Figure Skating

[scarynikki12]

I absolutely love the Korean and Japanese skaters. Even with mistakes they're the most enjoyable skaters on the ice.

I hope Japan goes all James Bond to prove that all three ROC ladies were/are doping so their skaters stop getting screwed. 

[scarynikki12]

Ok y'all were right about Trusova's program only being about the jumps. Even Johnny and Tara commented that she doesn't even pretend to care about artistry. They also made a comment about how winning gold is all that matters and anything else is failure. Did they say that this morning or is that added in to set up her meltdown?

I didn't hate her music and I think it would be a wonderfully dramatic program in the hands of an actual choreographer and a skater with charisma and presence. But Trusova is not that skater so it was jarring.

Maybe the big solution to all of this is that they add a new skating discipline where they only do jumps, let the Russians dominate over there, and the rest of skating can go back to presenting actual programs.

Also, I hope someone tells Trusova that shade of red does nothing for her. If she wants to be a redhead she should go with copper. 

[Minneapple]

2 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Ok y'all were right about Trusova's program only being about the jumps. Even Johnny and Tara commented that she doesn't even pretend to care about artistry. They also made a comment about how winning gold is all that matters and anything else is failure. Did they say that this morning or is that added in to set up her meltdown?

No, they said it this morning. Everything is exactly as it was live except they’ve cut it down.

I agree about the Korean and Japanese skaters. Such gorgeous programs. Definitely the Korean skaters look to have been influenced by Yuna Kim, I love it.

[BitterApple]

I absolutely loved Kaori's skate. Beautiful from start to finish. 

[ShellsandCheese]

27 minutes ago, pennben said:

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. 

I'm not making for or looking for excuses, I'm simply pointing out that at least some adults around them don't discard them the way Eteri does and treat them showponies - and hopefully, there all have people in their lives who care about them so they don't end up scarred for life. I don't say any of them were good people. Two things can be true at the same time. 

[scarynikki12]

Sakamoto skated a gold medal worthy program but because of the cheating she wins bronze. I'm happy she's thrilled and making the most of it so I will be angry on her behalf. 

[scarynikki12]

Anna shows more personality on the ice than Trusova and skates with decent speed (though I imagine the quads require it so the Russian history of muscling jumps had to be discarded). I still prefer the short program.

Did Trusova start the meltdown at any point before Kamila's score? Cause you'd think it would have begun when Anna's score came in.

[CherryMalotte]

Ugh, I missed Trusova's program this morning - I didn't miss anything.  I don't care how many quads, quints, or octo jumps anybody performs, if the artistry isn't there then it's junk.  

That should be some plane ride home to Russia.  I'm sure they have the next bunch of toddlers lined up for Eteri to pick from.  

Alysa is just a cutie pie - I'm so happy somebody is having a good time! 
 

[scarynikki12]

Ok so the skating is almost over and it's barely 9pm Central Time. Dare I hope this means NBC intends to show the meltdown in all its glory?

[pennben]

17 minutes ago, ShellsandCheese said:

I'm simply pointing out that at least some adults around them don't discard them the way Eteri does and treat them showponies - and hopefully, there all have people in their lives who care about them so they don't end up scarred for life.

I certainly hope you are right, but we have no reason to believe these teens won’t be tossed aside like the former teens in eteri’s cycles. 

[Crs97]

I didn’t enjoy any of the Russian skaters.  Anna was better than Sasha artistically, but that isn’t really saying much.  Frankly my favorite so far is the Les Mis routine, but they have all blended together that I might not be remembering properly.

[scarynikki12]

Even with my snark I do feel bad for all three ROC ladies. In a different environment with different coaches they could all have stood on the podium after having skated amazing programs. But they're surrounded by people who don't care about them even a little bit and only the hardware they bring home. They all deserved better.

Anna did a cute "congratulations" eyebrow wiggle to Sakamoto and their hug was nice. 

[LexieLily]

This Olympic gold medalist that no one on her team seems to care about is breaking my heart.

[Lady Whistleup]

Apparently Kamila said 'well now the medal ceremony doesn't have to be canceled" and burst into tears.

https://t.me/biellmann/702

There's really a special place in hell for all the adults who put this child through this ordeal.

