This has been bugging me for some time now.

All I see on TV these days is figure skating. I just can't understand why this sport gets so much TV coverage while dancesport gets, for the most part, none. But I'm sure all the dancesport federations have been trying to figure this out as well.

I want to know what it is about figure skating that seems to attract so many people and brings me all those annoying figure skating dance offs on tv (while I'm lucky to see 3 dancesport competitions in a year). I mean skaters aren't even on the ice at the same time. At least make it challenging. Lets have all of the figure skaters on the ice at once. Now that would be interesting to watch.

Now. Let's get ready to rumble!!!

I'd also like to add the following...

I live in Canada and we seem to really support our athletes, when they do well that is. Those that place third in the worlds in curling or at the world championships in figure skating seem to become very well know by most (even those not following the sport would recognize their names). And this is for a third place result! I mean, this is great, but what bugs me is that we have the world 10 dance champions (Anik and Alain) right here and nobody outside of the dance world knows this (probably quite a few in the dance world don't know either).
You'd think that the news agencies would gladly print this information. But I guess they'd have to get their heads out of their...
Does anyone know if dancesport event organizers or the dancers themselves send out press releases on results? Would this even receive any attention from the news media?

I'll tell you why you see figure skating on TV all the time and not competitive ballroom dance. It's because in figure skating there's always a chance someone will mess up REALLY BADLY -- fall on their butt, crack their head against the ice, drop the woman, collide in a side-by-side spin and get slashed by a blade, pop out of a triple axel and go sliding on their side across the ice. When figure skaters mess up, ANYONE can see it. It doesn't require explaining and you don't have to understand the sport. When someone is laying on the ice because they tripped in a spiral you KNOW it's bad.

Stuff like this happens so rarely in ballroom dance that people aren't watching for it. In figure skating, you see someone attempt a throw triple salchow and you hold your breath at the sheer athletecism of it. Will the guy throw the gal high enough? Will she complete the rotations? Will she fall on her face during the landing? Oh she makes it, WOOO!! But in ballroom dance, that baseline sense of DANGER is not present.

Don't get me wrong, I adore ballroom dance and would love to see more competitions on TV. But to the average person, thrills and danger sells, and ballroom dance does not have the baseline danger element that figure skating has.

Laura

Regardless of the topics consensus-IMO, Laura DeGassa and Blair mclinton consistently post logical, insightful responses to any thread they happen upon-
On the topic- I was watching the Heritage ClassicInternational Latin division finals and concluded that the only way to pick a clear cut "winner" would be to flip a coin. They were all REAL good. The poor judges who get stuck on that level of comp must get blasted by people. To pick a winner becomes a matter of just taste or flair- two subjective criterion, as opposed to degree of difficulty or technique,as those top people meet that in the prelims. Hence the post competetition favoritism et al attacks....Ice skating? Lauras post - as usual - covers it very well.

I became interested in figure skating many years ago. At that time, there was very little tv coverage of the sport. Often, it would get pre-empted by some bigger sport. It was very hard to find anything written about it. As a spectator, it was hard to understand the scoring and to understand the competitive circuit.

There has been much speculation that the Tonya and Nancy rift created more interest from the television audience. I personally would not agree with this. I think there was an interested audience but the television programmers did not provide the showing until a certain point. I don't think the audience suddenly understood the scoring system which is quite complicated in figure skating and I don't believe the audience can tell a triple axle from a souchow(?sp). (Don't get me wrong, I'm sure some fans understand but the general audience may not.)

I believe the same is true with dancesport. I hear so many non-dancers say they love to watch dancesport on tv. The same thing that was true for figure skating many years ago is true for dancesport now. The audience may not understand the scoring system but still love to watch it. As a ballroom dancer myself, I don't know the circuit because I can't find any clear material about it.

I think there is hope that the television programmers may someday realize that dancesport can attract and maintain a large audience. I believe the viewer can learn how the scoring takes place and it doesn't have to change the scoring system. More credit should be given to the viewer's intelligence.

When the dancesport shows are on television, I think it would help immensely for the commentators to explain some things much the way Gary McDonald has done when he hosted some of these shows. Educating the viewer without changing the sport is the way to go.

