Figure Skating

[Chaser]

4 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I couldn't tell who did what. But Nikita looked pissed off so were H/D at fault?

I don’t know if I would say anyone was at fault. Tanith was just like ‘ah happens all the time’. 

[Jeddah]

8 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I couldn't tell who did what. But Nikita looked pissed off so were H/D at fault?

H/D were skating forwards. They were just skating too, not doing any elements or anything, which seems to me like they should be staying out of people’s way. Then neither of them even turned around to acknowledge it. I’m definitely biased because I loathe H/D, but they seemed at fault to me.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Jeddah

[Chaser]

If you watch the slo mo, H/D looked to be getting into position when the Russians skated over. 

It happens a lot. I imagine H/D just stayed in game mode and brushed it off.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Chaser

[carrier76]

An I the only one who likes G/P’s outfits? It’s pure pure pure camp, and I am here for it.

The Italian team bores me to tears.

[honeywest]

2 minutes ago, carrier76 said:

 

The Italian team bores me to tears.

Nothing to enjoy there. Not even Barbara Fusar-Poli having a fit.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, carrier76 said:

The Italian team bores me to tears.

While watching them skate, I missed Capellini & Lannotte. Their "Carmen" free dance is one of my all-time favorites.

Edited February 4, 2022 by annzeepark914

[anniebird]

1 hour ago, Jeddah said:

Hubble and Donohue are the worst. They didn’t even look back after Zach brushed Sinitsina. Jerks. I will be so glad when they retire.

I came here to ask if Madison Hubbell is actually a bitch or if she just has Resting Bitch Face - she always looks mean.

Edited February 4, 2022 by anniebird

[SophiaD]

Wow, Knierim and Frazier!  What a time to find your best skate ever!  I can't remember the last time I saw as US pairs team skate with such fervor - Meno and Sand, maybe?  

It was also awesome to see how happy their teammates were for them.  I hope they keep this up.  

[annzeepark914]

14 minutes ago, SophiaD said:

Wow, Knierim and Frazier!  What a time to find your best skate ever!  I can't remember the last time I saw as US pairs team skate with such fervor - Meno and Sand, maybe?  

It was also awesome to see how happy their teammates were for them.  I hope they keep this up.  

And, they're a new pairs team. I think they got together in April 2020. But yeah...their best skate at the right time. 

[healthnut]

About incident with Hubbell/Donohue during the warm-up

Nikita Katsalapov: I don’t remember exactly what I said to him. I don’t even remember in English or Russian, but I said something. The thing is, it’s been going on all day. Somehow accumulated, boiled.

Just five pairs on the ice in a five-minute warm-up is quite a lot. And we’re all in the locker room always arguing about it. But it’s gotten a little personal here.

Specifically to Donoghue? Yes, because it started in the morning. But all this remains only on the ice, there are no problems off-ice, they are cool guys. There is an ethic on the ice – we were the first to start making our own combination, they were already starting theirs and saw us. Gotta give a way.

[justmehere]

I LOVE Sui/Han and am glad they ended up first in the short. Do not care for the ROC pair or their program at all. Knierem and Frazier did really well - wish they had been in second. 

[specialj67]

I know it is a slim lead that likely won’t last, but I am pleasantly shocked to wake up to see the U.S. in first in this team event right now. Almost wish I had stayed awake to watch it live, but at least I know watching the playback won’t be stressful or disappointing lol.

[absnow54]

Holy moly, if Karen comes in 3rd during the ladies SP, the US will go into round 2 tied for first! I haven’t watched Ice or Pairs yet, but great job pairs! It looks like they eeked into 3rd by less than a point! It’ll be hard to maintain this momentum, but I think the US is a lock for the silver. In round 2, even a massive flail out is still 5 points.

