How can USFS better develop the sport? | Page 7 | Golden Skate

How can USFS better develop the sport?

frida80

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
I would read it!

Really? Mine is mostly about what I've observed with what happens when kids start competing from juvenile and get to juniors. It won't have anything to do with money and more with the fundamentals of the USFS program.
 

andromache

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Really? Mine is mostly about what I've observed with what happens when kids start competing from juvenile and get to juniors. It won't have anything to do with money and more with the fundamentals of the USFS program.

That sounds interesting - it'd be great to hear some perspective from you have witnessed/experienced firsthand.
 

Anyasnake

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 28, 2016
Really? Mine is mostly about what I've observed with what happens when kids start competing from juvenile and get to juniors. It won't have anything to do with money and more with the fundamentals of the USFS program.

me three, I would read it ! From Juvenile to juniors is THE step for me, money, comittment, time make ALL the difference.
 
Last edited:

nocturnalis

Medalist
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Really? Mine is mostly about what I've observed with what happens when kids start competing from juvenile and get to juniors. It won't have anything to do with money and more with the fundamentals of the USFS program.

That sounds amazing. Juniors don't get enough support because there is no emotional investment in them.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I think it would be great if this thread could forget about the personal attacks that occurred on earlier pages and keep focusing on the current realities of skating in the US, defining goals that we wish were being better achieved, and suggesting possible actions the federation (or someone else) might be able to take to help achieve them.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
More on the subject of USFS camps:

- Last summer USFS held its first edition of "ISP camp" (colloquial term) -- for senior/junior singles skaters in the ISP (intended for those who did not have GP assignments). The camp seemed to be modeled closely after Champs Camp. [ETA: I do not remember off the top of my head whether any novice skaters were included. Maybe so.]
USFS ISP camp will be back this year (officially called Singles High Performance Camp). http://usfigureskating.org/story?id=84157&menu=camps

- USFS has had ice dance camps for at least several years -- with the likes of Tanith, Ben, Charlie, and Meryl among the coaching staff and with recognizable elite skaters among the campers.

- And USFS had a mini-camp at 2017 Nationals for lower levels -- after competition had concluded for juvenile, intermediate, novice entries. The camp was called "Figure U." Tanith was involved in this one too.​


... (there isn't much positive about Max's tbh) ...

Some of us find plenty that is positive in Max's skating -- no matter what Dave happens to think or what you happen to think :dev2:.
 
Last edited:

frida80

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
...ok. I have a dinner I need to go to, so I'll post it then. But I really think there is a lot of talent from all levels. There just problems that keep happening on account of how juvenile through intermediate is run. If you address the problems, you'll get more talent and better competitors in the long run.
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
I know it was a money issue but I really think USFS should consider bringing back Junior Nationals. I think that ine decision stifled alot of talent.

Also, Regions needs to be reallocated based on membership numbers, not territory. If that is not feasible, advancement numbers should be based on all skaters at that level, not just those in a Region. The goal here would be to give all skaters at the same level the same opportunity to get to Nationals.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
There is currently a proposal to go back to a separate juvenile/intermediate championship.

According to the current proposal, they would take the 4 best skaters from each section plus the 6 next highest scores from all three sections combined.

So that would give more opportunities for skaters at those levels than is currently the case, but not as many as when top 4 from each region went straight to the national event.

We'll see in a couple weeks whether or not that proposal passes.
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
There is currently a proposal to go back to a separate juvenile/intermediate championship.

According to the current proposal, they would take the 4 best skaters from each section plus the 6 next highest scores from all three sections combined.

So that would give more opportunities for skaters at those levels than is currently the case, but not as many as when top 4 from each region went straight to the national event.

We'll see in a couple weeks whether or not that proposal passes.

So basically the same but you take 6 extra from Sections. So approximately half of the girls/ladies that make it to Sectionals would then go to Nationals at the juv and int levels.

But that still does not address the difference in numbers across Regionals. One the east coast for juv and int, you have 100+ girls vying for 4 slots to Sectionals whereas on the west coast, you have ~25 girls vying for 4 slots Sectionals. See the discrepence? <1% if you are on the East Coast vs 4% if you are on the West Coast.

By novice, the numbers seem to level so the issue is only at the juv and int levels for girls/lasies only.
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
USFS should institute a rule that if a skater makes it to Sectionals, then they must move up a level for the next year.

