The girls are all pretty. They all skate pretty well and wear charming skimpy costumes. But is this the same as being an Olympic athlete?
It seems to me that almost every time, somebody gets their nose out of joint over who wins a medal for figure skating. The judging seems to be purely subjective.
If a race occurs, the one who wins is the one who crosses the finish line first. With figure skating, it seems that their hair, their costume, their grace, and their make up application all get judged along with their triple axels.
Plus, in all of the other Olympic events, the winners win, the losers are good natured about it, and everybody seems okay with the outcomes. Even if one of the judges was partial to a gorgeous Canadian hockey player, nobody really thinks that the Canadians Gold Medal win should be overturned and given to the USA team.
In figure skating, there is a whole lot of whining about the fairness or unfairness of the competition. Let's just let the figure skaters do their own thing on the world stage and make it like a beauty pageant, "dancing with the stars", and "project runway" costume design combination show.
I actually forget what the prompt was for this post. Sorry if I did it wrong. But you can always go see "We Work For Cheese" for people better at following directions than I am.
The skaters are athletes. Doing what they do takes a lot of skill. Back in the day, they had to show the technical skill of actually doing the figures. Now it does seem to be a glorified ballet on ice.
ReplyDeleteI think ballerinas are far more athletic than ice skaters. The training for both is extreme. I have a niece who was a competitive ice skater from the age of about 7 until she was 22 or 23. She went to Nationals every year. It's good that her mother had the resources to keep her in trainers, manicurists, make up artists, and private coaches, not to mention the costumes and the travel expenses. The mom had a full time job of bringing up a skater. It's a privileged few who can afford it. And the politics are more nasty than any we've seen on the National stage. It's a competitive cut throat calling.
ReplyDelete"...nobody really thinks that the Canadians Gold Medal win should be overturned and given to the USA team". I damn well hope not.
ReplyDeleteSouth Korea has lodged a formal protest and asked for an investigation because they think their skater should have won the gold. It's just too subjective. And this sort of crap happens every time over the Olympics when it comes to ice skating contests.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm not surprised at the expense or the politics. How sad.
ReplyDeleteFigure skating is a world unto itself. It's who I stick to hockey.
ReplyDeleteI remember the good ol' days when the judges from each country had to hold up a scorecard. Man! Did that get heated. But then, it was half the fun. It's all so anonymous and polite now.
ReplyDeleteI hate the judging too. Even when it's not the Olympics, there's always some controversy, some scandal because in the end, it's not an objectively "measurable" sport. Oh, and no need to apologize. You could never "do it wrong". :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love watching ice skating. It's subjective -- but then so is football sometimes...
ReplyDeleteThe thing that's always bothered me about figure skating is the amount of falling that takes place during competitions. Why do the competitors fall so much during their routines? I know all that spinning and jumping is hard stuff, but these people train for years in order to perfect a single program. What's the deal with all that falling down?
ReplyDeleteI think ice is tricky, Kevin. There may be a rough spot or a wet spot or something that causes the falls. I also think that most skaters fall during a competition at one time or another, but it doesn't always affect their scores. I think ice skating is great entertainment, but an Olympic sport? Not so much.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point, Fiona!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny Nicky. The guy at the picnic told me the same thing.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like they used to show the scores for technical, artistic, and so on. That doesn't happen now either I guess.
ReplyDeleteWell, I wouldn't say figure skaters are not athletes, they train hard and long and devote their lives to the sport just as any other athlete. Regarding the sport itself, I don't have a lot to say, I don't really watch it, but it does seem to take an inordinate amount of makeup to win.
ReplyDeleteOooh. Harsh. Figure skating in the winter Olympics is what gymnastics is to the summer Olympics. There's very little that's subjective about the judging. It sounds like the commentators aren't doing as much teaching and reporting as they once did. They used to discuss the programs of the skaters pointing out where the skater had excelled and where they'd made tiny mistakes. I didn't watch one minute of these Olympics, and based on what you've written, it sounds like there's been a bit of snarkiness regarding who won, who lost, and the basis used to make those calls. That has nothing to do with what happened out on the ice rather more to do with how easily it is for every person in the world with access to social media to cast their vote based on their opinions, not their expertise in the finer points of skating. The costumes and makeup have always been edgy and part of the sport.
ReplyDeleteWhat these athletes do on the fine edge of a skate is far more difficult than what hockey players wearing full body armor do with a stick and a puck. Sure, they're wearing skates, but those skates are quite different from the others and all they do is move them forward and backward.
I think figure skating is a performance much like ballet or tap dancing. I don't the ballet is a sport, but it is an art. Skaters fall somewhere in between ballet and tap I think. While I can enjoy watching the dancing, to me it's not a "sport" although the skaters/dancers are in peak physical condition.
ReplyDeleteBallerinas are athletes too, but I don't want to see them compete for Olympic Gold.
ReplyDeleteI could watch figure skating ALL DAY LONG. I love the costumes, the dances, and the whole glitz and glam of it all.
ReplyDeleteI love costumes, dances, and glitz and glamor too! But I'm not sure it's an Olympic competition thing.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree!
ReplyDeleteI think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. For me, it's never been about the trappings rather the skaters' abilities to work with complex forms. Do you think gymnastics belong in the summer Olympics? I wondered because skaters are basically gymnasts working on edges instead of balance beams, parallel bars, etc.
ReplyDeleteOh actually, Cheryl, you may be right. I got too close to it all having a niece who competed and who was ranked very highly at one time. I've never seen a more cut-throat group than figure skaters. They are back-biting little monsters wrapped in pretty costumes.
ReplyDeleteI was SO MAD the girl who was third in what was it, the nationals?, was not picked over the one who got fourth and FELL.... it was all political.... the girl who got third might have done better!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a total rat's nest, Katherine. I've seen it up close and personal.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the sportsmanship in the other areas. I saw people in the snowboarding races being knocked down by other competitors and being denied the chance to even place. They simply said, 'hey, it's the nature of the sport'. Figure skating is such a complex overall impression - did you like the music, did a feather float off the costume? I do think they are fabulous athletes and a real boost to the ratings, but I wish we could see more about the judging and the judges so we don't have a bad taste when the thing is over.
ReplyDeleteWatching the female skiers and snowboarders, it was really lovely when you saw them hugging and congratulating the winners! You will never see that sort of thing with the figure skaters. They each are a team of ONE person.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, just maybe, figure skating is the most difficult event in the winter olympics. One is required to perform while dressed in sequins, look beautiful with professional hair and makeup and skate backwards. Sounds pretty tough to me.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, it's not just random whining about results. It's Countries whining about results. It's pretty to watch but is it an Olympic sport? I"m not convinced.
ReplyDeleteMalisa, you could do that blindfolded!
ReplyDeleteI'd hate having to judge people at all, whether the parameters are objective or subjective. That's one job that would definitely not be for me!
ReplyDeleteMe, either, Paula!
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering how the heck I missed all these posts...it's because I've never been able to find an email subscribe button on here...well today luck was with me and I did, YAY, now I'll never miss an important word from Linda again!
ReplyDeleteOh Suzicate! I've never known how one could email subscribe on this site either! Where is the darned thing?
ReplyDeleteThere is a tiny envelope that says subscribe beside it at the very bottom, mid right to center.
ReplyDelete