Figure Skating

[MaryMitch]

I was wondering what happened to her. I suspected that the public expectations after her Sochi performances would overwhelm her.

I hope she stays well. Anorexia is HORRIBLE and is often triggered by a feeling of having no control. Maybe getting out of the limelight will help.

[HartofDixie]

And Adelina is also out but I don't think she had a chance to make the team.

[MostlyC]

I find similarities between Gracie and Julia: both of them lost competitions where they were favorites going into the long program, and for whatever reasons, they were unable to come back.  Expectations can be killer, and I feel for them. Julia has retired, and I wonder if Gracie is far behind.  I think she might be a happier skater if she skated exhibitions and shows, rather than compete.

I will be surprised if Evegnia will be around for the 2022 winter games, given how deep the russian women's team is.

[Jeddah]

I doubt Anna Pogorilaya will make the Russian team after her disastrous Worlds.

I really hope Julia gets healthy. I can't imagine the pressure she was under at such a young age.

I always admired Akiko Suzuki. She was very open about her struggles with anorexia, and was such a joyful skater when she returned after treatment.

[BelleBrit]

Poor Julia. This has been coming for a while. I would love to see her tour in ice shows, but I don't know if that's in the cards, and it's probably for the best that she stays out of the spotlight to continue her recovery. 

There has also been a lot of buzz about Gracie Gold in the off season, she has appeared in some ice shows through the spring and summer doing only singles and doubles, and generally not looking like the same skater.  She had blamed last season on getting a late start in training, and she looks less ready at this point than she did last year. The Skating Lesson (I know, gossip mongers, but their sources seem to be accurate most of the time) had some reports that she did not have a good Champs Camp recently  (camp where US skaters assigned to the Grand Prix present their programs to officials, attend meetings and lectures, etc.), presenting her long and then being told "not to bother" showing her short program. She had been scheduled to do an AMA with Reddit this week as part of the Team USA series (leading up to the Olympics), but it has been cancelled.  I'm kind of interested in how her sponsors and the pre-Olympic media isgoing to be treating her, because it doesn't look like it's gonna happen this season.  I would love to see her come back in the post-Olympic season if she can't make a comeback this year, but I think she has said in the past that she would probably retire after this cycle. 

In other news, TSL is also reporting that Ashley Wagner is skating to Moulin Rouge this season (for the third time), which....no comment. 

edited to add: A lot of Ashley fans are leaping to her defense and pointing to a recent SI article where she talked about concussion issues that she has dealt with throughout her career and how they have made learning new programs difficult and...while it's not that I don't believe this is a legitimate issue (and I applaud Ashley for being so outspoken about concussions) that could have influenced this decision, if it's true....athletes deal with injuries all of the time, and more than two different long programs in an Olympic cycle does not seem like too much of an ask. I say that as someone who is completely ignorant of what goes into learning a long program. Last year she had new long and short programs choreographed, and switched to two DIFFERENT new  short and long programs towards the end of the summer when she decided the first two weren't working , so it seems like it could have been done.  Ashley made such a big deal at the end of the last season about announcing that she would skate to La La land this season . Hanyu and Ashley are both doing threepeat long programs, and repeat short programs, and three times is just too many times for me. 

Edited August 29, 2017 by BelleBrit

[Jeddah]

2 hours ago, BelleBrit said:

The Skating Lesson (I know, gossip mongers, but their sources seem to be accurate most of the time) 

They are totally gossip mongers, but I still can't get enough! They are my main source of figure skating news/gossip.

[HartofDixie]

I love The Skating Lesson!  Can't wait for them to start posting videos again.

[MostlyC]

USA badly wants an olympic medal; team, individual, I don't think they care.  Perhaps they think Ashley has a better chance with her Moulin Rouge program than a new one.  Having not seen it, for all we know it was a disaster (choreography, presentation, music edit et. al).

Maybe the Shibs medal, but I don't think anyone else has a chance, sadly.  A lot of people who watch the olympics have never seen her Moulin Rouge, it will go over well with the tv/olympic audience.  Who knows. 

[BelleBrit]

24 minutes ago, MostlyC said:

USA badly wants an olympic medal; team, individual, I don't think they care.  Perhaps they think Ashley has a better chance with her Moulin Rouge program than a new one.  Having not seen it, for all we know it was a disaster (choreography, presentation, music edit et. al).

