- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
Heck go for super train wreck - Tonya and Nancy co-commenting. Tonya can do the athletic side, Nancy can do the artistic.
US Commentators
- Thread starter Ladskater
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2005
I actually prefer Tracy of all the members of the NBC team. She clearly has the greatest understanding of IJS among that team and is able to concisely convey that to fans when she's allowed. As far as ice dancing goes, her focus on twizzles is important because they are a valuable scoring element. She does not over sell the technical description, but she does emphasize their value. I appreciate her effort at trying to help people understand that ice dancing is just as technical a discipline as the others, just more subtle. She should be used more often. She's a far better commentator, in terms of substance, than Scott or Sandra. Just check out video of her working for Canadian TV.
NBC really should also feature more of her segments where she breaks down the scoring of a particular element on a monitor. My mom, who is as casual a fan as there is, was really helped by that. If NBC would invest more time into educating their audience about IJS rather than trying to turn them against it, I think their ratings and the sport would be better off. It's not that hard to understand. Yearning for the past and a system, beloved or not, that is not ever likely to return serves no constructive purpose.
Like someone said in the kiss and cry drama thread, it's not like 6.0 was actually truly understood by everyone who watched either. It was more like an endearing mystery. There were countless confusing scoring controversies over the years in each of its incarnations (and there were many from the late 60's until this decade). Do any of you remember what it was like to sit down and do ordinal math? It was maddening and rarely definitive if the scores were close until the all the skaters had competed. Results flipped around all the time within a segment of competition as well as between them. Very often the commentators were at a loss to understand what was happening then as well. A great example is when Torvill and Dean won Euros in 94. No one understood right away how they won because their FD marks initially had them ranked 2nd to Usova and Zhulin by a 5-4 split. But then Gritschuk and Platov placed a commanding 1st in the FD and flipped the 2nd and 3rd place ordinals around for U/Z and T/D so that T/D ended up 2nd in the FD and 1st overall. For all of its complexities, IJS is more definitive for placements more clearly breaks down scores if the broadcasters would just take the time to read them and communicate them to viewers.
IMO, the best commentators are those who truly understand the sport as it exists now. That's why Mr. Button, God bless him, lost his edge over the years. He still viewed skating through the lens of the past, applying old standards to new situations. Scott and Sandra are entering the same stage now, IMO. Very good commentators embrace the IJS, warts and all, and can understand it at first glance. That way they can more easily translate it to the viewer so it does not sound like calculus. Since Tracy does much more commentary than Scott and Sandra and also is involved in coaching, she clearly has that advantage. Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning and Susie Wynn fall into the same category. So maybe NBC should look for commentators who have worked with IJS as callers, coaches or choreographers. They would likely be able to provide much more insight than older 6.0 skaters.
NBC really should also feature more of her segments where she breaks down the scoring of a particular element on a monitor. My mom, who is as casual a fan as there is, was really helped by that. If NBC would invest more time into educating their audience about IJS rather than trying to turn them against it, I think their ratings and the sport would be better off. It's not that hard to understand. Yearning for the past and a system, beloved or not, that is not ever likely to return serves no constructive purpose.
Like someone said in the kiss and cry drama thread, it's not like 6.0 was actually truly understood by everyone who watched either. It was more like an endearing mystery. There were countless confusing scoring controversies over the years in each of its incarnations (and there were many from the late 60's until this decade). Do any of you remember what it was like to sit down and do ordinal math? It was maddening and rarely definitive if the scores were close until the all the skaters had competed. Results flipped around all the time within a segment of competition as well as between them. Very often the commentators were at a loss to understand what was happening then as well. A great example is when Torvill and Dean won Euros in 94. No one understood right away how they won because their FD marks initially had them ranked 2nd to Usova and Zhulin by a 5-4 split. But then Gritschuk and Platov placed a commanding 1st in the FD and flipped the 2nd and 3rd place ordinals around for U/Z and T/D so that T/D ended up 2nd in the FD and 1st overall. For all of its complexities, IJS is more definitive for placements more clearly breaks down scores if the broadcasters would just take the time to read them and communicate them to viewers.
IMO, the best commentators are those who truly understand the sport as it exists now. That's why Mr. Button, God bless him, lost his edge over the years. He still viewed skating through the lens of the past, applying old standards to new situations. Scott and Sandra are entering the same stage now, IMO. Very good commentators embrace the IJS, warts and all, and can understand it at first glance. That way they can more easily translate it to the viewer so it does not sound like calculus. Since Tracy does much more commentary than Scott and Sandra and also is involved in coaching, she clearly has that advantage. Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning and Susie Wynn fall into the same category. So maybe NBC should look for commentators who have worked with IJS as callers, coaches or choreographers. They would likely be able to provide much more insight than older 6.0 skaters.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
But she would do it with a delicious Russian accent. That makes up for a lot!
I like JW's idea. In addition, if a skating comp is being broadcast in HD, the additional widescreen space gained can be used to help the audience keep track of all the elements the skater has done, the elements' base values, and whether they were executed successfully or not. But then, you'd have the purists complaining about it "detracting from the performance" and other stuff like that. Can't please everyone but I think it would be an interesting experiment.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Three things I would require for Best Commentator:
A Major Degree in Communications - Media Journalism
A super knowledge of the Sport
As much experience as possible.
I do not believe excellent favorite skaters make good commentators. Why should they? Answer: Only to please the fans of certain skaters.
Who would want that job?
Face it: Kerrigan is getting a world of experience. Tough on you who do not care for her.
A Major Degree in Communications - Media Journalism
A super knowledge of the Sport
As much experience as possible.
I do not believe excellent favorite skaters make good commentators. Why should they? Answer: Only to please the fans of certain skaters.
Who would want that job?
Face it: Kerrigan is getting a world of experience. Tough on you who do not care for her.
OUTSTANDING suggestion!
Tonya would definitely get the ratings up! Shge would also expand the figure skating crowd to include a greater diversity of fans.
The only caution is she might get 'blipped' a lot & not sure how some would take it oif she started saying "the only way she is going to beat the other skater is with a knee whack.................).
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2009
HAHAHAHAHA! The only thing better than what you propose is if she were to make said comment while sharing commentating duties with Nancy Kerrigan!
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2006
Unlike many, I really miss Dick Button.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
kind of a redundancy considering "media" is newspaper/tv/internet/etc... and journalism takes on all of those
sorry Journalism major coming out in me.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
The BA is in Communications, then one chooses, media or public speaking for the MA and you better be super for the whole kit and kaboodle for the Doctorate.kind of a redundancy considering "media" is newspaper/tv/internet/etc... and journalism takes on all of those
sorry Journalism major coming out in me.
We are not communicating
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
what I was saying is that journalism IS a FORM of media... media journalism is redundant.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I've been missing the constant variety of wacko sports every Saturday that was ABC's Wide World of Sports
Jim McKay
Spanning the Globe to bring you the constant variety of sports
The thrill of victory
And the agony of defeat
If you have Ice Network, they have a fairly long interview with Dick up that was done during the US Nationals by Peter Carruthers. Dick was interesting...he almost always is when he is interviewed, IMO
Jim McKay
Spanning the Globe to bring you the constant variety of sports
The thrill of victory
And the agony of defeat
If you have Ice Network, they have a fairly long interview with Dick up that was done during the US Nationals by Peter Carruthers. Dick was interesting...he almost always is when he is interviewed, IMO
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