Barb Iverson <golfisme@...> wrote:          >Alexandra Damman wrote:
Interview with Elena Sokolova
Sounds happy coaching, but thinks she should have beat Kwan in 2003.
http://ptichkafs.livejournal.com/34133.html
<http://ptichkafs.livejournal.com/34133.html>

Question for those who know - is it common in Russia to have people
"predict" stuff with no substantiation?

   Maureen: I think people who predict things with no substantiation can be found
everywhere.
   As for coaches predicting their students will win the Olympics blithely as
Sokolova seems to be doing, no - but then she came across very "loosey-goosey,
jokey" in this interview.  Her substantiation, however, was that her student is
already "the champion of Moscow".  I can't say that I follow Russian singles
women right now, so that I have no idea who the kid is means nothing.


I always thought that Eleana was "cute", but had a horrible work ethic.
Is that totally wrong?

   Maureen: I'm not sure any of us have observed skaters practice habits enough
to comment on their work ethics, but it is the knock that RFSF had against her. 
Her coach Victor Kudriavtsev also felt that had she worked harder she could have
won worlds and Olympics (in an interview around his 7oth birthday last autumn -
he is now directing a rink in addition to coaching, and was much more positive
about the careers of Volchkova and Klimkin than Sokolova).


This article makes me think of Tanya Harding where everything is not her fault
and all is a pipe dream which bothers me a lot.

   Maureen: Again, I think Sokolova was being jokey in this interview, so I
wouldn't take it too seriously. Were there times when Sokolova could have been
ranked higher, sure? Would she have - with the exact same performances -
achieved the same medals if she had represented Bulgaria or Czech Republic
instead of Russia?  Probably not.  For "big country" skaters (USA, Canada,
Russia, sometimes Japan, China, France) - I think the number of times you get
"jobbed" and "gifted" evens out or comes out in your favor at least 90% of the
time.




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>Alexandra Damman wrote:
  Interview with Elena Sokolova
Sounds happy coaching, but thinks she should have beat Kwan in 2003.
http://ptichkafs.livejournal.com/34133.html
<http://ptichkafs.livejournal.com/34133.html>

Question for those who know - is it common in Russia to have people
"predict" stuff with no substantiation?

I always thought that Eleana was "cute", but had a horrible work ethic.
Is that totally wrong?

This article makes me think of Tanya Harding where everything is not her
fault and all is a pipe dream which bothers me a lot.

Just questions.

Barb

Interview with Elena Sokolova
Sounds happy coaching, but thinks she should have beat Kwan in 2003.
http://ptichkafs.livejournal.com/34133.html

--- In SkateFans@yahoogroups.com, Alison Cook <alisoncook@...> wrote:
>
> Oh, stop making sense!


I know, I really need to stop that.  ;-)

On Jul 31, 2008, at 10:26 AM, lbo3@... wrote:

> I just think the spelling wavers .... in no small part based on the
> poor spelling (mine included) of people to whom the name is ....
> well, not as common as, say "John".
>
>    janet
>
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: Mary E Tyler <dejahvu@...>
>> that you have ever heard of Szabolcs Vidraj,

Don't worry, Janet. It took me years to learn how to spell his name
wrong.

dej

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Learn to use Google Analytics to make your web site more effective.
Buy my book! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047017501X/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"I loathe writing. On the other hand I'm a great believer in money."
-- S.J. Perelman
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the midst of winter, I finally realized that deep within me there
lay an invincible summer.
--Albert Camus
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am Writer, hear me Pontificate!

> I left the two usenet groups when AOL (which I was using then) did
> something that made it harder to read them.   I don't know why
> others left, but it's clear that its pretty much a desert island now.


I left because when Netscape Navigator become Netscape Communicator
(back in the dark ages) they fubared their newsreader. When I found a
newsreader I liked years later, I found it mostly a troll-haven.

dej
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Learn to use Google Analytics to make your web site more effective.
Buy my book! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047017501X/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"I loathe writing. On the other hand I'm a great believer in money."
-- S.J. Perelman
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the midst of winter, I finally realized that deep within me there
lay an invincible summer.
--Albert Camus
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am Writer, hear me Pontificate!

>...some people misspell Kristi Yamaguchi's name...

My favorite misspelling is Yamagucci -- must be those custom-made boots.

Bubbles, a living tribute to additives and preservatives
---
"Ham and eggs -- a day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig."



