2013 World Figure Skating Championships starting now!

[FigureSpins]

This is my annual plea for the TV broadcasters to provide an announcer-free audio feed for those of us who want to hear the music, not random babbling.  Peter Carruthers was very annoying, talking through the programs for no good reason.  During the analysis, he just repeated what he had already said, so why not shut up during the program and talk during K&C and the video recaps?  He was so tired, he could barely string a sentence together, so give the guy a break.  Hire Tara Lipinski!

[SynchKat]

I do find it off how many people were bumping into the boards but I guess with adrenaline and then the guys do such insane things with jumps now I guess they need to make the most of all the ice they are given.  I saw a clip of Javier falling into the boards on a practice and I know for a fact the rink in which he trains is not a huge rink.  I think they are just pushing things to the limits nowadays.  I wonder if the corners are weird at that rink.  Or I wonder if there was a difference in size between the practice rink and the main rink.

As for ice quality it is difficult once you get all the tv lights into a rink.  I know from competing at national events those lights do crazy things to an arena.  Part of being a skater is adapting to different sized rinks and quality of ice.   It was probably quite soft ice which could partly explain why so many people looked so spent after their programs.

Yuna wasn't super exciting but man she is so solid.  Wouldn't guess she has had the last couple of years off competing.  She must be one of the most consistent competitors ever. 

[SynchKat]

I just looked up the rink dimensions for London.  They love those long narrow rinks in Southwestern Ontario and they are incredibly awkward to skate in I find.  (we do a lot of synchro competitions down that part of Ontario)

[ONskater74]

I skate at 4 rinks, all different sizes. It really affects me. Low ceilinged cramped, tiny small village 1960's hockey rink I skate one way, vast towering distant ceiling 100 acre field 40 rows of seating I skate differently. The rinks are 10 feet narrower and 20 feet shorter/longer than each other. Nuts.

[sampaguita]

For the amount of money they rake in, why doesn't the ISU assign someone to make sure the ice is the right temperature and setup for optimal skating?

I read the protocol and they said the ice quality was "very good". Is there a better ice quality grade than "very good" as far as ISU is concerned?

[taka]

I didn't realise the rink was NHL not olympic sized! No wonder so many got so close to the barriers if not actually crashing into them - some of the pairs and dancers came really close too leaving no room for their partners at the sides!

[FigureSpins]

I read the protocol and they said the ice quality was "very good". Is there a better ice quality grade than "very good" as far as ISU is concerned?

That just means it wasn't terribly gouged or divoted at the time of the skater's performance.  It also refers to any debris on the ice, like another skater's costume bit, like a rhinestone, jewelry or fabric piece.  To be honest, I think it's a leftover notation from the sport's beginnings, when the events were held on outdoor surfaces.  Then, you had weather events and outdoor temperature issues as well.  We all whine about puddles on the ice at our luxurious indoor arenas, but I started out as an outdoor skater.  When the wind blows across the pond and literally blows you to the other side along with a batch of dirt, leaves, rai or snow, it does get a little difficult to skate, lol.

I was referring to non-zamboni factors like the ice thickness (esp. over the event logo, if any), ice temperature and arena humidity levels.  I would expect them to have a standard set and have some way to measure those standards consistently throughout the competition.

Example: If the ice doesn't cover a painted logo thickly enough, the paint can rise to the surface and trip a skater unexpectedly.  A coach once told me that one of her students was testing ice dance and at the end of the ice, the paint had lifted.  The girl fell on the end pattern and when she got up, her leg was covered with the paint.

David Dore from the ISU spoke about the arena size and said that the dwindling popularity of figure skating in the US and Canada makes it impossible for them to hold these events at bigger arenas, which [I think] would have Olympic-sized rinks.  I guess the coaches have to pay attention to the ice surface size and restructure accordingly, but for ice dance, that's gotta be difficult.  As I said, I've been to events where they resize the rink to make "VIP" seating.  I'd rather see those people get front row seats and leave the surface size alone.

I'm surprised none of the skaters or coaches mentioned it was a safety issue.  With all the focus on concussions this past year, it would have been ironic (and tragic) if one of the collisions had injured a skater.

[Skittl1321]

David Dore from the ISU spoke about the arena size and said that the dwindling popularity of figure skating in the US and Canada makes it impossible for them to hold these events at bigger arenas, which would have Olympic-sized rinks. 

I'm not sure this is actually true. Many of the 'bigger arenas' they were talking about were places that would hold larger crowds, but they were still NHL rinks.  Even at the Olympics in Vancouver, they skated on an NHL rink, not an Oly, IIRC.

I think World's in L.A. (Staples Center?) was an NHL rink.  It is common when big events are in North America.

