Figure Skating

[HartofDixie]

 

[Jeddah]

1 minute ago, galaxygirl76 said:

They all do. Eteri sucks.

Eteri is probably pissed her daughter missed out on getting a gold medal. I’m surprised Eteri did not have the clout to get her into the free dance. Russia ended up with a big enough lead, so they could have subbed in Diana Davis and still won.

[healthnut]

Vincent has tested positive for COVID. 

[legaleagle53]

Uh-oh. Who's left to compete if -- God forbid -- he can't on Tuesday?

[Jeddah]

2 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

 

Noooooo! I’m crushed for Vincent! I guess there’s still hope, but that doesn’t sound good.

[Chaser]

Can an alternate come in?

[Lady Whistleup]

Oh shit that's awful. At least he got a silver team medal.

[scarynikki12]

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

Uh-oh. Who's left to compete if -- God forbid -- he can't on Tuesday?

Twitter says Ilia Malinin is the first alternate.

[Jeddah]

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

Uh-oh. Who's left to compete if -- God forbid -- he can't on Tuesday?

Is Ilia around? Put him on a plane right now!

[DawnDavenport]

43 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Her coaches suck. I felt so bad for her -- after landing two quads and one 3A, she's a puddle of tears in the K&C because of a fall that doesn't even matter. 

I'm worried that this sort of harsh coaching will make her yet another one-and-done. A shame because she's an incredible skater.

Of course. She'll be sent to the glue factory right after the Olympics are over. It's a sad state of affairs that has ruined women's figure skating to such an extent that I don't even bother watching any more. I use to hate ice dance but I prefer it now because you don't get the sense the couples are competing under duress and will be beaten if they don't win. 

I'm horrified that Weir is so enamoured with all things Russian despite how deeply homophobic and backwards their system is. Those girls are nothing but an assembly line and the way they are treated is disgusting.

Edited February 7, 2022 by DawnDavenport

[legaleagle53]

4 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Twitter says Ilia Malinin is the first alternate.

That's what I thought. Like everyone else, I was disappointed that he wasn't named directly to Team USA, but I'm sure that even he wishes that his Olympic debut wouldn't have to be under these circumstances if Vincent can't compete!

[Souris]

Yikes about Vincent. I’m worried about all the U.S. skaters now since they were all together in the team section. I hope they were diligent with the mask-wearing. And I really hope Nathan and Vincent haven’t been hanging out. 
 

Could Ilia even get into the Olympic bubble at this point given the advance Covid testing requirements? Or can Vincent even be subbed for at this point since he’s already competed?

Edited February 7, 2022 by Souris

[kittykat]

Eteri is essentially the figure skating equivalent of the Karoylis.  Kamila still had a great performance.

Good for Team USA and the silver.  It's nice that most of the 2018 ppl who got left off the team event got a spot this time and won a medal.

Edited February 7, 2022 by kittykat

[DawnDavenport]

Just now, kittykat said:

Eteri is essentially the figure skating equivalent of the Karoylis.  Kamila still had a great performance.

You took the words right out of my mouth! 

[CeeBeeGee]

24 minutes ago, GeminiDancer said:

I will say, at least it wasn't Trusova in the long. It's a travesty that she can have two falls and still medal.

I have a theory about that. I think the reason they didn't use Trusova for the free skate was because they wanted Valieva to get the glory of being the first woman to land an Olympic quad. You just know Eteri is that kind of petty! Petteri...

[KittenPokerCheater]

The medals are....pandas??

[Chaser]

I’m confused 

[emma675]

They do the medal ceremonies a day later. They randomly get the pandas after the competition is done (at least that's how it's gone in other events so far).

Dammit, Vincent, you better not have spread Covid to the rest of the team. And get well soon, if he's truly positive. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by emma675d

[wintrygal]

1 hour ago, Bliss said:

Any Canadians here? Piper and Paul were fabulous! Classy costumes, awesome skate... and so fast! Fantastic performance.

I'm Canadian, and I agree, they are fantastic skaters, and that song is meaningful to them, and they did a great job skating to it.

