It’s Music to My Ears


PS Magazine Sept/Oct

Beginning with the 2014-2015 skating season, the ISU will allow vocals to be used in both singles and pairs.

While I think I am in the minority on this subject, I can’t wait. My mind dreams of Kurt Browning performing his “Singing in the Rain” program. If you’ve never seen it, I would look for it on YouTube. Now I’m not advocating props and rainmakers, etc, but his interpretation of the piece is breath-taking and probably one of the greatest programs EVER! Another excellent example is Robin Cousins or Brian Boitano skating to Andrew Lloyd Webber's, “Music of the Night”. Ilia Kulik’s “Too Darn Hot”, or Michelle Kwan’s, “Fieldsof Gold” are also on YouTube. Search for your favorite skater and you will find many of their greatest programs, vocals and instrumentals alike.

Whether allowing vocals will be a good idea or not, I guess we will see; there are obvious pros and cons. Some of the cons that I have heard are that vocals are a distraction and that we are going to see program after program of rap music. I just don’t buy that. The sport, at least for the time being, is still judged by trained officials, and if the music is inappropriate or a distraction for them, it will reflect in their scores.

As we do know, most coaches, choreographers, and skaters will mimic what wins. It also doesn’t seem to be a problem for exhibition programs, which are in many ways more popular than competitive programs. We also keep hearing that our fan base is aging and dying off and ratings are poor. Are we going to gain viewership with our product as it is now? I don’t believe that lyrics alone will change that, but I do believe that it will improve the quality of the experience. ISI has been using vocals for many years and the Governing Council voted to allow vocal music for all programs up through the intermediate level judged under the 6.0 system (rule 4040). The ISU has allowed dance and synchronized skating to have vocals for some time. I don’t believe we have seen a rash of poor vocal music choices.

What I do believe is that choices are a good thing. As a coach, I want the opportunity to be able to pick out the best selection of music based on the skill and maturity of my skater, and what will give my skater the best chance to succeed.  If I pick Phantom of the Opera, I have a choice of vocals, no vocals, or a combination. I really have a hard time seeing how that could be bad. 

Comments

Kris Kerr said…
It's sad to think that the decisions of an athletic organization are based on TV ratings, but then, I was really good at figures, and they are only a memory to some skaters, and ancient history to others.
1:06 PM
Lisa said…
This is wonderful! More fun for skaters and coaches! More fun to watch. Competitions used to have more spectators. This will help to make it more fun for them to watch. We need more TV advertisements, commercials, competitions used to be on TV! That helped alot too!
5:20 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Forgotten Art of Skating Etiquette

Image
PS Magazine, OCT/NOV 2010 This past September, I was in San Francisco for both the PSA Nationwide and ISI seminars. I was excited to be there as I was unveiling a new presentation/soapbox, "The Forgotten Art of Skating Etiquette." But before I was scheduled to deliver my new PowerPoint, I had an on-ice presentation to do. Standing in the middle of the rink finishing up my session, you can imagine my surprise as I was interrupted by this gentle voice from behind. "Excuse me Mr. Santee, I am sorry to interrupt…I’m warming up for my test and I need to use the middle of the ice…Is that OK?" I turned and just stared at him in stunned silence…Did he just call me Mr. Santee? Is he asking my permission to use ice he already had a right too? WOW was all I could think, and "Sure" was all I managed to say. Turning toward the coaches standing there, I said, "I’ll even get out of his way." I was so impressed with his demeanor that I thought to myself that if
Read more

Under Siege – Our Youth

It’s not figure skating. It’s not hockey. It’s not gymnastics or swimming, nor football or basketball…it is our children who are under siege. In 2010, a jury awarded a former scout $18.5 million dollars after the Boy Scouts of America was accused of covering up decades of child abuse. The Catholic Church has had to defend accusations from Canada, Ireland, United States, Britain, Mexico, Belgium, France, and Germany. Every year there is a plethora of accusations against school teachers….as recently as yesterday, a university professor was accused of watching child pornography on an airplane! As a father I used to worry about the influence of drinking and drugs to my children…as a culture, we turn to the church, the scouts, school activities, or sports to help keep our children off the streets and away from harm. But that seems not to be the case… and quite honestly, it is very difficult if not impossible to protect our children from the “landmines” that surround them. It’s not these act
Read more

Safety and Your Liability

Image
Safety and Your Liability Originally published May/June 2019 PS Magazine As we get closer to renewal time, it is apparent that our liability insurance rates are going up. In discussions between our insurance carrier and their underwriters, surprisingly or not, the main issue is the number of collisions on free skate sessions that are resulting in an injury and our members being sued. In talking with our insurance carrier, it was suggested that PSA remind our coaches of their responsibility in helping foster a safe training atmosphere. Their comment reminded me of an article I had written years ago called, “The Forgotten Art of Skating Etiquette.” I did several seminars on the topic and a companion DVD was produced and can be seen on PSA TV- it is free for everyone! I encourage you to share the link with your skaters and fellow coaches. It is our responsibility to teach our skaters safety and the rules that help create a safe and efficient training environment. Here
Read more