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Apparently she cut her left hand and has limited use of her hand for the next
few months.

Also, she now has a long-term visa, which is the citizenship path visa.

Blog in Russian:
http://blog.livedoor.jp/yukosasha/


Lake Placid Dance event update
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080731&content_id=49820&vkey=ic\
e_news

http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=41662

Is Ryan Santee any relation to David or Jimmy?

Meagan Leigh

the term transliteration is one of the countless things I've learned on this
group,
Back when people were arguing over the "correct" English spelling of Katia's
name

Someone pointed out that what was being argued was not "translation" but
"transliteration"
because her name, translated to English, would probably be Katherine Gordon.

Fred

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: M. Burwell
   To: SkateFans@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:45 AM
   Subject: Re: [SkateFans] newbies, old timers, insults, hurt feelings, experts
and tyros


   For Russian etc. skaters, there isn't an agreed tranliteration for the
   cyrillic alphabet.

   Marg

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: <lbo3@...>
   To: <SkateFans@yahoogroups.com>
   Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:26 AM
   Subject: Re: [SkateFans] newbies, old timers, insults, hurt feelings,
   experts and tyros

   >I just think the spelling wavers .... in no small part based on the poor
   >spelling (mine included) of people to whom the name is .... well, not as
   >common as, say "John".
   >
   > janet
   >
   > -------------- Original message --------------
   > From: Mary E Tyler <dejahvu@...>
   >> that you have ever heard of Szabolcs Vidraj,
   > (snip)
   >> (Having said that, I reserve the right to have my biennial snit
   >> about spelling, grammar, or syntax .... just as soon as the store of
   >> ignoring it has built up to the point where it spill
   >
   > Speaking of which, did he/they change the spelling of his name AGAIN?
   > Jeez, I just caught up with the last time!
   >
   > dej, whose claim to fame is that she once walked from the arena to the
   > hotel with said skater...
   >
   > ----------------------------------------------------------
   > Learn to use Google Analytics to make your web site more effective.
   > Buy my book! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047017501X/
   > ----------------------------------------------------------
   > "I loathe writing. On the other hand I'm a great believer in money."
   > -- S.J. Perelman
   > ----------------------------------------------------------
   > In the midst of winter, I finally realized that deep within me there
   > lay an invincible summer.
   > --Albert Camus
   > ----------------------------------------------------------
   > I am Writer, hear me Pontificate!
   >
   >
   >
   >
   > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
   >
   >
   > ------------------------------------
   >
   > -----------------------------------------~-~>
   > SkateFans posts are copyright their original author and may not be quoted
   > elsewhere without explicit written permission. Those who post to SkateFans
   > do
   > not automatically cede their copyright to any person or entity.
   > ------------------------------------------_->Yahoo! Groups Links
   >
   >
   >
   >






------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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   Checked by AVG.
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AM


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We've been talking about spelling..........some people misspell Kristi
Yamaguchi's name.......oh well..........
Patricia

 Support your friendly local autistics...........I'm one of them.



----- Original Message ----
From: capcomgr <capcomop@...>
To: SkateFans@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:53:00 AM
Subject: [SkateFans] Re: newbies, old timers, insults, hurt feelings, experts
and tyros


--- In SkateFans@yahoogrou ps.com, lbo3@... wrote:
>
> I just think the spelling wavers .... in no small part based on the
poor spelling (mine included) of people to whom the name is .... well,
not as common as, say "John".
>
> janet
Ummm don't you mean Jon? (Just kidding :-))



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well, typically Skatefans enjoys a bit of "PBS" quality, whereas rssif drifted
into something that just wasn't worth the time, not quite the "WB".  Eventually,
I got aggravated with it.  Then I got a more busy life and barely managed to get
through Skatefans.

   These days though I do try to check out Ice Network, at least once a week -
some really great work for those who'd like to hear something "Fresh" even in
the summer that isn't speculation....

   Maureen

lbo3@... wrote:
           Two years or so ago someone from r.s.s.i.r. told me that "people had
been asking where I'd gone" and so I subscribed to the digest of both r.s.s.i.r.
and r.s.s.i.f. The message that came today from r.s.s.i.f. is a "digest" that
includes a single message. And that's not unusual.

