Figure Skating

[specialj67]

4 hours ago, Moxie Cat said:

Yeah, Jason Brown! The free skate must have gone well. I am looking forward to seeing the 4CC recap on NBC today.

Odd that Japan would send the A team. You would think they wouldn't want to risk injury to any of their skaters (especially Shoma Uno) this close to the Olympics.

I was looking at the Wikipedia entry for the medal winners of this event, and it seems like Japan usually sends more of their top skaters than not. Perhaps because they hold their national championships sooner than countries like Canada and the U.S., their top skaters have more time to train in between the two competitions and are less likely to beg off?

I’m glad they do, because I really enjoyed seeing Uno in all of his performatively melodramatic glory in this year’s competition.

Conversely, I’m glad the U.S. sent the b team for this one, because it gave Jason Brown and Max Aaron an opportunity at redemption, and they didn’t waste it.

[Jeddah]

Yeah, there’s no way Ashley would have medalled in that field. 

Kaori Sakamota is adorable. I’m glad she made the Olympic team. I do wish Japan was sending three women.

I think my favorite part was Jason cheering for Shoma’s score. He’s such a good sport. I was happy for Max too.

Jin Boyang was great! He has improved so much artistically, and he looked like he was having fun. I like watching him.

The North Korean pairs team was a surprise. I had never seen them before. Good for them for getting bronze.

And the US got gold and silver IN PAIRS! I know it wasn’t a packed field, but still!

[Moxie Cat]

I love Jin Boyang's free skate! So entertaining, and yeah, he looks like he absolutely enjoys the heck out of the "Cantina Band" segment (as do I). I don't know about you guys, but some of these free skates get LONG and blah for me. Not this one! Looking forward to seeing him again at the Olympics.

[AuntieDiane6]

Some 4C observations:

*  I was horrified to see an almost completely empty arena for the pairs and dance events.  I wasn't expecting a full house, but there couldn't have been more than 60 people in attendance.  Heck, they should have given free tickets to school kids or skating schools if they had to.  That was embarrassing.  And the empty seats gave the music a weird, echoey sound.

*  Sad to see how far the US Ladies have fallen (figuratively and literally).  I remember the day when we could send in our B team and they would end up on the podium too.  

*  Loved to see how popular Jason Brown is in Asia!  Thrilled to hear the audience (mostly Japanese girls!) applaud his SPIRAL.  He did great.

*  I thought the little camera trick that he, Max and Shoma did at the finale was ADORABLE!!  When the screen split to show Shoma's reaction to Jin's marks,  you saw Max's face. And then Max leaned to the left and behind him was JASON. Then Jason leaned to the right and THEN you saw Shoma with a facial expression that said, "Surprise!"  So fun.  (And it was fast, like it was choreographed)

Edited January 28, 2018 by AuntieDiane6

[Tippi]

Jin did do really well.  He hasn't been one of my must see skaters, as what I remembered was a lot of quad attempts with very sloppy positions and landings, but man has he cleaned up those issues!  He still has a lot of jump stalking going on, but the technical content is practically off the charts.  He is definitely in the conversation for the Olympics. 

Seeing the other skaters cheering each other on was such a nice touch.  I happened to catch the up and coming dance pair--I think their names are Lorraine and Quinn?--in the crowd cheering for Jason.  They looked so cute, I may just have to root for them next year.

[honeywest]

Quote

I happened to catch the up and coming dance pair—I think their names are Lorraine and Quinn?—in the crowd cheering for Jason. They looked so cute, I may just have to root for them next year.

Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter. I started rooting for them once I saw their short dance at Nationals.

[Maelstrom]

So 4CC ended up being a surprise treat for me, with three of my favorite skaters (Jason, Misha, and Shoma) all in attendance and being awesome. I'm so thrilled for Jason that he won bronze after how Nationals turned out. He's just a sublime skater IMO. As is Misha, whom I keep hoping will decide not to retire after the season's end. And Jin Boyang has really come a long way! His SP was the best I've ever seen him - he's finally becoming more than just a quad jumping machine. I actually didn't mind him winning over Shoma for once. Lots of big names heading into Pyeongchang this Olympics - the mens event will be a tight race.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Maelstrom

[healthnut]

Wonder why Japan didn’t send Rika Kihara, since she was third at Nationals. I’m dying to see this Triple axel-triple toe combo on a bigger stage.

