I don't. USFS has shown it is possible to put on a National championship without it becoming a super-spreader event and with a high level of quality even though rinks were opening and closing all over the country and our case rate is higher too
Of course, David, it is a great idea to have a national championship! Because Canada can afford to lose a few top skaters because of Covid. Why not risk those who you have, I am sure you will eventually grow up more skaters if those current ones have to retire from health reasons. If, for example MooreTowers/Marinaro or Gilles/Poirier follow the fate of Russian Spilevaya, oh well, never mind. Everyone is replaceable. It may cost you medals at the Olympics though! But I am sure you wouldn’t mind, one cannot be too greedy.[ICE TIME] Exclusive: Legendary Choreographer David Wilson Calls for New Leadership at Skate Canada
Outraged by the cancellation of Canada’s national championships by the organization last month, Wilson blasted Skate Canada President Leanna Caron and her board in a recent interview.japan-forward.com
And how many top skaters has the US or Japan lost due to the crud? NONE. Both Japan and the US have proven that holding the event was possible. And Wilson is right that skaters will go where they can find ice when local rinks are closed. Ask Samuel Mindra how well that worked out for him in the junior men's competition. He is now the bronze medalist after spending most of the last year chasing ice because Kate Brown refused to allow rinks to reopen in the Portland metro area.
Is this intended to be satire? You seem stressed—may I suggest a glass of red and a bath with essential oils?
The USFS has financial resources that Skate Canada does not - we also have rules in place in this country that the US does not - travel is restricted to parts of this country - it just was not the time to have such an event.
And yet there was a National Championship for Hockey at the same time with the same restrictions in place.
It was in the article. It was actually a World Jr. Championship. So travel was even greater than for a National Championship.
risky to say the least.
Other nations held Grand Prix events with only those who live and train in the country competing. The fact that only one virtual event was organized a year after the last live one I find questionable.
There's no national championships for hockey in Canada beyond Junior level, and that's a club competition which includes international players. World & Olympic teams are selected based on camps, and player evaluations in their professional leagues. The players arriving for the World Junior Championships arrived & had to quarantine prior to the event, and a quarter of the German team wasn't allowed to play because they were positive. There's also a lot more money in hockey, particularly in television coverage, and the event is a couple weeks long as opposed to a two event that are the Canadian Figure Skating Championships.It was in the article. It was actually a World Jr. Championship. So travel was even greater than for a National Championship.
And also, why wouldn't they have Nationals championships of some sort? They are an Olympic sport. They have to qualify people to Worlds and then the Olympics somehow.
^^^^THIS. For bad long-term decisions like dumping Adult Nationals because they "can't afford" to stage it, while spending $2 million on a strategic plan.
Seems odd that the President for a national sporting body doesnt even live in Canada???
Because they live in a country that isn't riddled with a deadly disease?
So what about all the other countries you ignored?
I don't know. I just felt compelled to point out that NZ, at least, wouldn't have needed a bubble or any expensive precautions, thus was probably more or less about as financially viable as previous years.So what about all the other countries you ignored?
Well, that would depend on both the geography of those countries, what government regulations were in place, and what the case numbers were like. Among the countries you name, one could start by saying Russia was able to hold a nationals (and numerous other domestic events) by simply not giving a damn about YKW. New Zealand, as noted, has one of the most effective quarantines in the world; Japan's case numbers are also low in comparison with Canada and many other places. The United States held its nationals in Las Vegas both because the rink was nicely suited and because the Nevada state government allowed it. And so on.
Er, yes, David, that's in fact part of the issue. The government does not want people traveling between provinces (or long distances within provinces), and has been trying to dissuade people from doing so. That's how the virus spreads.
Nobody was given "preferential treatment", which is a bizarre way of phrasing it when he goes on to admit that it's because the World Juniors had the money to afford the very expensive health measures the province and federal government required to hold the event -- which involved a full two-week quarantine for all athletes (and good thing, too, since a bunch of them turned out to have YKW; poor Team Germany) and a real bubble.
They did hold a virtual competition. But the skaters on the whole didn't particularly care for that format (as Roman Sadovsky noted, for one), so there wasn't any eagerness to try it again, quite apart from the fact that it would have been logistically difficult since none of the Alberta skaters (most obviously) had any rink access to even film their segments.
Not restricted in the sense of being forbidden, but in many places you have to (or are asked to) quarantine on arrival after crossing provincial boundaries, which is a considerable hindrance (and is intended to be).
I agree; the problem wasn't that Canadian Nationals didn't go ahead but that the ice hockey Worlds did.
