Titanic Deckchair Arranging

11 June 2004



International Skating Union Changes Scoring System

Something had to be done to save figure skating from itself. Or more accurately, the subjective way medals were parceled out needed changing after a judging fiasco at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City resulted in golds for a Russian and a Canadian pair -- a dissatisfying compromise. So, the International Skating Union has adopted a new system that will mean . . . nothing has changed.

Skating is definitely an activity that makes huge demands on one's athleticism, one's mental fortitude, and one's personal life. The feats performed on the ice are almost miraculous. There is an astonishing grace, strength and beauty involved in each program. But skating is not, by its nature, conducive to competition any more than acting, painting or scientific research. The best and most exciting night of any skating event is the exhibition held after the competitive part, where each skater performs, the audience cheers, and that is it.

Nonetheless, the ISU has decided that points shall be awarded, that someone must win and others must lose. And therefore, there are judges who make subjective decisions about the "best" skater. While most sports have some kind of referee (golf being almost completely self-regulated) to enforce the rules, only a handful have third-parties who decide what the score is. And while Little Leaguers of all ages may complain about the "ref who lost the game for us," in skating (as well as diving, gymnastics, skateboarding, etc.), the judges actually decide the outcome.

Power corrupts, as Lord Acton observed, and in skating, there was always the East German judge lousing up the Cinderella story that the US TV networks created out of a plucky couple of All-American kids. With East Germany gone, the abuse of power remains, down to the dual golds in Salt Lake. The new system, adopted Wednesday, relies on computers and judicial anonymity as well as a revision of those aspects of a program that get graded (jumps, footwork, and artistry). In other words, the subjectivity of the judging remains, but it is going to be disguised with pseudo-scientific piffle.

The Turin Olympics in 2006 will use the new system, and in a couple of years, the ISU will proclaim the changes a huge success -- governing bodies rarely say otherwise. But it is not the scoring system that is broken; it is the idea that the artistry and athletic prowess need scoring.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


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