Figure Skating

[Sarahsmile416]

19 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

I have to say that I preferred Leona to Kaori. I think it was the music. I really don't care for the spoken word song. But her skating was great, in spite of that. 

Nice to see a US lady on the podium again. Although I kinda wish it was Mariah. Alyssa is great, but still young. Mariah did beat her on component scores, but it was the technical marks that gave Alysa the medal. 

How pleasant. No temper tantrums in the kiss and cry, no evil  Noodle Head burning holes into the backs of other skaters with her Glare of Death. No berating young girls for not performing to said Noodle Head's expectations. It was a relaxed atmosphere. Sorry Russia. Didn't miss you!

 

 

Such a balm after the Olympic ceremony! 

Kaori and Alysa were so darned cute smelling the flowers - such unabashed joy.  I love it.  

[Lady Whistleup]

I didn't really miss the Russians in the ladies competition, but did miss them in the pairs competition. Also missed the Chinese.

[CeeBeeGee]

42 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

How pleasant. No temper tantrums in the kiss and cry, no evil  Noodle Head burning holes into the backs of other skaters with her Glare of Death. No berating young girls for not performing to said Noodle Head's expectations. It was a relaxed atmosphere. Sorry Russia. Didn't miss you!

And also...no dope!

 

42 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

I’m so happy for Alysa! I’m disappointed for Mariah though. 

At least Mariah has the Olympic silver medal, though.

[emmawoodhouse]

7 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

And also...no dope!

 

At least Mariah has the Olympic silver medal, though.

Mariah may actually get a hold medal. Some day. 

I heard they have until early AUGUST to rule on that. 

[shoregirl]

13 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

And also...no dope!

 

At least Mariah has the Olympic silver medal, though.

Does she? Didn't Karen skate both the short and the free?

[CeeBeeGee]

7 minutes ago, shoregirl said:

Does she? Didn't Karen skate both the short and the free?

I just checked--you're right. What the hell? Way to treat your National champion, US. Who made that stupid decision?

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, ChicksDigScars said:

I have to say that I preferred Leona to Kaori. I think it was the music. I really don't care for the spoken word song. But her skating was great, in spite of that. 

Nice to see a US lady on the podium again. Although I kinda wish it was Mariah. Alyssa is great, but still young. Mariah did beat her on component scores, but it was the technical marks that gave Alysa the medal. 

How pleasant. No temper tantrums in the kiss and cry, no evil  Noodle Head burning holes into the backs of other skaters with her Glare of Death. No berating young girls for not performing to said Noodle Head's expectations. It was a relaxed atmosphere. Sorry Russia. Didn't miss you!

 😡pan widget

Edited March 25, 2022 by annzeepark914

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, ChicksDigScars said:

I have to say that I preferred Leona to Kaori. I think it was the music. I really don't care for the spoken word song. But her skating was great, in spite of that. 

Nice to see a US lady on the podium again. Although I kinda wish it was Mariah. Alyssa is great, but still young. Mariah did beat her on component scores, but it was the technical marks that gave Alysa the medal. 

How pleasant. No temper tantrums in the kiss and cry, no evil  Noodle Head burning holes into the backs of other skaters with her Glare of Death. No berating young girls for not performing to said Noodle Head's expectations. It was a relaxed atmosphere. Sorry Russia. Didn't miss you!

 

 

Exactly my thoughts. While watching a number of skaters, I kept wishing they had better choreographers. Arms were flying up & down (for me, it's like fingernails on a blackboard 😡). And we don't often see skaters actually skating to their music. I too preferred Leona. And, of course, this World's has a calmer feel (mostly because ramen head isn't there). Why wasn't Mariah's coach there? 

Edited March 25, 2022 by annzeepark914

[emmawoodhouse]

25 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I just checked--you're right. What the hell? Way to treat your National champion, US. Who made that stupid decision?

D'oh! I blacked out Karen's lousy skates in the Team Event. 

