Figure Skating is not a sport!
February 20, 2006 by admin
Filed under Sports Rumors
I’ve had this argument with my wife lately. She is an artistic type who happens to enjoy figure skating.
But it is not a sport! Any activity that winning or losing is based on the opinion of someone else does not qualify to me as a sport.
In freestyle skiing, style points are awarded but the tangible element is also speed. In bobsled or the luge, whoever gets to the bottom in the fastest amount of time is the winner. Speed skating is a sport too.
Figure skating is not a sport. It requires athletic ability, no doubt, but then again so does getting out of bed in the morning.
PREACH IT!!!
The need for strength, agility, and skill do not make something a sport. Objective scoring standards do. Artistic merit is NOT objective.
Is Golf a sport?
Is Archery a sport?
In both cases, you can be morbidely obese and still be quite good at it :)
Yes and in both cases there is an objective way to win. Not some half-ass judging that awards the win to one person or another. In golf, a score is kept based on number of shots. In archery, points are kept for where the arrow goes.
okay, then what is your definition of an athlete?
Unfortunately, then you’d have to get rid of a lot of Summer Olympic sports too .. like gymnastics, diving, and um… there must be more subjective events …. I think it would be different, if they had an hour or so to review everything in detail with slow motion replay. It’s even worse for me, when they not only are subjective - they do it in 2 minutes .. it’s like speed dating.
Defining athlete is beside the point. I think we all agree figure skating requires athletic ability. I think the question should be what is a sport.
The only thing I’m challenging is figure skating as a sport! ;)
Hart: I’m okay with losing those as “sports”. :p
according to wikipedia:
A sport consists of a physical and mentally competitive activity carried out with a recreational purpose for competition, for self-enjoyment, to attain excellence, for the development of a skill, or some combination of these. A sport has physical activity, side by side competition, self-motivation and a scoring system. The difference of purpose is what characterises sport, combined with the notion of individual (or team) skill or prowess.
Unless you find me another definition of sport. (and I want it to be that well written too!), Figure skating is a sport, Aaron ;)
Who cares about Wikipedia? :-) This is about my opinion! :-)
oh okay.
so that’s like a non-argument.
You know, some people think the earth is flat and that God exists.
Are you telling me that sport is a matter of faith over facts? :)
The earth is flat. Duh.
ROTFLMAO
Any joker knows that.
Wikipedia is clearly wrong. Come on:
* The performances are set to music
* They’re called programs
* Choreography is a factor in judging (Didn’t the old scoring system have an “artistic interpretation” component?)
* It’s sister is Ice DANCING!
And if that doesn’t persuade you…
THE SEQUINS!!! LOOK AT ALL THE SEQUINS!!! CAN IT SERIOUSLY BE A SPORT IF YOU WEAR SEQUINS!!!! THE INHUMANITY!!!
Hahahaaaa
Ok ummm,
If you think figure skating is not a sport just because it is judged by people and the winner is determined by an opinion. Your wrong.
There are certain requirements you need in your “program” to get points and if you do not meet them you are deducted and then they add up the marks. That is a strong influence on who comes in first. And it is not only all the girly sports that are judged, what about diving and ski jumping may not be judged by the length but the form is still determined by opinion. Figure skaters work really hard to get to the top and they work just as hard as all the pro football players, but just because they don’t have to run down a field they are not considered athletes. If figure skating were easy the y would call it hockey. And the comment about the sequence, figure skaters don’t have to wear a sparkly dress with sequence, they do so they stand out and be remembered. So if figure skating is not a sport then what is it, are you saying that all this work they are doing is just to practice a hobby.
IT IS TOOO A SPORT. FIGURESKATING TAKES YEARS TO GET GOOD AT. IT IS NOT THE OPINION OF OTHERS, FIGURESKATING IS JUDGED ON SKILLS AND ROTATIONS AND LANDING RIGHT (WITCH IS VERY HARD TO DO). you should really get to know a sport before you go on and critizie it!
take it from a long time figureskater.
Definition of sport:
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition.
just because it is judged doesn’t mean it is not a sport i mean like what kind of jerk believes that, you do not understand the concept of sport, if hockey was somehow judged would you call it a sport, the amount of training and effort figure skaters do compared to hockey players is outstanding hockey players are like someone else’s robots the coach is the only one that has to work overtime, whereas the figure skater has to pay attention to every detail.
By the way I am a figure skater and learn to appreciate the sport.
P.S. before you know criticize the sport learn and see how much training it takes.