Sunrise

The Newsletter of the Eastern Section of the U.S. Figure Skating Association

April 2002,

Volume 1, No. 4

FAIR JUDGING AND SKATING’S IMAGE

I don’t know about you, but during the Olympics, as the judging scandal unrolled, the most frequently-asked questions from my non-skating friends were: “Has that happened before? Is that unusual?”

Those questions go directly to the way the public perceives our sport. If a result is seen to be pre-ordained or fixed, then the face of the sport is marred, it’s beauty compromised, the elegance for which it is noted becomes marbled with the Byzantine politics of days that should have gone by.

I’m not convinced that the I.S.U. recognizes this, or is willing to change it if they do. The initial responses to the episode had a disingenuous look to them. Fortunately, the glare of the Olympic flame was too bright, the crush of the American media too overwhelming for this course to hold. As a result of that pressure, we now have proposals for reform. But what will happen to those when the din dies down? Will those proposals pass? And how good are they anyway?

The notion of having a computer select the marks that will be used, may, for a time, diminish vote-swapping. But it’s a completely different notion of judging. Ottavio Cinquanta’s further proposal about giving weight to elements in a program looks like a speedskater’s “fix” in a sport he admits he knows little about. It fixes something that isn’t broken.

Since the I.S.U.’s mode of operating is different from our own, the outcome of these or other proposals cannot be predicted.

The I.S.U. is also investigating the judging of the pairs competition. An American leader would have selected a blue-ribbon commission with many members coming from outside the I.S.U. to insure fairness. The results of this investigation are extremely important and a whitewash. just won’t do. We’ll have to see what ensues.

Overarching all of this is the question of what kind of organization American skating should belong to. We’ve worked hard in the USFSA over many years to improve our system and include the opinions of the many. I have always thought and continue to think that our system of judging and running competitions is the best in the world. Why can’t the international organization we belong to work like that?

We are presently trying to increase our membership and have hired a marketing firm to improve the public image of figure skating in this country. This Olympic distortion certainly doesn’t help that image even though it has drawn attention to us. What we do with that attention is critical, and we can’t simply wait for the I.S.U. to provide leadership in this direction.

We need to consider how skaters can get the best and fairest evaluations in international competitions. How can the sport best be promoted? How can a group of forward-thinking countries promote the sport and its athletes? Can the I.S.U. do this in its current form? If not, what are we prepared to do? How can we use the potential created by the vast numbers of skaters, skating fans, promoters, sponsors and media outlets in North America to have the kind of international organization figure skating deserves?

One question everyone asks is about sanctions imposed on judges or federations when they are caught cheating. What happens? Are the penalties strong enough? The Olympic scandal was followed at Worlds a month later by more controversy about the judging.

The USFSA is preparing to present our own proposals for changes in the areas of judging. These will reflect our thought and our approach to fairness, but these, too, will be fed into the I.S.U. system where the outcome can not be predicted. We have to consider what further steps we can take if nothing changes or if the changes are not solutions.

At the Governing Council this year, a session will be devoted to I.S.U. proposals, and one can expect questions and comments on this topic. Every year about this time we whet our stones and smooth out our rules and procedures, but the bigger picture hovers above us. We can look upon it as a dark cloud, or as a rainbow of opportunity. Just as we have to pay attention to the worldview as a nation, we need to look at it in figure skating. The questions to be asked, and the answers we provide will require the intense thought of each of us and a full discussion of our views.

Those above are strictly my own. Let’s hear yours. - Ted Clarke

Congratulations to the officials from the East who served so well at the Salt Lake City Games. Ron Pfenning was the right man in the right place as Referee for the pairs event, and handled the matter in the fair and capable manner for which he is known. Lucy Brennan and Joe Inman gave examples of outstanding and non-biased judging. Chuck Foster served well in his role as Referee.

The Governing Council will take place May 9-11 at the Radisson Hotel South & Plaza Tower in Minneapolis. Every club has a right to be represented, and has been sent materials on the meeting. If no one from your club plans to attend, the club can still give its proxy to someone from another club or one of the USFSA officers or Board members.

Each year there are pre-Governing Council meetings held to discuss the upcoming issues. I know that there will be one in Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts since I was asked to play a role in it. These can be quite informative, and the one I’ve mentioned, will be preceded by round-table discussions on several skating-related matters. It is being organized by Wendy Weston-Enzmann Wenzmann@aol.com.

