Update: New Moves in the Field
September 23, 2008
My, what a nice loop...and in turquoise skates.
Is it strange that I love the Moves in the Field as much as I do? Okay, don’t answer that.
I know that Moves are basically the piano scales of skating. I know that many skaters and some fellow coaches find these required, fundamental exercises boring beyond words. Yet for some reason, I enjoy teaching them, maybe because I like the challenge of trying to make them fun. I like showing my skaters how the Moves skills relate to other areas of their skating, such as their step sequences and transitions in the Freestyle, Synchro, and Dance programs. And it’s very gratifying to see them climb the Moves testing ladder.
Last year, we started to hear that United States Figure Skating was going to restructure the Moves. I think this news was received by most coaches with a mix of excitement (something new to teach!) and trepidation (uh oh, something new to teach…). I certainly felt both of these things, especially in light of all the new concepts we’ve had to digest due to IJS. Skaters and parents of skaters frantically wondered if they should try to test all the way from Pre-Juvenile level all the way through Senior within the next year in order to avoid the changes.
In fact, the new Moves were proposed at the 2008 Annual Governing Council Meeting last May. However, they did not pass. At the PSA Conference later that month, many coaches got a look at the proposed (yet unapproved) changes during presentations by coaches Damon Allen and Janet Champion, both of Colorado Springs.
Curious about the current status of these changes, I contacted Wayne Hundley, who is the chairperson for the new Moves Task Force. He is a Technical Specialist, a Controller, a National Judge and former competitor located in Riverside, California. The task force includes about 22 people, including USFS Committee chairs, USFS Board Members and PSA Representatives. Hundley was kind enough to update me with a lot of specific information and he encouraged me to pass it along here.
Turns out that since May, they have basically started over from scratch. They are taking into consideration lots of feedback they have received from members-at-large and have been working to address some of the most common concerns.
Among these concerns, is the length of the tests and the amount of ice time clubs need to purchase in order to host these test sessions. In response, Hundley’s committee is now proposing that approximately eight of the current Moves are simply condensed so that they take less time. For example, in the Preliminary Moves, instead of doing two figure eights of Forward and Backward Crossovers around the hockey circles, the skaters would do only one figure eight forward, then flow directly into a backwards figure eight without stopping. Another example of this is on the Juvenile Eight Step Mohawk Sequence: instead of stopping between directions, they are proposing that this is set up as a figure eight and one circle simply flows into the next, similar to how the Juvenile Backward Power Three Turns currently work.
In this new plan, some moves have been taken away all together, such as the Intermediate Back Perimeter Power Crossovers with Backward Power Three Turns, the Novice Bracket-Three-Brackets and the Junior Forward and Backward Power Circles. This is meant to make time for the addition of some entirely new moves, which feature Loops, Twizzles, and some Circle Eights reminiscent of School Figures. They believe that these will be helpful to competitive skaters using IJS for Freeskating, Pair, Dance and Synchro and that they will also impart important skills for skaters on the test track.
Along these same lines, there are also some revisions to the Novice and Senior Spiral Sequences to incorporate more kinds of spirals. Specifically, the Novice test would include all eight spirals (i.e. now there would be Forward Outside Spirals and Back Inside Spirals on both feet in that sequence). And the Senior test would change slightly at the end of the pattern to include a Forward Outside Spiral. At both of these levels, the skater would be required to hold each Spiral for a designated number of seconds, in some cases three seconds and in some cases six.
In all, there are approximately 16 changes, and this number includes those eight Moves that aren’t really changed, just condensed. From what I can tell thus far from Hundley’s extremely clear and organized proposal, the changes are not very drastic. And they make sense. I like the idea of incorporating twizzles, loops, and some old-school figure eights into the Moves and getting rid of a lot of the restarts.
I think what would take the most effort to learn would probably be the proposed Junior Straight Line Step and the new Senior Circular Step Sequence. This latter pattern does use some of the current version, but with the addition of a few new turns, like Twizzles and Counters. Hundley underscored the fact that the Senior test is the culmination of the whole process, so it’s important that this test incorporates as many of the Moves skills as possible. Truthfully, it doesn’t even seem like these two Moves are very complicated, nothing to get anxious about.
Hundley said, “Skating is constantly evolving and we want the Moves to reflect that progress.” He emphasized that the Moves are meant to improve basic skating skills, such as better turn quality et cetera, for all skaters, not just competitors.
Hundley assured me that none of this is a secret. They already have the diagrams finished and coach Gerry Lane is helping to get the video clips ready. They hope to have lots of the information for these newest proposals posted on the USFS website as early as mid-November. They will be presenting these New Moves yet again at the 2009 Governing Council Meeting next May, so they are hoping to have lots of input on the proposal before then. The Professional Skaters Association would, as always, put together the manual, which outlines the focus of each Move and the common errors.
If this newest version passes in May, these Moves will go into effect September 2009.
Thanks so much to Wayne Hundley for so generously sharing all of this info and providing lots of much-needed clarity. It will be interesting to see if this all goes through and fun to play with some new (and slightly tweaked) tricks.
