http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=7473728&page=1

I think Skate Canada is way off base trying something like this---attempting to draw the hockey fans so they will watch and support figure skating, LOL. I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but....it isn't gonna work. SC has decided that the way to boost the numbers of skating fans is to make figure skating more masculine. This whole idea seems kind of odd to me, LOL, because the skater they are pushing toward glory for Canada in the 2010 Olympics is Patrick Chan who is anything but a macho skater. His style is very ballet oriented. If SC really wants a chance at finding out why hockey fans don't watch figure skating, why don't they poll them and find out what would attrack them to this sport?

Mary C.

first of all the idea in itself is offensive to lots of people.
then it's so silly to talk all macho when what you have to offer is chan, who is clearly not macho and not even a good looking man to atract maybe some female viewers.

Patrick Chan as a masculine skater, I think not. Angering your audience into boycotting skating, that's a brilliant statement Skate Canada

If we wanted to attract hockey fans, we would play hockey!

Do they not realise how insulting they are being to their loyal skating audiences?

It wasn't the skating that made FS popular for a while on NA tv screens - it was the assault on Nancy Kerrigan's knee by Tonya Harding's ex-husband, what does that say about the right & wrong reasons for watching FS?? :running-away:

{Going slightly off-topic (sorry ) I read somewhere that when SC were asked about the 'loss' of the third spot for their men in the Olympics, their reply was something along the lines of "the only thing that mattered was Patrick's high finish" - gosh, do they know how to make all their skaters (especially Vaughan & Jeremy) feel special & needed? These guys are nearly as wonderful (not!) as NISA in GB!!}

My guess is that there is more behind this "macho" thing than merely getting away from frills and sequins on costumes. Some time ago I recall having read an article...three or four years ago... (and I don't remember where it was or i'd try to link to it) that the IOC was exploring the possiblities of dropping figure skating from the Olympics because it isn't sport-like enough, when compared to the majority of other sports. The hang-up involved is that figure skating is a judged event whereas most other sports are not. The equestrian sports are also judged events. Other sports incorporate timed competitions or distance/height measurements, etc. with the winner being the person or team who can gain the best distance or the fastest time. This current "joke" of a new judging system attempts to address this issue, in that, the skaters are amassing points toward a "personal best." Unfortunately for the ISU this concept isn't setting well with the established fan base. With a threat looming from the IOC regarding the possible elimination of figure skating from the Olympics, it stands to reason that the worldwide skating organizations and federations would be trying to come up with ways to make the sport fit the concept of a more traditional athletic event.

If that is truly the case behind this effort by SC I would rather they come out and tell the fans that unless figure skating, as we know it, is changed to become more like a traditional sport, with obvious exertion from its participants and a down-play in the costuming, while incorporating the same kinds of timed events and push-the-envelope physical efforts on the parts of the skaters, figure skating will be eliminated from the Olympics. I would rather they take that tack than disquise it as they currently are doing. The way they are handling this will not give them the outcome they want. In fact, it is outraging the current fan base, as it is which may, actually, drive some of the existing fans away from the sport.

Mary C.

And a little comment from Elvis Stojko on what men's figure skating is and what it should be:
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/05/03/9330621-sun.html

Brian is also mentioned :

Quote:

Prior to this year's world's, Toronto's Chan called out Joubert for his comments from 2008, suggesting that the Frenchman "needs to be taught other things like footwork and spins." But Stojko, perhaps to his detriment, took Joubert's side. "Being a little bit mouthy towards the other guy is not cool," Stojko said of Chan. "The other guy's been around a little longer. I competed against Joubert when he was first coming out. He was there back in the day when we competed with the guys doing the quads and stuff, really pushing the envelope. "

I came across an intersting development to the orginal article. Apparently a poster at FSU sent an email to Mr. Thompson at Skate Canada, getting the following reply (scroll down to post #225):
http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66063&page=12

The representative for SC is alleging that the journalist who wrote the article skewed what SC had orginally stated by taking certain parts out of context of what SC had, orginally, given the journalist and juxtaposed them with comments by others who do not represent Skate Canada (namely, Elvis). The email is an interesting read, for sure. SC is in "damage control" mode, that is for certain.

Mary C.

Here's a link to the official reply by Skate Canada to the "Macho" article :

http://www.skatecanada.ca/en/news_views/news/2008_2009/may_6.cfm

Basically, this is damage control on SC's part, LOL.

Mary C.

I really enjoyed reading the article on Elvis. It was so much different from those that you usually read. It's good to know that there is a person in the skating world supporting Brian-like skating