The major topic for discussion this year is likely to be the plan for redistricting which will be presented by the Strategic Planning Committee. A one and a half hour seminar on the subject will be held on Thursday before the meetings start. At this stage, 16 seminars and forums are planned, several of which may be of interest to you.

The meeting books are out already, thanks to Bob Crowley and his staff. Copies will be sent to all delegates. If you need further information, please contact USFSA Headquarters (719) 635-5200 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (Eastern) While you’re pressing keys you may also want to visit the website at www.usfsa.org. It’s continually being updated and has many photos, stories and information for you.

The meeting book has 397 pages, but is broken down into sections. For those who are unfamiliar with it, I’ll run through these:

A useful page at the beginning tells how the meeting is to be conducted. I recommend you read this carefully and keep it at the front of the book.

After a table of contents come 45 orange pages. These are the “meat” of the meeting. There are three exhibits containing by-law amendments which are proposed. These must be passed by 2/3 vote. The remaining orange pages contain committee requests for rules changes which must obtain a simple majority.

A section of goldenrod pages contains reports of action taken by the various voting bodies of the USFSA. In the governance of our association, matters may arise from committees, members, or leadership. Typically, the nine-member Executive Committee, led by the President handles day-to-day matters concerning the organization as a whole, and concerns itself with an overview of these matters as they proceed through committees. Their actions may be reviewed by the Board of Directors, and those of the Board by the Governing Council. Thus, these reports of action may be of interest to you.

The first of these is a combined report of action for last year which will give you an historical perspective of some matters that may be continued this year. Beginning on page 81 are reports of actions taken since last year’s Governing Council. Significant among these are the actions taken by the Board of Directors at its fall meeting (page 97). These must be ratified by this year’s Governing Council, and will go into effect when voted at the end of the meeting. However, items may be isolated, challenged, debated and brought to a vote. This year’s list of actions is rather short, but you ought to read through it and highlight anything you wish to question.

We come next to a large section of white pages. These comprise the reports of the officers and committee chairs. They will not be read aloud, but may be referred to. Those of the officers, the Executive Director and the Executive Business Director, plus the at-large members, will give you an overview of the past year and a look at future directions which are anticipated. They are followed by reports from committee chairs, and you may want to read first those whose activities or subject matter most interest you or your club. However, if you wish to know all that’s going on in USFSA, these are reports from those who are working directly with projects. They were written by mid-March and may be updated orally or by handouts at the meeting.

Finally come some canary yellow pages. These are proposals for the ISU Congress in June. They come from a multitude of sources and are difficult to read without having in hand the ISU Constitution, Regulations and manuals. Bear in mind, too, that the ISU also governs speed skating, so some of the proposals deal with that sport. One approach to these is to attend the seminar on this subject where the most pertinent ones (for the USFSA) will be highlighted.

The major purpose of the meeting is to direct and formulate policy for the USFSA. If you hold a proxy, it may only be used to vote for items in the notice – not for new business. If you have a proposal to make, it must be written out on forms provided and presented before the close of Friday’s meeting. Very near the end of the meeting, these proposals will be discussed as time permits. You are not expected to write or re-write a rule; only to state your intent. The committee whose rules are affected will consult you in the writing of rules if the matter passes.

I recommend that any item of new business be kept as simple as possible, and if it is complex, that it be broken into separate sections. The history of complicated matters that arise under new business is that they are defeated or referred to committee. People will not have had time to read them and consider ramifications, so it is prudent to allow a committee to consider these things before changing a rule.

The more you read and discuss, and the more you attend the seminars, the better prepared you will be to make a contribution – which is a good reason for volunteers and other interested people to attend. Hope to see you there. Stop by and say hello. I’d like to meet you.

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The USFSA and USA Hockey are founding partners for STAR (Serving the American Rinks), whose membership has grown to over 170 rinks. STAR promotes USFSA programs and membership and educates and communicates within the rink business. With our current drive to increase membership and participation, STAR can be an important partner, especially as more and more rinks join in.

If your club skates in a non-STAR rink, you may be able to help them consider membership. They have an outstanding bi-monthly magazine called “Rink”. The March/April issue had a fine article on Stamford Twin Rinks in Connecticut, articles on Synchro skating and private figure skating lessons, as well as pieces aimed at rink management – rink rage and liability, energy savings, recruiting instructors, getting sponsors, and the like. You can get more information at STAR rinks@usahockey.org or by calling (719) 538-1149. Ask for Pat Kelleher.

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