Pros and Cons of World Team Trophy

Every few years, when the figure skating community is [punished or rewarded] with a season ending World Team Trophy (WTT), the same debate ensues. Do we treasure the joy and patriotism of the competition? Or does the lameness of the whole event overshadow that enjoyment? In other words, on a scale of Jason Brown to Scott Moir, how much do we like this event? I'm on the fence...but here are the pros and cons.

Pros

1. It's Fun. It's nice that, after a long season of watching the personal pressure these athletes face, they have an opportunity to come together with their teammates and perform more for the sake of celebration. And that can really bring out a season's-best energy from some skaters. And it's also fun to reflect on these programs without judging the performances themselves. I kind of don't care if someone falls three times at WTT, but maybe I feel some nostalgia for the fact that it's the last time they'll perform to that piece of music (and maybe I shouldn't have complained about it as much as I did during the season).

2. It's in Japan. WTT is always in Japan, and the Japanese audience really lights a fire in the community. The cheering, the dedication, the obvious appreciation is intoxicating and helps to end the season on a high note.

3. The money. The main draw of WTT is that the skaters who compete get a HUGE chunk of change, whether they win or not. Everyone gets $$ for just showing up. And personally, I'd rather my favorite skaters not be poor. Then they can pay for coaching and better choreography and better costumes, which then enriches MY life. So yeah, the money is great.

4. Personality. I feel like WTT is a unique opportunity to see some of these skaters' personalities outside of a stressful competition atmosphere. It's interesting to see the way they interact and encourage their teammates, and I find myself having more positive opinions of people afterwards because I feel like I know them better.

Cons

1. It's camp. And not necessarily in a good way. It's camp in a lame, stupid, cheap kinda way. All the teams go all out on their little props and signs and cheering and all that stuff, and there reaches a point where it's just cringe. A little goes a long way. And sometimes it feels cheap to have a grand coronation for some skaters at the world championships, and then end the season with balloons and wigs and themed group dances. It's bizarre.

2. The scoring feels off-kilter. For example, this year Korea came in second despite having the lowest ranked pairs and dance teams. The reason WTT, and the team event in the olympics, were created was to give countries motivation to round out their disciplines, versus just focusing on pair or individual skating. But when a team like Korea is able to take advantage of their strong individuals to come out ahead, it feels like that goal has been abandoned in a way. And Japan, who have put so much effort into expanding their dance and pairs end up losing out, because they don't gain the points they should for that discipline equity. So there are definitely improvements to be made in order for the competition to work towards what it was meant to work towards at its inception.

And that's all she wrote...

A Little Treat: