Figure Skating

[Rootbeer]

3 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

If this is the last Olympics for all 3 girls since Russia girls are usually one and done in these current (sad) times, I hope they all get therapy, and go eat and drink whatever their hearts desire.

I didn't watch live because I forgot all about it, but might watch all the other girls, especially Kaori Sakamoto on NBC tonight. 

Wakaba Higuchi, Mariah Bell, Alyssa Liu as well as multiple other ladies performed beautiful long programs.  The women in the second to last group were generally all well worth watching, I'm glad I got to see them, too.  I hope NBC shows more than just the top 4.  

If not, look for the replay on USA network or Peacock and turn it off after Kaori skates.

[cmahorror]

Thank you ROC - I was worried I would miss Days of Our Lives during the Olympics but you came through with scandals and melodramatics galore. Heck, you even managed to include a current storyline on the show and include the perfect Devil in Eteri.

I feel sorry for all the other skaters whose Olympics, possibly their only Olympics, experience has forever been tainted by the ROCs cheating and getting away with it once again. I will watch the Free Skate tonight because I watch all skating competitions every Olympics, not because of the scandal.  

[proserpina65]

5 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Oh bless the sweet baby Jon Snow, the twitter photos are cracking me up.  So unflattering. 

Trusova.

Valieva.

 

I feel like I'm Trusova's gynecologist when she does moves like that.

 

[kittykat]

42 minutes ago, redfish said:

Doubt it. The problem is any skater that are coached under Eteri don't have any future. None of them make it to the next Olympics. It's one and done. There's a list of every student Eteri has had and none of them skated again. Before they're even 20 they're physically done. Her "training" is so intense with extreme dieting (restricting drinking water) and physical drills that their bodies have been prematurely ruined. One skater can't even turn her body to skate to the left.

 

Not to mention that nearly every skater that ditched Eteri for Plushenko or Orser ended up coming back.

I needed that Sarah Hughes rewatch.  Also the most I've ever liked Scott and Sandra.

[Jeddah]

5 minutes ago, kittykat said:

Not to mention that nearly every skater that ditched Eteri for Plushenko or Orser ended up coming back.

Except for Shoma! He managed to get out and go to Stephane Lambiel! I have no idea why he ever went to her in the first place.

[HartofDixie]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/20-years-later-michelle-kwan-still-holds-special-place-hearts-asian-am-rcna12145

[CheshireCat]

4 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

I blame Kamila's parents. It still amazes me how many people do not blame the parents in the Nassar scandal because of John Manly. 

I don't think the parents are to blame. Russia could make their life difficult if they stood in the way of their daughter's success and they're likely benefitting from it as well with regards to living conditions and/or jobs.

 

1 hour ago, ShellsandCheese said:

Oksana Bauil is from Ukraine, is Ukrainian, and skating for Ukraine. Ukraine is not the same as Russia;

The Soviet Union didn't dissolve until 1991, so I'd argue that Ukraine and Russia weren't all that different yet in 1994, at least, where sports were concerned.

 

5 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

It looks like Kamila was skating to win and just crumbled if this is accurate. Regardless, burn in hell, Eteri.

I have no difficulty believing it. It sounds on point.

[DawnDavenport]

25 minutes ago, kittykat said:

I needed that Sarah Hughes rewatch.  Also the most I've ever liked Scott and Sandra.

Plus, she skated to Daphis and Chloe, has anyone else before or after skated to this music? The music is really from the Suite No. 2 (with some Rach. thrown in the middle). It's actually pretty good skating music.

[Jeddah]

10 minutes ago, DawnDavenport said:

Plus, she skated to Daphis and Chloe, has anyone else before or after skated to this music? The music is really from the Suite No. 2 (with some Rach. thrown in the middle). It's actually pretty good skating music.

Gracie Gold did this year.

[Sarahsmile416]

1 hour ago, kittykat said:

Not to mention that nearly every skater that ditched Eteri for Plushenko or Orser ended up coming back.

I needed that Sarah Hughes rewatch.  Also the most I've ever liked Scott and Sandra.

