Article: French skating chief defends himself

[Dustin]

From Globe and Mail (http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/RTGAMArticleHTMLTemplate/C/20020428/wskate?hub=sportsBN&tf=tgam%252Frealtime%252Ffulls tory_Spt.html&cf=tgam/realtime/config-neutral&vg=BigAdVariableGenerator&slug=wskate&date =20020428&archive=RTGAM&site=Sports&ad_page_name=b reakingnews-sports)

More false accustions. Funny he is talking about people accusing him falsely: "Gailhaguet, who also is an ISU Council member, said he was the target of a plot within the world federation led by British and North American factions." Please tell my why the British and North American organizations would want to make a plot against him? I think he just wants to try to cover up his mistake with more confusion.

[loveskating]

Well, ever since SLC, I now believe as dead serious what I used to think was just rhetoric and sensationalism by some USFSA posters and American commentators. I mean, there are actually people who just hate Moskvina's pairs spins!!!! Those are clear reasons to "plot". This is all very serious business ...and Wynn's call to remove Cinquanta and Brennan's call for the USFSA to pull out of the ISU if they don't get "everything they want" is also very serious...up a few notches from claiming S&P had a "slam dunk" win at SLC (which I could never, ever accept).

I think its pretty clear that there are two blocs and both are plotting...but my basic question is whether skating can survive this. SOmeone needs to rise above all this...somehow take it out of the hands of the principal players and restore order...kind of like a mom with two warring siblings who neither one make any sense whatsoever. The only other model of resolution for a senseless, selfish and utterly absurd fued I can come up with is Romeo & Juliet, where the Prince says, "A pox on both your houses" but the suicide of Romeo & Juliet, however unintended, is not acceptable...so I go with a mom model...or Judge Judy????

I mean, if you don't believe this fued is senseless, just look at the list of skaters who claimed during SLC that they "wuz robbed" going back 20 years...