Do you think Figure skating is getting too glitzy/flashy to be called a sport?

No, we work extremely hard in figure skating. It is grueling, agonizing work to do one jump or spin perfectly. We face judges and audiences, being judged harshly. I think dance isn’t considered a sport because it has its own category, DANCING. I take ballet for coordination to go along with figure skating as well as hip-hop just for fun. In ballet they don’t dress up in a body suit and glitter? In salsa they don’t wear frilly dresses? In hip hop they don’t wear costumes? Even in other sports they have uniforms. Figure skating is an elegant sport so it has elaborate costumes and make up.

Honestly, I don't think it's wrong at all. We're not being judged by what we wear (although it helps if what you're wearing at least matches the piece of music you're skating to since you get a better feel for it), we're being judged by how well we perform the required elements in our programs.

Sure, all the sparkles and glitter is nice out there, it helps the audience notice you when you're on the ice, but it's not necessary. At competitions, we're trying to show off our skills, not how pretty our dresses are. So definitely appreciate the athleticism of the sport.

In skating, there really is no dress code. You don't need all the glitz and the glamour. I believe the only rules are that (with the exception of Interpretives) females must wear a dress, and males must wear some form of pants and a shirt.

As for why skating is a sport and those forms of dance aren't, I personally think it's because dance is more an art form than a sport. It's kind of hard to explain, and dancers most likely won't agree with me, but figure skaters probably know what I'm talking about.

Hope this helps!

I just hate it when people think figure skating is 'gay' because of the costumes.

It's hard work - probably WAYYY harder than rugby or basketball. We can do everything football players do, like run, train, etc. Except we don't tackle people. Figure skaters need to be able to jump high enough to rotate at least two or three times. We need to be super-flexible and as artistic as a musician. How many football players are flexible?

I do NOT think figure skating is getting too flashy. Some skaters wear costumes that are brighter and more eye-catching than the others, but mostly ice dancers, which has nothing to do with this. And of course people should appreciate the athleticism, and also, the artistic abilities of the skaters.

Ballet, hip-hop, etc., is considered a category of dance. You can't be judged going Ballet. But you CAN be judged doing figure skating - from all the jumps (height, rotation, distance, etc.), spins (centering, positions, etc.). Salsa and hip-hop are both great parts of dance, but you just can't be judged doing it.

PS ~ Figure skaters in the old days didn't dress like gymnasts. Gymnasts wear swim-suit-like leotards while figure skaters back then would wear tights and dresses. Sometimes skaters like Kristi Yamaguichi would wear pants. But way, WAY back then, about the Sonja Henie time, skaters wore black skates no matter what their gender and long skirts. Then Sonja Henie came along and changed everything. :) And back then, figure skating was definately more artistic than technical. Just a bit of history. :D

Figure skaters require...

~ The strength of a hockey player

(to launch themselves into jumps, and the male skaters need to perform lifts, etc.)

~ The agility and balance of a ballerina

(to, duh, balance on skates)

~ The speed of a speed skater

(you need lots of momentum to go into those triples!)

~ The artistic skills of a painter

(you totally need to express your feelings in skating)

~ The flexibility of a gymnast

(some spirals are in a full split position!)

~ The accuracy of an archer

(centering spins, edge-changes, etc.)

Hope I helped - and changed your mind. Figure skating isn't judged for it's flashiness. :)

first of all, why would you think that? part of figure skating is the art of the jumps, spins, and footwork, etc. anyway, do you think people are gonna wear jeans and a tee? NO. The outfit is suppose to (for mainly competitions) match the skaters program, and show who they are. And to tell u, if you're really serious into it, the really good skaters have their dresses personally made. SO NO ITS NOT TOO FASHIONABLE. Figure skating isnt judged by wat u wear, its how u skate. some ppl like it and thathat'seir opinion. ballet actually is part sport, part not sport because most ppl use it to help them with OTHer sports like football, figure skating, etc, but if u just do ballet and nthn else u can consider it a sport. hip hop & salsa dancing technically are sports under the category of dance. Dont consider them as a sport, consider dance as a sport. figure skating is a sport because of the tequniques you use do do the jumps, spins, etc. If their were no competitions, jumps, spins, etc, figure skating would probably not be a sport, but a fun activity for families to do together. Im sorry i made u read all this, u are a brave soul :)

Figure skating is one of the hardest sports in the world. The triple jumps, the spins- all require incredible strength. Figure skaters have a rigorous training schedule, both on and off ice, and they can easily kick any football player's butt.

Figure skaters can do things like pistol squats and L-seats, which are considered benchmarks of strength. They're in the Olympics, also, which may be one of the reasons they're considered a sport.

Ballet requires a lot of strength also. I'm not sure why it's not a sport. The definition of sport is an athletic activity that is governed by a set of rules and has competitions. Does salsa/hip-hop have a national organization with professionally organized competitions?

Part of a figure skater's score is presentation, so they try harder and harder to capture the judge's attention with flashy costumes, music and choreography (think Yuna's James Bond routine). Other sports aren't judged so much on presentation and artistic ability.

I wish the men wouldn't be so out there. They can be flashy without being... tacky.

Do you figure skate? I intend for no disrespect to you at all, but if you were a figure skater, you'd realize what a ridiculous question that is. Figure skating requires as much discipline, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears as any other sport. It is absolutely brutal if you want to make it to the top. It requires tons of off-ice training in addition to individual workouts. And these aren't 'do a couple jumping jacks and you're done' off-ice training classes. This is 'work until your legs are about to fall off and you feel like throwing up'. These classes are intense. The on-ice work is just as bad. The falls can injure you for months. The double and triple run-through(s) of your programs can make you pass out and the coaches WILL tell you if something is bad...and not in a kind way. We have tons of on-ice hours(early morning practices, after-school practices, and even people who leave school early or are home-schooled to get in the work they need), off-ice strength and conditioning training, private ice-time, ballet, individual workouts. I mean seriously, no offense, but this is a tough sport and I don't think a lot of people realize how grueling it is. Our outfits are usually only used for competitions, not practice. So I would tend to disagree with your position on this topic. But I do understand where your coming from if you don't see us at practice and at our other training hours.

figure skaters like me work our butts off and YES it is a sport. the costumes just accent the music and the mood of the program. i believe people can appriciate both costume and the program.

im NOT saying dancing isnt a sport... i used to dance. but do you see ballet in the olympics? hip hop? skating is one of the hardest sports in the world and it takes A LOT of strength. so dont even start saying it isnt a sport.

The reason they get mad is, ecspecially if THEY are gymnasts, figure skaters, or cheerleaders, is becasue they work SO HARD and train SO MUCH that when people say its not a sport, it makes them want to explode. It also seems that a lot of men think they are way better than women when it comes to sports and with that they can really compete and show that they are good and/or better!