Figure Skating

[Enero]

2 hours ago, absnow54 said:

It'd be exciting, but has he ever even landed one in practice? All the clips I've seen are severely under rotated and two footed. 

Yeah. For a while there he was landing on his ass in his attempts. Ugly falls and his ankles during those falls. Yikes!  But at least now he’s landing upright, but the jumps are two-footed. I think he needs more height. He already spins like a top in the air, in part because he’s so thin, but perhaps more height will give him the time needed to complete the rotations and land on one foot?
 

Anyway, my wishlist for the Men’s FP.

1. That all the skaters skate as strongly as they did in the SP. No splatfests please. 

2. I have no wishes for Nathan except that he soaks it all in and enjoys himself. I know that he’s got this.

3. Hanyu skates lights out after getting past what will likely be a non-complete on the 4A.

4. Shoma skates lights out and gets nothing less than silver. 

5. Jason Brown sneaks on the podium. I think that would over shadow Nathan’s win though. 😂 

6. Boyang has a strong skate and finishes top 10.

[Chit Chat]

24 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

The Olympics also aren't the big deal they used to be when the plucky, poor Americans were the underdogs to the rich, professional Russians.  

I haven't talked to anybody who is watching it (I've been polling my dental patients with some small talk about it!)  I find that most people in the 50+ group remember when we had just 3 channels on the TV, so when the Olympics came on, it was a big deal.  Nowadays we have sports on practically 24/7 with ESPN and the like, so maybe people are just so inundated with sports that they don't care anymore.  Some are busy watching college basketball at the moment.   

For me, I've lost interest in it.  I catch the recaps when I get home from work, and if there's an event that I want to see, I'll just YouTube it later.  I mostly like the figure skating competition, but I'll just watch a few performances, depending on how they do.   

 

[Lady Whistleup]

Jason realistically has no shot of a medal. With the SP even skating lights out he was 6th. His lack of jump content is even worse in the free skate. 

I want him to skate well and be truly happy with his Olympic experience. I think Adam Rippon and Johnny Weir felt the same -- that after many years of inconsistency, they got the Olympic experience they wanted. 

[emmawoodhouse]

Interview with Johnny and Tara regarding the Project Runway looks.

Confirmed to wear them during Pairs, but the article didn't say which segment.

[Enero]

26 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

others don't like the time difference and having to stay up until midnight to see the finals.  The Olympics also aren't the big deal they used to be when the plucky, poor Americans were the underdogs to the rich, professional Russians.  

This! I enjoy the Olympics and normally will watch skiing and other disciplines but for one I’m just not that interested anymore and don’t have the time to watch because the schedule is so crazy which I guess can’t be helped considering the time difference.

I was looking at the broadcast for the ladies SP. It starts at 5am, EST on Tuesday, same with the LP on that following Thursday. Don’t think I’m going to be waking up before the roosters to watch live. I’d be fine with watching the replay later that morning on the NBC Sports App while working, but I bet they won’t release the replay until they air the competition during the PrimeTime broadcast later that night. By that point I’ll know the results and likely have lose interest in watching. 

[emmawoodhouse]

I'm on the west coast, so those translate to 2am start times! No thanks. I think Pairs is also going to run during Chinese primetime. 

[nittany cougar]

NBC is really trying my patience with the back and forth coverage between events.  I like skating the most of any winter games events, but it pisses me off to no end when they show two or three skaters' programs and then cut to something else, only to say that they will be back later with the rest.  On the East coast, this means after 10 or even 11 pm. They do this every Olympics. 

Edited February 8, 2022 by nittany cougar

[Lady Whistleup]

This tweet is wild:

 

[KittenPokerCheater]

I just found out I'm travelling thursday though monday and will miss seeing the rest of skating live (let's pray my dvr records everything).  Darn this whole having to make a living thing.

ETA: @Lady Whistleup.  WTF?  Hanyu Fans are messed up.

Edited February 9, 2022 by KittenPokerCheater

[emmawoodhouse]

4 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

This tweet is wild:

 

As I said, sickos. 😲

[Avaleigh]

36 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

ETA: @Lady Whistleup.  WTF?  Hanyu Fans are messed up.

At the risk of sounding clueless/naive--are they for real or are they joking?

