Canadian figure skating

[manhn]

Use me as the prototypical noob homer Canadian figure skating fan who used to follow everything and now don’t. Try to make me follow skating again! If you can me follow it again, you will make other Canadians follow it again.

1. I used to attend at least one event per year since the mid-00s but now don’t for various reasons that I don’t think are unique to me:

1a. Change of employment circumstance: improve the economy! But even then, there is the PTSD of job change that I think people deal with even with a new job; specifically, a Vancouver hosted event like this past Skate Canada would have been a no-brainer but is no longer a no-brainer

1b. Inflation—everything is expensive!!! How to make things less expensive?

1c. I am not going to “deal with it” to attend a skating event live. I am always sooo cold at the events now—besides clothes, can you make the stands warm? I don’t want to carry a “clear bag”. I don’t want to potentially drive from my hotel to the Calgary rink in the snow as there are no hotels near the rink.

1d. It’s January and I just recovered from a crappy flu. Ain’t I supposed to isolate? Thus, why am I gonna pay ahead of time for the potential of being it a waste of money?

2. I am a HOMER and I really don’t care if the Canadian who is winning is “home grown” or “from somewhere else”. People mention Canadian ladies, but back then, we had Bourne/Kraatz and Elvis and Sale/Pelletier to ignore that discipline. Are Gilles/Poirier or Deanna and Max good enough? Like them, but for me, I am still in “wait and see” mode. Unlike other countries, I find Canadians don’t care what is the discipline, as long as there is a skating winner. Of our recent world champions, it’s our ladies champ that gets the least attention.

3. While I appreciate the posters who tell us how to watch domestic events, I am not gonna watch skating on a computer. I cut the cable cord. Daily Motion is not on my Roku Stick. How hard is it to have it on YouTube?

4. The main difference between me and a typical Canadian fan is my continued involvement with FSU. I will probably attend an event to see FSUers than the skating, heh, or if the city is a place I want to visit.

5. Love and always loved athlete profiles. Why do I love B&B? Because of Naddia’s YouTube videos! She is hilarious!

 

[Aaron MB Fan]

Just one thought that came to mind regarding the low levels of audience attendance at Nationals in Calgary. I wonder how much location plays a factor as well. I'm part of the target market for these events - gay and with the lifestyle and financial flexibility to be able to thankfully attend in person if I so choose to. I attend any major international or national event in-person within driving distance from the GTA, whether it be Montreal, Kingston, London, Kitchener etc or even in the US whether Detroit or Lake Placid etc.

In the case of Calgary, luckily my best friend lives there and I could easily fly and attend with free accommodations and a best friend visit. I was seriously considering attending Junior Worlds last year in Calgary, and also considered Canadian Nationals in Calgary this year. The #1 reason I chose not to attend is not wanting to travel and deal with potential snowmageddons, driving in a rental car in crazy amounts of snow and extreme cold temperatures. Hearing some of the stories in the other threads about having to leave the rink and run your car every 2 hours in order for it to be able to run in the extreme cold temperatures reinforce the fears I had about an event in Calgary that held me back from attending.

I am all for sharing the wealth and distributing events around the country as much as possible. However, hosting events that take place in January/February specifically in a location such as Calgary (or Edmonton, or even in MB/SK for that matter) where the winters are extreme doesn't make me want to go to the effort and investment of traveling. Calgary would be a lot more appealing in Sept/Oct for an Autumn Classic or Skate Canada at that time of the year, than in the bitter peak of winter. Something to consider around major event planning when audiences are dwindling and it is important to try and reduce attendance barriers where possible.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

I'm part of the target market for these events - gay and with the lifestyle and financial flexibility to be able to thankfully attend in person if I so choose to. I attend any major international or national event in-person within driving distance from the GTA, whether it be Montreal, Kingston, London, Kitchener etc or even in the US whether Detroit or Lake Placid etc.

I've always thought that Skate Canada should lean into its popularity with the LGBTQ community. A float at the Toronto Pride Parade would be amazing marketing. And they should probably buy Drag Race Canada ad spots.

 

[skatingguy]

I've always thought that Skate Canada should lean into its popularity with the LGBTQ community. A float at the Toronto Pride Parade would be amazing marketing. And they should probably buy Drag Race Canada ad spots.

Except the skating establishment has always been so homophobic that it would be instantly called out, and I'm not sure they'd be welcome.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Except the skating establishment has always been so homophobic that it would be instantly called out, and I'm not sure they'd be welcome.

