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OriginalCyn

By OriginalCyn
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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

On 12/17/2024 at 1:07 PM, ChicksDigScars said:

They were my favorite Russian skaters. Still are. 

It's nice to read a comment like this because I sometimes feel like the old style ice dancers don't get enough love. Klimova and Ponomarenko were brilliant, and I don't think their programs have aged poorly at all. I frequently read comments about how anything pre 2006 or even pre 2010 is "boring" or hasn't aged well or something along those lines, and I don't agree at all. Even more recent top tier teams like Davis and White get these sorts of comments e.g. their Bollywood program. 

When I think of teams of the old style that I like, Klimova and Ponomarenko, Krylova and Ovsyannikov, Torvill and Dean, the Duchesnays, and Anissina and Peizerat are at the top of my list. 

Ice dancing is the most subjective of all the disciplines, and sometimes I can find myself not responding to a team that I can acknowledge is skilled, but for whatever reason they just don't do it for me. I feel that way about Grishuk and Platov. Most people raved about them for years, but they didn't connect for me. 

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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

absnow54
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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BlackberryJam

BlackberryJam

On 12/18/2024 at 5:54 PM, Avaleigh said:

It's nice to read a comment like this because I sometimes feel like the old style ice dancers don't get enough love. Klimova and Ponomarenko were brilliant, and I don't think their programs have aged poorly at all. I frequently read comments about how anything pre 2006 or even pre 2010 is "boring" or hasn't aged well or something along those lines, and I don't agree at all. Even more recent top tier teams like Davis and White get these sorts of comments e.g. their Bollywood program. 

When I think of teams of the old style that I like, Klimova and Ponomarenko, Krylova and Ovsyannikov, Torvill and Dean, the Duchesnays, and Anissina and Peizerat are at the top of my list. 

Ice dancing is the most subjective of all the disciplines, and sometimes I can find myself not responding to a team that I can acknowledge is skilled, but for whatever reason they just don't do it for me. I feel that way about Grishuk and Platov. Most people raved about them for years, but they didn't connect for me. 

So….I never connected with Virtue and Moir. I never saw the supposed chemistry. It always felt like high school play quality acting. But I acknowledge their skill. I thought the Moulin Rouge routine was technically great, but emotionally hilariously bad.

I never “got” Pasha Grishuk, and that routine where she skidded her toe pick and there was no penalty? Ugh. And there was all that drama with Usova/Zhulin and Grishuk/Platov. Is there a documentary or fictionalized account of all that? There should be. 

I loved the Duchesnays. 

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

18 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

So….I never connected with Virtue and Moir. I never saw the supposed chemistry. It always felt like high school play quality acting. But I acknowledge their skill. I thought the Moulin Rouge routine was technically great, but emotionally hilariously bad.

Me too. I preferred Weaver/Poje. 

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

On 1/14/2025 at 4:10 PM, honeywest said:

Isabeau has withdrawn from Nationals because of a foot injury.

I read that Ava Ziegler withdrew too. She's missed nationals two years in a row now. I was really looking forward to seeing her programs this season. I was hoping she'd be in the mix for the Olympic team next year, but since she's missing nationals again that means no worlds and without that it just seems like her chances are really slim.

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

58 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I thought he was very popular in Japan and skated in their ice shoes (+ coaching in maybe Boston???) Why would he keep wearing the same skates for 3 years?

According to Jason he kept using "band aid" solutions for whatever his equipment problems were and he struggled to break in a new pair of boots, so he's continued to go back to the same pair. He wants to finallu have the new pair broken in by next season.

I wasn't sure if he wanted to make another Olympic team or not, but to me it sounds like he wants to go for it one last time in the hope he'll be chosen for the team event since that would be his only realistic chance for a medal. 

I hope it works out for him. 

Has anybody been watching nationals on Peacock? I have the juniors on now. I haven't seen any standouts yet with the pairs. I'm moving onto the men's short.

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absnow54

absnow54

Wow, this is a tough season for so many singles skaters to be injured. Ilia will likely clinch the three Olympics slots on his own, but there’s going to be a ton of pressure on Amber Glenn to perform, since Isabeau has been their most reliable skater the last few seasons. Nationals will be interesting. I thought Alysa Liu was underscored in her GP slots, so she may prove herself to be a contender this weekend. 

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

(edited)
4 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Wow, this is a tough season for so many singles skaters to be injured. Ilia will likely clinch the three Olympics slots on his own, but there’s going to be a ton of pressure on Amber Glenn to perform, since Isabeau has been their most reliable skater the last few seasons. Nationals will be interesting. I thought Alysa Liu was underscored in her GP slots, so she may prove herself to be a contender this weekend. 

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that even if a country has a skater or a team who wins at worlds that another skater or team still needs to finish in the top 12 (11?) in order to secure 3 spots? I'm not sure who the best guy is to get that done with Jason presumably out. I haven't gotten the impression that Maxim or Camden are at the point where they're reliable.

ETA:

I think Alysa and Sarah Everhardt are good enough where the pressure on Amber will hopefully not be too overwhelming. I was hoping that Ava would be in it. She was very impressive last season. 

