Tired of people talking during events?

[sue1967]

It is starting to drive me insane and seriously consider staying home from skating events with the constant chattering people do while "watching" the skating competition.
It did not matter what nationality, everyone around me was talking while the skater was performing!

One woman was speaking so loudly to her friends that I wanted to hand her a microphone so everyone could hear the commentary.

Do we go to the opera or symphony and make comments during the music? Certainly not at the NY Philharmonic when the conductor stopped the performance until the man in the audience stilled his cell phone. Am I wrong or is not the same thing, we should respect the competitor out on the ice and be quiet during their performance.

I am not talking about young children, whose parents should be able to control their children or leave them at home, but grown adults who really should know better.

It appears to be a sign of the times that we do not give performers their due and respect their performance with a little less talking and more applause.

[dawnie]

I haven't had a problem with talking until Worlds in LA a few years ago. During the penultimate group for the ladies free, I had 3 skaters sitting in front of me. I knew the second they sat down they were going to be obnoxious because they walked in with their beers and an attitude like they were so superior. At the time, I had no clue who any of them were but they made it clear they were skaters with their credentials hanging and typical skater "warm-up" clothes (i.e. track pants and zip-up jacket or the like). Which was weird since I later found out only one of them competed that day in the ladies competition. I didn't know who she was at the time and I had to look up who the other 2 were because I don't really follow lower-ranked pairs and men.

Anyway, the male singles skater and female pairs skater from the same country were talking NON-STOP throughout the entire group. The female singles skater wasn't really talking and was just sort of nodding in agreement. I'm not sure she spoke English actually. Everyone around us was visibly irritated and it was really distracting.

So the female pairs skater was analyzing every move like she was Dick Button. Most of her "commentary" was just pointless and unnecessary and I remember thinking if she was so great, then why isn't she out in the final 2 flights?! At the moment, I totally thought she was a random American girl who was skating for some obscure country and finished 24th or whatever. Frustrated, I had to say something and tapped her on the shoulder.

Me- "Excuse me, are you a skater?"
Female Pairs Skater- "Yes." (with a smile)
Me- "Oh okay. Don't you think you should show your fellow competitors some courtesy by not talking throughout their performances?"
Female Pairs Skater- "Yeah." (with an annoyed look on her face)

That shut her up for a minute but the talking started up again when Mao took the ice so we just moved down to a better and quieter section where thankfully, we found 2 seats.

[AragornElessar]

The I just *have* to answer this call every five minutes at whatever event happening anymore drives me nuts too. At the Celebration On Ice show a couple of years ago in Sudbury, there was a woman behind us who's phone was ringing pretty non stop and distracting those of us in front of her on the on ice seats from what was going on out on the ice.

When it came time for the third performance of the show and she still hadn't at the very least put it on vibrate and I heard the, "deedle deedle....deedle deedle...", I turned around and asked her to please shut off her phone and show some courtesy to everyone else around her. She shot back w/, "Do you have any idea how much I paid for these tickets?" That was when my friend started laughing and I heard her mutter, "That was a dumb move lady." As you can guess, I told her that of course I knew how much she'd paid, as I had to pay the exact same amount for my on ice seat, but that didn't give her or me the right to disturb everyone w/a cell phone.

She couldn't come up w/anything for that, but shut off her phone and gave me a look that would have melted the ice. At Intermission I was told she flounced off into the Concourse shooting me a wicked look too from a friend of ours who was at a different part of the arena. I did have others in our general area coming up to me and thanking me for saying something to her, as she was distracting them as well.

And for what? What really ticks me off are these teens/College/University age kids who will be bored on a long bus trip and decide to plan the party where they're going to get totally wasted at this weekend. That's happened to me twice on respective Greyhound trips and both times I ended up saying something about respect and courtesy to fellow passengers. You want to get wasted for the weekend, that's great if that's your thing, but I certainly don't want to hear about it and neither did the others on the bus.

I'm w/you though when it comes to people chitter chattering away at events these days. I've been pretty lucky the last few times, but I know friends who weren't. The truly sad thing is that it seems to be a normal thing anymore. Another example of the decline of manners and courtesy in this World of ours.

[arakwafan2006]

I understand what you mean. It's like, you look at them because you seriously cant believe they are talking like they are at the Monster Truck Show!!! I get it that we're not at the library but seriously.

Its like women who crack their gum. I HATE IT!!! If i hear it in the movies, i'm outa there...snap...snapp snapp... DRIVES ME NUTS.

[arakwafan2006]

.
It did not matter what nationality, everyone around me was talking while the skater was performing!
.

I dont follow you?

