Figure Skating

[legaleagle53]

1 minute ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Ok so my mom follows Chinese language news outlets and apparently in China the reporters are not fond of Nathan Chen? They think he's a bit arrogant and are dismayed he doesn't speak any Mandarin. I'm actually shocked he can't either -- I grew up in a Chinese American household and have no idea how I'd communicate with my mom if I didn't speak Mandarin.

 

Not everyone grew up with the "cultural pride" mindset. Many immigrants decided once they came here that since they were now Americans, only English would be learned and spoken in the home. I know many people whose parents in fact strictly forbade them to learn the ancestral language for that very reason!

[choclatechip45]

59 minutes ago, windsprints said:

I remember skating exploding after Kristi won. There were multiple skating tours and all the pro competitions and shows were on tv for hours on the weekends. Figure skating was huge.  My niece was little & I took her to show after show. It was such a fun thing that we enjoyed together.  Even as a little kid she knew all the skaters & followed them on tv. She and I were just talking about it the other day, we can't remember when it dropped off.

I think right after Salt Lake City. I remember around 2005 it stopped being on ABC. It seemed to drop off with the new scoring system and the end of Michelle's career which was coincidently around the same time. 

Edited February 19, 2022 by choclatechip45

[Conotocarious]

1 minute ago, choclatechip45 said:

I think right after Salt Lake City. I remember around 2005 it stopped being on ABC. It seemed to dropped off with the new scoring system and the end of Michelle's career which was coincidently around the same time. 

This definitely tracks with my memories.

[honeywest]

Hongbo Zhao’s team beat Eteri’s! (And Moskvina snubbed her!)

[Conotocarious]

And for another stunning OLympic memory, I always remember my sister calling me after this performance of Michelle’s, in 2002 after she won the bronze and in the last Olympics she attended…

 I had never heard this version of the song before and let me tell you, it is the most wistful, what might have been performance I’ve ever seen. She had clearly picked her exhibition music in advance and in the hopes of winning the gold and when she didn’t this performance just took on this other dimension and was all the greater for it. 

This song is now hard for me to listen to because I can’t get through it without tearing up (personal reasons). But I would have never even heard it if not for this performance.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Conotocarious

[AuntieDiane6]

57 minutes ago, windsprints said:

I remember skating exploding after Kristi won. There were multiple skating tours and all the pro competitions and shows were on tv for hours on the weekends. Figure skating was huge.  My niece was little & I took her to show after show. It was such a fun thing that we enjoyed together.  Even as a little kid she knew all the skaters & followed them on tv. She and I were just talking about it the other day, we can't remember when it dropped off.

I actually think the explosion actually started after Lillehammer in 1994, which was the best skating competition EVER. You had Nancy vs. Tonya, Gordeeva and Grinkov, Torvill and Dean, Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, KURT BROWNING, Elvis ....   AND Scott Hamilton was still skating professionally!  It seemed like every week there was another pro competition.  

It's inevitable that sports' popularity rises and falls on its stars.  Right now, the young girls I know are very interested in Cheer squads.  Trust me when I say that Cheering can be as expensive as the other "glamour" sports.  

Gymnastics went through that cycle too.  After Olga and Nadia, there was a blip and then after MaryLou, another blip.  Then it was down again until the Karolyis took over.  

[windsprints]

5 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I actually think the explosion actually started after Lillehammer in 1994, which was the best skating competition EVER. You had Nancy vs. Tonya, Gordeeva and Grinkov, Torvill and Dean, Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, KURT BROWNING, Elvis ....   AND Scott Hamilton was still skating professionally!  It seemed like every week there was another pro competition.  

I remember many of those skaters being at the shows post Kristi's 1992 win. 

[Sarahsmile416]

5 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I actually think the explosion actually started after Lillehammer in 1994, which was the best skating competition EVER. You had Nancy vs. Tonya, Gordeeva and Grinkov, Torvill and Dean, Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, KURT BROWNING, Elvis ....   AND Scott Hamilton was still skating professionally!  It seemed like every week there was another pro competition.  

It's inevitable that sports' popularity rises and falls on its stars.  Right now, the young girls I know are very interested in Cheer squads.  Trust me when I say that Cheering can be as expensive as the other "glamour" sports.  

