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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ice skating has always had a dark side, as has gymnastics.

Under the Russian and Chinese systems, children are basically taken from their families early to be used for the glory of the system. And yes, they are putting a ton of stress on these young girls. It might be amazing the stunts they can do, but they are being chewed up and spit out.

I understand why the point system was revamped (and I may just pay peacock $5 to finish that documentary about the 2002 scandal) but it takes a lot of the joy out of skating when you are just trying to squeeze in as many points as possible. (Same can be said of gymnastics, actually-I miss the gymnastics of the 80s and 90s)

So much is given up in the pursuit of glory for the homeland.[/quote]

Now you're being silly and jealous.  I don't know how they do things in China but I assure you that no one takes children away from their families early in Russia.  Figure skating happens to be a popular sport with a strong cadre of teachers and many, many, many willing athletes.  They are free to walk away at any time.  People who stay, stay willingly.  The line to get into Sambo (Eteri Tutberidze's skating school responsible the current crop) is ten blocks long.

But I understand it's more comforting for you to paint this as a dark shadowy world of the evil Russians instead of just admitting, hey, these people have figured out what works.  That's why the story of an American girl skater whose family had to split up because the right coach lives on a different coast, whose parents are remortgaging the house to find fifty thousand a year it takes to keep a child in elite skating, who is homeschooled and has to get up at 5 am to get her ice time in before public skating sessions and hockey players start pummeling the ice, is the heroic story of personal perseverance and "voluntary" sacrifice in the name of the Wheaties box.   But a Russian skater who puts in a comparable amount of effort and sacrifice but has the advantage of state-marshaled resources- well, she simply MUST be forced by the state. 
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