In 7 minutes, how will you convince a non-fan of FS to start appreciating it?

[Cherub721]

I think you should try to emphasize that figure skating has something for everyone.

Since you want to talk about the Olympics, I would tie it into the London games as best you can to build on that excitement. The US women's gymnastics team is really popular, so you could show some examples of explosive jumpers and point out how there are a lot of young up and coming females who want to peak in Sochi like the Fab 5 did. Or you could point out how Plushenko is like the Phelps of skating.

Some people won't care about the athletic side at all, so you could then show a clip like this to win over people who enjoy Dancing with the Stars and that type of thing. Or some clips of romantic couples like G&G and briefly explain how figure skating is unlike any other sport because the skaters can bring their personal lives into the performance (like Katia's tribute to Sergei or Joannie's mother's death).

And then you could admit that sometimes it gets over the top, and ridiculous, but as someone pointed out, that's fun too. Even when skating is bad, it can be entertaining for different reasons. That would be the place to show some crazy costumes and falls.

And if you can, include Surya's backflip from Nagano, because people freaking love that and most non-skating fans remember it.

[Vash01]

Oh God, here we go again.

IMO, having a video of Plushenko to try and encourage someone to get figure skating would not be the best or only avenue. I get that he has a presence on the ice but for me (and others, I believe) it comes across only when seeing him in person. On video, too much of that persona and presence gets lost. However, if you want to use him as part of history and comebacks, that would be a good idea.

Depending upon in which country you are speaking, I would try and relate some of what you are speaking to a skater who has competed or is still competing for your country.

I am American, living in the USA. Most of the audience will be American, with an even mixture of men and women, from all age groups starting at 25 and above. It's a pretty small audience, but I could potentially take the speech outside of Toastmasters (and make it longer too).

I know that many fsuers hate Plushenko, but I know people outside of fsu who like him a lot. My coworker got so excited when she saw Plushenko on TV skating at the 2002 Olympics that she became a fan instantaneously. I helped her by showing different videos, what to look for, what is good/great, what is so so, etc. That was done over several weeks. It is tough to do it in 7 minutes. I love the challenge though.

In any case I am not likely to use Plushenko's video for the speech. It is a demo speech, so a lot of the responsibility is on me - speaking, gestures, audience interaction, interwoven with video clips without them overshadowing the speech itself. The video clips (if at all used) will be a very small part of it, due to the time limitations. Right now on my list is T&M's fall (based on one of the suggestions here) and a couple of jump demos. I could probably fit in one more. I may show Ashley's fall, then the big smile on her face at the end, or I may just use the US nationals DVD and pick 25-30 seconds out of it, if I cannot transfer a clip from yt.

We may also have technological limitations on the use of DVD or Yt. I am looking into ways to use those. I don't think the general public gets interested in FS because of one skater or one video (my coworker was an exception), so I am trying to figure out ways to make it interesting for the audience. I have to simplify it enough to make it understandable, and yet get the message across that it is worthwhile to watch it and look for these (to be named) things.

The great thing about Toastmasters is that they will give me an honest feedback in a gentle and encouraging way, and help me improve my public speaking skills. So I am not nervous, but I would really like more people to get interested in FS. That's why I selected this topic.

[Wyliefan]

This reminds me of when I gave a speech on Gene Kelly to my ninth-grade class. If I still had my notes, I'd try to glean some suggestions from them for you! All I really remember is that I talked about what made him a great dancer, what some of his best numbers were, and what I loved about him, and I showed a clip at the end.

That template might be a little bit more difficult to implement for a whole sport than for one particular individual. But you could do something like giving a quick overview of the sport's history, talking about a few things about skating that particularly appeal to you, and showing a favorite clip or two.

Best of luck!

[Vash01]

The good thing is that I am not limited to just one speech. I could give many more speeches related to FS in the future. I have given 2 or 3 so far; all were different.

[rayhaneh]

If you have the capability to edit video, I think that even if you're only going to show 30-90 seconds of video it would be best to show short clips of several different skaters with different styles performing different kinds of skills. That increases the chances that at least a few seconds of what you show will capture the interest of each viewer, even if they're not all interested in the same things.

Plus, one of the most interesting things about figure skating to me is the variety of skills. So by showing more different aspects of the sport, you'll also have the potential to attract people for whom variety is a plus.

If you just choose one person's favorite skater, even if it's your own favorite and you can talk enthusiastically about the performance, you risk boring viewers for whom that skater's strengths would be the least interesting thing about the sport.