[MaryMitch]

I'm ashamed to say at first I was hoping Loena would fall apart (because I wanted 2 Americans on the podium), but I must say at the end of her skate I had changed my mind; that was beautiful!

I'm glad they changed the technical score box back to showing the base value and GOE.

[emmawoodhouse]

40 minutes ago, MaryMitch said:

I'm ashamed to say at first I was hoping Loena would fall apart (because I wanted 2 Americans on the podium), but I must say at the end of her skate I had changed my mind; that was beautiful!

I'm glad they changed the technical score box back to showing the base value and GOE.

That's the ISU tech box. NBC and NHK have their own, with varying levels of success.

[Jeddah]

After the Olympics it’s just nice to see a happy podium!

[CeeBeeGee]

21 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

After the Olympics it’s just nice to see a happy podium!

Right? Like, I feel we're all still recovering from the horror that was women's singles in Beijing. We needed the balm of clean skates and happy athletes.

Edited March 26, 2022 by CeeBeeGee

[Jillibean]

9 hours ago, Bessiesue said:

I agree with you Good Queen Jane.  Something happened beforehand.  We watched the throw jump frame by frame, and she had a very weird askewed look on her face.  Afterwards the other jumps she went down, and I told my husband that something weird happened beforehand.  The look from her parents, I cannot imagine what was going through their mind, as well as, LeDuc's boyfriend's mind.  Alas, we are reminded that figure skating can be a dangerous yet beautiful sport.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, healthnut said:

1. Maybe I misunderstood but Ashley and Timothy are definitely not dating. She’s married and he’s gay (and non-binary). 
 

I believe @Bessiesue is referring to Timothy's boyfriend, who was there watching from the stands. 

I'm glad to hear Ashley has been released but the fact that it hasn't been mentioned at all in the coverage is a little concerning to me. Normally they would be rushing to give us updates, if updates were available. 

I'm happy for Alysa. I love Mariah, but skating clean (mostly) is less impressive when your hardest combos are triple doubles. I think Alysa was clearly superior and deserved to jump ahead of her. So, so happy for Kaori. 

[specialj67]

Just got caught up with the womens free skate—what a podium of joyful medalists!
 

It was so nice to watch the final group of skaters and not have half of them be from the same training center delivering the same horribly generic (and over-scored) programs. I’ll admit, I did miss seeing the Russian Federation skaters in the pairs event, but I definitely didn’t miss them in the womens event.

 

What is the likelihood the Russian Federation will actually be punished by the ISU for their doping, and actually have to face real consequences like being banned from ISU competition for some amount of time?

[annzeepark914]

I didn't miss the Russians (& the tension they seem to bring with them & their entourage in the past several years) at all. Back in the day, I loved watching Russian pairs like Artur & Natalia, Katia & Sergei. But that was then. I'm sick & tired of allowing a country that cheats to have their athletes participate in the O's and other international competitions. This World's has been so peaceful, drama-free.

Edited March 26, 2022 by annzeepark914

[choclatechip45]

I loved the ladies podium. 

Why weren't Raf and Adam at Worlds? I felt sad watching Mariah alone in the kiss/cry.

[Good Queen Jane]

According to an interview of Mariah with Philip Hersh, Raf was too worn out from Olympics to travel and Adam had other commitments. Which is kind of shitty of Raf.  I’m sure he would have been there if Nathan competed.
 

Yay for Vincent Zhou taking bronze! He deserves it after such an up and down year. And yay to Camden  for securing three places for Men in next year’s Worlds. 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Good Queen Jane

[HartofDixie]

 

[Jeddah]

On 3/17/2022 at 7:31 PM, Jeddah said:

That would be awesome too! Apologies to Camden, but It’s really up to Ilia and Vincent to keep 3 spots. I hope they do it!

Quoting myself to say that I really do owe Camden an apology! Good for him!

I’m so happy for Vincent.

And Shoma is finally a World Champion! I thought he was going to be 2nd in all the big competitions forever.