Maybe the Shibs medal, but I don't think anyone else has a chance, sadly.  A lot of people who watch the olympics have never seen her Moulin Rouge, it will go over well with the tv/olympic audience.  Who knows. 

Of course, the general audience will not have seen it before, and the judges probably won't score it any differently than they have in the past, just adding my official side eye to this trend as a fan (again, my opinion means nothing).  I don't even like LaLa land or the music, but I thought that Ashley seemed passionate about it and thought that it could give her an advantage against all of the warhorses in the Olympic year. I was just happy that she was trying something different...anything....interpretation is supposed to be her strength.

[Good Queen Jane]

1 hour ago, MostlyC said:

Maybe the Shibs medal, but I don't think anyone else has a chance, sadly.  

If Nathan Chen can hit all his quads, he has a real good chance of medaling.

It seems like a lot of the skaters have stayed past their sell by date. I hope after the Olympics many of them get on with their life's work. (I'm looking at you, Ashley, Max, and Adam. Gracie ,too unfortunately). Jason Brown can stay because he's always fun to watch. I'm really looking forward to his The Room Where It Happens short program.

Edited August 29, 2017 by Good Queen Jane

[HartofDixie]

Quote

USA badly wants an olympic medal; team, individual, I don't think they care.  Perhaps they think Ashley has a better chance with her Moulin Rouge program than a new one.  Having not seen it, for all we know it was a disaster (choreography, presentation, music edit et. al).

Maybe the Shibs medal, but I don't think anyone else has a chance, sadly.  A lot of people who watch the olympics have never seen her Moulin Rouge, it will go over well with the tv/olympic audience.  Who knows. 

For the team I think the USA is in bronze medal position I just don't know if Japan can challenge them since they are weak in pairs and dance.  I think the gold will be between Canada and Russia.

I think the only other medal we may win is in dance but it may not be the Shibs!  We have 3 teams that could possibly skate in the final group at the Olympics.  The Shibs are getting the most media attention but I think it a lot will depend on how they all do this season and who wins Nationals.

Nathan Chen has potential but I want to see him continue towards 2022.

I think Ashley has a shot to get on the podium but she would need a little help from others and not make mistakes herself!

[Maelstrom]

Too bad about Julia. It's a tough field in the Russian ladies' department. I hope she can continue her recovery, anorexia is so destructive.

I loved Ashley's Moulin Rouge program the first year, and was actually happy when she kept it another year. Now... I think I might be ready for something different.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Maelstrom

[carrier76]

Gracie Gold taking time off to seek professional help.

 

This makes me sad for her. Poor thing.

[Jeddah]

34 minutes ago, carrier76 said:

Gracie Gold taking time off to seek professional help.

 

This makes me sad for her. Poor thing.

Poor Gracie. She looked so miserable all last season.

Between Julia and Gracie, I hope this makes coaches and the skating organizations really examine the way they treat young skaters and focus on what needs to be done in order to ensure skaters have the resources they need to be healthy both mentally and physically.

 

ETA: I know Ashley spoke candidly about concussions, and Joshua Farris's career was nearly over due to a concussion. I think that's something else the powers that be need to look at. They should be doing more to protect skaters.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Jeddah

[Mittengirl]

If someone is making Gracie feel like she does not have a "lean body", as per the article, then skating needs to take a long look at what is going on, both at the elite level and well before that.

[HartofDixie]

On 8/29/2017 at 9:55 PM, Maelstrom said:

I loved Ashley's Moulin Rouge program the first year, and was actually happy when she kept it another year. Now... I think I might be ready for something different.

Virtue and Moir are also going to skate to Moulin Rouge.

[BelleBrit]

This sport is brutal. I am kind of relieved though, Gracie is obviously going through a tough time, I was afraid that her team would be so desperate for the money grab in an Olympic year that they would tell her to stay in at all costs (I know her statement leaves the door open to competing on the grand prix, but...). Hopefully she is getting the support she needs. She was never as consistent as the early hype made her out to be, but she had so much raw talent that it is painful to watch this happen. Also, who thought having her skate to Barbara Streisand's People as her sp, this year of all years, would be a good idea? 

[Jeddah]

8 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

Virtue and Moir are also going to skate to Moulin Rouge.

I guess I'm glad they aren't doing another cheesy, lovey-dovey routine, but ugh. I am not looking forward to any Moulin Rouge programs.

