- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Fans must like jumps the best because skaters get enthusiastic applause after each one, right?
Right... but... the loudest and longest applause comes at the end for the whole program. Does this mean that what fans really like are wonderful programs? Does this mean that we should increase the value of the Program Components vis-a-vis the individual elements? Wjhat conclusions should we draw when Yuzuru Hanyu or Michelle Kwan stop the competition for minutes while the sweepers gather up all the flowers and Winnie-the-Poohs from the ice? What about a gentle program to Moonlight Sonata that is so haunting that the audience sits on its hands while the skating if going on, before erupting in ecstasy at its conclusion?.
On the other hand, people complain about Malinin because he is not Jason Brown, But if you watch his performance with an open mind, Ilia does a lot of skating besides the jumps, with a nice selection of edge moves (I spotted not one but two short transitional spread eagles and goo-gobs of turns that I can't identify, but most readers of this forum can). Plus the quads were not just point-grabbing but flowed together and built steadily through the program in a resounding chporeographic crescendo.
I even liked how he stalked and telegraphed the opening quad Axel, just to let the audience knpw that they were about to witness something of truly epic splendor.
I really don't think that minor changes in the element requirements or scoring conventions will change the character of the programs that we see -- nor the outcomes of competitions.
Right... but... the loudest and longest applause comes at the end for the whole program. Does this mean that what fans really like are wonderful programs? Does this mean that we should increase the value of the Program Components vis-a-vis the individual elements? Wjhat conclusions should we draw when Yuzuru Hanyu or Michelle Kwan stop the competition for minutes while the sweepers gather up all the flowers and Winnie-the-Poohs from the ice? What about a gentle program to Moonlight Sonata that is so haunting that the audience sits on its hands while the skating if going on, before erupting in ecstasy at its conclusion?.
On the other hand, people complain about Malinin because he is not Jason Brown, But if you watch his performance with an open mind, Ilia does a lot of skating besides the jumps, with a nice selection of edge moves (I spotted not one but two short transitional spread eagles and goo-gobs of turns that I can't identify, but most readers of this forum can). Plus the quads were not just point-grabbing but flowed together and built steadily through the program in a resounding chporeographic crescendo.
I even liked how he stalked and telegraphed the opening quad Axel, just to let the audience knpw that they were about to witness something of truly epic splendor.
I really don't think that minor changes in the element requirements or scoring conventions will change the character of the programs that we see -- nor the outcomes of competitions.
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