The Ted Barton Appreciation Society

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

If you have been following the Live Chat in conjunction with the ISU JGP Series Stream, Ted Barton has been getting a lot of love for his supportive and considered observations.

As someone succinctly put it, he really is the Mr Rogers of commentary.

Here is a link to a Wikipedia page about Ted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Barton

Here is a great interview with Ted, hosted by PJ Kwong.
http://www.openkwongdore.com/2016/08/29/episode-15-ted-barton/

 

[Bellanca]

If you have been following the Live Chat in conjunction with the ISU JGP Series Stream, Ted Barton has been getting a lot of love for his supportive and considered observations.

As someone succinctly put it, he really is the Mr Rogers of commentary.

Here is a link to a Wikipedia page about Ted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Barton

Here is a great interview with Ted, hosted by PJ Kwong.
http://www.openkwongdore.com/2016/08/29/episode-15-ted-barton/

Thanks! @essence_of_soy.

 

[Sylvia]

I tweeted this link earlier today in response to someone asking about Ted Barton's background and accomplishments: http://www.bcsportshalloffame.com/inductees/inductees/bio?id=319&type=person

ETA: https://twitter.com/SylviaUnseen/status/904071679856562176

I've seen quite a few compliments posted about Ted Barton's positive and constructive commentary in the JGP competition play-by-play threads in the Kiss & Cry section as well.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

I wondered who that guy was. I've learned things about how judging works ("pick stutter" was it?). Don't miss the color-commentary at all. The sport is interesting on its own.

 

[misskarne]

Ted is the perfect JGP commentator. I wish he commentated EVERYTHING.

#ReplaceTara+JohnnywithTed2017

 

[lala]

I read on YT he has many fans among the chatting peole... He is really nice and supportive with every skater.

 

[princeton123]

I'm sure I read somewhere he's the whole reason JGP streaming on YouTube even exists. It was his idea and he had to lobby and fight the ISU pretty hard to get the service up for free in the end.

 

[4rkidz]

I think he does a wonderful job and comes from my school of strength based reporting

 

[barbarafan]

I think he does a wonderful job and comes from my school of strength based reporting

He is my hero....He can find the bright side of anything...and anything he does say can be heard by the skaters & their families and it will uplift and focus them on what they need to work on.One of the things I like most is as they leave the ice he gives overall general comments on the skate like speed, flow height of elements then reviews the elements giving exact details of anything that went wrong..ie see here (in the middle of a twizzle)her weight went back on her heel and threw her off and if they blew elements he will remark on how good they did it in the warmup. You just have to love him.

 

[kittyjake5]

Count me in as one who was impressed with his commentating. He shows respect to each skater even if
their performance was not their best and explains to the audience reasons on what probably caused their mistakes.

Thanks for stating this thread as now I have a face to that wonderful
voice.

 

[mag]

Another fan here. He is exactly what this sport needs in a commentator.

 

[Sylvia]

I'm sure I read somewhere he's the whole reason JGP streaming on YouTube even exists. It was his idea and he had to lobby and fight the ISU pretty hard to get the service up for free in the end.

Thanks to @VIETgrlTerifa for reminding me about this article by Jack Gallagher last year when he spoke to Barton at the JGP in Japan: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports...on-cites-early-instruction-key-japans-success

 

[LilJen]

Okay, NOW I have to tune into the JGP, folks. Thanks for the info!

 

[mag]

The best part of his commentary during the Brisbane JGP was when they were showing the slow motion of the Japanese lady with the fabulous spins (sorry, I can't remember which one she is.) Anyway, he kept saying "we are watching this is slow motion." They are faster in slow motion than many skaters spin!

 

[JasperBoy]

I am pretty sure that Ted Barton was an announcer on the late, lamented Skate Bug. I remember a particular feature during the Nats in Victoria, where he took the role of a judge and dissected the programmes as a judge would. I learned so much during his critique.

 

[Seerek]

It was also excellent to hear Ted's interviews in the past with Julian Yee, Eunsoo Lim, Maria Sotskova, Donovan Carrillo, and this week's with Basar Oktar. He also managed interviews with coaches like Tracey Wainman, Alexei Urmanov, Julia Sebestyen and the like.

