Figure Skating

[Moxie Cat]

8 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Was anyone else bothered by the (once again) weird camera work?

Yes! I noticed it during Jason Brown's SP, in particular. They had a lengthy, faraway, overhead shot during a section in which he did one of those midair splits (whatever they're called!) You couldn't see any details at all from that angle, the height, flexibility, nothing. I was shouting, "get back down to the ice!"

[Perkie]

Watched CBC's version last night, after having seen the results....

Overall some decent skating, though would have liked to have seen what Ashley Wagner did.  Don't like her but curious to see what she did or didn't do.

Carolina Kostner: Meh,  don't like that girl, don't know why she came back, the program wasn't all that and a bag of chips, just glad she wasn't given a gift

Mai Mihara:  Wow.  Now that's a long program.  If she hadn't taken herself out of contention in the short she would have given Medvedeva a run for her money.

Karen Chen:  I think she was WAY overmarked.  She skated clean at Nationals (where scores are inflated) yet, with a fall and a double down, here, she got a season's best?  Really?  It was better than Nationals which was flawless?  REally?  

Anna Pogoriaya:  Oy vey with the dramatics.  I felt bad for her for a minute but then the crying went on and on and on.....and on and on all the way to the boards where she just had to drop down, again.  Glad her coach grabbed and dragged her into the kiss and cry.  Honey, you weren't vying for the gold, calm down.  

Evgenia Medvedeva:  Now that was impressive.  I have not been in love with that program this season, and I really hated all the arm over the head moves, but this time the whole thing was fluid and really worked for me.  Even the arms were more about the move rather than the novelty.  

Gabbie versus Kaitlyn:  I thought the results should have been reversed (which is the same thing I thought at Nationals).  I found Gabby went out there and laid it down, no hesitation, no fear, she looked like she was going to kick your ass if you looked at her cross eyed.  She wanted that medal and nothing was going to stop her.

Kaitlyn on the other hand, looked tentative like she didn't want to lose it.  If I hadn't already known the results, I would have spent the entire skate wondering what she was going to fall on.  

I also felt bad that Gabbie went from "yeah I won a silver" to, "nope just the bronze".  If they had skated in reverse order, Gabby would have been thrilled with the bronze but having the silver in her hands, however briefly, only to then get the bronze, has a different feel to it, I think.

 

Either way, way to go girls.  Let see you on the Olympic podium now!!

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Overall some decent skating, though would have liked to have seen what Ashley Wagner did.  Don't like her but curious to see what she did or didn't do.

She skated very tight and opened on her first combo, doing only a single IIRC (please correct me if I'm wrong!)

ALSO, I have DVRd the dance from Friday night.  Was it delayed (I had company and thought I saw a notice about it running late)?  FU, NBC Sports Network for not building in the time to SEE IT ALL.  I hate when these events are cut off for no reason.  And NBC wants to run an Olympic network?  Good luck seeing events IN THEIR ENTIRETY.  

[Perkie]

1 hour ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

She skated very tight and opened on her first combo, doing only a single

Thank you.  

Fellow Canadians who watched on CBC last night, was it just me or was there too many short dance shown versus ladies long?  Considering it wasn't live and they knew that history was literally being made with two ladies on the podium, I would have thought they would have cut, say, the Italians short, in order to show us the ladies medal ceremony.  We've won 3 ladies medals in the last 45 years (FORTY FIVE!!) and we pulled off two yesterday.  I wanted to see their names called, them skating out to center ice and receiving their medals and both Canadian flags being raised.  

But I'm weird that way!

[Moxie Cat]

The short dance ended just before 10 for me, as planned. Chock/Bates were last, I think.

ETA: Didn't realize the men's free wasn't live. Checked the order at ISU and found results instead. Sigh. It's over, if anyone wants to check results.

Edited April 1, 2017 by Moxie Cat

[ChicksDigScars]

Sooo.....one ice dance pair has a major error and free falls six places in the standings.

Another has a major error and....nothing to see here. 

I guess it really depends on who you are. 

[Dirndl]

Well, one of them didn't fall according to the rule book. This one kept his weight on his feet therefore didn't get a deduction. In addition to that his stumble happened after completing the element which didn't affect their scores that much.

I love the fact that V/M won every competition this year and just really hope they will be able to continue their momentum till the Olympic Games. IMO they are just way ahead of the rest of the field and in a class of their own. 

However I was so upset that H/D lost their bronze medal. It was so upsetting to see their devastated faces. They would have earned their world medal.