[SeanC]

24 minutes ago, Souris said:

Or can Vincent even be subbed for at this point since he’s already competed?

The last window for alternates is the short program draw, which has already happened.

[healthnut]

27 minutes ago, Souris said:

Could Ilia even get into the Olympic bubble at this point given the advance Covid testing requirements? Or can Vincent even be subbed for at this point since he’s already competed?

Alternates were not allowed to come and Men’s short program is tomorrow so there is no way to get Ilia to Beijing in time with all the necessary negative tests. 

[CharethCutestory]

The pure athleticism and physical feats many of these skaters can achieve with quads and advanced jumps are amazing to watch and they deserve all the accolades for it. However,  this is no longer figure skating, it's become gymnastics on ice. I mean, look no further than the final two female performances for the team segment. Sakomoto gave a flawless, beautiful ballet on ice, without a single beat looking out of place. Her entire program flowed start to finish, which is especially hard in a long program. It was followed up by Valieva who makes your jaw drop to the floor when she lands quad after quad.  But, it's not figure skating. She very clearly is out there to go from big jump to big jump and it looks like it. An overall performance that tells a story, evokes emotion and highlights the essential dance elements of figure skating is a distant distant second in priority, now more than ever. 

If you can't manage a certain amount of acrobatic combinations, you will have no hope of ever winning gold and a very slim chance of placing at all. Figure skating has officially aligned with athleticism over artistry after years and years of inching towards it. Your program can be beautiful, fluid, artistry in motion with plenty of landed jumps, triple axles, combinations and spins to technical precision, but if you can't quad, even falling once or twice, you are at an extreme disadvantage. That's not figure skating, its figure jumping, or figure gymnastics and it should be its own category. 

I truly don't mean any disrespect, I love figure skating and always have. So I ask honestly, why not just expand disciplines to accommodate both sides of figure skating that have emerged in recent years? One more artistic and one more athletic. The upside being, even more figure skating categories. Would it be so bad? Am I just crazy? Either way, love watching these amazingly talented athletes compete! 

Edited February 7, 2022 by CharethCutestory

[Mellowyellow]

4 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Her coaches suck. I felt so bad for her -- after landing two quads and one 3A, she's a puddle of tears in the K&C because of a fall that doesn't even matter. 

I'm worried that this sort of harsh coaching will make her yet another one-and-done. A shame because she's an incredible skater.

She's just very stressed because it's the Olympics. At Europeans she laughed at herself after a mistake. 

I think she's just overwhelmed here. I wouldn't assume she's being yelled at or anything. 

[absnow54]

6 hours ago, SeanC said:

The last window for alternates is the short program draw, which has already happened.

That stinks, but I get it, since skate order is based off World standing. That’s a second slap to Ilia though. He was SO close to getting on Olympic ice! Twice!

I hope wherever COVID snuck into Team USAFS didn’t spread to anyone else…

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

She's just very stressed because it's the Olympics. At Europeans she laughed at herself after a mistake.

Yes. Didn’t she JUST fall at Europeans doing a similar element? It seemed weird that everyone was acting like she’s never fallen in competition before. 

[Lady Whistleup]

7 hours ago, CharethCutestory said:

The pure athleticism and physical feats many of these skaters can achieve with quads and advanced jumps are amazing to watch and they deserve all the accolades for it. However,  this is no longer figure skating, it's become gymnastics on ice. I mean, look no further than the final two female performances for the team segment. Sakomoto gave a flawless, beautiful ballet on ice, without a single beat looking out of place. Her entire program flowed start to finish, which is especially hard in a long program. It was followed up by Valieva who makes your jaw drop to the floor when she lands quad after quad.  But, it's not figure skating. She very clearly is out there to go from big jump to big jump and it looks like it. An overall performance that tells a story, evokes emotion and highlights the essential dance elements of figure skating is a distant distant second in priority, now more than ever. 