[Sarahsmile416]

Just now, LexieLily said:

This Olympic gold medalist that no one on her team seems to care about is breaking my heart.

I want to give her a hug…she looks so damned alone.  She is breaking my heart 

[scarynikki12]

1 minute ago, LexieLily said:

This Olympic gold medalist that no one on her team seems to care about is breaking my heart.

She wasn't pre-ordained to win so she matters least even though there's a long history of the reigning world champion winning the Olympic gold.

[Lady Whistleup]

Also fuck the ppl who made Islamaphobic comments. People are garbage. 

[Mirabelle]

5 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

This Olympic gold medalist that no one on her team seems to care about is breaking my heart.

She is literally the saddest gold medalist I've ever seen. 

[legaleagle53]

I want to give Anna and Kamila both a hug and a huge plate of cookies (fuck you, Eteri!). And Sasha needs to practice her jumps more so she can get over herself.

[Snow Apple]

My god. All three Russian girls look so miserable. I read the posts but to actually see it. This is the saddest competition I've ever seen. 

[BlackberryJam]

1 minute ago, Mirabelle said:

She is literally the saddest gold medalist I've ever seen. 

She’s following in Zagitova’s footsteps.

[Frost]

Anna is so skinny!  Her arms make me cringe.  I keep wanting to feed her a sandwich.

[Black Knight]

29 minutes ago, ShellsandCheese said:

I'm not making for or looking for excuses, I'm simply pointing out that at least some adults around them don't discard them the way Eteri does and treat them showponies - and hopefully, there all have people in their lives who care about them so they don't end up scarred for life. I don't say any of them were good people. Two things can be true at the same time. 

The good treatment doesn't mean anything if it's simply part of a good cop/bad cop routine as opposed to actually caring for the girls. It's just fake and more manipulation. And seeing how the girls have been discarded by Eteri and her camp for years, there's no reason to think that there's anything sincere about the good cop treatment. In a way it's worse, because Eteri doesn't pretend to be anything other than the utter asshole she is. The discarded girls probably feel more betrayed by the "nice" ones on the staff.

[scarynikki12]

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

 

I want to give Anna and Kamila both a hug and a huge plate of cookies

 

It is Girl Scout cookie season in the US so we can send them a couple boxes of Thin Mints.

[ChicksDigScars]

16 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Ok so the skating is almost over and it's barely 9pm Central Time. Dare I hope this means NBC intends to show the meltdown in all its glory?

New angles from this morning's show. It is cut back a little for Prime time. Anyone who just watched NBC's evening broadcast got about half the drama. Very little of Sasha's rages.

I saw the full meltdown on Peacock. I don't know if they removed it or edited it since. I also DVR'd the morning live broadcast. Full meltdown mode, there, too. 

[Chit Chat]

Just now, Snow Apple said:

All three Russian girls look so miserable. I read the posts but to actually see it. This is the saddest competition I've ever seen. 

My thoughts exactly.  That's the most effed up figure skating competition I've ever seen.  Wow.  Just wow. 

[Shorty186]

Does anyone know what happens to the previous Gold medalists in Russia, 4/8/12 years after their relevance? Do they get treated like they won the Hunger Games? i.e. set for life or fade away into obscurity?

[scarynikki12]

Also, do the skaters get to keep their medals or are they required to give them to Eteri?

[Chit Chat]

21 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Anna did a cute "congratulations" eyebrow wiggle to Sakamoto and their hug was nice. 

From the camera angle, it looked like Anna was reaching out to Sakamoto with her eyes, as in, please, somebody, just hug me!!  I also think Anna was having a major WTF moment as her teammates had a meltdown.  That was really the saddest thing to me.  The greatest moment of her skating career ruined by coaches that didn't seem to give a damn. 

[Sarahsmile416]

6 minutes ago, Shorty186 said:

Does anyone know what happens to the previous Gold medalists in Russia, 4/8/12 years after their relevance? Do they get treated like they won the Hunger Games? i.e. set for life or fade away into obscurity?

I would recommend watching this.  It takes a pretty deep dive into this very thing.  Warning - it ain’t pretty.

 

 

[annzeepark914]

Oy vey...that post competition behind the curtains scene was awful. 

