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sweeks

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  1. I enjoy Tanith as a commentator. She's informative, particularly when it comes to ice dancing, and she isn't too chatty. Ashley Wagner is a different story. Whenever I've heard her do commentary, she talked nonstop. Also, and this is definitely shallow on my part, I can't stand Ashley's voice. Add me to the Terry Gannon fan club. It's obvious he has great respect for the sport and the athletes, and he's a calming presence without being a wet blanket. He's the perfect person to have with Tara and Johnny. He's willing to participate in their antics without feeling the need to try to top them. He doesn't seem worried about being overshadowed by them and genuinely seems to enjoy spending time with them. Case in point is his little dance with Tara and Johnny: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CaMyWISF02X/?utm_medium=copy_link
  2. Thank you for sharing this! I appreciated getting Grace's perspective, especially since her wisdom is hard won. The question of "Should we even want to be competitive with the Russians if it means following their troubling blueprint for success?" stood out to me, and the answer, for me at least, is a resounding "No."
  3. Someone posted this on Twitter, and it was everything I didn't know I needed after the madness of the ladies event. Apparently this was during the warm-up for the pairs short.
  4. I was literally getting to post this meme, since it sums up my experience this Olympics.
  5. I think Jeddah is referring to the team competition. In 2018, the Shib Sibs decided that they wanted to skate both the RD and FD for the team event. They had the option to choose because of their success on the world stage even though H/D had just won at Nationals. H/D pointedly did not come to the team event or cheer on the team. C/B were there cheering even though they weren't skating.
  6. I didn't know this, but it makes me admire them even more. I want to see them get their team medel properly (I will never not be bitter over this), and I hope they go to worlds and dominate.
  7. I agree with this 100%! Evan does seem to be a genuinely good and well-liked person. The fact that he's been elected team captain of the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team twice (2018 and 2022 with Madison Chock) says a lot about him, especially since he was elected by his teammates. Additionally, the fact that he and Chock showed up in 2018 to cheer on the team during the team event even when they weren't competing speaks to their general likeability and willingness to lead. The anemic clapping and response after they were unexpectedly bested by the Shib Sibs for the first time at nationals aside, I definitely haven't seen anything they've done arise to the level of entitlement that we've seen from Hubbell and especially Donahue. Although I'm not surprised at the IOC being spineless, I am disappointed and angry at the IOC and the ROC/Russia. Their priorities are so skewed, and the fact that they are making a mockery of fair athletic competition and refusing to award any medals if Valieva places in the top three are travesties. I would love for the competitors in the women's competition to boycott, though I also understand why they wouldn't want to. I have been happy to see so many skaters unequivocally decry the ruling, but I fear it will have no effect. I'm done with the Olymmpics for now and perhaps for good.
  8. If they let Kamila compete and don't have some serious consequences for Russia/the ROC (I'm not holding my breath that the IOC will actually hold anyone accountable), I might be done with the Olympics. The only way I could watch it is to acknowledge that all of the talk of integrity, unity, and the Olympic spirit is sheer hypocrisy and that the IOC is spineless. I've had other issues with the Olympics, such as how much the IOC makes and how costly it is for countries to host, and this might be the thing that finishes it for me. I don't know if I would be able to fully give it up, since I'd stay on the forums here to see all of your discussions and find out what I missed (and might check out any highlights on YouTube), but the live watching and general enjoyment would be gone.
  9. I will say that P/C do well with the flowy, romantic style. It suits them, and they are very good at it. They may never be my favorites to watch, but I have a healthy respect for their artistry and skills. I can't warm up to H/D's style, partially because of my dislike of Donohue (I don't love Hubbell - I'm mostly indifferent - but I don't loath her as much as I once did, so I consider that progress) but also because their choices are so questionable. I don't know if their taste is only in their mouths or if I'm missing something, but I don't know if I've ever seen anything they've done that I loved. They have powerful skating skills, especially Hubbell, but they don't seem to know what to do with them. Their attempts at a romantic style, such as "Hallelujiah," A Star is Born, and this year's "Drowning," don't seem to fit, but their attempts at doing something different (I'm side eying the Marilyn Monroe number) also fall flat. C/B seem to have a much better sense of what works for them, and I have done a complete turnaround with the alien number. They do well with quirky concepts and know how to play to their strengths, such as Evan's excellent skating and partnering skills and Madison's ability to project character and charisma.
