Introduction

I wrote this article for the American IAC (International Aerobatic Club) Sport Aerobatics magazine, after the 1994 winter Olympics and World ice skating championships - four years after the 1990 FAI world Aerobatic Championships, along with other articles about the realities of the judging problem. Ken Larson had been US judge at this event. A generous-spirited American, Ken had been a B17 pilot (Thorpe Abbots, I think), flew for Braniff for many years and was on the BOAC Concorde course for the Braniff involvement. He was an enthusiastic homebuilder and aerobatic pilot, then judge. He spent his last years curating the aviation museum at Love Field, Dallas, TX.

World Championship Judging - Anyone For Skating?

It is with some interest that I’ve read Ken Larson’s essays about judging. I know Ken to be a man of honour, generously and passionately committed to our sport, and I sympathise with his concerns at the way the international system inhibits a judge’s sense of the freedom to mark objectively, and appears to cast aspersions on personal integrity. With few exceptions I agree with him.

That’s not to say that I think the whole system’s wrong, or doesn’t work – or that everyone else (except Ken and me) is dishonest; ie deliberately biased in their awarding of scores. Given a complicated task we all operate as human beings; subject to different influences and styles of thinking. We usually do our best. Of course there are difficulties – this is life.

International judging is demanding and tiring. The psychology is much more complicated than it looks: that’s why (in my WAC 90 Chief Judge’s report) I exhorted more aerobatic experts to come and judge. If you fly at WAC (World Aerobatic Championships) level don’t complain about the judging unless you’ve tried it yourself.

Newspaper coverage of a recent sporting event demonstrated, in fulsome shrillness, an emotional, subjective, jingoistic and, probably, not too well-informed reaction to the scoring as the results picture emerged. It was delicious. I wonder how many aerobatic people watched and read about the recent world skatefest with as wicked sense of delight as myself.

I’m not referring to the wack-your-teammate-on-the–knee “I want to win a gold medal for my country” affair (I hope aerobatics does not reach a Sir Percy Ware-Armitage level of sportsmanship [on the other hand let’s be fair – he only sabotaged a foreigner’s kit] and someone hacksaws a rival’s rudder cable – that would not be cricket); no, I mean the way the British TV and press reacted to the unfolding of the skating scores – mainly in the ice dance contest.

From our British point of view the story started with the European Championships, held a couple of weeks before the Worlds. The British Team who won ten years ago were making a competition comeback. They’ve been doing shows in the meantime and charm the crowds everywhere. Of course they’ll win again – they won before, they’re ours and they’re great.

Before someone says “I know what’s going to happen” let me explain that the quotes that follow are from our serious press. The enlightened, international-competition-aware comments (in brackets) are my own.

Russians Dent Torvill and Deans Hopes

(Sound familiar?)

. . .Torvill and Dean’s marks for the Paso Doble ranged from a paltry 5.2 from the Swiss judge to 5.9 from the French judge. Britain’s Mary Parry was the only other judge who considered them best in the section.

(Actually we get on better with the French than is often supposed – the Concorde? . . and those Swiss! They always have a go at us.)

. . . Matters looked even worse after the Blues when Parry was the sole panelist to award the Britons top marks with a 5.9, but. . .

(someone should have a word with the lady before she TBLs* them through the floor, or gets shown the yellow card. The team were realistic . . )

*Tarassov, Bauer, Long aerobatic scoring normalisation calculations.

"We didn’t want to take any risks of being considered too showmanlike” said Torvill. “We worked technically into making every step perfect and correct, and that turned into conservatism . . .We weren’t deflated, just surprised.” Torvill added “I don’t think we could have skated better."

(Probably not, Jayne, but there are no marks for trying; maybe the judges want something else, despite the rules.)

They agreed that they may have to add some flourishes before the Olympics but their coaches, Betty Callaway and Bobby Thompson, looked a little shell-shocked. To most spectators Torvill and Dean’s performances lacked flamboyance.

(Show me where it says flamboyance in the known compulsory rules. This isn’t fair.)

