- Joined
- Dec 7, 2022
We all know jumping quads is super important in Russia. But now I am wondering if the split is getting even more noticable, or has it always been this way at least since the days of Plushenko?
I was talking about bias here a lot, but the judging in the Russian competitions and the comments both on international and Russian scoring make me think it's not so much personal interpretation as I thought, but that there is a serious rift regarding the interpretation of the scoring system.
It seems Russians (and those who listen to Russian commentary I suppose) want to give high PCS to people who jump tough content clean and if they are in addition entertaining the crowd or show some dedication to the program, they deserve high 9s. Things like deep edges, soft knees and extension, which are so important to Canadians and Japanese especially, are seen as disposable. Nice to have, but a gimmick. Speed yes, but speed in the elements trumps speed in gliding, and change of tempo, tempo according to the music etc. is hardly looked at. Full rotation on the other hand is a must, and should lead to higher PCS as well.
Another factor is storytelling, which I don't see in the bullet points, but which fans of Russian skating bring up as if it was. I can now only imagine that Russian commentary and coaches emphasize such points so that people see these factors the way they do.
I wonder how a judged sport can deal with such huge discrepancies. Right now the Russians have their own competitions, and it's not such a big deal - but should they be back, how can the sport find a way to judge to roughly the same standards?
This looks like more than some cultural nuances - it seems like two different judging planets.
I was talking about bias here a lot, but the judging in the Russian competitions and the comments both on international and Russian scoring make me think it's not so much personal interpretation as I thought, but that there is a serious rift regarding the interpretation of the scoring system.
It seems Russians (and those who listen to Russian commentary I suppose) want to give high PCS to people who jump tough content clean and if they are in addition entertaining the crowd or show some dedication to the program, they deserve high 9s. Things like deep edges, soft knees and extension, which are so important to Canadians and Japanese especially, are seen as disposable. Nice to have, but a gimmick. Speed yes, but speed in the elements trumps speed in gliding, and change of tempo, tempo according to the music etc. is hardly looked at. Full rotation on the other hand is a must, and should lead to higher PCS as well.
Another factor is storytelling, which I don't see in the bullet points, but which fans of Russian skating bring up as if it was. I can now only imagine that Russian commentary and coaches emphasize such points so that people see these factors the way they do.
I wonder how a judged sport can deal with such huge discrepancies. Right now the Russians have their own competitions, and it's not such a big deal - but should they be back, how can the sport find a way to judge to roughly the same standards?
This looks like more than some cultural nuances - it seems like two different judging planets.