Why didn’t Ross go to 4CC?

[carrier76]

I am fairly certain Ross was assigned 4CC, and he withdrew? I could be wrong.

[displayname]

1 minute ago, carrier76 said:

I am fairly certain Ross was assigned 4CC, and he withdrew? I could be wrong.

No, you're right.

[EVS]

9 minutes ago, carrier76 said:

I am fairly certain Ross was assigned 4CC, and he withdrew? I could be wrong.

He did withdraw and Grant Hochstein took his place. 

Eta link: http://www.usfsa.org/story?id=91173&type=media

Edited January 29, 2018 by EVS

[Jeddah]

His coach said on The Skating Lesson that Ross withdrew from Four Continents because he decided his performances at Nationals would be a good way to go out.

It’s a great interview with poor Mark Mitchell who has terrible luck when it comes to the Olympics. Mark's comments about Ross's thinking about Four Continents starts around 1:22:04.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Jeddah
Adding link

[annzeepark914]

I've always loved Ross's skating.  IMO, he's the real deal of what figure skating is all about--athleticism and artistry perfectly blended.  Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be able to handle the quads.  I don't blame him for withdrawing from 4CC.  So now I wonder if he'll retire.  If so, I'm going to miss seeing his snazzy skating.

OK - just saw Jeddah's post. So he is retiring.  And Josh probably isn't returning (another one of those stylish skaters--sorta like Paul Wylie). This is why I'm really only excited about ice dance nowadays. To me, that's the only discipline that is doing increasingly difficult moves but still managing to skate with the music.  

Edited January 29, 2018 by annzeepark914

[Jeddah]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

 

OK - just saw Jeddah's post. So he is retiring.  And Josh probably isn't returning (another one of those stylish skaters--sorta like Paul Wylie). This is why I'm really only excited about ice dance nowadays. To me, that's the only discipline that is doing increasingly difficult moves but still managing to skate with the music.  

 

It was sort of a throwaway line that Mark Mitchell said when they asked about Four Continents, but I don't think Ross has officially said he's retiring. It sounds like he is though.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Jeddah

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, carrier76 said:

I am fairly certain Ross was assigned 4CC, and he withdrew? I could be wrong.

Thanks for the  correction

[Cherpumple]

On 1/27/2018 at 7:16 PM, AuntieDiane6 said:

Some 4C observations:

*  I was horrified to see an almost completely empty arena for the pairs and dance events.  I wasn't expecting a full house, but there couldn't have been more than 60 people in attendance.  Heck, they should have given free tickets to school kids or skating schools if they had to.  That was embarrassing.  And the empty seats gave the music a weird, echoey sound.

Yeah, that was awful! I felt so bad for the skaters, especially since so many of them seem to be the "B squad" who were finally getting a chance to shine.

Another observation: I know a lot of music gets repeated (Moulin Rouge, Carmen, Swan Lake, etc.) but I was shocked to hear the song "Papa can you hear me?" from the 1983 musical Yentl FOUR TIMES! Twice in the Ladies event, once in pairs, and I think once in dance. It's a nice song, but I was really surprised to hear it so frequently, when I don't remember it at all from previous years.

[healthnut]

The whole point of allowing music with words was to increase the selection of music. It’s crazy that skaters still find a way to use the same music. 

[Good Queen Jane]

Jason Brown was quoted on Icenetwork that he had spent the whole season running after the quad and he decided at 4CC to just be himself. Obviously, it worked. I fear we have seen the last of Jason Brown as an eligible skater, which is a shame. But it seems that you have to do quads to medal and I don't think Jason ever will. It will be interesting if the new rules dial that back any.

4 hours ago, healthnut said:

The whole point of allowing music with words was to increase the selection of music. It’s crazy that skaters still find a way to use the same music. 

New music means getting the rights and cutting it to fit. It can get expensive. Plus the judges are old and aren't likely to go for some of the newer music. Easier to use the music that the coach already has.

[ChicksDigScars]

4 hours ago, healthnut said:

The whole point of allowing music with words was to increase the selection of music. It’s crazy that skaters still find a way to use the same music. 

Right? Carmen is used LESS, but it still shows up somewhere in every competition. Now, Nessun Dorma is the new Carmen. 