Even the older ones, which is curious, since they have to know that she is going to dispose of them with a quickness.  Even the young ones, if they leave her and come back she won’t take them back with open arms…it’s on a “probationary basis”

56 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

Except for Shoma! He managed to get out and go to Stephane Lambiel! I have no idea why he ever went to her in the first place.

It was probably easier for him to leave since she has been fairly vocal about the fact that she prefers coaching women.  

[specialj67]

49 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

Except for Shoma! He managed to get out and go to Stephane Lambiel! I have no idea why he ever went to her in the first place.

IIRC, he was trying to find a coaching situation that would provide more structure…or something? But he didn’t last long with TT, I think because of their training requirements, which I think we can all now see are basically impossible to meet if you care about mental and physical health.

[ML89]

4 hours ago, Good Queen Jane said:

I never understood why, but the Nancy/Tonya incident followed by Oksana Baiul winning the OG  made interest in figure skating soar. There were all kinds of televised professional skating competitions (remember Ice Wars?) and skating shows. I hate to say this but maybe a good scandal will increase TV viewership enough that NBC will start showing more skating during non-Olympics years and the pro skaters will have more opportunities to continue to compete outside of the ISU sanctioned events. 

The other thing that drove all those competitions was that CBS lost NFL football to Fox around that same time and needed something to fill the weekend hours. I remember being really angry because my local affiliate would not run some of it and instead run reruns of "In the Heat of the Night" for whatever insane reason.

Speaking of all those competitions and shows, what happened to all those skating shows with old rock stars and for holidays? Wonder why that dried up.

Re: the situation today. I haven't seen it yet but what a miserable show. You think skating can't get into a worse mess but they manage it.

[absnow54]

The more I think about it, Trusova could have come out of this mess as “one of the other Russian girls” but she found her chance at the last moment to make a name for herself. “The one who threw a tantrum over silver.” Hopefully she’ll squeeze in some unimpressed McKayla Marooney like memes before the games are through. This one might be too subtle:

[kittykat]

I keep thinking this whole mess is over but then remembered there's still PAIRS!  I keep forgetting it's not the first major event anymore.

[choclatechip45]

1 hour ago, CheshireCat said:

I don't think the parents are to blame. Russia could make their life difficult if they stood in the way of their daughter's success and they're likely benefitting from it as well with regards to living conditions and/or jobs.

 

The Soviet Union didn't dissolve until 1991, so I'd argue that Ukraine and Russia weren't all that different yet in 1994, at least, where sports were concerned.

 

I have no difficulty believing it. It sounds on point.

This article written during the summer of 2020 goes into Kamila's background https://www.ifsmagazine.com/kamila-valieva-art-on-ice/

Basically it was get into Eteri's group or quit the sport which is kind of sad.

Just now, kittykat said:

I keep thinking this whole mess is over but then remembered there's still PAIRS!  I keep forgetting it's not the first major event anymore.

I completely forgot about Pairs. 

[bosawks]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

As much as I continue to assert that Michelle was robbed in Nagano, there is no denying that Sarah absolutely deserved the gold in SLC.  That performance was just about perfect.

 

The Ladies Team that year is so impressive.

One financial advisor for Morgan Stanley.

One Ivy League trained lawyer.

And the current Ambassador nominee to Belize.

Just an incredible team.

Edited February 17, 2022 by bosawks

[methodwriter85]

This feels like an apropos coda song for this debacle. Eteri, I hope you burn in hell for the damage you inflicted on these poor girls and you get banned from coaching.

The one silver lining I'm taking from this is that the Russian Medal party was ruined by Sakomoto. 

Edited February 17, 2022 by methodwriter85

[HartofDixie]

https://mobile.twitter.com/TrashPowerRules/status/1494383897970421760

Link with English translation of Trusova and Valieva speaking.

[emmawoodhouse]

7 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

This feels like an apropos coda song for this debacle. Eteri, I hope you burn in hell for the damage you inflicted on these poor girls and you get banned from coaching.

The one silver lining I'm taking from this is that the Russian Medal party was ruined by Sakomoto. 

I called Kaori breaking up the podium! 👍

[HartofDixie]

 

[bosawks]

7 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

 

This has Ryan Murphy miniseries written all over it.

