- Joined
- Nov 30, 2015
fan here, from the old synchroboards. Sitting at home with a broken kneecap (not from skating, sorry to say!), and bored to tears. So I did some web-surfing (does anyone still do that except old people like me?), and decided to join this forum for some conversation and debate.
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I would like to respond to one of the archived threads about the IOC decision to not include synchronized skating in the 2018 Olympics. If you don't like lots of words, don't ever read fan's posts. I'm not a tweeter, and I don't think that this topic can be best served with short amusing statements.
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Many people on that thread presented some variation of the argument that “synchronized skating isn't ready for the Olympics yet.”
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Most of those folks described a competition that they had watched (mainly on one of the online networks), and found boring and/or not at a high level of athleticism, at least in their opinion.
--
Let's start out by saying that a few decades ago, many figure skating fans who adored Peggy Fleming, Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, etc. found ice dancing dull and unathletic. I remember my husband describing it as “pairs-lite.”
--
So “boring” or “dull” is in the eye of the beholder, and usually, that beholder makes their assessment out of ignorance. Since those days, my husband has learned a lot about ice dancing because he became one himself, and now he prefers ice dancing to all other disciplines. Knowledge of what you're watching drives away boredom.
--
Kind of like school figures. Those old competitions featuring school figures didn't draw a lot of fans, and seldom made it onto the television broadcast. But for those who knew what they were looking at, the discipline of figures was fascinating, riveting.
--
So let's just dismiss the argument that “synchronized skating is boring”, shall we? A few weeks ago, my husband and I attended the Kalamazoo Kickoff (the first big synchro competition of the season in the Midwest), and for 13 hours on Saturday, we watched synchronized skating, and we were NOT bored, because we knew what we were watching, and we understood the different levels and what to expect at those levels.
--
Besides, “boring” isn't a factor in Olympic sports. There are few sports more boring to watch than cross-country ski racing, but everyone recognizes that this sport is highly-deserving of Olympic status, and respects those athletes who are capable of doing this sport at the Olympic level.
--
So now let's discuss the comment of “not athletic enough.” Again, this argument must be dismissed, because those who actually DO the sport at the high levels (and even at the lower levels) will testify—with raised fists--that synchronized skating demands a high level of athleticism.
--
It should be obvious that in this sport, there is no rest for any individual (unlike the discipline of singles, where a skater may “ease off” for a few seconds to get some rest, or even choose to eliminate or simplify an element that they are uncomfortable with at that time). During a synchro program, everyone must be skating with equal speed and power and everyone must skate ALL the elements—no one can decide to “skip” or "downgrade" an element in a synchro program.
--
Many of the teams who never make the podium struggle with this—a few strong, fit skaters cannot carry all the rest of the skaters who are not in good physical condition, or who aren't capable of performing the elements of the program. Even if the team consists of 15 fit skaters and one not-so-fit skater, inevitably, that one unfit skater will drag the team down and make it difficult to perform clean, crisp elements. Often, it's possible to see a fall or collision coming because you see the one skater who's just a little slower or a little weaker, and you know that disaster is inevitable.
--
In the United States, it's particularly difficult to achieve a synchro team where every single member of the team is at the same high level of fitness. Off-ice training is a luxury that few teams can afford, and if the training is left up to individuals, often their parents, who are already strapped for cash trying to pay for the synchro (plus the singles that all synchro skaters in the U.S. are required to do), will say, “Go out and run.” And this isn't necessarily the best way for every person to train and become fit.
--
However, the top teams in the U.S. have managed to achieve high levels of individual fitness, and this is one reason why they are on top. Look at those teams, and then say, “They aren't athletes.” You won't be able to say that.
--
In terms of athleticism, we should not expect the sport of synchronized skating to look like singles, pairs, dance, or school figures (a discipline of the sport that I personally believe should be re-instated for those who are interested). The programs look different, and a different set of skills is necessary for synchronized skaters.
--
Obviously the good skating skills must be there—that's one reason the U.S. continues to struggle at the international and world competitions in all the disciplines, but especially in synchronized skating—we have a hodge-podge of skating schools across the country, and the results are a population of skaters that varies greatly in the quality of skating skills. Some rinks use I.S.I. while others use U.S. Basic Skills, and still others create their own hybrid of the two methods. Some children skip classes altogether and go straight for a private coach.
