I took two days to finish reading this book

[bumblebee1]

It title is "On Edge: Backroom Dealing, Cocktail Scheming, Triple Axels and how Top SKaters Get Screwed". The author is Jon Jackson. Mr. Jackson started out as a competitive figure skater and eventually graduated to being a judge and team leader. He is also a retired lawyer.

This book is at once funny in a sarcastic way and infuriating. Whenever a figure skating competition comes into town, the judges are treated like visiting royalty. The local skating club pulls out all the stops in wining and dining them. The competitors and coaches are treated like second class citizens. These judges seem to forget the fans who tune in for the competition watch it for the skaters.

Mr Jackson showed empathy to the Tonya Harding situation while not condoning what happened to Nancy Kerrigan. The USFSA blew it with it's propaganda machine with that one. He talked about how the propaganda machine in Russia built up both Oksana Baiul and Irina Slutskaya. It was the U.S. judges Ms Harding had a problem with. The foreign judges had no problem looking past Tonya's personal life when it came time for her to compete.

There is also a section regarding the 2002 Olympic pairs competition and the 2002 World Ice Dancing competition. While Mr Jackson was dismayed at the final standings of the pairs competition, he was not shocked. At the same time, the American pair to Ina and Zimmerman finished in fifth. Ina and Zimmerman wanted to appeal the ruling, but were denied support from the higher ups at the USFSA. It's also irritating to watch the Russian and Canadian associations support their athletes and the U.S. not doing the same for theirs. The U. S. did not even push too hard for an investigation of possible vote trading, which is also embarrassing. The French were investigated and the judge at the center of the controversy and the head of the French federation were suspended for three years. There was no investigation of the Russian involvement.

At the 2002 World Ice Dance competition, there was also controversy. Only this time, the competitors took it upon themselves and circulated a petition for an investigation. When the petition was presented, the higher up of the ISA treated the ice dancers no better than the dirt on the soles of their expensive shoes. The petition was tossed out.

Overall, this book shows the governing board of the USFSA to be petty and tyrranical. Image,, to them, is more important than fair treatment of the athletes who labor for many years to get the opportunity to even compete in the elite figure skating competitions. Does this sound like the Bush regime?


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With the Olympics ending a week ago, this book is a great read in time for World's. To the ISA and the USFSA I have one thing to say: Wake up and clean up this mess. The pile under the rug is getting too large. You are losing television viewers due to the cheating. Sports fans, including myself want to believe the sporting event we are watching is real. We want fair officating, whether the sport is figure skating, basketball, baseball or hockey.

[TexasProgresive]

1. It's different now since the French judge got caught

cheating. The skating judges in Olympic events are unknown and 12 in number. A computer throws out 3 results at random leaving 9 for the total.The scoring is also radically different now.

BTW- I disliked both Kerrigan and Hardings skating. I don't know what it was but they just did not do it for me. Kerrigan is too big to figure skate.

[KoKo]

2. Thanks for the post. Sounds like an interesting read for those of us

who love Ice Skating and have followed it for years through all the ups and downs and sometimes what seemed to be really unfair judging.

:-)'s

[Captain Hilts]

3. Kerrigan deserved the gold. She skated too early.

Such are the hazards of a 'sport' that is 'judged' rather than 'scored'.

[bumblebee1]

4. You got a point there, Mookie.

I had to laugh at Mr Jackson's referal to Oksana Baiul. He referred to her as overly feathered and overly dramatic. Oksana won despite landing almost all her jumps on two feet.

His reference to Irina Slutskaya is also funny. I laughed, even though I like Irina's power in jumping. Mr Jackson described her as an arm flailing truck driver.

[Captain Hilts]

5. For folks interested in politics, figure-skating is the next best thing!

I might have to scout reading this book!