Please explain how ice dancing is an Olympic sport?

[Anonymous]

I enjoy watching this event, but cannot understand how such a subjective, creative activity is part of the Olympics.
The same goes for figure skating and to some degree, gymnastics.

Can anyone shed the light?

[Anonymous]

Ice dancing is really the last of the true figure skating events. It's all about edge control, edge definition, cleanness of the steps. It is incredibly fast when you see it in person.

Men's, women's and pairs have become much more athletic based. Each spin/jump is awarded points for both artistic and technical merit.

What do you want from an individual sporting event?

[Anonymous]

All I know is that this event is a bore fest. Put the slope style back on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All I know is that this event is a bore fest. Put the slope style back on.

Different events for different folks. For me the technical difficulty, the speed, the grace, and the ability to compare each team to another based on the required step sequence is beautiful and exciting.

I did the dishes during slope style.

[Anonymous]

I love Ice Dancing.

Curling, OTOH....

[Anonymous]

Figure skating and gymnastics have both overhauled their scoring systems to make them much less subjective. Ice dancing-I can appreciate the skill and grace the competitors have, but the scoring still seems based more on reputation than what actually happens on the ice.

[Anonymous]

I don't know how luge is a sport. They lie down the whole time and steer a little sled with their hands. How are they considered athletes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how luge is a sport. They lie down the whole time and steer a little sled with their hands. How are they considered athletes?

Well the first part is running so that's the speed part. But then--- I have to agree with you. Maybe it's a mind over body sport because if I were on a sled going that fast, I'd be beyond terrified.

[Anonymous]

Ice dancing is so boring and never seemed to be a sport to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how luge is a sport. They lie down the whole time and steer a little sled with their hands. How are they considered athletes?

Well the first part is running so that's the speed part. But then--- I have to agree with you. Maybe it's a mind over body sport because if I were on a sled going that fast, I'd be beyond terrified.

Luge - I thought it was all about riding the right lines through the curves?

[Anonymous]

Ice dancing is so boring.

[Anonymous]

Ice dancing is the rhythmic gymnastics of the Winter Olympics. At least they are both a step up from synchronized swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ice dancing is really the last of the true figure skating events. It's all about edge control, edge definition, cleanness of the steps. It is incredibly fast when you see it in person.

Men's, women's and pairs have become much more athletic based. Each spin/jump is awarded points for both artistic and technical merit.

What do you want from an individual sporting event?

This. It's incredibly nuanced and very difficult to do well. But people have gotten so accustomed to the flashy stuff that they have no idea that in many ways the edge work is considerably more difficult than the fancy jumps. But you really have to know the sport to understand it.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by 'edge work'?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by 'edge work'?

The bottom of a skate blade is not flat. It's concave. Very skilled skaters are always on either one edge or the other. It take tremendous control to skate on those edges. The little movements, twists, are particularly hard. If you've ever seen a figure skater doing actual figures, you will see the results of the edge work in the patterns they lay down on the ice. Most figure skaters can't really do this stuff any more. Ice dancers still do.