SKATING: Skating and the Internet

By Lisa Peters

Possibly the only event in recent years to rival the Nancy-Tonya kneewacking and the did-she-have-prior-knowledge debate in bringing skating to a worldwide audience has been the Internet.

Web pages allow fans to read biographies of their favourite skaters, chat rooms and discussion boards allow fans to argue to merits of various skaters (I for one, have read enough about the results of the mens competition at Albertville to last me a long time), tape trade for all those competitions they forgot to tape or were chewed up by the VCR, and online shopping allows videos and books to be delivered direct to the fan and all without leaving the computer!

I am sure that many fans remember the bad old days before the Internet when they would have to wait for their skating magazine to arrive in order to discover who won the Lalique Trophy or Canadian Nationals, whereas such results are now posted instantaneously along with detailed reports, on the various discussion boards.

With the debut this season of Eurosport’s live online screen shots from Europeans and Worlds, it must only be a matter of time before fans can watch major (and minor) skating events live on their computer screen.

And what have been the benefits of the Internet for skaters and skating fans? For skaters it allows then to set up their own Web page to keep sponsors and fans up to date with their news and progress, and possibly even chat online with their fans.

For fans, especially those like myself who reside in a country where skating is very much a minority sport, the Internet keeps you aware of happenings and competition results in the skating world, and if you join a mailing list devoted to skating in your own country it does reassure you that you’re not the only skating fan!

But what of the other side of the coin? Has the Internet damaged skating in any way?

Certainly. We are all aware of the "flames" posted on discussion posts by rival Michelle-Tara or Pasha-Maia-Evgeny-Alexandr fans to name just a few. The Internet has also become a super rumour mill. Whereas previously, rumours about skaters’ personal lives or personality would have remained within a small group, now they are sent round the world in a flash, often gathering credence en route.

Are they true? Do we care? Do we really need such discussions as "Who is Gay?" (subject of a discussion on rec.sport.skating.ice.figure that generated an amazing 554 messages!). Whilst some newsgroups have attempted to limit the discussion of such topics, is it only a matter of time before a skater sues for libel over something written in a newsgroup discussion?

Perhaps the best conclusion to draw on the subject of skating and the Internet is that it is an incredibly informative and useful tool as long as people stick to skating and do not venture into more personal areas.

Article courtesy of www.esportfans.com