Figure Skating

[Fostersmom]

6 minutes ago, ouinason said:

love the dress, hate the song

The dress was gorgeous, but the energy and facial expressions didn't match the music.

4 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Where on Earth did they find that thing?! 😆😆😆 

It's a pool floaty. 

[emma675]

Can Tara and Johnny salivate anymore over Kamila? 

[absnow54]

Welp, time to focus on protecting silver. 

[Jillibean]

Poor Karen. She likely just took Team USA out of any very narrow hope they had of beating Russia, and I'm sure she knows it. I hope she can redeem herself in the free. 

But hey, maybe Vincent will feel less pressure now. 

[HartofDixie]

Will the loss of 2 points be the difference in medal color?

[SeanC]

Valieva is now the fourth woman (from the third nation) to land a triple Axel at the Olympics.

[twoods]

Wow. That was lovely. 

[SeanC]

1 minute ago, HartofDixie said:

Will the loss of 2 points be the difference in medal color?

Even if she had been third the US would probably not have won gold, but they should be fine for silver. Japan doesn't have the horses to move up from bronze.

[emma675]

That was gorgeous, her jumps and spins look so lovely with her long limbs. But I hate Kamila's dress, way too much fabric and the arms are too fussy and busy.

[Chaser]

3 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Can Tara and Johnny salivate anymore over Kamila? 

100% yes they can.

I like Tara and Johnny but they don’t commentate, they perform. 

[cmahorror]

Well, I get the praising now because, damn that was so good. Too often the Russian skaters almost seem like robots but the artistry she added was just beautiful. She was a ballerina on ice and I cannot wait to see her long program.

 

[BlackberryJam]

Okay...Kamila is fabulous. I'd not seen her perform, just read about her. She does have artistic skills. She extends on her movements. The only part I didn't like was one of the transitions in the spins.

I fully appreciated Zagitova's programs last Olympics which were "I will read the code of points, memorize it and than fuck you over with a program tailored to it." But this young woman is next level.

[Bewitched]

With Kamila, the only thing I found fault with was the length of her skirt.  It was a really awkward length somehow.  Other than that, I've got nothing.  Her first jump was amazing.

[galaxygirl76]

She definitely lived up to the hype.

[specialj67]

2 minutes ago, emma675 said:

That was gorgeous, her jumps and spins look so lovely with her long limbs. But I hate Kamila's dress, way too much fabric and the arms are too fussy and busy.

Heh, yes! One too many design elements going on.

[scarynikki12]

6 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Can Tara and Johnny salivate anymore over Kamila? 

Of course they can! Just wait for the ladies competition.

It's not nearly as bad as 2014 and 2018 when they ignored the Skating While Russian bonus, as Valiyeva can win without it, but they're still going to go overboard when she wins. I hope they at least have the courtesy to turn off their mics from time to time.

[healthnut]

It was a long shot for gold but it would’ve been nice to have gone into the free skate tied or with a slim lead. I’m so bummed for Karen but I’m still glad she was picked and I hope she has a better free skate. Russia is just so strong in three disciplines, it would’ve taken a Herculean effort plus a rough short from Mark for the US to have a real chance. Here’s hoping Vincent has a good skate tonight. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

Kamila is fabulous, but when I watch her skate I feel nothing.  It's like watching a clinic, not a performance.  :(   #skatebynumbers

[Sarahsmile416]

Just now, KittenPokerCheater said:

Kamila is fabulous, but when I watch her skate I feel nothing.  It's like watching a clinic, not a performance.  :(   #skatebynumbers

I like Kamila and find her skating very affecting but MMV obviously.  Anna Shcherbakova, OTOH, I feel that way about.  I keep watching hoping I will feel the way others seem to about her skating, but I just don’t.  She is amazing, it just feels wooden to me.  

[Jeddah]

I feel bad for the Georgian skater ready to do his free skate, only to find out they lost on a tiebreak.

[Crs97]

6 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Kamila is fabulous, but when I watch her skate I feel nothing.  It's like watching a clinic, not a performance.  :(   #skatebynumbers

Thank you!  I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me that I felt nothing as they are gushing.  She nailed the technical (though I’m bored by the hands over the head jumps), but I didn’t find that to be remotely artistic.

[Chaser]

I would have put the Georgian skater above the Canadian skater. 

[Conotocarious]

Is she going to do every single jump with arms over her head? Because it looks stupid after awhile.

[honeywest]

I wish there were a limit to how many jumps a skater could do with arms overhead.

[SeanC]

Madeline really rescued Canada there.  She really turned into a total clutch skater the past two years, which I wouldn't have expected back when she first appeared at senior nationals and completely forgot her jump layout during the free skate and did four single Axels.

[scarynikki12]

6 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Is she going to do every single jump with arms over her head? Because it looks stupid after awhile.