[kittykat]

I'm not trying to excuse her behavior but I wonder if this rollover resentment from the fact that she was supposed to skate the long in the Team event but got pulled so Kamila could do both.  Anna has a gold, Kamila has a gold (for now) and now feels both her chances at gold for revoked.  I want the Russian Skating Federation to pay big time for this mess and hope these girls find peace of mind soon.

[choclatechip45]

17 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

 

They call Eteri the coach with noodle hair which is hilarious because her hair looks like Ramen. 

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

I bring this up because Oksana absolutely received a skating while a former member of the USSR bonus. Yes, she represented Ukraine but she absolutely benefited from the judges who were part of the eastern bloc. There are many documentaries that get into this very subject including Meddling.

I think, at the end of the day, there is no way Nancy Kerrigan was ever going to win Gold. Even though it wasn't her fault, the Tonya/Nancy thing was too embarrassing. On the other hand, you can't say that Nancy didn't profit handsomely off the scandal and got put in a much better financial situation than she was before her skating fame. 

5 hours ago, Frost said:

She'll be 19 for the next quad and if she has a good and honest coach she could have been poised for greatness.  Even if her jumps were downgraded, she is an incredibly artistic and captivating skater.  At this point, her reputation is trashed and she's off the podium anyway.

It's a shame but yeah, Kamila is done. None of these girls ever come back. There's no Olympic redemption story for her. I do hope she seeks intense physical and emotional therapy to wade through all the damage that was done. She said in a 2020 interview that she wanted to be a psychiatrist after skating is done...so...yeah.

I honestly hope Kamila gets the hell out of Russia and becomes a sports psychiatrist. It's kind of amazing to me that after all the hope we had about Russia turning over a new leaf when the Soviet Union was broken up in the early 90's and it's just Same Old, Same Old really.

[HartofDixie]

 

[choclatechip45]

Not sure how accurate this is since ESPN did not send reporters to Bejing but apparently several Team USA skaters left the stands before Kamila skated 

https://www.espn.com/olympics/figureskating/story/_/id/33310985/anna-shcherbakova-wins-olympic-figure-skating-gold-medal-russian-teammate-kamila-valieva-falls-fourth-place

Edited February 17, 2022 by choclatechip45

[methodwriter85]

32 minutes ago, bosawks said:

This has Ryan Murphy miniseries written all over it.

I still claim Holly Taylor as Kamila.

Sure, she's way too old at this point but since when did that ever stop Hollywood? I imagine Ryan Murphy would mostly cast 25-year olds anyway. Hell, I'm calling Emma Roberts for Tara Lipinsky and Jonathan Groff as Johnny Weir. (I would have said Darren Criss but he's said he's done with playing queer roles as he's not comfortable taking those roles from actors that are actually queer.) 

Eteri would probably go to Sarah Paulson like everything does but I'd love to see GooP try to take that on. I think she'd have a ball with it, honestly. Or Kate Hudson, but Ryan Murphy seems to hate her. LOL.

Edited February 18, 2022 by methodwriter85

[Minneapple]

40 minutes ago, bosawks said:

This has Ryan Murphy miniseries written all over it.

Ooh I can’t wait. Who do we cast as Eteri? Saoirse Ronan maybe? The Russian girls would be new fresh-faced Hollywood unknowns, we’d have to have a casting call. 

The miniseries will be on Netflix or HBO Max. “On the Edge” or “Colder Than Ice” I’m thinking for the title. 

Edited February 18, 2022 by Minneapple

[Bill1978]

10 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

I don't know how old you are, but, as someone who remembers when school figures were part of the competition, I am not eager to see them come back.  Watching skaters make figure 8's and retrace them dozens of times and then see the judges come out and stare at the tracks and get down to look at the ice shavings was less than fascinating.  In fact, the networks would only show a couple of minutes before switching to skiing and bobsled.