Gymnastics went through that cycle too.  After Olga and Nadia, there was a blip and then after MaryLou, another blip.  Then it was down again until the Karolyis took over.  

Cheering is incredibly expensive…I had no idea until my daughter expressed interest.   She has never even said anything about ice skating and we live near a rink! 

[choclatechip45]

6 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I actually think the explosion actually started after Lillehammer in 1994, which was the best skating competition EVER. You had Nancy vs. Tonya, Gordeeva and Grinkov, Torvill and Dean, Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, KURT BROWNING, Elvis ....   AND Scott Hamilton was still skating professionally!  It seemed like every week there was another pro competition.  

It's inevitable that sports' popularity rises and falls on its stars.  Right now, the young girls I know are very interested in Cheer squads.  Trust me when I say that Cheering can be as expensive as the other "glamour" sports.  

Gymnastics went through that cycle too.  After Olga and Nadia, there was a blip and then after MaryLou, another blip.  Then it was down again until the Karolyis took over.  

Gymnastics had Mary Lou then a blip then Mag 7 and it wasn't till Gabby won gold and the Fierce 5 it became super popular then of course Simone came along and became a huge star. 

Carly Patterson, Nastia, and Shawn weren't households names. 

[healthnut]

Don’t discount the American men that contributed to that thriving professional skating scene. After Kristi won you also had Scott, Brian, and Paul. Those four were the real backbone of those Stars on Ice tours. Just as the female skaters never stick around long enough for those tours, they were never replenished with any top American male skaters either, Tim was the only other medalist during that time and he wasn’t that popular or exciting. Todd or Michael Weiss never won an Olympic medal. By the time 2010 rolled around, they did themselves no favors by not including Johnny. Which I thought was incredibly stupid considering the tour wasn’t that popular anymore. 

I think 2002 was when it really died. That was also the last year they had the World Professional Open. Ice Wars lasted til 2006 but they were really scraping for talent, the US team consisted of Brian Boitano, Michael Weiss, Rory Flack Burghart and Angela Nikodinov. 

And at some point around that time the Russians all went back to Russia after training in the states for years and they had better opportunities there. The money was all in America for awhile but the bubble was bound to pop sooner or later and it did. 

[CheshireCat]

7 hours ago, Moxie Cat said:

Glad to see the US team has sued to get their medals. I don't understand why the US and Japan can't receive the silver and bronze medals that they earned.

My guess is that they don't want to hand out the medals before they're sure which color medals each nation gets. That way, they can avoid the hassle of having to ask for the medals to be returned should Russia be disqualified.

 

5 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Maybe purely skill-based sports. Rhythmic gymnastics?

Alina Kabaeva and Irina Tchachina were suspended for the use of weight loss pills that were prohibited.

I wouldn't be surprised if rhythmic gymnasts also took something that helped them recover quickly. Their routines may be short but it's still quite the strain on their body. I think rhythmic gymnastics is actually the most demanding sport out there: you have to have endurance, flexibility, muscle strength, musicality, high concentration and great coordination to handle the apparatus and you need to handle them with both hands. Plus, there are five different ones, all different in character. I don't think you can be in peak form competition after competition, season after season without taking anything if you train 6-8 hrs a day for an entire competitive season.

[absnow54]

3 hours ago, Moxie Cat said:

The fact that nothing like that is on today shows how far the sport has fallen in popularity. Even when NBC airs GP or other competitions, it's basically impossible to catch the pairs and ice dance on network TV except during US nationals.

I swear last year they played a competition independent exhibition show on ABC in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, and I was shocked. Granted 20 years ago, it would have been on during prime time. 

[Avaleigh]

1 hour ago, choclatechip45 said:

I think right after Salt Lake City. I remember around 2005 it stopped being on ABC. It seemed to drop off with the new scoring system and the end of Michelle's career which was coincidently around the same time. 

Another sign for me was Champions on Ice sort of merging with Stars on Ice. That happened two or three years after Michelle's reign. 

Also, just the fact that Stars on Ice doesn't have as many dates as it used to have. People just aren't into skating the way they were in the 90s and early 2000s.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Ok so my mom follows Chinese language news outlets and apparently in China the reporters are not fond of Nathan Chen? They think he's a bit arrogant and are dismayed he doesn't speak any Mandarin.