Completely agree - but there are now several high profile out Canadian skaters, including Kaitlyn Weaver who just finished commentating/hosting much of the Canadian Nationals livestream. In theory, Skate Canada could work with Weaver, Radford, Buttle, etc to build bridges and repair some of the past damage. Sadly, I doubt they'd ever do it.

 

[skatingguy]

Completely agree - but there are now several high profile out Canadian skaters, including Kaitlyn Weaver who was just finished commentating/hosting much of the Canadian Nationals livestream. In theory, Skate Canada could work with Weaver, Radford, Buttle, etc to build bridges and repair some of the past damage. Sadly, I doubt they'd ever do it.

Yes, if it was going to happen it would have to spearheaded by an LGBTQIA2S+ skater to have any credibility.

 

[dramagrrl]

Give Schizas a couple more years before thinking that this is worse.

Why just Schizas? Ruiter has already shown (more than once) that she can overtake Schizas when Maddie has an off-day. In a year or two, that might change to being able to overtake her even on a good day. Banking on Schizas to be our ladies saviour for the next few years doesn't seem like a safe gamble to me.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Just showed Anthony Paradis's national's free skate to my other half. The response: "that performance makes me want to watch skating again." Are you listening Skate Canada?

 

[kwanfan1818]

But perhaps Montreal being a larger skating town than Calgary, plus potential residual interest from worlds will make it a better situation. Hard to say.

Montreal has public transit direct to Place Bell in Laval from an extensive part of the city. You don't need a car, and there are plenty of accommodations at different price points.

Plus, it's Montreal, one of Canada's and the world's destination cities.

Hopefully, Skate Canada will use the opportunity to have some presence at Worlds this year and capture some of the high people have at being at a live competition.

 

[Japanfan]

I am no techie, but there must be a way to connect your laptop to the tv, esp if it's a newer tv. Is your laptop a mac? (I only know about macs). If it's a mac you can at the very least get a HDMI cable to connect the two. I'm sure there are also other ways. You just need to research it a bit. Here's a start using the HDMI cable method (because AFAIK it's the simplest)

How to connect your laptop to a TV quickly and easily

With a little know-how and the right hardware, connecting your laptop to a TV can be easy-peasy.

www.zdnet.com

Also the ISU feed probably won't be blocked in Canada if there's no CBC contract. I'm thinking worlds may be like SCI and Canadians - on dailymotion and CBC gem.

Not this TV, we could on our laptop, and this one is a new TV (just got it a few months ago).

That makes sense that there is no contract, I'd not thought of that. Hope you are right about Gem.

 

[kwanfan1818]

It makes no sense that a new TV wouldn't be able to receive either a direct physical connection to your computer -- a tablet would probably need a dongle -- or to be able to receive a cast from your computer or tablet.

 

[overedge]

Another factor to throw into the mix. I can't believe I'm going to defend Skate Canada, but it and every other Olympic sport federation in Canada has the same issue: federal funding is partly dependent on international medal counts, particularly at Worlds and Olympics.

What that leads to - not just in skating - IMO is elite programs being prioritized over grassroots programs, even though the grassroots programs are where the elite athletes are going to come from eventually. It also leads to, based on the federal LTAD (Long Term Athlete Development) model, young athletes being "streamed" as early as possible - potential high performers separated from lower-level competitors, "test" skaters, and recreational skaters, with very little possibility of moving into other streams later on. And guess which stream gets the most attention and most resources.

I'm sure we can all think of Canadian skaters that weren't seen as having much potential early on and then blossomed later. The chances of that happening now, and the chances of that kind of athlete being sufficiently supported until they blossom, are a lot less than they used to be.

It also leads to the athletes that are in the high-performance stream being put under a lot of pressure and facing very high expectations. Some may flourish under those conditions. Many may not. And this is also where athletes may be reluctant to report abuse, because they are afraid of retribution, or because they know the abusive coach or administrator has a record of perceived success and their report may not be taken seriously.

These are problems throughout high performance sport in Canada in general, and if federations like Skate Canada know they have to follow the federal sport model to get funding, that's what they're going to do. That's understandable. But for an expensive and very specific sport like skating, the problems are magnified.

FWIW I think Skate Canada could do some relatively simple things like emphasize the "test" stream more as an option for skaters - passing high-level tests is a real accomplishment - and encourage more participation in the non-elite forms of skating, to maintain membership numbers and interest in the sport. But those would require some strategic rethinking and resources, both of which SC seems short on at the moment.