[choclatechip45]

What fanbase is crazier Hanyu's or  Virtue/Moir?

[Avaleigh]

8 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

What fanbase is crazier Hanyu's or  Virtue/Moir?

Hanyus because it seems like he has more of the extra crazy ones. Virtue and Moir's are nuts too but it seems like there aren't as many of the super weird ones like the baby blogger.

[Lady Whistleup]

9 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

What fanbase is crazier Hanyu's or  Virtue/Moir?

I think Fanyus are more vehement, but Virtue/Moir's are weirder. Besides the "four kids in the basement" blog, there was also a lot of weird fanfic about them, and countless photoshopped photos of them supposedly looking in love. 

For overall weirdness, the Sergei widows take the cake. No fanbase I've encountered before or since has matched the weirdness of the Sergei widows. 

[Chaser]

Has anyone heard anything about the delay in the Team Ceremony?

[Lady Whistleup]

17 minutes ago, Chaser said:

Has anyone heard anything about the delay in the Team Ceremony?

There's lot of rumors floating on twitter. I hope they can somehow still have Vincent participate. I feel so sorry for the guy. He didn't have a good Olympic experience last time either. 

[Blue hues]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I think Fanyus are more vehement, but Virtue/Moir's are weirder. Besides the "four kids in the basement" blog, there was also a lot of weird fanfic about them, and countless photoshopped photos of them supposedly looking in love. 

For overall weirdness, the Sergei widows take the cake. No fanbase I've encountered before or since has matched the weirdness of the Sergei widows. 

Sergei widows?

[legaleagle53]

Nathan Chen is a beast. That is all.

[Lady Whistleup]

1 minute ago, Blue hues said:

Sergei widows?

It's a group of fans that went crazy kookypants when Katia married Ilia Kulik. They felt that Katia betrayed Sergei and they fashioned themselves as spiritual wives who would love him forever. It was wild.

A much milder version of Sergei widows can still be found in YT comments of Ilia and Katia:

Most of the Fanyus seem very young. Like ... barely teens.

[AuntieDiane6]

2 hours ago, nittany cougar said:

I like skating the most of any winter games events, but it pisses me off to no end when they show two or three skaters' programs and then cut to something else, only to say that they will be back later with the rest.  On the East coast, this means after 10 or even 11 pm.

I watched the entire men's short program in its entirety on Peacock and it is incredibly long and boring (3 hours+!)  Trust me, after you watch the second place skater from Slovenia and Micronesia with their lifeless performances, you appreciate the Top 10!  NBC has gotten criticism for delaying coverage, so their answer is, "Fine, we'll show you Brian Boitano who unfortunately drew the first place and skates at 8 pm but skip the unknown skaters until we get to the leaders at 10!"  They actually do less skipping around than at the last two Olympics. 

[Rootbeer]

2 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I watched the entire men's short program in its entirety on Peacock and it is incredibly long and boring (3 hours+!)  Trust me, after you watch the second place skater from Slovenia and Micronesia with their lifeless performances, you appreciate the Top 10!  NBC has gotten criticism for delaying coverage, so their answer is, "Fine, we'll show you Brian Boitano who unfortunately drew the first place and skates at 8 pm but skip the unknown skaters until we get to the leaders at 10!"  They actually do less skipping around than at the last two Olympics. 

I actually attended the Ladies' Short Program back in Lillehammer in 1994.  It is true that the event lasts 3-4 hours.  There are around 24 competitors and the earliest couple of groups include a lot of skaters who wouldn't have been able to compete at the local level in many parts of the US.  Lots of bobbles and falls and not much artistry.  It was fun to watch in person-once- but it is generally not very entertaining.  However, the last couple of groups contain a lot of very good skaters,  Many of them have no chance of winning, but, every now and then, one of them will do something brilliant, something memorable and it is exciting to see someone new come onto the stage and entertain the audience.  If the networks would at least show the last two groups, it would be more interesting, especially for those of us who follow skating between Olympics and enjoy following skaters up the rankings.

BTW, I also attended an Olympic hockey game, between Italy and France.  The level of play seemed to be about what you'd see from a typical high school team in parts of the US where hockey is popular.  Any decent college team would've wiped the rink with either country.  It opened my eyes to realize that a lot of the countries competing at the Olympics don't aways have elite players in sports that aren't popular at home.

