I’m a figure skater…looks like a Waltz jump to me. Only a half revolution. Forward takeoff on forward edge of one foot to backward edge of the other foot..
Figure skating at the pro level is most definitely a sport – it’s hard to make it look beautiful AND easy.
BigPuma, wow, dude, great question…Personally, I love ice dancing….It’s smooth and beautiful, I don’t care if it’s a sport or not. If done right it is profound…I appreciate the athleticism of figure skating, But Ice dancing is poetry in motion….
Regarding what is or is not a sport, I’m not sure I have an answer. First, I would argue that athletic skills are required to succeed (so get the spelling bee and poker off ESPN). As K M said, there is a certain level of judging that goes on in every sport. One might say that if a third party is always the formal final arbiter of the victor, it should not be considered a sport. This would eliminate diving, figure skating, and gymnastics, whose winners are solely determined by judgments; boxing remains because the participants can directly determine the winner without “going to the judges.” I would include these two items at the very minimum. From here, I don’t know what other criteria to include.
And please understand a point I made previously. Just because something is not a sport, it doesn’t lessen the accomplishments of those who have mastered their craft.
I think there are two different types of judging. Judges in fencing and boxing, and referees in team sports, are there to observe and, when consensus is otherwise impossible, decide what actually happened. This is very different from judging how “skillfully” or “beautifully” a move was executed.
In other words, it’s the difference between objective and subjective judging. Either the boxing blow landed or it didn’t, the ball was out of bounds or it wasn’t. But who was more graceful? Two people can have different answers to that question, and both be right.
I think a sport is defined by opposing teams and scoring runs or touchdowns or goals or whatever. Things like ice skating are the individual competing with him or herself. The judging is based on each performance, not a group as a whole.
vwdualnomand over 11 years ago
always wondered how ice dancing/figure skating is a sport/olympic event?
sonorhC over 11 years ago
Are we certain the kid is a “he”?
Zeeben over 11 years ago
I’m a figure skater…looks like a Waltz jump to me. Only a half revolution. Forward takeoff on forward edge of one foot to backward edge of the other foot..
Figure skating at the pro level is most definitely a sport – it’s hard to make it look beautiful AND easy.
Varnes over 11 years ago
BigPuma, wow, dude, great question…Personally, I love ice dancing….It’s smooth and beautiful, I don’t care if it’s a sport or not. If done right it is profound…I appreciate the athleticism of figure skating, But Ice dancing is poetry in motion….
XianProf over 11 years ago
Regarding what is or is not a sport, I’m not sure I have an answer. First, I would argue that athletic skills are required to succeed (so get the spelling bee and poker off ESPN). As K M said, there is a certain level of judging that goes on in every sport. One might say that if a third party is always the formal final arbiter of the victor, it should not be considered a sport. This would eliminate diving, figure skating, and gymnastics, whose winners are solely determined by judgments; boxing remains because the participants can directly determine the winner without “going to the judges.” I would include these two items at the very minimum. From here, I don’t know what other criteria to include.
XianProf over 11 years ago
And please understand a point I made previously. Just because something is not a sport, it doesn’t lessen the accomplishments of those who have mastered their craft.
Matthew Davis over 11 years ago
I think there are two different types of judging. Judges in fencing and boxing, and referees in team sports, are there to observe and, when consensus is otherwise impossible, decide what actually happened. This is very different from judging how “skillfully” or “beautifully” a move was executed.
In other words, it’s the difference between objective and subjective judging. Either the boxing blow landed or it didn’t, the ball was out of bounds or it wasn’t. But who was more graceful? Two people can have different answers to that question, and both be right.
lmchildress about 11 years ago
I think a sport is defined by opposing teams and scoring runs or touchdowns or goals or whatever. Things like ice skating are the individual competing with him or herself. The judging is based on each performance, not a group as a whole.