ISU (International Skating Union) News

[Laura (Lori)]

Post news and info about the ISU here...

The International Skating Union (ISU) is the International Governing Body for short track, as well as long track, figure skating, ice dancing, etc.

Decisions by the ISU can have a great impact on our US short track program.

The ISU also runs the SportResult site where we watch the 'blinking numbers' during the World Cups / World Championships (when we can't get a live video feed)...

I'll add some links to this intro post soon.

[Deleted]

Thanks for opening this thread, Lori!

I got a Google Alert today which lead to the ISU's agenda for their 53rd Congress to be held in Barcelona in mid-June. This is a very, very long document (over 200 pages). The google alert was to a discussion board for Figure Skating. Thanks to a poster over there for breaking down the document.

There is some interesting Short Track stuff in the proposals but to break down the document (which is linked to below):

The first 50 pages are related to the agenda/Committes and bylaws of the ISU itself and booooooooring. The proposals come next. Among the interesting ones:

#33 - a proposal from the US to have the ISU fund 50% of TV production costs so more member groups could have televised events (LT/ST).

#36 - a proposal from the ISU to cease having the ST World Team Championships after the coming 2010-2011 season

and proposals 106-160 all deal with Short Track. The most interesting:

#106 - ISU requires movable padding for Olympic Venues

#107- ISU requires movable padding for World Cup and World Championship events (YAY!). If a venue has fixed walls, this proposal would require them to remove the fixed wall barrier in "the primary crash zones" (not defined) and replace them with movable padding systems. Hooray and yeah, I'm looking at you Marquette and Sophia!!

#154 - more clearly defines the possible infractions in ST, including "assistance" which is team skating. don't know if that is a name change, but I sure hope they start calling it this season.

#156 - ISU defines the use of "yellow carding" and creates a "red card" for dangerous skating which removes a skater from an event immediately and removes him/her from the final ranking.

Here is the link to the ISU document:
isu.sportcentric.net/db//files/serve.php?id=1859

[Laura (Lori)]

Took a quick look at the document - wow, that's a LOT to chew on!

I remember seeing or hearing something within the last few months (maybe in some of the Olympic coverage) about the 'primary crash zones'. It's most certainly in the turns, but something tells me that it was defined even more specifically as a certain number of feet (or meters?) before/beyond the turns...

I remember my first ST meet (at the Oval). It was the US Championships in 2007, and I went to watch some of the qualifying Time Trials on Thursday. They didn't even HAVE padding on the straightaways. Not at all. So I'm assuming that the places they DID have padding would be considered the Primary Crash Zones.

I sincerely hope they pass this one...

As for Team Championships... Nice to see that it's still up for debate - I thought it was a done deal. I like that competition, and hope that they don't discontinue it. =(

Lastly: #33 - a proposal from the US to have the ISU fund 50% of TV production costs so more member groups could have televised events (LT/ST).

A proposal from the US? Cool! Me likey!

[Deleted]

Lori,

When I was at the Oly Trials, there were folks next to us who said they were with NMU. They told us that underneath the hockey "boards", there is a 3 foot high concrete wall that has metal posts in it, on which the boards are mounted.

If a venue is geared for hockey and is built this way, I wonder if they can even comply with a rule about removing the solid barrier at the 'primary crash zones'?

Is the new venue in Milwaukee built for Speedskating? Do you know if they have the moveable pad systems? I wonder how many US venues would be able to comply with a new regulation like this?

[Laura (Lori)]

I would think that most venues would have a big problem with this, because being 'multi-purpose' is key to survival - how do they reconcile short track needs with hockey needs? Surely some engineer could think 'outside the box'...

You asked about the new venue in Milwaukee - what venue is that? The only one I know about is the Pettit, and I don't know what pad system they use. I may be wrong, but I vaguely remember hearing that when SLC got the movable pads, they were the second US facility to have them. If so, I'd bet the other would be the Pettit (we know it isn't MQT).

Anybody know?