Olympic Channel. Where have you been all my life? I wish I had this channel before the past year. I love seeing ALL the major skating competitions, as well as skiing, bobsled, all the sports that get zero coverage.  And the past Olympic skating that they showed last month. I wonder if they can only show what NBC has the broadcast rights to.  They went as far back as Torino. I think CBS had the Winter Games before that, and ABC before CBS (Jim McKay, the voice of the ABC Olympic broadcast).  I'd love to see some vintage Kwan. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[carrier76]

How did everybody feel about Charlie White as a commentator? I think he has a potential, but he needs a thesaurus so he can find another phrase to describe a jump other than “well done.”

 

I don’t know who his co-commentator is, but he was making some bizarre errors in his facts. For example, once he referred to Hanyu as the reigning Olympic silver medalist. Wha?

[displayname]

13 minutes ago, carrier76 said:

How did everybody feel about Charlie White as a commentator? I think he has a potential, but he needs a thesaurus so he can find another phrase to describe a jump other than “well done.”

 

I don’t know who his co-commentator is, but he was making some bizarre errors in his facts. For example, once he referred to Hanyu as the reigning Olympic silver medalist. Wha?

What was he commenting on? Is there a YouTube link you can share?

[Moxie Cat]

Charlie did the commenting for NBC's recap special of 4CC. (I did not see any live coverage.) He was OK, if a little blah. I missed Johnny and Tara's insight into each skater - their competition history, personality, etc. Maybe they talk too much sometimes but they know a lot! I did love when the other guy (sorry, don't know who he was) asked Charlie about Jin Boyang's free skate and he admitted he loved it because "I'm a huge Star Wars nerd."

[carrier76]

2 hours ago, fan94 said:

What was he commenting on? Is there a YouTube link you can share?

Sorry, I don’t have a link. I don’t remember; I was folding laundry and marathon watching on DVR.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

New music means getting the rights and cutting it to fit. It can get expensive. Plus the judges are old and aren't likely to go for some of the newer music. Easier to use the music that the coach already has.

Well, if figure skating wants to go the way of bowling, then go ahead!  Make the sport so boring to watch that the seats are empty and the competitions are few because they lose so much money.  Keep playing the same boring classical music and stale Broadway tunes so you can entertain the fat grandmothers in the audience wearing their "I Love My Cat" sweatshirts.  If judges can't understand new music, replace them with someone under the age of 70.  Limit the number of people who can use the same music in a competition.  Tweak the rules.  Limit the quads--Phil Hersh found a study that showed only 18% of all quads are landed. Nobody cares.  If you want to promote the athletics, add medals for the jumps ... just like gymnastics has tumbling competitions.

I tried to get my nieces (ages 10, 15 and 29) to watch skating on TV. After one performance of some screechy violin music with an unknown skater who fell twice, my 9-year-old niece asked, "Can we watch Netflix?" 

[healthnut]

21 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

Limit the quads--Phil Hersh found a study that showed only 18% of all quads are landed.

I have zero problem if they have stiffer penalties for falls, and step outs. Imagine if they got zero for a missed jump. They could be a game changer, more clean programs. Ever since Jeffrey Buttle put a quad in his program with no hopes of landing it just for the points, I’ve had huge issues with the technical scoring. 

[Maelstrom]

4 hours ago, carrier76 said:

How did everybody feel about Charlie White as a commentator? I think he has a potential, but he needs a thesaurus so he can find another phrase to describe a jump other than “well done.”

 

I don’t know who his co-commentator is, but he was making some bizarre errors in his facts. For example, once he referred to Hanyu as the reigning Olympic silver medalist. Wha?

I enjoyed Charlie’s commentary, since I have a low tolerance for Johnny and Tara’s cattiness. But his co-commenter was way off! I can’t for the life of me remember his name, but he was definitely a newbie to the world of figure skating. Not only did he call Yuzu the reigning silver medalist, but he also called him Yuzuru Hanzu! It’s not too tough to get the skaters’ names correct there, buddy. Google is your friend!

[annzeepark914]

28 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

Well, if figure skating wants to go the way of bowling, then go ahead!  Make the sport so boring to watch that the seats are empty and the competitions are few because they lose so much money.  Keep playing the same boring classical music and stale Broadway tunes so you can entertain the fat grandmothers in the audience wearing their "I Love My Cat" sweatshirts.  If judges can't understand new music, replace them with someone under the age of 70.  Limit the number of people who can use the same music in a competition.  Tweak the rules.  Limit the quads--Phil Hersh found a study that showed only 18% of all quads are landed. Nobody cares.  If you want to promote the athletics, add medals for the jumps ... just like gymnastics has tumbling competitions.