This ^

Also, if you only have 1' to 1'30'' for a video, I am not sure how much of the emotion of any program of any skater/ pair would come through. If I were in your shoes, I think one avenue I would like to explore is making a video similar in construction to this one (if you have the time):

http://youtu.be/u7nPwZJKGcc

I am not at all talking about using those particular skaters - I don't think it matters much who you'll show because the bits you'll be able to show will be too short for those people to make up their mind about them - but I think the atmosphere created by the video works a bit like a movie teaser and I know it works for people who don't follow figure skating (I've shown this to a couple of people at work who really enjoyed it and know next to nothing about skating). Of course it'd require some time and patience to achieve that kind of result, but I thought it might still be an inspiration

[dinakt]

7 minutes is tough.
Something like- Do you like ballet? opera? Do you sometimes sneak a glance, or have tried, a ballroom dance? Does acrobatics, gymnastics, pole vault or diving take your breath away at the precision needed to execute it and win? Well, you can have it all if you follow figure skating! It requires feats of athleticism, and unlike other sports, it requires an artistic and emotional involvement, making it the closer to art than any other sport while not losing any of the athletic achievement that dazzles us.
There are four disciplines, and they all require different sets of skills... Then a bit about your favorite things in them
Then cut to:
- the first minute of Yu-Na's Olympic SP ( jumps and sex appeal)
- last minute and ten seconds of Lambiel's Olympic SP ( footwork, artistry and spins)
- the highest triple twist from Volosozhar/ Trankov or the prettiest throw from S/S that you can find ( or whoever you love. Bazarova/ Larionov's twist and lift would do just as well)
- your favorite twizzles and lift of your favorite dance team. If your audience is American, use D/W. If Canadian, use V/M. Perhaps last 25 sec. of Indian Folk Dance. Or middle of Fledermaus starting with rotational lift and ending with twizzles.
Then spend a minute talking about upcoming Olympics and drama of making the team.
Good luck- I am very curious what you choose to say in 7 minutes and how it goes; please follow- up!

... just read your post of explanation. If showing short clips is tricky, choose one clip with some great jumps and a painful fall. But it would be hard without the visual aid- it's just better to show than to explain.

[pinky166]

Brian Joubert youtube video where he's in his tighty whities

[misskarne]

*starts humming*

Sex Bomb, Sex Bomb...

[NadineWhite]

It's a known fact that people learn & comprehend better via *visualization*, so I would run with that!

I know for me, as a child, I fell in love with figure skating watching Dorothy Hamill at the 1976 Olympics. I wanted to be her, even got her hair cut in elementary school, lol.

And then when Oksana Baiul came along, oh my, oh my...

On that score, I would present a variety of different spectacular skating that would a-p-p-e-a-l to everyone, not just one type.

For myself, if I were in your shoes, I would start with Sonja, beautiful smiling charming elfin-like Sonja. Then Peggy, Dick, Dorothy, Janet, Katarina, Oksana, Michelle, Yuna, and end with the Great Plushenko skating to "Nijinski" & "Once Upon A Time in America". Of course it only being 7 minutes long the aforementioned would have to be spliced together, yet the only one I would present in its entirety is this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywkMDHkeOZs

'nuff said

[AxelAnnie]

A long, long time ago.........(in a far off land>>>>>>just kidding) there was an analysis done with Timothy Goebel (that part is not important) looking at the athleticism required in skating and comparing it to the athleticism in various sports. I can't find the video (it may have been a tv thing).

The one thing I do remember, was the juxtaposition of some basketball player running down the court and jumping up and slamming the ball into the hoop. They showed the effort and skill involved with some fancy slo mo stuff.........then they showed the skater going across the ice, and doing a jump. The thing that stuck in my mind was the voice over which went something like "and the skater has to do everything the basketball guy just did, except he has to do it all and land on a 3/16 blade...........with a smile!"

Also, I found it really interesting to learn about blades. Regular people don't know it is really two surfaces, inside and outside, etc.

When viewed from the side, the blade of a figure skate is not flat, but curved slightly, forming an arc of a circle with a radius of 180-220 cm. This curvature is referred to as the rocker of the blade. The sweet spot of the blade is below the ball of the foot.[4] This spot is usually located near the stanchion of the blade, and is the part of the blade where all spins are spun on.

The blade is also hollow ground; a groove on the bottom of the blade that creates two distinct edges, inside and outside. The inside edge of the blade is on the side closest to the skater; the outside edge of the blade is on the side farthest from the skater. In figure skating it is always desirable to skate on only one edge of the blade, never on both at the same time (which is referred to as a flat). The apparently effortless power and glide across the ice exhibited by elite figure skaters fundamentally derives from efficient use of the edges to generate speed.

[spikydurian]

I think an over emphasis on personalities will not create a lasting interest in figure skating. Skaters come and go, and so will interest. Best to emphasize on the skills required as a figure skater so the audience can appreciate these skills when they see it.

[NadineWhite]

Sorry, but in all honesty for me that would be a total turn off, nothing worse then having to listen to someone pontificate on & on & on... *insert sleep emoticon*

As I stated earlier, it's a known fact that people learn & comprehend via visualization more than anything else. Fact. Look it up if you don't belive me.

Anyhow, I've said enough, and wish you much luck and joy presenting f.s. Vash01!

ps: forgot to include in my prior post, take questions afterward.

[skateboy]

If it were me, I would definitely address the athleticism of FS. So many of my friends don't like FS or even consider it a sport, it makes me so mad.

I think some of the suggestions listed earlier would be great: T/M's disastrous fall; Z/Z Torino accident and comeback; slow-mos and real-time video of triple axels, quads, quad combos, etc.

Good luck, sounds like fun!

