mehtotheworld

Morgan Cipres knows exactly what he's doing with his Instagram account...

Uhh, you guys weren't kidding about snowboard cross being no joke. I saw a guy go down, then get hit in the back by another rider's board as he went past. That had to hurt! And breaking a bone in the neck? It's a really entertaining sport, but damn!

I'd never seen them before, but those Captain America/Captain Marvel suits are awesome. I also love the NASA inspired gloves for the snowboarders. The Ralph Lauren opening ceremony gloves can suck it, I want those space gloves!

To go further off topic! Ashley Wagner was always going to be named to the 2014 team because of her international record (pretty much the only one who had been doing anything for US ladies for at least a couple of seasons). Mirai was pretty much in competition with Polina Edmunds, not Wagner, and the selection committee chose Edmunds, the young upstart, over Mirai, who seemed past her prime but surprisingly did well at nationals. Kind of sucks because Edmunds hasn't done much since (to be fair to her, she was injured at some point). It's kind of like Ross Miner vs. Vincent Zhou this year, with Adam Rippon pretty much set as a pick despite finishing 4th, although Rippon's selection was probably less of a sure thing than Wagner's in 2014. I confess to feeling bad for Ashley, especially since I'm a fan of hers. That Toyota commercial would obviously have made much more sense had she been selected to go this year. (US ladies would also have been much more interesting!). Instead of rising above her challenges to make the Olympics again, it's more of a rising above the disappointment of not making the Olympics, which is kind of a confusing message for a commercial airing during the Olympics...

Ashley Wagner definitely didn’t bully her way onto the 2014 team though! She had been the one bright spot in Us ladies for a few seasons at that point. She also ended up being the skater to end the Us ladies worlds medal drought a couple of seasons later. US ladies except for Mirai are kind of boring without her...

Ooh. Bollywood is such a fun program! I confess I still go back and watch their Polovtsian Dances ('07) often, along with their Samson and Delilah ('09). Neither one is as technically sound as their later years, but I find them so compelling. It's especially hilarious to me watching Domnina/Shabalin's Polovtsian Dances from the same year to see how "subtle" D/W are compared to their Russian level crazy.

It's a tracker, people. For certain countries, it's a starting point for a more in depth analysis of their performance. When Team USA's medal count has been analyzed, for example, I never hear them saying they destroyed poor Tonga. I don't expect to hear anyone saying a country like Tonga is worthless for not having an Olympic medalist, nor do I think the Tongan athlete thinks that about themselves. But a country like the Netherlands, Canada, USA, etc. not medalling or having a dramatic decrease in medals would most certainly be news. I just find the pseudo intellectual argument against medal tracking to be inane. It eats up the medal count threads, when people now just want to celebrate Norway and the Netherlands killing it. The most obvious part of it to me is that most athletes will themselves say they are proud of their accomplishment on behalf of their country. Individuals (or groups of individuals) are putting in the work, but the winners will be carrying a flag for a victory lap and/or singing along to an anthem. Look at how Canada celebrated their hockey wins last time around, with the athletes celebrating their wins with an entire country. That's a powerful thing, don't understand why people discount that by trying to say that these events are only about the individual.

Adam Rippon's Instagram stories are also pretty fun if you want more Adam (one of my favorites was a series of videos on Ashley Wagner's and his accounts that detailed how he was spending his time looking into his astrological sign).

I hate the Tano when the Russians do it, but the Rippon variation with both arms above the head is really pretty. That said, what a boring program aside from the jumps! Ladies skating is kind of depressing.

I get why the results are the way that they are, but I'm not sure if anyone would want to rewatch any of those performances except for Adam's, entertainment wise. That's a problem! I've given up on the team event. I loved the Italian pair last night and Adam was great. Am I missing anything so far?

Uhhhh, okay then. Ah well, at least the Meryl gifs were golden! I haven't seen their Roxanne documentary, but I'm assuming V/M have learned a little from their last "documentary" experience. Perhaps it was a question of them not being able to control their image and producers not understanding what their audience expected?

Ooh, have you seen it recently? It wasn't a huge theme or anything, but it was certainly there. Charlie got a different edit than Meryl did, with Tessa and Meryl's lack of friendship even getting a couple of comments. Like I said, there was some nonsense about Meryl possibly spying on their Olympic plans, and then some nonsense with Meryl being off on her own playing with a dog while Tessa socialized with some skaters while someone's commentary was played over the scene implying that Meryl was standoffish. It was hilarious and dumb, but at least a couple of truly amazing gifs of Meryl came out of it. I'm well aware V/M weren't the ones editing. The edits in the show were exactly why I asked upthread if they pissed off the producers or something. No one came out smelling like a rose! I'm wondering if Tessa/Scott regret doing it now.