***
So what do you think of all this? Please leave a comment below.
If you subscribe to Professional Skater Magazine, check out page 8 for a humorous essay I wrote about the PSA Ratings process…
And, this weekend I went to Oktoberfest in Central Park. To read The Informer report, click here.
PSA Conference: Power in Numbers
May 27, 2008
Sunset from 95th Floor of John Hancock Building in Chicago this past Saturday.
Skating seems to be getting more quantitative. Ever since IJS landed in our laps, I’ve been wishing I had a Degree in Higher Math. Alas, I am more of a “word” person. Not that I have anything against numbers. In fact, I’ve always respected them quite a bit…from a distance.
Lately, I’ve noticed that there are a lot of nice things about numbers. How you can count with them, for instance. How, when you use them in order to back up what you’re trying to say, your statements can sound a lot more like objective facts. How you can maybe understand competition placements after analyzing columns of numbers on a Protocol sheet, and maybe even, with the help of numbers, control those placements more proactively in advance.
You always hear that there is “power in numbers.” This was hit home to me in several different ways last week at the Professional Skaters Association Conference in Chicago. First of all, there were a lot of coaches in attendance: approximately 800, maybe a little more or a little less, one of the largest Conference turnouts ever. We filled a large ballroom and according to more than one speaker up on stage, we, as a collective group, were rather intimidating.
Indeed, from where I sat, the sea of skating coaches around me was an impressive visual. I hate to sound new-age-y but it was a powerful feeling to be surrounded by that many coaches in one room. I imagined that I was somehow buoyed up by all those people with similar perspectives, experiences, schedules, frustrations, and successes…not to mention similar addictions to both coffee and fleece.
But what I’m really getting at here is the weird thing that happened this week: I started to see the world of skating and the world in general as a collection of numbers. I’m not claiming that I suddenly transformed into a Mathematician or that I became Rain Man, I’m saying that I was overcome with the strange urge to create… A Spreadsheet. I admittedly don’t know how to create a real spreadsheet (let alone flow one of these beasts onto this website), but even thinking about doing so makes me feel very “professional,” so bear with me as I present…
THE OFFICIAL CURRENT SKATE OF MIND PSA CONFERENCE “”SPREADSHEET”" (extra set of quotes intentional):
Number of Years PSA has been in existence = 70
Years Kathy Casey has been coaching = 30+
Number of days in the year we should wake up with a burning desire to be better coaches, according to the ever-entertaining Kathy Casey = “every day” a.k.a. 365
The Component Score Susie Wynne would receive on the transitional skating she demonstrated in her wonderful class called, “Simply Skated” if she were competing under the IJS system and I were a judge = 10
Grade of Execution Gale Tanger would have received for her Spiral up on stage (though we’d have to replay the video to see if she held it for 3 seconds) = +3
Number of questions Doug Haw asked Brian Orser in the brilliant segment called, “Inside the Coach’s Studio” modeled after the television show, “Inside the Actor’s Studio” = 29
Number of dizzying revolutions Brian Orser a.k.a. Mr. Triple Axel seemed to do on the floor of his living room in the classic black and white footage from when he was a toddler = approximately 35
Number of syllables in the word “momentum” as counted by Orser’s coach Doug Leigh in the video footage = 3
Number of pillows (both functional and decorative) on the beds at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare (and thank you to my conference buddy for helping me with the calculation of this statistic) = 7
Therefore, when two beds are in the room, the total number of pillows = 14
The deadline for coaches to complete their required Coaching Educational Requirement (CER) credits = July 2010
The number of people who currently understand exactly what this entails = 4
Latest ISU Communication that will probably change after the ISU Congress in June = 1494
Number of times presenters from the judging community encouraged coaches and skaters to aim for high GOE’s rather than high Levels = at least 10
Number of “extremely diverse” conferences simultaneously being held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare = many
Number of people wearing one or more of the following items for a particularly “intriguing” conference that shall remain nameless on this blog for fear of receiving a crazy amount of unwanted spam: leather, chains, collars, and something I can only call a “skirt-less skirt” = again, many
Number of times I heard someone ponder whether or not the aforementioned conference had a tradeshow = 5
Percentage of sport success that is “mental” according to surveys of Olympian Athletes, as presented by USOC Sport Psychologist Kirsten Peterson, Ph.D. = 50-90%
Amount of training time that athletes spend on the mental side of their sport according to Olympian Athletes as shared by Peterson= not 50-90%
Percentage of human communication that occurs through words according to Psychotherapist Frankie Perez = 7%
Percentage of communication that occurs non-verbally i.e. through body language, tone, etc = 93%
Ideal height of a leg extension for ice dance according to coach Iouri Tchesnitchenko= 80 degrees
Price of an all-event ticket for the World Championships according to a friend who worries, quite rightly, that cost is negatively affecting the skating fan base = $1000
Amount of weight gained from uncontrollable buffet grazing = No Answer
Amount of weight my suitcase mysteriously gained though I did not purchase or steal anything (I suspect foul play: invisible bricks, perhaps?) = 5 pounds
Length of the maze-like hallway leading from the hotel to the Convention Center where some of the presentations were held on the last day (and thank heaven, because I had to walk off some of that buffet-ing) = 16 miles
Pages of notes I scribbled because I am an obsessive note-taker (though in my defense, the pages of my notebook were rather small) = 56
Floor in the John Hancock Building from which my conference buddy and I watched the sun set while enjoying a post-conference drink (see picture above) = 95th
Phone number of the JFK Jetblue baggage claim office in case they ever lose one of your bags = 7186326355
Total number of minutes they might keep you on hold over the course of 3 phone calls = 36
Number of skating blogs I’ll be able to write, thanks to all the information I gathered while on this trip (not that I was lacking for topics) = 477
TOTAL = Priceless
***
Please add to this “spreadsheet” by clicking on comment below.
