Why the hell is figure skating the most popular olympic sport??

**altagirl** · 02-13-2006, 01:08 PM

If you're trying to to bigger and better jumps than your competition - that's called... competition.

Trying to race down a DH course faster than your competition - also a competitive sport.

I can understand preferring to be able to see and bump elbows with your competition, because it actually makes it more difficult to compete in a race/etc where you can't see how everyone else is doing and you just have to push yourself to do your personal best. But saying it isn't a sport? I don't get that.

**Viva** · 02-13-2006, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by lemon boy

saying it isn't a sport is not really supportable.

As I define it, it is supportable. The interactive element is missing in many of these Sports, skiing, ice capa...errr...figure skating, gymnastics, et al. Gymnasts are pretty frigginn incredible and I love watching them, male and female, because of their ability and athleticism. But their endeavor falls short of Sport.

Edit- I'm with ya Altagirl. These guys are definitely attempting to better their rivals, but all bets are off when you start putting people directly up against one another.

**altagirl** · 02-13-2006, 01:10 PM

You're confusing team sports with sports in general.

**lemon boy** · 02-13-2006, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Viva

The interactive element is missing in many of these Sports, skiing, ice capa...errr...figure skating, gymnastics, et al.

And just who do the Downhillers interact with again during their runs?

You're being arbitrary. Much cleaner to just stick with saying you don't like it.

**altagirl** · 02-13-2006, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Viva

As I define it, it is supportable. The interactive element is missing in many of these Sports, skiing, ice capa...errr...figure skating, gymnastics, et al. Gymnasts are pretty frigginn incredible and I love watching them, male and female, because of their ability and athleticism. But their endeavor falls short of Sport.

Edit- I'm with ya Altagirl. These guys are definitely attempting to better their rivals, but all bets are off when you start putting people directly up against one another.

I'm just confused as to why you're redefining the word "sport".

Dictionary.com:

"Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
A particular form of this activity.
An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
An active pastime; recreation. "

**lemon boy** · 02-13-2006, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by altagirl

I'm just confused as to why you're redefining the word "sport".

So that all them little hot box figure skaters can be classified as the objects they rightly should be instead of athletes

(sorry viva, too good to pass on)

**Plakespear** · 02-13-2006, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by Viva

Likewise, no matter how athletic skiers are, taking turns on the same run against the clock falls outside the scope of Sport.

So if racing against the clock isn't sport, only racing against fellow competitors is sport, does that mean you consider Thor Hushovd to be the winner of the 2005 Tour de France?

**altagirl** · 02-13-2006, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by Plakespear

So if racing against the clock isn't sport, only racing against fellow competitors is sport, does that mean you consider Thor Hushovd to be the winner of the 2005 Tour de France?

By his definition that just means the TdF isn't a sport.

**Buster Highmen** · 02-13-2006, 01:30 PM

Because I keep looking for my snorkel during the womens freeskate.

**Buster Highmen** · 02-13-2006, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by The AD

Luge isn't real TV friendly. You see the start then about five shots of the athlete flashing by at high speed.

I was thinking of something today I thought was strange. How come there's no women's ski jumping?

Buncha lugers.

**Buster Highmen** · 02-13-2006, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by lemon boy

They are competing and doing it hard.

While they are competing, the latter sometimes applies to me.

**The AD** · 02-13-2006, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

Buncha lugers.

No, I think that's XC skiing. I often see them hack up some nice lugers.

**Viva** · 02-13-2006, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by altagirl

I'm just confused as to why you're redefining the word "sport". "

I'm just saying what it means to me since I'm interested in hearing other's perspectives.

Ultimately, we compete to win, be it as a team member of an individual. How can this be so if your efforts are ranked by judges or by a clock? There's an important element missing. In what I consider Sport, one is constantly adjusting, not only to the conditions, but to the other competitor(s).

**Buster Highmen** · 02-13-2006, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by Viva

I'm just saying what it means to me since I'm interested in hearing other's perspectives.

Ultimately, we compete to win, be it as a team member of an individual. How can this be so if your efforts are ranked by judges or by a clock? There's an important element missing. In what I consider Sport, one is constantly adjusting, not only to the conditions, but to the other competitor(s).

This is so unlike football, especially the recent Stupor Bowel.

**Viva** · 02-13-2006, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

This is so unlike football, especially the recent Stupor Bowel.

Man, has football gone hill! Suppose we introduce the biathlon to pro football? You know, the skier stops at the 50 yard line and shoots the referee.

**Buster Highmen** · 02-13-2006, 02:04 PM

Allow myself to be more clear: this is a st00pid thread. Don't shit on other people's stoke.

**scoober** · 02-13-2006, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by Viva

I'm just saying what it means to me since I'm interested in hearing other's perspectives.