Edited March 26, 2022 by Jeddah

[Crs97]

Sorry if someone posted this earlier (I think I’m caught up, but didn’t see it):

Tara Lipinski’s thoughts on Kamila

[Tippi]

I'm happy that Vincent won the bronze medal!  He has been through so much--I hope this will bring him great joy.  And congrats to Shoma.  I thought for sure this would be Yuma's win, but I am glad it went to Shoma.

Thrilled for Camden!  I've always thought he was such a beautiful skater but just hasn't seemed to put it together ever since he moved to the senior ranks.  Third in the long is a great achievement for him.

[Jeddah]

37 minutes ago, Tippi said:

Thrilled for Camden!  I've always thought he was such a beautiful skater but just hasn't seemed to put it together ever since he moved to the senior ranks.  Third in the long is a great achievement for him.

Seriously! How awesome to go from fifth at Nationals to fifth in the World!

[MaryMitch]

15 hours ago, specialj67 said:

What is the likelihood the Russian Federation will actually be punished by the ISU for their doping, and actually have to face real consequences like being banned from ISU competition for some amount of time?

I think I heard someone mention that it might be August before the Olympic team medals are awarded!

The Russians should be banned as a team, period. If any can PROVE they are clean, they should compete on a team like they have in the summer Olympics for athletes who don't have a home country.  (And Eteri should be banned for causing injuries to her athletes as well as doping them. Bah.)

Edited March 26, 2022 by MaryMitch

[Enero]

The ladies podium was awesome! So much genuine joy and respect! Love to see it. 

Just finished watching the men's LP. It's too bad the Japanese couldn't sweep, but congratulations to Vincent.

Amazing that Yomono was able to smile after that skate. It seems as if he enjoyed himself in spite of the mistakes, which is great. Yuma on the other hand was obviously disappointed with his skate. He hasn't been on in this competition, but did good enough for silver. Congrats to Shomo! Finally he makes it to the top of the podium at one of the big events! It's been a long journey 

[Sarahsmile416]

2 hours ago, Tippi said:

I'm happy that Vincent won the bronze medal!  He has been through so much--I hope this will bring him great joy.  And congrats to Shoma.  I thought for sure this would be Yuma's win, but I am glad it went to Shoma.

Thrilled for Camden!  I've always thought he was such a beautiful skater but just hasn't seemed to put it together ever since he moved to the senior ranks.  Third in the long is a great achievement for him.

I’m a little late with this - but Camden was so incredible! I’m so happy for him! 

[emmawoodhouse]

Caden skated at 5 am my time, so I am catching up on USA. DAMN! He put to great skates together in one competition for once, and he couldn't have done any better. So proud of him!

Congrats to Shoma. And Vincent... he's been through the ringer after the disaster of Covid in Beijing. So happy he medaled. 

Ilia? His time will come. It also illustrates why Jason was picked for the Olympics. It was a contentious decision, But in the end, all's well that ends well. 

[GeminiDancer]

36 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Ilia? His time will come. It also illustrates why Jason was picked for the Olympics. It was a contentious decision, But in the end, all's well that ends well. 

I agree. He'll definitely get there (that quad lutz is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in singles skating), but Jason going to the Olympics was the right call.

[emmawoodhouse]

Ilia's quad lutz was the best I've ever seen. Like buttah! 

[annzeepark914]

Maybe it's just me, but I've found the camera work at the O's and again at World's to be really bad. Too many times they're using long shots so you can't see what the skaters are doing way down the length of the rink.  Or, they'll do a mega close-up (e.g , when Chock stands on Bates' thigh, & just now when Smart was standing on Diaz's thigh the camera focus was so close it got blurry).  

[justmehere]

So, so happy for Shoma and Vincent, and for Yuma. Yuma is young and will no doubt do great things going forward. And YAY for Camden! Talk about good timing to skate maybe his best ever! 

Ice Dance played out as expected, though I had faint hope that somehow Chock and Bates would earn silver. Mostly, I'm happy they made the podium. 

