Audience at Skate America

[gmyers]

The announcer was demanding more clapping!!!

 

[skylark]

I’ll take the word of people who are actually in the arena, than those watching bootleg streams on whether the audience is bad. Interesting how the posts of those there are still getting glossed over. No thread like this was opened at other GP’s and audience reactions wasn’t picked up by the tv/ stream. But we all know why there wasn’t.

Thank you. I've seen a lot of absurd threads on GS but this is a new low.. People are just posting their outrage at something entirely manufactured by OP and more. It's disgusting and makes me wonder if people have ulterior motives.

I'm in the arena, and audience response and applause are first rate. Also very supportive by applauding encouragement when skaters have mistakes or mishaps.

 

[slider11]

The whole Skate America experience is perplexing to me. From an at-home spectator perspective, the event seems less than polished with announcers who struggle with pronouncing names and audiences that seemed a bit removed. But I accept the comments by those who are there who say that the audience is engaged. I've seen it commented that skaters have liked the quality of the ice (except for poor Adam R who had to pick up feathers and sequins off the ice) and I was glad to see medical help at the boards opening waiting for Daniel Samohin. I understand they took him to a hospital for treatment of likely a separated shoulder. It is a holiday weekend in the US so that may play into who is attending the event. Also, as well as Lake Placid is known, it is not an easy place to get to, nestled in the Adirondack Mountains - 5 hour car ride from New York City. So, all in all, I guess mixed reviews for the event but let's hope things continue to ramp and skaters get the love they deserve!

 

[Princessroja]

So both Savchenko and Massot thanked the audience for their hugely helpful support, and Rusty commended the audience for being one of the best SA audiences he's ever seen. Can we PLEASE lay this thread to rest now?

 

[Arriba627]

Obviously it wasn't as bad there but we have seen some examples of bad audience this season: another one is the audience that at first didn't bother of Pogorilaya visibly looking in pain on the ice at Skate Canada.

I don't know where you were sitting at Skate Canada, but my section immediately started clapping to give Anna encouragement, hoping that would give her the will to go on. Not quite sure what you expected us to do, and I don't know what you mean when you say "didn't bother of Pogorilaya".

 

[Arriba627]

Just saw an interesting quote from US skater Ross Miner in an Icenetwork article:

"That was by far probably the most excited crowd I've ever skated in front of in America. Maybe Boston nationals was the same, but, boy, Lake Placid did a nice job getting people in this building," Miner said. "That was really fun and exciting."

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

It seems this thing was just manufactured. If it was based on a sincere impression, it was one that seem to stem from video...most likely the low-res Ice Network stream that still uses outdated flash technology and had a real audio discrepancy between the commentators (loud) and the noise at the arena (softened and low). If one was watching a bootleg of that stream, then well...

 

[silverfoxes]

How can it be manufactured when we keep hearing the announcer begging the audience to cheer?

Ross's comments sound like typical canned PC stuff. What's he going to say? The audience sucks? Obviously they support him as an American anyway...

 

[Carolla5501]

How can it be manufactured when we keep hearing the announcer begging the audience to cheer?

Ross's comments sound like typical canned PC stuff. What's he going to say? The audience sucks? Obviously they support him as an American anyway...

The announcer was begging because the skater was bad. The skater knew it, the audience knew it and begging probably only made the skater feel worse. When someone actually delivers they are on their feet.

 

[Kitt]

I don't know where you were sitting at Skate Canada, but my section immediately started clapping to give Anna encouragement, hoping that would give her the will to go on. Not quite sure what you expected us to do, and I don't know what you mean when you say "didn't bother of Pogorilaya".

Yes, I was there also and totally agree. I felt the audience was with her and continued to clap and cheer and willed her through the rest of the program. I was personally in tears and felt the same way when I watched the NBC broadcast. It was heartbreaking.

 

[Ender]

Rostelecom Cup this season was NHK 2 considering the japanese bought almost all the tickets and they were clapping only for japanese skaters.

Don’t lie please. I was there at CoR and we clapped for everyone.

 

[Ender]

Yes i know, at NHK they are always THE best, but at the Rostelecom Cup they were clapping/standing ovation only for Yuzuru, and the japanese girls, the rest was like "meh, i don't care".