They probably wouldn't feel that way if he was representing them!!  :)  

[CeeBeeGee]

On 2/17/2022 at 8:42 AM, choclatechip45 said:

I hate Trusova's programs. I've always like her fangirl personality off the ice though. 

Same.

 

On 2/17/2022 at 8:50 AM, Rootbeer said:

I won't say much about Shcherbakova's skating because I just don't care, it doesn't matter anymore; but, whoever put her in an outfit that makes her look like her slip is showing should be required to take a drug test.

Aw, I actually loved that dress. Kamila's SP dress had a similar underskirt kind of thing going on.

 

On 2/17/2022 at 9:01 AM, Rootbeer said:

Anyone wonder if the Russians didn't decide that this was the best way to get the problem behind them and she was told to tank?

It's hard to tell. She sure looked like she was clean during warmups. OTOH, the closeup on her face just as she started her program--she looked terrified.

 

On 2/17/2022 at 9:07 AM, galaxygirl76 said:

So to recap Kamila didn't get pulled out of the event because of the harm it would do to her but what's happening to everyone right now, including the sport, is SO MUCH BETTER.

It's fucking horrible. I feel so bad for her. Thank you, CAS, for "protecting her from irreparable harm."

 

On 2/17/2022 at 9:44 AM, absnow54 said:

Geez, if Sasha put a modicum of effort on her transitions and artistry, she would have won Gold, but instead she just moved from jump to jump as if she were doing a warmup. THAT'S WHY YOU LOST GOLD.

YES. She's clearly an extraordinary athlete but FFS, must you show such contempt for the PCS? Skaters who are just jumpers almost never win--look at Tonya, Suraya, Midori. I mean, at least Tonya tried (awkwardly) for artistry.

 

On 2/17/2022 at 3:39 PM, 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.

Fully agree. She skated her heart out. One of my favorite ever free skates.

 

On 2/17/2022 at 9:50 PM, scarynikki12 said:

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. 

Oh God, thank you. She has such naturally beautiful hair and I get that teenagers want to play with their appearance but can you please color it a plausible color? That shade looks so cheap.

 

22 hours ago, Daisy said:

(I remember Beckie Scott screaming at the top of her lungs how the Russians were cheating in Cross Country Skiing and Dick Pound (who legit needs to go kick rocks) basically was calling her a sour loser - until you know, it came out that the two russian skiiers DID cheat and Scott got a gold medal she rightly earned). 

Shades of Shirley Babashoff at Montreal in '76. She was the top American swimmer who was widely expected to take home multiple golds--until the newly transformed East German swimmers showed up. She said when she and her teammates first heard the EGs speak, they thought some men must've wandered into the women's locker room. And the media hounded Shirley for her doubts, called her a sore loser and Surly Shirley.  And. She. Was. Right. She was absolutely right and the IOC should rescind those medals and award them to the runners up.

 

12 hours ago, Minneapple said:

Those pics are cute. And it appears Sasha's meltdown is over. Teenagers, man.

I promise I'm not trying to minimize the shit all three of them are experiencing--but there's something so Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! about "everyone has a gold medal but me." 

 

10 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Oh please, oh please, oh please, let this be true. 

 

Okay, adding a new word to my Russian vocabulary...

[annzeepark914]

51 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

Another sign for me was Champions on Ice sort of merging with Stars on Ice. That happened two or three years after Michelle's reign. 

Also, just the fact that Stars on Ice doesn't have as many dates as it used to have. People just aren't into skating the way they were in the 90s and early 2000s.

I loved Champions on Ice as the amateur skaters would perform their season's programs, which was wonderful to see live.  I went twice. The first time I saw Michelle two weeks after she won Nationals. She performed both of her programs & it was a thrill. We were sitting where the judges would be sitting in a competition, so she skated "for us". Lori Nichol is noted for including hands & facial expressions so we saw that with MK. She made that theatrical facial expression as she was gliding past us at one point during "Salome". And of course, all those beautifully expressive hand movements.

[Enero]

Love  the sparkle of Tara’s dress tonight. The design is nothing special but the color is beautiful. 

Moksvina(?) looks the same as she did 30 years ago. Or maybe it’s the mask. 😂 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Enero

[EllenB]

When Johnny pronounces Russian names, all I can think of is Boris and Natasha from the Bullwinkle show.

