"Figure skating is on thin ice. Here’s how to fix it." (Vox, Feb 2021)

[FigureSpins]

Interesting article ... Figure skating is on thin ice. Here’s how to fix it. by Rebecca Jennings

 https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22276736/figure-skating-olympics-winter-2022-lessons

[LunarSkater]

I know this response is late, but I do want to know what others think (especially due to previous conversations on these boards). And I kinda want to share my opinions on it. 

I thought it was an interesting article that touched on some good points, but it seemed to be sadly oblivious of others. Like these paragraphs:
"These are, ultimately, the exact kinds of people figure skating should want to convert into fans, even if most of them would typically be considered too old to start skating. But within the current structure of the sport, which is built almost exclusively around competition, there’s little place for teenagers and adults who want to learn to skate because they saw it on TikTok."
"The possibilities of what skating could be — expanding the idea of pairs and ice dance beyond one woman and one man, better outreach and resources for adult skaters, adding competitive categories for specific skills (imagine watching a dozen skaters attempt quads one by one, without having to judge them on costume or choreography) — are endless to an infuriating extent. There is so much that the sport could change for its own good, if only it wanted to."

I don't know how involved in the sport the author of the piece is anymore. From the article, it seems like she does public skate for nostalgia and the sense of community. But the tone of the piece just, even with all it's good points, left me with a sour taste. Yes, the current state of high-level competitors lags behind other countries. Yes, there is a heavy focus on competition within the sport. Yes, it is incredibly expensive. No one is denying any of these points.

But her comments on "little place for teenagers and adult skaters" and "the possibilities of what skating could be" just fall completely flat. If she's bemoaning the state of watchable skating, fine. But bemoaning the state of the sport as a whole based off watchable programming is a bit too far. The author needs to look at the grassroots of the sport to comment on it as a whole. I don't know how much research she did for the piece because so much of what she says needs to be included does already exist. It just isn't as known. But I will sit by the rink and cheer on my local synchro teams, the teenage skaters doing showcase programs, and the skaters doing their best to nail a jump for the jumping event at the local competition.

IMO, yes, skating is a competitive sport. It has problems, very well known ones. But how to get it popular again? That's a marketing issue. Changing the sport won't work unless you figure out to tell people about it first.

[Kat]

I'm not sure how she can bemoan the loss of artistry, and then come up with the idea of elements-only competitions?  (I thought the point was that a skater has to have both?  Would skaters then have to choose one or the other?)

And, I was a bit weirded out by what she said when she described her injury as a kid-- While we’re still young, we’re forced to decide whether we want to continue with a sport we know we’ll never truly win or give up on a lifetime of training, which also might mean losing friends, a routine, or a sense of purpose.

I mean, I think I know what she meant-- someone who's really into skating who gives that up is losing a sense of purpose-- but it almost made me kind of want to retort, "Yeah, how do those of us who don't spend our time training hard for competitive skating even stand to live?"  I'm sure that's not what she meant, but still.  (And what does she figure the kids do who train, or train hard, but will never be really great?  They're faced with that same conundrum, just without a definitive skating-career-ending event, and somehow they manage to go on.)

Also, do we (who are in the U.S.) need to see "American dominance on international podiums" to get interested in and excited about skating?  Do we really need to be able to be in the mindset of "our country is the best!" to think skating is worth it?  (I mean, I guess take it with a grain of salt, because like her, I grew up in the Kerrigan-Harding-Yamaguchi-Hamilton-Boitano-etc. era.  But we also liked watching Baiul, Petrenko, Gordeeva/Grinkov, Stojko, Witt, etc.  I remember looking at everyone and saying "I want to do that!" regardless of the flag they were skating under, and I don't remember thinking "I want to do that!" because *Americans* were doing it.) 

But yes, of course she's right-- skating should embrace everyone.  And not just those on a fast-track to the Olympics.  But I would also argue that skating may be on the way out just because... that's what happens with things.  It's not the 90s anymore.  There are many things people were more interested in in {pick one: the 40s, 60s, 80s} that people aren't as into now.  Trends come and go.