- Joined
- Dec 30, 2017
I do, however, think that both judges and fans appreciate a skater who tackles a new challenge, moves out of her comfort zone, masters a new technical element, skates to a new type of music, etc.
On the other hand, skaters who have an "artistic signature" -- that's pretty cool, too.
I think a better example of a skater who "does the same thing" is Hanyu. I mean, leaving aside what people personally think of it (I'm not interested!!!), he's quite literally been doing the same programs more than any other skater I can recall in modern figure skating. However, the judges see this as an "artistic signature" because he has already established himself as an "artistic skater", while Tuk never did. Not all skaters are equal even if they seem to be doing the "same thing"; there is strategy involved in how a skater is packaged and talked about.
Mishin is bad at this. Like, really bad. He should not be out there admitting that he changed Tuk's SP music while keeping the choreography. Just like he should not have been out there complaining about how wrong judges are for not appreciating quads enough, or that American judges just can't appreciate art because all they drink is Coca Cola. I get that he has his own strongly-held opinions about what figure skating is or should be, which I respect, but Mishin sure is bad at reading trends and selling skaters to judges. He should have been out there hyping Tuk's modern choreography and how much she is growing with it, even if it might not have been the objective truth! That's what coaches are for!
That was a rant, but anyway, my conclusion: Tuk is not a trendy skater by the rules and standards de jeur, and her team is doing nothing to package her as a trendy skater because they place their own convictions before packaging. This is their choice. Russians often get accused of politiking, but for all the politiking they attempt, they tend to be pretty bad at it, to be honest. It'd be endearing if it wasn't frustrating.