[CeeBeeGee]

23 hours ago, Minneapple said:

I SEE ETERI. You guys, I saw someone on social media suggest Lena Headey for the movie or miniseries and it's PERFECT CASTING.

And instead of drinking wine a la Cersei, she can drink водка.

 

13 hours ago, Jeddah said:

Yes! I am so happy for Sui and Han!!!

Yes! I dragged my sorry ass out of bed this morning to watch it live.

 

12 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

If nothing else, Kamila is back in Russia, so we won't have to see her on the podium if the ceremony takes place.  Of course, if the authorities do the right thing and strip the Russian medals, good luck trying to get them back.

But they haven't actually awarded any team medals yet--everyone is saying "the ROC is gold, US is silver...." but no medals have been awarded. It's all contingent on how the IOC proceeds. I saw a news story today that said the ROC has vowed they "will never give up the gold" and I was like--what gold? You don't have an actual gold. You have the expectation of a gold based on your scores--and the IOC can decide they don't want to honor that because of Kamila's positive result.

 

10 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

The US women need to be more consistent as well. As much as Karen Chen seems to be a nice person, has she ever put together two clean b2b programs?

Worlds last year, where she damn well should've been awarded the bronze.

 

9 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I always love seeing Tamara Moskvina by the boards. She's such a treasure.

ETA: heh she snubbed Eteri for a handshake.

 

ICE cold! I fucking love it.

 

9 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

It's an old blues standard, it's become like a folk song, everybody knows it, nobody knows how it came to be.  I was reading about the lawsuit and it seems the two band members who are suing are brothers and they are represented by an attorney who just happens to be their father.  Quelle surprise!  He has also sued multiple other entities on their behalf for using it.  They claim that their voices and approach to the song are so unique and special that they deserve to be paid specifically for that.  I have no idea how licensing works, it seems like they expect this payment in addition because they are just that wonderful.  Which they are not.  I presume it is a way to get some attention, I'll bet downloads of the song have increased in the past couple days.  I expect they also know that NBC has plenty of money to pay nuisances to go away and that's the goal here.

This is nothing more than a ca$h grab. But now I know whose music NOT to listen to!

 

7 hours ago, gingerella said:

In the US and EU you have to pony up a shitload of money to support a child with Olympic/professional sports dreams and most families just can't do that, as Avaleigh already pointed out. We can't control what happens in Russia (skating) and China (gymnastics) but the rest of the world sure as hell can yell loudly enough to the IOC about this cheating bullshit. I'd be fine with every other country signing a boycott of the next Games until/unless the IOC first and foremost bans Russia/Russian atheletes, dissolves the ROC bullshit, and pulls all future bids from Russia. I don't really give a shit if such drastic efforts will affect 'innocent, non doping' Russian athletes because right now, I assume every single Russian athlete has cheated in some fashion, that's how deep my distrust goes now. Whatever the sport, I assume they doped. I saw someone last night from Belarus in speed skating and thought immediately, 'well, pretty close to Russia, wonder if they're doping too'. So for me, these Games are a blight, a stain on the Games overall, and they will always be remembered for the Russian cheating scandal. What a damn shame, and how unfair to all the other athletes who show up to play fairly.

ETA: I know this wasn't totally on topic from the last several posts but I'm still boiling mad about this crap.

Yes to all of this, but especially that last. FUCK Russia. They've destroyed the sport.

 

7 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Also, Belarus and Russia are completely different countries with different languages and ethnicities. It's like assuming the US and Mexico are the same just because they border each other. Or India and Pakistan.

I understood the original post to mean--"Belarus was close to Russia" as in, Belarus's times were close to those of Russia, so they must be doping.

 

5 hours ago, EllenB said:

Todd Eldredge's entire small town financed his training. 

Oh my God, that's adorable! That's so pure.

 

5 hours ago, Enero said:

It was very cool seeing Shen/Zhao in the K&C with them. I loved hearing about their love story back in the day. I remember when he proposed to her after their WC skate. He got down on one knee to propose and she had no idea what he was doing and got down on her knees too. Lol. Anyway lovely couple. It looks like they’re still together after all these years which is sweet.

That is hilarious!

 

4 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

In reflecting on how different skating used to be I returned to watch this program….