One coach criticised Torvill and Dean’s attire . . . “The judges want something that hits them over the head”.

(So they are marking ‘wow’ factor. They’ve admitted it. This objective, for once, report finished. .)

Katia Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, the 1988 Olympic champions, executed with flawless grace all eight elements in the programme to take the lead going into tonight’s final.

The fun really started at the Olympics (doubtless after a good judges’ briefing). Basically, the same thing happened, only this time more public and press were involved. When the British pair ended up third after the final the BBC TV commentator declared that the scoring had been rigged. Elsewhere it was pointed out that the judges from three countries marked in concert (they probably all teach at the skating school). It was also revealed that a judge had received a present (podarok in Russian) with a ‘thank you for your help’ note from the winners (well, if you helped train them for the last five years . . ?)

The three judges from the former Soviet Union all live in Moscow and, just as Parry is seen as a surrogate member of Torvill and Dean’s retinue, they are closely linked, socially, to their skaters. This is seen as nothing unusual.

The Briton (judge) spoke of language difficulties between the panelists, not all of whom have her practical experience as a former silver medallist in ice dancing. Some, claimed Parry, learned the sport from a book.

We seem to be arguing for two things here; anonymity and equivalent contest experience – not too practical on the rink: and what kind of judges do some of those ‘aces’ make? The British judge (doing her honest thing) got some stick from the system . . .

British Judge in Tears as Ice Dance Row Intensifies.

A haphazard system, distorted by nationalism, ignorance and inexperience, was further compromised when Mary Parry, the British judge, was discovered in tears in the lobby of the hotel after she had been given a dressing down by the referee (president of the international jury). “They won’t let me say anything” said Parry, who had accurately reflected the audience’s mood...

(so do we need judges; why not just a clapometer?)

...by giving the British skaters a perfect six the previous evening. Asked whether he had upset her, she replied: “He has, rather.”

The Austrian president of the international jury (and chairman of the relevant section of the International Skating Union (=president of CIVA)) strode to his car (it says here) . .

"I don’t know why the British judge cries” he said. “I spoke with all the judges. Sometimes, when it is necessary, I criticize them, but I do it within the rules."

The aerobatic equivalent of this can be found in FAI Sporting Code – Section 6 (1 Jan 90) . . ‘Such a reprimand will be administered if a judge’s marking is obviously in favour of a competitor of his or her own national aero club or too much to the disadvantage of the competitor of a different national aero club.’. . The British judge was unrepentant. She knows her skating . .

"I’m not surprised to be out on a limb. I expected to be."

(Why, pray?)

After more discussion about ice dance we read:

"Is it a sport?” asked Parry as the arguments intensified.

“Absolutely. You try and do one of those four-minute programmes. It’s dangerous. It takes courage to do it."

(Couldn’t argue with that.)

There was some public argument about downgrades:

At the press conference, the vice-president of the ISU, who is British and a former world ice-dance champion, revealed that a video playback of the final somersault of T&D showed it was indeed illegal, as the president of the international jury had decreed it to be. “This was worth a deduction of 0.1” he said. “Jayne and Chris also committed another infringement which should have earned a deduction of 0.2.” This rather spiked the guns of the T&D fan club who felt they had been robbed. In balance, he also said that the eventual champions, Grishchuk and Platov, had twice been separated for more than the five seconds allowed. According to the rules, each separation warranted a deduction of 0.1. Since five of the judges, those from Russia, Finland, France, Germany and Canada, had given a technical mark of 5.9; clearly they had overlooked at least one of these infringements.

Of course, jousting with downgrades after the event is not new:

In 1984 their Bolero was also the subject of numerous accusations of illegalities, emanating mostly from the Russian camp.

The paper goes on to reveal that the jury had suspended six out of nine judges at last summer’s world championships (for scoring other than what was seen on the day).

. .they marked on reputation and not on what they saw on the night. The six were later reinstated on a procedural point, and three of them officiated at these Games.

