Given my analytical nature, I wanted to dig a little deeper on this issue. I wanted to explore some things that might have led to this opinion, and what exactly the problem is. Here are my speculations on what has happened, and where we can go from here.
Back in the day...
In the 90s, figure skating was in its heyday. This was when I became a diehard fan, and there were many others like me. I think the catalyst for figure skating popularity came from the scandal with Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. It was like reality TV before there was such a thing. The entire scandal caused everyone to pay more attention to the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. However, that was not the only draw of the event. A lot of different things were happening. The International Skating Union, or ISU, changed the rules to allow professional skaters to compete in the Olympics, something that was forbidden in the past. So, you had some legends such as Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, and Gordeeva & Grinkov competing with several newcomers. There were some new names and faces that came out of this event. After the Olympics, several more skaters went professional, and there were several professional competitions on TV as well as exhibition shows. There were several shows that toured around the country, most notably Stars on Ice, and the Tour of World Figure Skating Champions (later Champions on Ice). I went to every Champions on Ice show until I went to college in 2001 (they ended soon after that anyway). I plan to post all of my programs of the shows sometime. This was a special time for me and my mom. We would go to dinner and Olive Garden and then go see the show. I will never forget these cherished memories. And I have to give credit to my parents, brother, and sister for watching EVERY SINGLE skating thing that came on, just because I loved it.
With so many skaters going professional after the 1994 Olympics, this left a gap for new stars to rise for the latter part of the 90s. This is where you see the rise of skaters such as Ilia Kulik, Elvis Stojko, Todd Eldredge, and the now legendary Michelle Kwan. Kwan was the perfect combination of technical ability and artistry, dominating for nearly a decade. She had challengers, such as Tara Lipinksi and Irina Slutskaya, but everyone gravitated toward Michelle. She was the new American Ice Princess. The ladies event always drew greater attention than the other events in figure skating.
The Great Shift of 2002
In figure skating history, there are 3 major historical events that have completely transformed the sport and art of figure skating. Here's a breakdown of the 3 major shifts:
1) Figure skating competitions were separated into men's, ladies, and pairs events for the 1912 Olympics after Madge Syers held her own against several men in the 1908 Olympics, almost winning.
2) In July 1990, compulsory figures were eliminated from competitions. Some of the major rationale behind this decision were that it held back otherwise talented free skaters, such as Janet Lynn. They were also not as interesting to watch as free skating, with all the jumps and spins, and music. The debate on the relevance of figures continues to this day.
3) During the 2002 Olympics, there was a huge judging scandal in the pairs event. Block judging was rumored to happen at several competitions leading up to this, but those scores could usually be rationalized. The coercion by judges was blatantly obvious in this case. This video can explain the situation much better than I can.
A Run-down on IJS and Comparisons to the 6.0 Judging System
Under the previous 6.0 judging system, there were two separate score categories of scores: technical merit and artistic impression. The technical merit was fairly straighforward; you either got the element or you didn't. The artistic impression was more subjective.
Under IJS, things are a little more detailed. There is still a technical score, and the artistic impression is replaced with the component score. In the technical score, each element is assigned a points value. There is also a grade of execution score, in which an element can gain, or lose, up to 3 points. A perfect landing would give a skater a +3 on the grade of execution, whereas under or over rotation on a jump, or poor spin position, could cause the skater to lose points. The component score is based on musical interpretation, flow of the program, and overall presentation. It is still subjective like the artistic impression scores were, but there is an attempt to quantify certain performance elements.
Under the 6.0 judging system, you know what country each judge is from and the score they gave. Under IJS, the judging has been anonymous. I will touch more on that later. As of June 8, 2016, anonymous judging has been abolished.
Opposition to the IJS System
Several skaters and former commentators have spoken out in strong opposition to the IJS system. Critics of this system state that the scoring makes it confusing for the audience to know what's going on. It can be disheartening to the audience to see someone fall and still win a gold medal. Another criticism of IJS is that it causes all programs to look the same to maximize points. At the beginning of IJS implementation, that point could be argued. You would repeatedly see the same types of jumps in the same order in each program, with spins and step sequences peppered throughout the performance. One thing many people think is that in an effort to quantify figure skating as more of a sport (via IJS), it has taken away from skating as an art. And finally, the biggest rub with IJS was the anonymous judging. There are many who disagree with some of the results from the last Winter Olympics in Sochi and believe it to be caused by colluding judges, knowing they would not be caught. Now that judges are no longer anonymous, it would be interesting to see how this changes.
Contributing factors to the "Death of Figure Skating As We Know It"
I'm going to lay out a little list here of some criticisms of modern figure skating. Some I will acknowledge, and some I will refute.
1) "No one understands the International Judging System"
- This has been true in the recent past, but efforts are now being made to better explain what is happening, both by the commentators and visual aids. At the 2017 US Nationals, there was a color code indicating the grade of execution on various technical elements. This is a positive development that I hope we see more of. Yes, it may seem unfair that someone can fall and still win. However, any skater knows that sometimes you fall when you're really going for it. This has led the sport to push to new boundaries with jumps, since they get credit for the rotations. The days of playing it safe to win are over, which has made figure skating exciting to watch. Not only that, but there is no way to please everyone.