 

Where if you read the comments everyone is like “OMG….that STEP SEQUENCE. It gives me chills”. And it does. And there’s just nothing like that anymore. The only thing anyone cares (and no one cares all that much anymore) about is these pre-rotated and mediocre jumps in the middle of limp programs. 

Back in the day, the step sequence in a program could be that moment. 

I absolutely LOVE a good step sequence! This is one of the greatest.

 

3 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Ok so my mom follows Chinese language news outlets and apparently in China the reporters are not fond of Nathan Chen? They think he's a bit arrogant and are dismayed he doesn't speak any Mandarin. I'm actually shocked he can't either -- I grew up in a Chinese American household and have no idea how I'd communicate with my mom if I didn't speak Mandarin.

 

Um, Chinese media, let me give you some Ben-Gay for that reach. Nathan Chen--arrogant? That would mean he has a personality. (I love him and his strictly business demeanor but seriously.)

 

3 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

And for another stunning OLympic memory, I always remember my sister calling me after this performance of Michelle’s, in 2002 after she won the bronze and in the last Olympics she attended…

 I had never heard this version of the song before and let me tell you, it is the most wistful, what might have been performance I’ve ever seen. She had clearly picked her exhibition music in advance and in the hopes of winning the gold and when she didn’t this performance just took on this other dimension and was all the greater for it. 

This song is now hard for me to listen to because I can’t get through it without tearing up (personal reasons). But I would have never even heard it if not for this performance.

An absolutely heart-breaking skate. I remember watching it in 2002. FYI, I am the top comment on this video (NYCBlonde).

[legaleagle53]

Am I the only one who noticed that if the Russians had been truly banned from competing as they should have been after Sochi, Knierim and Frasier would have been the Bronze medalists today?

[KaveDweller]

9 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

It's an old blues standard, it's become like a folk song, everybody knows it, nobody knows how it came to be.  I was reading about the lawsuit and it seems the two band members who are suing are brothers and they are represented by an attorney who just happens to be their father.  Quelle surprise!  He has also sued multiple other entities on their behalf for using it.  They claim that their voices and approach to the song are so unique and special that they deserve to be paid specifically for that.  I have no idea how licensing works, it seems like they expect this payment in addition because they are just that wonderful.  Which they are not.  I presume it is a way to get some attention, I'll bet downloads of the song have increased in the past couple days.  I expect they also know that NBC has plenty of money to pay nuisances to go away and that's the goal here.

It doesn't matter if no one knows how the song came came to be. The singers who recorded that specific version have rights to that version, and you can't play their recording to an audience without requesting permission and paying whatever the standard fee is. Just because the song itself may be public domain doesn't mean every recording of it is. Maybe it is a cash grab, but it is cash they are owed if the skaters really didn't bother to get clearance. Or if NBC didn't before broadcasting the song.

However, I have a hard time believing skaters at the Olympic level wouldn't have gotten rights to all their music. I would think that is pretty standard.

[Enero]

Watching Sui/Han again such an emotional skate. Beautiful. And their program was so engaging that it didn’t even feel like 4 minutes. I could’ve watched them keep skating…but then it was over. Congratulations to them again!

I wonder if they’ll skate for one more season or go ahead and retire? The Russians are practically on top of them in scoring so it will certainly be a challenge not only competing but winning if they continue.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Enero

[Moxie Cat]

5 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

Where if you read the comments everyone is like “OMG….that STEP SEQUENCE. It gives me chills”. And it does. And there’s just nothing like that anymore.

So does Jason Brown. I fell in love with skating all over again during his Riverdance routine.

[Jeddah]

 

1 minute ago, Moxie Cat said:

So does Jason Brown. I fell in love with skating all over again during his Riverdance routine.

Sinnerman feels like the whole program is a step sequence.

[Moxie Cat]

49 minutes ago, Enero said:

Love  the sparkle of Tara’s dress tonight. The design is nothing special but the color is beautiful. 

Do you mean the dark red sparkly dress? I spotted it this morning during pairs and man, that is the most beautiful shade of red I've ever seen. Absolutely stunning. Good choice, Tara!

[redpencil]

3 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

It doesn't matter if no one knows how the song came came to be. The singers who recorded that specific version have rights to that version, and you can't play their recording to an audience without requesting permission and paying whatever the standard fee is. Just because the song itself may be public domain doesn't mean every recording of it is. Maybe it is a cash grab, but it is cash they are owed if the skaters really didn't bother to get clearance. Or if NBC didn't before broadcasting the song.

