British Championships - text voting!

[melanieuk]

After the Senior Free Dance at the British (Dec 2003), people in the audience (who have a mobile phone) will be able to text vote for the "People's Champion" based on the dancers' performance of the Free Dance.
The winners will receive a trophy.
See Ice Link (UK) for more details.

I find this fascinating. Strange, but compelling. 8O
Of course, what choice do I have but to be texting for my favourites?
Wouldn't all that money (surely it must cost?) be better spent on televising the event - or sponsoring those whose funding has been removed?


What do you all think?

[icenut84]

Wow, that's weird. It'll probably be nice for the skaters who win the award, but it seems to me to be like something of a popularity contest. It probably won't do much for the confidence of the skaters who don't win.

Originally posted by melanieuk
Wouldn't all that money (surely it must cost?) be better spent on televising the event - or sponsoring those whose funding has been removed?

Definitely. Especially the sponsoring part, although of course I'd love to see it televised.

[La Rhumba]

Is this in the new issue of Ice Link?

Mine hasn't come thru the post yet - did you pick yours up at the rink Mel?

Is this vote just in the Senior Dance? I agree with the comments by icenut, it does sound strange, and what would be the point? It's not a Song Contest where votes count toward a result. Or will they be added to the Judge's vote? ;)

So the British is not on TV again this year. :roll: :roll: :roll:

I'm sooooo :x :x and :( :(

Hopefully there'll be a video available. The costs of that vote and trophy should go towards organizing a video of the Championships.

[melanieuk]

Yes, it was the new edition - I got it through the post yesterday.

Texting will be just after the Senior Free Dance only, FOR the Senior Free Dance.
The winners of the texting get a separate People's Champion trophy.
The "real" winners may also win the People's Champion trophy.

I don't believe it will be televised, but you never know.
No video last year, so here's hoping.

Britain really has to have a word with itself, the way it handles sport in this country - it's pathetic - unless of course, it's football or rugby. :evil:

[twinkle]

Actually last year Icephoto produced a highlights video of the British with one program from each of the medal winners in all the disciplines and levels (primary - senior).

I'm not sure if it was generally available though, its possible you could only order it along with your own photos or videos.

There was something in Ice Link about it just after the British I think.

[melanieuk]

Yes, that does ring a bell. The photos were extortionate though, and I wouldn't feel I was getting value for my money with the video, since I'd already paid to watch the competition and can see my favourite skaters anytime! ;)

[melanieuk]

Skate Idol!

The entire audience MUST dress up with tight black Tshirt (don't forget the false pecs and nipples inside), guffy jeans, and pointy boots, black frazzly wigs and white dentures or they will not be allowed to vote! (Simon Cowell)

Oh, I am SO tickled by this!! :D

:roll:

[La Rhumba]

I'll look out for details of a video, as it seems the only chance we'll get to see anything of the British, if we can't get there in person.

In 2000, which was the first year there was no TV coverage [the BBC decided to broadcast the Junior GPF from Ayr instead because of "dwindling viewers and poor performances", they said], one of the parent's from the Rink was given permission by NISA to film all the disciplines at every level, and you could buy a seperate video with all the competitors in each event. I've got the Senior Dance from that, with ALL the CDs, OD and FD, it was £10, and filmed pretty well. They included the Medal Ceremonies, and some bagpipes from Scotland, so I thought it was well worth the money, as you could choose what you were most interested in and get full coverage of it.

Can't NISA arrange something like that again? They have to give permission ofcourse.

What's sad is that unless we're winning Gold Medals [eg. in the golden era of Curry, Cousins and Torvill and Dean] the TV people are just not interested. But how can our skaters progress if they don't receive financial support, expert technical advice, guidance and press coverage to spread the word about their achievements and the sport of skating in general. It just remains trapped in that *Cinderella* category to the extent that last year the BBC didn't even show the Europeans, and only 2 hours of Worlds. Without Eurosport and the internet, we wouldn't know what was going on in this country on the World scene. How many newspaper reports do you ever see of the GP events in Britain?

I used to phone and write to TV producers and Newspaper Sports Editors asking for more skating coverage - now I don't even bother.

:(

[melanieuk]

Hey
I also got the 2000 on video - just the Dance and the Ladies. £10 each. Not that good quality either and poorly edited - if at all.

You know SportScotland has withdrawn its Lottery Funding from the Kerrs?
They will either stay in Scotland and hope for the best, or move to England to get funding that way.

The world champ squash player was also Scottish and he had to MOVE to England in order to continue getting funding.
So if you think Great Britain (or is it England?) hasn't a hope, then Scotland is even further behind. :cry:

[La Rhumba]

On the Torvill and Dean egroup we moaned about this when the article about the Kerr's funding was first published, and one of our members found the address to write to, to let them know our feelings on the subject:

Mr. I Robson,
Chief Executive
Sportscotland
Caledonia House
South Gyle
Edinburgh
EH12 9DQ.

[icenut84]

Originally posted by La Rhumba
Without Eurosport and the internet, we wouldn't know what was going on in this country on the World scene. How many newspaper reports do you ever see of the GP events in Britain?

Not many - there's usually reports in Ice Link though, and I've also seen information in the sports section of The Times, with GP competition results etc. They even had an article about the pairs judging scandal a while back too, with a big pic of S&P to boot. It's the only paper I know of (apart from Ice Link) that mentions skating. It's worth keeping an eye out, anyway.

[melanieuk]

Originally posted by La Rhumba
On the Torvill and Dean egroup we moaned about this when the article about the Kerr's funding was first published, and one of our members found the address to write to, to let them know our feelings on the subject:

Mr. I Robson,
Chief Executive
Sportscotland
Caledonia House
South Gyle
Edinburgh
EH12 9DQ.

Thanks, but I already wrote to them.....still awaiting reply. :??

[La Rhumba]

Let us know what they say Mel when they reply [if they're not too ashamed!]:roll:

Cheers for the newspaper tips icenut. :idea:

BTW I got my copy of Ice Link, and I see the *People's Champion* vote is because of "numerous requests from audience members", and if successful it will be "repeated at future British Champs. and extended to other disciplines". Hmmmmm:?:

[melanieuk]

I have serious doubts that the audience requested this. I mean most people wouldn't even think about it, let alone ask NISA to do it.
More likely they requested the event to be televised. Or that they weren't satisfied with the result of the Free dance.