I left the two usenet groups when AOL (which I was using then) did something
that made it harder to read them. I don't know why others left, but it's clear
that its pretty much a desert island now.

janet

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From MSNBC: Eight Olympians Who Could Turn Gold Into Cash
(article with a skating reference)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25836837

"...Occasionally, a U.S. athlete comes out of nowhere to become a
marketing sensation. That occurred during the 2002 Winter Olympics
when Sarah Hughes, age 16, captured the gold in figure skating.
Afterward she earned millions in endorsements, inking pacts with
General Electric, Campbell's Soup and even a memorabilia company..."


And three asides:

I consider myself more of a lurker than a poster.  I appreciate all
the old-timers on the list and am greatful for all the many names
I've come to recognize over the years, each with their own point of
view and level of expertise.  I also feel bad that some of these
folks are losing interest in skating.

My use of this list has changed.  I'm pretty good at finding skating
news, even in the off season, to entertain myself.  What floats my
boat are the links to utube or film clips.  To those of you who jump
in to illustrate a particular point, like the recent Finn Step or
Falling Leaf(p)keep 'em coming.

And finally may I put in a plug for Ice Network.  Without even using
my subscription I have enjoyed their news clips and interviews this
summer.  Check out their coverage of the current dance competition in
Lake Placid.

Thanks to the old-timers.  Welcome to the newbies.

Sharon
A SkateFan Librarian

--- In SkateFans@yahoogroups.com, lbo3@... wrote:
>
> I just think the spelling wavers .... in no small part based on the
poor spelling (mine included) of people to whom the name is .... well,
not as common as, say "John".
>
>     janet
Ummm don't you mean Jon? (Just kidding :-))

Hungarian doesn't use the cyrillic alphabet, though.

Szabolcs Vidrai is the correct spelling.

--- "M. Burwell" <burwellm@...> wrote:

> For Russian etc. skaters, there isn't an agreed tranliteration for
> the
> cyrillic alphabet.
>
> Marg
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <lbo3@...>
> To: <SkateFans@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:26 AM
> Subject: Re: [SkateFans] newbies, old timers, insults, hurt
> feelings,
> experts and tyros
>
>
> >I just think the spelling wavers .... in no small part based on
> the poor
> >spelling (mine included) of people to whom the name is .... well,
> not as
> >common as, say "John".
> >
> >    janet
> >
> > -------------- Original message --------------
> > From: Mary E Tyler <dejahvu@...>
> >> that you have ever heard of Szabolcs Vidraj,
> > (snip)
> >> (Having said that, I reserve the right to have my biennial snit
> >> about spelling, grammar, or syntax .... just as soon as the
> store of
> >> ignoring it has built up to the point where it spill
> >
> > Speaking of which, did he/they change the spelling of his name
> AGAIN?
> > Jeez, I just caught up with the last time!
> >
> > dej, whose claim to fame is that she once walked from the arena
> to the
> > hotel with said skater...
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > Learn to use Google Analytics to make your web site more
> effective.
> > Buy my book! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047017501X/
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > "I loathe writing. On the other hand I'm a great believer in
> money."
> > -- S.J. Perelman
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > In the midst of winter, I finally realized that deep within me
> there
> > lay an invincible summer.
> > --Albert Camus
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > I am Writer, hear me Pontificate!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > -----------------------------------------~-~>
> > SkateFans posts are copyright their original author and may not
> be quoted
> > elsewhere without explicit written permission. Those who post to
> SkateFans
> > do
> > not automatically cede their copyright to any person or entity.
> > ------------------------------------------_->Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> -----------------------------------------~-~>
> SkateFans posts are copyright their original author and may not be
> quoted
> elsewhere without explicit written permission. Those who post to
> SkateFans do
> not automatically cede their copyright to any person or entity.
> ------------------------------------------_->Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

For Russian etc. skaters, there isn't an agreed tranliteration for the
cyrillic alphabet.

Marg

----- Original Message -----
From: <lbo3@...>
To: <SkateFans@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:26 AM
Subject: Re: [SkateFans] newbies, old timers, insults, hurt feelings,
experts and tyros