[Avaleigh]

19 hours ago, Jeddah said:

I guess I'm glad they aren't doing another cheesy, lovey-dovey routine, but ugh. I am not looking forward to any Moulin Rouge programs.

 At least Virtue and Noir are trying something different for them. I think it's ridiculously lazy that Ashley is using Moulin Rouge again. Way to kill the excitement. It wasn't even that great of a program to begin with. Is there a skater who reuses programs more than she does? 

I'm very sad to hear about Gracie. People gave her nonstop shit because of her name and her looks in addition to under rating her talent as a skater. 

I know it isn't likely but I'd love for her to show up like a boss to Nationals and have the performances of her life. 

[caracas1914]

Ashley a third competitive season of Moulin Rouge?

Oh my.

[Libby96]

Quote

On 9/2/2017 at 0:21 AM, Jeddah said:

I guess I'm glad they aren't doing another cheesy, lovey-dovey routine, but ugh. I am not looking forward to any Moulin Rouge programs.

 

Knowing Virtue and Moir, they will find a way to make it lovey-dovey.

[Jeddah]

1 hour ago, Libby96 said:

Knowing Virtue and Moir, they will find a way to make it lovey-dovey.

If there's one thing in figure skating that's consistent, it's that.

[Tippi]

17 hours ago, caracas1914 said:

Ashley a third competitive season of Moulin Rouge?

Oh my.

It worked for Victor Petrenko!  (Using the same music for three years.)

Karen Chen is using warhorse music but she is a beautiful skater.  I'd love to see her do well. 

[BelleBrit]

Karen Chen and Vincent Zhou are also doing programs to Moulin Rouge music! I think it may turn into what Phantom was in the 2014-15 season. 

On balance, I think that Satoko Miyahara has had the best programs in this last cycle. And I wasn't always sold on her skating, but she really won me over (I loved Firedance, and the Planets from last year). It's really a shame that she is recovering from an injury, I hope that she can make the Olympic team. Japanese nationals is going to be tough this year with so many in contention. 

[SophiaD]

Well, that explains why the Olympics channel has been all over Ashley as the Olympic hopeful.  Karen is young and hasn't medaled, and Gracie is apparently out of the picture.  That makes me sad.

I think I'll focus on rooting for Vincent and Nathan and the Shib sibs next year.  I admire Ashley's work ethic and her determination, but her skating has never wowed me.  

[HartofDixie]

Quote

 

Potential changes next year.

[Maelstrom]

^^ Very interesting, HartofDixie, thanks for posting. Wonder what this will lead to...

[Jeddah]

I'm so torn on this. I do hate the pressure to keep upping the technical content since it can lead to injuries, burnout, etc. But I also like seeing people try new things! I think I'd be happy with bigger deductions for falls. That way people won't try things unless they really know they can land it.

I don't hate the current system. Jason Brown is never going to have a consistent, fully rotated quad, but I love his skating. Boyang Jin is never going to be graceful, but I enjoy his skating  because he just goes for it and churns out those jumps. Under the current IJS system, they're both top ten skaters, and I like that the sport has room for both types of skaters.

Edited September 12, 2017 by Jeddah

[specialj67]

Thanks for the link. Possibly widening the GOE scale is interesting; it would be nice to see the more crappily done quads get the penalty for poor quality they deserve.

[displayname]

Zagitova won Lombardia.

 

I like her far more than Medvedeva, though she does have some work to put in.

 

I don't think Medvedeva is all that good. At least, I don't like her jumps like I did Yuna's and I don't like her artistry like I did Mao's (and that works when we swap, too).

 

I like Nathan Chen, but he needs to make his port de bras stronger and he needs to fix his alignment. He never held his neck properly in Polovetsian Dances.

Edited September 16, 2017 by fan94

[displayname]

I'm not too sure about his SP, but this is beautiful: 

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand it's been copy-right claimed. It was Nathan Chen's 2017-18 FS.

 

I hope he can build momentum leading up to the Olympics.

Edited September 18, 2017 by fan94

[honeywest]

Nathan Chen won the U.S. International Classic with a clean quad loop--the first time he had tried it in competition. He now has every quad except the axel.

Not sure how I feel about that. I think Chen is a great talent, but quad mania has gotten a little too maniacal.

[Jeddah]

On 9/16/2017 at 2:34 AM, honeywest said:

Nathan Chen won the U.S. International Classic with a clean quad loop--the first time he had tried it in competition. He now has every quad except the axel.

