Lights and Shadows at the Scandinavium by Sonia Bianchetti Garbato
The 2008 World Figure Skating Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, in the wonderful Scandinavium. The arena was packed every day with an enthusiastic crowd and the atmosphere for the skaters could not be better.
To attend all events was an exhausting endurance challenge. The first day we started with 53 Ladies Short Programs and ended with 20 Pairs’ Free Skating. Fourteen hours in a row in the arena are a nightmare even for the most avid fan! Not to speak of the standard of these Ladies half of whom would not even earn as many points as a Novice skater. Perhaps the ISU should start to reconsider an old idea that was strongly supported until some years ago by the Figure Skating Technical Committee, to use the European Championships and the Four Continents as qualifying events for the Worlds. It really makes no sense to have skaters coming from all over the world with coaches, team leaders, judges and federation officials just to skate 2,30 minutes and then go home.
With very few exceptions, the quality of the skating in all events was more than disappointing. Even the programs of the top skaters were filled with errors, and the judging was embarrassing, to say the least. Very sad!
Reprinted With Permission - soniabianchetti.com
March 30, 2008