>I just think the spelling wavers .... in no small part based on the poor
>spelling (mine included) of people to whom the name is .... well, not as
>common as, say "John".
>
>    janet
>
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: Mary E Tyler <dejahvu@...>
>> that you have ever heard of Szabolcs Vidraj,
> (snip)
>> (Having said that, I reserve the right to have my biennial snit
>> about spelling, grammar, or syntax .... just as soon as the store of
>> ignoring it has built up to the point where it spill
>
> Speaking of which, did he/they change the spelling of his name AGAIN?
> Jeez, I just caught up with the last time!
>
> dej, whose claim to fame is that she once walked from the arena to the
> hotel with said skater...
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Learn to use Google Analytics to make your web site more effective.
> Buy my book! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047017501X/
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> "I loathe writing. On the other hand I'm a great believer in money."
> -- S.J. Perelman
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> In the midst of winter, I finally realized that deep within me there
> lay an invincible summer.
> --Albert Camus
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> I am Writer, hear me Pontificate!
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> -----------------------------------------~-~>
> SkateFans posts are copyright their original author and may not be quoted
> elsewhere without explicit written permission. Those who post to SkateFans
> do
> not automatically cede their copyright to any person or entity.
> ------------------------------------------_->Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Two years or so ago someone from r.s.s.i.r. told me that "people had been asking
where I'd gone" and so I subscribed to the digest of both r.s.s.i.r. and
r.s.s.i.f.    The message that came today from r.s.s.i.f. is a "digest" that
includes a single message.    And that's not unusual.

I left the two usenet groups when AOL (which I was using then) did something
that made it harder to read them.   I don't know why others left, but it's clear
that its pretty much a desert island now.

     janet

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It depends on whether you're talking about social dancing, or competitive
dancing.   In social dancing, because there are a number of couples on the ice
doing the same dance at the same time, dance patterns aren't supposed to cross
center ice.   And so, ANY dance that crosses center ice if done BIG is
dangerous.   Even tests used to be judged savagely if you crossed the center
line ...... because it was dangerous, and you might well injure the skaters who
were skating the part of the pattern down the other side.    Now, though,
skaters are more powerful, and if you are a competitor, your ability to do a BIG
pattern is a plus, so the testing standard takes that into account.


       janet

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Elizabeth" <spencer_ehs@...>
The icenetwork article also mentioned that the Finnstep could be
problematic in competition due to, "all those toe pick steps....The ice
would be pitted with holes."

Hmmm....

All the compulsories involve following a set pattern... I would think
any of them done repeatedly could cause ruts and other hazards in the
ice. Any ice dancers or ice dancing fans that could comment on the
worst compulsory for hazardous skating???

Elizabeth




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Solution - ISU keeps the CD in all it's events and complys with IOC and the Ice
Dance Olympic Event becomes two program competition - OD and FD.  Once every
four years to drop a CD should be no big deal.

What the hell is all the fuss, Speedy?

Peter

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: M. Burwell
   To: SkateFans@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:44 AM
   Subject: Re: [SkateFans] The last compulsory?


   ----- Original Message -----
   From: "Elizabeth" <spencer_ehs@...>
   To: <SkateFans@yahoogroups.com>
   Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:13 AM
   Subject: [SkateFans] The last compulsory?

   > It seems the Finnstep is one of the compulsory dances that may be
   > skated at senior dance events this year. There's some debate as to
   > value of taking the time to learn this dance - not only becasue it may
   > not be drawn, but because the IOC has asked the ISU to turn ice dancing
   > into a two-event competition for the 2014 Olympics and there are
   > rumblings that compulsory dances may go the way of figures.

   The IOC may want to hold a funeral for compulsory dance, but the ISU didn't
   cooperate. I hope they don't eliminate the compulsories because that would
   mean clubs would in all likelihood stop allocating ice time for it. Not
   many adult skaters can honestly aspire to doing a triple toe loop but they
   can enjoy a social dance session.

   I watched the youtube video and thought the Finnstep (or Sunshine quickstep
   as it was labeled in the video) looks far more like a ballroom quickstep
   than the current quickstep. Yes, there are steps done on the toepicks, but
   unless the skaters are really stomping into the ice I don't think it would
   be a hazard for other skaters. There are always slight variations in the
   pattern from skater A to skater B enough that the toe steps would not likely
   be smack dab on top of each other.

   Marg




No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.8/1582 - Release Date: 7/30/2008 6:37
PM


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I just think the spelling wavers .... in no small part based on the poor
spelling (mine included) of people to whom the name is .... well, not as common
as, say "John".

     janet

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Mary E Tyler <dejahvu@...>
> that you have ever heard of Szabolcs Vidraj,
(snip)
> (Having said that, I reserve the right to have my biennial snit
> about spelling, grammar, or syntax .... just as soon as the store of
> ignoring it has built up to the point where it spill

Speaking of which, did he/they change the spelling of his name AGAIN?
Jeez, I just caught up with the last time!

dej, whose claim to fame is that she once walked from the arena to the
hotel with said skater...