Ultimately, we compete to win, be it as a team member of an individual. How can this be so if your efforts are ranked by judges or by a clock? There's an important element missing. In what I consider Sport, one is constantly adjusting, not only to the conditions, but to the other competitor(s).

The underlying theme for all sport is that there has to be some metric which is used to directly compare you with your comptetitor. It could be a sport like hockey where you try to score more goals than the other team, or like skiing where you try to ski faster than the other competitors, or a sport like figure skating or snowboarding halfpipe where you try to get a better judgement than the others.

In timed or judged events where there are multiple heats or runs, you ARE directly adjusting to your competitors. If someone goes out and lays down a super fast run or gets a really high score then it is up to you to adjust your performance accordingly to win.

Just because they are not out on the course, ice, or halfpipe with you doesn't mean you aren't directly competing with them. Start-houses can be a pretty tense place. The snowboarders may look all laid back and joking around but you can bet that just like any other athlete they are studying and sizing up their competition so that they can gain whatever advantage necessary to win.

**Tippster** · 02-13-2006, 02:45 PM

I see where ViVa is coming from, but disagree wholeheartedly. I also think it's not quite so cut-and dry as simply beating your fellow competitors sometimes.

The clock adds a variable to many forms of Racing beyond merely beating the others in the race. World Records rely on standardization, 'tis true, but are a worthy goal beyond merely "winning." From personal experience I know that in swimming most of the guys in the pool are actually swimming against the clock rather than against each other. Of course they want to win, but winning and breaking a personal best time is that much better.

**The AD** · 02-13-2006, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by Tippster

From personal experience I know that in swimming most of the guys in the pool are actually swimming against the clock rather than against each other. Of course they want to win, but winning and breaking a personal best time is that much better.

That's true since many of us resign ourselves to the fact that we usually aren't going to win. Slightly off topic, but a good quote I heard from Michael Phelps' coach: "most elite swimmers love to win, but the ones who win the Olympic gold medals hate to lose." I'm sure I'm paraphrasing a litte, but you get the gist. I think this applies to athletes in just about every sport.

**Viva** · 02-13-2006, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

Allow myself to be more clear: this is a st00pid thread. Don't shit on other people's stoke.

Who, moi? Remember how this thread began,

"BECAUSE NBC SUCKS DONKEY BALLS AND WONT SHOW ANYTHING ELSE"

**sea2ski** · 02-13-2006, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by Viva

I'm just saying what it means to me since I'm interested in hearing other's perspectives.

Ultimately, we compete to win, be it as a team member of an individual. How can this be so if your efforts are ranked by judges or by a clock? There's an important element missing. In what I consider Sport, one is constantly adjusting, not only to the conditions, but to the other competitor(s).

Well by your definition pretty much all field events in track and field aren't sports either although they form a large part of the original sports of the Modern Olympic movement. I think the field event of the High Jump also provides you with an example of how people adjust to their competition. Ever remember how people used to High Jump before the Folsbury Flop. There is change to adjust to competition it's just usually gradual change in techniques and training methods. I think you're confusing defeating opponents with what constitutes a sport.

**Viva** · 02-13-2006, 03:47 PM

Scoober, I dig my heels in at the thought of a "judgement" being a metric, but I like your points.

Yes, Sea, defeating the opponent is what I'm getting at.

Really, in so many timed events, the clock is secondary or of no consequence.

**SponsoredByDuctTape** · 02-13-2006, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by bad_roo

I've come up with a great replacement for some of these shitty subjective events.

They ought to send the skaters down the bob run armed with a rifle. At various points on the circuit a target pops up and they have to plug it. They have to wear helmet cameras too.

Perhaps they could put a lion or something in there to liven things up too.

Something like this?

Shots are from the Red Bull Crashed Ice series.

Allbeit without the suggested wild animals or guns, but those things would certainly be introduced once the basic concept catches on.

**AbsolutStoli** · 02-13-2006, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by roll - gybe

What if you were a little Soviet kid skating around, playing hockey with your friends and some guy from the national sports complex came around and told your parents that you were going to ice dancing academy?

Imagine the hell?

Imagine puberty in Ice Dancing academy?

It's one thing to be Brian Boitanao, but I think those CCCP guys were probably not all that fruity.

Oh yeah, and Americans are the morons that the networks make them, because they are morons and they watch what the networks put on TV, which makes them more moronic.

well, being someone that grew up there, i can tell you that there was plenty of skaters over there that they didnt need to draft hockey players to do figure skating. lol

im not sure why figure skating is "the most popular", but i do like the ass. that savchenko chic from germany has a nice fart box. and sasha cohen is a total cutie also. so i dont blame anyone for watching. haha