In pairs I really wanted S/M to win the gold. Their free program is so captivating. It's almost like an ice dance program with pair elements. Breathtaking!

Edited April 1, 2017 by Dirndl

[redpencil]

Quote

Karen Chen:  I think she was WAY overmarked.  She skated clean at Nationals (where scores are inflated) yet, with a fall and a double down, here, she got a season's best?  Really?  It was better than Nationals which was flawless?  REally?  

I might be wrong, but when they say season's best I'm pretty sure that doesn't include Nationals, which doesn't count the same way as international events.

[ChicksDigScars]

Evan Bates also messed up his twizzle without a fall, and without having to put his hand on the ice, and they were sufficiently and deservedly dinged, falling from 4th to 7th place. Hubble and Donahue, with an actual fall, fell from 3rd to 9th. Also deserved. Moir missed his twizzle, touches his hand to the ice, makes it look like a lunge, and practically nothing of consequence happens. They win a gold medal. I would think that P/C have a reason to be pissed.

I wonder how fun the practice rink is in Montreal? Speaking of that, I did notice that Marie-France ran out to greet V/M and P/C in the kiss and cry after they were done, but was absent for poor Hubble and Donahue, when they could have probably used some serious reassurances. That had to suck. I really do like them better than Chock and Bates, as far as U.S. teams are concerned. They seem to be snakebit.

I hope that the Shibs can find something that has the impact that Fix You did. This year's long was very nice. But it didn't have the same impact as Coldplay did, and they need that. They can't cross the line into that kind of romantic "connection" that the others can, and reading Twitter, especially the comments from The Skating Lesson, slam them for it, continually. 

[annzeepark914]

12 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Evan Bates also messed up his twizzle without a fall, and without having to put his hand on the ice, and they were sufficiently and deservedly dinged, falling from 4th to 7th place. Hubble and Donahue, with an actual fall, fell from 3rd to 9th. Also deserved. Moir missed his twizzle, touches his hand to the ice, makes it look like a lunge, and practically nothing of consequence happens. They win a gold medal. I would think that P/C have a reason to be pissed.  

 

Maybe it's called, Skating While Voir?  I knew that fall wouldn't affect their score.  I was just thinking this weekend how pleasant it's been this skating season, with V/M competing again, that we haven't heard any whining/snarking from Scott.  We probably would have if P/C got the gold today.  Good grief, are Hubble & Donahue jinxed or what? I felt so badly for them.  A fall at Nationals, now a fall at Worlds.  And they're such elegant ice dancers, so impressive after pairing up 3 years ago (was it 3 or 2?).  They're amazing.

I'm sending an email to NBC re: the continued crappy camera work.  Even though they personally aren't overseas, the feed they're getting is horrible. I was trying to envision overhead camera shots during NBA or NFL games (and not during intermission).  Sometimes it seemed as though a camera was lying on the ice at the edge of the rink while the skaters were performing mid-ice.  Can you imagine if this were the Olympics?

[Moxie Cat]

I really hate to admit it, but Moir's slip versus Bates' and Donahue's was different. Both American men completely screwed up during their twizzles, which led to the  twizzle deductions. They didn't have to fall to do that. Moir, on the other hand, slipped just as he was skating and not during an element. And Tanith/Ben made a point of saying that Moir kept his balance on his one foot the whole time (which he did). Whether or not he should have a deduction for touching the ice with his hand to help him balance is a different issue, but apparently that's not a deduction.

it's a shame Papadakis/Cizeron didn't have a better SP - they could have won.

The folks who should be worried are the Shibs. I like them a lot, but they earned this medal by default. Both of the American teams were on track to beat them. They need to up their game for next year.

Ugh - those faraway and overhead shots! Why??? It's not like these skaters are making formations that are best appreciated from above!

Edited April 1, 2017 by Moxie Cat

[honeywest]

Tara Lipinski: "That is how a world champion defends her title."

Michelle Kwan fan: "How the hell would you know?"

[annzeepark914]

@honeywest:  Thank you!

[Mumbles]

12 hours ago, Perkie said:

Gabbie versus Kaitlyn:  I thought the results should have been reversed (which is the same thing I thought at Nationals).  I found Gabby went out there and laid it down, no hesitation, no fear, she looked like she was going to kick your ass if you looked at her cross eyed.  She wanted that medal and nothing was going to stop her.