 

[overedge]

Completely agree - but there are now several high profile out Canadian skaters, including Kaitlyn Weaver who was just finished commentating/hosting much of the Canadian Nationals livestream. In theory, Skate Canada could work with Weaver, Radford, Buttle, etc to build bridges and repair some of the past damage. Sadly, I doubt they'd ever do it.

Weaver and Poirier are Skate Canada EDIA ambassadors (https://skatecanada.ca/edi-working-group/). The EDI group was quite active and visible a few years ago, but I don't know what it has been working on lately.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Weaver and Poirier are Skate Canada EDIA ambassadors (https://skatecanada.ca/edi-working-group/). The EDI group was quite active and visible a few years ago, but I don't know what it has been working on lately.

Having been on a volunteer EDI committee, I’m somewhat familiar with the powers that be preferring to support cosmetic changes over institutional/systemic ones. But Weaver has already made a difference by pushing for same sex pairs/dance options at the national level.

 

[tony]

Not this TV, we could on our laptop, and this one is a new TV (just got it a few months ago).

That makes sense that there is no contract, I'd not thought of that. Hope you are right about Gem.

Then if it's a smart TV, as I posted above, you don't need cords in the first place. But even so, newer TVs within the last nearly 10 years surely should have some kind of HDMI input ports.

 

[Alilou]

Not this TV, we could on our laptop, and this one is a new TV (just got it a few months ago).

That makes sense that there is no contract, I'd not thought of that. Hope you are right about Gem.

How old is your laptop
And your tv must have an HDMI input port. And if your laptop doesn't there's bound to be some kind of hub/dongle that has an HDMI port that you can buy to plug into your laptop.

Have a look at the back of your TV for any input port labelled HDMI. Having found it take your laptop to some place like Best Buy and ask for what you need so you can plug the other end of the cable into your laptop.
You'll have to have your TV on the right setting for HDMI. Don't forget to buy the cable

 

[Karen-W]

My mom's TV is a newer one and it connects wirelessly to her home internet. Then, you have to go in and add your accounts from various streaming apps. It's a PITA and I hated setting it all up for her but she is connected to all the major streaming platforms and YT - she likes that because if she decides not to go to church she can stream the service live and she has their channel saved to her Google/YT account. I had to search for Peacock or Paramount when adding her to my accounts and that was annoying. I'd bet that you probably need to search for the Dailymotion app and manually add it in order to stream content from that platform.

 

[fsfann]

I agree they need to be sticking to smaller venues, but it doesn’t get much smaller than the 3000 seats that are in this arena in Calgary .

It's not just smaller venues...it's smaller cities. Places where it becomes the "only" event in town... Not a city where there are professional sports teams, and lots of other activities going on. They need to go to places where things are plastered all over the streets and businesses embrace the event to create a buzz. I just left Calgary. There was nothing there that indicated that a major national event was taking place.

They should be going to smaller cities...not large cities that have dozens of things taking place.

I felt bad for the skaters this weekend. They'd bow to one side and there would only be a handful of people clapping. Just sad. Not like Nationals from a few years ago where htere would be 10,000 screaming fans...

Another thing that I've noticed in the past few years is that there's not much of an 'emotional' connection to a lot of the skaters in terms of the choice of music they are using. Where's the "entertainment" factor? It's all heavy, complicated and quite frankly "inaccessible" music that doesn't really generate a lot of excitement or any "feeling factor" with the audience. Outside of a couple of performances this weekend I just felt disconnected from everything...

Think of programs of the past... Those Nic Nadeau programs, Sale & Pelletier, Chouinard, B&K, V&M.... Most of the programs we have seen in the past couple of years, to me, have been much more "abstract". The classic "build up" to end a program is often missing, sot here is no 'momentum' to get an audience to stand for you.

I think there were only a handful of standing ovations this weekend... none for the winners of Dance and Pairs...and these are two teams that are challenging to be world champions... I just don't know, but it would be nice to get back to some audience friendly stuff that causes people to get emotionally invested in a program...

Can't explain it any other way.. hahah

 

[Alilou]

My mom's TV is a newer one and it connects wirelessly to her home internet. Then, you have to go in and add your accounts from various streaming apps. It's a PITA and I hated setting it all up for her but she is connected to all the major streaming platforms and YT - she likes that because if she decides not to go to church she can stream the service live and she has their channel saved to her Google/YT account. I had to search for Peacock or Paramount when adding her to my accounts and that was annoying. I'd bet that you probably need to search for the Dailymotion app and manually add it in order to stream content from that platform.

