Figure Skating: Pro or Con?

[glory]

I'm one of those people who can't appreciate figure skating for what it is. My problem – actually, figure skating's problem – is the moves too often aren't in sync with the music. The skaters select the music and the moves, so why can't they get the timing/tempo/interpretation to match? Now if it were drum corps …

That's my other problem with figure skating. To my brass-and-percussion-warped mind, figure skating isn't all that dissimilar to drum corps. You have music. You have movement. You have judges judging the athletic artistry. How is it that one (figure skating) has a wide and lucrative appeal while the other (drum corps) is confined to the margin?

That's where I'm coming from. Now I have two questions for all of you:

First, how do you regard figure skating and are you as distracted as I am by big jumps that don't seem to hit the beat (or the swell or whatever the obvious musical cue)?

Second, is there something you see in figure skating's success that could apply to drum corps? Is there something that figure skating does well that drum corps should be doing too?

HH

PS: One thing I love about figure skating: pronouncing all those exotic names from Russia, Ukraine, etc. That and the good-looking women in short skirts.

[wolfgang]

Is there something that figure skating does well that drum corps should be doing too?

HH

PS: One thing I love about figure skating: pronouncing all those exotic names from Russia, Ukraine, etc. That and the good-looking women in short skirts.

You may have answered your own question. :P

Edited January 3, 2006 by wolfgang

[tommytimp]

Figure skating has been an Olympic sport since roughly 1690. That has something to do with its ubiuqity.

That and the good-looking women in short skirts.

Edited January 3, 2006 by tommytimp

[GMichael1230]

Figure skating, those that are in it, those that run it, those that support it, those that enjoy it, never lose sight of the fact that the bottom line, it is a competition.you are there to compete, your main objective is to compete, be your best and WIN. Sure, there are other aspects, but the fact is, it is a competition.

Drum corps, those that are in it, those that run it, those that support it, and those that currently enjoy it (disclaimer) for the most part want to forget, or lessen the aspect of a competition, do away with the rewards for skill, precision, and who does what better and make it a feel good past-time. Change the paramaters lose your identity, audience leaves in droves......

Dont underestimate the power of the competition.......

~G~

[OtherDaryl]

The truly great figure skating programs are completely integrated examples of athletic artistry: Brian Boitano's Napolean, Michelle Kwan's Red Violin, John Curry's Don Quixote, Torvel & Dean's Bolero. Not an inappropriate move or artistic misstep among them. These are the Figure Skating equivalents of The Zone/Frameworks/Medea in DCI terms. They are as rare in that arena as they are in Drum Corp. With the recent changes in scoring, they will become even rarer.

It all comes down to marketing, "Celebrity" and the Olympic/American Dream. Because of the limited opportunities for "surprise" in any DCI event, you don't have an opportunity for a Sarah Hughes to emerge and become the greatest skater in the world for one night. Four or Five top corps would have to complete implode at exactly the same moment for any kind of "Miracle on Ice" comparison - that's never going to happen with these well-oiled machines. A whole lot of people watch skating just to see if the famous skaters with fall from their mountaintops. "Gosh - Midori Ito just landed on that cameraman!" Drum corps placements change as slowly as do those in Ice Dancing. There is too little suspense.

Generally speaking, drum corps doesn't have the "sex appeal" singles or couples Figure Skating has - not even Synchronized Skating is able to offer the same elements of excitement to an audience.

[bldbrkr]

Well, as a former competitive skater, Crossmen alum and Senior rated skating coach, I have some things to say about that.

First off, jumps have an inherent timing. This timing is unique to each individual. Skaters train to perfect the entrance, execution and exit of jumps and spins. It's not easy to say a flip or lutz jump has a 4/4 or 3/4 timing.

Nine times out of ten, when a skater tries to land a jump exactly on the impact point, it messes with their persosnal timing. We encourage them to interpret the music in amny way. Foot work and upper body choreography enhance the visual musicality BUT, you don't get "extra points" for landing a jump exactly on the down beat of an impact point. The emphasis is on the quality of the take off, the air postiion and the landing.

Drum corps is very different. Having been in both, I can say that my training in physical training in drumcorps in no way compared to my training for skating. Very rarely did I reach an anaerobic threshold with corps. With skating it was a daily occurence. The amount of time spent training in skating is year round, 5 to 6 days a week. This includes off ice conditioning, ballet/jazz/plyometrics as well as yoga, pilates and Tai Chi. 3 to 4 hours on ice work daily.

The judging is figure skating is quite different from that in DCI. The judges in skating go thru much more rigorous training AND they are not paid below the national level. They trial for a very long time at each level and even then their promotion is not guaranteed.

Phew, I have lots to say on this subject. BTW, I have met other skaters who were in corps. Nothing like seeing someone skate to Folk Song Suite :-)

John

Crossmen '80 and '81

[84BDsop]

Figure skating has been an Olympic sport since roughly 1690. That has something to do with its ubiuqity.

That and the good-looking women in short skirts.

Uhhh....since the modern Olympic movement started in 1896 (Summer games....the winters came along a few years later), I think you mean 1960....but they've been in the games longer than that....Sonja Hennie (sp?) comes to mind.

I think we got the definitive answer just above me....but I DO admit I'd like to see a bit more emphasis on some artistic interpretation instead of seering an entire field of people fall on their ### because they HAVE to land that quad if they're to have a prayer of winning...

[glory]

Nine times out of ten, when a skater tries to land a jump exactly on the impact point, it messes with their persosnal timing.

Thanks for the explanation, but does that make sense to you? I mean, why can't the timing incorporate the music? It's recorded after all, which should means it's the same from day to day.

Wouldn't every performance improve if the timing of the skater and the music were coordinated?

HH

[Euph_Dolphin]

ice skating is hard.....

[glory]

Dont underestimate the power of the competition.......

You don't mean to suggest that competition alone makes figure skating more popular than drum corps, do you? Or could it be that the appeal is in the fact that recognizable people, people with stories and personalities, are competing in figure skating where drum corps gives us units and uniforms?

HH

Edited January 4, 2006 by glory