Opinion of *New* Team Event in Sochi?

[BigB08822]

I have to be honest. I see some people saying they don't think it will work and I can understand that thinking. However, I do not get the people who seem so adamant about this not being an event. It seems like they are almost offended that someone would dare mess with their sport. I got news for you. If you don't like the event, don't compete in it!! Further more, feel free to not watch it!

[a56]

If the event is going be a big mess, I'm all for it.

[danceronice]

Ulrich Salchow

LOL, I think every skater should have an event where he/she has to ignore a running across the ice in the background!

[patinage]

I'm very tentatively for the team event, but only if it comes after the individual events. To me, figure skating should be taking its cues from track (relay events come towards the end of the Olympic competition), and not from, say, gymnastics.

Come to think of it, how do other sports with both individual and team/relay aspects handle this?

[Jayar]

So who goes? Is it the national champion or the reigning world champion. What if they get hurt who substitutes?

Did the ISU put out the actual rules of competition or just a statement for the press?

There will be many questions over the next couple of years.

Because it's a TEAM competition, I would hope that the skater who does best in the Olympics gets named to the team.

[CantALoop]

LOL, I think every skater should have an event where he/she has to ignore a running across the ice in the background!

Well Michelle Kwan had that streaker...

[DinDonShamu]

I see I just upset the balance of a perfect tie - now it's 57-56 against

[Jayar]

It's not that easy to develop good Olympic-eligible pairs and dance teams, especially for countries that have strict citizenship requirements, such as Estonia and Japan.

I'm not sure how you compiled your list. The following countries are sending at least one entry in each discipline to this year's Worlds:

AUT
BUL
CAN
CHN
FRA
GER
GBR
ITA
JPN
RUS
USA

That's eleven, but Japan doesn't have a pairs team that can compete in the Olympics.

That doesn't mean Japan can't field a team, and they would qualify with points based on their top team. I am betting that there is a big effort to get an all Japanese pairs team ready for Olympics. Also, the Reeds aren't eligible for Sochi, so they have to find a dance team, too.

Estonia sent entries in each event to Euros... I pulled my list from Euros and 4CCs. I wasn't setting anything in stone. I was just illustrating a point.

[aliceanne]

Ulrich Salchow
Gillis Grafström

Cool vids. Yes, I would have been their watching. Grafstrom's speed and coverage are amazing. Do you have any of Jackson Haines?

[julieann]

Because it's a TEAM competition, I would hope that the skater who does best in the Olympics gets named to the team.

They would have to be named to the TEAM long before the 2014 Olympics or do you mean the 2010 Olympics?

They would either have to be based on the standings of Worlds 2013 or Nationals 2014. That would make the most sense.

[ks777]

I wish that they would give Synchronized skating a chance. Some people are not talented as a single, pair or ice dancer but synchronized skating give them a chance compete at the Olympics. I really hope that sychro-skating will becomes an olympic event soon!!

[julieann]

That doesn't mean Japan can't field a team, and they would qualify with points based on their top team. I am betting that there is a big effort to get an all Japanese pairs team ready for Olympics. Also, the Reeds aren't eligible for Sochi, so they have to find a dance team, too.

Estonia sent entries in each event to Euros... I pulled my list from Euros and 4CCs. I wasn't setting anything in stone. I was just illustrating a point.

There aren't any pairs or dance teams in Japan, I think that is the point, haven you seen the nationals lately? The only ones who won are the only ones who show up and 1/2 of the pairs team is Canadian (Tran) and they won't give him citizenship. They drive all their pairs away (Kawaguchi) in favor of singles. It nothing new for them.

[aliceanne]

I'm very tentatively for the team event, but only if it comes after the individual events. To me, figure skating should be taking its cues from track (relay events come towards the end of the Olympic competition), and not from, say, gymnastics.

Come to think of it, how do other sports with both individual and team/relay aspects handle this?

With track some athletes choose to do all events and try for multiple medals. Some athletes (especially if they are older and injury prone) will drop out of events if they are scheduled too close together and just compete in their best event. Track and field stars often compete in 3 or 4 olympics before they retire though.

Gymnasts are sometimes selected as specialists and sometimes for their all-around abilities. Nastia Liukin was commenting at Worlds that the athletes care more about winning the individual all-around medal but that the federations seem to focus on the team events.

[Jayar]

They would have to be named to the TEAM long before the 2014 Olympics or do you mean the 2010 Olympics?

They would either have to be based on the standings of Worlds 2013 or Nationals 2014. That would make the most sense.

No, they don't *HAVE* to name the team before the Olympics... unless they didn't qualify someone for the Olympics in the singles, pairs, or dance. For example, for the last Olympics, the USA had the following on their Oly team:

Abbott, Lysacek, Weir
Flatt, Nagasu
Denney/Barrett, Evora/Ladwig
Davis/White, Belbin/Agosto, Samuelson/Bates

That could be the pool of skaters from which to choose. So, it could look like this:

Based on Nationals: Abbott, Flatt, Denney/Barrett, Davis/White
Based on Olympics results: Lysacek, Nagasu, Denney/Barrett, Davis/White

And so on...