[Sarahsmile416]

1 minute ago, ChitChat said:

From the camera angle, it looked like Anna was reaching out to Sakamoto with her eyes, as in, please, somebody, just hug me!!  I also think Anna was having a major WTF moment as her teammates had a meltdown.  That was really the saddest thing to me.  The greatest moment of her skating career ruined by coaches that didn't seem to give a damn. 

Even before that it was clear nobody gave a damn.  In the Kiss and Cry, Eteri was nowhere to be found.  This girl has already been discarded by Eteri and she is only 17.   

5 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Also, do the skaters get to keep their medals or are they required to give them to Eteri?

She probably files her fangs with them 

[BitterApple]

What an absolute clusterfuck. I've never seen anything like that in my life. 

Anna sat alone for what, fifteen minutes before anyone from the Russian team came over to congratulate her? Insane. 

Trusova's tantrum was something. I'm feeling a ton of sympathy for all the Russian skaters. I obviously don't condone doping, but God only knows what sort of mind games and other abuses go on behind closed doors. It felt like all that stress came to a head and Sasha and Kamila finally blew. Eteri is an awful excuse for a human being and shouldn't be allowed near an ice rink ever again.

The only bright spot was Sakomoto.

What a miserable finish.

[twoods]

5 minutes ago, Sarahsmile416 said:

Even before that it was clear nobody gave a damn.  In the Kiss and Cry, Eteri was nowhere to be found.  This girl has already been discarded by Eteri and she is only 17.   

I just watched all the drama on Peacock and it was all just so terrible and heartbreaking to watch. The other coaches were too busy dealing with two miserable skaters and not even coming to congratulate their gold medal winner. It was not until she went outside where people gave her a hug. Absolutely ridiculous. I feel terrible for Anna that she was an afterthought. Even reading her interview afterwards when she said she felt “empty,” my heart broke for her. 

Edited February 18, 2022 by twoods

[pennben]

They want you to find a sympathetic figure to focus your sadness on. They want you to only focus on the skaters and only think of them. Guys, we’ve just lived through a trial where a doctor was convicted of sexual abuse of numerous US womens gymnastic team members. Don’t fall for the ‘look over here’ nonsense again. It’s not just Russia, but the now is the Russia abuse. Don’t be distracted by the kids. Win or lose, they are abused. Keep a laser focus on the system. 

[Lady Whistleup]

I'm a teacher and I used to teach at a school for children in foster care and to me Sasha's tantrum is classic behavior of someone who has been so abused that she's practically feral. Abused kids often don't act "nicely" because they don't see the point. They scream, yell, curse, throw tantrums, because why be nice and polite?

As for Kamila, awful awful but I'm almost thinking it might be a relief she was off the podium. Had she gotten a medal, the hatred and death threats directed towards her would have been horrific. I'm not convinced there wasn't part of her that fell because she really didn't want to medal.

[choclatechip45]

So Thomas Bach said he met with athletes from Team USA regarding the team event. 

I hope Madi Hubbell and Zach Donohue had a word with him (since I imagine the rest of the team would be polite minus Alexa).

[KLovestoShop]

24 minutes ago, Shorty186 said:

Does anyone know what happens to the previous Gold medalists in Russia, 4/8/12 years after their relevance? Do they get treated like they won the Hunger Games? i.e. set for life or fade away into obscurity?

I read an article in a London newspaper who said the women Russian skaters are basically thrown away and the bishes who coach scour the country looking for new young girls to emotionally abuse.  I would bet we will never see any of the three Russian skaters at the next Olympics.  Maybe Kamila would still be ok to skate, but I would bet she’s going to be very emotionally fragile for a long time to come. 

[Lady Whistleup]

Katia Gordeeva made a very nice post congratulating the three girls:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaGi3UcLCoe/

Also, I just rewatched Anna's skate. Really lovely. A worthy champion.

ETA: if you want your heart broken, I found a video of 5 year old Kamila skating. She's adorable, and so joyful. Fuck all the people that made her a burned out and broken shell of a girl today.

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by Lady Whistleup

[choclatechip45]

7 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Katia Gordeeva made a very nice post congratulating the three girls:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaGi3UcLCoe/

Also, I just rewatched Anna's skate. Really lovely. A worthy champion.