[sequins]

Wow I shouldn't be shocked but I am. I just can't understand people anymore. Absolutely no consideration for others anymore. It's all 'me, me, ME'

I have only ever gone to events in Kitchener and I can honestly say it's always been great(except at a concert with two drunks behind me, but that's another story). At worst would've been the guy at 96? Skate Canada who knew 'everything' about skating but knew nothing, commentating on the men's SP. Hollering about Steven Cousins should've had higher marks cause he didn't fall, the judges are stupid blagh, blagh, blagh, and I usually don't say much but I just couldn't take it and I shot back 'He's in 4th, 5th? because he doesn't have a 3Axel' He never said much after that Not too bad I know but if I had to endure what the rest of you have I couldn't take it. Seriously why pay for tickets, if you just wanna act like an ass and not watch the event? Rudeness and the lack of consideration for others makes my blood boil.

The truly sad thing is that it seems to be a normal thing anymore. Another example of the decline of manners and courtesy in this World of ours.

Sad, scary and so true.

[skateboy]

I have a stock phrase I dole out when people insist on talking during competitions: "You know, his music is playing so loudly, we can hardly hear you talk."

(I do the same at concerts, the movies, etc.)

[Holley Calmes]

OMG, I wish I had been at the NY Phil when the conductor did that. Bravo to him/her. I simply do not go to many concerts, especially of the "ampitheatre-bring-your-own -picnic" type because these people don't care about the music, they are just showing off their china and crystal. It's rampant in Atlanta.

[JasperBoy]

Then again, there are those who complain to people who talk BETWEEN skaters. They seem to think they are in church, and there must be total silence for the duration of the event.

That being said, I totally agree about the rudeness of people who talk, answer phones, etc during a competitive performance. It is even worse when people walk to or from their seats while someone is competing. In some arenas the ushers make no attempt to stop them.

[Finnice]

Then again, there are those who complain to people who talk BETWEEN skaters. They seem to think they are in church, and there must be total silence for the duration of the event.

That being said, I totally agree about the rudeness of people who talk, answer phones, etc during a competitive performance. It is even worse when people walk to or from their seats while someone is competing. In some arenas the ushers make no attempt to stop them.

Well, if the chairman of ISU does that, people think it is ok
I hate when people talk too much during the skating. In my experience, some (former) skaters are the worst.

[allezfred]

I hate when people talk too much during the skating. In my experience, some (former) skaters are the worst.

This. Never sit near a skater at a competition unless you want to hear a running commentary.

[GarrAarghHrumph]

Isn't it normal in many other sports to talk either between "plays", or even, in some sports, during the play? To discuss the event as it is going on?

[emason]

Isn't it normal in many other sports to talk either between "plays", or even, in some sports, during the play? To discuss the event as it is going on?

It may be, but most of those sports, if any, don't have musical accompaniment as an important element.

As far as the rampant rudeness goes, I blame TV; anyone and everyone thinks they are at home watching TV and can say and do whatever they want as if they were in the privacy of their own living room.

I was at the opera last night and the woman sitting in front of me texted during every scene change; she just could not put down her electronic toy for one second, never mind that the light on that thing was shining in my eyes and annoying as hell.

[sequins]

Isn't it normal in many other sports to talk either between "plays", or even, in some sports, during the play? To discuss the event as it is going on?

Certainly and I don't expect complete silence but it's not a hockey game. As emason says the music is an important part and most of us like to enjoy the moment. I certainly don't mind a few comments during the skate and after/in between is fine. I think the problem is the nonstop rambling of some, the constant texting, phone calls and chattering away about their personal lives. For me skating is more like watching a movie and while the 'movie' is on quiet(or mostly quiet) please.

[npavel]

I was at Euros a few times and had a very god time. But this year there were people in front of me with vine and glasses and all the time the chat about more vine and food, I thought it was so disturbing, they should be at home and do so, I almost got crazy.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

People are very rude...yes being in a theater and having people check their phones during a performance is disturbing unless I'm in the front row. Those screens are bright!

A commentary during a competition is extremely rude. There are plenty of downtime moments where people can chat. At least the stadium isn't dark so their screens don't glow!

Watching Nice made me smile though - so many people were shown munching beautiful baguettes...a far cry from local cheesy nachos.

[Jarrett]

I sat in the nose bleed seats for 2009 Worlds in LA and Sandra Bezic and David Wilson sat right behind me. They were quite the chatter boxes but I liked listening to the skater news. Unfortunately, the woman sitting a seat over from me did not and turned around and said something to the effect of shut up. They left soon after but when Sandra stood up, I think she had her phone on her lap because it fell and I heard glass shatter. Whoops.

[briancoogaert]

Sometimes, I find commentaries really amusing.

[mia joy]

A commentary during a competition is extremely rude.

I don't think commentary is rude in general. The rude part is when you shout your commentary instead of quietly sharing your thoughts with whoever you came with.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

I don't think commentary is rude in general. The rude part is when you shout your commentary instead of quietly sharing your thoughts with whoever you came with.

LOL - very true!