Hopefully Zhou doesn’t succumb to the pressure. It might help that he doesn’t have to compete with Nathan Chen numbers. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by absnow54

[Jillibean]

The team atmosphere for the United States seems to really electric. They all look like they're having so much fun cheering each other on, and it's amazing to see them all out there. I wonder if the quieter atmosphere is actually helping skaters who can sometimes be nervy.

Amazing job by Alexa and Brandon. Good for them. 

This event set up H/D really, really well for the individual competition. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Jillibean

[absnow54]

21 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

I wonder if the quieter atmosphere is actually helping skaters who can sometimes be nervy.

It will certainly help the competition from being delayed, since the Hanyu fans can't completely bury the ice in stuffed animals.

[specialj67]

57 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

It will certainly help the competition from being delayed, since the Hanyu fans can't completely bury the ice in stuffed animals.

Hehehe! But aren’t there rules against that for the Olympics, anyways?

[Lady Whistleup]

 My sister made a post on how to pronounce Chinese skater names:

 

[healthnut]

US does have a real shot at Gold, it requires everyone to skate their best. Karen did beat Kaori at worlds so in a out of this world scenario, she could be second which would have the US in first going into the free skate. She could also finish middle of the pack but Karen is pretty clutch so I think she’ll skate well. We have lots of wild cards: Vincent in the free, can Knierim/Frazier beat the Japanese again? At least it’s exciting right now. My usual complaint about the team event is there is no drama but we’ve got lots of drama right now. The battle for the free skate between Canada, China, and Georgia should be pretty good tomorrow. It’s crazy that some of those guys won’t even know if they’re skating until like thirty minutes before…the scheduling seems a bit weird. 

[absnow54]

2 minutes ago, healthnut said:

The battle for the free skate between Canada, China, and Georgia should be pretty good tomorrow.

I can't believe that Canada went from winning the Gold in 2018, to struggling to make the top 5! 

I think US is a lock for Silver, barring multiple catastrophes. The Russians have a strong LP for Pairs, so I think they'll make up their lead through Ladies and Pairs, and I don't think the US can make up that buffer in Mens and Ice Dance. The miracle would be if Karen can take 2nd in both of her events, pairs can slip in past the Japanese team again, and Vincent can take 1st for the FS (with Russia scoring behind Japan again.)

[KittenPokerCheater]

I'm not a fan of Knierim and Frazier but damn if they didn't bring it last night.  What a good skate.

I agree that most of the skaters are looking kind of sluggish- I attribute that to lack of crowds AND jet lag.

I'm very glad that H/D skated to the RD because they tend to be technically stronger than C/B, but ALSO because it's one less time I have to listen to that irritating "Ah-ah" song.

I wonder how the ladies will skate on saturday- what that will do to the standings.  Certainly I don't think Diana Davis will be able to skate in team event now after last night.  ROC really wants the gold.

And because it can't be said enough: YAY for Nathan having a clean skate.  I truly want him to win the gold.  He has certainly worked for it these last few years.

[absnow54]

Looks like Keegan was finally cleared to enter Beijing, so he won't miss the Men's competition! Too bad he missed the Team Event.

 

[ChicksDigScars]

Far be it for me to cheer for the Entitlement Twins, but they were great last night. And they actually cheered for their teammates this year (to be fair, they have a stake in the medals this time around. They didn't in 2018). H/D were there cheering when Knerim/Frazier were getting their scores. 

I totally missed the H/D and S/K almost collision. Hard for me to take a side. Nikita seems as much of a douche as Zach. Maybe bigger. 

Leslie Jones (a true Olympic/Team USA cheerleader) on Instagram, providing her own special commentary during H/D's routine.  LMAO. I think she's girl crushing on Madison.

Nathan was stellar, but the real surprise was Knerim/Frazier. Way to GO! I always hold my breath during their jumping passes, but they were awesome. I don't expect that the U.S. lead will hold after the ladies skate, but I don't think Russia was expecting to be in second place at this point. 

