Do we really want to do this?
We've rounding the far turn of our season heading down the stretch. 2007 has been a year where we've lost some dear friends in skating. Yet life goes on. I can think of no greater tribute to their memories than for all of us who are left to join together and do whatever is necessary to re-vitalize the sport that we, and they loved so much.
At the dawning of the new year we need to take a close look at where we are and, most importantly, where we're going.
A LOOK AT A NEW CHANGE FOR THIS COMING SEASON.
What progress have we made towards re-vitalizing our sport? Where do we need to improve or modify our approach to the way we do things? Are we better off now then we were at this time last season?
The USARS Board meetings are over and the changes for this season have been published. It is important that we ask ourselves if any of these changes will do anything to assist us in creating NEW skaters. Not only to fill the many voids of empty uncontested events, but produce NEW skaters into our sport and to replace those skaters who have and will be leaving our sport through natural attrition and retirement.
One change in particular seems to be especially puzzling, the "Regional Championships Sliding Scale of events".
For those who aren't yet familiar with it it reads as follows:
Move
Up Sliding Scale - Approved, effective immediately:
(Copied directly from the USARS Official Notice)
Move Up from Regional Championships
Regional Participation Qualify for Nationals
1-6-------------4 Skate Nationals
7-10------------5 Skate Nationals
11-14-----------6 Skate Nationals
15-18-----------7 Skate Nationals
19-22-----------8 Skate Nationals
23 or more-------9 Skate Nationals
Junior/Junior World Class/Senior World Class Events
30 or more……………………………………………2/3’s to Nationals
29 or less……………………………………………..All to Nationals
In World Class events, the skater(s) must obtain a score of 7.5 from each judge to advance to Nationals.
Figures – in each Compulsory Figure
Team Dance – Compulsory (OD and Free Dance) both A and B Marks
Solo Dance – Compulsory – (Free Dance) A & B Marks
Free Skating and Pairs – Short and Long Programs – A and B Marks
With additional numbers in the solo dance events, the committee recommends 12 to skate in the final.
Lets take a look at the top section (in blue) which deals with domestic events leading to the National Championships. Frankly, World Class can take care of itself. Besides, if the "Domestic" events don't flourish in the future there won't be a future for "World Class".
Let’s ask a few questions to begin with.
What was the real purpose of this rule change?
Those in power would like us to believe that it was done to improve the quality of competition at Nationals. Our National Championships used to be the showplace of our sport. It was a place for the best of the best to compete at the highest level. It was the place where our champions were crowned and legends were born.
We have a schedule of events that keeps getting larger and larger while the number of skaters keeps getting smaller and smaller. What’s next, four divisions of Pick-A-Partner Dance?
Does this change do ANYTHING to help create new skaters in to our sport? The answer here is loud and clear... NO, not in any way. This rule simply allows skaters to move on to the National Championships who could not normally qualify in their Regional Meet. More often then not there are specific reasons for placing 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th. And those reasons normally indicate that the skater/team is not yet ready to achieve the "National" level of competition.
Qualifying for our National Championships should mean something. It’s not supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be HARD. It’s NOT supposed to be done just so our National Office can extract more entry fees from parents and skaters who are already being priced out of this sport.
Will this change improve the level of competition at our National Championships? How could it possibly do so? Let’s look at a specific situation that occurred last season. The awards platform at Nationals last season for Sophomore Men’s Singles was a very lonely place to be. If you will recall there was only one Contestant in the event. One Sophomore Man Singles Skater in the entire United States of America. Oh wait a minute.... Our United States Sophomore Men’s Singles Champion was NOT a U.S. Citizen. So in reality there were NO Sophomore Mens Singles skaters in the entire United States of America!
Do we
remember what the Sophomore Division was supposed to be for? It was a division
created for those skaters who had not yet achieved the required level of expertise
and skill at the Freshman level. A Freshman skater/team, who didn't qualify
at a Regional Championship by placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd, who must move up due
to age moved into the Sophomore Division where they could strengthen their
skills before moving on to the much more difficult and demanding Junior division.
Also a skater who started competing at age 16 would start in the sophomore
division because they hadn't qualified for Nationals in Freshman.
But now we don't have any Sophomore Men in the United States. WHY? Because
almost everyone who skates at the Freshman level, regardless of ability and
skill now bypasses Sophomore and moves directly into Junior by default because
there aren't enough entries to keep the weaker skaters at home at the Regional
level. Now our Board of Directors wants to allow MORE unqualified skaters
to skate Nationals? What sense does this make from a competitive viewpoint?