[Lady Whistleup]

I found this cool video of Hanyu's triple axel. It is gorgeous. I especially love the twizzle he does out of it.

 

[ML89]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

It's a group of fans that went crazy kookypants when Katia married Ilia Kulik. They felt that Katia betrayed Sergei and they fashioned themselves as spiritual wives who would love him forever. It was wild.

There was a Harry Potter group of “Snape wives” who said they were “married to him on the spiritual plane.” Words fail.

[Conotocarious]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

It's a group of fans that went crazy kookypants when Katia married Ilia Kulik. They felt that Katia betrayed Sergei and they fashioned themselves as spiritual wives who would love him forever. It was wild.

A much milder version of Sergei widows can still be found in YT comments of Ilia and Katia:

Most of the Fanyus seem very young. Like ... barely teens.

Well, she divorced Kulik and is now married to David Pelletier, who used to be married to Jamie Sale.

Skating drama. Never a shortage.

[Lady Whistleup]

5 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Well, she divorced Kulik and is now married to David Pelletier, who used to be married to Jamie Sale.

Skating drama. Never a shortage.

They all follow each other on instagram too. It's really quite civilized.

[Jeddah]

12 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Well, she divorced Kulik and is now married to David Pelletier, who used to be married to Jamie Sale.

Skating drama. Never a shortage.

I just love that she apparently only marries Olympic Champions. Never settle for less.

[NUguy514]

10 hours ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I don't mind Johnny and Tara one bit and neither do the CASUAL VIEWERS. They at least shut up during the ice dancing performances and they don't prattle on about the costumes like Peggy Fleming did.

The reason they're quieter during the ice dance routines is that it's not Blabbermouth Tara commentating: it's Tanith, who is quiet during routines, which I think rubs off (positively) on Johnny as he's so much quieter during those routines as a result.  Tara is a bad influence; she needs a muzzle.

And I'm not just saying that because I will forever resent her '98 gold. #prettylittlelies

Edited February 9, 2022 by NUguy514

[Lady Whistleup]

Looking at some YT videos: once you see the difference between the Russian "curved jump" entry and the American straight line entry it's one of those things you just notice more and more.

Nathan has a Russian coach so he does curved jumps:

 

Evan Lysacek had American coaches his whole life so he does the straight line entry:

 

2 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

I just love that she apparently only marries Olympic Champions. Never settle for less.

She dated Kurt Browning for a lil bit but it didn't work out. I guess no OGM doomed the relationship.

[CeeBeeGee]

Tara can be annoying but I love her giddiness counting off Nathan's numerous quads during his free skate in 2018. It's sweet, you can tell how happy she is for him (as were we all. I burst into tears after that skate).

[Linderhill]

1 hour ago, Rootbeer said:

I actually attended the Ladies' Short Program back in Lillehammer in 1994.  It is true that the event lasts 3-4 hours.  There are around 24 competitors and the earliest couple of groups include a lot of skaters who wouldn't have been able to compete at the local level in many parts of the US.  Lots of bobbles and falls and not much artistry.  It was fun to watch in person-once- but it is generally not very entertaining.  However, the last couple of groups contain a lot of very good skaters,  Many of them have no chance of winning, but, every now and then, one of them will do something brilliant, something memorable and it is exciting to see someone new come onto the stage and entertain the audience.  If the networks would at least show the last two groups, it would be more interesting, especially for those of us who follow skating between Olympics and enjoy following skaters up the rankings.

BTW, I also attended an Olympic hockey game, between Italy and France.  The level of play seemed to be about what you'd see from a typical high school team in parts of the US where hockey is popular.  Any decent college team would've wiped the rink with either country.  It opened my eyes to realize that a lot of the countries competing at the Olympics don't aways have elite players in sports that aren't popular at home.

back in 1996 I was sent to cover the opening ceremonies in Atlanta for my agency.  A co-worker and I managed to catch a Olympic baseball game between Italy and Korea.  I wasn't a very exciting game besides the fact that Italy surprisingly won.  I don't think there was even a homerun in the game.  The stands were pretty much empty and we only paid about $7 for our tickets but we decided since we were there, we were going to see an Olympic sporting event.  Yeah, I was surprised at the low quality of the game.  The participants seemed very excited but it was all so low key compared to what was televised.

