the justification for D & S but this would have been the opportunity for D & L to claim a world gold.

In Ladies it seems Elena Sokolova is skipping the grand prix and maybe the season and Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen are thinking of a return (as they have both skipped seasons) but will it be?? and there were talks of federations trying to bring back skaters like Surya Bonaly and Irina Slutskaya and Elena Liashenko to help there country cause.

In Mens Nobunari Oda will miss the grand prix because of a suspension and Emmanuel Sandhu has decided to skip the season and now Plushenko and Yagudin have plans of coming back??

In Pairs Inoue and Baldwin will skip the grand prix and there have been a lot of spilts and retirements. The pairs event seems to be getting weaker rather than stronger and this coming season the results of the pairs could come predictable.

I dont mind skaters skipping a season but I do think it could harm them in terms of placements etc. I would have liked the ISU to try and make them compete as Figure Skating in general seems to be losing its place in the world of sports and we do need the very best in all four disciplines to make it exciting and entertaining. But on a high note the 2007 worlds was one of the best I saw it terms of depth and technicality.

 

[hockeyfan228]

In Ladies it seems Elena Sokolova is skipping the grand prix and maybe the season and Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen are thinking of a return (as they have both skipped seasons) but will it be??

According to reports from Russia, the Russian Federation did not submit Sokolova's name for inclusion in the GP picks this year.

In Mens Nobunari Oda will miss the grand prix because of a suspension and Emmanuel Sandhu has decided to skip the season and now Plushenko and Yagudin have plans of coming back??

Yagudin and Plushenko just had surgery. It has never been clear that Yagudin is coming back, just that he wanted to (pending the results of surgery and rehab), and Plushenko was planning to compete in GP this year until he had to have surgery. Although Sandhu claims to have decided himself that he was taking the GP season off, it isn't clear how voluntary this was, and whether Skate Canada would have put him in the pool for inclusion in GP.

In Pairs Inoue and Baldwin will skip the grand prix and there have been a lot of spilts and retirements. The pairs event seems to be getting weaker rather than stronger and this coming season the results of the pairs could come predictable.

I disagree. I think that Ijnoue/Baldwin are competent, but that taking a season off barely makes a dent in the pairs competition.

 

[kandidy]

But for ladies, 2007 world is like jump competition compared to 1990-2004 years. Ofcourse I didn't say that they were not good, and scores are so high. I kind of missing old atmosphere of artistry, strong clean edge and beautiful choreography that were not just robotically did by famouse choreographer.

Many athletes skipping and claiming of coming back, that is maybe to be expected from the period of olympic interval. Except last year that new star rises,of course.

 

[attyfan]

I think that one major problem is that skaters need to do other things, which results in the GP getting skipped, especially since the ISU prize money has been cut. For example, I am sure that D/L need the money that a season of show skating can bring. Also, as the technical demands of the sport increase, it is probably more difficult for a skater to compete fully in the four years between Olympic cycles without injury.

Another problem is that there are so many different reasons for the different skaters skipping the GP -- both good (Irina's preganancy) and bad (NNN/L), so it is hard to determine one single "quick fix".

IMO, skating is driving itself downward in a vicious circle -- things like cutting the prize money means that top skaters have do other things to support themselves (such as D/L doing shows for a year) -- which, in turn, reduces the interest in the GP.

 

[number9dream]

But for ladies, 2007 world is like jump competition compared to 1990-2004 years. Ofcourse I didn't say that they were not good, and scores are so high. I kind of missing old atmosphere of artistry, strong clean edge and beautiful choreography that were not just robotically did by famouse choreographer.
.

Ita with ya! I really miss those type of programs. Thanks to the COP (crock of piss more likely) we're seeing the same program on every lady skater. What a bore!! Also, I think that the GP events tire most of the skaters out. Shoot, by the time their nationals roll around they're practically burnt.

 

[capcomop]

I dont mind skaters skipping a season but I do think it could harm them in terms of placements etc. I would have liked the ISU to try and make them compete as Figure Skating in general seems to be losing its place in the world of sports and we do need the very best in all four disciplines to make it exciting and entertaining. But on a high note the 2007 worlds was one of the best I saw it terms of depth and technicality.

Well first of all, IMO, the GP is really a torture run for these skaters with little in return for many of them. They fly all over the world with all the inherent risks of losing skates, getting sick, injured, jet lag etc for less money then they might make in a couple of shows back home without all the wear and tear and stress.
If the ISU wants the GP to be a carrot, it has to be a CARROT not a orange carrot shaped STICK!

Sceondly the ISU has tried to make the GP mandatory by barring skaters from easy money making stuff like the cheesefests. Ha, ha on them, the cheesefests are drying up...now what bar them from Worlds?

Finally I don't feel that the ISU ought to madate skating in the GP. Kwan for example may have been skipping the GPs for her health. It seems she was far more injured then she revealed and was looking to cut back to spare her body. Hughes did the same thing with her knee. Perhaps what I/B are doing. Why should an athlete be forced to skate in something over his/her better judgement? Why should an athlete be forced to reveal an injury or wear and tear if he/she doesn't want to and doesn't want to skate?

The ISU isn't paying for these skaters' training (perhaps like a Fed does) or for appearances so why should the skaters be bound to skate in things?

Yes, skating is taking a nose dive in terms of pubic exposure, but I/B and Sokolova sitting out this season ain't high on the list of causes!

 

[JonnyCoop]

Dubreil & Lauzon have been around for so long I'm surprised they're even still at it AT ALL; if they want to take a season off after all the time they've put in (Bearing in mind that Marie-France made an appearance at the Junior Worlds of 1989, which gives you an indication of her "seniority"), then more power to 'em.

