A Skating Fan is SICK of the New Judging System
Monday April 2, 2007
I recently received the following comments from a figure skating fan. She does NOT like the new judging system. With her permission, I've reprinted her entire email below.
Do you agree with this ice skating fan? Share your own thoughts.
"I kind of enjoyed watching Worlds, but I am SICK of the new judging system. I can't figure out how someone with two falls in a program can still get a bronze medal (in the ladies event)... as well as in the men's how Buttle could end up 6th after skating an EMBARRASSINGLY AWFUL long program, while Johnny Weir who was in 4th after the short and skated a much better and more beautiful long than Buttle dropped to 8th! I'm sick of it all really. But I do like the Canadian dancers and I LOVE the Bulgarian Gold Medalists!!!!! I did not think Belbin and Agusto deserved the bronze either. I really like the younger U.S. team and thought they deserved better marks! So that's where I stand on the skating.I think these things need to be said in lots of places and I wish more people were saying them!"
Comments
I find myself missing the old system, even though it seemed “fixed” sometimes. I cannot imagine Brian Boitano’s brilliant short program from 1988 in a competition today.
I apologize in advance for the long comment.
I love the new system. While watching Nationals I looked at a print out of every score online and the elements on my screen and it made perfect sense. Once I figured out the factoring system based on the levels it was even easier. This person is complaining about Yu-Na Kim getting third, and presumably mad that Meisner didn’t get the bronze. Look at Debbie Thomas in the 88 Olympics. 1st after the short and ended up 3rd after a hard long program. It isn’t new. Plus Yu-Na Kim was so wonderful in the short program and her artistry was superb to any of the skaters, it made sense to me. Meisner is boring, sorry, her artistry/spins/ footwork are average while Kim’s are superior.
The new system also gives room for come backs. Before only someone who was 1-3 in the short could win the gold medal. This system allows for people to make up some ground and I think it is more exciting. I also think the new system requires the sport to be pushed forward and become more innovative. When I skated I would do strange entrances to spins but with the old system that type of stuff wasn’t rewarded. As a skater, I think I would have fared better in the new system. Yes, you need to understand every facet of the sport to understand this system but when you do it is much easier to grasp than the old one. The old one was hard to understand even as a skater. If they showed what the base score for the program would be (like in gymnastics) and you could see how much better or worse a skater did than their base value I think people may get it more. See how some people have a much higher degree of difficulty than others.
Boitano’s Short (or long) wouldn’t hold up to skaters of today, none of the programs of 88 would, (Witt didn’t even have all her triples and that was normal at the time). But if this system had been in place in comparison to the skaters they were up against then I think he still would have won. The “Tano Lutz” would have gotten high marks on grade of execution and his spins/coreography/footwork would have as well. People just need to take the time and get to know the sport. Did you remember people were once upset that figures were gone? This is just another part of the evolution of the sport and I think this system makes it a lot less political and more about the skating.
I am not opposed to Meisner not medaling… i agree with your assessment of her skating. I AM opposed to a skater falling TWICE and medaling, regardless of the short program. And i am oppposed to the likes of Jeffrey Buttle placing as he did with such an utterly APPAULLING long program because of the judges marks. And i do not need to get to know the sport… i’m a long-time figure skater… around during the days of “figures” and was glad to see them go, so i’m not opposed to change either. But the problems displayed at this last World’s is only the tip of the iceberg. Read “Cracked Ice – Figure Skating’s Inner World” by Sonia Bianchetti Garbato