I continue to enjoy Hawayek and Baker, and I'm very happy they made the top 10. 

It seems like next season could be very different - wondering who all will retire. I'll be sad if some decide they're done, but there are some very interesting skaters still to watch. 

Lastly - how refreshing not to have the Russians. It felt fair and exciting and like anything could happen. Well - again, Ice Dance was somewhat predictable, but not in an unfair way. 

  

[Jeddah]

Ashley posted a video on Instagram. She says at the very end that she has a concussion. She’s so distraught in the video, and I really hope she’s okay.

[annzeepark914]

Geez...at the end of H/D's free dance, I was wondering if Zach was gonna put Madison in a big ol' liplock.  Well, tonight I was wondering which teams would retire along with H/D, which ones maybe saw the writing on the proverbial wall about their gold medal prospects.

[CeeBeeGee]

First of all, thoroughly excited and thrilled for all the medalists. Vincent really came through here, as did Camden. I was trying to send encouraging words to Ilia from my couch, I was saying "It's okay, Baby Boy, this is just the beginning" (ILIA, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS I KNOW TEENAGE BOYS DON'T WANT TO BE CALLED THAT but I am An Old and to me, he is a baby). With experience he will be able to throw off mistakes like that. And yes, that quad lutz is *chef's kiss.* 

I watched Ashley's video, am very concerned for her. She doesn't sound okay.

And finally--every time I've been on Twitter this week, there's an obsessive FanYu who's pored over the scores and compared them to Hanyu, bitterly concluding "don't tell me there isn't favoritism in judging." These people sound absolutely miserable. Do they know there are different judges at every competition? And that Yuzuru isn't even skating at Worlds? Who has time for that? The man won TWO OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS and they think he's underscored? Take a seat, hon. 

[Chit Chat]

Late to the party, as usual.  I've just watched Ice Dancing and I think that the routine by Hubbell & Donohue is one of the most beautiful ones I've ever seen.  The lift was really beautiful.  They move together so smoothly.  Wow!  Just gorgeous.  Congrats on the Silver! 

And FWIW, much respect to the Ukranian pair.  I was glad to see so much love and support directed to them in that arena.  I just wanted to reach through the TV and hug them.   

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, Jeddah said:

Ashley posted a video on Instagram. She says at the very end that she has a concussion. She’s so distraught in the video, and I really hope she’s okay.

I just watched Ashley's IG video. She is in a horrible space. 😥

[Chaser]

Generally concerned if she were to sustain another concussion, it would lead to serious trauma. 

[ShellsandCheese]

10 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

The Russians should be banned as a team, period. If any can PROVE they are clean, they should compete on a team like they have in the summer Olympics for athletes who don't have a home country.  (And Eteri should be banned for causing injuries to her athletes as well as doping them. Bah.)

This is already their punishment, lol. TBH Kamila was the first Russian skater that I’m aware of who has ever tested positive for a banned substance; is cheating going on? Likely - just based on history in other sports and the entire Putin scheme in Sochi but it’s going to take more than one positive test from Valieva to have Russians banned in any meaningful way from figure skating. Also, I’m hearing the Olympic mess may not be finished until 2023. I’m still convinced that the powers are that be are just going to wait it out and then announce no change to the team standings. 

[Jeddah]

39 minutes ago, Chaser said:

Generally concerned if she were to sustain another concussion, it would lead to serious trauma. 

She already had that awful fall a few years ago where it seemed like she got knocked out for a second. I’m so worried about her.

[emmawoodhouse]

45 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

She already had that awful fall a few years ago where it seemed like she got knocked out for a second. I’m so worried about her.

Yes, she sustained a concussion in that horrible fall (during a lift) as well. I'll never forget that one. 

[honeywest]

Her Instagram video is disturbing. I hope she really is getting enough support.