However, I have a hard time believing skaters at the Olympic level wouldn't have gotten rights to all their music. I would think that is pretty standard.

I'm curious if every broadcaster really has to get separate rights for every individual skater's music. I can't imagine that would be the case. Because for international events, that seems like it would be way too unwieldy. For the Olympics, there would be dozens of individual broadcasters around the world, and it's not like they would all have weeks or months to get all those clearances. Not all the entries are even final until shortly before the games. I would think the skaters would have to clear their music, and the license would cover their participation in televised events (so probably would cost more for elite skaters who are competing in major events).

But since I really don't know how it works, I'd be interested in learning more. I'm wondering if K/F did get the rights using whatever the standard license is for top skaters, and now that they are in the Olympics, getting way more viewers via NBC primetime than they have all season, the singers are trying to change the terms and get more money.

[Rootbeer]

Just found this!  It is about the music used at the Olympics in 2018, but I think it might apply here.  Apparently, there is no individual licensing fee for live sporting events.  The venues and networks pay a 'blanket fee' that covers royalties for all music.  Then, each performer is paid according to how many times their song is played. The artists only get a small amount for it, but they get so much exposure that most feel that it is worth it for the PR.  So, apparently the guys who performed HotRS for K/F's free skate and their lawyer-father are objecting to that and want royalties in line with what they would get if the song was in a movie or TV program,

https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/02/how-artists-get-paid-when-olympians-skate-to-their-music#:~:text=Figure Skater’s Routine to “Turn Down for What”,based on how often each song is played.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Rootbeer

[Enero]

13 minutes ago, Moxie Cat said:

Do you mean the dark red sparkly dress? I spotted it this morning during pairs and man, that is the most beautiful shade of red I've ever seen. Absolutely stunning. Good choice, Tara!

Yes. I was referring to the red dress. And I agree. The color was stunning. 

[twoods]

Loving this gala so far. Yay Vincent!

[KittenPokerCheater]

nm

Edited February 20, 2022 by KittenPokerCheater

[twoods]

Got to hand it to Trusova for coming out and skating at the gala with so much force. Good for her!

[gingerella]

Thanks for posting those Michelle Kwan videos. God was she beautiful to watch, wasn't she? Skating needs to focus more on artistry than robotic quads. I also.miss compulsories though so what do I know?!

[legaleagle53]

So NOW NBC finally gets around to showing the Gala, after insisting on "reliving" in detail the last two laps of the cross-country ski marathon that I JUST got through watching in the primetime broadcast. What were you thinking, NBC?

[Lady Whistleup]

I think Sui and Han are done. They were going to be done in 2018 but lost the OGM by a tiny margin. They soldiered on for four more years and got their big happy ending today. 

Papadakis and Cizeron are probably also done. Again, soldiered on for four more years because of the heartbreak in Pyeongchang. Nathan Chen, same.

The next quad should be exciting because an entire cohort of stars is retiring. 

[GreyBunny]

11 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I always love seeing Tamara Moskvina by the boards. She's such a treasure.

ETA: heh she snubbed Eteri for a handshake.

 

Aw, crap.

The best we can hope for is that Moskvina secretly needle-stuck her with a virus something.

[DawnDavenport]

16 minutes ago, gingerella said:

Thanks for posting those Michelle Kwan videos. God was she beautiful to watch, wasn't she? 

Go back and watch her '97 Taj Mahal from Worlds and '98 Lyra Angelica from Nationals. Just the purest combination of artistry and technique. No one has been able to match this combination since.

I also thought Red Violin was a well thought out and masterfully choreographed program as it was debuted at '99 Skate America. Even with the fall on the flip, it's just a perfectly designed program to the music. Too bad she had to modify it so much by Worlds to accommodate the rearrangement of her jumps.

[redpencil]

3 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

So NOW NBC finally gets around to showing the Gala, after insisting on "reliving" in detail the last two laps of the cross-country ski marathon that I JUST got through watching in the primetime broadcast. What were you thinking, NBC?

If you're on the West coast, you had a separate West-coast only segment while the rest of us had local news. The rest of us only saw the cross-country ending one time. That's why you had to watch it twice.