----------------------------------------------------------
Learn to use Google Analytics to make your web site more effective.
Buy my book! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047017501X/
----------------------------------------------------------
"I loathe writing. On the other hand I'm a great believer in money."
-- S.J. Perelman
----------------------------------------------------------
In the midst of winter, I finally realized that deep within me there
lay an invincible summer.
--Albert Camus
----------------------------------------------------------
I am Writer, hear me Pontificate!




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In SkateFans@yahoogroups.com, Jennifer Lyon <JenniferLyon@...> wrote:
>
>
> r.s.s.i.f. is on life support, not quite dead. I check in over there
> every once in awhile, but for the most part it's been taken over by
> Chuckie and other trolls. There are a few good people who are trying
> to keep r.s.s.i.f. going. But almost none of the old regulars post
> there anymore and it isn't attracting many newbies. Most of the other
> Usenet groups I used to frequent have also gone down the tubes.
>

Part of that is due to the fact that some ISPs are cutting off access
to the newsgroups, considered a hotbed of copyright violation (all
those alt groups). Of course the official reason is that it encourages
bad people to post bad pictures...

I'm barely on newsgroups anymore since I switched to webmail instead
of a combined email program with a newsreader. I do manage to hit
Google Groups once in awhile, and there are still a few old hands over
at alt.tv.x-files. Most of fandom, though, has moved to Live Journal.

Michele

On Jul 30, 2008, at 7:59 PM, studiodreamer wrote:

> --- In SkateFans@yahoogroups.com, "Fiddler42" <Fiddler42@...> wrote:
>>
>> Maybe there should be two groups -- one for those who are
> intensely interested in studying the nuances of the various scoring
> systems and who are familiar with the "deep political issues"
> particular to the national federations, etc.   -- and a second list
> for those who just love skating and like to have an opportunity to
> chat about it -- without feeling like "dummies" because they don't
> understand exactly how points are calculated, etc. <<

SkateFans (at least as long as I've been here) and RSSIF (from which I
am a refugee) were always meritocracies. Knowledge of skating has long
been their currency and stock in trade. That's the culture. If you
want a skating board/list with a different culture, there are plenty
out there. I've belonged to a few. They exist. There are plenty where
you just need to love skating and wax poetic about it but where you
don't actually need to know anything.

You don't walk into a functioning culture and demand that the culture
change to make you comfortable. Either you adapt, you go somewhere
else, or you effect change slowly from within. What you don't do is
whine about it. You'll find that in a meritocracy, whiners get short
shrift.

And that goes doubly for you, Carl/Liam/Erik.

dej

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Learn to use Google Analytics to make your web site more effective.
Buy my book! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047017501X/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"I loathe writing. On the other hand I'm a great believer in money."
-- S.J. Perelman
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the midst of winter, I finally realized that deep within me there
lay an invincible summer.
--Albert Camus
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am Writer, hear me Pontificate!

----- Original Message -----
From: "Elizabeth" <spencer_ehs@...>
To: <SkateFans@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:13 AM
Subject: [SkateFans] The last compulsory?

> It seems the Finnstep is one of the compulsory dances that may be
> skated at senior dance events this year. There's some debate as to
> value of taking the time to learn this dance - not only becasue it may
> not be drawn, but because the IOC has asked the ISU to turn ice dancing
> into a two-event competition for the 2014 Olympics and there are
> rumblings that compulsory dances may go the way of figures.

The IOC may want to hold a funeral for compulsory dance, but the ISU didn't
cooperate.  I hope they don't eliminate the compulsories because that would
mean clubs would in all likelihood stop allocating ice time for it.  Not
many adult skaters can honestly aspire to doing a triple toe loop but they
can enjoy a social dance session.

I watched the youtube video and thought the Finnstep (or Sunshine quickstep
as it was labeled in the video) looks far more like a ballroom quickstep
than the current quickstep.  Yes, there are steps done on the toepicks, but
unless the skaters are really stomping into the ice I don't think it would
be a hazard for other skaters.  There are always slight variations in the
pattern from skater A to skater B enough that the toe steps would not likely
be smack dab on top of each other.