--
Ask any synchro coach what happened when she/he included a lunge line for their Pre-Juvie team. They will tell you that every single kid on the team did their lunge a different way. That means that 8-16 children all learned a DIFFERENT way to do a lunge.
--
That's bad. And it needs to be fixed if we are ever to compete for Gold at the world, international, or hopefully the Olympic level in synchronized skating.
–
Think about it—our top ice dancers are being trained by Canadians, who have amazing basic skills.
--
Another skill that is necessary for synchronized skaters is spotting. The synchro skater has to be able to spot where they are in relation to everyone else, and keep track of where they are going.
--
Singles skaters don't have to do this. They have the entire ice to themselves. Spotting is tough stuff, as any singles skater will tell you if they try a little synchro! My older daughter is a Senior-level ice dancer who joined an Open team this year (she's in her 30s), and she said, “This is HARD!” mainly because of the spotting. It's one thing to keep track of one partner. But 15 partners?! That's hard. Don't disrespect just how hard it is. If you don't believe me, watch another you-tube or real-life synchro competition, and count all the times the lines are crooked, the blocks are uneven, the circles are eggs, the intersections crash—it just goes to show that the skill of spotting is not easy to master! It's the triple jump of synchronized skating--very few teams can master it!
--
These are only three of the athletic skills that must be part of the synchro skater's portfolio—a high level of personal physical fitness including stamina and strength, good basic skating skills, and the ability to spot.
--
I could mention others, but it should be obvious that a high level of athleticism is necessary to achieve a high level of synchronized skating. Therefore argument that the sport “isn't athletic enough” is not true. The program look easy because the good athletes doing them MAKE the programs look easy, but don't be fooled. Synchro programs at the Senior level have a level of difficulty comparable to any singles, pairs, or dance program. They're different, but they aren't easier.
--
One more thing--it takes months to learn a synchro program, especially a higher-level synchro program, and perform it well. That is another aspect in which synchro is right up there with the other disciplines of figure skating. This isn't a sport where sixteen kids and determined coach can throw a program together in a few hours and win squat with it. It takes many hours of work, and even then, the whole thing can go to pieces at a competition.
--
The question still remains—is the sport “ready” for the Olympics?
--
Next post.
--
I would like to respond to one of the archived threads about the IOC decision to not include synchronized skating in the 2018 Olympics. If you don't like lots of words, don't ever read fan's posts. I'm not a tweeter, and I don't think that this topic can be best served with short amusing statements.
--
Many people on that thread presented some variation of the argument that “synchronized skating isn't ready for the Olympics yet.”
--
Most of those folks described a competition that they had watched (mainly on one of the online networks), and found boring and/or not at a high level of athleticism, at least in their opinion.
--
Let's start out by saying that a few decades ago, many figure skating fans who adored Peggy Fleming, Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, etc. found ice dancing dull and unathletic. I remember my husband describing it as “pairs-lite.”
--
So “boring” or “dull” is in the eye of the beholder, and usually, that beholder makes their assessment out of ignorance. Since those days, my husband has learned a lot about ice dancing because he became one himself, and now he prefers ice dancing to all other disciplines. Knowledge of what you're watching drives away boredom.
--
Kind of like school figures. Those old competitions featuring school figures didn't draw a lot of fans, and seldom made it onto the television broadcast. But for those who knew what they were looking at, the discipline of figures was fascinating, riveting.
--
So let's just dismiss the argument that “synchronized skating is boring”, shall we? A few weeks ago, my husband and I attended the Kalamazoo Kickoff (the first big synchro competition of the season in the Midwest), and for 13 hours on Saturday, we watched synchronized skating, and we were NOT bored, because we knew what we were watching, and we understood the different levels and what to expect at those levels.
--
Besides, “boring” isn't a factor in Olympic sports. There are few sports more boring to watch than cross-country ski racing, but everyone recognizes that this sport is highly-deserving of Olympic status, and respects those athletes who are capable of doing this sport at the Olympic level.
--
So now let's discuss the comment of “not athletic enough.” Again, this argument must be dismissed, because those who actually DO the sport at the high levels (and even at the lower levels) will testify—with raised fists--that synchronized skating demands a high level of athleticism.