Also, in the days of school figures, you had some skaters who were pure technicians; they could do school figures in their sleep.  Put them on the ice, play some music and ask them to perform and they would move like their skates were made of lead.  Take a look at Trixi Schuba, a German skater who won the gold in 1972.  She would kick everyone's a** in figures and then come out for the short and free skate and plow around the rink like a robot and be awarded the gold, She was a lovely person, just not a performer, no artistry.  I'm pretty sure that it was after those Olympics that school figures were dropped.

I don't need figures returned to the competition, because as you said it was very boring to watch BUT I would love less emphasis on the power of jumping etc for scores. I finally got around to watching my Aussie girl do your short program and I think it shows the emphasis of the sport that the sport demands skater put in a triple jump into a routine and if you don't then its good bye, like what happened to the Aussie. I know Ice Dance has a whole bunch of requirements, but at least their routines are more about the artistry than the strength, which is what I think the other forms are taking. I actually found most of the men's figure skating boring cause it was just big jump after big jump to notch up points to medal as opposed to a performance.

[annzeepark914]

So...onward and upward we go to the Pairs SP tomorrow. 🙏🍀🤞 for K/F and C-G/L.  I might sneak a few peaks tonight (now that I know KV won't be crowned).

[Hana Chan]

1 hour ago, choclatechip45 said:

Basically it was get into Eteri's group or quit the sport which is kind of sad.

I'm currently watching the rundown on the latest episode of The Skating Lessson and they have Polina Edmunds and she's revealing a great deal about what she thinks is going on behind the scenes and it is ugly. One thing that she brought up is that Eteri basically has a monopoly on taking skaters to the Olympics. The skaters who leave her eventually come back simply because that's their only chance of making the Olympic team.

She's also ripping on the judges for the scoring - that Eteri's girls have terrible jumping technique and their faults in form don't get called out while other skaters doing cleaner jumps get scored lower. 

And she's outright stating that she thinks that the doping goes well beyond Kamila. 

[Sarahsmile416]

5 minutes ago, Hana Chan said:

I'm currently watching the rundown on the latest episode of The Skating Lessson and they have Polina Edmunds and she's revealing a great deal about what she thinks is going on behind the scenes and it is ugly. One thing that she brought up is that Eteri basically has a monopoly on taking skaters to the Olympics. The skaters who leave her eventually come back simply because that's their only chance of making the Olympic team.

She's also ripping on the judges for the scoring - that Eteri's girls have terrible jumping technique and their faults in form don't get called out while other skaters doing cleaner jumps get scored lower. 

And she's outright stating that she thinks that the doping goes well beyond Kamila. 

A YouTube video I watched today outright said the same thing regarding the judging - called it the “Eteri Bonus”

I have to wonder why this is? What is this fascination in the skating world, judging and otherwise, with Eteri? Why is she getting this much blatant favoritism? 

[choclatechip45]

14 minutes ago, Hana Chan said:

I'm currently watching the rundown on the latest episode of The Skating Lessson and they have Polina Edmunds and she's revealing a great deal about what she thinks is going on behind the scenes and it is ugly. One thing that she brought up is that Eteri basically has a monopoly on taking skaters to the Olympics. The skaters who leave her eventually come back simply because that's their only chance of making the Olympic team.

She's also ripping on the judges for the scoring - that Eteri's girls have terrible jumping technique and their faults in form don't get called out while other skaters doing cleaner jumps get scored lower. 

And she's outright stating that she thinks that the doping goes well beyond Kamila. 

That's on my list tomorrow to listen to that episode. 

[ChicksDigScars]

5 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Oksana is Ukrainian and skated for Ukraine.

Skating While Russian Adjacent?

I just rewatched my DVR of this morning's live shit show. And what completely burned me was Eteri's heartlessness. The woman is a monster. Not only did she berate Kamila as soon as she got off the ice, reducing her to hysterics, but then walked away from her and stomped toward the kiss and cry. Daniil had his arm around Kamila and led her over to get her scores. That heinous bitch couldn't be bothered. Then the woman in the aqua vest (a Russian coach?) comforted Kamila after she got her scores, pointed out her Russian teammates cheering for her in the stands. Rubbed her back. Eteri? Nowhere to be seen.