If you can't manage a certain amount of acrobatic combinations, you will have no hope of ever winning gold and a very slim chance of placing at all. Figure skating has officially aligned with athleticism over artistry after years and years of inching towards it. Your program can be beautiful, fluid, artistry in motion with plenty of landed jumps, triple axles, combinations and spins to technical precision, but if you can't quad, even falling once or twice, you are at an extreme disadvantage. That's not figure skating, its figure jumping, or figure gymnastics and it should be its own category. 

I truly don't mean any disrespect, I love figure skating and always have. So I ask honestly, why not just expand disciplines to accommodate both sides of figure skating that have emerged in recent years? One more artistic and one more athletic. The upside being, even more figure skating categories. Would it be so bad? Am I just crazy? Either way, love watching these amazingly talented athletes compete! 

To be fair ... Nathan Chen is the same way. His programs are basically jump, jump, jump some more. I actually think yhe backlash to women doing quads is sexist. Men have been doing quads for 30.years. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Lady Whistleup

[Jillibean]

Wow, I'm really nervous about Vincent and the impact this could have on the rest of the skaters. He (obviously) shouldn't have gotten Covid within the bubble. That's really concerning. 

I have to say, while the team event might not make a huge amount of sense, I love the togetherness it brings, especially this year. All of the American figure skaters, not just the ones on the team, were so excited and enthusiastic and just really enjoying and supporting each other. It takes what I think can be a sort of lonely sport and makes it more of a community, and it's really beautiful to watch. A few of the other team boxes were mostly filled with coaches/staff for the first event last night since so many of the actual team members were competing, but the US box was full of athletes who weren't actually on the team, just rooting on their people (and who then moved to the stands--I definitely caught a glimpse of Mariah and Adam hanging out with an American flag on Peacock). 

Plus, with an Olympic medal around their necks already, maybe some of the team members will skate a little more freely in their individual events. I'm a sap, but watching their excitement during the event and even the somewhat silly mascot ceremony was so lovely. When Evan just kind of put his arm around Madi for a second after they were handed their pandas, and you think about how this is their third Olympics together (and his fourth) and they finally got to stand on a podium...I mean, a little dust in my eyes here, guys. 

Now we just have to hope all that togetherness isn't going to give anyone else Covid. 

[absnow54]

Shallow, but I'm glad Alysa was already pinning back her unfortunate bangs last night. 

[Chaser]

I would have a healthier appreciation for quads in woman’s skating if it felt like a natural progression (as with men and the many different body types able to achieve this) and less like a factory line of girls who are forced into an unhealthy state. 

[Lady Whistleup]

4 minutes ago, Chaser said:

I would have a healthier appreciation for quads in woman’s skating if it felt like a natural progression (as with men and the many different body types able to achieve this) and less like a factory line of girls who are forced into an unhealthy state. 

The quad 'factory' ,might be new but ultra-c elements like triple axels have been performed by women for over 30 years. Remember Midori Ito and Tonya Harding? 

We'll see if this new crop of girls' bodies hold up. 

[Chaser]

And yet, the triple axel never became a standard element after it was introduced in women’s skating.

[Lady Whistleup]

2 minutes ago, Chaser said:

And yet, the triple axel never became a standard element after it was introduced in women’s skating.

I actually think female figure skating (at least in the US) got too influenced by Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan. Both were medium-good jumpers who had a nice presentation and a very lady-like persona. Their six-triple jump content was the goal.

I feel like right now the quad revolution is a bit like the quad fest of the 2002-2010 range. Meaning it's a bit raw and unfinished. Plushenko, Tim Goebbel, and Yagudin were both criticized for not having much artistry and powering through jumps. Now the quad revolution in the men is in a mature stage. The women will get there eventually.

Tbh I don't like seeing Karen Chen or Mariah Bell on big international stages. Their jump content is so paltry.

[absnow54]

1 minute ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I actually think female figure skating (at least in the US) got too influenced by Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan. Both were medium-good jumpers who had a nice presentation and a very lady-like persona. Their six-triple jump content was the goal.

If only Tonya Harding wasn't plagued with so much controversy, we might have consistent 3A today. 

[lurkerbee]

9 hours ago, wintrygal said:

I'm Canadian, and I agree, they are fantastic skaters, and that song is meaningful to them, and they did a great job skating to it.

