Figuring out how to bring the 'cool factor' back to the skating rink

BOSTON — Ashley Wagner and Benjamin Agosto know what it's like to step off the ice at the figure skating world championships and feel as though they've conquered the sport. And what it feels like when the notoriously fickle sport bites back.

So when the International Skating Union put in motion its ambitious "Vision 2030" plan, which is designed to grow and expand the sport through improved fan engagement, it made sense that they would call Wagner, a three-time US champion and former world silver medalist, and Agosto, who won an Olympic silver medal with ice dance partner Tanith Belbin.

If anyone was going to interview athletes at last month's world championships at such an emotionally raw moment, the minute after their programs have concluded, it ought to be someone who has been through it themselves.

"I would have loved this when I was an athlete, to have the post-skate interviews right in the kiss-and-cry, when the emotions are so fresh," Wagner said. "That's something being brought into this production. We've never seen anything like it."

Look closely, and you might notice a lot of things never seen before at the worlds: cutting-edge LED dasher boards surrounding the rink, grand entrances for the athletes, and more energetic music — like the rocked-out version of I'm Shipping Up to Boston by the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys that keeps blaring inside TD Garden.

The idea is simple: The ISU wants to make figure skating feel cool again.

Or at least, cool to more people.

Those who love the intricate, nuanced sport — the spins and jumps, the brilliant landings and bitter falls — tend to follow it year-round. But, there are just as many fans that tune in once every four years, during the Winter Olympics, when, like a shooting star, the athletes spring into the public consciousness, and then fizzle out as soon as it ends.

"Skaters are the reason why this sport exists," explained ISU president Kim Jae-youl, who granted reporters a behind-the-scenes tour of the world championships setup shortly before the start of the men's short program.

"We are so proud of our athletes, and we want to make sure we shine a brighter, stronger spotlight on our skaters."

That is why those brilliant LED dasher boards showed each athlete's social media tag, and why each was introduced individually for the first time, something track and field, and other Olympic sports, have embraced over the years.

The ISU wanted to create a spectacle for the 14,000-plus fans in the arena, along with the millions watching around the world.

"There's much more to come. I mean, we can brainstorm here a lot about potential marketing and sponsorship activations as well," said Wieland Luders, who manages the world championships for the ISU. "Each skater has their own partners, potentially, so there are many more thoughts. But, for now, we are just at the beginning. This is the basic concept."

In the future, the Vision 2030 plan hopes to improve the TV presentation, simplify the sport's complex rules, increase sponsorship and expand revenue streams. It will also promote skating through grassroots initiatives, reimagine the season-long calendar, and explore new technology that could help to usher the sport into the modern era.

The athletes aren't just benefiting from increased exposure, and the potential boon for their pocketbooks, but also from back-of-the-house upgrades that are a part of Vision 2030.

In Boston, an expansive lounge was off limits to everyone but competitors, and back at their hotel, there was a calming room complete with a rotating cast of therapy dogs.

Kim visited it last week. Nobody paid any attention to the ISU president, because everybody wanted to see Penny, the dog.

If the calming room is meant to de-stress, the new hot seat in the arena will probably do the exact opposite.

Much like the time trial in Olympic cycling, where the leader sits uncomfortably on a throne until someone else takes the lead, the ISU has created the same thing at the world championships. But, rather than some roped-off backstage area, where leaders have waited for decades, the hot seat is right next to the kiss-and-cry area in the heart of the arena.

The athletes who are coming off the ice after their performance can't help but stare down whomever is in the lead.

"We want the fans to see how that person is reacting when he or she climbs over to take the throne, or how they are reacting when they cannot make it," Luders said. "They could have interactions with each other, some hugging or high-fives, something like this. So we hope we get more engagement between the two skaters."

Ultimately, more engagement with the fans, too.

Agencies via Xinhua