Figure Skating: He's Here, He's Weir, Get Over It

[Brookie]

Okay, SwanFlake. Have at it!!!

[swanflake]

Oh what a wonderful surprise this is!!! Hurray!!!

I gotta go now, but later I'll try to put together a post with links to the upcoming season's US and Canadian TV schedules and links to other important resources for following the exciting, glamorous world of international figure skating.

[dwanollah]

Goody! I'm so behind on everything, and I need a Cliffs Notes -- er, SwansNotes -- to find out who's who and what's what!

[Deleted]

The new scoring system stinks. It rewards all skaters at all levels on the same basis. So now you have 7 year olds attempting to incorporate moves like Beilman spins into their programs in attempts to gain points to win. Many coaches have told me that its really hurt the sport.

It has removed a lot of originality and beauty from the sport and it makes me very sad. When was the last time you saw an amazing scratch spin in a competition? Its always the same Beilman spin and spiral moves. Skating has become a big snooze fest.

Say whatever you wish about Michelle Kwan. She was a huge skating talent and a true artist. When she and Sasha skate it looks like a different sport. Really caught the beauty of figure skating. There are skaters out there who are better jumpers, but thats not what skating should be ALL about.

[dwanollah]

Hey, I'm still pissed they took out the compulsories!

I totally agree w/"Kwan as artist." I think, though, that Kristi Yamaguchi is better, overall, maintaining both the jumps as well as the artistry.

But I've never seen anyone better than Janet Lynn.

(Oh, and I HATE the Beilman spin. I hate Beilman, too! How long before there's a dance-off in this thread? )

[lyrasilver]

Yay! Figure skating thread! I look forward to hearing from all the experts (ahem, SwanFlake) and getting some good discussion going.

I think Dick Button hates the Bielmann spin too. Is that the one he gets mad at because skaters can't keep their butts down properly? I hope Dick lives forever. He's the king of snark, even if he can be mean at times.

I think Sasha Cohen does the most beautiful spiral sequence ever.

[Ripley]

Why do you all hate the Beilman spin? Admittedly, I'm not an avid watcher, but I think it looks awesome.

[kostgard]

I love Dick Button and I also hope that he lives forever. He can be so snarky, but he also waxes poetic so beautifully when he likes what he sees. But I mostly love him for the snark and his refusal to sugarcoat stuff. Others like Peggy Flemming will sit there and say things like, "Well, she's got great spirit and I think maybe she got nervous and this wasn't her night but she had some beautiul spins, blah blah" and Dick just basically comes back with, "Whatever. I'm sorry - she sucked."

I am also sad that it seems to be becoming a jumping competition. Katarina Witt was always one of my favorite skaters because of her artistry, and it was just sad to see in her last Olympic appearance ('94?) she scored so low because she just didn't have the jumps, even though she looked gorgeous out there.

And it is also why I could never stand Surya Bonaly - fantastic athlete, but she moved across the ice like a Mack truck.

Swanflake - please do post the schedules when you get the chance. I always miss this stuff. I look forward to being schooled on the wonderful world of figure skating.

[Brookie]

It's REALLY a jumping competition in men's skating. These days, if you don't have the "quad" in your repertoire, you might as well sit out the season. Isn't it difficult enough to rotate three times (well 2.5) without having to do it FOUR times? Cripes. I can imagine that the pressure to perform this stuff must be absolutely horrendous.

Having said that, watching Brian Boitano skate is a thing of grace and style.

[Deleted]

Doing a single jump is a skill
Doing a double jump is a feat
Doing a triple jump is sheer will

Dick Buttons can be full of it. When Sarah Hughes first came on the scene he used to rip her. The USFSA got their hands on him and all of the sudden he was talking about her as if she was actually an asset to the world of figure skating.

I never used to hate the Beilman. But now, its the only spin everyone does. Nobody does it like Sasha.