Breaking Down TLC's "Jersey Ice"

With all the “Mayan Apocalypse” chatter that filled the air this week, skating fans could point to their own end-of-the-world signs: ankle surgery that’ll keep the Canadian team of Weaver/Poje out of ice dancing for the foreseeable future... citizenship issues that’ll keep World Bronze Medalists Takahashi/Tran from continuing as a pairs team... a Tweet from world-renowned Hugh Jackman that give shout-outs and praise to (skating) world-renowned Kim Yu-Na (not to mention a wish to meet her personally!)...

Or maybe it was the TLC airing of potential new reality series Jersey Ice that had you packing your post-12/21 survival kit? The 60-minute pastiche of elements from Jersey Shore, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo, and Dance Moms aired back on December 12—much to the dismay of true skating fans. Not that there were any great expectations; we know what to expect from these shows by now. But to see your beloved sport put through the so-called “entertainment” wringer this way—particularly when it’s difficult to find skating on U.S. TV otherwise—is especially disheartening.

I didn’t take any notes; I was too busy Tweeting my dismay at the time it aired, but here are my so-called “takeaways”:

+      The coaches involved (I think there were four women) were none that I’d ever want involved with a kid I knew. EVER. Start with the fact that none of the featured skaters seemed capable of getting off the ground with their jumps, let alone completing them cleanly. Continue with the fact that the coaches openly snipe at each other during practices, non-skating events, and—so it appeared—even at competitions. Finish with the fact that the show is about them... and they are nothing remarkable, other than loud, opinionated, and embarrassing to the sport in which they claim expertise. Jersey Ice had very little to do with the skaters, and even less to do with skating itself.

+      When the attention did turn to the kids, it focused on all the wrong things. No talk of technique. No talk of proper nutrition. One brief “concern” about a skater that might not have been getting enough sleep, and even that was kept in as a gateway to another sniping match between coaches (I think at least one coach was coaching another coach’s student). What WAS there? There were threats about kids getting it together before the upcoming competition “or there was no way they’d be going to Lake Placid” (where a larger event was looming)... and there was chatter about competition clothing options—surely more important than the “required elements,” yes? And there was another part featuring the children (technically speaking, anyway) at someone’s birthday party, and the coaches/moms went head-over-Toddlers-and-Tiaras with their games of one-upmanship (aka “my kid is better dressed than your kid”). Ah, how ironic that the network’s initials stand for The Learning Channel.

Of course the TV producer in me watched the show and said What do you expect? It’s “reality” TV. They’re looking for simplistic dramatics, one-note emoters, and a smattering of action to keep it from being wall-to-wall talking heads (hence the need for skaters). But that brings me to my biggest issue with making our sport the backdrop for Jersey Ice:

+      Skating—meaning Olympic-eligible, competitive figure skating—is already some of the best “reality TV” there is. It’s the ORIGINAL reality TV, according to one of the sources I interviewed for Skating on Air. So when you boil all that away, scrap it back together with gaudy duct tape, and schedule it alongside the likes of Sister Wives and Cake Boss... while the largest events in Olympic-eligible skating have to fight with all its toe picks just to get a fraction of the TV time they used to get in the U.S...

Well, among other things, it explains why no coach worth his or her PSA membership would have consented to having any part of what eventually became Jersey Ice. And with any luck, TLC will opt to do the same from here on out. As I understood it, the 12/12 airing was nothing more than a trial run—viewer interest would determine its fate from there. And in the Wednesdays that have passed since then, a series about competitive cheerleading has taken its place. Not that I wish the cheer teams of the world any ill will, but... let’s just say I might even attempt a back flip if they turn out to be the “winner” here. 

Last Chance Looming for "Skating on Air" Book Giveaway

A quick reminder...

If you want your name in the drawing for the 2nd Annual Skating on Air book giveaway, check out this post ASAP... I plan to draw the winner's name Wednesday night! And if I get just a few more entries I'll give away TWO copies! So go check it out!

ISU 2012 Grand Prix Wrapup... or, Who'da Thunk It?

Thanks for your patience in my this posted... I planned to have it up two days ago, but the tragedy in Connecticut made it pretty hard to get anything done on Friday (aside from hugging my kids extra tight, that is). 