Oh, the tangerine disco outfits of extreme tackiness on Gilles and Poirier! Oh. My. God. The Weiderman Twins live. I know they were intentionally being campy, but those were hilariously AWFUL. I swear that would be something that Domnina and Shabalin would have thought was classy. 

Color me shocked (not really) that Vikki and Nikki, the King and Queen of the Skating While Russian Bonus, stumble, nearly faceplant, and still ended up one point behind H/D in second place. 

And Gallyamov can shove his indignation in the kiss and cry after seeing their scores and coming in second to Sui and Han. Sui and Han were dynamic. You can't look away from them. Mishina and Gallyamov were slow and plodding in comparison and massively boring. Plus, Mishina winking and blowing kisses to the judges? Cheesy.

GO Karen! Second or third will work, because we know who is coming in first.

Edited February 4, 2022 by ChicksDigScars

[Lady Whistleup]

43 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

GO Karen! Second or third will work, because we know who is coming in first.

I have to admit something: I don't get Karen Chen. At all. I find her really boring.

[absnow54]

5 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I have to admit something: I don't get Karen Chen. At all. I find her really boring.

I find her boring too, but she's fairly consistent. She's like the Jason Brown of ladies. She doesn't deliver anything too daring, but she skates well. I also think she deserves it, since she had to sit out the Team Event last time, and I feel like Nationals this year was tipped to give Mariah a career title. 

[Lady Whistleup]

11 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I find her boring too, but she's fairly consistent. She's like the Jason Brown of ladies. She doesn't deliver anything too daring, but she skates well. I also think she deserves it, since she had to sit out the Team Event last time, and I feel like Nationals this year was tipped to give Mariah a career title. 

I agree she skates well, I just find her rather generic. Like I've watched her over the course of many years, and can't actually remember much about her skating.

[Avaleigh]

1 hour ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Oh, the tangerine disco outfits of extreme tackiness on Gilles and Poirier! Oh. My. God. The Weiderman Twins live. I know they were intentionally being campy, but those were hilariously AWFUL. I swear that would be something that Domnina and Shabalin would have thought was classy. 

Lol. Dead.

Regarding pairs, I like Mishina and Gallyamov but yeah, him acting all indignant was a bunch of stuff and nonsense. They probably think it's the home country bonus at work when in reality Sui and Han had the better performance. 

37 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I have to admit something: I don't get Karen Chen. At all. I find her really boring.

I can understand people thinking that she isn't the most dynamic of the current group of skaters. Her jumps aren't powerful and her music choices tend to not be the most exciting. That being said, I find her to be a joy to watch because she executes everything so beautifully. The spirals, the layback, the soft edges, the overall grace and elegance--all things I respond to when it comes to this sport. The UR issues are what they are but everything else is--to use a Dick Buttonism--first rate.

[honeywest]

2 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

 

I find her to be a joy to watch because she executes everything so beautifully. The spirals, the layback, the soft edges, the overall grace and elegance--all things I respond to when it comes to this sport. The UR issues are what they are but everything else is--to use a Dick Buttonism--first rate.

This. Every time I see her spiral, I want her to keep going.

[CeeBeeGee]

28 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

That being said, I find her to be a joy to watch because she executes everything so beautifully. The spirals, the layback, the soft edges, the overall grace and elegance--all things I respond to when it comes to this sport. The UR issues are what they are but everything else is--to use a Dick Buttonism--first rate.

I think she's an absolutely gorgeous skater. And I'm still salty that she didn't get bronze at Worlds last year. Sasha was the human zamboni--how the hell does that get held up over her flawless two programs?

[KittenPokerCheater]

1 hour ago, Avaleigh said:

The Weiderman Twins live.

😂  HAHAHAHAHAHA-hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

[MaryMitch]

18 hours ago, healthnut said:

I HATE this tech box. I really hope they change for the individual events. 

Agree!  I don't want to have to do math in my head to figure out the GOE!

[ChicksDigScars]

57 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I think she's an absolutely gorgeous skater. And I'm still salty that she didn't get bronze at Worlds last year. Sasha was the human zamboni--how the hell does that get held up over her flawless two programs?