If you have a team (say France) who doesn't qualify a lady, then you would have to name the lady to the team. Otherwise, you can name your final lineup just before the competition like any other sport does.

[Jayar]

There aren't any pairs or dance teams in Japan, I think that is the point, haven you seen the nationals lately? The only ones who won are the only ones who show up and 1/2 of the pairs team is Canadian (Tran) and they won't give him citizenship. They drive all their pairs away (Kawaguchi) in favor of singles. It nothing new for them.

The Reeds represent Japan, but they will likely opt out of their Japanese citizenship. They also have another dance team: Emi HIRAI and Taiyo MIZUTANI. They have three years to pull a pairs team together. That is definitely long enough to have a world-level team for the competition. You just don't like the competition, and that's fine. Don't watch it. But don't sit here and talk about how logistically impossible it is. If it were, it wouldn't have made it this far in the process.

[dinakt]

I like the idea, as I think the more exposure for the skating the better, and- egotistically- I get more of my skating fix. However, I would need to know all the details to fully support it or to object. For example, I'd love to see more athletes involved; if one of the athletes who qualified for an individual event does not want to do it ( for whatever reason, not only medical), a skater right below at the Nationals is allowed to take place in the team event, even if they are not participating in the individual events. Also, I'd like to see team medals being gived for individual disciplines- that would allow more countries to be competitive. For example, no way China is winning the team event, but they are likely to medal in Pairs. Japan might win the Single events, but not the all- team event, as it stands now- it might be totally different in 3 years, of course. Would be fabulous to see US, Canada and Russia ( and maybe France? who knows by then, maybe they'll get a second Pair at the top) duking it out for medals in Dance. As long as the approach is reasonable and the athletes are not forced into it with threats of sanctions, and the athlete's pool is expanded as a result, I am all for it!

[julieann]

The Reeds represent Japan, but they will likely opt out of their Japanese citizenship. They also have another dance team: Emi HIRAI and Taiyo MIZUTANI. They have three years to pull a pairs team together. That is definitely long enough to have a world-level team for the competition. You just don't like the competition, and that's fine. Don't watch it. But don't sit here and talk about how logistically impossible it is. If it were, it wouldn't have made it this far in the process.

Tran said he cannot get Japanese citizenship at all and she can't get Canadian citizenship in time. They will not be at the Olympics, they are fine with it. What other pair does Japan have? Most years they can't even hold a pairs national competitions for lack of pairs and if they do, only one pair shows up. The last 8 years (when the competition was held) 1/2 of the winners were not from Japan.

Your move.

[julieann]

No, they don't *HAVE* to name the team before the Olympics... unless they didn't qualify someone for the Olympics in the singles, pairs, or dance. For example, for the last Olympics, the USA had the following on their Oly team:

Abbott, Lysacek, Weir
Flatt, Nagasu
Denney/Barrett, Evora/Ladwig
Davis/White, Belbin/Agosto, Samuelson/Bates

That could be the pool of skaters from which to choose. So, it could look like this:

Based on Nationals: Abbott, Flatt, Denney/Barrett, Davis/White
Based on Olympics results: Lysacek, Nagasu, Denney/Barrett, Davis/White

And so on...

If you have a team (say France) who doesn't qualify a lady, then you would have to name the lady to the team. Otherwise, you can name your final lineup just before the competition like any other sport does.

So the team is based on nationals

[Jayar]

Tran said he cannot get Japanese citizenship at all and she can't get Canadian citizenship in time. They will not be at the Olympics, they are fine with it. What other pair does Japan have? Most years they can't even hold a pairs national competitions for lack of pairs and if they do, only one pair shows up. The last 8 years (when the competition was held) 1/2 of the winners were not from Japan.

Your move.

My move is to wonder why my expectation is that you have reading comprehension skills...

Mervin has not said that he CANNOT get citizenship... he has said that he WILL NOT since Japan does not recognize dual citizenship. Narumi obtaining Canadian citizenship, if I understand correctly, was never even considered.

And I *DO* understand that there is not another pairs team in Japan, but they have THREE YEARS to put one that is eligible for the Os together. With the money that they have, it shouldn't be a tall order-- especially since they have the opportunity to medal with one. Without one, they can't compete (they can qualify, but not compete).

[Jayar]

So the team is based on nationals

Not sure I understand your "comment". The Olympic criteria for each country is different. In the USA, the top X skaters are nominated to the Olympic Team, and are almost always going to be accepted as the team. In other countries there is an expectation of placement at a competition like Euros, or perhaps a minimum score to qualify. It's not rocket science, honey. It'f figure skating.