Kaitlyn on the other hand, looked tentative like she didn't want to lose it.  If I hadn't already known the results, I would have spent the entire skate wondering what she was going to fall on.  

ITA. Gabbie looked calm and fearless and her jumps were fluid. "Tentative" was the perfect word for Kaitlyn's performance.

Ashley was very complimentary of Karen Chen in her interview with Andrea Joyce. Called her a hero for securing the three spots next year. For all of the frustrations with Ashley over the years, she always seems like a happy camper who plays well with others.

[healthnut]

On 3/30/2017 at 9:31 PM, HartofDixie said:

Did we keep two spots for pairs?

Long answer from rockerskating.com:
Team USA got one pairs spot in PyeongChang. But I'll preface that with the fact that nothing has been confirmed or official, and will not be until the competition is over. There are a couple of steps to this.

First, in order for the US to even be eligible for two spots, they had to have placement points of 28 or lower. With Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier not qualifying for the free skate, the US started with 18 points from them going into the free skate. And that meant that Alexa Scimeca Knierim/Chris Knierim had to finish in the top 10 in order for the two spots to be possible. Knierim/Knierim finished 10th and incredibly close to the other teams right above them (they were under four points from fifth place).

But the wrinkle comes in the maximum 16 spots that qualify to the Olympics out of the World Championships. Because the total number of spots earned by countries yesterday added to 17, the country that was the very last to qualify, in this case, the US, would only get one spot.

So the rule is set, though, very much in speculation, there is potentially at least one way that things may pan out for the US to get two spots.

One of the countries may not use all of their spots - though the only one that comes to mind is France, which earned two spots and currently has three active pairs (two of which - I believe - have a partner who does not yet have citizenship). Should France decide to relinquish one spot, the rules note that this spot goes to the Nebelhorn Trophy for another country to earn. That said, the rules do not account for the scenario where a country doesn't earn a spot due to the maximum. This may require a clarification.

[BelleBrit]

I'm glad that Karen did well enough to secure three spots, but to be honest the US got very lucky that others imploded (Mae in the short, Maria in the long) and that the caller was generous (Karen's combo in the short, edge on her flip in the long). And that Satoko (and Anna?) were injured. The event seemed better skated last year. Wakaba didn't do too well in the long,  but she had a great short that seemed very underscored compared to what Karen received for her hooked combo. Maybe she benefited from the US champion bonus? She wasn't completely clean in the long either at Nationals (popped one jump). Score wasn't 129 worthy to me, but scores at worlds can be a bit  inflated. Ashley was disappointing the whole year, even when she won Skate America her tech scores were low. Karen now has the highest total combined score of the season out of US ladies, and Mirai still has the highest short score and highest long score. I'm sure that Nationals next year will be very political given that Olympic spots are on the line, I just hope that they are judged fairly (including for Karen, even though she helped "save"the spots this year). 

Edited April 2, 2017 by BelleBrit

[Vera]

17 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Evan Bates also messed up his twizzle without a fall, and without having to put his hand on the ice, and they were sufficiently and deservedly dinged, falling from 4th to 7th place. Hubble and Donahue, with an actual fall, fell from 3rd to 9th. Also deserved. Moir missed his twizzle, touches his hand to the ice, makes it look like a lunge, and practically nothing of consequence happens. They win a gold medal. I would think that P/C have a reason to be pissed.

When P/C messed up their twizzles, they were in the middle of the element. They also lost levels on both step sequences, levels they have been losing the entire season. Both Evan completely screwed up their twizzles. So much so that they didn't get credit for it.

V/M's error was different. Scott stumbled and his had touched the ice. First it's considered a fall only if the weight of the body is on the hands in this case. The majority of Scott's weight was still on his feet. Secondly, the stumble happened after they completed the Cstq, which with why the technical panel gave them credit for it. However, if you look at the GoE's, they are all over the place from -3 to 2, as the judges themselves weren't sure at the time whether it was on an element or not. V/M did get penalized for their fall, in both TES and PCS.  Their win is because of the SD. They deserved that score. The Ntmsq has been a consistent favourite with the judges. They have also always hit a Level 4 on the element and it has a ginormous base value. V/M and H/D were the only couples to get all L4s. 

I know this board doesn't like them, but V/M have comeback better than they used to be. There is noticeably more speed, flow and power to their skating that in 2014. They skate with so much more confidence and joy as well.

Neither V/M nor P/C had a clean Worlds. But P/C had a wonderful FD and V/M's SD is one for the books. I'm not a big P/C fan, but both of these couples are the class of the field at the moment. Next season will be interesting, if nothing else.