As for Sokolova, it is not uncommon for the Russian federation to withhold people internationally for a while until they can start to skate better. Certainly Sokolova's performances over the last few seasons have been nothing to write home about, and when you consider that this is a country that is accustomed to the likes of Slutskaya and Butrskaja and several others, I don't imagine their tolerance level is all that high.

 

[clairecloutier]

I agree, it's amazing Dubreuil/Lauzon are still skating at all. I'm not surprised they're taking a year off. I'll miss them, but they've been through a lot the last few years, especially with Marie-France's fall at the Olympics. I can understand the need for a break.

As to Sokolova, is anyone really surprised at her skipping a season, and honestly, is it really that big a loss? She has been skating at the senior international level since at least 1996. That's 11 years. And in that time, she's only had one really good season, which was 2003 when she won silver at Worlds. Since then, nothing. I doubt she would be very competitive even if she did skate this season.

 

[sillylionlove]

I do not really care if skaters skip a season. It gives me a change to see some up and comers and some of the newer skaters out there. If I was them though I would be worried. There are a great deal of junior skaters that are moving up the ranks to seniors and just waiting to take the spots of those that are sitting out for the season and planning on coming back. I would love take a count next year or the year after of how many do come back.

And...just for the record...I am going to Skate America this year. I don't even know half the skaters that are skating there this year. But I am really looking forwared to seeing them and getting to know them.

 

[Tonichelle]

I'd rather they skip and season and come back with a renewed love and outlook on skating than someone who sticks it out and either bombs or just goes through the motions...

 

[discoduck]

And...just for the record...I am going to Skate America this year. I don't even know half the skaters that are skating there this year. But I am really looking forwared to seeing them and getting to know them.

Thanks for saying this! I went to SA for the first time last year and I found skaters that I really enjoyed among the ones that I have never heard of. In fact I enjoyed some of them more than the "names." I can't wait to see who I discover this year.

 

[R.D.]

It's a mixed bag, really. Pro athletes have an OBLIGATION to play in every game or participate in every event that they can because they are getting paid to win/entertain. However, we're talking amateur here with this weird ( ) set up that Figure Skating has. Before, I would say that these skaters are simply taking the easy way out and either are faking injury, etc. so that they can rest up for the "more important" competitions later on. In my eyes, it's a blatant dis to the GP Series. The skaters don't care enough to take it seriously. If this keeps occuring, why have it in the first place? Even the skaters that do show up tend to treat it as "preparation" or a "test run" to get ready to peak at the big event (Nationals/Euros/Worlds). Now, though, considering that they are "amateur" (do they get appearance fees to compete at these events?) one can argue that they can do what they want, and compete in any event that they want to without feeling any shame.

The question then becomes, is there such thing as a Figure Skating "season"?

 

[Tonichelle]

the only ones that get paid are the ones that get medals... and maybe a couple places down from there... and even then it's not as much as a basketball/baseball/football player (which that is a team sport, skating is individual...)

and yes there is a season... it just depends on which group we're talking about as to when it starts and ends (Seniors start a tad later with the major ISU competitions than say the Juniors... and Pros start way later, towards the holiday season)

 

[Mafke]

I'd say the problem isn't skaters sitting competitions out but rather their organization(s) not making it worth their time to compete in a tiring series with an even more tiring finale for no great reward.

 

[IceSkate98]

And...just for the record...I am going to Skate America this year. I don't even know half the skaters that are skating there this year. But I am really looking forwared to seeing them and getting to know them.

I envy you, and I would love to meet some of the new upcoming skaters, myself. I'm looking forward to a review from you!

 

[waxel]

While the GP prize money has dwindled considerably, it is still substantial to most skaters (the exception being the elite/marquee names). I think a sense of competition and sportsmanship drives these athletes to perform. Or it should. Maybe our skaters are a bit too coddled? Can you imagine an elite gymnast turning down the chance to score an 18K paycheck and get international exposure? Not likely.

I understand that some skaters conditions are too fragile to risk it, but I hope there will be renewed interest in the GP. They're skaters. They need to skate.

 

[chuckm]

I don't think Denkova/Staviiski were planning to take a year off, I think they were on the brink of announcing their retirement just before Maxim was charged with DUI.

I am also not convinced that Dubreuil / Lauzon will come back at all. A year from now, V/M will be entrenched as Canadian champions, and D/L won't be able to regain their momentum.

 

[ildah]

I don't think they're skipping a season. I think they are all already retired, but because they don't have to, they haven't sent in their official "retirement letter".

They're hedging their bets; they know that unless the top 5 skaters in the world accidentally break their legs walking down the street at the same time - they will not be skating in competition (espec. Olympics) ever again.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

skaters who have been to at least 2 GPs, have done it and now do not want to make all that travel again. Don't blame them. They can test out new programs in other venues. Delob/Schoern in Ondrjev Nepala, for example. No difficult travel between Paris and Bratislava.

I wonder what Cinquanta thinks about all this. He was up in arms about Kwan and Plushenko.

Joe

 

[hockeyfan228]

I wonder what Cinquanta thinks about all this. He was up in arms about Kwan and Plushenko.

Joe

He was up in arms because Plushenko was scheduled for a show (in Hungary, IIRC) during one of his scheduled Grand Prix events -- and had to cancel it when Cinquanta threatened him -- and with Kwan for competing in cheezefests, but not Grand Prix. And I'm not sure the Kwan swipe wasn't to assuage the Russian Federation by not choosing to pick on Plushenko alone.

There is nothing the ISU can do if a Federation doesn't approve the skater for GP selection and doesn't submit the name. (Sokolova, Sandhu).