I suppose that the U.S. broadcast included Yu-Na Kim’s short program (the only one) because she won the short program at this competition. She’s also an up-and-comer from South Korea, which doesn’t have a very strong history in figure skating. I’d like to know more about her history, but I’m sure that as her career develops, we will. One of my favorite things about the Grand Prix is that we get the opportunity to be introduced to talented new skaters.
This brings up a pet peeve I have with the U.S. broadcast. As a fan, I would've loved to actually see the entire competition, instead of only the long programs of a select few. Yes, the broadcasts would be three times as long, but I'm okay with that. I loved the Olympics for that very reason. I wish that ABC would do it for all figure skating competitions, not just the nationals or the worlds. I suppose they believe they wouldn't get the viewers. Maybe they're correct, but it still bugs me that if I depended solely on the U.S. broadcast, I'd miss half of what goes on.
Up to this season, before I discovered YouTube, that was exactly my experience. YouTube is a god-send for true figure skating fans, because we can now view more. Canada and Japan seems to broadcast more of the competitions. (Too bad I don't know Japanese.) Plus, I'd bet the commentators are better, too. In the weeks to come, I'll find out.
1 comment:
What is really sad is that the Men's short program at worlds isn't going to be aired at all, anywhere. If you find it somewhere let me know. I totally agree with you that it would be great to see more skaters. If they cut some of the bios it really wouldn't take as long. Unfortunately, ratings for skating have gone down a lot. Some people blame the new judging system (which I happen to like but I get skating). It's hard to be a true fan these days. ESPNs contract for the grand prix is up after next season. I really hope they keep it.
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