I tried to get my nieces (ages 10, 15 and 29) to watch skating on TV. After one performance of some screechy violin music with an unknown skater who fell twice, my 9-year-old niece asked, "Can we watch Netflix?" 

I'm with your nieces wanting to watch something else when the screechy violin music starts.  There is (& always has been) way too much awful music selections in figure skating competitions.  I have to hit the mute button whenever that whiny accordion music starts (usually in ice dancing for the tango).  And the vocal selections used today?  Not much of an improvement when someone's wailing away.  I didn't realize skaters had to pay to use certain musical selections. That can get pricey on top of rink time, coaching fees, travel, skates and costumes, etc.

[honeywest]

10 hours ago, Good Queen Jane said:

I fear we have seen the last of Jason Brown as an eligible skater

I hope that’s not the case . I still wish he would work with a jump specialist; if he had even one reliable quad (and a more consistent triple axel), his medal count would go up.

Edited January 30, 2018 by honeywest

[displayname]

15 hours ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

Well, if figure skating wants to go the way of bowling, then go ahead!  Make the sport so boring to watch that the seats are empty and the competitions are few because they lose so much money.  Keep playing the same boring classical music and stale Broadway tunes so you can entertain the fat grandmothers in the audience wearing their "I Love My Cat" sweatshirts.  If judges can't understand new music, replace them with someone under the age of 70.  Limit the number of people who can use the same music in a competition.  Tweak the rules.  Limit the quads--Phil Hersh found a study that showed only 18% of all quads are landed. Nobody cares.  If you want to promote the athletics, add medals for the jumps ... just like gymnastics has tumbling competitions.

I tried to get my nieces (ages 10, 15 and 29) to watch skating on TV. After one performance of some screechy violin music with an unknown skater who fell twice, my 9-year-old niece asked, "Can we watch Netflix?" 

I just want to point out that while it might be losing popularity in the US, it's steady or even gaining popularity in countries like Japan and Russia. I think Yuri on Ice made it very popular among the young crowd and the presence of social media has pretty much made Figure Skating into a reality show.

I think this is an unfair comment. Modern music is hard to interpret on ice, I think. Hip-hop doesn't lend itself too well to movement on ice. The modern slow "emotional" songs are not as beautiful as classical songs, and are also more "boring". There are not too many that lend themselves to this type of movement well.

Modern classical has been interpreted well. This would be good to see. See Yuzuru's 2017 worlds FS. But it's still classical!

Maybe something like Boyang's spiderman! Hanyu also has some good skating to rock music. Many skaters do actually skate to more unusual music choices (Yuna's Kiss of the Vampire), or even classical music that isn't used too much (Yuna's Danse Macabre and Piano Concerto in F). I wouldn't call any of the Tangos or Flamencos regularly used by skaters as "stale" as they have so much room for interpretation! There have been several skaters, especially since lyrics have been made legal for music choices, who have skated to modern music.

As for quads... They're exciting. They add a spectacle. They increase the stakes. Think about it -- Men's is the only discipline that has 4 men (Hanyu, Chen, Uno and Jin) competing for gold, simply because it all depends on how they land their quads those two nights. People who can't do them, shouldn't, but we shouldn't exclude quads only because we want clean programs. We can't argue that it prevents people from being more artistic, because look at those four! All of them bring something extra to ice! I think we should absolutely award people who can do both.'And if music choices shouldn't stagnate, why should the athletic ability?

 

I do agree that we need fresh blood in the judges, though, but for completely different reasons -- flush out the corrupt ones that are still somehow allowed to judge skating.

Edited January 30, 2018 by fan94

[annzeepark914]

I was just looking at Madison & Keifer Hubbell's list of programs during their competitive years as I remember them always using interesting music (e.g., Art of Noise's Moments in Love, Josh Groban's Canto alla vita, Santana's Espinada).  There's good music out there but I guess it's just a matter of having a creative choreographer who also provides suggestions of different but skate-able music.  Michelle Kwan, early on, used really good music but then I loved her programs too back in those days (thanks to her choregrapher...Lori Nichols?) 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kristi Yamaguchi discusses her partnership with Team Milk, what the highlight of the Olympics was for her, and what other events she'll be watching at this Olympics:

Edited February 8, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[MaryMitch]

15 hours ago, carrier76 said:

How did everybody feel about Charlie White as a commentator? I think he has a potential, but he needs a thesaurus so he can find another phrase to describe a jump other than “well done.”