ETA: if you want your heart broken, I found a video of 5 year old Kamila skating. She's adorable, and so joyful. Fuck all the people that made her a burned out and broken shell of a girl today.

 

Reminds me of an ad Nike did featuring clips of  Gabby Douglas at age 5 being so excited during the 2016 Olympics with all the crap she was going through that Olympics. Obviously different situation. 

[backgroundnoise]

30 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

As for Kamila, awful awful but I'm almost thinking it might be a relief she was off the podium. Had she gotten a medal, the hatred and death threats directed towards her would have been horrific. I'm not convinced there wasn't part of her that fell because she really didn't want to medal.

That's exactly how she skated to me--a grim, joyless grind of a "performance."   Not caring one ounce if she won.

[Enero]

34 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Trusova's tantrum was something.

Don’t know how true but apparently someone posted on Twitter that Trusova was so angry about losing gold that she refused to get on the bus which took the team back to where ever they are staying. Was nasty to the volunteers at the arena. It was said Eteri eventually had to drag her from the arena and force her on the bus. SMH

[CharethCutestory]

That backstage spectacle was the dark cloud looming over this entire event finally bursting into a full blown thunderstorm. Wow. Just, wow. 

[BitterApple]

Does anyone know if there's a transcript of Sasha's post-competition comments? Johnny was translating some, but Tara wouldn't stop yapping, so I don't think he heard everything. I'm curious if she spilled any tea.

[gingerella]

4 hours ago, Minneapple said:

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. 

I have the perfect casting for Eteri, crazy ass Ukranian freak show and Ramen coiffed psycho, Natalie, from 90 Day Fiance (don't judge me). 

Can someone tell me what the everloving fuck was going on after KV skated? She broke down, then wtf was going on with the red head silver medalist probable cheater? She was psycho. The entire thing was so emotionally damaging..And why was the Japanese Skater bronze medalist hysterical as well? What a fucking shit show. 

Mike Tirico just said 'if the IOC didn't take swift action...,' sadly I think nothing will happen though I think Russia should be banned from hosting the Olympics ever again, and should be banned from all Olympics for like 4 cycles, long enough that there will be generations who cannot compete. Fuck Russia. Fuck the ROC. Fuck all of this shit, it ruins the entire Games.

[scarynikki12]

3 minutes ago, gingerella said:

Can someone tell me what the everloving fuck was going on after KV skated? She broke down, then wtf was going on with the red head silver medalist probable cheater? She was psycho. The entire thing was so emotionally damaging..And why was the Japanese Skater bronze medalist hysterical as well? What a fucking shit show. 

Kamila was upset about imploding and everything that's been going on while Trusova was pissed that she didn't win gold. Sakamoto, on the other hand, wasn't expected to medal (ROC was expected to sweep) so she was crying with happiness.

[Mirabelle]

Trusova had probably been told or had convinced herself that if she landed her quads she'd win. She had just skated a program without major mistakes and ended up losing to someone who didn't have a quad. I think the shock of it cause the meltdown.

[Lady Whistleup]

3 minutes ago, Mirabelle said:

Trusova had probably been told or had convinced herself that if she landed her quads she'd win. She had just skated a program without major mistakes and ended up losing to someone who didn't have a quad. I think the shock of it cause the meltdown.

Anna has two quads though ...

[Sarahsmile416]

1 minute ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Anna has two quads though ...

And both of them looked better than the majority of Trusova’s five quads.  Not to mention the fact that she actually has some artistry to her skating - Trusova doesn’t.  

[BitterApple]

16 minutes ago, gingerella said:

I have the perfect casting for Eteri, crazy ass Ukranian freak show and Ramen coiffed psycho, Natalie, from 90 Day Fiance (don't judge me). 

Natalie or Anfisa in a poodle-perm wig. 

With regards to Trusova, she clearly felt 5 quads plus zero artistry should've outscored 2 quads plus decent artistry. The judges apparently disagreed. FWIW, I thought Anna was solid, but nothing about her performance moved me. If they'd given the edge to Sasha, I wouldn't have considered it scandalous. They were both just "meh."

Edited February 18, 2022 by BitterApple