<p>I think another reason they got rid of the figures was that they didn’t televise well.</p>
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<p>I do think TV had a lot to do with it. No one would watch (or more accurately, they’d show 5 minutes on TV), then the viewers would see someone like Midori Ito dominate in short and free skate, then she’d end up 5th because of the figures and the viewing audience would be baffled.</p>
<p>In the early days of the Olympics (figure skating was orignally part of the SUMMER Olympics), the school figures basically <em>were</em> what figure skating consisted of. The sole free skate program (now called the Long Program) was merely some fluff added on as a crowd pleaser that didn’t count for very much in the scoring. The school figures were contested in slow motion compared to free skating and consisted of seeing how well the skater could perform a series of complex variations of the figure 8. It is these “figures” that give the sport it’s name that it carries to this day even though the figures themselves are gone.</p>
<p>Thanks to the heavy scoring weight afforded the figures you’d often see skaters who free skated like a cigar store Indian easily defeat free skate virtuosos by building up an insurrmountable lead in the figures. A good example of this was the stiff, emotionless Trixie Schuba defeating the free skating artistry of Janet Lynn in 1972. The sport finally smartened up and realized what was really driving its popularity and first de-emphasized and later did away the school figures altogether.</p>
<p>Look for a you tube called “Janet Lynn and Trixie Schuba - 1971 Worlds”. Nice explanation and fun footage.</p>
<p>I’d forgotten all about Janet Lynn. I was disappointed when she didn’t win. Hers was probably the first Olympics in which I watched figure skating; I really don’t remember Peggy Fleming. And everyone’s right that the figures were the most excruciatingly boring TV event in history.</p>
<p>^^Peggy Fleming was an example of a skater who was great in both the school figures and the free skate. I remember her well from 1968 - she brought home the sole gold medal that the US won in the 1968 games. In '68 she had a big fall during the free skate, but because her lead was so huge coming out the figures it didn’t matter. She could have fallen several more times and still brought home the gold.</p>
<p>Peggy Fleming was great, but her skating would look very dated today. She never completed a triple jump in her life. The triple then was what a quad is now - most men could do it but none of the women could. The first female gold medalist from the US to regularly complete triple jumps in competition was Dorothy Hamill.</p>
<p>For an Olympics finance story read NPR’s “Olympic Caveat: Host Cities Risk Debt and Scandal”. (Sorry I can’t cut and paste.) The LA Olympics “profit” leaves out the costs to the federal and state governments.</p>
<p>I remember Peggy Fleming’s commentaries on various figure skating competitions. She loved those whose style was elegant and graceful like her own but did not love those whose style was more athletic like Dorothy Hamill. She was much better than Sandra Bezic is. There was a shot of Peggy at these Olympics during the pairs competition. She still is lovely.</p>
<p>I remember an interview years ago with Kurt Browning and Scott Hamilton when they were asked about the figures. They said they hated them with a passion but that was what showed a skaters true control and ability. They liked the change away from them but it does mean a skater does not have to be as tecnically proficient but can invest more of their time in being technically good on the showmenship now required. </p>
<p>I am a Canadian and getting tired of being bashed for things we can’t control, one foreign reporter even commented on how could the IOC allow the games to come to Canada with such poor weather. Last time I looked we were not in control of Mother Nature even though we continously get blamed for the storms hitting parts of the States. Apparently this is the worst winter weather in 150 years in the Vancouver area. I</p>
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<p>I hear ya. It is taking on such a lot of risk to host the Olympics. Dallas has launched a few feeble summer bids. Sure, it would be 108 degrees and athletes would drop from the heat and it would be our fault.</p>
<p>percussiondad (and other Canadians): What do you think about the CTV coverage so far? Personally, I think CBC did a much better, more professional job covering the Olympics. Maybe I am not as familiar with the CTV personalities, but there seems to be more fluff and less true analysis and behind-the-scenes insight. Still, I know I am lucky to get the extended coverage CTV provides in comparison with NBC.</p>
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<p>I don’t really remember Peggy Fleming’s commentary. I think many of the expert commentators base their remarks on their own experience/biases. Bezic is a former Olympian–a pairs World Champion from Canada (she skated with her older brother) and she’s been a choreographer for years. She worked with Kristy Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, and others. She was also the producer/director of the Stars on Ice extravaganzas. She makes lots of comments about choreography. (I should confess that she’s my second cousin so I feel some need to defend her.)</p>
<p>I agree that CBC was better and CTV has brought in a lot of fluff personalities. A lot of them now are from Much Music and other networks that I do not know or like. I used to be really proud of the way Canada covered the games because we focused on the sport and not only the people. We used to give personal insights into competitors from all countries whereas now we seem to going the other way. I have watched some of the NBC coverage and in my opinion it is quite bad.</p>
<p>I miss Dick Button’s commentary. Sorry Scott and Sandra, but the commentary has been really unhelpful this time around. When they fall, I don’t need them to tell me “this will cost him”. I need them to tell me why this kind of triple jump is more difficult than that kind of triple jump. And don’t just say, “he doesn’t have transitions” but tell us what that is and what is missing.</p>
<p>^^No need to defend Sandra Bezic. She’s made her bones but I just don’t think she’s as interesting a commentator as Fleming was.</p>
<p>I was in Britain during the Olympic Summer Games a few years back and I thought the BBC coverage was wonderful–so much better and more informative than NBC and it’s jingoism.</p>
<p>I think the NBC coverage is dreadful. They keep jumping from one sport to another and have way too many and too long videos about the athletes and not enough time spent actually on the events.</p>
<p>At least all that personality fluff is easier to tolerate in the Winter than in the summer because there are fewer sports and athletes. In summer it drives me crazy when they’re doing the 5th up close and personal on some gymnast or sprinter when there are people shooting guns and riding horses and playing table tennis who never see a second of air time.</p>
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<p>LOL. I plan to wear the same model at his age!! He’s great, btw. Says what’s on his mind. Gotta love that.</p>
<p>I don’t remember if I actually saw this or just remember seeing film clips. Wasn’t there a period of time when the figure skating competition took place outside? I don’t know if it was actually on a pond or something, or just that the rink was set up outside. Seems like the old clips of Dick Button were outside and the skaters would wear mufflers and ear muffs.</p>
<p>Someone said ice skating was in the summer games “in the early days.” How early do you mean? Indoor skating rinks haven’t been around all that long, have they?</p>
<p>Edit: I just read the Wikipedia history and it states the first Olympics to feature figure skating was at the “Summer” Olympics in April 1908 in London. Interesting reading.</p>
<p>Whats with Bob Costas and Dick Button? I like Dick Button, but Costas seems to be giving him a hard time. Yesterday, he let Dick Button go on and on and on about Plushenko’s short skate, that his jumps weer good and he was technically good, but that he just wasn’t inspiring to watch, that his skating didn’t really move him, etc. After going on at length about it, Costas 9who seemed to be almost smirking) leads into a small clip of Plushenko saying he aspired to win back to back golds like Dick Button! So Costas let poor Dick Button dig himself a big grave, criticizing Plushenko, knowing full wellw hat he was about to show, then leaving poor Dick with egg on his face, tryign to dig himself out of that hole. What he said about Plushenko’s skating was fair and ghoneswt-- but then he had to fall on his sword with compliments about his technical skill. It was kinda mean of Costas, IMO.</p>
<p>^^I had the same reaction. I think Costas is cranky cause his hair is turning gray…and the color he uses looks like shoe polish. In general, I do not like the man.</p>