DR Jose,
I did not like that NY TIMES article though I thank you for posting the link. I found the writer's attitude rather snide and objectionable: "a sport with delusions of grandeur" indeed!
In my opinion, the sport has always embraced both sides of the coin, and the best skaters, the ones I truly remember on both the men's and women's sides embraced both elements - althleticism and artistry.
ANd let's be frank: Johnny Weir didn't land in sixth place due to artistry in his program prevailing over athleticism. His program was as difficult in jumps (lacking only a quad) as any of the top finishers (and landed with much more surety than Plushenko's jumps). He's routinely marked down for his flamboyance OFF the ice; he's NOT who the ISF wants representing men's figure skating around the world. It's prejudice pure and simple, and the scoring system now, which allows jumps to be given a "grade of execution" from -3 to +3 allows the judges plenty of room to pad their favorites' scores and keep others just as good from attaining top marks.
