Women’s Ski Jumping and Figure Skating Gain Support and Exposure

Several weeks ago in this column, I expressed hope that the International Olympic Committee would approve women’s ski jumping for the Winter Games. U.S. women ski jumpers have been fighting this uphill battle for some time. But there may be some hope on the horizon.

According to the New York Times, Jacques Rogue, president of the IOC said women’s ski jumping is being added to a Winter Youth Olympics in 2012 and has a “strong case” for being part of a future Olympics. While it maybe too late for the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, there's still hope for 2014.

In other Olympic news, NBC has extended its broadcast deal with the U.S. Figure Skating Association through the 2014 Winter Olympics in Solchi, Russia. The network will provide live coverage of the national figure skating championships and Skate America. That's good news for the sport which has had declining viewership and attendance in recent years.

Let's hope that NBC provides the coverage on its parent station and does not bury the event on its Oxygen network, like it did for the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles last March. Some cable companies do not carry Oxygen, or if they do, it's at a premium, and many households don't have access to it. Despite this minor issue, the extended contract guarantees that figure skating will continue to have some exposure to American audiences.

Change Is in the Air For U.S. Figure Skating Championships

The Chicago Tribune learned that the U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be spread out over nine days and two weekends in 2010 to provide for live coverage of the sport on NBC leading into the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Under the new format, which will only be in effect for 2010 and other Olympic years that follow, the senior men’s and pairs competition would take place during the first weekend and the ladies and ice dance would be the second weekend. The juniors and novice competitions will take place the week in between. In non-Olympic years, the schedule would revert back to its current setup with all four free skate programs taking place on the same weekend.

The move will allow NBC to telecast the short and free skate programs of each of the four disciplines to give figure skating a bigger national TV audience and generate interest in the Winter Olympics. While I can understand U.S. Figure Skating and NBC wanting to capitalize on its recent successful coverage of the national championships in St. Paul, Minn., which increased 65 percent over last year’s coverage on ABC/ESPN, I think this plan is risky and could harm attendance. I know of few people who would be willing to attend an event over two consecutive weekends. For the diehards, it means staying an extra couple of days. For the not-so-diehard, it means choosing one weekend over the other or staying home altogether. With the sport already struggling to attract fans, it can’t afford to lose more of their in-person audience.

In related news, NBC will provide coverage of the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles next year. I would think that this development closes the door on any possible agreement between ABC/ESPN beyond this year when the current contract expires. Furthermore, if NBC’s ratings for these figure skating events continue to rise, look for a longer-term deal with the network after the Vancouver Olympic Games.

U.S. Figure Skating Championships -- Rewind

Miscellaneous thoughts and musings from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Paul, Minn., which concluded last weekend.

I was as stunned and suprised as everyone else when pairs skater John Baldwin proposed to partner Rene Inoue after their free skate program. A touching moment to be sure, but if that happened to me, I'd smack him. Wouldn't it be better if he proposed in private?

The overall quality of the skating in all four disciplines was much better than I expected, and I think much of that has to do with the young skaters competing at the senior level for the first time.

As I watched Caroline Zhang perform to “Ava Maria” I was spellbound and nearly moved to tears. I said to myself, “We may be watching the second coming of Michelle Kwan.”

The future of women’s figure skating looks very bright. Not only did Zhang sparkle in her free skate, but 2008 national champion, Mirai Nagasu, silver medalist Rachel Flatt and bronze medalist Ashley Wagner also impressed me. Three of these four ladies participated in their first nationals at the senior level; this was the second year for Flatt. And they all skated with a poise and maturity that was far beyond their years. It is going to be wonderful to watch them grow and compete at the national and international level.

How young is too young? Because of the ISU’s age requirement, the only medal finisher to go to Worlds this year will be Wagner, along with Meissner and Bebe Liang, who finished fifth. In order to keep three places on the ladies team, our top two American women must finish with placements equaling 13. For example, if two women finish fifth and eighth, we’ll keep our three spots on the team. If they finish worse than that, then the U.S. will only be able to send two ladies to the 2009 World team.

Is Kimmie Meissner’s career finished? The 2007 national champion fell three times during her free skate to finish seventh overall. Clearly, she lacks confidence in her skating. She’s got the talent, but does she have the desire to keep competing, especially with the likes of Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang entering the foray? If Meissner wants to reach the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, she’ll need to make some changes and work on her mental approach, which may mean working with a sports psychologist or changing coaches. (Note: Yesterday, Meissner announced that she has left long-time coach Pam Gregory and will be working with Richard Callaghan for the next six weeks leading up to the World Championships in Sweden.)

I was encouraged by the TV ratings for NBC’s telecast of the championships. The ladies event which was broadcast live Saturday night had a rating of 3.8, a 65 percent increase over last year’s telecast on ESPN. The men’s free skate on tape delay on Sunday night drew a 3.5 rating compared to 0.59 last year, when it got buried in late night coverage on ESPN. Overall, the telecasts of the championships reached 12.5 million people compared to 4.7 million last year. NBC and U.S. Figure Skating need to continue to telecast these competitions in primetime to rebuild their audience. As the young faces of skating become more familiar, more people will likely tune in next year.