[Dr.OO7]

It's nice to see an American woman on the podium again (we have a haul of 70-something medals, including five consecutive wins by Carol Heiss and that famous 1991 sweep)

[redpencil]

What a crazy men's free skate that was! So much movement, other than the top 2.

Yay Vincent! After his terrible Olympic experience and last year's Worlds, I'm so happy he was able to land on the podium here, and, especially, have two skates he was happy with. I really, really didn't want to see him sad again.

And wow, Camden! Best competition he's ever had? He absolutely demolished his previous PB, jumped from 12th to 5th (should have been 4th), and finished 3rd(!) in the FS (and I think at Worlds they give out "small medals" for each program?). He was amazing! Who would have predicted that!!

Aww, poor Ilia. That's a disappointing finish for him, but I'm excited to see where he goes this next quad. That was inexperience showing (and is probably a big reason why they didn't want the Olympics to be his first major senior competition). He'll be fine though, I think. Looking forward to seeing him next season.

And yay for Shoma! He has so many silvers and bronzes, so this had to feel great. He's been my favorite Japanese skater for awhile (I've always preferred him to Hanyu).

17 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

 

This is awesome. Even with the caveats of being a post-Olympics Worlds and no Russians, it still wasn't a foregone conclusion they'd be able to do that. And they get 3 slots in every discipline next year. When's the last time that's happened I wonder?

[SeanC]

IAM brought everyone out onto the ice for the medal ceremony, which kind of saysit all about the extent of this super-team the likes of which may not be seen again.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbmMN-OqS-5/

[jrzy]

On 3/25/2022 at 4:13 PM, justmehere said:

Mariah seemed to struggle on every jump, not to mention that opening combo. It's a shame. Alyssa is good, but she still looks "new" to me. Mariah was in her own way though. She wasn't alone - lots of nerves today. 

*Edit - Or what ChicksDigScars said.

Both Loena and Kaori were great. Am really happy for them both. 

 

I am sorry, this may not be a popular opinion but I think Alyssa should have finished behind Mariah.  Alyssa seems to be a favorite, but she has no artistry,  she doesn't appear to even notice the music she is supposed to perform to,   all she has is jumps and that's all it takes I guess, but I sure hated seeing Mariah in 4th when I thought her program was so beautiful and beautifully done.  

[HartofDixie]

Bonus episode of On Edge

 

[choclatechip45]

So happy we got an all Montreal podium! 

[AuntieDiane6]

20 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Congrats to Shoma. And Vincent... he's been through the ringer after the disaster of Covid in Beijing. So happy he medaled. 

His interview with Andrea Joyce confirmed that!  He said he was ready to skip Worlds and never thought he'd win a medal.  He was definitely choked up.  

[alexa]

After seeing all of the disciplines:  

1)  I do feel Alyssa was better than Mariah.  I love Mariah when she is on, but she isn't really doing the higher level jumps after all of this time (and I don't mean the triple axel--just the other combos, etc).  Alyssa didn't look like a complete beginner out there--she did well technically and is gradually growing as a skater--she did enough to earn her medal.

2)  Men's comp was great-- I loved that Camden and Vincent both did well.  

3)  Ice Dance--I think I am just tired of all of the same routines, but I did notice that I actually liked H&D more than usual in the free dance.  And glad that US had two medalists.  

4)  I loved the women's silver medalist...she was great!

Overall it was fun to watch as it felt like competitions used to be before the Russian skaters took over many of the spots.  

[absnow54]

9 hours ago, jrzy said:

Alyssa seems to be a favorite, but she has no artistry,  she doesn't appear to even notice the music she is supposed to perform to,   all she has is jumps and that's all it takes I guess

I’ve gotten the sense that Alysa’s dad loves skating way more than she does. I hope the positive experience she had with her Olympic teammates helps her tap into her artistic side, because, yeah… she checks off all the hardest non-quad jumps and combos (and the fact she relearned them all after a huge growth spurt is impressive) but her actual skating is just so clunky. Not Trusova levels, but just no where near the clean lines of the other top skaters.