specialj67

It reminds me of Nathan Chen’s 2018 Olympic free skate, but this time with a medal as a result!

No complaints about the placements in the women’s SP, but was Loena really 3+ points better than the other top skaters? I’d score her a point or 2 lower. I’m just happy Amber didn’t completely implode from the pressure. The pair’s competition was pretty fun to watch—not too many teams missing their SBS jumps.

My gift to myself for my 40th birthday is going to Montreal to see the last day of the world championships—free dance and men’s free skate! After seeing how well Yuma did at 4CC, I am so excited to (hopefully) see him skate in person. Really, the talent is so deep in both fields, I’m looking forward to seeing so many of these competitors. I don’t think anyone in my meatspace life fully appreciates how much figure skating is a Special Interest of mine and how much I’m looking forward to this!

Re: Jason Brown continuing to compete, who’s to say that USFSA didn’t approach him and ask him to keep competing? Not saying they did, but they know he’s still beloved and would be a crowd fave in any event he’s in. And as others upthread said, he’s still more reliable than most of the other competitive U.S. men. They can reasonably count on him to place in the top 10 at a world championship.

That third spot for the U.S. ice dance world team is going to be interesting. I think if Green and Parsons had better material, they might have a stronger case. I feel like they and Bratti/Somerville would place similarly, somewhere around 10-12th. My fave free dance of this event was Flores and Desyatov—so much energy and commitment to the program! I’m really looking forward to seeing how they do in the coming years.

IDK about it mellowing so much as the dramatic aesthetic of the current era being less driven by these more character-y pieces that were so abundant 10-15 years ago.

I think I read somewhere that one of them possibly was dealing with a concussion? I think? I also wouldn’t be surprised if burnout is a factor in their decision too. I loved the video they shared. It would be wonderful to see them compete with the program in the future, but if this is all we get, it is more than enough. 🫶🏻

The top two groups of the dance free skate at Euros today were generally pretty great! It’s too bad Fear/Gibson had that spin stumble and the #2 Czech team had the near fall. I really enjoyed the other 2 French teams, but for whatever reason do not connect with Lopareva/Brissaud.

its my understanding that Mai is coming back from an injury, which explains her middling NHK result. Very pleased for Ava Marie! Her jumps have so much spring, and she skates with a lot of power. Here’s hoping she can replicate/improve her score from this event. Given how well she did here, I’m wondering why USFS didn’t select her for another GP. She seems more than ready for it.

While I enjoy Loena’s overall style and presence, I can never truly sit back and enjoy watching her. Her consistency on the big jump combos isn’t the best, and her consistency from one phase of a competition to the next is always in question . For me anyways.

Oof, the men’s event from SC this week was a tough watch. IDK what was up with Junhwan Cha; those falls looked painful…it seemed like maybe his timing was way off? Deanna and Max were clearly on a different level compared to the other pairs teams. I love that they finally got a win and really look forward to seeing how they do, now that the Japanese’s world champ team is out of the GP for the season.

Love both of Kevin’s programs for this season—he’s probably one of the few who could get away with a warhorse like Bolero, IMO. And so pleased he held it together for both the short and the long. I can’t remember the last time he was that solid so early in a season.

This inspired me to Google “Horton”+”dance” and watch a couple of videos of dancers and choreographers practicing the same kinds of sweeping and angular movements from Jason’s Sinnerman program. So cool to see where skaters and skating choreographers draw inspiration from! And proof that, once again, it is possible to meld art and athleticism AND create a program that satisfies all of the requirements of the current scoring system. It also shows, in my estimation, the value of encouraging skaters to keep competing later into adulthood if they still have the desire and ability and proper resources. You can’t get that level of sophistication from most 16-18 year-old skaters—you just can’t. It takes years to develop a distinctive skating style and to get truly comfortable with who you are as a skater.

ITA, Ilia’s skating skills and nonjump content is very mid right now. Really, the most junior-ish out of all of the top men. Reminds me of where Nathan Chen was around 2016…but honestly, not even that good-ish. Hopefully Ilia will spend more time on his basic skating skills in the off season.

Watching the ice dance and men this morning was such a treat! There was so much good and great skating in the top 2 groups in each discipline. Personal faves include: the Czech dance team, Taschlerova/Taschler, who finished in 8th. Their speed and power is wonderful! Fear/Gibson and Fournier Beaudry/Sorensen having career best free dances Chock/Bates finally winning a world title! Jason Brown AND Kevin Aymoz, my 2 favorite artistic boys, having career best performances. I have no idea what Jason’s plans are after this…I wouldn't be surprised if he decides this is his last competition as a skater, because what a way to end. Junhwan Cha really going full out! So exciting to see him finally put together 2 great programs and get rewarded for it. Also, I do kinda love his commitment to costumes that are pretty much identical to one another except for the shoulder decoration. And of course Shona Uno successfully defending his world title. Very cool that he and Kaori because the first Japanese singles skaters to win consecutive world titles (and on home country ice!)