I know youāve probably seen a lot of posts trying to encourage you to watch real figure skating. Maybe youāre sick of them - just let me watch Yuri on Ice in peace!!! you say. But you know what, Iām going to try anyways. And Iām going to tell you not just the āwhyā - but also the āhow.ā
So why should I care about real figure skating?
You know how you freaked out at the end of Viktorās performance in episode 1 because he just did the coolest, most graceful shit ever? Now imagine that, but magnified 2,000 times for weeks on ends from performances by people all around the world. Figure skating is all about the story, and the journey of a skater is a joy to watch and inspiring as hell!Ā
Figure skating is also full of beautiful international friendships. Despite being fierce rivals with one another, you see skaters from all over the world being friends, resulting in cute moments.Ā
Also, the skating itself is just beautiful, heartfelt, and fascinating to watch. What more do you need?
Why do you want me to watch figure skating?
Outside of Japan and big skating hub cities/events, figure skating is a dying sport. It isnāt uncommon, sadly, to see very empty stands at competitions and shows. Especially in the US, figure skating has also become less accessible to fans because of this lack of interest. This results in competitions often being shown delayed and on secondary, less prominent TV channels. Even the World Championships, which were held in Boston this year, werenāt completely streamed live. Paid streaming services have popped up if you want to watch live, but if you donāt, good luck trying to find a sketchy illegal stream online. Skaters too, are hurt by this lack of support. Skating is an expensive sport, and without the huge endorsements of the past, Ā oftentimes skaters struggle to support themselves, keep up training, get new programs (which can be tens of thousands of dollars), get new costumes, etc.
What can I do to help? How can I learn more about figure skating?
Itās really easy to get started in watching figure skating.
First of all, thereās blogs right here on tumblr that can help you get into figure skating. soyouwanttowatchfs is a godsend of a resource that has literally everything you can ask for - explanations of jumps, competitions, skaterās social medias, anything you could possibly ever want in relation to figure skating. They even post links to live competition streams the week of the competition, so you know whatās happening when and how to watch.
If youād rather not get into the technical, serious stuff at first (I know, it can get a bit overwhelming), then the figure skating fandom on tumblr is also a good place to start! Just by following these people, you can definitely follow along with figure skating, in a more personal, fun, and interactive manner. In my personal experience, these blogs are friendly to newcomers and focus on a good variety of skaters: @magicaleggplant, @theyoungprinceandprincess, @jardinaquatique, @iguana012, @yanablumka. Of course, thereās a lot more blogs on tumblr that are dedicated to figure skating that I havenāt listed that are just as good. You can also check out the tag #fskateedit to see edits and other blogs!
Forums are also definitely another option! Golden Skate and FSUniverse are both forums dedicated to figure skating. Caution though, these are forums, so it might get a bit heated (there are definitely elitist people there with extreme opinions that you may not necessarily agree with.) However, there are definitely also kind people who would be happy to explain things to you or answer questions. Itās also okay to lurk.
Rocker Skating, a blog dedicated to figure skating analysis, is also great for following along with competitions (with live updates and video) and just overall skating news! Jackie is a great guy who is dedicated to helping people follow figure skating.Ā
For an insiderās look, the 2016 World silver medalist ice dance team of Alex and Maia Shibutani have a youtube channel called ShibSibs in which they show what itās like backstage during competitions, shows, off-season, etc. Not only do you get to see aforementioned international friendships at play, but you get to see what happens from the skaterās point of view! Very cool.
How about supporting skaters?
To support the skaters themselves, Rocker SkatingĀ has a lot of donation links where you could possibly help out a skater in need. If you can, please donate!! #SupportSkaters
The Grand Prix series thatās been talked heavily about in Yuri on Ice? Thatās starting in a few weeks on October 21 in Chicago (You havenāt heard about this? Itās because again, figure skating is a dying sport so no one advertises to the general public.) Start by following soyouwanttowatchfs, and when the time comes, watch!
Iām still not interested in figure skating. Let me watch my anime in peace. Ā
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