So as i wrote on the other posts, audience can be bad everywhere, including US and Japan.

PS: Carol Lane was referring to one single person who looked tired, pretending that was the entire audience.

I am not even sure about what you’re saying. We gave Carolina Kostner standing ovations both time. We also gave Dennis and Lambiel standing ovations. Even the ice dance which was the most boring event. And I was in B2, everyone was very nice towards all skaters.

 

[Hannah555]

Don’t lie please. I was there at CoR and we clapped for everyone.

I agree. I also was at COR and it was amazing to see how supportive everyone was. For example fans from Japan were waving israeli flag when Samohin finished his skating. And he wasnt even close to the podium.

 

[Ender]

I agree. I also was at COR and it was amazing to see how supportive everyone was. For example fans from Japan were waving israeli flag when Samohin finished his skating. And he wasnt even close to the podium.

And not to mention, the only Asian skater who got whole standing ovations both times was Hanyu. The rest of standing ovations we did were all for European and Russian skaters. Not sure why now this person say the fans only clapped for the Japanese. It’s undermined our support to other skaters. And I was super lazy yet I still stood up for Kostner as well as others.

 

[GrangerDanger]

How can it be manufactured when we keep hearing the announcer begging the audience to cheer?

Ross's comments sound like typical canned PC stuff. What's he going to say? The audience sucks? Obviously they support him as an American anyway...

Here is my take on the announcer asking people to cheer, as someone who is in the audience. Some skaters were slow to get from their ending position to center ice for bows. When that happened the applause started to die down while the audience waited. Then, the announcer would say something about being louder. It happened with Scimeca-Knierim/Knierim too.

 

[RemyRose]

Here is my take on the announcer asking people to cheer, as someone who is in the audience. Some skaters were slow to get from their ending position to center ice for bows. When that happened the applause started to die down while the audience waited. Then, the announcer would say something about being louder. It happened with Scimeca-Knierim/Knierim too.

Yes I'm not going to keep clapping while the skater takes their sweet time to bow to the audience. I clap when they finish and when they bow. I can't even wave my flag endlessly. I wave for 10-15 seconds then I'm done

 

[sabinfire]

How can it be manufactured when we keep hearing the announcer begging the audience to cheer?

Isn't that part of their usual shtick? I've attended Skate America for several years in a row now and that announcer has done that same thing every year. I don't think it's specific to the Lake Placid audience.

 

[viennaskater]

More scandalous is the state of the kiss and cry.. it's a flowered bench that if anyone manspreads in everyone else is falling off of. :shame:

I guess it at least doesn't have the ad stream behind it like in last week's dental office waiting room in France.

What I didn't understand is why it just had "Puffs" - no 'Skate America' or even 'Bridgestone' who are the main sponsors. Looked stupid.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Obviously it wasn't as bad there but we have seen some examples of bad audience this season: another one is the audience that at first didn't bother of Pogorilaya visibly looking in pain on the ice at Skate Canada.

I don't understand the point of classifying which is the worst audience: again, you can find a bad, disrespectful audience everywhere. The fact that they are cheering for the skaters you like doesn't make the audience more respectful if they start to not bother other skaters.

Having said it i don't think this audience at SA is particularly bad, there are some fair complaints though: at Worlds 2016 Tarasova was rightfully disappointed that the audience was screaming for Adam Rippon triple jumps, but then none of that happened for Boyang Jin's 4ltz which was the best example athleticism that figure skating could have offered.

But you're having a field day criticizing audiences not up to YOUR standards and then shilling off this nonsense on us when someone challenges you on it.

From what I saw and heard, the stream audio at this event was particularly iffy. I always defer to the opinions of people who were actually there.

Can we have a chorus please of "Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing Baby"?

 

[el henry]

Talk about *the* most made-up thread.... evah...

IF you are AT the event then you know what the audience is like.

IF you are NOT at the event, then you don't. End of story.

Whether it fits a preconceived narrative of "American audiences are so parochial, so bad, they don't even cheer all the skaters, they don't cheer Japanese/Canadian/Russian/Martian skaters, and I am so worldly and wonderful I cheer all skaters whether they are from Mars or not".

Oh please, ain't no one got time for that.....