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Celebrating 25 Years Of The West Wing

Figure Skating

OriginalCyn

By OriginalCyn
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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

58 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

@annzeepark914 that is a great video.

TSL has moved beyond a paywall for their coverage of competitions now.  They may be controversial, but I learned a lot- especially from Jonathan.  I will miss them, and hope they will change their minds.

I know Dave is controversial, and I understand some of the criticism, but I applaud the deep dive he's done into Russia and various skating topics over the years. I don't always agree with him, but I absolutely love that he loves skating and does his best to get others excited about it. I love Jonathan and will miss him too. I  can't justify spending money for his commentary on OnlyFans Patreon, but I absolutely wish him the best and hope he and Jonathan are successful with it.

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ChicksDigScars
ChicksDigScars

“I wish the Shibutanis were [in Milan] because last year I gave them my medal,” Donohue said, “and I don’t plan on doing that this year.” Uhhh..what? Yeah, and they gave you their National title

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absnow54

I get that figure skating is a jumping sport right now, and Alyssa Lui is the best chance for competing with the Russians, but damn, Mariah Bell’s free skate is the reason I find this sport so compell

Jeddah
Jeddah

I do love the Shibs, but it still would have been an obnoxious thing to say about any team, not just them. It implies that they didn’t earn their medal. That they didn’t work for it. That their two cl

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healthnut

healthnut

On 3/27/2024 at 6:52 PM, KittenPokerCheater said:

TSL has moved beyond a paywall for their coverage of competitions now.  They may be controversial, but I learned a lot- especially from Jonathan.  I will miss them, and hope they will change their minds.

I will recommend a couple of podcasts/skating channels for you:

The Cutting Edge: A Figure Skating Podcast (good for competition recaps)

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-edge-a-figure-skating-podcast/id1545036058

This Week in Skating Podcast (good for news and interviews)

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-skating-podcast/id1621874792

They are also on Spotify and The Cutting Edge recently started putting hers up on YouTube.

A lot of people like Ashley Wagner and Adam Rippon's podcast, The Runthrough. It's not my personal favorite but it's popular.

I watch Anything GOEs sometimes, too.

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ML89

ML89

In adjacent to skating news, for US folks, the men's basketball final four is this weekend and Terry Gannon is attending to cheer on NC State. He's done several interviews this week for publications and he was on ACC radio and PGA radio on Sirius (you can find them if you're a subscriber and so inclined!). The game is Saturday starting at 6 PM Eastern, on TBS/TNT/TruTV.

I laughed when I was watching the women's long on my own tape delay and  stumbled over their Go Pack banter when they were waiting for Nina Pinzarone to get on the ice.

Also, the NBC wrap up show is on next Sunday, April 14 at 3 Eastern. Not sure what they'll show.

 

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

(edited)

I just read that Johnny and Tara, along with Terry, will be hosting the closing ceremonies at the Olympics in August, with Mike Tirico and Jimmy Fallon.  The article also mentioned that there will be other hosts.  This was at Google News, from a Delaware news source.

Edited by annzeepark914
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ML89

ML89

9 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I just read that Johnny and Tara, along with Terry, will be hosting the closing ceremonies at the Olympics in August, with Mike Tirico and Jimmy Fallon.  The article also mentioned that there will be other hosts.  This was at Google News, from a Delaware news source.

What has made me laugh so hard about this announcement - besides the outrage about Fallon - is outrage from supposed Olympics fans, about winter athletes hosting the summer closing ceremonies.

Y'know, because they were so invested in the last summer closing ceremonies...hosted by Terry, Tara and Johnny.

I felt sorry for Terry - every article had pictures and bio of everyone else, but tossed Terry off as "NBC Sports host" and often with no photo.

 

 

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

Terry is such a nice guy. Figure skating is so lucky to have him. During the NCAA's maybe 1.5 weeks ago, there was some delay or cancellation because I came across a documentary re: Jim Valvano. Terry was shown talking about being a player on that 1983 championship team. I lived in Raleigh back then and fondly remember Terry on TV, as a spokesman for the local animal shelter. I don't know how he can stand being around Tara & Johnny. And now he'll have to contend with Fallon? Sheesh 🙄.

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ML89

ML89

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

During the NCAA's maybe 1.5 weeks ago, there was some delay or cancellation because I came across a documentary re: Jim Valvano. Terry was shown talking about being a player on that 1983 championship team.

Survive and Advance? I recommend that to everyone I can, even non Terry/non basketball fans - it's funny and sad and uplifting all at once. Great documentary!

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

I missed the first 45 minutes today.  In pairs, I really like the German team. For me, the best program in this wrap was G/P's Wuthering Heights FD. Those screeching violins brought back scary memories of the original Psycho. That music and the dramatic presentation + their lifts kept me glued to their every move. I hit the mute for Jason's LP.  Ilia's championship performance was again so much fun to watch. It's also great to see his coach/dad's excited reaction to that LP.

