Epilogue
Something I found interesting while observing at Worlds was how much everyone talks to everyone. There are no obvious, imposed boundaries or walls. Skaters talk to former coaches of theirs, terms of parting irrelevant. Rival coaches of rival teams talk to each other. Skaters who file protests of the judging results talk to the skaters whom they protested against. The common thread is that most of these skaters have competed against each other for years, from the junior ranks through the present. Amidst new partners, coaching switches, and any changes applicable along the journey.
From this angle, I can understand the desire and advantage of the ice dancers, in particular, of various countries to train with a Russian coach. The pipeline of information available, and the respect that the long time and emerging coaches have will always be present, from the Russian skating school roots.
Another indirect impression I have from all of the talking skaters, coaches, and commentators do involves the media. It is clear that U.S. television networks want to promote the U.S. skaters via the skaters shown and commentary given on the broadcasts. This garners and maintains the interest in the sport, which in effect promotes popularity and ratings.
I am a prime example of this molding. When I started to get really fervent with wanting to follow most of the figure skating event coverage, it was around the time of the 1998 Olympics. All of my favorites from each discipline going into the 1998 Olympics were U.S. skaters. Prior to that time, I would catch the World Championships once a year on television and Olympics every four years. And, it was usually only the ladies long program in which I was interested. Again, in the early years, most of these Worlds (and Olympic) favorite ladies skaters were from the U.S. Any other alternative was unthinkable and questionable activity.
I admit I was young and influenced by the commentators. Shortly after the 1998 Olympics, many of my favorites retired. After that, I broadened my horizons and was able to see the strengths and qualities of many skaters, regardless of nation.
Back to the commentators, I believe they are told the general gist of what they should be saying to promote the home team. And, it's not hard for the commentators to do this since they are already running into not only the skaters, but also their coaches and choreographers, some of whom may even have historical ties to the commentators themselves. And, these events happen several times a year. And, feedback of the parents, skaters and related parties on comments heard from the broadcasts could easily be relayed to the commentators in this setting. And, yes, many times the flip side can be taken too far - promotion of the home team skaters translates into demotion of other skaters via the media. It is a peculiar medium for me to ponder.
I enjoyed the ability to view all of the skaters and teams from first to last in a live setting without hearing the more drastic terms like 'terrible' and 'horrible' to describe elements in the performances. And, the musical selections sound more powerful and enveloping when played in the arena setting. And, the music is heard without interruption.
It is great seeing all the skater reactions after the bows, on the way to Kiss & Cry, and while sitting in Kiss & Cry that may escape television. A really nice thing that was happening was pretty much every skater, known and unknown, 'lower ranked' to medal winning, received an additional applause as they passed the section right next to Kiss & Cry to enter through the swinging door. This additional applause came regardless of the skater's performance that had just been witnessed. The audience did tend to be very supportive of the fluke fall at the end of a performance which tended to come up - Kevin Van Der Perren, Shizuka Arakawa, Julia Lautowa and others. Many skaters would look up at that section near Kiss & Cry while they passed and smile and wave. Also, any waving, blowing kisses, and making expressive faces to the camera in Kiss & Cry, translated into waving, blowing kisses, and making expressive faces on the Jumbotron. This incurred applause and cheers from the crowd. So, the skater may be waving to mom at home through the cameraman standing, facing them, in front of the in Kiss & Cry bench, and it would appear on the Jumbotron like waving to the audience. So, the audience would applaud and really appreciate any reaction and interaction from the skater.
I went to Worlds hoping to learn something about skating, hoping to gain some fulfilling experiences, and enjoy a reprieve from the usual. Never expecting to meet such nice fans nor see any skaters up close or speak to them. I came away from that place with quite a week to remember.
Previous
Reports
Home