Evan Lysacek may be focusing much of his time and energy on the quad jump in competition, but his straight line step sequences are impressing audiences and judges alike. Both sequences were given a grade level 4 for difficulty, the highest possible mark, plus a grade of execution of more than two. You may not like his style, but it’s getting a lot of points.

So was Johnnie Weir robbed of a gold medal and a national title? Most fans seem to think so, and I certainly did at first when the men’s competition concluded. But in a fluke of the judging system, both skaters had the identical score 244.77, but Lysacek was awarded the national title for winning the free skate, the tie breaker. Looking at the scores for both skaters (available on U.S. Figure Skating’s Web site), two things stand out: Lysacek’s straight line sequence was a full two points higher than Weir’s, and a base value of 1.80 was given to Weir’s upright spin. According to the Pioneer Press, a change of edge in mid spin was not visible to the judges, who gave the spin a base value of 1.80. With the change of edge, the base value would have been 3.00.

Preakness Outdraws NHL Playoffs

While I was watching the Cubs-Sox interleague match up on Fox Saturday afternoon, another battle was brewing on NBC. According to the Hollywood Reporter, hockey fans who had tuned in to watch the NHL playoff game between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators were left high and dry at the end of regulation and the score tied. At that point, NBC switched to its scheduled Preakness Stakes telecast while the overtime period of the hockey game was carried on the sports cable network Versus, which is not carried in all markets. NBC told the entertainment publication that its contract with the Preakness superseded that of the NHL, and NHL officials also knew that there was a risk that this situation could arise. While hockey fans are crying foul, the reality is, the Preakness Stakes is one of the most watched horseracing events next to the Kentucky Derby. NBC’s ratings for pre-race coverage of the Preakness more than doubled the last half hour of the playoff hockey game.

More evidence of just how far hockey has fallen in terms of national coverage and respect. It all reflects poorly on the league and management. The NHL is in disarray, and until it can get its act together, it will remain near the bottom of TV ratings.

NBC Deal Promises Fresh Start for Figure Skating

I was thrilled to learn that the U.S. Figure Skating Association signed a three-year deal with NBC to broadcast the national championships and Skate America competition beginning October 2007, with much of the finals broadcast live during primetime. In a Woman’s Eye post several months ago, I wrote that the USFSA would be better off working out a deal with another network or forgoing a deal altogether rather than renew their arrangement with ABC/ESPN. In recent years, TV viewership for the sport had declined and ABC was clearly lacking any kind of commitment or motivation to promote the sport on its network. ESPN serves a predominantly male audience while figure skating’s largely female fan base was ignored. Programming also suffered as the network resorted to fluff stories and overhyped dramas to appeal to viewers. Even long-time announcers Dick Button and Peggy Fleming seemed old and tired at times. It was clear that it was time for a change.

Figure skating is a natural fit for NBC. The three-year deal will conclude with the 2010 national championships and will serve as a promotional lead-in for NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The network’s cable outlet, USA Network, its local affiliates and online resources open up bigger and better promotional opportunities for the sport.

The deal is a testing ground for both parties. NBC can help figure skating rebuild its fan base, and the sport can help the network refine its programming capabilities of Olympic sports in preparation for its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The only remaining question is who will be in the broadcast booth. I can see Dick Button doing occasional commentary for the broadcasts, but frankly, I think his days in the broadcast booth are over. A fresh opportunity like this deserves fresh faces, and the team of Paul Wylie and Suzie Wynn would be a great asset to NBC. They have done a terrific job as the secondary broadcast team on ESPN, covering the Four Continents and the Grand Prix events. They’re professional, unbiased and knowledgeable, and they refrain from “cheerleading” the skaters the way some of their colleagues at ABC/ESPN are guilty of doing.

ABC has been the broadcast home to figure skating for 43 years and still has rights to the international events, such as the World Championships, through 2008. After so long on one network, many fans may have a hard time adjusting to NBC as the new network for figure skating. But in this case, the change was not only good, it was necessary.

Bears Ring in New Year in Prime Time

There's nothing that says "Happy New Year" like a good old-fashioned Bears-Packers game. The NFL and NBC announced that next week’s New Year’s Eve showdown between the Bears and Packers has been moved to Sunday night beginning at 7:15 p.m. at Soldier Field. Yes, it may be Brett Favre’s final game, which is probably why this game was chosen as the Sunday night game of the week. Bears fans are split on whether this move is a good thing, since it may interfere with their New Year’s Eve plans. Some love it as a way to spend New Year’s Eve. Others had made plans and are forced to make a choice about which event to attend. The best comment I saw appeared on the Chicago Tribune Web site where one fan wrote, “Look at it this way. It’s one way to get Tank Johnson out of the bars on New Year’s Eve.”

Traffic in downtown Chicago will be a mess as many party goers will be heading downtown. But as a Bears fan, I love the idea. I’ll be at a friend’s apartment ringing in the New Year, but as she is not a sports fan, I know I will have to beg her to have the TV on. Go Bears!