Not sure how I feel about that. I think Chen is a great talent, but quad mania has gotten a little too maniacal.

That's how I feel too. I love watching him do these amazing jumps, but he already had that awful hip injury. I want him to stay healthy and have a long skating career.

I was so happy Mirai hit triple axels in both programs. I want there to be no reason for US Figure Skating to leave her off the Olympic team again.

[NicoleMN6]

Wouldn't it be lovely if both Ashley Wagner and Mirai Nagasu end up on our Olympic team? At last!

Ashley is skating to Moulin Rouge again? What happened to La La Land?

Edited September 18, 2017 by NicoleMN6

[HartofDixie]

The Skating Lesson is back!

[Tippi]

I was really impressed by Nathan's new short program.  To me it feels young and fresh and different.   I also like the long.  These two programs are Olympic medal quality.  Stay healthy, Nathan!  I also like Vincent's programs this year too. 

Did Zagitova backload every jumping pass into the bonus part of her LP?  I kind of wish that wasn't a thing.  Kudos to her for pulling it off.

Karen and Mirai have some work to do on underrotations.  I think every jump of Mirai's except for the triple axel was called underrotated.

[BelleBrit]

55 minutes ago, Tippi said:

I was really impressed by Nathan's new short program.  To me it feels young and fresh and different.   I also like the long.  These two programs are Olympic medal quality.  Stay healthy, Nathan!  I also like Vincent's programs this year too. 

Did Zagitova backload every jumping pass into the bonus part of her LP?  I kind of wish that wasn't a thing.  Kudos to her for pulling it off.

Karen and Mirai have some work to do on underrotations.  I think every jump of Mirai's except for the triple axel was called underrotated.

Not all of  Mirai's jumps were called as under, but most.  She got credit for the loop at the end (in addition to rotating the triple axel and the flip in her beginning combo)-I wonder if she will stay with the 8 triple layout throughout the season, it's very ambitious.  She still beat Karen Chen and Mariah Bell. Ladies triple axels are actually not worth that much, even though they are so rare.   The technical panel was very tough at US classic, and judges were not as GOE crazy as the ones at Lombardia.  I respect Alina Zagitova's technical ability, but I was still....a bit shocked by just how high her PCs were in the LP....Sigh.

I have mixed feelings about the potential widening of the GOE scale. It seems like it will just open up the door for more manipulation by the judges. The problem isn't so much the scoring system, it's the execution. 

Ashley Wagner has confirmed that she is skating to Moulin Rouge this season. She said that the LaLa land "character" was not "complex enough" for her. 

Edited September 20, 2017 by BelleBrit

[displayname]

16 hours ago, Tippi said:

Did Zagitova backload every jumping pass into the bonus part of her LP?  I kind of wish that wasn't a thing.  Kudos to her for pulling it off.

 

This too: 

[displayname]

Medvedeva was FINALLY called on her Flutz.

 

Her score was still 5 points too high, but I guess that's true for almost everyone now.

Edited September 24, 2017 by fan94

[AuntieDiane6]

FYI:  NBC's new OLYMPIC CHANNEL (not to be confused with its NBCSN) is offering classic Summer Olympic events (Opening Ceremoniess, gymnastics) so here's hoping Winter Olympics will be coming soon!!  

[displayname]

LOL at Medvedeva getting higher PCS in Japan Open than Yuna did in her 2014 Sochi LP.

 

LOL at Medvedeva getting higher PCS in any of her performances than Yuna or Mao in any of their performances.

[HartofDixie]

http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/21014582/us-figure-skating-champion-gracie-gold-withdraws-grand-prix-series-events

[attica]

I have a random question, that I'm sure posters here can answer: may wigs be worn in competition as part of a costume? What about hats/headdresses?

[surreysmum]

On 10/14/2017 at 9:29 PM, attica said:

I have a random question, that I'm sure posters here can answer: may wigs be worn in competition as part of a costume? What about hats/headdresses?

