General Skating Chat

[sweetwater]

I am looking at a list of test events for Tokyo2020 now. Many events took place until the end of last year, but test events for soccer, boccia, and sport climbing took place earlier this year, and those for some part of swimming, track-and-field, and gymnastic seem to have scheduled even later. Also, not all of them are international competitions. If the regulations are ISU's, they can change them or make an exception depending on the situation, and in this case, I think they'd better consider to do so...

[SitTwizzle]

One question...

Has not China said they would have no international competition before the end of the year? That is, December 31st?
But GPF is supposed to take place in Beijing.

I wonder if they are trying to relocate it.

[rockstaryuzu]

Is GPF 2020 really considered a Beijing 2022 test event though? 

[Fay]

13 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Is GPF 2020 really considered a Beijing 2022 test event though? 

It is, that’s why Lakernik is so confident it’s going to take place. 

[SitTwizzle]

9 minutes ago, Fay said:

It is, that’s why Lakernik is so confident it’s going to take place. 

I may be pervert.

Would it enter among the possibilities, that medals (and why not Gold) would be granted to Chinese skaters (Sui/Han maybe not needing an overscore to win) instead of an American man skater, in case China should accept to hold at least GPF? I mean, there is obvious bias in judging, one should be blind not to see it, even when as ignorant as I am. But this would go farther. It would imply something organised, that is, a conspiracy.

[rockstaryuzu]

3 hours ago, Fay said:

It is, that’s why Lakernik is so confident it’s going to take place. 

Hmm. It's also at the beginning of December so quite a long time away, but then CoC is, what,  only a month before that or something? Realistically speaking, it looks to me like the chances of China GPF is more like 50-50. 

 

 

[FlyingCamel]

Has this thread been shared yet? Might be a possibility, I don’t know

[rockstaryuzu]

3 hours ago, FlyingCamel said:

Has this thread been shared yet? Might be a possibility, I don’t know

The ISU would have to embrace modern technology in order for that to happen.

[Fay]

11 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

The ISU would have to embrace modern technology in order for that to happen.

It also puts some pressure on those home rinks and opens up new ways for corruption, unfortunately. 

[SitTwizzle]

7 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

The ISU would have to embrace modern technology in order for that to happen.

I should have seen another .gif, with Yuzuru Hanyu fixing his earphone on Shoma Uno's ear before a PyeongChang interview. 

[EisElle]

re: the digital comp proposalthread, I can see the good intentions

BUT

 

for starters, a "virtual" set up  would require an extensive employment of technology.

Not all countries will have their own adeguate tech equipment, or even adeguate rinks.

Also, specialized video operators, in charge of the official footage like in ISU events, would be required. So ISU would need to deploy proper, standardized tech equipment AND the personnel, in several countries, all at once.

Now, we all know ISU. Thus far they couldn't even add a second camera for tech panel in one rink

Heck, ISU hasn't even been willing use teleconference in place of their physical congress, and a teleconference is a thousand times easier to host than a whole FS comp

(let's not even start about how utterly comic it would be if ISU started acquiring official footage remotely when they still don't allow skaters to upload their darn music without physical CD)

 

then, there would just be such a massive danger for fixing behind-the-scene (I mean, bigger than what happens now).

In other sports, where a result can be decided only thought the use of standardized, tamper-proof equipment, having athletes compete in different place might be difficult, but still doable.

But in FS standardized, tamper-proof equipment is just the start. There are already judges breaking the rules in public (I'm not talking about forgetting the handbook, that's a given, but things against the code of ethics, like talking to each other while scoring). If judges aren't all at once in the same place, under public scrutiny, how to be sure they aren't on some The merry companionship of the ISU chatgroup, exchanging tips? Should we trust the word of one or two officials eventually there to "watch over" them? (who might as well be those suggesting how to score?)

 

[rockstaryuzu]

2 hours ago, LadyLou said:

then, there would just be such a massive danger for fixing behind-the-scene (I mean, bigger than what happens now).

Yeah, this would be the biggest hurdle.

 

It would make more sense to have smaller, more localized competitions, with the performance video being  reviewed after the fact by a neutral international panel and the scores either ratified or adjusted if necessary, then use the final scores to determine international rankings. It wouldn't be ideal but it would be better than nothing.

 

 

 

 

[Fay]

Skate Ontario in Canada has been cancelled. Doesn’t bode well for ACI. And SCI. 

 

[Songster01]

On 7/9/2020 at 11:42 AM, rockstaryuzu said:

Ottawa. My city. Which is actually doing quite well, pandemic-wise.* I just don't know if we'll be letting international travellers in by then. And the arena where SCI is being held is not the best, in terms of seating. The seats are crammed together. If SCI goes ahead, right now my bet is it'll be at half capacity or less. 

 

Anyway, China really had no option, what with the new outbreak in Beijing that started a couple weeks ago. 

 

So much for CoC. 

 

Lord knows what kind of a season we're going to have. 

 

*Numbers of new infections have been trending down for weeks, to the point where public health authorities are letting people visit their loved ones in old-age homes again - provided they can prove they test negative for COVID-19. Suddenly everyone's getting tested like mad...we will probably find a few more cases but nothing serious. And masks have just been made mandatory indoors, so hopefully things will go well from here on out. 

 

Note: I realize you are just speculating about SCI and not actually advocating for fans being at SCI, so the following is aimed at solely at SC/the ON gov't:

Ottawa is doing well, but the thought of fans at SCI , even just locals, makes me nauseous, since there's the potential for aerosolization of the virus, which could then hang around in places w/ poor ventilation for hours.  Or so it seems to be confirmed by research now?  Thinking of that recent conflict with WHO and their backpedaling on that issue.  Anyway, unless masks were very strictly enforced by security inside the arena, and/or ppl had to prove they were tested recently before entering, I certainly hope the province would not allow it.  This skepticism is brought to you by seeing ppl break distancing and other rules often here in TO, and ppl working at small businesses with uncovered noses and mouths this week, despite the new mask rule.  The masks were on, but almost useless thanks to them flaunting the rules. 

 

Of course, all this is moot, if international skaters aren't being let in except a few Americans who are here to train (which seems backwards, considering how poorly the US is handling things vs. say, South Korea). Or if quarantine is maintained, which I think it should be, because there's still too much uncertainty regarding false negatives in testing, then they are stuck logistically.  I'm steamed the MLB is being let in w/o quarantine and that the gov't may let the teams wander back and forth including to known hot-spots.  Makes me worry $$ is being put once again ahead of health. 

 

If SC decided on a domestic event before CNats w/o fans, as long as they had and enforced strong safety measures, it might work to give Canadian skaters some mileage on their programs. That I might support, whatever happens with the international season.  That seems much more doable in theory than international events.

 

[Yuzu_legend]

Join us today dear fellow satellites!!! Let's celebrate Yuzu and spread the love and good vibes!!!!