--
It should be obvious that in this sport, there is no rest for any individual (unlike the discipline of singles, where a skater may “ease off” for a few seconds to get some rest, or even choose to eliminate or simplify an element that they are uncomfortable with at that time). During a synchro program, everyone must be skating with equal speed and power and everyone must skate ALL the elements—no one can decide to “skip” or "downgrade" an element in a synchro program.
--
Many of the teams who never make the podium struggle with this—a few strong, fit skaters cannot carry all the rest of the skaters who are not in good physical condition, or who aren't capable of performing the elements of the program. Even if the team consists of 15 fit skaters and one not-so-fit skater, inevitably, that one unfit skater will drag the team down and make it difficult to perform clean, crisp elements. Often, it's possible to see a fall or collision coming because you see the one skater who's just a little slower or a little weaker, and you know that disaster is inevitable.
--
In the United States, it's particularly difficult to achieve a synchro team where every single member of the team is at the same high level of fitness. Off-ice training is a luxury that few teams can afford, and if the training is left up to individuals, often their parents, who are already strapped for cash trying to pay for the synchro (plus the singles that all synchro skaters in the U.S. are required to do), will say, “Go out and run.” And this isn't necessarily the best way for every person to train and become fit.
--
However, the top teams in the U.S. have managed to achieve high levels of individual fitness, and this is one reason why they are on top. Look at those teams, and then say, “They aren't athletes.” You won't be able to say that.
--
In terms of athleticism, we should not expect the sport of synchronized skating to look like singles, pairs, dance, or school figures (a discipline of the sport that I personally believe should be re-instated for those who are interested). The programs look different, and a different set of skills is necessary for synchronized skaters.
--
Obviously the good skating skills must be there—that's one reason the U.S. continues to struggle at the international and world competitions in all the disciplines, but especially in synchronized skating—we have a hodge-podge of skating schools across the country, and the results are a population of skaters that varies greatly in the quality of skating skills. Some rinks use I.S.I. while others use U.S. Basic Skills, and still others create their own hybrid of the two methods. Some children skip classes altogether and go straight for a private coach.
--
Ask any synchro coach what happened when she/he included a lunge line for their Pre-Juvie team. They will tell you that every single kid on the team did their lunge a different way. That means that 8-16 children all learned a DIFFERENT way to do a lunge.
--
That's bad. And it needs to be fixed if we are ever to compete for Gold at the world, international, or hopefully the Olympic level in synchronized skating.
–
Think about it—our top ice dancers are being trained by Canadians, who have amazing basic skills.
--
Another skill that is necessary for synchronized skaters is spotting. The synchro skater has to be able to spot where they are in relation to everyone else, and keep track of where they are going.
--
Singles skaters don't have to do this. They have the entire ice to themselves. Spotting is tough stuff, as any singles skater will tell you if they try a little synchro! My older daughter is a Senior-level ice dancer who joined an Open team this year (she's in her 30s), and she said, “This is HARD!” mainly because of the spotting. It's one thing to keep track of one partner. But 15 partners?! That's hard. Don't disrespect just how hard it is. If you don't believe me, watch another you-tube or real-life synchro competition, and count all the times the lines are crooked, the blocks are uneven, the circles are eggs, the intersections crash—it just goes to show that the skill of spotting is not easy to master! It's the triple jump of synchronized skating--very few teams can master it!
--
These are only three of the athletic skills that must be part of the synchro skater's portfolio—a high level of personal physical fitness including stamina and strength, good basic skating skills, and the ability to spot.
--
I could mention others, but it should be obvious that a high level of athleticism is necessary to achieve a high level of synchronized skating. Therefore argument that the sport “isn't athletic enough” is not true. The program look easy because the good athletes doing them MAKE the programs look easy, but don't be fooled. Synchro programs at the Senior level have a level of difficulty comparable to any singles, pairs, or dance program. They're different, but they aren't easier.
--
One more thing--it takes months to learn a synchro program, especially a higher-level synchro program, and perform it well. That is another aspect in which synchro is right up there with the other disciplines of figure skating. This isn't a sport where sixteen kids and determined coach can throw a program together in a few hours and win squat with it. It takes many hours of work, and even then, the whole thing can go to pieces at a competition.
--
The question still remains—is the sport “ready” for the Olympics?
--
Next post.