And stay tuned. In future installments I intend to address such topics as:
Pair Skating in America: Ouch; Moves in the Meadow; The Ratings Game; Figures: Still Mourning; Youtube as Teaching Tool; Age: To Limit or Not to Limit
Finally, here is the article I wrote about the event for icenetwork: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080527&content_id=48350&vkey=ice_news
Ice Dance: Crisis or Opportunity?
March 18, 2008
It has recently come to my attention that the ISU is considering downsizing Ice Dance from three events - Compulsories, Original Dance, Freedance - to two in order to make it commensurate with Singles and Pairs. This is a way to cut costs at competitions and it does make logical sense.
The problem is that most arrows point toward the eradication of Compulsory Dance at ISU competitions.
This would be catastrophic for Ice Dance and for the entire sport. As we saw with figures, their elimination from competition has resulted in extinction. If the ISU makes this decision when they discuss this topic this week at the World Championships, compulsory dances will be in similar jeopardy.
Taking compulsories out of the competitive “arena” will have serious, far-reaching and immediate ramifications. I write from the perspective of a dedicated ice dance coach who, in addition to teaching other aspects of skating, enjoys teaching compulsory ice dances and who has had anywhere from 10-15 students testing compulsory ice dances every three months for the last eight or so years. In that time, I have had a handful of ice dance teams in the competitive ranks.
I think it’s obvious that a new era of ice dance has dawned (here in the U.S., anyway). We have more ice dancers placing well in both Junior and Senior Events around the world than ever before. At Nationals this year, there were more spectators in the stands for ice dance. In fact, Senior Dance was a Saturday night, primetime event, sharing top billing with Senior Ladies. If handled correctly, this proposed downsizing could actually result in changes that would further popularize ice dance and benefit the entire sport. Eliminating compulsories all together is not the answer.
First, it’s necessary to ask the question: What is the most important factor in the continuation of this particular activity? What, in other words, does skating need in order to thrive? The answer is simple: Participation. The more kids who try skating and continue with it, the higher the level of competition, which leads to higher entertainment value, which leads to higher TV ratings and, finally to higher revenue for governing bodies. And the more exposure there is, the more skaters who are inspired to give it a try. It’s a chicken and egg situation: the ever-important bottom line is driven from both the grass roots (i.e. every local rink in the world) and from the top down (i.e. how compelling competitive skating and its stars seem.)
But in order for a large number of skaters to continue in a sport where the body type necessary to perform triple jumps (at least for girls/women) is becoming more and more specific, namely small, it’s necessary for there to be Options. This is why I am a proponent of both Ice Dance and Synchronized Skating, because a larger number of athletes and body types have the opportunity to participate and excel throughout their teenage years.
If I had never been introduced to the Dutch Waltz and then taken that test as an 8 year-old, it’s unlikely that I would ever had found my way to competitive ice dance in the first place, as a Preliminary then Novice dance team with my older brother. It is equally unlikely that I would have returned to competitive ice dance at the Junior level once it was clear that I was too tall for pair skating. It is probable that I would have quit skating at the age of 16 all together, quite possible that I would not have been drawn to coaching, and would therefore not be in the position to encourage more skaters to get interested in the sport and continue with it. And I was one of the fortunate few who had a built-in partner. It seems even less likely that skaters without partners (who might join up with partners in the future) would get involved with ice dance were it not for compulsory ice dance tests.
One of the best parts about Figure Skating in the United States is this highly organized merit-based testing system. I can say that, as a former skater and as a coach, this series of achievable goals helps considerably to get skaters motivated and educated…in other words, hooked. No matter what skaters and their families have seen on television, it is the testing process that lends structure to those burgeoning dreams. Skating is complex and the skill set is cumulative: this is perfectly demonstrated through testing.
In no other aspect of the sport is the testing process more effective, more-specifically focused, more rigorous and, in the end, more prestigious than in Ice Dance. The standards are high and obtaining a gold medal is extremely challenging. Many single skaters in my fleet, several of whom earn their gold medals in Moves in the Field and Freestyle, have taken up dance in order to improve their basic skating. These skaters will attest to the fact that mastering the requirements of silver, pre-gold, and gold ice dance tests is a serious undertaking indeed, requiring a great deal of practice and dedication.