With Chromecast all the apps were there (unless my stepson and his daughter - young people! did it when I wasn't looking), but just today I searched for the app for Dailymotion and it's not there. I don't mind anyway as I'm happy to watch on gem.

 

[Alilou]

Not this TV, we could on our laptop, and this one is a new TV (just got it a few months ago).

That makes sense that there is no contract, I'd not thought of that. Hope you are right about Gem.

What's the make and model of your TV?

 

[manhn]

Also, the 2 recognizable women athletes in Canada right now is Hayley Wickenheiser and Christine Sinclair. Not skaters? hmm.

I think Tessa is just as recognizable as Hayley or Christine, if not more so. At least in Canada. But figure skating as a whole has never been great with using their stars to promote the sport because by the time they peak, they retire.

L
They also had a slump after Stojko until Buttle and Chan came along.
They will bounce back in a few

Bourne and Kraatz won Worlds the year after Elvis retired. 2004 was a bad year for Canada if only Canada kept Buttle on the Worlds Team—and the main reason I will never support using Nationals as the sole reason to select Worlds spots. Also, you never know what Sale/Pelletier would have done if that whole mess didn’t take place.

 

[jlai]

Why just Schizas? Ruiter has already shown (more than once) that she can overtake Schizas when Maddie has an off-day. In a year or two, that might change to being able to overtake her even on a good day. Banking on Schizas to be our ladies saviour for the next few years doesn't seem like a safe gamble to me.

She doesn’t needs defending in the thread?

 

[honey]

With Chromecast all the apps were there (unless my stepson and his daughter - young people! did it when I wasn't looking), but just today I searched for the app for Dailymotion and it's not there. I don't mind anyway as I'm happy to watch on gem.

Chromecast just recently stopped supporting the daily motion app and it’s no longer available. I had it on there originally, but the search function never worked properly within the app. I would have to cast from my phone every time because I couldn’t search within the Chromecast daily motion app. Not too long ago I was making a last ditch effort to figure out the issue, and deleted the app with the plan to reinstall it. It was gone when I tried to reinstall it . As you said though, not really a huge deal as CBC Gem is there and works just fine.

IIRC, the chromecast came pre loaded with a few of the more common apps (YouTube, Netflix etc). And then you can search and add others if you want. As others said, you have to put in all your log in info, but that’s getting easier now than ever with many of them having a QR code you can scan with your phone to help with the set up.

I can’t recommend a Chromecast enough. Very cheap and user friendly

 

[Sonata]

It's not just smaller venues...it's smaller cities. Places where it becomes the "only" event in town... Not a city where there are professional sports teams, and lots of other activities going on. They need to go to places where things are plastered all over the streets and businesses embrace the event to create a buzz. I just left Calgary. There was nothing there that indicated that a major national event was taking place.

They should be going to smaller cities...not large cities that have dozens of things taking place.

(…)

Another thing that I've noticed in the past few years is that there's not much of an 'emotional' connection to a lot of the skaters in terms of the choice of music they are using. Where's the "entertainment" factor? It's all heavy, complicated and quite frankly "inaccessible" music that doesn't really generate a lot of excitement or any "feeling factor" with the audience. Outside of a couple of performances this weekend I just felt disconnected from everything...

(…)

Agree with so much of this. Until this weekend, I had never heard of Kaunas and was SHOCKED at how many people attended Europeans. The audience was so enthusiastic and it looked like it was fun to be there.

I also agree that in years past, programs were engaging and constructed in a compelling way that made it exciting to watch. Fast beginning, contemplative slow middle, climactic ending that gets the audience cheering. None of this angsty Enaudi type stuff over and over again. While I was never a fan of Elvis Stojko’s choreography, he chose movie soundtracks that would have you jumping out of your seat at the end. Kurt’s choreography was engaging for a different reason - moves intertwined, seamlessly woven into his program.

Also I had so much trouble finding this event. Not on YouTube. Not on CBC sports app. Finally found it on Skate Canada’s website. What non-fan would do this? How could this event not even merit a filler afternoon spot on tv? The lighting screamed “local club competition”. They are not even in investing in a qualified announcer with experience. There is no tv announcer there like Rod Black (YMMV) to mentor new commentators and build anticipation for an event. While I appreciate silence during a program to a certain extent, a good announcer will build anticipation by saying things like, “His quad is coming up, he needs this!” This is what helps make watching skating exciting.