 

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Maelstrom

Maelstrom

I haven't watched all of today's airing but it's listed in my DVR as the Gala, and in the first hour I saw no signs of the Gala. Way to go, NBC. (Any signs of Adam's LP? Yes, I am stupidly optimistic)

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

I hit the mute for Jason's LP

I love Jason Brown more than any other skater I've ever watched, but I too have had to mute his LP music all season. Groban's a big no for me, and I just can't hear Impossible Dream without thinking of the movie American Dreamz.

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

30 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

I haven't watched all of today's airing but it's listed in my DVR as the Gala, and in the first hour I saw no signs of the Gala. Way to go, NBC. (Any signs of Adam's LP? Yes, I am stupidly optimistic)

I love Jason Brown more than any other skater I've ever watched, but I too have had to mute his LP music all season. Groban's a big no for me, and I just can't hear Impossible Dream without thinking of the movie American Dreamz.

This was known as the Wrap (of Worlds). It had nothing to do with the gala. I put it on my calendar so I wouldn't miss it. And yes, at the start of showing the top skaters in the men's LP, they showed Adam's astounding leap from 19th in the SP standings, to 1st place in the LP...until Kagayama and then Ilia skated.  Adam is competition for Ilia as he has the artistry on top of his 4 quads (he's probably right now working on adding two more quads!) I disliked Impossible Dream when it first came out, found it boring. Jason needs to have two interesting programs next season if he plans to continue competing (some of us are spoiled after Sinnerman & the Irish step dancing number 😁).

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MaryMitch

MaryMitch

On 4/12/2024 at 1:53 PM, ML89 said:

Survive and Advance? I recommend that to everyone I can, even non Terry/non basketball fans - it's funny and sad and uplifting all at once. Great documentary!

Thanks for recommending this - I watched it on Disney+. It's a great story (and Terry looked so young)!

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

🩷 Loved watching that rotational lift in slow motion. Absolutely sublime. I miss this team!! Every once in a while, I look up their wonderful 2010 Bollywood program (for which they took lessons from an Indian dance instructor). 💖 

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Maelstrom

Maelstrom

OK, now I had to track down their Bollywood program as well. How did I somehow forget how incredible this program is? Their speed, their precision, how effortlessly connected they are throughout... Absolutely out of this world. Studying with actual Indian dancers was such a brilliant idea, and paid off so beautifully (and every attempt at Indian-inspired choreography since has been sadly lacking IMO).

And I have to wonder... has ice dance slid downhill that much in the last decade plus, or were these two simply that outstanding that no one has been able to quite match them since? (Not that there haven't been fantastic teams since, of course, but still).

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

(edited)

These two *were* that outstanding. IMO, no team since has produced such creative programs, along with outstanding skating skills. I'm in the minority here, but our 2022 Olympic ice dance champs put me to sleep with their programs (despite outstanding skating skills). The sport of figure skating was developed to be a lead-in to the skating shows back in the day. So, the skaters who skate *with* the music, and *for* the audience (at competitions, as well as at shows), are the true embodiment of figure skating. Watching these two D/W programs woke me up to the fact that today's ice dancing is not quite as athletic or exuberant. One team reminded me a bit of Meryl & Charlie: Flores and Desyatov. I hope they stay together as they have the talent to really grab the audience's attention while racking up the points.

 

 

Edited by annzeepark914
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Maelstrom

Maelstrom

I'm sorry to hear about Shoma as a skating fan, but wishing him all the best in his post-competition life. He's been one of my favorites for many many years now.

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Salacious Kitty

Salacious Kitty

(edited)
1 minute ago, Maelstrom said:

So is he the guy who assaulted her?

That's what I have heard. She gave plenty of hints in her book that pretty much point to him.

Edited by Salacious Kitty
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Maelstrom

Maelstrom

Oh, how awful. :( I read parts of her book but I'm not up on the ins and outs of the skating world like many of you here, so any clues pointing to him went right over my head. I've watched him over the years and never had any idea - now I feel really bad about it. I do hope Gracie is able to find some measure of peace with this decision.

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anniebird

anniebird

His claim that he was unaware that the 1st skater "was too young to provide consent for sexual acts" is total bullshit because if there's one thing everyone in this sport is aware of it's everyone's exact age. That's what determines when you can compete at various levels and at certain events.

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Notabug

Notabug

7 hours ago, anniebird said:

His claim that he was unaware that the 1st skater "was too young to provide consent for sexual acts" is total bullshit because if there's one thing everyone in this sport is aware of it's everyone's exact age. That's what determines when you can compete at various levels and at certain events.