[FigureSpins]

I'm not sure this is actually true. Many of the 'bigger arenas' they were talking about were places that would hold larger crowds, but they were still NHL rinks.  Even at the Olympics in Vancouver, they skated on an NHL rink, not an Oly.

I wonder if it's true as well.  I've always lived in an area with an NHL team or three, and multiple arenas.  I felt the local arena's surface was bigger for Stars on Ice than it was for the NHL team's game I attended, but that could have just been because the boards are taken down for ice shows.  At the Disson show I attended, the on-ice seats were literally on the ice, so that was a choice made by the tour company.

If you think about it in terms of seating, then I would agree that there are a lot of empty seats.  I blame that on the pricing.  They could simply not sell the upper tier of seats, so the lower tiers are more full and they need less staffing at the arena.

[icedancer]

But don't most of the skaters practice on NHL size rinks?

Also there are no on-ice seats at the Worlds or other competitions like this - I have definitely seen it at Stars on Ice but those show skaters often have to skate on anything - I remember seeing John Curry's show on a stage in Boston - and Dorothy Hamill did that as well! Talk about a small surface!

A lot of the seating is temporary seating - but that is because (I think) that a lot of the stadiums are basketball stadiums and then the ice is underneath the floor (this is how it is here in Portland) - when they have hockey or ice shows or competitions the walls go up, the floor comes out and the temporary seating comes in - it is a multi-purpose arena!

But it is true that the way the corners are handled can change how the programs will flow - I also think that there is an awful lot of adrenaline and that the skaters probably are skating bigger and bolder than they do at home.

Good thing they have practice time at the main arena!

[Skittl1321]

But don't most of the skaters practice on NHL size rinks?

This is definetly not true of European skaters, since they don't have the NHL there (Olympic hockey is traditionally played on Olympic sized rinks too- so it isn't a 'hockey rink' thing). I don't know how true it is of Asia/Australia.   

The top US skaters also practice on OLY rinks: Colorado Springs, Detroit, etc all have Oly rinks.  Heck, I live in middle of nowhere Iowa and there is a 2 sheet facility 30 minute from me, and one of the rinks is OLY- but there is no seating on that rink, so when they host regionals/sectionals, the competition takes place on the NHL rink.


However, they do know in advance the size of the rink they are competing on. I think most put cones out or mark lines to resize their programs. 

[icedancer]

This is definetly not true of European skaters, since they don't have the NHL there (Olympic hockey is traditionally played on Olympic sized rinks too- so it isn't a 'hockey rink' thing). I don't know how true it is of Asia/Australia.   

Well, that is true LOL

This discussion somehow reminds me of seeing footage of Worlds, etc., from the 50s and 60s where they had flowering plants or something a couple of feet from the walls - now THAT would have freaked me out and I don't know what the purpose was...

[SynchKat]

I would think most North American based skaters train on NHL rinks.  I looked up where Virtue and Moir train and they have 2 NHL sized rinks. 

I don't think any skater from Worlds would blame the ice or rink shape or size.  Like ice dancer said there is a lot of adrenalin coursing through these skaters and while a program may have fit in a smaller rink on practice it doesn't once they get out there. 

It would be nice if only Olympic sized ice surfaces were used for competitions but that would really limit where these events could be held.  I think one article sort of mentioned why was it in London and not say Toronto.  I can't think of any rinks with lots of seating here that boats an Olympic sized ice surface since they are all purpose built for Hockey mainly.

[jjane45]

But don't most of the skaters practice on NHL size rinks?

Just in North America I think. Chinese fans also ranted quite a bit on the rink size.

[Skittl1321]

I would think most North American based skaters train on NHL rinks.  I looked up where Virtue and Moir train and they have 2 NHL sized rinks. 

Don't they train at Detroit Skating Club?  They have 3 sheets, including an Olympic sized rink. 
Any skater in North America should have access to train on an NHL rink, but many if not most of the elites also train regularly on Olympic size ice.  The best situation is what DSC has- easy access to both.

[SynchKat]

If you look up the website for their school it states they have a state of the art facility with 2 NHL sized rinks.  They skate out of the Arctic Edge club. 
Any skaters who train at the Cricket Club do not train on an Olympic sized surface.  I would think most skaters, at least in Canada , don't have the opportunity to train regularly on an Olympic sized ice surface.

[icedancer]

Don't they train at Detroit Skating Club?  They have 3 sheets, including an Olympic sized rink. 
Any skater in North America should have access to train on an NHL rink, but many if not most of the elites also train regularly on Olympic size ice.  The best situation is what DSC has- easy access to both.

They skate in Canton still.  There are a lot of other teams at DSC though and it is nice that they have access to both.