[Deleted]

After the horrific injuries to Allison & J.R. I don't really give a good rats rear how they do it, they just need to do it! Justsayin' is correct. The company reps who re-engineered and installed the new padding system in Marquette sat right next to us. When J.R. hit the pads and the blood was oozing everywhere, they hit the stairs. I would assume, to go meet with their engineers and or their lawyers. The mandate for break-away pads is a long time coming. However, much like states (in this case Texas) they mandate the heck out of school districts to add this program or that program, but then they don't provide any state funds for the programs.

I'm afraid the same will run true for mandated movable pads for short track. Mandate the pads. Provide no funds to do it or any idea on how to do it in venues where the hockey walls are currently in place.

However, I for one have the solution. Only hold events at the venues where the criteria has been met: SLC for sure; and possibly Milwaukee?

[Leigul]

Wow, that is a lot to chew on! I hope these changes are made, but I also hope they give consideration to the rinks that house both the ST and Hockey! It is already hard enough to find a rink that will even do ST...if they mandate this on ST rinks...big problem for ST clubs!

I like gasps recommendation and only hold events at the venues that have the movable pads!

I love the idea of funding for Media...perhaps by some miracle we could actually watch some of these events LIVE...or atleast covered at all here in the states!

[Deleted]

Here, here on the media. NASCAR use to be a little sleeper sport with fans in the south and mid-America. Look at it now.

[mtnme]

ISU Short Track Tentative schedule for 2011 ...so far...

2011

14 - 16 Jan European Short Track Speed Skating Championships
Heerenveen, Netherlands Provisional Allotment

18 - 20 Feb World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships
Aosta, Italy Provisional Allotment

11 - 13 Mar World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
Sheffield, Great Britain Provisional Allotment

19 - 20 Mar World Short Track Speed Skating Team Championships
Warsaw, Poland Provisional Allotment


...nothing on World Cups yet...

[Leigul]

Hoping...no PRAYING it is in SLC! That would just be really really awesome! LOL!

[bp]

Does anyone know when the WC schedule will be up? I'll be studying abroad in Europe this fall and I was kind of hoping I'd get to see some international competition while I'm there.

[Laura (Lori)]

May 15, 2010 16:58:28 GMT -8 bp said:

Does anyone know when the WC schedule will be up? I'll be studying abroad in Europe this fall and I was kind of hoping I'd get to see some international competition while I'm there.

I'm not sure, BP, but I'd keep checking the ISU site. Justsayin posted upthread that they have a big meeting in mid-June - maybe it'll be nailed down at that time...

[Deleted]

Other activity at the recent ISU Meeting:

The Congress Elected the following office holders:

Short Track Speed Skating

Chair:

Andy Gabel, USA ---CONGRATS to Andy.



Members

Stoytcho G. Stoytchev, Bulgaria

Reinier Oostheim, Netherlands

Ji-Hoon Chae, Republic of Korea

[Laura (Lori)]

Wow - this is disturbing... this is the same man in charge of short track, isn't it?
(thanks to Jack for the heads-up!)

International Skating Union Now Officially a Dictatorship
Monica Friedlander / June 28, 2012

As the 2011-2012 figure skating season closed with one of the most scandal-ridden world championships in the sport’s history, you would expect the sport’s governing body to go back to the drawing board and seek ways to restore public confidence in the integrity of figure skating. Instead, the International Skating Union (ISU) thumbed its nose at the world with impunity. When its members met earlier this month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, they pulled off a stunt worthy of any dictatorship — accountable to no one and full of disdain for all.

Read More:
www.examiner.com/article/international-skating-union-now-officially-a-dictatorship?CID=obinsite

[Laura (Lori)]

New False Start Rule by ISU - not sure if USS has or will follow suit (thanks to Jerry Search for the heads-up on this):

...after a race has been called back for false starts twice, then any subsequent false start by ANY of the Skaters will result in a penalty for the Skater(s) concerned.

This rule is already in effect in several other sports ('can't think of an example right now - maybe swimming???). Two false starts by one person is still cause for elimination - but after a specified number of false starts, 'the field' (i.e., everyone) is all considered to have one false start - so if anybody else commits one, that person now considered to have two, and is eliminated, even if it was that particular person's first.