Yup. Still salty. And add a salt block to the Human Zamboni (kudos on that one!) making the RU Olympic team over Liza.  Skate, skate, jump, fall. Skate, Skate, jump, fall. Still get the scores. Team Tut Skating Bonus.

[Lady Whistleup]

8 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Yup. Still salty. And add a salt block to the Human Zamboni (kudos on that one!) making the RU Olympic team over Liza.  Skate, skate, jump, fall. Skate, Skate, jump, fall. Still get the scores. Team Tut Skating Bonus.

Liza bombed the Russian nationals though.

[Avaleigh]

18 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Liza bombed the Russian nationals though.

Right. I'd be more annoyed about it if Liza hadn't choked. Totally agree though that Karen earned that bronze medal last year. I actually think Karen and Loena should have been above Trusova.

[Lady Whistleup]

6 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

Right. I'd be more annoyed about it if Liza hadn't choked. Totally agree though that Karen earned that bronze medal last year. I actually think Karen and Loena should have been above Trusova.

I'm more miffed that Anna isnt skating the team event. Obviously Kamila should be in the TE but I'd rather have Anna skating in the TE than Sasha.

[AuntieDiane6]

19 hours ago, healthnut said:

I HATE this tech box. I really hope they change for the individual events. 

It was WAY too big!  It obscured a quarter of the screen!

 

[Good Queen Jane]

On Peacock, it was much smaller. 

[Avaleigh]

 

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I'm more miffed that Anna isnt skating the team event. Obviously Kamila should be in the TE but I'd rather have Anna skating in the TE than Sasha.

Awww, really? Damn, that's so disappointing. :(

Edited February 4, 2022 by Avaleigh

[Jillibean]

3 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

I wonder how the ladies will skate on saturday- what that will do to the standings.  Certainly I don't think Diana Davis will be able to skate in team event now after last night.  ROC really wants the gold.

It's an interesting conundrum they're created here, because they probably (depending on how the next few events go) need S/K to win, but one imagines the more work they put on his back, the more they potentially compromise him for the individual event. 

Someone posted a story on instagram showing that at one point Jean Luc and Jason were hopping around the stands and dancing. I think the skaters were switching in and out of the official Team USA box from the stands. Given the audience situation, it must be really nice to have your fellow skaters show up for you, and it's such amazing sportsmanship from the individuals and teams that weren't selected. 

[ChicksDigScars]

2 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I'm more miffed that Anna isnt skating the team event. Obviously Kamila should be in the TE but I'd rather have Anna skating in the TE than Sasha.

UGH. Seriously. 

Is Ms. Zamboni skating the short or long program? I guess the fact that she COULD end up on her butt a couple times, MAY work in the other team's favor, being that points don't matter. Placement does. I would think that Team ROC would have felt more secure using Anna. 

 

[CeeBeeGee]

40 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Is Ms. Zamboni skating the short or long program? 

 

The long. Kamila is skating the short.

When is the Team Ladies Short airing on cable? They said it was tomorrow night but I don't see that.

[annzeepark914]

7 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

The long. Kamila is skating the short.

When is the Team Ladies Short airing on cable? They said it was tomorrow night but I don't see that.

According to a schedule in the Washington Post, the ladies TE short program is tomorrow night at 8:30 PM with the men's TE free skate at 10:30 PM.

[Dots And Stripes]

19 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

The long. Kamila is skating the short.

When is the Team Ladies Short airing on cable? They said it was tomorrow night but I don't see that.

It's likely on NBC tomorrow night, not cable.

[carrier76]

5 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Yup. Still salty. And add a salt block to the Human Zamboni (kudos on that one!) making the RU Olympic team over Liza.  Skate, skate, jump, fall. Skate, Skate, jump, fall. Still get the scores. Team Tut Skating Bonus.

