Figure Skating 2022 - 2023 Discussion Thread

[Totallympics 84]

[Monzanator 5,119]

ISU will vote for raising the minimum age level for women to 17 next month. Obviously it will be passed since everyone will heap on Russia given the low-hanging opportunity.

 

 

Obviously the law is an overreaction to one skater (Valieva) and even BBC doesn't want to pretend it's otherwise. Will it stop Russia from dominating the ladies events? No, it will not IMO. The modern social media era has pretty much killed figure skating elite level in USA and Canada, these teenagers have better things to do in life than skate 40 hours a week or more. This event will be dominated by Russia & Japan going forward - two countries where work regime is paramount.

 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-sports/61304131

[Dennis 849]

On 5/3/2022 at 4:09 PM, Monzanator said:

ISU will vote for raising the minimum age level for women to 17 next month. Obviously it will be passed since everyone will heap on Russia given the low-hanging opportunity.

 

 

Obviously the law is an overreaction to one skater (Valieva) and even BBC doesn't want to pretend it's otherwise. Will it stop Russia from dominating the ladies events? No, it will not IMO. The modern social media era has pretty much killed figure skating elite level in USA and Canada, these teenagers have better things to do in life than skate 40 hours a week or more. This event will be dominated by Russia & Japan going forward - two countries where work regime is paramount.

 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-sports/61304131

This is now official: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/isu-raise-mininum-age-senior-competitions-17-following-doping-saga-2022-06-07/

[heywoodu 16,461]

22 minutes ago, Dennis said:

This is now official: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/isu-raise-mininum-age-senior-competitions-17-following-doping-saga-2022-06-07/

The doping thing seems more like an excuse, but other than that this is not at all a bad development. Not that it will make much of a difference, I suppose.

[dcro 10,211]

Just now, heywoodu said:

The doping thing seems more like an excuse, but other than that this is not at all a bad development. Not that it will make much of a difference, I suppose.

By many accounts it should make a change. Eteri Tutberidze's girls are collectively past their prime at 18.

[Monzanator 5,119]

Russia will still dominate the ladies competition IMO. Tutberidze can be easily replaced by another new coach while young girls in the "western" democracies just don't have the work ethic required to be a top figure skater these days. Too much social media & stuff. Maybe if they come from Asian background which is focused on work. If people think Russia stops winning the ladies competition because Tutberidze will lose her magic formula then it's very naive indeded. Hell, I expect more girls from outside of Russia will stop doing figure skating because of the raised age limit.

[dcro 10,211]

It's extremely naive and cynical to think that nothing will change. Growth spurt starts eventually and working against it was what Tutberidze has been banking on all these years. This changes the formula entirely to say the very least.

 

Other Russian coaches are just not producing dominant girls on the level Eteri did. Just look how "great" Russia was before 2014 (and decades ahead), in the pre-Eteri era. It's the only category where Russia was simply unable to win the Olympics lol.

[Monzanator 5,119]

1 minute ago, dcro said:

It's extremely naive and cynical to think that nothing will change. Growth spurt starts eventually and working against it was what Tutberidze has been banking on all these years. This changes the formula entirely to say the very least.

 

Other Russian coaches are just not producing dominant girls on the level Eteri did. Just look how "great" Russia was before 2014 (and decades ahead), in the pre-Eteri era. It's the only category where Russia was simply unable to win the Olympics lol.

 

We'll compare the notes in three-four years time. The only country that can somehow compete vs Russia is Japan and their Asian work ethic. USA has regressed badly, the gymnastics sex scandal and similar coaching methods in figure skating also make their reality much different than "before 2014".

[thepharoah 2,413]

 

Breaking

[NearPup 4,180]

7 hours ago, Monzanator said:

 

We'll compare the notes in three-four years time. The only country that can somehow compete vs Russia is Japan and their Asian work ethic. USA has regressed badly, the gymnastics sex scandal and similar coaching methods in figure skating also make their reality much different than "before 2014".

Ya the Russian work ethic is so dominant the last time they lost a world championship (that they attended) was in the far away year of… 2018.

 

It’s also really weird how all of Eteri’s girls seem to lost their “work ethic” between the age of 16 and 19.

 

I think it will be very good for figure skating if this leads to women’s skaters having longer careers, regardless of whether or not Eteri skaters continue to dominate.