 

[Alilou]

Smaller towns (Kelowna comes to mind)!
More relatable music with a big bang ending not piddling out at the end!
These are young people skating - let them skate to their own music!
Skate Canada, and all you hidebound coaches trying to do the right thing, are you reading this? I hope so.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Don't the highways to and from Kelowna become treacherous when there's weather? I thought there was some kind of pass that made people cautious for one of the Skate Canada's that was the last or penultimate GP, when they switched the schedule around.

For January, ideally you'd want a place where either weather isn't likely to be a factor and there are lots of options on where to stay, ex, Vancouver or Victoria, or one that is experienced with weather, but is either located centrally or on the outskirts, but easily accessible through transit, like Laval. Ideally, you'd have multiple exit points, so if some flights were cancelled, people wouldn't be stranded.

January is hard, weather-wise, and it's right after the holidays, when many people are tapped out, but have been back to work for a week or two.

 

[Alilou]

Don't the highways to and from Kelowna become treacherous when there's weather? I thought there was some kind of pass that made people cautious for one of the Skate Canada's that was the last or penultimate GP, when they switched the schedule around.

For January, ideally you'd want a place where either weather isn't likely to be a factor and there are lots of options on where to stay, ex, Vancouver or Victoria, or one that is experienced with weather, but is either located centrally or on the outskirts, but easily accessible through transit, like Laval. Ideally, you'd have multiple exit points, so if some flights were cancelled, people wouldn't be stranded.

January is hard, weather-wise, and it's right after the holidays, when many people are tapped out, but have been back to work for a week or two.

From Vancouver there's a 5000 seat arena in Chilliwack. It's about a 1.5 hour drive on the trans-Canada highway; typically not icy or snow covered. Normal Jan weather it rains a lot and the roads are fine.

Also the Abbotsford Centre, seats 7000, about 30-45 mins drive from Van.

 

[SkateGuard]

It's not just smaller venues...it's smaller cities. Places where it becomes the "only" event in town... Not a city where there are professional sports teams, and lots of other activities going on. They need to go to places where things are plastered all over the streets and businesses embrace the event to create a buzz. I just left Calgary. There was nothing there that indicated that a major national event was taking place.

They should be going to smaller cities...not large cities that have dozens of things taking place.

Six out the the last 10 Canadian Championships have been held in one province. I agree with you 100% that spreading the love and going to communities where the competition would be a novelty people would go out and see is the answer.

Here are some smaller cities in every province that have never hosted the Canadian Championships:

Charlettetown, PEI
St. John's, NF
Fredericton, NB
Sydney, NS
Trois-Rivières, QC
Belleville, ON
Selkirk, MB
Moose Jaw, SK
Red Deer, AB
Penticton, BC

Every one of these communities have 2500+ seat facilities.

Hosting the Canadian Championships in smaller cities was exactly what the CFSA did in David Dore's heyday in the 80's. Without exception, those rinks were packed to the rafters. That said, they had the stars and the TV contracts but I really think it is worth thinking outside the box.

 

[Frau Muller]

Before I say anything negative about Canadian Nationals audiences…let’s see the crowds at US Nationals in Columbus, OH. I’m hoping for a full arena (better than last year in San Jose) but afraid of reality.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Also I had so much trouble finding this event. Not on YouTube. Not on CBC sports app. Finally found it on Skate Canada’s website. What non-fan would do this? How could this event not even merit a filler afternoon spot on tv? The lighting screamed “local club competition”. They are not even in investing in a qualified announcer with experience. There is no tv announcer there like Rod Black (YMMV) to mentor new commentators and build anticipation for an event. While I appreciate silence during a program to a certain extent, a good announcer will build anticipation by saying things like, “His quad is coming up, he needs this!” This is what helps make watching skating exciting.

Are you sure Nationals wasn't on the CBC sports app? I watched on CBC Gem but the replays are definitely on the sports app. I've been a cord cutter for a long time so I'll all for having skating being streamed. That said, people need to be aware of and able to find the streams. Years ago I was doing adult skating with University of Toronto students. They were all fans but none of them knew when figure skating events were being broadcast or even if they were on television at all (I presume most of them didn't own TVs), so Skate Canada lost a potential young audience who could have grown into fans willing to spend money on events.