Always overscored, with terribly choreographed programs. And then afterwards she sits there with that mean little smirk on her face. Ack. I’m definitely old enough to be her mother, so I know I am far too old to be calling names. I just can’t stand watching that troll child fall all over the ice and win medals for it.

[Jeddah]

12 hours ago, healthnut said:

It’s crazy that some of those guys won’t even know if they’re skating until like thirty minutes before…the scheduling seems a bit weird. 

It’s like The Bachelor where they have to have their bags packed in case they get sent home. You didn’t get a rose, so no long program for you!

[Avaleigh]

3 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

UGH. Seriously. 

Is Ms. Zamboni skating the short or long program? I guess the fact that she COULD end up on her butt a couple times, MAY work in the other team's favor, being that points don't matter. Placement does. I would think that Team ROC would have felt more secure using Anna.

Falls don't mean anything anymore. As long as she attempts the quads and fully rotates them she only needs to land one or two and her PCS will be inflated enough for her to win.

I'm sure Sasha's a nice girl and I know she works hard, I'm just not excited about her skating. 

[Cherpumple]

11 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Oh, the tangerine disco outfits of extreme tackiness on Gilles and Poirier! Oh. My. God. The Weiderman Twins live. I know they were intentionally being campy, but those were hilariously AWFUL. I swear that would be something that Domnina and Shabalin would have thought was classy.

My eyes were bleeding! Seriously, it physically hurt me to look at the screen for more than 10 seconds. And the 80s mustache was the icing on the cake. Kudos to them to committing to that atrocity. *chef's kiss*

I really liked the Chinese dance team (I don't think I've ever seen them). It was a fun routine and his Elvis hair cracked me up.

I liked the Japanese pairs team more than I expected (I haven't seen them in a while). They had some cool unique moves that made them stand out from all the usual stuff, and they had huge smiles throughout the whole routine. It was so refreshing to see skaters look genuinely happy on the ice!

Congrats to Michal Brezina for being selected to carry the Czech flag in the Opening Ceremony!

[absnow54]

4 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

My eyes were bleeding! Seriously, it physically hurt me to look at the screen for more than 10 seconds. And the 80s mustache was the icing on the cake. Kudos to them to committing to that atrocity. *chef's kiss*

What I want to know is whether those rhinestones were on illusion netting, or if they glued them directly to his chest, because I couldn’t find a neckline, only chest hair. 

[katha]

I must say, I quite like the Team Event now. It's an opportunity for the skaters to win more Olympic medals and participate in more Olympic events and the strategies are interesting to watch. 

The talk about Russia not being able to have Davis/Smolkin in the team event that I'm seeing everywhere is confusing to me, though. How could that ever have been a good idea in the first place? Russia is shaky in the mens' section, their pairs are not guaranteed a win when the Chinese pairs skate cleanly. Ladies is strong, but you can't win it just with ladies. 

D/S would have been somewhere midfield had they started. Even Stepanova/Bukin are a bad idea for the team event because on a bad day they might end in fourth behind the Italians and Canadians. SinKats were always needed to skate both events since they will place highest, second or first most likely. The Russian team badly needs those placements. So I'm not seeing the Russian Fed taking such a massive risk and potentially losing gold because of it just to stroke Tutberidze's ego. 

Don't know if four starts are good or bad for SinKats. With his back injury, it's a huge risk. OTOH, the team event might be an opportunity to work out more kinks in their programs as they lost so much training time due to his injury. 

Edited February 5, 2022 by katha

[jrzy]

On 2/3/2022 at 10:16 AM, HartofDixie said:

 

Thank you !

[jrzy]

On 2/3/2022 at 8:36 PM, annzeepark914 said:

I'm not sure if it's our TV's causing audio problems, or if NBC has some kind of technical issues but sometimes the music is too loud and you can barely hear the commentators. Then it switches and you hear commentators but the music is barely heard. I'm watching on a different TV tonight and still experiencing this.  

Yes,  I was having that same issue !