[gkelly]

When I was a grad student, I gave several presentations about figure skating. I edited videos by copying from one VHS tape to another, and I wrote and rehearsed my comments to be timed to the video illustrating the points I wanted to make. The editing was a bit rough, but it illustrated the points much better than words alone could.

The technology is different now. Some people have access to equipment, programs, and expertise that would let them do a better job. Without that access, relying on youtube, for example, makes it harder to show multiple short clips.

If Vash01 needs to demonstrate something specific, then that would narrow down the choices, once the decision is made what that specific thing is.

If the purpose is to convince people who hadn't been interested in figure skating before that skating is an exciting sport to watch, then I think video of exciting skating would be very useful.

Could the main point to be demonstrated be something like "Figure skating is an exciting, varied sport that demands great athleticism, precise technique, and sophisticated performance skills?"

Maybe show (not necessarily in this order) some really big, clean triple axels and quads from men, triple-triple combos from ladies; big throw jump from a pair; some fast and/or attractive spins; some exciting pair or dance lifts; footwork (from ice dancers as well as singles) showing good expression of music, good quickness, deep edges, great speed across the ice while weaving and turning; a beautiful spiral or spread eagle with deep edges and good extension. Plus anything else that you love that I haven't mentioned.

If you want to show some falls or some moments of celebration after a triumph, that could add too.

But I would focus more on what happens on the ice than on the off-ice emotions before and after.

If editing multiple clips together is not an option, then maybe choose one or two performances that you can show long sections of, with your own commentary (choose videos that don't have a lot of distracting chatter from TV commentators) and focus on demonstrating a specific point that would be well illustrated by those performances. It could be about the difference between two different skaters' approach to winning such as the old athlete-vs.-artist dichotomy. Or it could be one skater's transformation from earlier to later in a career, or a comeback after a serious injury as suggested earlier. Or any other topic you're enthusiastic about that you can find a good video to illustrate with.

Introduce the video with an explanation of the point you want to make, and if appropriate make well-timed comments while the video is playing. Then you can summarize, draw a conclusion, and/or take questions afterward.

[spikydurian]

The one thing I do remember, was the juxtaposition of some basketball player running down the court and jumping up and slamming the ball into the hoop. They showed the effort and skill involved with some fancy slo mo stuff.........then they showed the skater going across the ice, and doing a jump. The thing that stuck in my mind was the voice over which went something like "and the skater has to do everything the basketball guy just did, except he has to do it all and land on a 3/16 blade...........with a smile!"

This comparison is great.

[skateboy]

Another thing I feel compelled to mention...

In any oral report, 7 minutes goes by like 2 seconds (when you're the one giving it).

Part of my masters requirement was giving an 8-minute summary of my thesis, which was timed. The professor suggested we practice beforehand to make sure we would not go over the time frame. So I did. The first time I tried, I was shocked to find that what I thought would fit into 8 minutes ended up taking over 20 minutes! I practiced at least three more times before I made it work, so it all ended up fine.

[2sk8]

Interesting - I am familiar with a similar presentation done in the last couple of months, though the "goal" wasn't to convince people to be figure skating fans - it was for a college course. Used a number of video clips, focused on really good, athletic jumps (mostly men). This was more impressive to the audience than expected - and Plushenko was not in the clips. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss/need specific examples.

[aftershocks]

Chen Lu 1996 Worlds fp followed by Michelle Kwan 1996 Worlds fp followed by Michelle Kwan 2002 Olympic fp followed by Michelle Kwan 2002 Olympic exhibition followed by Rudy Galindo 1996 Nationals (with the full backstory, and especially the kiss n' cry); Johnny Weir 2003 fp U.S. Nationals followed by JWe's huge comeback sp and fp 2004 Nationals. Of course you need to provide the back stories to these amazing and transcendent efforts, and the rising above the hard time skates.

Also, Toller Cranston, Janet Lynn, and John Curry, but yeah none of this would work with just a brief Toastmaster's speech unless you focused on one or two skaters and a few themes re what brings fans to the sport. You would probably need to shine a light on what the essence of figure skating is all about and the seriously hard work that it takes to reach the top. There are no wimps in figure skating. The essence of fs is about the joy of flight, and the courage to reach deep within oneself to bring out something miraculous and memorable.

Yay fellow Toastmaster!!! Good luck!


ETA:

Also, take a look at this video: "What's so great about figure skating?"
Lots of food for thought from skaters themselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqQ6phmY6k8

The above video was originally longer with other skaters featured, but this version only has Ryan Jahnke offering his wonderful thoughts: "Skating is a crucible for life!"

Here's the original 5 minute version of the above video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTcUqWbtDiI

[bardtoob]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61VttCq5NSE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hupxBUve6Q

[Macassar88]

Boob tassels! Sequined illusion fabric! Wardrobe malfunctions! Wedgies! Lots of healthy derrieres!

Tessa and Scott doing Carmen!

Actually though, I'd show Tessa and Scott doing something - they were the ones who got me hooked on ice dance (their Mahler FD at the olympics)
Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze's SP at SLC
Zhang and Zhang's quad sal throw is amazing to watch!