Are we seriously suggesting that two thirds of the judging panel are deliberately dishonest people? It certainly sounds like it, although the accusations came out as incompetence; a bit less acrimonious, as judgments go.

. . certain sections of the press, seeking to prove the judges’ panel consisted mainly of incompetents, especially those who had relegated T&D to the bronze medal , thought this old news worthy of resurrection. Since two of the three who had been suspended had the effrontery to place the Britons third in the free dance, the press suspicions seemed confirmed until it was then noted that the Czech, German and Canadian judges thought likewise.

Most of these disagreements apply to the judging of a free programme; with very similar problems to those of aerobatics. How do you judge a four minute free? But even the precision stuff gave rise to finger pointing and blatant suggestion of deliberate bias. Does this help the sport, or is it true?

.. . she soared into a wonderfully high triple lutz but could not hold the landing

(bobble your triple and they all see it – you’re history baby)

… That was a compulsory deduction and she also snatched the exit of her double flip jump. Only the American judge marked her higher than Katerina Witt, twice European champion.

(Maybe you can guess which skater this is; and I’ll resist the temptation to say “he would, wouldn’t he.” But then he does it again, in reverse, to Ms Witt. Admittedly she skated advanced in an unlimited contest, but even so . . )

. . .performed with great attack and surety and the seven other elements were completed in fine form. But her marks were not golden, as they had been in Sarajevo and Calgary. For ‘elements’ they went from 5.2 to 5.4, except for a miserly 4.9 from the American.

(ouch! Sorry, Ken.)

Actually I don’t know anything about skating, but it does sound as if aerobatics is not alone in its concern that fair judging is difficult to arrange. This commentary is presented as a cautionary tale; in fact I think it demonstrates that aerobatics is in relatively good shape.

Judges from different places always mark differently; even though they all abide (as they understand them) by the same set of rules. Does this difference mean that they are biased? Of course it does. If I listen to simultaneous briefings in English and French my attention is biased towards the English version even though both are equally valid: it’s easier for me to understand. This is neither deliberate nor dishonest, it’s only natural. Aerobatics has developed in many countries since Nesterov got round his loop. Even though the modern kind with its agreed set of rules has been going for thirty years different cultures have their own specialisations. “We think this is more beautiful way to fly such-and-such,” they say. Within the rules? Of course; just a bit different.

Once again, it must be reiterated that judging is difficult and tiring. The amount of information to take in, and the number of mental processes required (if you analyse what you see systematically and within the framework of the rules) threatens to overwhelm the mind. Some level of compromise is always at work. Judging what you have seen before is unquestionably easier because one knows what to expect; deciding on the downgrade is easier, scoring high or low as the case may be. Because of the judge’s increased difficulty in coming to a confident decision about a less familiar flight (or skate) in the short time available a poor performance will probably benefit, and a good one suffer – it’s just not so easy to be sure.

A mathematical smoothing system deals with these human problems fairly well. What does not help at all is a climate of opinion that suggests that discrepancies are the result of deliberate dishonesty or incompetence. Maybe you know someone who takes the attitude ‘If you don’t agree with me exactly there must be something wrong with you.’ The skating and aerobatic systems, competitors and popular opinion puts their judges on the receiving end of this attitude. It’s not surprising that they either give up or try to guess what the others are scoring and pay little attention to the action – 7.5 for everything. By the way, I’ve no idea of the answer.

These quotes summed up some different attitudes to the same event:

When they finally came out to skate, Alan Weeks was lost in self-delusion: “The world champions lead. The Olympic champions of ten years ago wait to skate past them.” (Really?) Might it not be better if BBC commentators behaved more like reporters and less like cheerleaders? It would at least prevent the inevitable anti-climax when some Russian youths turn out to be faster, sharper, more exciting and better all round.

The French sports paper L’Equipe commented on the Russians’ ‘amazing technical mastery..."

(I thought she was gorgeous too).

...It added: ‘The homage of Torvill and Dean from the public was extraordinary, but the judges were fair.’

If you ever think of trying aerobatics, Chris and Jayne, I know some good teachers. How’s your skating, Ken?