THEN we have Anna. Standing alone. Looking lost. No coach to comfort or congratulate her. She just won an Olympic Gold Medal and stood there as if the vet was putting her dog to sleep. Finally after about fifteen fucking minutes, Eteri came over and hugged her. It looked about as warm and fuzzy as a root canal. Anna seems like a very sweet girl. She didn't deserve that.

And Sasha. Angry tears. I didn't care for her before, but after watching her angrily shake Eteri's arm off her shoulders and basically telling everyone around her that they were motherfuckers, I kinda like her. The daggers she shot at Anna on the podium makes me worry for Anna's safety. But, honey...quads aren't everything. 

Jesus christ. 

Edited February 18, 2022 by ChicksDigScars

[choclatechip45]

So Karen Chen's brother Jeffrey is coached by Igor and so is Diana Davis (Eteri's daughter) that is going to be interesting. 

I sort of wonder how American skaters will feel training with Igor now (if anything).

[Avaleigh]

But I just can't buy it. Not with the way she's been performing all year. I'm willing to put good money down on her being instructed to throw the competition to take the focus off of her pending doping tests and saving Eteri and Russia the embarrassment that is sure to follow.

5 hours ago, SeanC said:

Kamila has had multiple very bad free skates in the last twelve months -- the 2021 Russian Cup Final, and the test skates.  What happened here is far from unprecedented.

I agree. It would be more suspicious if she'd been perfect in every program until now but she had several rough skates last year. Add in the extra pressure she's under and the negative attention she's getting, it's no wonder that she had a bad skate. 

On top of that, I don't see the Russians forcing her to throw the competition because they're going to die on the hill that she hasn't done anything wrong. They wanted her to have an amazing performance and they wanted to have a podium sweep. 

As for where Kamila goes from here, I suppose it depends on whether or not she'll get to keep her team medal. If she's allowed to keep it then my guess is that she'll retire. Show skating is still lucrative in Russia so I'd guess she'll go that route. Retirement or not, she definitely won't have any trouble making money or finding a job. The Russian media have painted her out to be the victim and she's going to be able to cash in on that narrative. They don't think she's a cheater so she'll do interviews, put out a book, do shows, coach, etc. 

[pennben]

6 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Oh man, watching Anna wonder around confused and alone post-OGM victory, only to get a brief hug from a put upon looking Eteri was the saddest thing I've seen in a long time

I understand the inclination, but she is part of Eteri’s factory for skaters. I have no reason to believe she wasn’t given same drugs as Valieva, just got them out of system quicker. So, if she felt lonely when everything in that little world went to shit, good. Get out of it. Or live with the consequences. I have no patience for their nonsense. 

[choclatechip45]

Also didn't Eteri want the whole podium? Wouldn't she have been one of the first coaches to do that?

[Daisy]

Oh, i thought I missed Pairs. I didn't realize it was the last event now

[Mirabelle]

It's the last event this Olympics because the Chinese have a pair that can contend for gold. 

Edited February 18, 2022 by Mirabelle

[scarynikki12]

I love Adam's "I need a drink" and jumping with joy at Mariah's skate. She's proud of herself and she should be. I love that the audience was equally happy and cheering her on.

[ShellsandCheese]

I think people forgot that these are a bunch of teenagers, teenagers can be dramatic, get stressed, and have meltdowns. This is sad to say, but considering Sasha and Kamila were comfortable enough to do that tells me that there are people on their teams who probably don't just treat them like show ponies. I could never see any of the old Soviet skaters doing something like that. Whichever coach was consoling Kamila seemed gentle and was actually giving her good advice about moving on - as for Anna, classic middle child who always gets ignored because the younger and older siblings require all the attention. She just does her job and keeps it moving. While I would love to see some punishment for Eteri, I think this is going to just make her all the more motivated to keep churning out "champions". 

Side note: Johnny and Tara are still really annoying. I don't think they know how to just give commentary without being OTT. I noticed it with Bell and Chen too. And I suppose they are angry at the Russians now, so I'm supposed to just forget all the over the top tongue bathing they've been giving to the Russian girls for the last few girls........