I’m not Canadian and I love them.

[lurkerbee]

2 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

To be fair ... Nathan Chen is the same way. His programs are basically jump, jump, jump some more. I actually think yhe backlash to women doing quads is sexist. Men have been doing quads for 30.years. 

As someone who fell in love with the sport as a child in 1976 watching Dorothy Hamill and a very young Babilonia and Gardner, I hate the overemphasis on quads, no matter the gender. Sometimes I think they should just turn the music off and have a jumping contest. It has really had an effect on my love for the sport.

[healthnut]

Heartbroken for Vincent, if you get a chance, show him some love  

 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZrh0jbgDYU/?utm_medium=copy_link
 

[Mellowyellow]

37 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Tbh I don't like seeing Karen Chen or Mariah Bell on big international stages. Their jump content is so paltry.

Yup! The lack of 3-3s I cannot deal with. And the tendency to fall on normal triples as well.

I'm sure the quadsters could practice their artistry better if they just skated around and did 3-2s.

Anna and Sasha are 17 going on 18 and keeping their quads. Kamila is decently tall for a 15yo and looks as fit as a fiddle. I think people are going to find it hard to cling onto the narrative of "tiny Russians only jumping quads because they're tiny" in a few years. They've really moved on.

 

 

[izabella]

9 hours ago, CharethCutestory said:

I truly don't mean any disrespect, I love figure skating and always have. So I ask honestly, why not just expand disciplines to accommodate both sides of figure skating that have emerged in recent years? One more artistic and one more athletic. The upside being, even more figure skating categories. Would it be so bad? Am I just crazy? Either way, love watching these amazingly talented athletes compete! 

I think we already have that with figure skating and ice dancing.

[Mellowyellow]

8 minutes ago, healthnut said:

Heartbroken for Vincent, if you get a chance, show him some love  

 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZrh0jbgDYU/?utm_medium=copy_link
 

Oh the poor darling!!! I've gone on and tried shower him with support. Gawd the poor thing.

[Good Queen Jane]

At least Vincent ends up with a silver medal from Team. But it is very sad to come so far and not get a chance to compete.

[BlackberryJam]

Figure skating is a sport. The competitors are athletes. I expect them to push the sport athletically. 

They are just feeling out quads, fitting them in, training them. Like with the men, things will settle in.

Figure skating is still trying to determine scoring, requirements and fairness in judging. The sport is evolving and, with some bumps along the way, improving. It's not perfect. It never was. Nostalgia for the good old days doesn't mean figure skating was better before. 

[Mellowyellow]

10 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Figure skating is a sport. The competitors are athletes. I expect them to push the sport athletically. 

They are just feeling out quads, fitting them in, training them. Like with the men, things will settle in.

Figure skating is still trying to determine scoring, requirements and fairness in judging. The sport is evolving and, with some bumps along the way, improving. It's not perfect. It never was. Nostalgia for the good old days doesn't mean figure skating was better before. 

Your post made me think of Yuma's performance. Now I'm normally a "jump" girl but oh my goodness some of his random skating was absolutely gorgeous. There was this intricacy to his steps. It was beautiful to me. Oh yeah and he has the quads too!!!

Ladies will get there. Kamila was very sassy during Bolero at RussNats and probably too sassy at Euros (some of us speculate that's why she fell). I think the Olympics was just too big an occasion for her to go full performance and throw down all those quads. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Mellowyellow

[KittenPokerCheater]

I posted on Vincent's insta too.  The poor guy.  I want to give him a hug. 

I hope he will get lots of support from his friends and family.

[absnow54]

I haven't watched his video, but I feel awful for him. Not just about not being able to compete, but testing positive in a foreign country, where restrictions are much tighter, must be scary. Hopefully it doesn't take too long for him to be cleared to return home. 

[blackwing]

This Olympics' version of "Russian of the month" is clearly going to win the gold medal, but I don't think I like her.  She's obviously athletically gifted, her jumps are amazing.  Her costume was terrible, I don't understand why they thought the red splotches over the breastesses area was a good look.  Overall, her look was very bordello-like.

