Forget the Olympics, Let's Just Get Ourselves Together!

With the recent news about the newly appointed sports for the 2016 Olympics, I felt that I needed to get a few things off my chest and out into the open. No one will probably even see it here, but I have to give it a try. Please keep in mind that I did not have any skaters skating in these events, nor was I skating in any of these events.

I just recently returned from the National Championships, and I have to say that I was really disappointed. Now, I first have to say that we were there for the “Adult” portion of the championships. (The “Youth” and “Elite” were held the previous week and a half.) Now, let me explain what disappointed me.

First, were the “ringers.” Do you know what a ringer is? The “informal” definition is “somebody or something fraudulently substituted in a competition.” The adult divisions include “B” events, which were originally supposed to be for beginners or skaters who are new to the sport. This year, the rules were changed by the powers that be, and skaters who had never placed at Nationals were allowed to return to the “B” events - despite Regional placements or years in competition. Therefore, you had teams/skaters who have been skating for years in the upper divisions returning to the lower divisions and blowing the new skaters away. So then, when you go to Nationals, you see all the same skaters that you saw before...because all of the new skaters were left in the dust, back home. If you didn’t have a ringer leaving people at home, it was probably because the events were too small, and they had to send everyone who skated to Nationals.

Okay, so now, we’re at Nationals. We’re watching a “B” division elimination in “prime time,” while some of the “A” division final events are being held at 6:00 in the morning. What’s up with that? And figures in the afternoon? Who has ever wanted to watch figures at 2:00 in the afternoon? Figures have always been first thing in the morning, except at Nationals.

Then, there has been a tradition (at least, since I’ve been going Nationals) that for finals during dance events (which, in case you don’t know, usually consists of 6 or 8 skaters/teams performing three dances), the crowd stands during the last dance to cheer for all of the competitors. It’s always been fun and exciting - especially when you’re skating in that event. You’re usually so tired, but the crowd always pumps you up on that last dance. When the announcer announced it, so many people in the crowd (if you could call it a crowd) ignored it. In fact, I even heard someone behind me say, “Why don’t these people just sit down? It’s not like the event is that good.”

Finally, there were the attitude issues. Some examples I witnessed included a coach telling a skater, “Now, don’t you dare take off that medal before you come off the floor.” (Skaters are awarded medals for first through fourth place, and they have to skate the entire length of the floor to the podium and then skate back.) The skater was (apparently) disappointed with the placement awarded! I skated Nationals several times, and I would have been happy with any medal! Another incident was when I heard one coach say, “Well, the judges just don’t know what they’re looking at.” Now, I may disagree with the judges, but I don’t ever tell a skater that the judges don’t know what they’re doing. (I have to say that the judging this year at both Regionals and Nationals, in my opinion, was a bit off, but then again, I’m not a judge.)

I think that many of our skaters and coaches have become spoiled. Instead of working to improve, let’s just fight to add another event...or let’s implement a sliding scale. (For those who don’t know, skaters/teams used to need a placement of first, second, or third to go to Nationals. That wasn’t enough, so they added fourth to the list. That still wasn’t quite enough, so now it depends on the number of people skating the event. The more skaters skating, the more skaters qualify for Nationals. Skaters have become accustomed to winning their local meets/competitions, so they think that they should automatically get a placement at Nationals. At least, that how it seems to me.

My whole point is that we need to start concentrating on building the sport, not getting into the Olympics. We need to concentrate on making our sport better, more entertaining, highlighting the best of the best, not just making new events or implementing sliding scales so more people can go to Nationals. Nationals has become a joke - it seems - to many skaters (and coaches). They no longer appreciate what the National Championships are all about! Maybe they should have skated “back in the day” when there were only 12 events to choose from, and you were either good enough or you weren’t - you either skated what was available or you didn't skate. Maybe they should have skated when I started...you could only skate the beginner levels for three years, and then you had to move - regardless of placement. You either worked your butt off to get better, or you were left in the dust.

Wow, this has really gotten loooooooong! I guess I’m getting frustrated because I’m actually trying to get back into things. I’m getting my skates back tonight, and I’m hoping to get some students going for next season. Okay...I’m going to shut up now! Until next time...