A generation or so back, skating was a family sport involving kids in competitions and club shows and teens and adults in some competitive but mostly social ice dancing. Those were supplemented by picnics, parties, ice dance weekends and trips to the beach, kids, teens and adults all together. A great time was had by all.
Today we see a kid sport almost exclusively and those kids are almost all girls. Add to that, the great majority of those girls will never attain any significant success in their endeavors because most of us -and most of them- will never accomplish triple and quadruple twirls in the air. We have lost a great deal, going from a sport that included almost everybody to one where accomplishment is so restricted and participation so limited.
I'm reminded of the fellow who studied hard to master his subject; he learned more and more about less and less until he finally knew absolutely everything about nothing...