How do comentators tell if a skater landed a move or messed up?

[FSWer]

Say,I was wondering how comentators know if a skater did or did not land a move they did? I mean,we know they have a list of what moves skaters have planed and will do. But when you hear on TV. that they nailed it of messed up. How can they tell?

[flippet]

Well, the commentators are usually skaters themselves, so they know the difference between a double and a triple, presumably. And besides the list they've got, they've probably also seen the skaters practice their routines often enough that they know what's coming up. With practice, it's also easy (or easier) to tell just by watching when a skater has dropped something from their routine, and is 'covering' in the choreography. It's sort of a 'been there, done that' kind of thing.

[FSWer]

Oh,because I would think it would be awfully hard (LOL,unless you were Superman) to be able to tell a landing from a distance. Even if they were skaters. As you can't follow blades from that far. I should think they might end up saying to themselves.."at least I THINK.....landed that.

[SynchroSk8r114]

Oh,because I would think it would be awfully hard (LOL,unless you were Superman) to be able to tell a landing from a distance. Even if they were skaters. As you can't follow blades from that far. I should think they might end up saying to themselves.."at least I THINK.....landed that.

I see you point; however, most of the mistakes that a skater makes are blatantly obvious. Take a look at the video "35 Pitiful Mistakes by Sasha Cohen" (http://youtube.com/watch?v=oApuWg5C7Ac.) I love Sasha, but this video's a great example of the little mistakes that most fans and beginning skaters may not catch - such as a slight two-footed landing - as well as the bigger mistakes that are blatantly obvious to nearly every spectator - like complete wipeouts, hand down, etc.

In addition to what flippet said about most commentators being ex-skaters themselves, some skaters are just not too good at covering up their facial expressions. Often, I can see that skaters get a disgusted or frustrated look on their face or appear to give up all together. Johnny Weir is a prime example of this! Remember his 2003 Nationals LP (http://youtube.com/watch?v=2IHPsK1PSYs)? He gives up (about 2:40 into program) after having that major wipeout at the start of his program.

Or how about this emotional extravaganza about :37 in: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y-UuXhdopWs&mode=related&search= ...wow...anyway, some people just can't hide it! :roll:

[flippet]

Oh,because I would think it would be awfully hard (LOL,unless you were Superman) to be able to tell a landing from a distance.


When you're experienced at landing (or not landing!) those jumps yourself, then it's not as hard to tell from a distance as you might think. Also, it's not just the blades involved in an iffy landing--the whole body is involved. The way the shoulders move, for instance, can be a clue to how the feet landed.

Trust me. Experience, both in skating, and in watching, counts for quite a lot.

[Sessy]

You can tell if a jump is under-rotated or if the landing is still with the feet crossed - the blade is never just the blade, it follows the entire leg. And you can tell if somebody flutzed and stuff, or popped their jump, and a fall of course is easy all together (just like hands touching down and the like). And for the short programme, there's a set of elements you have to do and stuff.
And then there's like... the flow with which a skater comes out of a jump. A badly landed jump will not go into the direction it's supposed to - the landing curve will be very very small and unstable and slow.

[rlichtefeld]

Also, on the televised events, there is a monitor on the desk in front of the commentator, so he/she gets a good view of the jump and landing, if the cameraman is good.

In the US, when ABC was doing the coverage, they would spend all week watching run throughs to figure out which camera would record which part of the routine. All the camera angles were pre-set before the skater even started.

I actually know the person that would work with the Producer doing this work. She is a coach in the Atlanta area.

And, at one Nationals, ABC had a Olympic level judge sitting in the booth feeding info to the commentators.

Rob

[Artemis]

And even with all that the commentators sometimes hedge their bets. Or at least the ones I listen to on Canadian TV do: "It looks like that might have been two-footed [or under-rotated] but we'll have to watch the replay."

[Clarice]

If the competition is not being broadcast live, the commentating is sometimes added after the fact. In those cases, they have time to watch the replays and script their commentary.

[Skittl1321]

If the competition is not being broadcast live, the commentating is sometimes added after the fact. In those cases, they have time to watch the replays and script their commentary.

Really? I never knew that. That's really interesting.

I just figured they knew what to say because, well, they were watching! Just like any other sport.

I can certainly tell when a skater messes up a jump, better than how a football player messes up a play- because it's a sport I understand. I think the same thing goes for commentators- they know the sport, they know what to expect- and then they call it like they see it.

[Artemis]

^ I've only witnessed that (commentary added after the fact) if not only it's not a live broadcast, but the commentators aren't actually at the event. On Canadian TV anyway, they tend to do that for Grand Prix events other than Skate America and Skate Canada, and for Europeans. For those events they buy the film from the local media.

For pretty much all other events, the commentators record their commentary "live" during the skating even if the event isn't broadcast live.

[Clarice]

Yeah, well, I'm going to backpedal on this a little bit - I know I've read somewhere in some skater's biography about them recording voiceovers, so I know that sometimes the commentary is added later. I don't know for sure whether they watch the tape in advance, or whether they just talk while they watch as if they were seeing it live. At the moment, I can't remember which book it was, or whose biography it was. If I find it again, I'll quote it.

[Clarice]

^ I've only witnessed that (commentary added after the fact) if not only it's not a live broadcast, but the commentators aren't actually at the event. On Canadian TV anyway, they tend to do that for Grand Prix events other than Skate America and Skate Canada, and for Europeans. For those events they buy the film from the local media.

For pretty much all other events, the commentators record their commentary "live" during the skating even if the event isn't broadcast live.

Yes, this is exactly the kind of scenario I was trying to describe.

[FSWer]

If the competition is not being broadcast live, the commentating is sometimes added after the fact. In those cases, they have time to watch the replays and script their commentary.


So,there kind of would be 2 tapes. The Skating is taped,plus you'ld see a seperate tape for the commentators together on TV.,right? BTW. has there ever been a time were so much of an error was made,that judges HAD ended up giving fause deductions for nothing?

[Skittl1321]

BTW. has there ever been a time were so much of an error was made,that judges HAD ended up giving fause deductions for nothing?

It is probably more difficult to be a judge than a commentator- because the commentators can miss a move or two, they don't say everything that happens. I'm sure judges have missed things, or marked things incorrectly throughout skating history. Now that they can use a reply, it (hopefully?) happens less. This is where the term "they got robbed" came from. Fans watching (even knowledgeable ones) think the judges marked wrong.

But often at local competitions you will see marks from one judge TOTALLY different from another judge. It can only be assumed their head was down because they were writing notes, or that they sneezed and blinked and missed something.

[flippet]

Also, FSWer, you need to know that the judges don't hear the commentators. No one in the arena does. The commentators are *strictly* for TV. So even if they 'get it wrong', it doesn't affect the judging.