It’s a good time for show skating in North America. In this post-Olympics glow, Stars on Ice was the most well-attended it’s been in years in both the US and Canada. There has also been good buzz for the Thank You Canada tour bringing skating to smaller markets across Canada this fall.
With the Thank You tour especially, I’ve heard a lot of comments akin to it being good that the skaters can take advantage of this now, as similar opportunities may not be there in the future. But is there a market in North America for a greater, more sustained show skating presence?
I began watching show skating as a kid in the heyday of the late 1990s. It was mostly cheesy and over-saturated. For a long time after, I approached show skating with about as much enthusiasm as a 14th century European would have approached the bubonic plague. Yet, I understand that show skating done well (in both quality and quantity) can reach new markets of fans, be a wonderful showcase of entertainment and skill, and provide much-needed income for skaters. For these reasons, I would like to see show skating grow beyond a temporary post-Olympic popularity bump.
I’m curious about your thoughts of how this current Olympic popularity can be built upon. North America is a very different market from, say, Japan or Russia, and we know the dangers of the 1990s approach to shows. So what could work in this current context? Is it possible to build a greater, more sustained show presence in North America? How could that look? What's worth trying (or at least exploring and discussing)?
With the Thank You tour especially, I’ve heard a lot of comments akin to it being good that the skaters can take advantage of this now, as similar opportunities may not be there in the future. But is there a market in North America for a greater, more sustained show skating presence?
I began watching show skating as a kid in the heyday of the late 1990s. It was mostly cheesy and over-saturated. For a long time after, I approached show skating with about as much enthusiasm as a 14th century European would have approached the bubonic plague. Yet, I understand that show skating done well (in both quality and quantity) can reach new markets of fans, be a wonderful showcase of entertainment and skill, and provide much-needed income for skaters. For these reasons, I would like to see show skating grow beyond a temporary post-Olympic popularity bump.
I’m curious about your thoughts of how this current Olympic popularity can be built upon. North America is a very different market from, say, Japan or Russia, and we know the dangers of the 1990s approach to shows. So what could work in this current context? Is it possible to build a greater, more sustained show presence in North America? How could that look? What's worth trying (or at least exploring and discussing)?