Just a dopey thought -- if the concern is that your friend gets a chance to skate his FS program, then why can't he just do an exhibition for Gold I instead?

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

At last, a wonderful compromise, not surprisingly from jazzpants. Kudos.

Your idea has precedent. Here's a link to a lone-competitor event at AN. The winner, as I recall, got the gold medal, the winner's plate, podium pictures, the whole works:
http://www.usfsa.org/event_related_d...men-classi.htm

Hi,
I believe the first person was probably allowed to compete because there was another competitor, although he withdrew. To hold an event there must be two competitors registered. Usually the person without a competitor is offered the option to skate an exhibition, but with judges feedback.

I'd like to point out, that from the technical viewpoint, you friend did not "get kicked out" of AN. He entered an event that has, through no fault of either the skater or the LOC, ended up having no other competitors. The LOC is under no obligation to hold an event with only one skater; nor are they obligated in any way to find a way for this skater to compete by combining age groups, which in effect creates a new event not spelled out in the announcement. It's nice if they do, but it's not required.

Neither USFS nor the LOC is picking on your friend personally. Events have been cancelled before for lack of participants. It's entirely possible that the Gold II man who requested that Gold II stick to its age limits was denied the opportunity to compete for the same reason in the past. It happens all the time to males and to older skaters and to higher level skaters in competition. It's just something you have to accept and get over.

If this is true, then perhaps there should have been an option for the remaining Gold I man to compete. But then again, the withdrawals this year were known ahead of time, whereas the withdrawal in the event which I linked earlier may have only been known the day of the competition. Hard to say...

Skateguard, I do think it's probably too late to do anything about this year, but I would encourage you to visit the Adult Committee table at AN this year and let them know your thoughts anyway. While the mystery Gold II man was simply following rules, the better solution would be to consider new rules which would deal with this sort of situation in future AN's. Like if the lone competitor in one age class is within x years of the oldest (or youngest) competitor in an adjacent age class, then combine the groups. The committee would also have to consider whether such decisions would be mandatory or up to the referee. This sort of situation does not occur very often, and when it does it usually affects only the events which typically have low participation (the open masters events, adult men's open events in Class I or IV, etc.), so you don't hear about it often, which is probably why there is not a rule in place. But that's not saying there shouldn't be.

Skateguard and others

Per U.S. Figure Skating rules, the chief referee has the authority to divide or combine age groups.

This was the decision of the chief referee to handle this situation in this particular way.

Whether or not you agree/disagree with the decision, to embarrass the gold men II skater for his decision publicly on this board is unacceptable. Please keep this in mind if anyone intends to post in regard to this.

Laura Fawcett
Director of Online Services
U.S. Figure Skating

Hi all,

I don't know how many of you read the discussion forums on USFSA, but I just posted Laura Fawcett's response to skateguard's post regarding the Gold 2 men (She had posted the same thing on USFSA). I thought it may help everyone understand where the USFSA actually stands on this issue.

Thanks,
Kristin

At some competitions over on this side of the Atlantic, what happens is that they hold the class, even though there is only one competitor, but the skater (or skaters, if it's a couple or pair) warms up with the skaters in the next or preceding age group, and competes alongside them, but the result is kept separate. Seems to work....

And friends of mine are competing in a qualifier for the British Adult Championships at the end of next week, and they are the only couple in their class, but because it's a qualifier, they will have to skate anyway. We would give them a run for their money (not! They invariably just beat us, usually by one point!), but of course we'll be visiting you lot!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Adult Nationals is already too big, with a chronic squeeze for ice time. The refs never hold exhibitions/critiques for a single entrant in an event. A smaller or local comp can get away with it, but there's just no way that's ever gonna happen at AN.