This is not a matter of comparing Ice Dance tests to Moves in the Field or Freestyle tests, because I think they all have merit. It’s a matter of identifying what differentiates Ice Dance from Singles and Pairs and how the compulsory dances contribute to that. These dances promote posture, edgework, power, neat footwork, extension, rhythm, performance, timing, and dance ability, the translation of music into movement, in both subtle and overt ways through knee action, facial expression, and body movements. The fact that these patterns have a specific layout on the ice and that they are accompanied by music is critical.
Not only are the fundamentals of compulsory ice dances vital to performing accomplished, edge-filled and danced Freedances, but these skills are also becoming more and more essential to single skaters for step sequences, for overall transitional skating, and therefore for earning points in both their technical and component scores.
The same can be said for Pair Skating and echoed for Synchronized Skating. In fact, more and more, coaches of Synchronized teams are highly recommending and even requiring ice dance tests as a way to improve the ability of their team members and intricacy of their programs thereby increasing the competitive and entertainment value of this discipline. I dare say that, more than ever before, all parts of skating are recognizing and capitalizing on the specific skills of ice dance. And compulsory dances are the heart of this. If the ISU takes away compulsories, it will be harmful to the entire sport.
This is why I support the idea of combining the Original Dance and Compulsory Dance together as one event, literally combining them into one program. This is one of the innovative proposals of coach Bob Mock, Member of the National Ice Dance Committee. As he has recently pointed out, the Original Dance in its current form is really just another Freedance, and many teams use the same step sequences, lifts, and spins in both programs. But if teams were required to include one or two patterns of an already-existing compulsory dance into their choreography, this would have several happy consequences.
First of all, it would secure the testing process. In addition to all of the above arguments for this, it would foster the continuation of dance test sessions, which earn money for skating clubs. Second, if compulsory ice dances are couched amid original choreography, they will receive more exposure. Aspiring ice dancers would still have the opportunity to see their heroes performing recognizable patterns that they, too, have learned or will learn in the future.
Keep in mind that Single Skaters and Pair skaters attempt many of the same elements as one another such as Double Axels and Split Twists. In Freedances and Original Dances, due to the high level of innovation, there is less that is standardized and therefore recognizable. Keeping compulsory dances in the competitive realm maintains an essential sense of continuity between the lower and higher levels. (This, by the way, is the primary argument against those who would contend that compulsory dances could effectively remain in the background just like Moves in the Field. Beginner ice dancers need to be able to see some connection between what they are doing and what the dance stars are doing and this needs to happen in a public forum, in case they do not have high level dancers in their rink.)
Furthermore, combining the two events in this manner would more firmly attach ice dance to its roots in ballroom dance: Foxtrots, Polkas, Waltzes, Sambas, Tangos, etc. In fact, the name of this combined event could be changed to something like Ballroom Dance, closely associating it with something that is extremely popular and experiencing a resurgence in our culture. Notice the popularity of the television show, Dancing with the Stars. Note also the increased tendency of couples to take ballroom lessons leading up to their weddings in order to smoothly perform that celebrated “first dance.” The term Ballroom Dance would also nicely differentiate it from the Freedance, which refers to a greater freedom as far as musical and stylistic choices. Alternatively, Bob Mock suggests that it could be called Creative Compulsory Original Dance (CCOD).
Finally, it would be beneficial to offer more modern and appealing music for this new combined event. Perhaps the ISU could provide 3-5 songs with the appropriate rhythm for whatever dance is assigned for that competitive season and couples can choose from one of these. Or couples could obtain their own music as long as it has the number of beats per minute that correspond with compulsory requirements.
Incidentally, over the years, I have had many skaters who have begged to work on their ice dances in their lessons or to learn the next ice dance. I repeat: I have students who beg to work on their compulsory ice dances. When time permits, and we spice them up ever so slightly with an arm movement or a bit of introductory or ending choreography, they are thrilled. Likewise, I would be remiss to not mention the large population of adult ice dancers who attend dance weekends, skate on social dance sessions, and who comprise a huge portion of the ice dance fan base. It would be a shame to lose this entire opportunity for figure skating enthusiasm.
This potential downsizing is valid. The eradication of compulsory dances is not. Combining Compulsory Dance with Original Dance is the most logical solution. Think of it as The New Adventures of the Old Compulsory Dance: it brings compulsories more into the spotlight and lends a more standardized and recognizable aspect to original choreography. It is a win-win concept and one that I hope will be given serious consideration.
***
If you are similarly concerned about this situation, whether you are a coach, a skater, a parent, or a fan, please pass this link onto others and lend your voice by leaving a comment below. Other ideas and suggestions are encouraged. The ISU is tackling this issue THIS WEEK so now is the time for members of the American skating community to be heard.
Update, April 1, 2008: For those of you wondering how ”The Fate of Compulsory Dance” discussions went at Worlds, it sounds like the ISU is going to very likely downsize the dance to two events BUT so far, they have approved the idea of combining the Compulsory Dance and Original Dance into one. This has to go through a few more rounds of approval within the ISU, but tentatively, it is good news. Thanks to everyone who has written comments on this site on this topic.
