Figure Skating's Injuries, and ISU arrogant indifference to the problem

As the 2008 - 2009 Figure Skating season gets underway this weekend with Skate America, yet again another pair of top-ranked skaters have withdrawn from competition due to injury. The withdrawal of Canadian Ice Dance Champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir from Skate Canada once again highlights the extraordinary number of Ice Skaters who are dropping like flies or retiring due to injuries. Less than a week ago, their countrymen Langois and Hay added to those who will be missing from early season competition.

Stephane Lambiel and Naomi Nari-Nam (both retired from ongoing injuries), Kevin Van der Perren, Andrei Griazev, Fraser and Lukanin add to those mentioned above; and the list keeps growing.

The number of skaters missing from action as the season begins should be setting off alarm bells throughout skating officialdom, particularly within the walls of the ISU headquarters. Instead it seems there is little recognition of the underlying premise for the continuing increase in serious injuries in the sport of Figure Skating. Why is this? There is no secret about the fact that many members of the ISU Council have been heard to declare among themselves that they could not care less about outside opinions, be they from fans or skating officials. This being the case, then that indicates they could care less about the sport in general.

With the prevalent attitude within the council that if you disagree with President Cinquanta, you are to be targeted for retribution, it is little wonder that national reps, on their own, have any courage to take on this perverted leadership. Individually they have little incentive to want to make any declared stand for the skaters. What I do not understand is why collectively they don't sense the need to coordinate a "listen to us" we will not be bullied approach. Is it because they are all to busy with their own fiefdoms, too worried about losing stature or power among their own leadership peers, or because of their own NGB's international agendas? Whatever the reason for the lack of a coordinated stance to return democracy to the ISU body politic, their continued inaction to this dictitorial bullying by Cinquanta and his small band of ingrates is doing the greatest disservice to the most important group within the sport, THE SKATERS. Without them, there is no sport of Figure Skating to rule over.

The top national officials from U.S. Figure Skating, and their counterparts with as many of the other national skating federations, and associations willing to stand together, should begin a quiet, behind-the-scenes dialogue to plan a coordinated stand within the ISU to change this outrageous, arrogant and disasterous mis-direction of of the sport. If there is no acknowledgement of, or willingness to undertake such a stand on behalf of the skaters, then SKATERS, they will be abdicating their responsibilities to you. It will then be left to you, collectively as a group, to muster the courage to join together and threaten to shut down the sport internationally less your leaders finally reform the ISU.

Pete Murray