At least one judge likes the 'points' system for judging...

[Lee]

Skate judge high on new scoring system (http://waymoresports.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=waymoresports/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1026145158865&call_page=WM_Home&call_pageid=979619472127&call_pagepath=Home/Home) -- Toronto Star -- Sept 13/02

The article talks about the 'points' system for marking skaters and is the first review I've seen so far of the proposed process. Remember, the 9/14 thing IS in place for this year, but they are also testing out the 'points' system.

It should be interesting to see reviews as they come in.

FWIW, Abbott is a younger judge, so may be more amenable to change than some of the 'older' ones??? Just a guess...

[Greek Chic]

I don't want to start anything here, but I wonder how the Eastern European judges would feel about this?

It is good to see that we have a least one postive judge about the new system. At least the sport of figure skating will be a sport.

[A.H.Black]

I have long been a proponent of some sort of point total. Having said that, I am apprehensive as to the criteria used to award points. Once the system is in place, though, it will be much easier to tweek it so that bias becomes less important. If properly constituted, the system itself can allow for bias, even encourage it, and yet still come up with the right winners.

I have always felt that it is unfair to require judges to rank skaters. That sort of system asks for more than their best: it asks them to be superhuman. Since we know that some of them don't even ask the best of themselves, the system needs to do it for them.

I hope this works.

[Schmeck]

I love how the new system takes into account the timing of jumps (beginning vs middle vs end of program) but how in the world can the judges watch the program, and make all these scoring decisions at the same time? It seems impossible to me!