There's also the fact that, as the adult, he had a responsibility to be certain of the age of his partner, skater or not.  This is not just a rule for figure skating, it's a societal standard, and also the law in many places if the girl is under the legal age of consent.

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Quof

Quof

Tessa Virtue appears to be pregnant. I'm unaware of any announcement, but the form fitting outfit at a recent appearance made it apparent, so she's not trying to hide it.

Cue the Crazies.  

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Salacious Kitty

Salacious Kitty

41 minutes ago, Quof said:

Tessa Virtue appears to be pregnant. I'm unaware of any announcement, but the form fitting outfit at a recent appearance made it apparent, so she's not trying to hide it.

Cue the Crazies.  

Tessa's not so secret baby? 🤔

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NUguy514

NUguy514

4 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:
5 hours ago, Quof said:

Tessa Virtue appears to be pregnant. I'm unaware of any announcement, but the form fitting outfit at a recent appearance made it apparent, so she's not trying to hide it.

Cue the Crazies.  

Tessa's not so secret baby? 🤔

Well, after twelve secret babies, pregnancy just becomes a permanent state of being, and a girl just gets tired of hiding it, you know?

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

On 5/21/2024 at 3:47 PM, Quof said:

Tessa Virtue appears to be pregnant. I'm unaware of any announcement, but the form fitting outfit at a recent appearance made it apparent, so she's not trying to hide it.

Cue the Crazies.  

Wonderful news! I'm glad she's happy. Hopefully the stans have moved on, lol.

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

I can't figure out what makes these stans (of V/M and Hanyu, etc) tick. It's really a sickness, in a way...especially when they stalk them & create/believe bizarre stories about the skaters. Do Hollywood celebs have similar groups of obsessed people? 

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

On 5/23/2024 at 7:52 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Do Hollywood celebs have similar groups of obsessed people? 

Oh, absolutely. Some of the Swifties, Little Monsters, and Bey Hive members are absolutely terrifying. 

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

(edited)

Who offers coverage of competitions without *excessive* commentating? A poster (in Pet Peeves) said she stopped watching as she was tired of all the back  stories (& probably all the babbling that T & J do). I think folks need a few explanations (e.g , why a score was high or low). But I sure could go without all the yakking throughout each skater's programs.

Edited by annzeepark914
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Salacious Kitty

Salacious Kitty

(edited)

RIP Frank. ☹️

Grand Prix assignments are out. The big surprise is that Jason is participating this year (Skate Canada and NHK) after sitting out the last couple.

Edited by Salacious Kitty
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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

Michelle was at her best, IMO, when Frank was her coach & Lori Nichols was her choreographer. I just read somewhere that he started out as a pond skater (as a former pond skater, that touches my heart). RIP, Frank.

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

(edited)

Frank's death had me do a little research into some of his contemporaries to see who all was still around. 

I didn't realize that Kathy Casey (coach of Scott Davis) died back in 2019. She and Frank were friends for so many years, well before either of them had any top tier skaters. Kathy had a female skater (Jill Sawyer) who had a triple lutz back in the 1970s, so in some ways she was definitely ahead of her time as a coach. She was one of the best people to help fix the takeoff of a skater's jump. 

Evy Scotvold (coach of Nancy, Paul Wylie, Jenny Kirk, etc) died back in 2021. I do vaguely remember reading about this at the time. 

Olympic champions Carol Heiss and her husband Hayes Alan Jenkins are both still with us. Carol is just a year younger than Frank. Hayes is 91!

I know Don Laws (coach of Scott Hamilton, Michael Weiss, and Patrick Chan among others) died several years ago. Interestingly, Frank Carroll, Don Laws, and Evy Scotvold all died at the age of 85. (Don't tell 83 year old Alexei Mishin!)

Finally, John Nicks is still with us at 95 years old. To me as far as US based coaches, Frank Carroll and John Nicks represented the very best of the old school figure skating coaches.

The only coach I couldn't find any current info on is the "spin doctor" Evelyn Kramer. She has an active Instagram page, but I can't tell if she's still coaching. I don't know how hold she is, but she has to have been around Frank's age. In terms of coaches with a wicked sense of humor, Evelyn and Kathy were some of the funniest. 

Edited by Avaleigh
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Notabug

Notabug

(edited)
1 hour ago, Avaleigh said:

Frank's death had me do a little research into some of his contemporaries to see who all was still around. 

I didn't realize that Kathy Casey (coach of Scott Davis) died back in 2019. She and Frank were friends for so many years, well before either of them had any top tier skaters. Kathy had a female skater (Jill Sawyer) who had a triple lutz back in the 1970s, so in some ways she was definitely ahead of her time as a coach. She was one of the best people to help fix the takeoff of a skater's jump. 

