Skating’s next big thing
The past and present of U.S. figure skating don’t think the sport needs a future star – at least right now. Besides, who that person might be is yet to be determined.
That could all change when the U.S. Figure Skating Championships conclude next week in Spokane.
The final day of competition on Jan. 27 includes the crowning of the senior Men’s and Ladies champions as the sport tries to find The Next Big Thing.
History shows that women have launched skating to some of its highest points of popularity in the country. But with longtime stars Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen taking time off from competitive skating, maybe permanently, the question begs whether the sport is in need of an iconic personality.
Filling the void, at least in the interim, are 2006 Olympic silver medalist ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. They are the three-time defending U.S. champs.
Belbin said she has some concerns about skating’s current state, but also sees them as expected in light of the new four-year Olympic cycle which started after the Turin games.
“When a star steps down, another can step up,” Belbin said Wednesday by teleconference. “It’s natural and another evolution, time for someone else to step up and take that position. We all just need to be patient and keep working hard. We shouldn’t be disappointed, but patient for what the future holds.”
Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic champion, was the go-to athlete at one time and has seen others in that role since. She said she’s not ready to push the panic button.
“I think it’s in transition and going to be up and down at times, but skating continues to be one of those sports that people are still interested in,” Yamaguchi said. “It is hard to see (TV) viewership go down, but with the quality of skating in the U.S., there are certainly ways to continue to promote the sport and bring it back to those glory days. … It’s a changing of the guard.”
If there is a skater who is likely to step out from the rest of the field, the name most mentioned is Kimmie Meissner. The bubbly Meissner, 17, is the reigning world champion.
“People are starting to recognize Kimmie and her name,” said Yamaguchi. “Once other skaters establish themselves, things will start to grow again.”
Yet Meissner herself is well aware of the weaknesses in her skating that have often been noted by others.
She is clearly athletically gifted and capable of the big jumps which generate buzz, but has struggled to let her inner light shine on the ice and become a transcendent athlete.
“I think with Kimmie, it’s bringing out her personality a little bit more when she’s skating and interpreting the music a little better,” Yamaguchi said. “She has great lines and movement (but) … it’s about fine-tuning her programs and adding a little inspiration to all her movements.
“I think it’s all there, she just needs to put it together.”
Meissner said she’s been working hard with her team of coaches and choreographers to do exactly that and feels confident entering nationals. She says her only focus is on the ice, not the broader, off-ice concerns.
“I don’t try to think about myself as the face of figure skating,” she said. “This nationals is kind of who can do it that night and the public will decide (about that person’s status).”
Belbin and Agosto feel that the sport may need to loosen its uptight culture and be more willing to embrace risk-taking by skaters. Judges have been reluctant to do so in the past.
For now, in part because of their unique discipline, Belbin and Agosto will lead the way through the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“The entire skating community could open their eyes a little bit to new things,” said Belbin. “I’d hate to see us (figure skating) stuck in an even bigger rut than we are now.”
Agosto said the pair isn’t daunted by the task ahead of them.
“It’s definitely a role we’re very excited to step into,” he said. “We’ve always enjoyed performing and that’s the way people are going to be exposed to the fun side of skating. … We need to try to push the boundaries of skating.”