I re-watched the women's, including the Russians, and honestly just about everybody bored me except for Kaori, Wakaba, Young, Loena, Yelim, Mariah, Anna (a bit) and some skaters who placed out of the top 10. I just cannot get into Alysa or Karen and I've tried.

Edited February 18, 2022 by ShellsandCheese

[scarynikki12]

18 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

Also didn't Eteri want the whole podium? Wouldn't she have been one of the first coaches to do that?

Good point. It's been done on the men's side a couple of times (Sweden and the US) but never for the women's.

I love Jonny's delight at Kim breaking out into smiles. Beautiful skate.

[Minneapple]

Kim Yelim with a beautiful skate, I missed it this morning. Why can’t we get more of that and less stumbling through quads with arms waving about in between?

[Enero]

6 hours ago, Jess14 said:

Agreed. I wouldn’t be surprised if NBC gets pretty good ratings, and I’m sure the network is thrilled with how things went (doping scandal, favorite falls apart, diva tantrum, awkward medal ceremony), but I expect that this will be forgotten fairly soon. Even with someone like Svetlana Khorkina, she was around for a long time, so even 4 year gymnastics fans could recognize her. These 3 Russians will be replaced by new ones soon. 

I doubt NBC’s ratings will improve for tonight ladies FS by much if anything. People already don’t care and thus aren’t watching these Games. As I understand the ratings have been abysmal. Throw in Russians cheating and the U.S. having no dog in this fight and people will be even more disinterested. The reason why Nancy/Tonya drew so many viewers was because both were Americans. Moreover TV was much different back then, not as many, or any, sports channels and the Olympics were a big deal to American viewers. Now, not so much.

40 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

THEN we have Anna. Standing alone. Looking lost. No coach to comfort or congratulate her. She just won an Olympic Gold Medal and stood there as if the vet was putting her dog to sleep. Finally after about fifteen fucking minutes, Eteri came over and hugged her. It looked about as warm and fuzzy as a root canal. Anna seems like a very sweet girl. She didn't deserve that.

Jesus christ. 

MSNBC was reporting that when Eteri finally went to Anna after her win, the first thing she asked her was why she didn’t do the Quad Lutz. SMH. Not congratulations you did great, but a criticism. 
 

1 hour ago, methodwriter85 said:

I honestly hope Kamila gets the hell out of Russia and becomes a sports psychiatrist.

I guess we can all dream, but let’s be real, Kamila isn’t going anywhere. Unlike Medvadeva, she’s only 15 years old and likely has zero control over where her career will go from here. She’ll likely retire within the next year. Or struggle on under Eteri for the next two years ala Alina before being pushed out by the next generation of quadsters.

[choclatechip45]

6 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Good point. It's been done on the men's side a couple of times (Sweden and the US) but never for the women's.

I love Jonny's delight at Kim breaking out into smiles. Beautiful skate.

What years did it happen? I forget.

[scarynikki12]

2 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

What years did it happen? I forget.

1908 and 1956. It's been a minute. 

Lovely skate from Alysa. I'm glad she's enjoying herself.

[choclatechip45]

1 minute ago, scarynikki12 said:

1908 and 1956. It's been a minute. 

Lovely skate from Alysa. I'm glad she's enjoying herself.

Makes sense why I didn't remember! LOL!

Nice article on Alysa. She was playing cornhole wrong.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/beijing/2022/02/17/alysa-liu-winter-olympics-figure-skating-enjoyment/6810786001/

[pennben]

34 minutes ago, ShellsandCheese said:

This is sad to say, but considering Sasha and Kamila were comfortable enough to do that tells me that there are people on their teams who probably don't just treat them like show ponies. I could never see any of the old Soviet skaters doing something like that. Whichever coach was consoling Kamila seemed gentle and was actually giving her good advice about moving on

Classic good cop/bad cop. ‘It’s okay sweetie, she’s awful, here, have a glass of water, take these vitamins, you’ll feel better & get stronger and show her’. If you are a coach in that camp, you are part of that camp. Stop looking for excuses for the adults involved. 

[BitterApple]

I'm watching now because I couldn't catch the live feed, and reading these comments, wow, what an absolute shit-show. I am really hoping NBC doesn't edit the drama out of the primetime coverage.