I'm very much looking forward to the men's long program and to see how all of the top skaters do.  I managed to watch the full short program this afternoon on Peacock.  And, yeah, it could be pretty dry, I kept missing the names and nationalities of the skaters and rewinding.  There were a few that look like they've got some promise but most were simply thrilled to be there it seemed.  The Star Wars kid I think was Darth Vader (whose music it was).  I had just been wondering a day ago whether anyone had ever skated to any John Williams music.

[annzeepark914]

Where did Donovan from Mexico end up after the SP? 

[honeywest]

Carrillo is in 19th place.

[healthnut]

There is some legal issue that has delayed the medal ceremony for the team event, now there is speculation that one of the teams (not sure which one) could have an athlete disqualified and have to forfeit their medal. 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/figure-skating/olympics-figure-skating-team-event-medal-ceremony-delayed-1.6344572

ETA: Christine Brennan is saying it possibly involves one of the Russians. 
ETA #2: Word is a drug test for a Russian skater. 

Edited February 9, 2022 by healthnut

[CeeBeeGee]

13 minutes ago, healthnut said:

There is some legal issue that has delayed the medal ceremony for the team event, now there is speculation that one of the teams (not sure which one) could have an athlete disqualified and have to forfeit their medal. 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/figure-skating/olympics-figure-skating-team-event-medal-ceremony-delayed-1.6344572

ETA: Christine Brennan is saying it possibly involves one of the Russians. 
ETA #2: Word is a drug test for a Russian skater. 

What???!!! So the US could upgrade to gold??!

[healthnut]

So according to Jackie Wong, Valieva, Mark, and M/G were all missing from practice today, only S/K were present of those at team event and B/K were missing, too. Could be unrelated but certainly seems suspect…

[redpencil]

I'm wondering if there's the issue is a delay in their drug test results for some reason, not an actual positive test. I think maybe medalists are all tested after their event, and maybe they can't do the ceremony until results are back? I would be very surprised if somehow all of those who were missing from practice (if indeed that is true) tested positive, so I feel like it may just be a delay. Why, that would be, though, is suspicious, if it didn't impact the US or Japan teams as well.

[choclatechip45]

It sounds like multiple skaters on ROC might have failed a drug test. 

[dankesean]

22 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

It sounds like multiple skaters on ROC might have failed a drug test. 

WHAAAT? You mean the stern measures imposed by the IOC on the country of Russia in forbidding them to be called 'Russia' (except it's still in the team name), use their flag (except that it's still in their uniform colors) or hear their national anthem (except Tchaikovsky is better anyhow) haven't had their desired effect?

Okay, clearly action needs to be taken. I propose the ROC be banned from all future olympics. Athletes who happen to be from the ROC can reapply to future games, and will henceforthparticipate under the name of 'Legitimate Athletes, Most Expressly Russian', and hear the music of Stravinsky played whenever they win gold.

[absnow54]

7 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Looking at some YT videos: once you see the difference between the Russian "curved jump" entry and the American straight line entry it's one of those things you just notice more and more.

I think it’s becoming clear, if we ever want to see a woman from the US on the podium again, we need to adjust how jumping technique is taught. 

5 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

It sounds like multiple skaters on ROC might have failed a drug test. 

Just not to this technique. Yikes!

[absnow54]

6 hours ago, Linderhill said:

I had just been wondering a day ago whether anyone had ever skated to any John Williams music.

Yes. He composed the Schindler’s List score that’s so often used (and there have been a few Star Wars numbers, but they usually use Princess Leia’s Theme) John Williams has composed so much. He even composed the Olympic Theme that NBC uses. 

[Jillibean]

8 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

The reason they're quieter during the ice dance routines is that it's not Blabbermouth Tara commentating: it's Tanith, who is quiet during routines, which I think rubs off (positively) on Johnny as he's so much quieter during those routines as a result.  Tara is a bad influence; she needs a muzzle.