Without any national biases, Ted correctly points out when a skater from an OES or O4CCS country actually has good skating skills and components (even if the judges actually don't reward them accordingly). Ted kind of supports my theory about smaller federations being up against it to break through.

 

[barbarafan]

I am pretty sure that Ted Barton was an announcer on the late, lamented Skate Bug. I remember a particular feature during the Nats in Victoria, where he took the role of a judge and dissected the programmes as a judge would. I learned so much during his critique.

I thought it was skate buzz....my first taste of livestream..He was amazing and I watched all these young ice dancers with beautiful glide from Megan's and Aaron young students.

 

[DimaToe]

I like Ted's beard, that's about all I have to say

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I like Ted's beard, that's about all I have to say

You know Jennifer? I hear she poops at parties.

For the record, Ted only has a moustache.

 

[el henry]

To return to the subject at hand, I looove Ted Barton. I looove that he actually lets us watch the program, that he explains what the skater has done and has not, that he doesn't confuse snark, bitterness or sarcasm with so-called "hard hitting" commentary.

And I love that Canadian accent

 

[barbarafan]

To return to the subject at hand, I looove Ted Barton. I looove that he actually lets us watch the program, that he explains what the skater has done and has not, that he doesn't confuse snark, bitterness or sarcasm with so-called "hard hitting" commentary.

And I love that Canadian accent

What accent?

 

[love skating]

I first heard him last season for the JGP - love his commentary and love that he waits until the program is finished to comment too!

 

[kalamalka]

Thanks to @VIETgrlTerifa for reminding me about this article by Jack Gallagher last year when he spoke to Barton at the JGP in Japan: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports...on-cites-early-instruction-key-japans-success

Thanks for the link, Sylvia. I hadn't seen that article last year. I've been appreciating the streaming of BC competitions for a few years, and have been glad to see it extended to other Canadian competitions and the JGP andJW (the junior worlds stream last season was possibly my favourite event to watch other than in person all year). And the quality of the coverage keeps improving. I was actually really sorry when they switched from the dailymotion coverage of Canadians for novices/juniors and the early groups to TSN/CTV for the top seniors in January - and not just because CTV refuses to broadcast any skating in my time zone without a three hour delay.
I like that a large part of the impetus for streaming juniors/lower levels was to enable kids to see what others are doing. I would also think it would be very useful for a lot of coaches.
Also liked Ted's comment about how much the numbers go up for the live stream of Japanese skaters -no matter what the time of night in Japan.

 

[Bellanca]

I think I'm crushing on Ted!

 

[googooeyes]

He is a very smart and interesting guy. He is married to Valerie Jones Bartlett who was Canadian champion and 4th in the world in the 1960s.

 

[Jammers]

Can NBC and the IceNetwork hire Ted? I wonder if Ted would be a little bit more critical if he called say the Senior GP or other Senior events? i get the feeling part of the reason he's so supportive is he knows these are just kids skating on the JGP but i have no doubt he would still be positive and wouldn't be annoying like Tara who just gets on my nerves when she mentions for about the 4th time that she once won the Olympic Gold medal.

 

[Alilou]

Please please can CBC and CTV hire Ted!
Then we wouldn't have to listen to Carol Lane or Rod Black

 

[mag]

Ted is the Executive Director of the BC/Yukon Section of Skate Canada so he already has a full time job. (That is not to say he couldn't quit of course.)

 

[sk8girl]

Random, but i had my ringer off during a meeting this morning and looked at my phone afterwards and it said I missed a call from Ted Barton! My first thought was "WTF" and my second thought was "awesome, when I call him back I can tell him he has a whole fan thread!" Imagine my disappointment when I listened to the message and it turned out that it was in fact referring to THAT Ted Barton, but it was actually just someone else from the BC section calling me about something NOT related to Ted. (i guess the section phone is just in his name or whatever.)

 

[Seerek]

Heh, Ted Barton exclaiming "woah!" in real-time just after Alexandra Trusova's 3 flip - 3 loop in the Junior Grand Prix final. Nice "hot microphone" moment.