Butching Up Figure Skating

Having a daughter who was a competitive figure skater for about seven years and having spent a great deal of time at ice rinks waiting for her events to come up, I've seen many a male figure skater not to mention those seen on televised events. Thus I found it ironic and perhaps even a little sad that Skate Canada plans on unveiling a campaign to combat the "gay stereotype" of male figure skaters in the hope of attracting more male skaters. The truth is that high level figure skating is very physically challenging and takes amazing strength and coordination - far more indeed than many other sports. Grace and style should be applauded, not called "gay." Not to mention the fact that most male figure skaters are Einsteins compared to many of the borderline morons one finds in say football. Here are some highlights from Out Sports:

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Figure skating has long been the butt of gay jokes. An organization in Canada is now saying it’s likely one of the reasons that young male skaters in Canada have turned more and more to hockey instead of figure skating; Few boys want to be the targets of gay jokes. From the CBC now comes a report that Skate Canada will unveil a campaign to combat the stereotype. “Tough” is aimed to show how strong and masculine male figure skaters are.

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The report talks to Canadian ice dancer Andrew Poje (that’s him above. . . ), who told the CBC that gay rumors have “always been something I’ve been teased about.” . . . You don’t know how hard it is physically. If I can compare what a long program feels like, it’s like running a 1500 meter hurdle with a smile on your face. So you go out and try that and come talk to me.

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But the best question to ask may be, Will it work? Will showing guys tossing women into the air and catching them while skating backward transform how teenagers view a gay sport?