Charlie does add a different viewpoint - he comments a lot about musicality and connecting with the audience.  I do like Weir's comments about jumping technique, which I haven't heard from Charlie.

If I had a chance to talk to the commentators, I would say "you don't need to tell us every element when it's written in the upper left corner. Let us enjoy the skate without the constant chatter."

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The movie I, Tonya has been garnering praise (and racking up awards) but J.E. Vader, a sports columnist who reported on ice skating for Sports Illustrated, The National Sports Daily, and The Oregonian during the late 80s/early 90s wrote an opinion piece about why the movie is full of crap.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

I think this is an unfair comment. Modern music is hard to interpret on ice, I think. Hip-hop doesn't lend itself too well to movement on ice. The modern slow "emotional" are not as beautiful as classical songs, and are also more "boring". There are not too many that lend themselves to this type of movement well.

Modern classical has been interpreted well. This would be good to see. See Yuzuru's 2017 worlds FS. But it's still classical!

I love classical music and honestly, I never grow tired of Liszt's Dreams of Love ...  At the same time, we need more Torvill and Dean's to interpret DIFFERENT CLASSICAL MUSIC...  Skaters need to look to shows like So You Think You Can Dance -- which somehow manages to find interesting interpretative music besides 800 renditions of Carmen and Les Miz ...  

And, for heaven's sake, why has NO ONE interpreted the theme from Showtime's THE BORGIAS???  

Quote

 it's steady or even gaining popularity in countries like Japan.

I was excited to see the Japanese ascend in the sport and I was looking forward to some new and interesting interpretations.  Instead, all we got was Japanese skaters using the SAME STALE MUSIC AND COACHES AND CHOREOGRAPHY as everybody else -- they've added nothing new; they're just copying what everybody else is doing.  

Quote

As for quads... They're exciting. They add a spectacle. They increase the stakes. 

No one cares.  To the casual viewer, they look just like every other fast-twist jump.  

Quote

If I had a chance to talk to the commentators, I would say "you don't need to tell us every element when it's written in the upper left corner. Let us enjoy the skate without the constant chatter."

YES!!!!!!!!!    I can barely hear the music over the inane comments.  I don't care about where their mother was born, where they grew up or how old they were when they started skating.  Please tweet to them as much as you can.  I swear, Tanith White started shutting up once I hash tagged #chattytanny and posting it on her feed  (I also may be full of baloney!) 

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

I enjoyed Charlie’s commentary, since I have a low tolerance for Johnny and Tara’s cattiness

I love the cattiness!  Although, I wish they would SHUT UP during the actual routines especially TERRY GANNON who takes it as his sacred obligation to immediately blurt out inane facts the second the music slows down.

[Jeddah]

11 hours ago, fan94 said:

As for quads... They're exciting. They add a spectacle. They increase the stakes. Think about it -- Men's is the only discipline that has 4 men (Hanyu, Chen, Uno and Jin) competing for gold, simply because it all depends on how they land their quads those two nights. People who can't do them, shouldn't, but we shouldn't exclude quads only because we want clean programs. We can't argue that it prevents people from being more artistic, because look at those four! All of them bring something extra to ice! I think we should absolutely award people who can do both.'And if music choices shouldn't stagnate, why should the athletic ability?

I agree with this so much! The four you mentioned are all very different skaters, and I love them all! I don’t think the sport has turned into a jumping contest without artistic interpretation. I hate some of the music, but there is diversity in programs. Shoma Uno is skating to the Opera Turandot, but then there’s also Boyang Jin selling that Star Wars program and Javier Fernandez skating to a Broadway musical from the sixties. All very different skaters, with very different programs, and on good days they can churn out those gorgeous quads. They should be rewarded for that. I agree that it’s exciting, and it does create a spectacle.

I feel the same way about the ladies. Eight years ago Mirai did two triples in her short program at the Olympics. This year she did four in her short program at Nationals. To me, that’s amazing! Sure, she stepped out of the triple axel so her program wasn't “clean.” But it was still awesome. I love seeing people push themselves and move the sport forward.