2) "Constant overexposure to figure skating in the 90s and early 2000s burnt everyone out. There were cheesy TV specials on all the time!"
- This one may have some truth to it. I enjoyed watching all the professional skating competitions in the 90s, because they seemed to have more fun out there than the serious "amateur" competitors. Now, those lines have blurred and skaters have more freedom, and there is not a place for many of those competitions now. One thing that irritated me to no end in the '00s was that many skaters began skating to popular songs just to garner an audience. I thought a lot of skaters were selling out in that regard. It did not help that the TV specials continued to progress to epic levels of cheesiness. I remember seeing one called "Fashion on Ice". I was thinking, "hmm, this is 2 things I like, this should be great"! WRONG. So very wrong. The music sucked, the skating was not great, and the costumes were ugly. I'd say this turned people off in the lull from 2002 to about 2010. And honestly, we would have to have another Tonya Harding moment to draw the crowd of the 90s, which no one wants.
3) The absence of the "American Ice Princess"
- We had Kristy. We had Nancy. We had Michelle and Tara, and then Sasha. Who is left to carry the torch now? Gracie Gold? Too inconsistent and not a lot of personality. Ashley Wagner? Not "princessy" enough. Because God forbid a woman have an opinion on anything... I like Gracie and Ashley though.
Also, there are 3 OTHER DISCIPLINES in this freaking sport. American ice dance has been dominating since 2010. Davis and White won the gold in 2014. Their performance was phenomenal. We have new talent in Men's skating, which I personally have enjoyed watching more than the other events in the past several years.
4) "IJS takes away from the artistry of figure skating. Skaters are too focused on earning points."
- I will say that for skaters just breaking into senior competitions, this is true. Later on, I have to disagree on this. Any look at performances by Yuzuru Hanyu, Javier Fernandez, Evgenia Medvedeva, or Ashley Wagner, and you will see that is not the case. There are also many others that I did not mention that would fall into this category as well. One thing that IJS does is push skaters both technically and artistically. It is difficult to make the podium if you are a great jumper with a lackluster presentation, or an artistically gifted skater who messes up on technical elements.
5) "No one watches skating on TV anymore and it's hardly ever on."
- If this metric is comparing viewership to numbers from the 90s, that is an unfair comparison. Now, it is more common for someone to DVR an event and watch it later. I do this all the time. It is much more convenient to do this now than in the 90s where I had competitions recorded on VHS tapes. Not only that, but there are several more channels on TV, as well as internet channels. Have viewer numbers from Ice Network been factored into this equation?
6) "There are a lot of empty seats at competitions held in the US."
- Ok, they got us on this one. I know some friends who have attended Skate America, and several attend Nationals every year. Some friends of mine even got to see the World Championships in Boston last year! Anyway, we can do better. I just looked up information for Skate America this fall. It is in Lake Placid, one of my favorite places ever! Tickets range from $125-$250. Not everyone can swing it, but that's not too bad considering it's a Grand Prix event. However, it is during Thanksgiving week and weekend. I will check out some info on the 2018 Nationals once that becomes available. Bottom line is that we as skaters have to lead the way in increasing the audience at these events. I know I have not done it either.
So what's next?
The US Figure Skating Team is growing stronger every year leading up to the 2018 Olympic Games, and the talent has been great. We are seeing some newcomers on the scene that are making a name on the international circuit, particularly Nathan Chen and the Shibutanis. There is a lot to be optimistic about.
Additionally, I call on everyone to embrace the changes to the sport. You can lament how it's not the same. I had my own period of lamentation too. The fact of the matter is, it's not going back to how it used to be, and that's ok. The IJS has brought some questionable judging calls with it, and few deny that. That has gone on since the history of figure skating though. I could come of with a laundry list of calls I disagree with on both the IJS and the 6.0 systems. We can cherish the memories of the past and look forward to where the future is headed, all while enjoying the sport in its present state. We must be ambassadors of our sport. Get excited about it, and share your enthusiasm with others!
However, there are some changes that would be beneficial. In Dick Button's autobiography "Push Dick's Button", he mentions that the ISU has not had a figure skater as president for 40 years. I do agree with his recommendation of splitting the ISU into figure skating and speed skating components. It would be good to have someone at the top that both knows and cares about figure skating. I am also a big proponent of figures and would like to see more skaters learn them. The discipline you learn from figures translates into better control, body position and edges. I'm only beginning and can already see the benefits.
One more closing thought. The skaters we see on TV are just a tiny tip of the iceberg of other skaters out there. Every day, there are skaters at rinks all across the country of all ages and abilities, practicing elements and programs. We may gain some inspiration from the skaters on TV but each skater becomes their own force. The dream is still alive, every day. Look at the child who got a ribbon in their first competition. The excitement someone gets when they learn something new. To my kindred spirit adult skaters who get out there, work and do amazing things in spite of our age, those who skate because they love it and the great friends and memories it holds, I salute you. All of us, the kids, the adults, and the teens, are what keeps skating alive.
With love from Icy Trails
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