Anyway, I went back to making some plain old observations during last weekend's GP Final... and when they started emerging as a stream of Who'da thunk it statements, I just went with it. See below:

MEN—Who’da thunk Javier Fernandez would’ve had the best free skate of those 6? Especially when the SP has arguably been his strength?

Or that said best free skater of the event would NOT make it to the podium at all?

Or that Patrick Chan would be 3^rd? I’d ask when was the last time he wasn’t 1^st or 2^nd, but then the words “Japan Open” come to mind...

LADIES—Who’da thunk...that Mao Asada would be winning a major event at the same time as Kim Yu-Na would be winning a (relatively) minor one?

That an American (Ashley Wagner)had a legitimate shot at the title... and came pretty close to getting it too?

That Wagner would get the tar knocked out of her by, of all jumps, a double axel??

PAIRS—Who’da thunk that Duhamel/Radford, a team pulling off side-by-side triple lutzes (and lots of other great elements), still can’t get on the GPF podium??

That Kavaguti/Smirnov would end up all the way at the bottom of the heap?

That Volosozhar/Trankov would win despite having a fall on the side-by-sides AND (more importantly) a dangerous mistake on a throw jump that literally never got off the ground?

That Pang/Tong would still be on the circuit—winning bronze—some seven years after they won their first bronze medal at this event?

DANCE—Who’da thunk that an American team (Davis/White)could be rewarded with this international title four times (and counting)?

Or that Dmitri Soloviev could take a mistake (made in his free dance with Ekaterina Bobrova) so hard? Or Maxim Trankov (see Pairs), for that matter? Note to both: it’s not the Olympics, dudes. Chill out.

On a completely different note: did any of you watch the TLC pilot for Jersey Ice last Wednesday? If not, don't worry... I took the (painful) liberty of watching it for you. Details to follow.

Time For the 2nd Annual “Skating on Air” Book Giveaway!

Before I post about the Grand Prix Final, I need to get this out there...

If you’d like a FREE personally autographed copy of my book "Skating on Air: The Broadcast History of an Olympic Marquee Sport" for yourself, a friend, family member, random skating fan you met on the bus, etc... please email me at KLawrence997-at-gmail-dot-com. 

This is open to anyone no matter where in the world you live! The number of copies I give away will be based on how many entries are received. I’m posting about the giveaway on Twitter and on the book's Facebook page too, but nonetheless... please spread the word!!

The drawing will be next Wednesday, 12/19. GOOD LUCK!!

ISU Grand Prix Final Preview and Predictions (yes, predictions)

There are injuries/surgeries to talk about—namely would-be comebacker Evan Lysacek and, as of today, John Coughlin (of U.S. Pairs Champs Denney/Coughlin)...

And there are some especially interesting names turning up at the otherwise-lesser-known NRW Trophy in Dortmund this weekend—namely Michal Brezina, Savchenko/Szolkowy, and Yu-Na something...?

But the skating spotlight, for all intents and purposes, currently rests on the ISU Grand Prix Final in Sochi. Junior short programs get underway Thursday starting at 8:45AM Eastern time in the U.S., followed by 7+ hours of Junior/Senior action on both Friday and Saturday morning. I, for one, will not be following the Juniors as closely as I will the Seniors, but that shouldn’t stop you from paying attention to the ISU’s You Tube Channel as it downloads them in near-real time as they did throughout the JGP season. And Team USA’s chances for singles medals look pretty good—Jason Brown, Joshua Ferris, Angela Wang, Hannah Miller, and Leah Keiser make up nearly 50% of the entire singles roster.

As for Senior action (for which you’ll have to do a little more digging to find live video streams), I’ve opted out of the “wondering” I’ve done with earlier GP events (how can I “wonder” when over a half-dozen events have gone by already?!). Instead, I’m back to predictions. No explanations—yet—just predictions of the finishes for all four disciplines. Let’s see how much explaining I have to do after this weekend is over...