I ♥ icenetwork
January 29, 2008
Let me explain, up front, that I don’t have television. What I mean by this is that I don’t have any television stations: I have a TV and a DVD player, on which I watch my fair share of movies, but no cable service, no TiVo, nor whatever newfangled technology they’ve come out with in the last ten minutes.
I “went off TV” cold-turkey about nine years ago when I realized that watching it was in direct conflict with my writing aspirations. Basically, to be a writer you have to do an inordinate amount of reading and an equal amount of writing. You have to go out into the world and have experiences that you can write about and sometimes you need to just sit on your couch and think. Watching TV doesn’t help much. I suppose other people have the ability to turn off the TV or rarely turn it on in the first place, but I know myself and I am not one of them, so it’s just better to not have the temptation.
Yes, I’ve missed out on a lot: American Idol, Survivor, Desperate Housewives, the visual images of countless world events (I do listen to the radio, but of course it’s not quite the same), and that particular comfort of coming home at the end of the day and decompressing in front of the boob tube. What I’ve also missed is just about every skating event that has been broadcast from around the universe in the last decade. (Excluding the few events I’ve attended and the fewer events I’ve invited myself over to your house to watch, thanks by the way.)
So you can imagine I was pretty intrigued when icenetwork re-launched/re-invented itself in August and announced they’d be offering on-demand broadcasts and archived footage for many marquee events this season. I subscribed and have been sporadically taking advantage of this service for the last few months, but it wasn’t until this past week, during the coverage of the U.S. Nationals in St. Paul, that I fully appreciated how remarkable this is.
Specifically, I came home on Thursday night after work and caught the majority of the Championship Girls (not a typo) Short Program event, live. I tuned in just as Caroline Zhang was taking her bow, and for the next few hours experienced the strange sensation of being in two places at once: simultaneously at home and at the Xcel Center.
The icenetwork coverage is relatively barebones and straightforward, perhaps not as “slick” or “produced” as other broadcasts, but precisely because of this, watching it online is a lot like being there. Have been at Nationals for the previous three years, and watching many events from the stands, I can say that there are some ways in which the icenetwork experience is arguably even better than being there…and I’m only chewing on a few sour grapes. Seriously, such a small percentage of coaches (and skaters and fans) get to partake in the Big Party so it’s great that icenetwork is sharing the love.
What’s not so great about sitting in the stands is that period of time after each skater, while the Technical Panel is reviewing the video. These are basically like a bunch of intermissions, and they can seem infinite. Sure, you can inspect your fingernails, cross and uncross your legs, engage in some chitchat, and crane your neck, squinting to see if the Kiss and Cry is living up to its name. From home, however, it’s the possibilities that are infinite. During the IJS Intermissions, you can:
- Watch the icenetwork replays, which usually include three elements from each skater, either in celebration of a performance triumph or in closer examination of a foible.
- Watch (and hear) the skaters and coaches kiss and cry from close range and wonder if they realize how close (and how effective) the microphones are.
- Analyze the Double-handed Wave: a friend of mine noticed that the Kiss and Cry tends to bring this out in many of the younger skaters. This waving technique involves extremely loose wrists wobbled at about shoulder-level. I’ve been practicing mine and I think I’m getting the hang of it. I wonder if this is part of the new media training.
- Stretch. Watching any of these events will inevitably make you realize how inflexible you’ve become.
- Warm up some of that homemade soup and rejoice in the fact that it is not a concession-stand hot dog or a serving of over-baked ziti from the coach’s hospitality room. The only catch is that you’ll have to wash the dishes, but there’s time enough for this as well.
- Check the icenetwork results from events you missed or even peek at the archived footage, including press conference clips.
- Peruse the icenetwork message boards, which include comments that range from extremely insightful to incredibly…numb-skulled. In the middle of the spectrum, there are many comments that will confirm what you are also thinking, which nicely replaces the chitchat you would have participated in in the stands.
After you engage in all of these activities and return to the live broadcast, the Technical Panel will probably still be involved in deliberations, in order to insure that the judging of our sport is more fair. So from there, you can tackle some domestic projects, some billing, or that chocolate bar you’ve been trying to avoid. What I’m saying is that watching icenetwork can be quite productive.
(For the record, I do think the job of the Technical Specialists is a challenging one and I certainly wouldn’t want them to rush through their task on my account. Truthfully, the video replay really is, hands-down, the best part of the new system.)
Most importantly, and this is the key, this year on icenetwork you could actually watch the short programs, including all the skaters, and you could do so from anywhere in the country. You could even watch compulsory dances and novice and junior events (and you still can, at your leisure.) The subscription fee is nominal, but even if you didn’t want to make that commitment, you could still see backstage photos, read articles including skater and coach quotes, and just generally keep tabs on the whole Championships. All of this is nothing short of momentous and a vast improvement over what was available previously through USFS, which was really not much at all.
