#problems with scoring

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There are many different reasons for overscoring. For example, the reason national championships don’t count for SBs is because a lot of feds will get into a “mine is bigger than yours” competition. This can have unfortunate side-effects sometimes (coughNathanChen’sPCScough). Some feds are worse at it than others at Nationals (lookin’ at you, Canada) and some used to be immune to it but have got into it with gusto the last couple of years (lookin’ at you, Japan).

I suppose a part of it could be construed as unconscious bias, as well. If you have “XYZ SKATER IS THE GREATEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD!” shoved in your face all the time, at some point, your brain is probably going to react to that, on a subconscious level. (Additionally, if you hear “XYZ SKATER NEEDS TO WORK ON HIS SECOND MARK!” over and over and over, you will probably absorb that, too).

The above is why I am firmly of the belief that skaters who are still competing or recently retired should not be used in the ISU PCS demo videos, for the record.

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Predominantly, yes, the technical difficulty was the difference between Boyang and Yuzuru. But there are other factors. Yuzuru’s spins are better than Boyang’s, too. And in general, Yuzuru has a better run of the blade, cleaner edges, and more effortless movement than Boyang. He also does more with his feet between the elements - more steps, more turns. This is important. Additionally, Boyang, while great, did have one or two landings that were questionable, while there was nothing questionable about anything Hanyu did.

It is very hard to compare two polar opposite programs. Boyang’s La Strada was extremely enjoyable, very fun and so will naturally appear more lively than Hanyu’s quieter Hope and Legacy. I enjoyed both programs very much, but for different reasons. I am not a particular fan of either skater, but I am very impressed by both. Both skaters, of course, have their weaknesses, but all skaters do, and Boyang’s have had a lot more press/fandom airtime than Hanyu’s. It was the right result, and both should be proud of themselves.

Now, onto Jason (who, I will freely admit, I love to pieces). Jason’s The Piano free skate is one of my favourite FS of all time, possibly one of the best-choreographed ever. One of the unfortunate things that we have seen happening in the last couple of years is the tying of PCS to TES. That is, land the big jumps, get bigger second mark scores even if you don’t really earn it. I had a ton of problems with how 4CC shook out in that regard and I also had some problems with the Worlds PCS for the same reason.

You see, Jason is one of the best PCS skaters in the world. He has fabulous line, incredible musical interpretation, great deep, clean edges, good speed, excellent transitions (that actually go with the music), great performance ability…the list goes on and on. Of all the active men in the US the only one who can beat him in this regard is Joshua Farris and we haven’t seen him since The Comeback was announced. And of all the skaters in the world…well, Jason should be right up near the top.

Jason’s PCS is still high at the moment, but now he is surrounded by skaters who maybe shouldn’t be getting that height on their PCS marks. Much as I enjoyed Boyang, 88 PCS - only one point behind Jason’s PCS in the FS at Worlds - was way too high. And do not even get me started on Chen’s PCS relative to the other US men.

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Ah, you’ve found one of my sore points…

To a degree, technical errors should have some effect on PCS if they are obvious, particularly in PE, SS and IN. However, in recent years, we have seen little to no punishment in PCS for large errors. As an extra insult, I have even seen a program where the skater opened up with a hard fall receive a 10 in PCS. I do not believe you should be getting 9s and 10s in PCS if you fall, no matter who you are. A fall is, by its very definition, an interruption, a flaw in the program. But I recognise that my opinion is considered a harsh one.

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I actually don’t think they’re overscored, except maybe Zagitova just because she’s fresh out of Juniors and it’s kind of obvious and I’m not sure I’d be giving her Evgenia-equivalent PCS yet.

Usually I think the scoring complaints come from a few different quarters: those that are upset Evgenia is so good and so dominant, those that are upset their favourites aren’t winning, and those that just think Yuna Kim should have all the records forever.

Thanks for asking!