^^ Ha, ha, you're quick
@gkelly, but I already anticipated your response before you posted and I saw it.
The new rules changes have nothing to do with the fact that the 2018 ladies Olympic gold medal was between only two skaters and everyone knew that heading into the Olympics. When Osmond had the opportunity early in the season to show she had competitive grit and consistency against Zagitova and Medvedeva, she failed to do so, but her talent, her strong programs, and her fed's powerful standing kept her high in the running as a top contender. And by the Olympics, she bucked up her courage and performed well to be slotted into the third spot, regardless of her superior jumping abilities having it all over Med and Zag, and even her PCS should have been scored way higher than theirs on composition and interpretation. --
Again, the fact that Osmond's obvious superior jumping skills and artistic skills weren't correctly judged better than Med & Zag at the Olympics has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with the fact that the new rules weren't in place yet. *
ETA *Ironically, it's certainly possible that some powers within the skating community advocated for the rules changes in part to try and ensure that rewards are given where rewards are due, but the new rules mostly work on the judges' behalf, not always the skaters (unless you are an uber-favorite of the judges). As we have seen this season, the ISU wants to uphold how they rewarded Zagitova with an Olympic gold medal largely because of the hype and buzz, in addition to her consistency. She was definitely very athletic and consistent, and the bells and whistles worked. But I think we are seeing this season many of her weaknesses becoming more apparent as she has grown and her poor technique isn't working as well; her weak pumping cross-overs are cringeworthy. Yet her PCS scores are still out-the-wazoo.
How you see and describe the scoring system may be the purported intention, but the reality is something else again, as are the politics in this sport. The recent GP events were simply gobsmacking in the scoring inconsistencies across disciplines and events. Scores are significantly based on how skaters are perceived and how powerful their feds are. The way judges continue to score PCS marks within ranges that often make no sense in proportion to various skaters' actual presentation skills is rather astounding at times, but business as usual. The new wrinkle with -5 to +5 GOE gives judges so much power to juggle placements, it's simply
Of course performances do matter, because sometimes a great performance vs not so good performances upsets the applecart of where the judges clearly intended skaters to be placed. The way some skaters are given high PCS who do not have very good performance and musical skills is appalling. The way uber favorites are held up when they make mistakes is very interesting. The way some skaters are picked apart with fine tooth combs and brought down in the scoring vs some skaters not receiving negative GOE for similar errors is very revealing. The new rules seem largely intended to give enormous power to the judges, which is want the ISU wants. I know this view is outlier and politically incorrect. I also know that many judges try to adhere to the impossible scoring system rules that are in place. But for fans and upholders of the status quo to act like politics and perception doesn't play a huge role in judging is wishful thinking.
When all is said and done, interestingly the placements often end up overall about where they seemingly should be, but with some glaring exceptions IMHO. And always, the PCS range scoring makes no sense in a number of instances. It is what it is, and I don't see any remedies coming under the ISU's antiquated stranglehold.
Bottom line, this new equipment developed by Japan fed is interesting, but I don't see it solving any of the pressing needs and complicated problems facing the sport.