It’s also pretty exciting from a skater’s perspective. Far-flung fathers, sisters, grandparents, teachers, and friends can see these performances even if they can’t make the trip. And skaters themselves can log on from the competition, for that matter. This is something I would have valued when I was competing; the videotapes we ordered for our own cringing and for our family’s viewing always seemed to take forever to arrive in the mail.
Two days after Girl’s Short, I was glad to watch their Long Programs at a friend’s house where the TV was about 45 times the size of my computer screen. The NBC broadcast was well-composed, the camera-work was sophisticated, and the picture quality was crystal clear. It was an exciting and extremely weird event but it all seemed very far away; I was quite aware that I wasn’t there. When I got home, I logged on to icenetwork to see what had been posted so far.
All of this has definitely taken precious time away from my writing. On the other hand, I’ve noticed, over the course of the last few paragraphs, that it has also given me something to write about.
***
Yes, you are wise to have on your bias-detector: I have written articles for icenetwork and will do so again. I assure you, however, that I was not asked to write this and that all of the above sentiments come straight from my ♥ .
New Judging System: Boring?
November 27, 2007
I was at a party a few weeks ago where a friend of a friend (non-skating) told me she’d recently watched some figure skating on TV. Though she couldn’t remember what the event was called, I gleaned from her description that she had probably stumbled upon Skate America on ESPN.
“So do you guys have new judging system, or something?” She looked at me with confusion. I confirmed that this was, in fact, the case, and that it was implemented in response to so-called “Skategate” in 2002. She nodded her head in recognition of the debacle then asked how this new system works. I attempted to explain how it’s now all about accumulating points and how there is a new “technical panel” in charge of identifying the elements. I added a few details about levels and program components. In all, I was feeling pretty good about how I was getting better at describing IJS to the layperson. I concluded my spiel with, “The new system is completely different, but, you know, the more things change the more they stay the same, right?” I chuckled, and raised my wine up a few inches, thinking that me and my new best friend would clink glasses over this universal truth.
But she was asleep.
Okay, she wasn’t really asleep, but her eyes had glazed over and she was obviously sorry she asked, so I immediately hit the conversational ball into her court and inquired what she does for work. Finance. (Now it was my turn for a nap.)
Sports are big business. Skating sells tickets, paraphernalia, and, most lucratively, advertising spots during TV broadcasts. This popularity trickles down to coaches: the more kids (and parents) who see and fall in love with skating, the more kids who lace up for lessons.
People tune in because of the entertainment value. Our sport has provided a lot of entertainment over the years, and not just in the form of scandals. The public has long been enamored with figure skating because it is aesthetically pleasing, difficult, and exciting. The excitement is derived both from what happens on the ice - falls, popped jumps, acrobatic maneuvers, the worst or most triumphant skate of someone’s life - and also from the scores, afterwards.
Fans are sometimes incensed and other times in agreement with the judges, but the point is that, just by virtue of forming their own opinions, they are investing in the outcome. This is what differentiates skating from ballet, for example. Ballet is incredibly beautiful and ballerinas are accomplished athletes, but there are no outcomes or results, so the viewing experience is entirely different. (Some might argue that the experience is superior or more nuanced, but I’m speaking here in terms of mass popularity, and ballet, relative to skating, is under the radar.)
The successful contest-type reality shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars (and Skating with Celebrities, ha!) work on the exact same principles as competitive skating. The performances are entertaining in and of themselves and, then, everybody wants to hear what the judges have to say. (Of course, the judges, especially in American Idol, are as entertaining as the performers; there is a bombastic quality to the judges’ verbal critiques that skating will of course do well to avoid.)
The key is that sports fans want to have confidence in the scoring process: mainly, that the individual judges are knowledgeable and ethical and that the system enables them to reward competence and difficulty appropriately. Basically, it all comes down to fairness and efficacy.
All of this came into question in 2002 when it was revealed that a French judge allegedly made a deal with a Russian judge at the Olympics. Suddenly, impropriety, back-room dealing, and years of questionable tactics were displayed on televisions and newspaper covers around the world. It did seem like something drastic needed to be done. The ISU, headed by Ottavio Cinquanta, (a former speedskater) responded by doling out a second gold medal, slapping a few wrists, and rolling up its sleeves in order to perform surgery on the judging process.
Whether or not IJS was the result of a complete organ transplant or merely plastic surgery is a matter of debate. It seems to me that it was a little of both: there have been some extreme changes (Accumulation of points rather than comparing skaters! Levels! Scale of Values! GOE’s! Technical Panels including coaches!) and some minor ones (”program components” is the new name for what is basically still the artistic score; there have been a whole host of niggling clarifications regarding the placement of limbs and feet in relationship to the head or the ice surface; and all of it, of course, is still very subjective). Many people believe that, after all this, the current body, IJS, isn’t much healthier than what we had before, and, in fact, it may be worse off.
What I’m interested in, here, is the outside perspective, whether or not it is easy and fun to follow, and whether the entertainment factor is intact. Of course, as a coach, I’m inevitably looking at it from the inside to out.