Edited by Avaleigh
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CeeBeeGee

CeeBeeGee

Guess what????

I'M GOIN' TO WORLDS!!!!!!!!!

I bought tickets last week (women's SP, men's SP and FS and the Gala. I wanted to get the women's FS but for some reason I couldn't get a single ticket--I may try again).

And I just booked the hotel, right smack in the middle of Boston, just a few blocks from Boston Commons. When I'm not watching skating, I'll be wandering around Boston exploring history.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!

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absnow54

absnow54

16 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that even if a country has a skater or a team who wins at worlds that another skater or team still needs to finish in the top 12 (11?) in order to secure 3 spots? I'm not sure who the best guy is to get that done with Jason presumably out. I haven't gotten the impression that Maxim or Camden are at the point where they're reliable.

You’re right. For some reason I thought finishing in the Top 2 guaranteed 3 slots, but the top 2 finishers have to be 13 or less for the third slot. Last year Jason and Amber finished within the Top 10.

 

annzeepark914

annzeepark914

56 minutes ago, Linderhill said:

anyone watching Nationals tonight on USA?  I can't complain that Tara and Johnny's mics seem to be super low. It's kind of a relief to be able to easily ignore them.

Tara & Johnny were having a discussion about the self-discipline a skater needed to push herself to be ready to compete...while Sherry Zhang was skating her SP! 🤬 Tara's voice is louder (& sharper) than Johnny's so the music isn't helping and she's yakking away. 

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ML89

ML89

10 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Tara & Johnny were having a discussion about the self-discipline a skater needed to push herself to be ready to compete...while Sherry Zhang was skating her SP! 🤬 Tara's voice is louder (& sharper) than Johnny's so the music isn't helping and she's yakking away. 

Terry telling Johnny not to talk through the pairs team skating to Aerosmith was hilarious. 
 

 

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

9 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Well, that was entertaining. I don't think Alysa deserves the huge lead, though. Her 3T was under, and they didn't even review it. I think she'll be under more scrutiny tomorrow. 

Yeah, I was surprised by the score. I know scores are always higher at Nationals, but I thought that seemed a little excessive. It made me curious what Amber's would have been if she'd been clean. 

Speaking of scores that seemed off, I thought the judges were really harsh with Lindsay. I understand the edge call and one UR, but the fact that she was less than half a point above Starr who didn't even do a combo made no sense to me. 

I thought Sarah should have been higher than Amber.

Alysa, Sarah, and Sherry were great! Bradie too.

absnow54

absnow54

22 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

Yeah, I was surprised by the score. I know scores are always higher at Nationals, but I thought that seemed a little excessive. It made me curious what Amber's would have been if she'd been clean.

She lost 2.5 points for 2 footed 3A and 3 points off her base value for doing a triple/double combo instead of a triple/triple, so she was easily would have been in the 75-80 range, had she been clean. 

27 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

Speaking of scores that seemed off, I thought the judges were really harsh with Lindsay. I understand the edge call and one UR, but the fact that she was less than half a point above Starr who didn't even do a combo made no sense to me. 

The audience was not having it with her score! I don’t understand Starr’s score either. Shouldn’t she have received zero points for her combo? With the negative GOE, she still got 2-ish points for it, according to her score card. 

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iMonrey

iMonrey

Pairs short - 

Kam/O’Shea basically have no competition. Even though their side by side spins were slightly out of sync (something I'm a real stickler about), they are far and away more polished looking than any other pair. I guess Chan/Howe could give them a run for their money but that's about it. Still, I don't see Kam/O'Shea as contenders for a World medal, much less the title. I guess a top six finish is within their reach. Efimova/Mitrofanov actually had the best side by side spins, perfectly in sync from start to finish.

Womens short - 

Well, Amber didn't blow it, exactly, but is still an unreliable skater. She's been winning this season in spite of her mistakes, not in absence of them. I'm rooting for Alysa Liu. I love her long program this season, I hope she nails it. I liked Bradie too. Her triple lutz didn't look under rotated to me. 

Lindsay Thorngren looked like she was about the burst into tears from the minute she stepped on the ice to the minute she stepped off. WTF. She needs to fix her face.

Josephine Lee was diagnosed with pneumonia a week and a half ago? And she's skating? Solid short program but I don't think she's a spoiler for a medal this year.

I'm so tired of waiting for Starr Andrews to step up. They talk her up every year and she always blows it.

Sarah Everhardt had a solid short. She's got a shot at the podium.

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CeeBeeGee

CeeBeeGee

I had a feeling after Alysa's FS that Amber would take gold. As thrilled as I am that Alysa is back and that she's skating for the right reasons (it broke my heart when she said that she'd hated skating before--they didn't talk about it but it looks as though the rumors about her dad being an unbearable skating parent have some truth to them)--she still skates a little juniorishly to me. Amber's presence and skills just seem more refined and polished and "special" to me. Just my opinion, of course.

I'm loving Sarah Everhardt and I LOVED the Viking program by Sonja Hilmer! What fun!