So what actually will this rule change accomplish? It will increase the amount of entry fees collected by Lincoln at the National Championships. It will lower even further the level of competition that we see at Nationals. It will give those additional skaters a false sense of accomplishment and cost their parents thousands of extra dollars that they shouldn't have to spend and that many can't afford.
What in heavens name are you guys in Lincoln thinking? Did the Government put something in the water out there? Perhaps it's a result of crop dusting gone mad or an alien virus which decended to Earth the last time we passed through the tail of a Comet.
Ladies and gentlemen, if this doesn't convince you once and for all time that Lincoln is incapable of saving this sport then I don't know what will.
I've read dozens of messages in news groups and in discussion groups talking about rules changes in this event or that, costume requirements, too much trim, not enough trim, skirts too long or too short, which wheels to use here or there, etc., etc. On and on in infinitum. Folks we are in an extinction level event here.
We need to make our National Championships mean something once again. We need to make it HARD to get there, not give people a free ride. We need to increase the skill level of the skaters who qualify for our Nationals. And the way to do that is to make it harder to get through the Regional Championship level NOT easier. AND the way to do that is to create hundreds of new skaters from the beginner classes that each and every rink should have on Saturday or Sunday morning. It has been suggested that if each Teacher in this country produced 2 new skaters each season that in 5 years time we could be a healthy sport again. Think about that, JUST 2 NEW SKATERS PER TEACHER!
Giving free rides to Nationals by allowing more then 4 skaters/teams in ANY event will do NOTHING to solve the biggest problem this sport faces, a lack of skaters. We have no lack of events, that’s for sure. But we don’t have the skaters to skate them. And this rule change is nothing more than a poorly disguised attempt to do what Lincoln does best, extract money from our skaters and their parents and to perpetuate a system that is BROKEN!
We don't need more events, we need less events. We don't need more convoluted rule changes we need simplification. We needs to stop trying to re-invent the wheel and go back to the old system that worked and worked well, the structure that carried this sport successfully for almost 50 years!
Want to make Nationals more meaningful? Here are some ideas;
- First, there are too many events in our program. We don’t need them. We can’t support them. Get rid of them! Skaters in events that are eliminated can find other meaningful events to skate. This would increase the numbers participating in these more meaningful events and perhaps improve the level of competition in said events. But wait, that doesn't increase entry fees does it? (Sorry Lincoln)
- Second, eliminate “B” and “C” level events from the National Championships program. They simply don’t belong there. Stop them at the Regional level and save these people some money. Those who want to experience what a National Championships should be can enter an “A” level event and qualify at the “A” level of competition. This could also increase the number of entries in the “A” level events. But wait, that doesn't increase entry fees either. (Sorry again Lincoln)
Third, remove the National Championships from an Auditorium/Coliseum environment on a temporary basis. At this time we don’t have the numbers to support it. What is the point in sitting in an enormous empty building? It is a total embarrassment to this sport to have thousands of empty seats staring back at you during worldwide internet broadcasts. Put it back into a rink until such time as our numbers increase to the level that justifies an arena environment.
We desperately need an ALL OUT National Program sponsored by "Leadership" to rebuild the Beginner Level Class structure in our rinks. THIS is where our future waits if there is to be one. And that leadership should come from our National Governing Body (NGB) and the USARS Board of Directors in Lincoln Nebraska. I can think of no other greater or more important responsibility than this. They are the “Governing Body” for Roller Sports in this country. And it’s about time that they wake up, take a good look around, smell the coffee and get off their collective butts and do something meaningful to save this sport. But instead they are content with re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
LINCOLN!!! You’re supposed to be the leaders of this sport... Then for God sake wake up and L.E.A.D.
The USARS Board of Directors in Lincoln, Nebraska should be organizing a National effort, in conjunction with the RSA to re-establish the Beginner Class Structure in each and every member rink across the United States of America. The USARS Board of Directors should be actively, aggressively and desparetly working towards re-establishing a functional relationship with RSA to the mutual benefit of each and to re-establish a good working relationship between the Teacher and the Rink operator. USARS and RSA must work hand in hand to preserve and protect the sport we love so much. This should and must be PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!
Gentlemen and ladies of the USARS Board of Directors, YOU are the guardians of this sport. YOU are ultimatly responsible for the health and well being of this sport, the present maintenance and future growth and developement of this sport. You’re wasting valuable time!
Who will be left in three years time to even read your rules and changes?
Just some thoughts from,
The Ghost
Do you have an opinion on this issue? PLEASE share your thoughts and opinions with me and allow me to post your thoughts in our letters section. This is a change that clearly effects the future competitive progression in our sport.
PLEASE send your comments, criticisms, suggestions and ideas to: skateghost@verizon.net
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