Marg

Oh, stop making sense!

studiodreamer <studiodreamer@...> wrote:                             -

  Or you can post here, or not, and not get stressed out or offended
  if someone doesn't respond.  There's no gun to anyone's head making
  them stay somewhere if it's no longer fun, entertaining,
  interesting, or relevant.  Unsub if it's making you or anyone else
  unhappy!  Life's too short to get in snits over internet message
  boards or mailing lists!


  studiodreamer






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>lbo3@... wrote: dear all,

Very eloquent as usual and very factual as usual and a joy to read again
as usual.

I'm  a sometimes poster, but always a reader and I appreciate people
like Sandra and Janet and others who have way more knowledge than I do
and share that knowledge when they feel they can do so and when they
have the time.

I remember when I first got a computer that actually had an on-line
connection many, many years ago- I absorbed this group en-mass and found
connections with posters at that time.  Dr. Rob, Joshua, even Adrian and
I loved the connection and met all of them.  Adrian, Joshua and Dr. Rob
are now basically MIA, but I still like to read stuff on this listserve
and hope that it never goes away.  Yes, there are other avenues to read
about skating, but I like this list and feel comfortable here even if
it's just to read.

I will miss the coverage this year, but hope to find it on line
somewhere and now that my little town has high speed, I actually might
get to watch some of it - - even with the restrictions of a 24" monitor.

It's a specialty world that the internet has made accessible to me and I
appreciate anything I can get.

Barb

The icenetwork article also mentioned that the Finnstep could be
problematic in competition due to, "all those toe pick steps....The ice
would be pitted with holes."

Hmmm....

All the compulsories involve following a set pattern... I would think
any of them done repeatedly could cause ruts and other hazards in the
ice. Any ice dancers or ice dancing fans that could comment on the
worst compulsory for hazardous skating???

Elizabeth

> that you have ever heard of Szabolcs Vidraj,
(snip)
> (Having said that, I reserve the right to have my biennial snit
> about spelling, grammar, or syntax .... just as soon as the store of
> ignoring it has built up to the point where it spill

Speaking of which, did he/they change the spelling of his name AGAIN?
Jeez, I just caught up with the last time!

dej, whose claim to fame is that she once walked from the arena to the
hotel with said skater...

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Interesting article regarding the fate of a new compulsory dance,
the "Finnstep" and compulsories althogether on icenetwork.com:

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?
ymd=20080730&content_id=49784&vkey=ice_news

It seems the Finnstep is one of the compulsory dances that may be
skated at senior dance events this year. There's some debate as to
value of taking the time to learn this dance - not only becasue it may
not be drawn, but because the IOC has asked the ISU to turn ice dancing
into a two-event competition for the 2014 Olympics and there are
rumblings that compulsory dances may go the way of figures.

Interesting debate.... let's discuss

Here's a YouTube link of the Finnstep:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDXIgUuNwq4

> I completely agree!  In my day an inside edge spin was a BAD spin!
> Try holding a camel spin forever!  It's hard!  I REALLY don't like
> the look of Cop Spins.  I think they are very ugly!

Interesting.

I'm not sure on ice, but in roller skating all spins are edge spins
and the inner forward spin is one of the hardest standard spins. That
long inner edge spin Michael Weiss used to do seemed to me to be quite
difficult since it's an off edge, off kilter sort of spin.

While I the the constant changing of positions and edges, I DO like
that we see more edge spins and fewer simple forward and back spins.

I suspect that inside edge spins were "bad" because they were not what
you were trying to do, rather something that you were doing despite
what you were trying to do... kind of like flutzing. A flutz may
technically be a flip, but you're not TRYING to do a flip and thus
it's bad. But an inner edge spin when you are trying to do an inner
edge spin is not necessarily a bad thing.

dej

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On Jul 30, 2008, at 3:37 AM, "Stephanie Smith" wrote:

> Oh yes, back when men were men, women were women, and you could easily
> grep the entirety of the Usenet for your name or whatever other
> obsession you had.
>
> Is r.s.s.i.f dead then?  I haven't looked at it in ages.  There are
> still a couple of corners of the Usenet that I've been involved with
> since 1992 or so that remain in relatively good shape.

r.s.s.i.f. is on life support, not quite dead. I check in over there
every once in awhile, but for the most part it's been taken over by
Chuckie and other trolls. There are a few good people who are trying
to keep r.s.s.i.f. going. But almost none of the old regulars post
there anymore and it isn't attracting many newbies. Most of the other
Usenet groups I used to frequent have also gone down the tubes.