It increases the difficulty in the jumps so yes.

5 minutes ago, honeywest said:

I wish there were a limit to how many jumps a skater could do with arms overhead.

Agreed. They have other limitations in the short and free skates so they need to update to include the raised arms thing. 

[Crs97]

6 minutes ago, honeywest said:

I wish there were a limit to how many jumps a skater could do with arms overhead.

I think it would be more difficult to have to switch between hands over head and not so I am all for this!!

[Conotocarious]

2 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

It increases the difficulty in the jumps so yes.

Agreed. They have other limitations in the short and free skates so they need to update to include the raised arms thing. 

I know that. I remember Brian Boitano way back when with his Tano triple. Which was largely effective because he did it once. Doing it every single time looks like you are points grubbing and it takes away from the artistry.

[Lady Whistleup]

Kamila doesn't need the Skating While Russian bonus. Shes just that far ahead of the field.

 

[BlackberryJam]

I love a well-done jump with arms over the head. It gives it a more balletic look. Wasn't it Slutskaya who did it and it was horrifically clunky?

I wish the US ladies were better, but I acknowledge they aren't. I think Mariah Bell is a gorgeous skater with really mature programs, but I don't want to change the rules to make her the winner.

[Jeddah]

5 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Wasn't it Slutskaya who did it and it was horrifically clunky?

That’s a good description for the way Slutskaya did every element.

[SeanC]

10 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Doing it every single time looks like you are points grubbing and it takes away from the artistry.

Why would that take away from the artistry? It's just a different shape, one is not more artistic than the other.

Also, many skaters have learned to do the jumps this way from the beginning, so this is their natural form.

[CherryMalotte]

 

4 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

That’s a good description for the way Slutskaya did every element.

Amen and hally loo to that.  I never understood why she ever scored as high as she did.  

When Karen relaxes she's lovely.  Unfortunately she was just wound up way too much.  At first she seemed to be enjoying herself but she must have started thinking to hard about what she was doing.  Oh well.  

[Fostersmom]

This poor guy.... this is just heart breaking to watch at this point. 

[scarynikki12]

Even if Sadovsky wasn't currently imploding the music would be a bad choice. I like the song but it automatically dropped my interest. Use a song with a beat next time.

[Guest]

“It’s about as effective as using cheese as a hammer.”

I’m really tired of Tara and Johnny and the Olympics just started.

[twoods]

Awwww poor guy. He looked so crushed letting his team down. I wonder if these skaters are more stressed during teams than their individual skates because if they screw up they are letting everyone down. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

Tara and Johnny are the worst.

[Chaser]

We are adding a new tech box now?! Come on

[legaleagle53]

I'm pretty much ignoring the commentary except for Terry Gannon (who is really aging like a VERY fine wine!) and focusing on the skating.

[Sarahsmile416]

I love the way Sadovsky skates - he really is a beautiful skater…but that performance just broke my heart.  All those mistakes just got into his head and he couldn’t seem to recover

[Chaser]

I don’t get the attraction to skating to Bolero. 

[Rootbeer]

Just now, Chaser said:

I don’t get the attraction to skating to Bolero. 

It should've been permanently retired after Torvill and Dean.  

Anyone else find the new fashion trend of skaters wearing gloves to be distracting?  I presume it is supposed to make their arms look longer and more graceful and perhaps to make it easier to grab and hold the blade for a Bielllmann spin, but I just don't like the look.

[Lady Whistleup]

Just now, Rootbeer said:

It should've been permanently retired after Torvill and Dean.  

Anyone else find the new fashion trend of skaters wearing gloves to be distracting?  I presume it is supposed to make their arms look longer and more graceful and perhaps to make it easier to grab and hold the blade for a Bielllmann spin, but I just don't like the look.

It's actually because all the blade grabbing causes cuts. The gloves are protection.

[Jeddah]

I’ve always liked Jin Boyang because he really did push the sport forward technically, and he’s worked so hard on his artistry. I wish had gone with something other than Bolero. His best programs are the ones that show some personality, like Spider-Man or Star Wars. It sets him apart!

[SeanC]

4 minutes ago, Chaser said:

I don’t get the attraction to skating to Bolero. 

The music builds incredibly.

[BlackberryJam]

1 minute ago, SeanC said:

The music builds incredibly.

But unfortunately, the programs don't build with it. Skaters are too tired at the end to make the pay off worth it.

I almost liked this version of Jesus Christ Superstar until it morphed into a car chase scene soundtrack.

[honeywest]

4 minutes ago, SeanC said:

The music builds incredibly.

For ice dancers more than singles skaters.

[Chaser]

I’ll be honest, I don’t even like Torvill and Dean’s Bolero and that’s supposed to be the standard.

[Good Queen Jane]

Nothing says Olympic figure skating like a crown of thorns, scourging, and crucifixion.