Subject: Good old days -- when the audience has a say Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:59 am
The result of 2012 SC scores for ladies somehow upset me for a while.
This sport is never less filled with controversy and conspiracy (like the one between Sonja Henie and Cecilia Colledge). But I can't help wondering if the audience did have a SAY in changing the figure skating rules (and/or advancing the sport) in the past.
In 1972, the French people yearned for rewarding brilliant free skater who connects with the audience, and yelled the name of Janet Lynn in the arena during the medal ceremony. Their yearns, fueled with the power of growing television broadcast, led to a reform of the figure skating rules -- a reduced weighting of compulsory figures, and an introduction of short programme.
Following the rise of Midori Ito -- whom both the audience and the TV commentators went wild with her well-ahead-of-time performance in 1989 -- compulsory figures were finally eliminated from competitions, possibly due to the lack of television broadcast of compulsories. Wasn't it true that the power of television coverage and the reaction of audience had led to this biggest move by the ISU?
Can I (as a spectator in the arena) be true to myself as the French people in 1972 to yearn for something which should be rightfully done?
zarinaballerina Dedicated Mao Fan
Posts : 3545 Join date : 2011-04-29
Subject: Re: Good old days -- when the audience has a say Sun Oct 28, 2012 6:55 am
Well, French people were never shy in making their opinions known to the judges and ISU. I'll never forget the 2006 ice dance Euro Championship, and they were very vocal about Chan's win in Nice. They didn't like it one bit, unfortunately the skaters (especially Chan) got booed as aresult instead of ONLY the judge/ ISU.
The problem right now is that figure skating is in decline, except in Japan and to an extent in Korea. and somehow I can't imagine Speedy giving a damn of what we think.