Men: 1) Patrick Chan 2) Yuzuru Hanyu 3)Daisuke Takahashi 4) Javier Fernandez 5) Takahiko Kozuka 6) Tatsuda Machida

Ladies: 1) Mao Asada 2) Ashley Wagner 3) Akiko Suzuki 4) Elizaveta Tuktamysheva 5) Kiira Korpi 6) Christine Gao

Pairs: 1) Volosozhar/Trankov 2) Kavaguti/Smirnov 3) Pang/Tong 4) Duhamel/Radford 5) Bazarova/Larinov 6) Moore-Towers/Moscovitch

Dance: 1) Davis/White 2)Virtue/Moir 3) Pechalat/Bourzat 4) Bobrova/Soloviev 5) Cappellini/Lanotte 6) Ilinykh/Katsalapov

NHK 2012 and One More Round of This Year's vs. Last Year's Model

And suddenly, the road to Sochi looks a whole lot shorter.

No, not THAT Road to Sochi... I mean the little thoroughfare taking the top two dozen Grand Prix competitors (not to mention an equal portion of JGP entrants) to the Finals, A.K.A. the Sochi test event. But before we get there—in about 10 days—let’s do one more round of then-and-now free skate comparisons, inspired by the NHK performances from a few days ago:

Javier Fernandez (finished 4^th): Verdi Medley (last year) vs. Charlie Chaplin Medley (this year)... We’ve seen Fernandez go from Pirates of the Caribbean (highlighted by a “drunken” in-character footwork sequence), to the slightly more straightforward Verdi, to the highly character-driven Chaplin. I like the ambitious nature of the new program, and the choreo’s terrific as always, but can Fernandez keep it going for 4 minutes without losing his jumps? Yes (at Skate Canada), but it was a NO here at NHK. True, he’s proven to run out of steam in a variety of free skate programs... but if “being Chaplin” exacerbates the problem, maybe he’s just not ready for it yet. Let’s see how he does at the GP Final...

Richard Dornbush (finished 5^th): Western Medley by Morricone/Rossini (last year) vs. Wild Ones/Harlem Nocturne/Rooftops (this year). I want to say I like This Year’s Model better—Dornbush looks like he’s in better shape, and I’m hopeful that means he’ll take two steps forward this year rather than backward (as he seemed to last season). But... my problem is that Wild Ones feels like last year’s FS with a hipster vest where the cowboy shirt used to be. He’s got some campiness in his style to be sure, and maybe he simply doesn’t have many shades of camp to work with just yet. Perhaps a different choreographer would help?

Akiko Suzuki (was robbed won silver): Die Fledermaus (last year) vs. O (Cirque du Soleil) (this year). A dilemma of a different kind here... Fledermaus was superb, and propelled Suzuki to her first-ever world medal. And yet I adore her new FS sooooo much—the costume, the mannerisms/choreo, and of course her skating itself on a new level of exquisite—that I’m already a little bummed that it’s being used this season instead of next. I find myself wondering How will she top herself in an all-important Olympic year? But then again I’ve been known to worry too much...

Bazarova/Larionov (won gold in pairs): Dr. Zhiavago (last year) vs. Spartacus (this year)... ah, finally an easy one! The thing I can’t get over about this team are Bazarova’s itty bitty singles elements—when she DOES land her SBS’s, you can hear Dick Button in your head saying “There’s no JUMP in that jump!” And to me, if you’re going to trot out music as powerful as Spartacus, you’ll need to back it up with some fierce skating. “Fierce” isn’t what comes to mind when I think of Baz/Lar.

Davis/White (won gold in dance): Die Fledermaus (last year) vs. Notre Dame de Paris (this year)... Some time back, I compared Davis/White and their Great White North rivals by saying that D/W tend to skate with boldness and power while Virtue/Moir are more about subtle nuances—like comparing the color royal blue (the former) with periwinkle (the latter). This year in particular, I think the tables have turned. I’m not finding much that is subtle about V/M’s take on Carmen, whereas D/W’s Notre Dame is the kind of slow-building program that leaves you finding something new to love about it every time you see it repeated. I know many consider Fledermaus to be their masterpiece, and with good reason. But Notre Dame should find its own place on the Davis/White Wall of Fame in no time.

"Skating on Air" exclusive book offer for CyberMonday!

Since it IS, after all, CyberMonday... let's try something.

The first five readers to shoot me an email at KLawrence997-at-gmail-dot-com can get an autographed copy of Skating on Air for $30-- 25% off the Amazon list price-- and I'll cover the shipping charges!!

This promotion is open to North American readers only... but not to worry, I'll see what I can do at an international level as the holiday season progresses! 

My email address is listed in my profile page as well--  please send me a note rather than post your request in the comments. 

I look forward to shipping some books out!