I have so many fond memories of figure skating. Mostly of being a young lad and while the wood stove burned hot, watching my parents transfixed by the skaters. It deeply affected me - how much my parents admired and absorbed, were absorbed by this event.
I bring this up because I’ve never considered it really “a sport”. For me, it is an art form and I remember being so disappointed with Toller Cranston always coming in 2nd, 3rd or 4th or 5th because he was artistic and not kowtowing to the list of mandatory physical jumps and tricks expected.
Do you think figure skating is a sport? I am asking because I challenged someone on twitter and created a storm. What vitriol! How dare I even think not alone mention that it isn’t a sport! It was quite the storm. And then I mentioned how it was all a dressing competition, a beauty contest - that riled the feathers even more.
My argument was that my own definition of a sport was an activity that was competitive AND empirically measurable. Thus, so called activities that are judged, voted on, are given artistic merit points - are not sports. They are arts.
I believe so. But the anger to even mention this. That surprised me. I was taken aback that people seemed to put sport above art. That if we should deem figure skating an art form, we are debasing it. Wow. I don’t follow that logic.
Why can’t we enjoy something without the drive to rank, place on a scale, put a number to? It’s the same with grades and our schooling. Why can’t we enjoy and value art for being art. Not have to bottle it up into a sport like we do with so much of reality TV - all the cook-offs, muffin makers against muffin makers, sword makers against sword makers. Why do we need to stuff art into the genie bottle of sport?
What’s next - ballet in the Olympics? Or race walkers getting style points? What’s with making everything into a battle?
I was a fairly good athlete. Ran for my country. Set records. [I was mostly pre-internet but read some things if you care - here.] What I loved about running was that it was a fair game. Me against him. Not about the shoes. Not about how pretty you ran or how much you smiled during the race. Man vs man. Woman vs woman on an empirical scale - in my case, the clock or distance.
I am also a poet. Never entered any poetry contest. Detest them. Poetry is free. It is immeasurable. No such thing as better except in the confines, the mental drawers of the reader, the feeling.
So I keep my sport and my art separated. Clear guidelines. Winner, loser - very clear.
What about you? Is figure skating, gymnastics, all kinds of “sports” with style points - really a sport? Or shouldn’t we just enjoy them, value them for their artistry, without quantification, comparison?
Let’s bring back the Ice Capades! I love them and enjoyed them with my parents. No judging, just pure ballet on ice that we loved and enjoyed!
Poetry in motion so definitely ART. Great athleticism required without doubt. Tough to call as the same attributes are required for ballet. Enjoy the grace and beauty without applying any labels and smile with delight