[AshleyN]

Not to mention that although H/D and C/B were third and fourth after the SD it wasn't by that much, and there was a huge logjam of teams right behind them, so of course any mistake was going to cost them more in the standings than V/M, who had (deservedly) carried a healthy lead into the FD. And they did lose the free by almost a full three points, which would never have happened with a clean skate. Had P/C hit their levels in the SD they would have won -- the four point difference in base value would have made up the difference.

[Moxie Cat]

If it's any consolation to the V/M haters, I would bet they are pretty rattled by P/C's competitiveness. My guess is that they are returning because they don't want to retire with an Olympic silver as their last. But P/C, score-wise, are the only other team that is competitive with them at this point - and not just competitive, but they easily could have won. V/M have to be thinking that Olympics 2018 could repeat the Davis/White scenario but with the French. This is not a slam dunk for them and P/C must be thirsty for that gold this time. It will be an interesting season!

Edited April 2, 2017 by Moxie Cat

[ChicksDigScars]

I noticed that P/C and the Shib's were shown after Hubbel and Donahue's scores went up and Gabrielle looked at the camera and made a sad face and formed that heart with her hands, that everyone does now. She seemed genuinely sad for her training partners. I don't know how crowded the ice is up there in Montreal, or if after this championship and upcoming Olys, if there will be tension. There was when V/M and D/W shared coaches and practice rinks.  It seems natural for there to be. I had a laugh when The Skating Lesson Tweeted about a post-medal ceremony interview with Osmond and Daleman from the CBC, and the pic was taken as Osmond was speaking and Daleman was giving her the side eye. The Tweet stated, "They're not friends."  

Edited April 3, 2017 by ChicksDigScars

[greendog78]

My dislike of V/M comes from Scott's chronic case of foot in mouth disease and their endless parade of saccharine coated romance routines. There's nothing wrong with their skating. They rightfully won, even with Scott's error. If P/C had skated a bit better, V/M would have silver right now. Maybe P/C will catch up or the Shib sibs will finally work out whatever is the matter with them. We'll just have to see. I think P/C can catch them.

This World's was a bit underwhelming. Glad to see Sui and Han win pairs finally. They're always exciting to watch. It was harder for me to get excited about Evgenia Medvedeva and Yuzuru Hanyu. Technically excellent, just not very interesting.

Edited April 3, 2017 by greendog78
typo

[Good Queen Jane]

On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 6:59 PM, Moxie Cat said:

Can someone with more knowledge than I have explain why US pairs are so weak, in general?

The major reason is that that the US can't keep a pairs team together for more than three years. Right now Pairs require a small fearless woman and a big strong man. They have to have the skills of the singles (at least two triple jumps, spins) and the synchronicity of dance. And the man must be strong enough to lift and carry the woman and throw her long distances while the woman has to give complete control over to the man to get her into the air to complete the revolutions. Pairs who work well together as Juniors often have the woman outgrow the man during those pesky teenaged years or you match a 13 old girl with a 20 year old man, who can't compete internationally in juniors because the girl is too young or the man is too old. Add on the fact that just about every US Pair has had a major injury in the last two years, and it's amazing that we still ended up with a pair in the top ten.

[ChicksDigScars]

But those factors are true everywhere. and for every country. The US cannot keep a pair together long enough to make an impact.  Is it politics? The Chinese and Russians stay together as a means of a better life in a more tight fisted government run skating federation? US teams swap partners and coaches  and shrug that off.  The comment was made on the US feed during the pairs coverage, that the Chinese basically swapped all their partners around, except of Sui and Han, a couple years ago.  I must say that it is a lot better to see 35 year old (or 32, depending on who you believe regarding his age) Zhang Hao NOT skating with a teenager anymore, even though his current partner is only 21. They play musical partners and don't miss a beat. We play drama cakes, "I love him but not you, so I'm skating with him" crap all the time, it seems, and have to start from scratch in the world rankings. And deservedly. Because we suck. 

Are the decent pairs coaches all retired, now?

Even if it is politics, Canada can keep teams together, while the US can't. Does Skate Canada provide better incentive to their skaters to keep working? Better support? It seems like the Canadians do a better job supporting and speaking up for their skaters than the USFSA does.  Aside from the Shibs, who basically finished where they were predicted to, the rest of the US team crumbled under pressure. When was the last time the US sent ONE representative to an Olympics in any of the four disciplines?  Dear USFSA. Something is wrong. Fix you. (pun intended)

[selkie]

It seems like it's harder to get an American passport of convenience for the non-USA partner of a promising duo than it used to be. Dance right now has enough talent that's home grown it doesn't matter so much, but pairs are more likely to be impacted. 

