A friend of mine that is involved in ice dancing says that it’s due to a change in the scoring system that encourages the skaters to attempt Quad jumps, but doesn’t penalize them much for missing as much as “not attempting”.
Basically the skating federation is removing the artistry from the even and turning it into a demonstration of physical prowess. And just like “Ladies Gymnastics” the sport will be quickly taken over by pre-pubescent girls who have the power-to-weight ration to nail jump sequences while their older sisters get left home — too old to compete.
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That's a real bummer. I guess those fantastically poetic and artistic Russian female skaters will not be winning so much any more?
I was obsessed with the sport back in the Torvill and Dean days. It was a beautiful, artistic endeavor. Now, of course, I can’t even find out what channel the Olympics are on.
Sort of.. what you attempt do to a “level 4” if you can, and that doesn’t mean all the triples etc. What is not discussed is the point value of spins, they are huge if you get a level 4. Still the higher you go up the competition chain, and you don’t have triples it is harder to rack up the total points.
Our coaches have the skaters attempt difficult jumps almost immediately upon taking the ice, and they often miss. Foreign coaches allow their skaters to set the mood, settle down, and do the difficult jumps later in their programs.
This is strange, since the skaters who do the jumps successfully late in their program get a 10% scoring bonus. The current approach definitely isn’t working.
It also doesn’t help that the professional circuit is mostly gone. Skaters used to have long post-olympic careers, while focusing on more artistic programs and not having to do so many jumps. I used to love the World Pro Championships in Landover and Stars on Ice.