Unpopular Opinions

Peepsquick

Well-Known Member
Messages
760
Very unpopular: So, I don't know if it comes from the name of the discipline itself in English: Figure saking. There is not hint of the artistic side of the discipline like in other languages: EisKUNSTlauf, patinage ARTISTIQUE, etc.... I am often disappointed that fans are more into the competitive side of figure skating, even in Ice Dance, than into the artistic side. Many will grumble that it is no fun when someone is dominant, for example. You will not hear the same said about dominant athletes in swimming or any other sports ... they are pretty much royalty. I hear people say, especially of Ice Dance, that it is all subjective. I don't think it is. I think that the rules are very complicated and that many of us do not understand them fully and cherry pick what make them feel better about their favorite athlete(s). Why not enjoy everybody's skills. There is enough of a turnover to make everyone happy.
Don't kill me! :)
 

Coco

Rotating while Russian!
Messages
18,538
I would like the TE to be last and to somehow have a better format, perhaps incorporating skills events (jumps, spins, pair skills and step/ choreo seq) and match play (head to head).
 

MsZem

I see the sea
Messages
18,463
Very unpopular: So, I don't know if it comes from the name of the discipline itself in English: Figure saking. There is not hint of the artistic side of the discipline like in other languages: EisKUNSTlauf, patinage ARTISTIQUE, etc.... I am often disappointed that fans are more into the competitive side of figure skating, even in Ice Dance, than into the artistic side.
I think I once expressed a similar opinion, only to be told that the name "artistic skating" originates from the artistic figures skaters used to do - so artistic skating and figure skating are basically based on the same thing. But it's been years, so maybe I'm misremembering.
 

clairecloutier

Well-Known Member
Messages
14,559
It surprises me a bit how many people here don't like the team event. It's MORE Olympic figure skating and MORE medals. And look at a country like Japan that is developing its pairs and dance programs to be competitive in the team event. How is this a bad outcome?!

I think it's great! :cheer:

This! More skating = good. More medal opportunities for skaters = great!

I love the idea of the team event. I would love to eventually see it added to Worlds or even perhaps Euros/4CCs/GPF.
 

AYS

🌻
Messages
24,660
I like Caroline Green's FD dress. like the color mix and cut. I think it fits the dance style and looks good on her. :biggrinbo
I just came into this thread specifically to say this. :lol:

Especially after seeing this picture:
 

Taso

Well-Known Member
Messages
7,367
This! More skating = good. More medal opportunities for skaters = great!

I love the idea of the team event. I would love to eventually see it added to Worlds or even perhaps Euros/4CCs/GPF.
Well I think the World Team Trophy is kind of what the aim has been. I think it would make Euros/Worlds/4CCs waaay too long, though the GPF might actually work and flesh the event out a little better.
 

Peepsquick

Well-Known Member
Messages
760
I think I once expressed a similar opinion, only to be told that the name "artistic skating" originates from the artistic figures skaters used to do - so artistic skating and figure skating are basically based on the same thing. But it's been years, so maybe I'm misremembering.
Yes, still interesting to see that the English term lost the reference to "artistic" even if it meant something different than what it means today.
 

Icetalavista

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,113
Selfishly I’m glad the TE is first, because I’ll be in Mexico feb 5-12 and will miss less of the individual medal skating that way
 

once_upon

Better off now than 4 years ago? Have TP now
Messages
30,054
I also like the team event. And Olympic team medals certainly mean something.

But I cringe when people, for instance, refer to Kaetlyn Osmond as a "two-time Olympic medalist" or Virtue and Moir as "three-time Olympic gold medalists" without differentiating where the medals came from. No. Just no.
So Phelps should only be referred to as an 12 OGM because 11 of the OGM were part of relays or other team events?

I may have gotten those numbers wrong - trying to do a quick count.
 

Habs

A bitch from Canada
Messages
6,236
I also like the team event. And Olympic team medals certainly mean something.

But I cringe when people, for instance, refer to Kaetlyn Osmond as a "two-time Olympic medalist" or Virtue and Moir as "three-time Olympic gold medalists" without differentiating where the medals came from. No. Just no.
But why? They won those fair and square within the rules at an Olympic competition. They have those medals.
And Kaetlyn has three ;)
 

Orm Irian

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,691
But why? They won those fair and square within the rules at an Olympic competition. They have those medals.
And Kaetlyn has three ;)
For me that specific phrasing implies that they won the medals at two/three/however many separate Olympics, so it just gets a bit confusing.