And I'm not just saying that because I will forever resent her '98 gold. #prettylittlelies

Tanith is an excellent commentator who, in my opinion, elevates whomever she's with. She's not catty, which I think helps Johnny come off as more mature. I do have some reservations about how her coaching will impact her commentating, but I'm a big fan of hers.

Whenever I get frustrated with Johnny and Tara I think back to how much I couldn't stand the Scott Hamilton team and feel better. Johnny at least explains things sometimes, and can both visually note and explain on replay under-rotated jumps or why someone fell. Scott never did that, and I have trouble personally noting a jump that's under unless it's really under, so I need that support. 

I'm not shocked about possible doping with the ROC but I think it's awful when something like this potentially impacts the whole team. I would feel terrible if anyone who is clean and who skated their heart out lost a medal.

Edited February 9, 2022 by Jillibean

[absnow54]

10 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

I'm not shocked about possible doping with the ROC but I think it's awful when something like this potentially impacts the whole team. I would feel terrible if anyone who is clean and who skated their heart out lost a medal.

I wonder if they’ll just DQ the skater who tested positive (if it’s only one) in that case, even if it were their best skater, they’d be 20 points down, and still beat Canada by 1, unless they adjust everyone’s points for the event they competed in.

I figured if anyone was doping, it’d be Nik due to his back, but they’re the only team still in practice. 

[Snow Apple]

17 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

 

I'm not shocked about possible doping with the ROC but I think it's awful when something like this potentially impacts the whole team. I would feel terrible if anyone who is clean and who skated their heart out lost a medal.

So the whole team can lose the gold medal and not just the one person? If confirmed, will they be stripped of all metals or does the rest of the team get the silver or bronze? 

[healthnut]

21 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

So the whole team can lose the gold medal and not just the one person? If confirmed, will they be stripped of all metals or does the rest of the team get the silver or bronze? 

CBC Canada was reporting Canada would get bronze if ROC was disqualified but not sure that was based in any fact as they didn’t even know what the issue was, the doping issue was broke by Michael Pavitt of Inside the Games after CBC’s story came out. Because the rules allow for a team to compete with three members, I thinks it’s possible to only drop the tainted athlete (or team) scores from the team, which would put them at Bronze over Canada. 

Jackie has now clarified that it was planned day off from practice for M/G, B/K, and Mark. No word on Valieva, she could’ve gotten a day off post team event, too but that’s also very un-Eteri.

Edited February 9, 2022 by healthnut

[Lady Whistleup]

Twitter rumors say it's a weed positive test.

[Chaser]

Was it a planned day off before or after the positive test?

[Good Queen Jane]

4 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Twitter rumors say it's a weed positive test.

Weed is a banned substance?

[absnow54]

34 minutes ago, healthnut said:

Because the rules allow for a team to compete with three members, I thinks it’s possible to only drop the tainted athlete (or team) scores from the team, which would put them at Bronze over Canada. 

I haven't gotten a chance to look up any rules, only to speculate during my commute, but if they just DQ one Russian athlete, and don't adjust the scores they competed in, Russia holds onto Bronze, regardless of who is DQ'd. If they do bump up everyone's score (everyone who ranked below the Russian skater in their event gets one point) then Canada has a chance:

• If Valieva is out, Russia loses 20 points, Canada gains 2, Canada gets Bronze 55-54
• If Mark is out, Russia loses 17, Canada gains 2, Russia gets Bronze 57-55
• If Ice Dance is out, Russia loses 18, Canada gains 2, JAPAN gains 2 while US gains 0, Russia gets Bronze, and US and Japan tie for Gold, and a tie breaker may favor Japan for Gold.
• If Pairs is out, Russia loses 19, Canada gains 2, Canada and Russia tie for Bronze, and then Russia wins or loses based on which discipline they use for the tie breaker if they use one of their DQ'd events.

[HartofDixie]

 

 

[legaleagle53]

7 hours ago, healthnut said:

There is some legal issue that has delayed the medal ceremony for the team event, now there is speculation that one of the teams (not sure which one) could have an athlete disqualified and have to forfeit their medal. 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/figure-skating/olympics-figure-skating-team-event-medal-ceremony-delayed-1.6344572

ETA: Christine Brennan is saying it possibly involves one of the Russians. 
ETA #2: Word is a drug test for a Russian skater. 

Man, who would have predicted THAT?