Imagine if your old friend, a person you’ve known pretty much your entire life, just got a new kidney, a new brain, a new left arm, and a new face. This would take some getting used to and it would be especially painful if you had to watch him wander around all woozy and disoriented. This is how a lot of coaches, officials and skaters are feeling about skating. We’re trying to be patient and supportive while the sport re-establishes its identity within the new system and we’re working hard to believe that it’s still the same sport we grew up with, that it still has the same heart.
Meanwhile, the relationship has definitely changed. As coaches, our process of choreographing and strategizing in order to accrue points has necessarily transformed. Unfortunately, information is scattered piece-meal across documents released over the course of months. If you want to learn the specifics of how IJS works in your discipline starting today, there is no one, final place to go.
It is amusing to me that one of the more helpful references is called ISU First Aid, a set of packets prepared for Technical Callers. The implication of this monicker, of course, is that this new system is flawed and in need of rescue. These guides are some of the most thorough documents out there, so many coaches have printed them out and placed them in binders, to lug into the rink. But these pages are by no means definitive, up to date, or user-friendly.
Coaching is a new business, now. There is a new math and an urgency to keep up with the constant changes. (For further comment on this issue, see my previous posting entitled IJS: Ch-ch-changes. And imagine my amusement/horror when, a few weeks ago, most coaches received an e-mail offer from the PSA to provide IJS updates in the form of text messages!) Officials have had to re-tool as well. Both judges and the technical panelists have had to scramble to figure out what is going on.
I can only assume that if it’s a struggle for insiders to keep up, then it has got to be laborious for fans, as well. But perhaps this isn’t a valid assumption. After all, when that friend undergoes all those afore-mentioned transplants, he seems totally different to you. But if you weren’t as familiar with him to begin with, then maybe the changes in his inner-workings and facial structure wouldn’t seem so drastic. Still, I’ve got to believe that, even to acquaintances, he’s harder to relate to, now; sadly, there’s a distance.
For example, the media is having trouble explaining IJS. Of course, there is method to IJS madness, but it’s too complex to fit into a quick sound bite (or cocktail party conversation.) I think there used to be a frustrating sense of mystery surrounding the 6.0 System because the method of scoring seemed too arbitrary and abstract. Now, there is exactly as much mystery but for the opposite reason: there is a surplus of information. IJS is not impossible to follow, but it takes a lot more effort.
Maybe fans didn’t always understand the judging rationale under the 6.0 system, but they did understand that a 5.9 was closer to “perfection” than a 5.2, so they had some sense of context. Besides, this scale was finite and easy to conceptualize. There was a particular thrill when skaters earned a 6.0. The marks themselves often received standing ovations. Is there the same magic or “wow factor” now when skaters achieve a “high score”?
Something else we took for granted with the 6.0 System is that it was unique to skating, a trademark, of sorts. If a person tripped while walking down the street, then recovered with a flourish and a “tah dah!” her friend might clap and say, “6.0!” IJS will not have that kind of pop-culture recognition. Mind you, I’m not arguing for the old system, I’m just taking some notes.
There are a lot of television fans who say, “I didn’t understand the judging then and I don’t understand it now: I just think skating is beautiful.” But there many different kinds of fans. There are avid fans who purchase tickets for local and international events. Many are observing IJS like hawks and weighing in on skating chat sites. Some speckle the stands at practice sessions and clamor for autographs. There are the fans who, under the old system, before standings were immediately displayed on the jumbotron, would scribble the judges scores into their programs and somehow tabulate the results before they were posted. There was a sort of cultish bravado in being able to do this and there’s no reason for it now.
Many of the most ardent fans are questioning whether the performances are still as awe-inspiring as they once were, now that skaters are beholden to this new set of stringent requirements. Athletes are speedskating from element to element and contorting themselves in odd positions. Many contend that the programs are starting to all look the same, that skating, of all things, is becoming…boring.
Keep in mind that fans all have varying abilities to recognize elements. So while we, as coaches, are watching, we are automatically identifying elements (and now, features, and levels, etc..) but the average viewer doesn’t necessarily even know the difference between an axel and a lutz. To them, all the jumps look the same, so, if all the spins, step sequences and spiral sequences also look the same to them, we have a problem. I’m extrapolating here: If all the skating looks the same to these fans, it’s unlikely they’ll become attached to any one skater and form opinions about his or her outcome. Therefore, their investment decreases and entertainment value, for them, I’m sorry to say, is probably diminished.
While we bury our noses in our ISU First Aid binders, and brush up on our math skills, it’s important to not lose sight of the fact that skating, first and foremost, should be fun for the skaters, and secondly, entertaining to the public. I think it’s critical that we keep tabs on whether IJS is threatening this. After all, if the kids aren’t enjoying themselves and the public dozes off, then we’ll be forced to pursue careers in (snore) Finance.
***
What are your thoughts? Please add your own two cents.
