As hundreds of figure skaters converge on Salt Lake City for the 1999 State Farm U.S. Championships next week, Utahns will have a rare opportunity to see an amateur competition in its totality. From practice sessions to the final performances, nationals will offer audiences the chance to see it all.
But with all the skating available to television viewers, why pay attention to nationals? Tara Lipinski is gone, having turned professional shortly after the Nagano Olympics, and reigning men's champ Todd Eldredge opted not to compete this year.
Still, viewers will have the chance to witness something truly special this year in Salt Lake City. Here, in a competition like no other, nationals will unveil the future of American figure skating. This year's competition will be filled with athletes whose names may not be recognizable now but will be strong contenders when Salt Lake City hosts the Winter Games in 2002.
New figure skating fans might notice that nationals will look and sound different from what they often see on television. Much of that has to do with the fact that the nationals competition is amateur. But what does that mean? Why won't it have the same "feel" as Discover Card Stars On Ice, for example, or "Ice Wars"?
Basically, amateur competitions mean rules, requirements and regulations.
Skaters comply with these rules to remain eligible for competitions like nationals, the World Championships and the Olympic Games. These rules cover everything from a skater's costume to the elements they are required to perform and give the competition a decidedly different look than professional competitions.
Here are a few guidelines for viewers seeking to understand what makes nationals (and worlds and the Olympics) different from the professional events.
Theatrical lighting: "You won't see amateur skaters skating in the dark." Wise words from Bountiful's Holly Cook Tanner, 1990 U.S. national and world bronze medalist. Strictly amateur competitions like the U.S. nationals prohibit the use of theatrical lighting (i.e., spotlights in darkened arenas). The exceptions to the rule include the exhibition on Sunday, Feb. 14, following the completion of nationals, and the John Hancock Champions On Ice tour, a tour sanctioned by the United States Figure Skating Association.
Music: Amateur competitions -- those sanctioned by the International Skating Union or the USFSA -- prohibit the inclusion of lyrics in music selections.
Costuming: Amateur rules require skaters' costumes to cover the tops of the shoulders and buttocks and prohibit costumes made from fringe or feathers.
Required elements: Amateur skaters must complete specified required elements in competition. For singles and pairs skaters, the required elements must be included in their short program -- jumps, spins, lifts (for pairs skaters) and footwork sequences. For ice dancers, each dance has specified requirements. Back flips are prohibited.
Judging: Amateur competitions must be judged by ISU-approved (or USFSA) judges. Professional competitions have no such requirements. Some have even used "celebrity judges" from other athletic/artistic disciplines. The only instances where ISU/USFSA judges would be required in a professional competition would be at an ISU-sanctioned pro-am event.
Money: Amateur athletes can accept money to compete, but only in ISU-sanctioned events. In the past, amateur skaters were severely limited by ISU regulations with regard to money, endorsements and event participation. But in recent years, the organization has amended its rules to allow amateurs the opportunity to compete in a more varied array of events, and more prize money is awarded at its sanctioned competitions.
For example, beginning with the 1995-96 season the ISU approved awarding prize money at the World Championships, European Championships and the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. First-place finishers at worlds received $55,000 (men and ladies) or $82,500 (pairs and dance).
The Champions On Ice tour allows eligible skaters the chance to earn money without the stringent technical requirements of regular competitions. Champions On Ice is scheduled to stop in Salt Lake City on June 15 at the Delta Center. The roster should include Michelle Kwan, Nicole Bobek, Todd Eldredge and Michael Weiss.
The ISU this year also approved a number of "ISU Open" events, which are stand-alone events involving professionals and amateurs. These pro-ams tend to be less technically demanding and more catered to entertaining crowds but are still judged by ISU judges.
Nicole Bobek, an Olympic-eligible skater vying for the national title this year, has competed in a number of the new ISU Open events. She noted in a recent telephone conversation, however, that the rule changes may serve to blur the line between professional and amateur competitions.
"It doesn't even matter if you turn pro or stay amateur. . . . It seems like from what I remember, you turn pro to escape the pressures of the amateur world -- the big jumps and the technical programs. But now in all these events, you have to do the ISU programs.
"These events that I've done feel like regular competitions."
Turning pro: Skaters turn pro for a variety of reasons. Tara Lipinski said she made the decision to join the professional ranks so she could spend more time with her family. Others turn pro for the chance to earn more money in the rapidly growing "made for TV" events such as "Battle of the Sexes" or touring shows like the Discover Stars On Ice show.
Still others, as Bobek observed, choose the professional ranks to escape the rigid demands of amateur competition or for the artistic freedom they perceive pro events allow.
For whatever reason, when skaters give up their amateur status by competing in non-ISU events, they relinquish the opportunity to compete at nationals, worlds or the Olympics. The exception to the rule was in 1994 when American skater Brian Boitano lobbied for a one-time reinstatement to compete. That year, a slew of professionals took part in the Lillehammer Olympics, but only the Russian pairs team of Gordeeva and Grinkov returned to the medal stand.
So as you watch this year's competition, watch with an eye toward the future -- the future of the sport and the new guard of skaters who have already set their sights on Salt Lake City in 2002.