Does dress color/style impact judges' scoring?

[slcbelle]

Just a thought here.  I've been watching a lot of IceNetwork.com lately (during my 30 minutes of rowing every day) and I've noticed that unusually colored and/or dresses that flow grab my attention.  Pastels for sure.  Normally, I try to watch footwork and form but when a skater is wearing a color other than black, burgundy, or navy, I find that I'm watching the dress more than the skater.  Is it possible that judges get a little distracted, too, and perhaps miss some minor mistakes in the performance or test?  Could it be that wearing black, which many of us do for testing, draws more attention to our mistakes which is why we wear it for testing and that, perhaps, it could harm us in a performance or competition situation?  I'm not advocating hiding mistakes with color, I'm just curious.  What do you think?

FWIW, I'm a skater who wears all black all the time and buying a colored dress isn't on my bucket list.

[Clarice]

Judges I have talked to have told me they judge the skating, not the costume.  They take appropriate deductions if necessary, but otherwise don't really care what the skater is wearing.

[slcbelle]

Judges I have talked to have told me they judge the skating, not the costume.  They take appropriate deductions if necessary, but otherwise don't really care what the skater is wearing.

I understand that.  But, I wonder, can a dress distract them from the skating?  Unbeknownst to them.  Do they have a stronger ability to ignore the flow of fabric or pretty color?  I'd think, even if I were trying my hardest, I'd probably get distracted - even just for a few seconds here and there - if a skater wore a really interesting dress.

[Query]

Skate naked and see if you pass. 

I'm not a judge, but based on what some people spend on skating outfits, hair and make-up, they believe it matters.

When I watch dance or skating as a spectator - clothing and long hair can be an integral part of choreography - e.g., if a lady's outfit (or, sometimes, hair) flows with her motion, that looks fabulous. But, if a dress is designed to flow and doesn't, that's a deficiency. If clothing is loose enough to hide the body's motion, I see that as a negative.

[sarahspins]

I judged a basic skills competition a few months ago and the ONLY remarks from the other judges about the dresses were with one freeskater who had a skirt MUCH too long (it was a dance length skirt, and it really didn't work well - all it did was wrap around her legs in awkward ways as she skated) and then two girls in the same group who had the "same" dress but in different colors - which was amusing because it was a fairly small competition and they were both chinese ebay dresses.

To be honest I hardly remember what anyone else other than those skaters was wearing, and it didn't matter when it came down to actually judging them - any comments made were while we were watching the warm ups for each group.

[icedancer]

As a judge I can tell you that what the skater is wearing does not distract from my judging in any way, shape or form.

It is nice when it is obvious that the skater has put some thought into the dress, the hair, the makeup, clean boots, etc. - skating is more than just what you can do on the ice - you have to be able to present yourself.

[slcbelle]

As a judge I can tell you that what the skater is wearing does not distract from my judging in any way, shape or form.

I notice I get a bit dazzled by some of the dresses or how well a skater is put together.  It's not about sparkles, bright colors, or edgy paneling and mesh that grabs my attention.  I'm fascinated with flowing chiffon, elegant cocktail  styles, perfect hair and make up, and certain "not me" colors like pastel yellow, ballet pink, and periwinkle blue.

I guess I shouldn't aspire to be a judge!

[jjane45]

I guess judges see much much more skating than an average skater, to an extent that it's difficult to surprise them with packaging?

[icedancer]

I guess judges see much much more skating than an average skater, to an extent that it's difficult to surprise them with packaging?

Yes. After a while you have seen it all and you are just watching the skating.