I do think it's preferable to specify that someone has an individual and a team medal, though. Nobody folds Ash Barty's doubles titles in with her singles ones, why should they fold Osmond's (or any other skater's) team titles in with her individual ones?
 

Habs

A bitch from Canada
Messages
6,236
For me that specific phrasing implies that they won the medals at two/three/however many separate Olympics, so it just gets a bit confusing.

I do think it's preferable to specify that someone has an individual and a team medal, though. Nobody folds Ash Barty's doubles titles in with her singles ones, why should they fold Osmond's (or any other skater's) team titles in with her individual ones?
My point is it isn’t incorrect to call Osmond a 3-time Olympic medalist. Because she is one.
 
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tony

Throwing the (rule)book at them
Messages
17,679
It may not be technically incorrect but it is confusing. It would be clearer to describe her as a two-time Olympian with three Olympic medals.
To whom? Non-figure skating fans aren't going to care because a medal is a medal to them, and figure skating fans have had 8 years to deal with the addition of more opportunity for medals. To the athletes, who are the only ones who really matter in the situation, trust when it's said a medal is a medal.
 

moebius

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,963
We don’t view team medals from the Olympics as lesser medals in any other sport. We shouldn’t treat the team medals in skating as lesser medals either.
That's because in ice-skating only 3 countries realistically are vying for team medals. For the past 2 Olympics and most likely 3, the same 3 countries have gotten team medals. The other countries are not equally strong in all disciplines and therefore have little chance to win team medals. In other team sports, it's more wide open.
 

miffy

Bad Brit
Staff member
Messages
12,039
Well I think the World Team Trophy is kind of what the aim has been. I think it would make Euros/Worlds/4CCs waaay too long, though the GPF might actually work and flesh the event out a little better.
I’m not sure about the GPF as you wouldn’t get an even number of skaters from each country qualifying through the disciplines. Or did you mean invite more skaters whose countries were the best through the series? That would be interesting but given the limited number of GP spots we might be able to work out who qualifies right at the start? :confused:
 

miffy

Bad Brit
Staff member
Messages
12,039
That's because in ice-skating only 3 countries realistically are vying for team medals. For the past 2 Olympics and most likely 3, the same 3 countries have gotten team medals. The other countries are not equally strong in all disciplines and therefore have little chance to win team medals. In other team sports, it's more wide open.
Lots of us are predicting Japan will medal over Canada this time - other than that I agree! But hopefully it is encouraging some other countries to focus on all the disciplines.
 

LoopCombo

Well-Known Member
Messages
161
I think it’s just more accurate to say something like “Olympic silver medalist and two time Olympic team medalist” than to say “three time Olympic medalist” or to say “Olympic team gold medalist” instead of “Olympic gold medalist” if the medal wasn’t in the individual event — because why not distinguish individual from team event? My husband is a figure skating superfan but he still shoots me confused looks when a skater is described as an “Olympic medalist” when the medal is from the team event. Like he’s trying to fathom how or when the skater won an Olympic individual medal. In skating, people do tend to assume unless it’s specified that it’s an individual medal. Probably because the team event is still relatively recent. At any rate, if I were a team medalist, I’d put team medal on my CV because otherwise it feels somehow dishonest because it’s probably going to be misinterpreted. Doesn’t mean the team event is easy or not as good, just different. If I co-authored a book, I’d list myself as co-author. Same idea.
 

briancoogaert

Well-Known Member
Messages
13,720
About Swimming and Athletics relay medals, I think the big difference is that there is a specific tehcnique about relays, it's not just individual performances added.
That's why a medal in relay is very different, IMO.

It's not to devalue Olympic team medals, but I consider Nadia Comaneci and her 5 individual Gold medals to be a better record than Polina Astakhova's 5 Olympic Gold (2 individual and 3 team). Of course, both are great ! JMHO ;)
 

VGThuy

Well-Known Member
Messages
41,020
For the most part, listing someone's Olympic medals without further detail is just a quick way to introduce someone to the general audience who may or may not know who that person is and provide some context as to why you're watching them on TV or reading about them on some magazine article, etc. For the most part, in those contexts, it doesn't matter how each athlete won each of their medals, if they have three Olympic medals, then they have three Olympic medals and therefore they're kind of famous or at least are public figures someone in casting thought was worth booking for this game show/award show/charity televised event/reality show/etc. So on and so forth. Nobody in real life outside of us fans really cares that much and honestly, I'm not sure why we care that much.
 

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