There was a Russian in the last go around that did that thing where she did every single jump with her hands over her head.  I remember Tara saying it was a lot harder and you get more points.  Now I notice more and more women doing this.  I don't think I really care for it, with this one Valieva it almost looks like she is praying.  And does it really have to be every single jump?

9 hours ago, CharethCutestory said:

The pure athleticism and physical feats many of these skaters can achieve with quads and advanced jumps are amazing to watch and they deserve all the accolades for it. However,  this is no longer figure skating, it's become gymnastics on ice. I mean, look no further than the final two female performances for the team segment. Sakomoto gave a flawless, beautiful ballet on ice, without a single beat looking out of place. Her entire program flowed start to finish, which is especially hard in a long program. It was followed up by Valieva who makes your jaw drop to the floor when she lands quad after quad.  But, it's not figure skating. She very clearly is out there to go from big jump to big jump and it looks like it. An overall performance that tells a story, evokes emotion and highlights the essential dance elements of figure skating is a distant distant second in priority, now more than ever. 

If you can't manage a certain amount of acrobatic combinations, you will have no hope of ever winning gold and a very slim chance of placing at all. Figure skating has officially aligned with athleticism over artistry after years and years of inching towards it. Your program can be beautiful, fluid, artistry in motion with plenty of landed jumps, triple axles, combinations and spins to technical precision, but if you can't quad, even falling once or twice, you are at an extreme disadvantage. That's not figure skating, its figure jumping, or figure gymnastics and it should be its own category. 

I truly don't mean any disrespect, I love figure skating and always have. So I ask honestly, why not just expand disciplines to accommodate both sides of figure skating that have emerged in recent years? One more artistic and one more athletic. The upside being, even more figure skating categories. Would it be so bad? Am I just crazy? Either way, love watching these amazingly talented athletes compete! 

 

3 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

To be fair ... Nathan Chen is the same way. His programs are basically jump, jump, jump some more. I actually think yhe backlash to women doing quads is sexist. Men have been doing quads for 30.years. 

I agree with these comments... Valieva's program was just all jumping with some skating around in between.  I don't have any backlash against women doing quads, I just wish that jumps weren't the emphasis.  Unless they change the way scoring is done and put more emphasis on artistic impression (or whatever that component is called these days), then I think it will continue to be jumpfests.  I remember the same criticism about an early 14 year old Michelle Kwan... the commentator was saying that there was no artistry to her skate, it was just checking off the jumps.  Just as she was saying that, Kwan did another jump, and the commentator says in a clearly unflattering way "and she just checked off some more".

[absnow54]

2 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Her costume was terrible, I don't understand why they thought the red splotches over the breastesses area was a good look.  Overall, her look was very bordello-like.

I don't like the black tights over the heels of her skates. It makes her look like she's wearing pants with a skirt on top.

[choclatechip45]

I feel horrible for Vincent at least he is a silver medalist no one can take that away from him!

I did side eye him in the video when he said he has done everything to follow pandemic protocols when there is a lot of evidence out there that he was skating in private rinks when we were all suppose to be on lockdown in spring of 2020 and other American skaters were not skating.  

[Lady Whistleup]

Vincent Zhou is out of the competition.

[Rootbeer]

3 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

I feel horrible for Vincent at least he is a silver medalist no one can take that away from him!

I did side eye him in the video when he said he has done everything to follow pandemic protocols when there is a lot of evidence out there that he was skating in private rinks when we were all suppose to be on lockdown in spring of 2020 and other American skaters were not skating.  

Possibly, but his current positive test has nothing to do with what he was doing in 2020.  With the Olympics approaching, I am sure everyone took precautions to a higher level.

I though his statement was classy and he did a good job trying to put it all in perspective including emphasizing that he's got a silver medal, no matter what.

[Lady Whistleup]

Gutted for Vincent but he did get a team silver medal.

I just am worried for the rest of the American team. They were all in close quarters with Vincent.

[absnow54]

NBC News confirms that no substitute can be named in Vincent's place (although they're citing his participation in the team event, and not the lottery deadline.)