It wasn't a major theme, but it certainly wasn't overblown by some fans! I was actually kind of surprised they went there, and it was mostly focused on Meryl, with Charlie getting a different edit. It was one of the weirdest decisions made in that extremely weird show (the weirdest probably being how much Scott's girlfriend appeared in that show, knowing how much their fans shipped V/M together!). I remember a scene where they tried to make it seem like Meryl was trying to spy on some of their Olympic planning (or something), and then they tried to make it seem like she was snobby/standoffish because Tessa was socializing with some skaters while Meryl was off by herself playing with a dog in a locker room (or something). They were also very complimentary of D/W's skills, but that always felt like they were just doing it for the dramatic tension (will Tessa and Scott be able to catch up to Meryl/Charlie?!). I remember Canadian viewers came after Meryl a little on Twitter (not much, because I don't think too many people cared that much, but it was definitely there). Such a weird show! They should have consulted with me, I would have made that show a worldwide hit guys. I don't think I've ever heard of D/W getting asked about the show, specifically their appearances in the show, but I hold out hope for a tell all book from one of them...

Eh, that was really only the beginning of my sideeyeing of Moir though. His comments after Sochi, and some more recent comments about an alleged ice dancing fix in Sochi, continued to sour me on him. I just feel like the level of excitement he portrays at certain points is fake, and that he’s the kind of guy who feels above that nonsense but can’t hide it as well, so I get a lack of sincerity more than other skaters who may feel the same way. Don’t they get a lot more money for WTT anyway? I’d love to hear more about salty Meryl/Charlie comments! Did they actually deviate from their script? I love them and think Meryl is the classiest of humans, but this has me intrigued. I mean, was it more than just Meryl being off by herself playing with a puppy while Tessa and some other skaters socialized? (Bahahaha, I think the attempt to villainize Meryl in that reality show was one of their weirder decisions, but that scene certainly cracked me up).

I think what soured me on Scott Moir was his reaction at one of the World Team Trophy events when they were outscored by D/W and he said something along the lines of “I hate this competition.” Or something. Everyone else was having fun, and he had to ruin it with his grump face! Now I always feel like he’s faking it whenever he needs to cheer on his team/Tessa. That and the ridiculous Tessa and Scott reality show they did before Sochi. Talk about a missed opportunity on their part! Not sure anyone came off looking good there. Did they piss off the producers or something?

I get all that, she would have won had she just kept focus and celebrated after crossing the finish line, yadda yadda yadda (though she still won silver, she didn’t exactly lose). I just looked her up and it seems like she’s done/won so much beyond the Olympics. I just think people need to give her a break, maybe consider her career beyond the Olympics and maybe consider she herself wants to move beyond that race. Kind of seems shitty to have to continue to atone for something more than a decade out! (Unless she’s a shitty person, in which case, proceed).

I’ve never understood the schadenfreude directed toward Lindsey Jacobellis. Did she react poorly after losing beyond a sense of disappointment? Did she never do anything in the sport beyond that race? Am I missing something here?

I have to admit to finding Bode Miller’s voice grating because of what a dirtbag he seems to be. Tanith did really well last night! I’m so glad they didn’t shove Tara and Johnny in the booth with her.

Medvedeva was exquisite! US ladies really just can’t compete against that, which kind of sucks. Osmond was boring too, not sure where that amazing step sequence Johnny was talking about came in. In fact, I was bored by most of the competition except for Medvedeva. Kind of sucks. At least the individual competition has the Russian matchup.

Shani Davis and Erin Hamlin immediately springs to mind. Kind of sucks for Erin Hamlin if that spoiled carrying the flag for her in any way. I haven’t heard of the curling drama. Must research!

Did Scott lose a bet or something? Those costumes weren’t awful, but I really hope they switch it up next week. Just kind of a confusing theme. I hate Latin patterns in ice dancing because most teams, even the really good teams, look so awkward. I wish we could have seen the full program for the French since it seems like they actually got the crowd into it.

Ahhh, my reading comprehension could use some work...

That doesn't seem likely at all! I think it's pretty much certain that France/Canada will go 1-2 in some order, just like the US/Canada was all but guaranteed to go 1-2 in Sochi. Personally I'm really pulling for P/C, I really like their FD. The Shibs bore me. Really pretty pair, but I don't get anything from them. The Coldplay trilogy also doesn't do them any favors in my eyes. I personally love H/D the most out of any of the US teams. The way they move just seems more innovative, creative, natural, etc. I'm 100% behind a H/D bronze medal.

I can’t be the only one disappointed by Italy’s uniform, right? The shininess put me off, it looked cheap. Like outlet Armani or something.

Are Tara and Johnny doing ice dance, considering how they don’t know anything about it? I really wish Tanith White (née Belbin) could handle that. I’ve always liked her announcing work. Tara and Johnny need to be put out to pasture. They were funny at first, but now just cliched and uninformative. Unlike Tanith, I never feel like I learned anything after listening to them. Blah.