  10. I wouldn't mind a Montreal sweep of the podium. P/C aren't my favorites, but I recognize that, barring a huge issue, they seem destined for gold. Also, after the remarks by Alexander Vedenin about Cizeron, I want P/C to win just to stick it to him (my pettiness is strong). Ideally, I would like C/B to get silver (if they can't get gold), though this would need them to have the skate of their lives and (likely) a mistake from S/K to be contenders for even a bronze. I have come around somewhat on Hubbell (I still can't stand Zachary Donohue) and have come to terms with them likely medaling, though I would prefer C/B to finish ahead of them. While I was indifferent to C/B when they were with Marina Zueva and Igor Shpilband (and later Shpilband when he broke off from Zueva), I have loved them since they switched to the Montreal coaches ( Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer), who have done an excellent job of upping their programs and their packaging. The Elvis program, the snake program, the Billie Eilish program, and the alien program are all ones that stand out to me. While I suspect C/B would have been stuck with the overly romantic programs that Zueva favored or the banal programs that Shpilband used (I think of them as Zueva lite) if they stayed with those coaches, Marie-France and company have tapped into a quirkier, edgier style that really plays to their strengths. I honestly can't figure out why C/B's packaging is so good while H/D's is... not. Are C/B just better at taking feedback and direction, or do the coaches at Montreal truly think that treating H/D like Tessa and Scott (and an off-brand Tessa and Scott at that) is the way to go?
  11. The video of Nathan backstage after his win is adorable. I love seeing Mariah jumping around in excitement and seeing Evan(?) and Nathan hug. The fact that Nathan's first thought after leaving the kiss and cry is "I need to find my team leader" and going to look for Evan (ETA maybe?) makes me so happy. https://youtu.be/KSDOmL-BQiQ Sorry that I only have the link. For some reason, I keep getting the message that YouTube doesn't allow for the video to be embedded. Edit: Upon reading the comments, it isn't clear if it is Evan that Nathan is hugging. Based on the comments, like it might be his trainer. The masks make it hard to tell.
  12. I always thought Sandra Bezic was the worst when it came to being biased in favor of skaters she worked with. Even as a pre-teen, I thought it was painfully obvious in both her commentating and her interactions with skaters in the Stars on Ice rehearsal footage. The way she catered to people like Kristi while dismissing suggestions from Paul Wylie in that footage (I think it was from the 1992-1993 show) is something that has stuck with me.
  13. If the IOC tries to give the ROC/Russia the same slap on the wrist they've been doing for the past few Olympics for doping, I hope that Canada comes in to burn the IOC to the ground. I'm so done with Russia getting away with breaking the rules so flagrantly and with such minimal (some might argue no) consequences. The entire idea of having them compete as the ROC is a joke, and it is clear that Russia doesn't see it as a real punishment. As a teacher I tend to hate the idea of group punishment, but this is a case where it seems like it would be the only thing that might get through to Russia. That said, this would require the IOC to magically grow a spine, so I'm sure it won't happen.
  14. I don't know what they are doing in Montreal to create an atmosphere where these top competitors can also be on such good terms, but it is wonderful to see. This definitely did not seem to be the case when there were multiple top teams in Detroit. I enjoyed seeing so many of the skaters who weren't chosen for the team event come and support Team USA. Major props to Hawayek and Baker for cheering on their training mates. They both seemed happy to be there.
  15. This has been such a great summer show, and as a musical theater nerd, I've enjoyed the homages/parodies of different golden age musicals. A friend and I have been watching and live texting musicals each week throughout the pandemic, so this show has been total catnip to me. The music has been great throughout, but I especially loved "This is How We Change." While I never thought that "Sunday" from Sunday in the Park with George needed tambourines and a Pippin/Godspell arrangement, it worked so well. I now want more Sondheim and Schwartz mashups in my life.
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