Relative Difficulty of Skating viz Sports?

[loveskating]

Miffed by claims that figure skating is not a sport, I had a conversation with someone at work recently who dismisses out of hand my claim that, having played basketball and also skated, I bleieved that skating was much harder and required more talent than basketball.

I think skaters are probably the most magnificent athletes out there, that what they do is qualitatively harder than almost any other sport (perhaps gynmastics and Kung Fu is equally as difficult and multifaceted?)

Anyone have any opinion or analysis on this?

[babyballerina]

One of the main things that I think makes skating exceptionally difficult is that so very few make it to the top. I will use the comparison with basketball since you used it. In any one year there are hundreds of basketball players around the world making a decent (if not insanely rich) living out of their sport, but only a tiny handful of skaters. In order to represent their country at worlds, a skater must in most case be the VERY BEST in their country. In some countries maybe 3rd best will do, but these countries tend to be the ones with the most competition and it is never guarenteed. I mean, by chance two American ladies could get injured at worlds next year and withdraw after the short, leaving the US with only one ladies sport at the Olympics (NOT that I want this to happen!!!! Just using it as an example of the chance factor in skating.)

Compared to other individual sports skating is still very demanding. For example, 100m sprinters still have a second chance to get into the Olympic team via the relay. Skaters have no second chance. There is no team event and only one Olympic gold medal, which makes skating harder than gymnastics IMHO (However, gymnastics is the most unrewarding. Terrible injuries and little chance for the vast majority to make money afterwards. I mean, an Olympic gold in skating generally guarentees and good life after in shows and stuff. What happens to gymnasts? Seems to me most of them disappear.)

Most skaters will only go to the Olympics once, especially the women. Michelle is an exception, not a rule!

In pairs and dance the 'partner factor' is another difficult problem. What if you are a brilliant skater but cannot find a partner? It seems many good female skaers are lost for the want of males. In basketball, changing to a new team wouldn't mean a drop in the rankings and you don't have to play with exactly the same team for 10 years to be any good! Also, your team doesn''t have to fit weight/height requirements, nor country except for the Olympics.

At the end of the day there are very few skaters at the top. Yet millions skate. How many people can do a quad today? 20? How many people can put a ball in a hoop?

[flippet]

I was thinking about this the other day, and I think the problem is simple terminology.

Skating is probably more technically defined as an athletic event or endeavor, not a 'sport' per se. Skating is not a 'game' such as basketball or baseball, and there is no absolute (objective) basis for 'winning' (such as simply scoring the most goals). If there were, then it would be easy for your average joe to explain why Suzie beat Alice.

I think that many of the more artistic 'sporting' events can be defined this way--more as athletic events, than sports. The definition of sport has nothing to do with how much effort is exerted. If it were, then ballet would also be a sport, and heck...childbirth ought to earn a spot there too. 8O

[loveskating]

Good point.

To be a good basketball player, you have to be very fast, have great eye hand coordination and be able to jump, have lots of natural spring. For some postions, like post guard, strength is important. These days, to be great, you have to be tall.

Seems to me a skater has to have all those characteristics, and then some. Kind of like able to run the 100 yard dash (sp) and the longer runs (LP), able to rotate 3 times at least in the air while having the natural spring of a long jumper.

You can make lots of mistakes in a basketball game, but a skater can only make a few and s/he is out.