Of course, I worry about people getting injured. I think coaches and skaters need to be careful and honest about what skaters can do. Don’t try things just to try them. Practice with the harness until it’s perfect. Don’t put quads in programs if there’s only a 10% chance of landing them. But if someone can do a jump reliably well, I say go for it.

[HartofDixie]

Olympic entries

Edited January 30, 2018 by HartofDixie

[Jeddah]

7 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

Olympic entries

@HartofDixie I just want to say I appreciate how you always post broadcast times and info like this! Thanks for keeping us all up to date! 

[ChicksDigScars]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The movie I, Tonya has been garnering praise (and racking up awards) but J.E. Vader, a sports columnist who reported on ice skating for Sports Illustrated, The National Sports Daily, and The Oregonian during the late 80s/early 90s wrote an opinion piece about why the movie is full of crap.

"I, Nauseated." I love it.  As much as I want to see the movie, and think that Allison Janney is awesome,  it does bother me to see Harding's story whitewashed, and Tonya moved to victim status, something that Nancy Kerrigan actually IS.   Seeing Tonya at the Golden Globes, being praised by Janney in her acceptance speech, just turns my stomach.  

 

As far as Charlie White's announcing, I thought he was fine, but wasn't it Ryan Bradley that was the voice in the men's and ladies event? The two men sound a bit similar to me.  Ryan tends to be more sing songy and sound like a kindergarten teacher explaining to a bunch of five year olds, at times. But, hell, it's nice that someone is actually TRYING to explain shit to the audience. Otherwise, casual viewers still don't "get" the scoring system, and ask why the guy who went SPLAT beat the guy who didn't.  Shit, sometimes I can't figure it out, still (2006 Pairs long program in Torino still being a mystery to me. How do you splat, stop the program, and still win a silver medal. Anyway...). 

[annzeepark914]

3 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

"I, Nauseated." I love it.  As much as I want to see the movie, and think that Allison Janney is awesome,  it does bother me to see Harding's story whitewashed, and Tonya moved to victim status, something that Nancy Kerrigan actually IS.   Seeing Tonya at the Golden Globes, being praised by Janney in her acceptance speech, just turns my stomach.  

 

As far as Charlie White's announcing, I thought he was fine, but wasn't it Ryan Bradley that was the voice in the men's and ladies event? The two men sound a bit similar to me.  Ryan tends to be more sing songy and sound like a kindergarten teacher explaining to a bunch of five year olds, at times. But, hell, it's nice that someone is actually TRYING to explain shit to the audience. Otherwise, casual viewers still don't "get" the scoring system, and ask why the guy who went SPLAT beat the guy who didn't.  Shit, sometimes I can't figure it out, still (2006 Pairs long program in Torino still being a mystery to me. How do you splat, stop the program, and still win a silver medal. Anyway...). 

I refuse to see this stupid movie, "I, a Victim...waaaaaa".  Tonya should've gone to prison IMO.  This could've been a helluva lot more serious since Shane (or whatever his name is) asked Tonya if she wanted NK to be taken out.  I've never forgotten that.  And yet, Tonya got to go to the Olympics a month later. Disgusting.

Whenever I see Zhang, I remember that awful skate in Torino.  How long were they off the ice yet allowed to return to finish their program?  His partner had to be in a lot of pain because she really slammed into the wall.  I think if the music stops and you're off the ice, that means you're out of the competition.

[displayname]

2 hours ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

No one cares.  To the casual viewer, they look just like every other fast-twist jump.  

Quote

Why would the casual viewer not listen to the commentators about the sport and the difficulty? If a casual viewer cares this little, then why even watch?

[HartofDixie]

If you use Twitter I suggest you follow Jackie Wong @rockerskating. 

[carrier76]

4 hours ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I love the cattiness!  Although, I wish they would SHUT UP during the actual routines especially TERRY GANNON who takes it as his sacred obligation to immediately blurt out inane facts the second the music slows down.

He also goes overboard working in references to Tara’s OGM. Terry? WE KNOW.

[ChicksDigScars]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I refuse to see this stupid movie, "I, a Victim...waaaaaa".  Tonya should've gone to prison IMO.  This could've been a helluva lot more serious since Shane (or whatever his name is) asked Tonya if she wanted NK to be taken out.  I've never forgotten that.  And yet, Tonya got to go to the Olympics a month later. Disgusting.