Evy Scotvold (coach of Nancy, Paul Wylie, Jenny Kirk, etc) died back in 2021. I do vaguely remember reading about this at the time. 

Olympic champions Carol Heiss and her husband Hayes Alan Jenkins are both still with us. Carol is just a year younger than Frank. Hayes is 91!

I know Don Laws (coach of Scott Hamilton, Michael Weiss, and Patrick Chan among others) died several years ago. Interestingly, Frank Carroll, Don Laws, and Evy Scotvold all died at the age of 85. (Don't tell 83 year old Alexei Mishin!)

Finally, John Nicks is still with us at 95 years old. To me as far as US based coaches, Frank Carroll and John Nicks represented the very best of the old school figure skating coaches.

The only coach I couldn't find any current info on is the "spin doctor" Evelyn Kramer. She has an active Instagram page, but I can't tell if she's still coaching. I don't know how hold she is, but she has to have been around Frank's age. In terms of coaches with a wicked sense of humor, Evelyn and Kathy were some of the funniest. 

One small addition; 1960 Olympic men's gold medalist, David Jenkins, is also still with us at age 87.  Of course, he and his brother Hayes, married to Carol Heiss, were never skating coaches.  Hayes was a prominent corporate attorney while David became a physician.  Back in that era, there was virtually no opportunity for male figure skaters to do so professionally. There is a rather interesting video someplace on YouTube of David performing a triple axel in the late 1950's.  It wasn't landed in competition until 20 years later.

Edited by Notabug
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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

(edited)
1 hour ago, Notabug said:

One small addition; 1960 Olympic men's gold medalist, David Jenkins, is also still with us at age 87.  Of course, he and his brother Hayes, married to Carol Heiss, were never skating coaches.  Hayes was a prominent corporate attorney while David became a physician.  Back in that era, there was virtually no opportunity for male figure skaters to do so professionally. There is a rather interesting video someplace on YouTube of David performing a triple axel in the late 1950's.  It wasn't landed in competition until 20 years later.

Yes, I mentioned Hayes just because he was married to Carol. Amazing that they've been married over 60 years!

Regarding that video of David--I saw someone post that on FSU years ago. Very cool. 

David and Hayes were very accomplished and it seems like several of the earlier skaters were similarly so. Tenley Albright graduated from Harvard Medical School. Scott Allen graduated from Harvard and later graduated from Columbia Business School. Dick Button was accepted at Yale, but eventually graduated from Harvard (and Harvard Law) because Yale would've forced him to quit skating prematurely. 

With Michelle being an Ambassador to Belize, Sasha being an analyst for Morgan Stanley, and Nathan graduating from Yale, it seems like the later generations of skaters are keeping up the tradition of being impressively accomplished with their non-skating endeavors. 

Edited by Avaleigh
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Notabug

Notabug

9 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

Yes, I mentioned Hayes just because he was married to Carol. Amazing that they've been married over 60 years!

Regarding that video of David--I saw someone post that on FSU years ago. Very cool. 

David and Hayes were very accomplished and it seems like several of the earlier skaters were similarly so. Tenley Albright graduated from Harvard Medical School. Scott Allen graduated from Harvard and later graduated from Columbia Business School. Dick Button was accepted at Yale, but eventually graduated from Harvard (and Harvard Law) because Yale would've forced him to quit skating prematurely. 

With Michelle being an Ambassador to Belize, Sasha being an analyst for Morgan Stanley, and Nathan graduating from Yale, it seems like the later generations of skaters are keeping up the tradition of being impressively accomplished with their non-skating endeavors. 

I think the discipline of skating seems to lend itself to the sorts of skills that lead to academic success.  There are so many skaters with advanced degrees.  Paul Wylie got an MBA from Harvard.  He was accepted into law school there, but changed his mind and did the MBA instead.  Debi Thomas went to Stanford for undergrad and went to med school at Northwestern.  She was a practicing orthopedic surgeon for a while.  Unfortunately, she has struggled with bipolar disorder and I don't think she has practiced in a number of years.

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MaryMitch

MaryMitch

(edited)

Debi Thomas was on an episode of "Iyanla, Fix My Life" in 2015. At the time she was living in a trailer in West Virginia. I watched the episode specifically to see Debi (I had never seen the show before) and was struck at how ridiculous Iyanla was, yet Debi was willing to do what she recommended. It occurred to me that to be a successful skater you have to have confidence, be goal oriented, be dedicated, and be coachable - all traits for successful people in general.

I had no idea if this actually "fixed" Debi's life or what she is up to these days, so I googled and found this article:

https://www.usfigureskating.org/news/article/figures-and-fancy-skating

Edited to add: Here's a recent interview:

 

Edited by MaryMitch
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