Q: Alexei, let's start with the quote from the cartoon "Last year's snow is falling": I don't understand anything. Or almost anything. How could that be that with the new judging system, Li ended up in fifth place after the SP even though he was the only one to do the most difficult 4+3 combination. How can this be understood?
A: This is how. The combo jump is just one of the eight required elements in SP. You also have to do two more jumps, three spins, and two footwork sequences. To hope for a win, each element should be performed well. Also, five more components are marked and added. The skating quality - literally using the blades. Moving from one element to another - connecting steps. The third one is presentation - it was called artistry before. Fourth - choregraphy, and fifth - interpretation. The music interpretation. The result is the sum of all of these components.
Q: So what about Olympic slogan "Faster, higher, stronger"? The logic of any sport's development is to raise the limit of muscle strength. '48 Olympic champion wouldn't even make the top 20 at '88 Olympics. I think the new system strongly lowers the athletic element of figure skating and ruins the athletes' drive to learn new more difficult jump. Let's say Kurt Browning can start lacing up his skates and get ready for Torino Olympics since he won't have anybody equal in skating quality, character creation and musical interpretation. He will always catch up with Li even though he is behind in jumps.
A: Don't panic. Let's get used to the new system a little bit, calm down and learn its pros and cons. The experiment is under way. There are no reason yet to call it unsuccessful. This is the fifth competition of the season using the new rules. There was not one scandal yet. Everything is how it's supposed to be and the best win.
Q: "Everything is how it's supposed to be" - is that your own opinion or a summary of the authoritive opinions?
A: First of all it's my own opinion. But that's not all. You know what I've noticed? Those who accept this system, even partially, are smart and intelliget type of people according to my internal classification, and those who loudly protest it are the constantly unhappy and rarely winning type. I am sure that if those five events were judged by the old rules, the results wouldn't be much different.
Q: So, what the point of the new system then?
A: I think it'a new time, some sort of reaction by ISU management to the SLC scandal.
Q: Which system do you like more?
A: It's difficult for me to answer. It's hard to compare the uncomparable. They are very different. I'll say the new system is less abstract and at the end will be more understandable for the viewers. Can you explain what 5.6 means on the old scale?
Q: It means absolutely nothing or more exactly, the athlete's placement relative to others in a given competition.
A: Correct. Now, every element is indexed, and we will have a chance to judge the level of results at the given competition, we can judge the level of the rivalry. Even more, we could write down something similar to World records. With new system we will have a clear understanding of what is good and what is bad. Now everyone knows that 70 is an excellent skate and 30 is horrible.
Q: Your prediction: will Olympics in Torino use the new judging system?
A: To do that, IOC has to approve this reform in the summer of 2005. This is not likely. Two years are not enough to test the new system.
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