Is there a home advantage in Figure Skating?

[Alexa]

Another question based on the results of SC.... the Canadians did very well--is it coincidence or did the location of the competition make a difference?

I am not asking because I think the judging was wrong--I have not seen the competition yet. I just find it interesting that Americans often do well at SA, and the Canadians often do well at SC, etc.

Thoughts?

[fadedstardust]

I think that pretty much goes without saying. Not to mention, as a little upper, that athletes don't have asa far to travel, so they're more rested. But mainly, it's as always, biased judging. What's new?

[danibellerika]

I think there is a nice positive correlation there. US ladies do well at SC too though. Also on a larger scale, I think about Michelle and how she has won 80% of all her world titles on North American soil. But with correlation, you can't ever say that A causes B so I don't know if I could technically say that there is a home advantage.

[LTM]

Home team tends to be bigger.
Canada is sending only one skater per discipline to the other GP meets, right.
Same in the US. Same in the other countries. The hosting country gets a couple of more spots.
So statistically they have a better chance to stand on the podium. There's more of them.
Add in the travel factor and yeh, that's an advantage.
And the answer to that is, so what?
Unless you want to send everyone to Greenland to remove
the "home ice advantage" it's hard to get around.
It's not like the Asians won't have their "advantage" when
during meets hosted in China.

[Alexa]

LTM--I was only asking what people thought about it. I don't have a problem with a home team advantage--I was just curious what people thought contributed to it.

And I think you are right on the key points that there are more hometown skaters, and also that the lack of travel helps them be more prepared.

[md2be]

Yes.
Crowds pump you up more.

It is very common for skaters to get ice time at the rink, pack it full of friends and family and do a run through to simulate the crowds and the "full" competition experience. I think Kurt used to do this. COmmon practice with sports psychologists.....this is easier done when you are at home as most skaters at elite levels know the owners/managers of the arenas and can arrange for this ice time.

[Sk8n Mama]

1) The skaters have the home crowd behind them

2) There's a good chance that they have competed in that arena before

3) Little travel

4) Support of family and friends

5) The country hosting usually has their best skaters attending. This wasn't so much how the ladies turned out at SA but it was the original intention. At Skate Canada, we definitely had our top skater in every event (Langlois/Archetto, Dubreuil/Lauzon, Phaneuf and Sandhu).

I don't think the judging was 'biased' but under the ordinals system, I don't think Cynthia would have won. Eman would have won the LP in the ordinals system but could not have pulled up to first after his disastrous SP. He had the only real world Senior calibre performance in the men's at SC. I ony watched the ladies at SA but Angela definitely did not benefit from helpful judging. She had the performance of the day and deserved it fair and square.

[buttlefan]

I take issue to the "lack of travel" reason for Canadian skaters skating at "home"...it takes a good 8 hours for Mira Leung to fly from Vancouver to Halifax where SC was held!

[Sk8n Mama]

Good point, buttlefan. Still probably closer than her going to any of the other GP events off the continent.

[Tamwheel]

The fact speak for themselves. Count the winning average for american skaters at Skate America versus international and also Canadian skaters at skate Canada versus international results. Skaters tend to win on home ice with greater frequencey than they do outside. Look how many times US ide dancers won skate America. How many time Bourne & Kraatz won Skate Canada. Anissina & Peizerat refused to compete in Canada because they only lost to them in Canada. That includes 1996 worlds. Then B & K beat Krylova & Ovsiannikov ONCE, the one year that the GP final was held it canada. They couldn't duplicate that elsewhere.

[the old gurl]

Gee, SC is good -- managing to disguise entire judging panels full of Canadians as international judges -- some work there!

There have been a lot more times where Canadians *haven't* won at SC, especially in the past several years. As for ladies, we've been lucky to see a lady anywhere *near* the podium, let alone ON it.

There may be an advantage in the hometown crowd but that goes without saying for *any* sport. To insinuate there is biased judging just because an event is held in a particular location is ludicrous, IMO.

[Tamwheel]

There may be an advantage in the hometown crowd but that goes without saying for *any* sport. To insinuate there is biased judging just because an event is held in a particular location is ludicrous, IMO.

To deny the existence of biased judging based on the results and is ludicrous.