Dumbing down figure skating

I enjoy watching figure skating and have strong favorites I like to follow (sadly, I didn't know that the Ice Wars were on CBS the other day, and I missed what some say were Shizuka Arakawa's greatest skates--I've had to settle for watching them on YouTube). I probably know a little more about figure skating than the average person, but only a little. It is a complex sport, and even though I have a very good eye for the artistic half of it, I am just a laywoman when it comes to most of the technical aspect.

So I am disappointed that the Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge, which takes place next Sunday, is "scored" by the spectators. I know it's supposed to be "fun," but having people who do not truly understand the technical (and in some cases, the artistic) aspect of skating decide who wins a competition rubs me the wrong way. It's like when CNN has a poll asking people to determine complicated global or judicial decisions. Or like when the U.S. has an election.