Here's what I have (from the ISU regulations):

Rule 501 Clothing 1. At ISU Championships, the Olympic Winter Games and International Competitions, the clothing of the Competitors must be modest, dignified and appropriate for athletic competition – not garish or theatrical in design. Clothing may, however, reflect the character of the music chosen. The clothing must not give the effect of excessive nudity inappropriate for the discipline. Men must wear full length trousers and must not wear tights. In addition, in Ice Dance, Ladies must wear a skirt. Accessories and props are not permitted. Clothing that does not adhere to these guidelines will be penalized by a deduction (see Rule 353, paragraph 1.n). For Ice Dance, exceptions to the restrictions may be announced by the IDTC if appropriate to the Rhythms selected for the Short Dance. 2. The decorations on costumes must be non-detachable. Part of the costume or decoration falling on the ice will be penalized by a deduction (see Rule 353, paragraph 1.n). Rule 502

----------

So wigs and headdresses are not specifically forbidden, but they might very well fail under either the "theatrical in design" or the "non-detachable" clauses. Hats, I would think, would definitely be considered under the "accessories and props" rule, especially if at any point you decided to play with it instead of just having it firmly strapped under your chin...  (However, in Ice Dance it looks as if they give themselves some costume wiggle room to accommodate, say, Spanish-style head-dresses to go with a flamenco - but it has to be specifically permitted by the technical committee up front).

Not sure if that helps any, and (to clarify) I'm just a long-time fan, not someone who has or has ever had input into actual figure skating costuming..

Adding to this, here are Skate Canada's regulations for their Adult skating competitions (therefore not necessarily in line with elite international figure skating) - interesting because they do make specific reference to hats:

Costumes

Clothing worn in competitions must be modest, dignified and appropriate for athletic competition and must not give the effect of excessive nudity for athletic sport. No tights for men are permitted; women may wear skirts, trousers or tights. Women must wear a skirt for Pattern dance events. Sleeveless costumes are permitted for women only. Clothing may reflect the character of the music. The safety of the skater must be a major consideration in the selection of clothing. Tails, boot covers, and trailing fabric that could trip the skater should be avoided.

Props (not including Showcase categories)

Props may not be used. Any item that is held in the hand or removed during the performance is considered to be a prop.  Thus, for example, a hat worn throughout the program is not considered to be a prop, but becomes one if it is intentionally removed or manipulated at any point during the performance.  If an item falls off on its own, it is not a prop; however, a deduction will be taken for part of the costume falling onto the ice.

Edited October 16, 2017 by surreysmum
added extra info about Skate Canada adult competition regulations

[Jeddah]

18 minutes ago, surreysmum said:

 the clothing of the Competitors must be modest, dignified and appropriate for athletic competition – not garish or theatrical in design.

These are certainly very subjective!  I have definitely seen costumes that I consider “garish or theatrical.”

[gatopretoNYC]

On 9/26/2017 at 6:21 PM, AuntieDiane6 said:

FYI:  NBC's new OLYMPIC CHANNEL (not to be confused with its NBCSN) is offering classic Summer Olympic events (Opening Ceremoniess, gymnastics) so here's hoping Winter Olympics will be coming soon!!  

They're showing some this week. I tuned in tonight just in time to see Jason Brown in the free skate of this year's Worlds, so me happy. :)

This week they are airing more from Worlds, and a show called Return to Sochi, with skating.

I just watched Jason Brown's new programs in the Lombardia trophy. I like the short very much, and I LOVE the free skate. 

[MostlyC]

Oh Mirai. 

I almost wonder if TPTB have it in for her.

While not a fan or Kostner or Evegnia, damn they can skate.

And also, I may have become a fan of Nathan Chen today.  Who knew?

[Jeddah]

2 hours ago, MostlyC said:

Oh Mirai. 

I almost wonder if TPTB have it in for her.

While not a fan or Kostner or Evegnia, damn they can skate.

And also, I may have become a fan of Nathan Chen today.  Who knew?

I said the exact same thing. Oh Mirai. That was painful to watch.

[carrier76]

I don’t think Mirai deserves those low marks. After everything else I saw in that competition, no way.

 

I “WOO”-ed Chen’s opening jump pass while watching alone in my living room and felt like a total dork afterwards.

 

I can’t stand Evgenia (sp?) and her “skate faces,” no matter how great everyone tells me she is. 

[displayname]

8 hours ago, carrier76 said:

I can’t stand Evgenia (sp?) and her “skate faces,” no matter how great everyone tells me she is. 

No speed to her skating, no clean edges, looks like she muscles through jumps. I don't get her performance quality, either.

 

If only she were being told to improve through her scores, but she hasn't scored below 145 for a while.