You see skaters that make it to Sectionals, but don't reach the top 4 there and decide to stay at the same level for another year so they can get another shot at reaching Nationals.
 

zanadude

Medalist
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Country
Japan
How is it that there is no merchandising? Why can't anyone buy, say, an official Jason Brown shirt?

Skaters and/or skating federations can make some decent money pushing stuff like this in Japan.
 

Celine

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 30, 2013
From a social media perspective (my professional life) USFS is quite behind the curve. It's not a "TSL" original idea by any means but is an obvious known fact, that proprietary subscription platforms are just a fail; inherently limiting access to contact is how one would provide content one is trying to limit or protect from unwanted viewers. The only economic model that would support such an approach is one where subscriptions are paid for at significantly higher levels (i.e., thousands of dollars). Otherwise, it's the equivalent of blocking people out, not capturing views. Youtube as a platform, permits modest economic benefits through ad revenues, but the point is that the ubiquity, ease and lack of resistance points is a no-brainer loss leader, as it draws interest at such high yields (assuming the content is there) for much more worthwhile and follow on revenue opportunities, which importantly have GROWTH potential. Period. End of story.
 

Chemistry66

Mmmmm, tacos.
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
USFS should institute a rule that if a skater makes it to Sectionals, then they must move up a level for the next year.

You see skaters that make it to Sectionals, but don't reach the top 4 there and decide to stay at the same level for another year so they can get another shot at reaching Nationals.

Forcing skaters to move up a level after making it to Sectionals (even if they don't make Nationals) is taking things too far. Just because a skater does well enough to make it out of Regionals, that doesn't mean they're ready to move up. Even skaters that make it to Nationals may not be ready.
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Forcing skaters to move up a level after making it to Sectionals (even if they don't make Nationals) is taking things too far. Just because a skater does well enough to make it out of Regionals, that doesn't mean they're ready to move up. Even skaters that make it to Nationals may not be ready.

Is your prospective the men or ladies? My prospective is the East Coast ladies.

If you are from the East Coast at Juv or Int, and get to Sectionals then you are in the top 4% of the Region so you really should be moving up. But if you from the West Coast at the same level, then you are top 16%. This shows how the inequitity in numbers really play a huge difference.

The Regions are based on 1960s USFS membership numbers and have not been updated in 50 years.
 

NanaPat

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Country
Canada
I always thought CBC was comparable to PBS in the U.S. or BBC in the UK.

I'm not Canadian, but I have a friend who works for CBC Radio in Vancouver and one thing she mentioned to me is that there are conversations about whether CBC needed to take more of an NPR style model, i.e. getting donations from the public. She mentioned that CBC is kind of at the mercy of whoever is running things. Things are fine under Trudeau but when Harper was at the helm there were definitely some funding issues.

The CBC is a strange beast - kind of a hybrid between commercial and public. Radio is more public, TV more commercial, but it's more complicated than that.

We actually have some provincial TV stations/networks that are more like PBS: the Knowledge network in BC and TVO in Ontario. These are in addition to the CBC.
 

Chemistry66

Mmmmm, tacos.
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Is your prospective the men or ladies? My prospective is the East Coast ladies.

If you are from the East Coast at Juv or Int, and get to Sectionals then you are in the top 4% of the Region so you really should be moving up. But if you from the West Coast at the same level, then you are top 16%. This shows how the inequitity in numbers really play a huge difference.

The Regions are based on 1960s USFS membership numbers and have not been updated in 50 years.

I think that Regions and Sections should be redistributed, rather than forcing young skaters to move up.
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
I think that Regions and Sections should be redistributed, rather than forcing young skaters to move up.

USFS's goal should be to develop talent that can compete on the international level. To do that, you need young skaters to push themselves to do the harder tricks.Keeping kids at the same level at each year may benefit the individual skater but it does not benefit USFS.
 

Chemistry66

Mmmmm, tacos.
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
USFS's goal should be to develop talent that can compete on the international level. To do that, you need young skaters to push themselves to do the harder tricks.Keeping kids at the same level at each year may benefit the individual skater but it does not benefit USFS.

Pushing skaters up levels when they're not ready could also be negative for USFS if skaters with potential quit because they're forced up faster than they're ready.

I do agree that sometimes skaters stay down too long, but if there would be a forced move-up, then maybe it should be at Nationals vs Sectionals. Or if skaters made Sectionals in a level multiple years in a row.
 
Top