Whenever I see Zhang, I remember that awful skate in Torino.  How long were they off the ice yet allowed to return to finish their program?  His partner had to be in a lot of pain because she really slammed into the wall.  I think if the music stops and you're off the ice, that means you're out of the competition.

Yep.  I should have mentioned that I DO want to see the movie, but I intend to see it when it comes on HBO, Starz or Netflix. In other words, I'm not spending money that may end up in Tonya's pocket, if she's getting a percentage of the box and/of DVD/BluRay sales (not sure how that works).  I know that she probably was given a nice payout to tell her story for the writers of the screenplay, but does she continue to cash in as the movie plays to the public?

 

Does anyone else get a squicky feeling when watching Zhang skate NOW, because of the age difference with his current partner?  I know she's no longer a teenager, but still.....

Edited January 30, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[Silver Raven]

I just saw this ad on NBC for the Olympics, featuring Nathan Chen.

[Jillibean]

6 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

Olympic entries

So they're going to let Russia basically compete as a team, just under a different name. That strikes me as so wrong and completely undermining the point of the whole alleged ban. It seems so nominal in nature with no real teeth. 

[displayname]

44 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

So they're going to let Russia basically compete as a team, just under a different name. That strikes me as so wrong and completely undermining the point of the whole alleged ban. It seems so nominal in nature with no real teeth. 

Yep, seems like a non-punishment.

 

I at least hope the Russian judges have been banned for sure.

[healthnut]

Does anyone know when they have to put in the entries specifically for the team event, or can they do that on the fly? I can't remember from Sochi.

[displayname]

9 hours ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I was excited to see the Japanese ascend in the sport and I was looking forward to some new and interesting interpretations.  Instead, all we got was Japanese skaters using the SAME STALE MUSIC AND COACHES AND CHOREOGRAPHY as everybody else -- they've added nothing new; they're just copying what everybody else is doing.  

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I... disagree. All of the top Japanese skaters, including the Juniors, and also including the Junior Koreans, have brought something new and fresh to the Olympics. Yuzuru regularly interprets modern rock music. He took his last year's Worlds FS from a famous Anime composer. Seimei is about a Japanese philosopher. Satoko skates to Madame Butterfly -- a story about a Japanese woman. 

Japanese skaters do bring something new to the ice. Look at their skating and compare it to the Russians and the Americans. Their skating, IMO, is more complete, more about the skating skills, where the Americans might be more about projection and spectacle, and where the Russians might be more about the expression. They do bring a different performance quality, IMO.

(And there are several well-reputed Japanese coaches who train Japanese skaters.)

Expecting them to interpret differently... If the above isn't satisfactory, then I'll point you to something that Yuna once said about her Homage to Korea program. She wanted to do something as a thanks for the support from her country multiple times, but was afraid that it wouldn't be well-received by the judges. After she won the Olympics, she did the program anyway. She later commented that it was perhaps not as well-received as she would have liked. I believe it was speculated that it didn't appeal very much to the western audiences, and the western judges. If this is the case, wouldn't you stick to what works? 

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2089091,00.html

There are more Asian skaters and Asian audiences are getting into the sport. But the sport was majorly European and Western for a long time. There might be change, but it will be gradual. In the mean time, I will enjoy the skaters that I enjoy. I have no problem with what skaters skate to, as long as they skate well.

Edited January 31, 2018 by fan94

[AuntieDiane6]

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Why would the casual viewer not listen to the commentators about the sport and the difficulty? If a casual viewer cares this little, then why even watch?

They don't.  That's why the sport is failing here in the US, and especially with the young age group.  When 82% of all quad jumps end in falls, it's hard to attract an audience.  I mean, the OLYMPIC MEN'S GOLD MEDALIST FELL TWICE AND STILL WON THE GOLD.  The fact that we don't have a gold-medal women's favorite doesn't help either.  

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All of the top Japanese skaters, including the Juniors, and also including the Junior Koreans, have brought something new and fresh to the Olympics. Yuzuru regularly interprets modern rock music. He took his last year's Worlds' FS from a famous Anime composer. Seimei is about a Japanese philosopher. Satoko skates to Madame Butterfly. A story about a Japanese woman. 

I bet that's Brian Orser's doing ... but I DO appreciate it.

I guess when I think of upheaval and something new and fresh, I think of TORVILL & DEAN. But I guess it's not fair to expect a T&D more than once in a generation.