To read an impassioned open letter to Ottavio Cinquanta regarding IJS, written by Sonia Bianchetti, a long-time International skating official from Italy, click on: http://www.soniabianchetti.com/writings_openletter.html
And tune in next week: I’ve been in hot pursuit of useful information on boots and blades…
IJS: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
September 18, 2007
Picture this: Your skater is about to compete. She has a fantastic warm-up during which she nails her jumps, and even has time to squeeze in a combination spin and the hardest part of her footwork. She is second to perform, so, off the ice, she bounces around in place and shakes out her limbs while you deliver The Pep Talk. You give an especially good one: inspiring, heartfelt, and sure to ring in her ears as she’s sailing through her elements. While the first skater is curtsying, you do what any dutiful coach should do - you pull out your Blackberry and log onto the USFS website to see if there have been any rule changes in the last 20 minutes. Sure enough, Communication #146753298776551 has just come out. You quickly read all 72 pages and discover that there’s a clarification to the spiral sequence. Now, it turns out, in order to get the spirals to count, you have to have both legs up above your head at the same time. You have no idea how this is possible, you’ve never taught a spiral like this (or seen one), and you have no idea if your skater can do it, but she’s going to have to if she wants to get any points for the sequence.
The problem is that now her name has been called and she’s already standing in place waiting for her music. You can’t verbally coach her from this point, so you dig deep, and relying on everything you’ve ever read about the powers of quantum physics, you try to send her a telepathic message. Alas, she does not receive it. Her spirals are gorgeous, exactly how you taught them to her this morning after reading Communication #146753298776550, but those clarifications are now old news, and the Protocol Sheet she gets back reflects this. All you can do is tell her parents, afterwards, that she’s going to have to get a Blackberry or some other wireless device embedded in a bracelet, so she can check updates herself while skating from the door to her opening pose.
***
I just got back from the PSA Nationwide Seminar in Stamford, CT, where Technical Specialist Ken Shelley gave an informative talk on the International Judging System, IJS. Coach Shirley Hughes was the keynote speaker of the day and also added helpful information. In hindsight, just because I’m nerdy this way, I wish I had counted the number of times they used the word Change. As in, “this has changed” or “that will change,” or “this is one of the biggest recent changes,” or “make sure to check and see if such and such changes.” I think the tally would have made for some decent entertainment. Instead, I was compelled to play David Bowie’s “Changes” over and over on my internal iPod.
This seminar confirms what I’ve been thinking about IJS lately, that: change is good, but too much change can result in chaos, especially when there seems to be no end in sight. I’m usually not one to raise my hand in class, but I couldn’t help myself. I said, “In response to the almost comical number of changes, it seems that skaters, parents, coaches, and even the technical panelists are frustrated and confused. I’ve been telling my students that the system is still relatively new and that we need to let them work out the kinks, but it will all eventually become more standardized. Do you think this is true?” I really wanted Mr. Shelley and Ms. Hughes, the good-natured IJS messengers of the day, to confirm that I was on the right track, here. Instead, they just chuckled and answered that we’re probably going to continue to see a lot more… “changes”. They pointed out that most of these changes, such as (pretty much) doing away with the notorious backwards “crotch” spiral, are positive. I agree that it’s good to remodel your house, but who wants to do so (or be forced to do so) every month?
It could be said that the judging of figure skating didn’t progress enough for a very long time and that the sport was either not moving forward at all or moving forward only at a snail’s pace. Of course our old system was flawed, and it’s to be expected that this one is imperfect too. But one of the major flaws, it seems, is this constant state of flux. Ms. Hughes recommends that we check in with the USFS website at least once a week for more clarifications. But remember that clarifications by no means stand alone: you have to understand the previous clarifications and the ones before those, not to mention the information provided in conference calls. Heaven forbid you come to this game late - the rules have already changed several times.
Granted, lots of things stay the same: a clean landing is still a clean landing, a straight freeleg is still a straight freeleg, and speed across the ice is still speed across the ice. I understand that most of these communications really are clarifications, not full-blown changes, and they’ve come about organically in response to new questions that have arisen on the technical panel at competitions since the big judging pow-wow in Frankfurt in July. And I understand that these clarifications are meant to help, but the incessant barrage is potentially discouraging.
I coach mainly Moves and Dance and, during the competitive season, I help out with the step sequences (a.k.a. footwork) of freestyle competitors. This season, the kids seem especially flummoxed. “Well,” they say to me, with resignation, “I’ll show you how it is now, but it’s probably going to change.” It bothers me to hear this from a skater in September because one of the greatest lessons I learned as a competitor was the importance of repetition. We did everything in our power to have our programs choreographed by the beginning of the summer so that, for the next 4-6 months we could train the exact steps, repeat them over and over again in order to achieve some semblance of perfection.
The step sequences have turned out to be a hotbed of controversy and a place where almost no one is getting the levels they’re aiming for. Maybe if skaters had more time to practice sequences with a static set of requirements, this wouldn’t be the case? Maybe the ISU could establish a deadline for themselves each season after which no more changes (or changes cloaked as clarifications) can be made?
I have other comments to make about the IJS, but I want to consult with my Astrologer, my Physicist, my Mathematician, and my Lawyer, first. Not to mention that I have to get another ream of paper and a new ink cartridge so I can print out the latest round of communications.
Check back next Tuesday when I’ll poke fun at something else.