[Skittl1321]

They skate out of the Arctic Edge club. 

Oops thanks.

[ChristyRN]

said that the dwindling popularity of figure skating in the US and Canada

Could that be because national networks don't broadcast any?  I missed worlds this year because I don't have Ice Network and my provider doesn't have Universal Sports anymore.  The local paper only had two blurbs on finals, and none on the womens.  Wait, that could be because it's ACC tournament time.  Stinking basketball.

We have an NHL team and have several other rinks in the area, including one Olympic size.

[Skittl1321]

It wasn't even on ice network this year. So even big fans had to seek out different avenues.

[Isk8NYC]

Universal Sports on DirecTV was available, but they didn't broadcast live.  I got to see all of the top skaters just a little delayed.
(It was a free preview weekend; I don't have the sports package.  Kept me from cancelling my service, to be honest.)

I jokingly said that we (a group of local adult skaters) should go to Applebees and ask the bartender to change the channel so we could watch Worlds.  We had a good laugh about how well that would go over during March Madness, lol.  Them's fighting words, woman!

I agree that skating was watched more when it was on channels that were available over the air, but it's been squeezed out by longer seasons, more games being broadcast, and even other sports that weren't televised extensively back in the day.  Think about this weekend's college basketball conference; it's not just the final four being shown on TV, it's every matchup on either broadcast or cable!

Skating just gets overwhelmed and pushed to the back burner since it doesn't bring in the numbers.  The major broadcast channels aren't going to take air time away from the bigger sports because they bring in more viewers.  I was thinking that the CW network or ION Television would have the air time, but they won't be able to pay the high fees that the ISU wants.  It's a business dilemma.

I don't think the broadcast issues help, but I also don't believe they've been the solo cause of driving down popularity of skating.  I really think that skating has exceeded the audience's boggle factor.  The skating, programs and even costumes are so fantastic (and pricey) now that it's become a spectacle of sorts and the costs of training are staggering to an ordinary person's mind.  There are a lot of people who push their kids into other sports, including hockey, because they're afraid to get involve with such an expensive sport.  It's not within reach of the average person, which is one of the reasons people enjoy shows more than competitions these days.  Of my friends who love to watch skating, none of them are uber fans; they willingly admit that they can't tell the difference between a triple and a quad, although they think it's exciting when they know it's about to/has just happened.

I don't know why we haven't had an "american sweetheart" in such a long time.  It's not from lack of marketing effort on the USFSA and ISU's part: skaters pay back by doing skating clinics, autograph signings, and personal appearances.  Maybe that's part of the problem; they're just trying to hard to package heroes and force him/her/them on the public?  For every skater they promote, there's a hater crew picking apart every limitation and mistake the skater has ever made.  Yet, I don't think being a pollyanna is the right answer, either.  People aren't perfect, maybe that lack of exposure back in the day was a blessing in disguise?  I don't know.

[Isk8NYC]

NBC is showing the Worlds highlights on Saturday, March 23 12pm

We have an NHL team and have several other rinks in the area, including one Olympic size.

The Raleigh News and Observer newspaper used to provide awesome coverage of figure skating.  But that was when Kristi Yamaguchi lived in the area with her NHL-player husband.  When he went to another team and they moved, the sports coverage of skating went waaay down.  To be fair, the paper was not doing well financially, but I looked at it this morning and they had pages and pages of basketball coverage and one little blurb about the Worlds results.

[jjane45]

Beautiful highlights / fluff video in Japanese 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IomcPmIUIRI

[karne]

I think Gracie Gold had the most fun in her programs, short of Max Aaron.

I was at the rink last night and I stumbled near the wall, but pushed away and kept going with some footwork.  One of the people skating was startled and I said, just call me Max.  energizer should sponsor him - takes a licking and keeps on ticking!

I've decided that Max is a bit nuts. Thus, I like him even more.

Him and Ross, the thing I took a shine to was the big grins, the happy faces. They truly look like they skate for the joy of skating.

[ChristyRN]

NBC is showing the Worlds highlights on Saturday, March 23 12pm

The Raleigh News and Observer newspaper used to provide awesome coverage of figure skating.  But that was when Kristi Yamaguchi lived in the area with her NHL-player husband.  When he went to another team and they moved, the sports coverage of skating went waaay down.  To be fair, the paper was not doing well financially, but I looked at it this morning and they had pages and pages of basketball coverage and one little blurb about the Worlds results.

And nothing Sunday. Monday's had something like 12 pages of NCAA brackets.  Even the Hurricane's coverage is dismal--they usually defer to the AP sportswriters (who can't write to save their lives)  All they do is confuse me--why can't they write a linear article about the game?