ISU MINIMUM SCORE RULE POLL: KEEP OR DUMP

[haribobo]

IMO this ISU minimum TES score rule is for the birds. Adriana DeSanctis can't go to 4CC because Skate Canada never bothered to send her out this year to get the min score, and now she can't do GP next year, sans SC. I mean, who is this rule helping? Curious what others think though.

[MikiAndoFan#1]

Dump!

[Jenna]

Well...to be honest I don't think the skaters who can't rotate a double double jump combination belong at an ISU championship...just my opinion of course. I don't think it should prevent skaters like Adriana from competing, though. Skate Canada just needs to do a better job of sending their skaters out to Senior B Comps perhaps..

[elfenblüte]

Dump!

Everyone should have the chance to compete at ISU Championships, their technical ability should not care.
Sometimes i like "obscure" skaters much more than the better skaters, i like their music and choreography!
I think the minimum score rule will damage the sport in many smaller federations in the future.

[julieann]

Dump it, or make the minimum score higher, it's so low now anyway.

[Lanna]

Well...to be honest I don't think the skaters who can't rotate a double double jump combination belong at an ISU championship...just my opinion of course.

That's not exactly the issue at hand, and probalby will never be an issue at hand: the requirement is a minimum score, not a minimum jumping qualification.

And those skaters would've been relegated to early SP groups and never make the FS, so it's not like people who don't want to watch them would be forced to view them in between viewing skaters land quads or 3-3s fall on quads or 3-3 who have higher scoring potential.

And there's definitely a Yao Bin argument to make about skaters who are the best in their countries but nowhere close to the best in the world being able to compete amongst the best in the world. It's the World Championships, not the "Grand Prix Countries Plus A Couple Others" Championships.

I don't think it should prevent skaters like Adriana from competing, though. Skate Canada just needs to do a better job of sending their skaters out to Senior B Comps perhaps..

It's just that now, countries like the USA, JPN, CAN, RUS, etc, who have large fields, have to send out all of their skaters to international events at least once every two years. Just in case one of them has a breakthrough season.

[victoriaheidi]

I don't see any benefit. I don't see how having skaters from developing federations-or whatever you want to call them-will hurt the major competition. And I don't see why someone who's great (best in his or her nation) should be kept home because s/he wasn't given the opportunity to go out earlier in the season.

[danafan]

At the very least they should waive the minimum score for 4CCs and Europeans to allow a skater/team to make the score at that event prior to worlds - especially if you have a breakthrough season domestically

Spoiler

(ie Adriana DeSanctis at Canadians this year)

or if you were out with injury and unable to compete internationally the last two seasons in order to get the score, despite having done so numerous times in previous seasons

Spoiler

(ie Elladj Balde!)

(Canadian championship potential spoilers)

[Jenna]

I understand your point, Lara. There is something to be said about a Yao Bin type of situation...and every federation's top athlete, regardless of jumping ability, should ideally be able to participate.

I think we all know the reason this rule was implemented by the ISU...to save time and money.

[vodkashot]

I think we all know the reason this rule was implemented by the ISU...to save time and money.

Yep, this seems to be the logic behind the majority of the ISU's decisions....

[barbk]

If federations had been better about not sending tremendously unqualified skaters to Worlds this might not ever have been implemented. Skaters with one or two triple jumps don't belong competing at Worlds, and their federations should have instead sent them to Senior B competitions.

There needs to be more opportunities for skaters to meet minimum qualifying standards, but making sure that entrants to the World Championships are actually competent competitors is a reasonable goal.

I don't think that Eddie the Eagle was a good standard, and I'm glad that ski jumping put standards in place after that to ensure that they wouldn't again waste time with seriously underqualified entrants.

[Lanna]

If federations had been better about not sending tremendously unqualified skaters to Worlds this might not ever have been implemented. Skaters with one or two triple jumps don't belong competing at Worlds, and their federations should have instead sent them to Senior B competitions.

What makes you think they weren't being sent there already? A lot of obscure skaters go to senior B competitions.

[barbk]

I'd have to look at the lists again, but there were a number of skaters in singles at Worlds last year who had not competed in a GP or Senior B event last season.

[danafan]

The problem is though, for countries with a lot of depth across the disciplines (like Canada and the US, who almost exclusively choose teams from nationals results), if someone surprises and has a breakthrough performance but was not previously ranked high enough to compete internationally, they won't have the ISU score. Yet I think it's safe to say that any skater good enough to qualify for US and Canadian championships is more than capable of getting the minimum score.

The best solution for an American and Canadian standpoint would be to get one of the major summer events recognized as an ISU event.

[Seerek]

I think Skate Canada should consider having a mini-National GP series like they do in Russia to monitor skaters earlier in the season just in case someone new is identified and can be sent to a late fall B international.

[oleada]

I feel they should also add a provision for high level skaters who are competing with new partners (i.e Volosozhar/Trankov).

[stjeaskategym]

Is this just the ISU's way of making Senior Bs more popular? This rule has made these competitions more important than ever before. Strong skating countries are now forced to send out many skaters to internationals that aren't Grand Prixes instead of keeping them at home at local competitions... Poor skating countries are now forced to send their skaters to multiple Sr Bs if they are unable to get the qualifying score in previous attempts.

I understand wanting to increase participation in Senior Bs, but I just wonder if there are too many are them. The fields can be very thin (or non-existent) at some of these competitions, making them a waste of time and money for foreign participants.

[Aceon6]

I think it's just a money maker for the ISU, forcing feds to send folks to the Senior Bs. Each fed should have total freedom in choosing its team.

[gkelly]

I understand wanting to increase participation in Senior Bs, but I just wonder if there are too many are them. The fields can be very thin (or non-existent) at some of these competitions, making them a waste of time and money for foreign participants.

But if they become popular, especially with skaters from countries with deep fields and/or new pair and dance teams, then the fields won't be so thin anymore, will they?

[Susan M]

I think the minimum qualifying score makes sense. There are only so many spots available at the Championships, so they should not be giving places to skaters who can't achieve even the minimum score. The minimums were really set pretty low and should only keep out the weakest skaters, once federations get their act together about making sure their skaters get sent qualifying international events.

It is always easy to blame the rules, but if a federation finds themselves with a good skater who still has not posted a qualifying score, they really need to blame themselves (or maybe the skater/coach, if they were given opportunities and did not take advantage of them). They have all known about this rule all season.

Lots of other sports have qualifying minimums so this really kind of helps bring skating out of the gentleman's club philosophy and into the world of serious sports.