[specialj67]

I've realized part of the reason I don't enjoy V/M as much as I used to is because the commentators kinda ruined them for me with all of the hyperbole and fawning. The only time I've liked watching them this season with English language commentary was during the Worlds FD when Tanith and Ben were calling it. I could at least consider buying what they were selling since they had competed against V/M before and have the relevant experience to say why the judges score V/M like they do.

BTW, I loved the work Tanith White and Ben Agosto did for that FD and hope NBC uses them together a lot more.

[HartofDixie]

Hersh on Worlds

Coach Plushy?

[Maelstrom]

Finally caught up on Worlds (just have the Exhibition left to watch) and throwing my two cents into the ring, FWIW.

US pairs haven't impressed me in a long time, sad to say, but internationally there are so many strong couples that I really enjoyed it this year. I was so sorry that James and Cipres had a bad SP, because I fell in love with their FS at Europeans. Hoping next year is a better one for them. But Sui and Han really deserved their win and were so dynamic to watch.

Ice dance has surprisingly been kind of meh for me this year (odd, because I usually prefer it to pairs). But as long as they don't have hip hop as one of the styles for the SD next year, I'll be happy. I completely agree with whoever said upthread that the Shibutanis could benefit from a FD with the impact of Fix You - their FD this year was lovely, but not memorable the way Fix You was. I really enjoyed Donohue/Hubbell, and was sorry they got knocked out of the medals. I just can't get into Virtue & Moir - obviously they are talented and I understand why they receive the scores they do, but they just don't draw me in at all. Hoping C/P can overtake them next year.

Ladies has also been kind of meh, mostly because I'm not a Medvedeva fan (see my above comments on V/M) so that doesn't leave much, since none of the other skaters get the attention she does. I was sorry to see Anna Pogorilaya fall apart at the seams in the FD, since I've really enjoyed her program this year. Yay for the two Canadian ladies, though! I slightly preferred Daleman's FP to Osmond's but both were beautiful and go Canada!

The mens has been my favorite event all year and Worlds didn't disappoint! Damn, so many talented guys that could've easily taken home medals. I'm a Yuzu fan, so I was thrilled that he pulled out the best skate he's had in months, and the same for Shoma Uno. Though IMO both of them seemed just a bit more detached than I've seen them skate in the past, they both did wonderfully and earned those medals. Jason Brown would have to be my favorite male skater (if I absolutely had to pick just one) and I loved his FS. Quad shmuad! He's such a beautiful skater to watch, and I hope we are lucky enough to get to see him skate for many years to come. Also, Misha Ge was stunning in his FS as well - though this might the his last Worlds? Sniff. Hopefully he'll still try for the Olympics. I've loved watching him for years, since he was a youngster with bright orange hair skating to rock & roll before it was cool.

Also, glad to see I wasn't the only one ready to throttle the cameraman every time he panned out at the end of someone's program. They're spinning in place! Zoom in on their face FFS! Sheesh!

So we still have the team event sometime this month, correct? Or was Worlds the end of the season?

[legaleagle53]

On 4/4/2017 at 11:54 AM, HartofDixie said:

Coach Plushy?

How did we miss the fact that he announced his retirement (for the 407,893rd time) on Friday?  But hey, if becoming a coach keeps him from abusing his body again on the ice, more power to him for moving to the coaching side of the sport!

[annzeepark914]

What is the date of the team event?  Wonder if it will even be broadcast (NBC will probably only show the ladies & men, grumble).

[COESpiral]

18 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

How did we miss the fact that he announced his retirement (for the 407,893rd time) on Friday?  But hey, if becoming a coach keeps him from abusing his body again on the ice, more power to him for moving to the coaching side of the sport!

I think it was because he announced his retirement on April 1st and everyone was waiting to make sure it wasn't an April Fools joke. 

Adelina Sotnikova has been announced as his first big name pupil so here's seeing whether she's serious about trying to defend her Olympic title. I don't think she's got a chance of surpassing Medvedeva but stranger things have happened. 

[CeeBeeGee]

If she wants to improve her artistic scores from playing tug of war on the ice and waving to her fans, Plushy is NAGL.

