Count the spins

A friend has recently introduced me to ice skating. Previously, I had only really seen Torvill and Dean do Boléro in 1984. It was my patrotic duty to watch, or something.

While watching some recent clips, I had observed that some performances, while high scoring, I didn't really like. (Just my opinion.)

It turned out there was a bit of a controversy a while ago where judges would award points politically. To resolve this, judges now have to score according to some technical criteria. As a result, skaters seem to perform to that criteria, rather than for the art.

Judging this way doesn't seem to make sense (to me) for an art form. You can measure a javelin throw but the quality of art really transcends measurement.

Perhaps instead of using judges at all, competitors should be given pedometers - highest count wins. If a skater goes onto the ice and spins continuously for 4 minutes, they win the gold medal.