[CeeBeeGee]

5 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

So NOW NBC finally gets around to showing the Gala, after insisting on "reliving" in detail the last two laps of the cross-country ski marathon that I JUST got through watching in the primetime broadcast. What were you thinking, NBC?

I'm hoping they'll re-air it tomorrow because I got tired and turned off the endless cross country skiing. The listing said nothing about that, it was supposed to only be figure skating.

[Avaleigh]

6 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I think Sui and Han are done. They were going to be done in 2018 but lost the OGM by a tiny margin. They soldiered on for four more years and got their big happy ending today. 

Papadakis and Cizeron are probably also done. Again, soldiered on for four more years because of the heartbreak in Pyeongchang. Nathan Chen, same.

The next quad should be exciting because an entire cohort of stars is retiring. 

I'm curious about who else is retiring. I'm guessing Tarasova and Morozov but maybe not. Mariah doesn't seem like she's ready. I'm guessing Jason and Karen will after worlds. 

I was getting the impression before the Olympics that Alysa was feeling done but now I'm not so sure. 

I feel like Alexa could surprise us and stick around. Maybe not for another full quad but maybe one more season.

[legaleagle53]

2 minutes ago, redpencil said:

If you're on the West coast, you had a separate West-coast only segment while the rest of us had local news. The rest of us only saw the cross-country ending one time. That's why you had to watch it twice.

But I'm NOT on the West Coast. I'm in Arizona, which is still on Mountain Standard time until next month.

[redpencil]

 

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

But I'm NOT on the West Coast. I'm in Arizona, which is still on Mountain Standard time until next month.

I dunno. Maybe Arizona follows West coast primetime scheduling. I'm in Colorado, on Mountain Time, and only saw the cross-country skiing once.

My listings had cross-country skiing, followed by a separate listing for figure skating. The cross-country skiing went over by a few minutes so they could show the interview with the American who took silver. The skating started like 4-1/2 minutes into the segment as listed for me. The full gala is also on USA a little later (check your listings, but it's on at 3:45 a.m. where I am). I think what's on NBC will be a shorter version.

[Lady Whistleup]

14 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

I'm curious about who else is retiring. I'm guessing Tarasova and Morozov but maybe not. Mariah doesn't seem like she's ready. I'm guessing Jason and Karen will after worlds. 

I was getting the impression before the Olympics that Alysa was feeling done but now I'm not so sure. 

I feel like Alexa could surprise us and stick around. Maybe not for another full quad but maybe one more season.

Tarasova and Morozov probably. Again, they held on because they were heartbroken over and over again in competitions because of lack of consistency. They held on but Tarasova probably is dying to eat a sandwich.

I could see Vincent Zhou continuing. Jason Brown and Nathan Chen probably not.

SinKats probably will retire. Nikita's back is a wreck.

We know Hubbell and Donahue are retiring.

[twoods]

So I’m the only one watching all of the gala on Peacock? Sucks for the NBC viewers because it’s all so good. Everyone is having so much fun and it’s nice to see skating without any pressure. 

[gingerella]

6 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

They held on but Tarasova probably is dying to eat a sandwich.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Crs97]

Scott Hamilton explaining the decline in popularity

It is five years old, but still thought provoking.

[ChicksDigScars]

So, Alysa was invited to the gala, but no routine. No dress. Enter Ice Dancers. 

Red dress belonged to Olivia Smart. Madison Chock did her hair. Madison Hubbell did her make up. Jean Luc Baker helped create a routine on the fly. 
 

Her father probably hated it. LOL. 
 

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by ChicksDigScars

[twoods]

I loved her routine and would have never thought it wasn’t an actual routine. The dress, song, all of it was great. 

[emmawoodhouse]

Alysa looked like she was having a blast out there. 

[Irlandesa]

44 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

Scott Hamilton explaining the decline in popularity

It is five years old, but still thought provoking.

It was; although from a popularity perspective, I still think it was the judging scandal.

The thing that I found interesting was that there were so many comments on that video about how Scott shouldn't blame Harding because she made the sport popular blah blah blah.  I didn't realize there were so many defenders but I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

But it's also clear that they didn't listen to what Scott actually said because it's the crazy popularity around that Olympics which led to crazy TV contracts being signed which the sport could never live up to. 

[dankesean]

That poor, poor, panda.