(IMO,I think it would be too dangerous for more than one skater to be on the ice at a time.)

I think skating is much easier to understand on TV than live, because the commentators can almost always explain why the skaters place wher they do. While I may not be able to tell the difference between a triple loop and a triple lutz, I do know that the skater who completes the most triples/quads will likely win. The fact that only one competitor is on the ice at a time is also a big advantage for televising skating events. It is easy for the cameras to track the skater(s) from a wide variety of camera angles. As a viewer I see everything that a skater does both good and bad.

In contrast, dancesport events are easier to understand live than on TV. It is much easier to pick the top couples when you are watching live than when watching on TV. The limitations of photography dictate that viewers can't watch everything at once. The camera forces us watch the couple they highlighting at that moment. Even using wide-angle shots highlight the couples closest to the camera. We are not able to focus on the "better" couples that we want to watch more. And, it is not as easy for dance commentators to explain things like one couple has slightly better "topline" than another or the other subtle differences that determine the placements.

Regards,

Blair

[This message has been edited by B. McClinton (edited 02-12-2001).]

[This message has been edited by B. McClinton (edited 02-12-2001).]

AS for why there is little recognition for Alain and Anik, I think part rests with the dance community. I don't think that this has been promoted in the media to any extent (at least in the English-Canadian press). I have noticed that 10-dance championships is less prestigious than the those for standard or latin. Why else would the top two 10-dance couples come from North America and not Europe like the two two divisions. Even on the 'Championship Ballroom Dancing' show last week, Alain and Anik were introduced as the Canadian champions not the World 10-dance champions.

Regards,

Blair

[This message has been edited by B. McClinton (edited 02-12-2001).]

Growing up I was a Figure Skater. I competited in National Competition until I was 14 years old. I am now into Ballroom dancing and my profession is in T.V. Not broadcast but mainly advertising.
I will start with the reason you only see one skater on the ice at one time. Different Music. It's not that it is dangerous. The skaters all practice on the ice at one time and learn very early how to go into a double axel and not take out a few other skaters.
Yes, Figure skating does have its element of danger. The skaters are actually leaving the ice and any number of elements can effect a landing, causing them to fall and or trip and so forth. I can see this being more appealing. You may be right on that one. But I also think that people see figure skating as a younger persons sport. Ballroom dancing is viewed as an old persons sport. I can't even begin to tell you how many people will say to me "Don't you have to be older to ballroom dance." I will look at them funny and say no. But people don't understand the athletics of dancing.
Another point why Figure Skating gets so much coverage. Back many years ago, when men dominated the different sports Figure Skating was just about all women had. It was included in the olympics for that reason. Also community centers, City parks and Recs, and local rinks offer a bunch of different classes for the children. It gets publicity from the local shows that are put on by local rinks. There for causing an interest, so people want to see what the pro's are doing and wearing and so forth. Then there is the Ice Capades and Disney on Ice that gives people a reason to want to watch more Ice Skating. And there is the Tonya Harding incident. Yes, This did contribute to a lot of media coverage.
Now, pulling from my T.V. experience I believe that ballroom dancing isn't televised because instead of doing something about it you people just whine about it and expect someone else to do something about it. How many of you have let your local television stations know when an event is in town. Or informed your newspapers of winning couples. News media and so forth are usually happy to cover local stars and events. I just returned from the United Country Western Dance Council World Championships. The Event director Bob Bahrs contacted the local papers and Television stations. He had the radio stations announcing it. He even had people out doing demo at the local mall. I have to admit. It was nice to go anywhere in the town of Edmonton Alberta Canada and have the locals know that you were with the big dance competition. They asked questions and came to see some of the dancing. He made his own awareness. Many people won't get interested unless you slap it in there faces. You have to do it though and don't rely on the media to come to you.
Also, Be patient. It will take a while to get the word out there. You have to make an interest. It really has nothing to do with understanding or judging. They watch because they are aware of it.
If you want the Canadian champions to be known, then get off your butt and make them known. Bring them in and have them peform a demo at a charity fuction and have the media there. Use your imagination people.
Dancergirl3