Day Three at the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships Championships

Report and photographs by Marie L. Hughes

My assignment today was to get our No Secret Judging pins into the MCI Center so the Lowry's can start selling them in their booth tomorrow. This was not an easy proposition given the extensive security at the entrances. I knew they'd never let me wheel in my suitcase full of pins and buttons, so my mom and I decided to leave everything in the car but the essentials and then get the Lowry's to move the pins from our car to their booth using the vendor entrance.

This plan worked well and while I was at it, I got them to bring in my second tote bag full of pins and buttons to give out!

So once again Marie foils security. Luckily I'm only dangerous to Cinquanta.

Fully armed, we gave out buttons and pins to as many attendees as we could. I find that people continue to come up to me and ask how they can get a button when they see mine and as I dig around to give them a button, a crowd often forms. Other SkateFAIR members are finding the same.

Mostly we've been waiting for people to approach us. But sometimes we've been a bit aggressive. Like when Elvis Stojko walked right by us in the middle of our logistics meeting. Ben gave him a button and he politely took it. Then he looked at more closely and said "No Secret Judging. I like it."

Peter Caruthers now has two of our buttons and I dug into Trudi's stash to give him a SkateFAIR logo pin. (Don't worry, Trudi, I put another back.) Terry Gannon wouldn't take a button but other famous people have. Of course, many of them are not in a position to wear them, but hopefully they'll see how organized we are and it will help how we get reported on.

Speaking of the logistics meeting, I have the following messages from the committee:

• Please start gathering at 5pm on Friday for the protest. Don't wait until 5:30pm
• Please be nice to the police - they are overworked with tightened security due to the war and so many anti-war protests
• Listen to the media! If they tell you to look "here", look "here"!

After a nice lunch spent plotting and planning, I took a SkateFAIR break to watch skating, visit with friends and buy 2003 Worlds merchandise at the Convention Center using my 10% off coupon. Did you know that coupon is only good on "attire" and hats aren't attire even though you wear them? But I digress.

As promised in yesterday's report, I (with help from many others) made Chinese banners and when I unveiled them to fellow SkateFAIR members Kathy and Elizabeth, they causes a bit of a stir. A Chinese Journalist and his wife came running over to see why these crazy American ladies were unfurling Chinese language banners. Xiaoming Lui of the People's Daily - China interviewed us and took a picture of Kathy and me holding up the "Go Chinese Team" banner.

Kathy made a big point that SkateFAIR is supportive of the skaters and these banners show that. She asked Lui to spread the word among the skaters that our beef is with the judging system and not with them.

The story is supposed to be up on their web site tomorrow. We're going to be famous in China! If I can find the article, I'll have my stepfather translate it and see if SkateFAIR gets a mention.

After talking about skating and how we love the Chinese skaters, we showed them the "No Secret Judging" banner in Chinese. They chuckled and assured us that we'd gotten the translation right. (My sister will be relieved.)

Then I turned the tables and interviewed them.

First, I asked Mr. Lui what the Chinese skating world thought of the interim judging system. I listened to him talk for a very long time in Chinese and got every excited. He must be saying something really meaty to talk that long. Then his wife translated "A coach told us they don't like the new system."

This isn't the first time I wished I spoke Mandarin.

I probed a bit more trying to figure out if he meant the new interim system or the new new system (Code of Points). He said that this coach said they don't like that there are 14 judges because then there are too many on the panel from Eastern European countries (to fill out the extra places).

Then, like everyone else I've talked to at Worlds, they don't think the new system is fair to the skaters. The skaters need to know what marks the judges have given them.

The final verdict: "So many people don't understand. The people want it simple, clear and fair."

There isn't much I can add to that.