[greendog78]

1 hour ago, COESpiral said:

Adelina Sotnikova has been announced as his first big name pupil so here's seeing whether she's serious about trying to defend her Olympic title.

So excellent jumps and helicopter arms. Good luck with that!

I'm actually glad he's going into coaching. A man can have his groin rebuilt but so many times.

[COESpiral]

Mao Asada announced today that she's officially retiring from competition. She had thought about trying for the 2018 Olympics but after last season's results realized the desire to keep going had faded and opted to bow out. She's still planning on doing skating shows but made no other comments about her future plans. Best wishes to her for whatever she chooses to do next!

[Maelstrom]

^^ Sorry to see Mao go but it sounds like the right move for her and I wish her the very best, too! She's such a beautiful skater, and I've enjoyed watching her for many years.

[attica]

Michelle Kwan's hubby has filed for divorce.

[HartofDixie]

World Team Trophy has started.  Not sure if it will be on tv.

 

Results

[AllAboutMBTV]

It's on NBC Sports today (Thursday), Friday and Saturday.

[Maelstrom]

Thanks for the heads-up everyone! I would've completely missed this if it weren't for this thread. :)

[Omeletsmom]

Is it me or is the lighting in this arena (for the World Team Trophy) terrible?  It seems like there is a huge dark spot right in from of the judges area.  I'm finding it really distracting.

[annzeepark914]

I watched ice dance this afternoon and noted that the camera work was (almost) normal.  Nice to see Weaver/Poje do so well.  And, Tanith & Ben handled the commentating, IMO, very well.

[Maelstrom]

^^ I was thinking the camera work seemed fairly decent for a change, by which I mean it wasn't horrendous. Still have today's block to watch, but boy so many popped jumps in the mens' free program! They must all be exhausted this late in the season. Hopefully no injuries will crop up for anyone. I really enjoyed Weaver & Poje, too, I personally would much rather watch them than those other Canadian ice dancers. Glad they got the spotlight for a change.

Am I the only one finding the ridiculous wigs, props, and dance moves in the Kiss & Cry just as entertaining as the skating?

[iMonrey]

Quote

But those factors are true everywhere. and for every country. The US cannot keep a pair together long enough to make an impact.  Is it politics? The Chinese and Russians stay together as a means of a better life in a more tight fisted government run skating federation? US teams swap partners and coaches  and shrug that off. 

For one thing, I think historically the US has focused on singles skating and ceded Dance and Pairs to Canada, Russia and France, whereas they have done the same vis a vis singles skating. That doesn't really apply anymore since the new judging system was put into place but the US has never caught up in Pairs. And I'd say overall, across all disciplines, US skaters just have more choices. The Russians, Chinese and Japanese, in particular, make skating their whole lives 24/7 365 days a week. Americans tend to try to do it all and go to school with a full class schedule on top of skating, and their lack of single-minded determination shows. Pairs in particular can just split up because they figure, hey, I've got other options, there are other things I can do. That's not always the case with skaters in other countries. Bottom line, we're spoiled. 

[carrier76]

Grand Prix assignments have been announced. Interesting that they changed the order of events:

2017 Grand Prix Assignments

[MostlyC]

Where are Cain/LeDuc?  They did well last year, so why aren't they there?

(also, go Ashley; I want her to go to the olympics).

[selkie]

Nice to see Misha Ge going on through the Olympic cycle. Also glad to see Alena Leonova continue to get the odd GP assignment. I know she doesn't have the skill level and consistency of the current Russian teenage brigade but at least she tends to bring the WTF? in an interesting way instead of the usual Russian 'Homage to Dead Babies' overly serious programs. 

[Good Queen Jane]

Jason Brown will skate his short program to "The Room Where It Happens" from Hamilton with Lin-Manuel Miranda's approval. That could be really exciting, especially with Rohene Ward choreographing it.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Good Queen Jane

[HartofDixie]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/gracie-gold-unveils-olympic-season-programs

[HartofDixie]

http://www.teamusa.org/News/2017/July/19/Meryl-Davis-Opens-Up-About-The-Proposal-Her-Custom-Made-Engagement-Ring-And-Personal-Life

[NicoleMN6]

Nice to see Fedor Andreev settle down, after dating all of his mother's skaters! Remember what a little cutie he was, skating at the tribute to Sergei Grinkov?

[Good Queen Jane]

It's not easy to be a ladies single skater in Russia. You burn out by the time you leave your teens.