Figure Skating IS A SPORT!
I thought long and hard about responding to my colleague’s (Aaron) post, Figure Skating is not a sport! On the one hard, it’s hard enough to follow the games and blog in a timely manner (not to mention that I have the ‘Technocrat Soapbox‘ to worry about as well), on the other, I feel quite strongly about what Aaron said.
I love Figure Skating, especially Women’s Figure Skating. I like Gymanstics too, exclusively Women’s Gymnastics. I also like Women’s Tennis, and only Women’s Tennis (but I never watch the Williams sisters play).
Michelle Kwan on ice (Source: MSN)
The difference among those three is that two of ‘em, according to Aaron, are not “Sports.”
So, in defense of the ladies who trained so hard to compete in events that they (and I) love, I am going to throw my 2-cents into the mix. Ladies, this one’s for you!
Aaron mentioned that:
“Any activity that winning or losing is based on the opinion of someone else does not qualify to me as a sport.”
Aaron is right, that is why cooking is not a sport (even if the cooking is done in what the Food Network calls ‘Kitchen Stadium’).
But Figure Skating today is unlike the Figure Skating events of yesteryears. Fans understand the difficulties involved in awarding scores according to artistic interpretation, that’s why many have clamored for changes in the Judging System. And those Judging System has gone through many modifications, some very drastic.
In the interest of objectivity, nowadays, Figure Skating is as OBJECTIVE as matching those PowerBall Ticket Numbers. Match them and you win, otherwise, you lose. My brother likes to say that there are 10 types of people, those who understand Binary, and those who don’t.
Quadruple Salchow (Source: NBC)
Anyway, I digressed. Land a ‘quad throw salchow’ and you get X number of points, you fall, you get Y number of points deducted. Simple as that. A person or couple performing a conservative program with no dramatic jumps, throws, loops, or lutz stand a better chance of winning than those who attempt those daring maneuvers but failed. On the flip side, those who successfully execute those technical elements required in a program will fare better than those with conservative routines.
Now. isn’t that objective enough and easy to understand?
You can learn more about Figure Skating, its Scoring System, and the associated Elements at the NBC Olympic Web Site.
I am sure that other artistic sporting events like Gymnastics, Diving, Synchronized Swimming, Ice Dancing, Ski Jumping, Snowboard Half-Pipe, and many more have (or are going to) significantly revamp(ed) their Judging Systems to allow for objective scoring.
I agree with my buddy, HART , that it is difficult to be objective when you need to process the scores in a compressed time scale (2 minutes).
You don’t want to get on Jon Grunden’s (Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach) bad side (Source: New Orleans Pro Football)
By that argument, the NFL is not a sport either when we see questionable, gut-feeling calls being made by the Officiating Crew. And most of those questionable calls cannot be reversed after the whistle is blown. Would you say that the NFL is not a sport? I think several hundred million NFL fans plus one (me) would disagree.
Now, having said all that, Fat-assed Celebrities sitting around a table playing poker is not a sport (hear that, ESPN?)
Watching Fat-ass Celebrities playing poker on ESPN is not a sport either.
Incidentally, ‘complaining that Figure Skating is not a sport’ IS ALSO NOT A SPORT.
Tags: Figure_Skating, Ice_Dancing, michelle-kwan, News, Ski_Jumping, Snowboarding, winter-games, winter_olympics, winter_olympics_2006Related Stories
POSTED IN: Figure Skating, Ice Dancing, Light the Torch, Snowboarding
7 opinions for Figure Skating IS A SPORT!
Bald Man
Feb 21, 2006 at 2:08 am
I was the first to comment in Aaron’s post, so it seems fit that I’m the first to comment here as well.
I still disagree… and not just because I don’t like figure skating (THE SEQUINS! MY EYES!)… and not just because this topic gets a rise out of my wife, her sister, and her mother when I bring it up. Those are just bonuses, I guess ;)
Officiating judgements are a part of every sport: Catch or no catch? Ball or strike? Serve on the line or over the line? Studs intentionally into the opponents knee or unintentionally? (God help us if computers replace the officials; what will Steeler-haters have to talk about then?) These judgements, however, are unrelated to an objective scoring system! I’ll give you that the compressed time given to the skating judges to score the objective elements is absurd.
It’s the “program elements” that kill figure skating. Transitions? Choreography? Interpretation? From what realm are these? I’ll tell you: art NOT sport.
yc
Feb 21, 2006 at 3:39 am
Hey…thanks for gracing my article with your comments. I was beginning to worry that everybody is going to stop watching figure skating altogether.
Anyway, I agree that “Program Components” are very subjective; but the process of awarding “Program Components” points are based on very strict, detailed, and unambiguous rules. Rules that leave very little room for any doubt or second-guessing (I got a headache just reading the SUMMARY of the “Program Components“). On top of that, it is a closely guarded secret that which sets of points are going to be used in the final tally.
All these measures, while not perfect, have allowed for more objectivity when judging a Figure Skating program.
You mentioned that the ‘Officiating judgments, however, are unrelated to an objective scoring system!” On the contrary, I think it is THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT of a sport. It governs how the games are played and ensures fairness.
Based on all the efforts to change the image of Figure Skating, I would say that it has become closer to what you and Aaron perceive as “sports.” Never mind the fact that Figure Skating involves blood, sweat, tears, and mental anguish, just like what it is in Football, Hockey, Diving, Ski Jumping, Gymnastics, and F1 Racing.
Don’t let those glittering things on a skater’s costume bother you…just imagine them as cheerleader uniforms.
Still not convinced? The secret to a happy marriage is to listen to your wife (I should know…I’m married too).
yc
Feb 21, 2006 at 3:44 am
And oh…one more thing…in your first comment on Aaron’s post, you mentioned:
“The need for strength, agility, and skill do not make something a sport. Objective scoring standards do.”
Officiating Judgment is the BACKBONE of an Objective Scoring System. Else, who decides whether the the Quaterback Sneak resulted in a touchdown or if the Figure Skater landed a lutz?
So, there you have it…we have ‘Objective Scoring’ in Figure Skating, so that makes Figure Skating a sport.
Bald Man
Feb 21, 2006 at 2:13 pm
“Yes dear” How’s that?
yc
Feb 21, 2006 at 8:39 pm
You did the dishes and took out the trash already, didn’t you?
;->
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