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CherryMalotte

CherryMalotte

So glad to see Alysa compete.  She was skating happy which added to her program.  There's times when I really feel for skaters that seem so miserable, so pressured, it brings down the routine.  I don't care how many triples or quads they do, if it looks strained or mechanical it's hard to follow.    

It was a joy to watch her, and congrats to all the girls.    

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absnow54

absnow54

This felt like the right podium. I love Alysa’s programs this season, but she doesn’t have the drive and focus that Amber Glenn has. Amber’s had a phenomenal season and I’d hate for her to lose momentum this close to Worlds. Still, Alysa is a joy to watch, and I’m glad to see her at a competitive level on her own terms.

I feel awful for Isabeau. She was carrying lady’s US figure skating on the international stage for the last two years. This is a terrible time to be injured (well better this year than next.)  

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

I'm glad that Amber won, that triple axel is fire when she hits it. I just wish she'd had a clean program. Having the last jump be a fall was such a bummer. I really thought she had it this time. Also, I thought the loop in the short was UR, but for whatever reason, it didn't hurt her score. 

Sarah Everhardt is wonderful. She still needs to work on her musical expression and interpretation, but otherwise she's really terrific. The technique on the jumps is solid. No searching for URs with her. She and Amber for the most part can at least reliably rotate their jumps. With Bradie, Lindsay, even Alysa, those URs keep happening. 

Sherry seemed to lose her concentration towards the end, but I definitely think she's off to a great start in her first season as a senior. 

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iMonrey

iMonrey

Sarah Everhardt did pretty well but I think "Firebird" needs to be retired from skating. I'm always going to associate it with Gracie Gold.

I guess Amber deserved it, neither she nor Alysa skated clean, but Amber's program was much tighter until that last jump. I've probably said this before but she kind of reminds me of Tonya Harding. When she's on, she's fantastic, but you never know what you're going to get with her. 

Starr redeemed herself but I noticed she was the only skater in the second group who they showed in the kiss and cry getting their scores. It's as though she was singled out because they knew she'd wind up in the top six or because she's more well known than the others. It was weird.

3 hours ago, CherryMalotte said:

There's times when I really feel for skaters that seem so miserable, so pressured, it brings down the routine.  I don't care how many triples or quads they do, if it looks strained or mechanical it's hard to follow.    

Maybe that's Lindsay Thorngren's problem.

annzeepark914

annzeepark914

Sarah's LP (music selection, costume) seemed so 1970s-80s to me. I wonder if that's because her coaches are former Russian skaters (from "back in the day"). I was reading about her daily routines. She trains in Reston, VA alongside Ilia, but lives in Haymarket which is about a 25 mile trip. And attends high school and practices ballet after skating sessions (I felt tired after reading about her long days!) Christina Carreira travels 1-1/2 hours each day to & from the rink in Canada to train with Anthony P.  I guess she has to live in the US for now.  Skaters really do make sacrifices to compete in this sport.

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iMonrey

iMonrey

(edited)

Wow, what a disaster for Kam & O'Shea. I haven't heard whether or not they were named to the World team, but I hope they weren't. It's not as if they just make a couple of mistakes, they didn't even make the podium. They really melted under the pressure. Chan & Howe really fell apart too. 

Something I don't think I've noticed before - none of the pairs teams do side by side spins in their long programs. Must be a required element in the short and something they loathe.

I watched the first two groups in the Men's short on Peacock since NBC didn't show them. Ben Agosto and Ashley Wagner did commentary. They are so much more low key than Johnny, Tara and Terry. They keep the chatter to a minimum and only comment on the elements. The only problem is that Ashley must have a cold, her voice sounds like she gargled broken glass.

Edited by iMonrey
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Is Everyone Gone

Is Everyone Gone

Anyone getting a bit frustrated with Chock and Bates? I know they're getting great scores and results so there's no need to change, but I feel like their programs have gotten stale. I'm tired of Madison making the same sexy faces and arm waving. 

I feel like Carreira/Ponomarenko and Green/Parsons are more interesting, if not as consistent.

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MaryMitch

MaryMitch

11 minutes ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

Anyone getting a bit frustrated with Chock and Bates? I know they're getting great scores and results so there's no need to change, but I feel like their programs have gotten stale. I'm tired of Madison making the same sexy faces and arm waving.

I've always liked them - I actually like watching her expressions. It was nice seeing their moms in the audience.

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Salacious Kitty

Salacious Kitty

(edited)
1 hour ago, Mirabelle said:

The quality of pairs SBS spins have been declining for years. SBS spins just aren't a priority under the current scoring system.

It's only valued as a required element in the SP. And yikes, no one can stay in sync. 

eta Ashley is reporting that Jason is not petitioning. Bye 3 spots. 

Edited by Salacious Kitty
CherryMalotte

CherryMalotte

Did Tara just make a comment during Ma's routine about the men not taking the opportunity to do quads?  I played it back five times I think that's what she's implying, though mea culpa if that's not it.  

Frankly I'd rather see them double and triple than do some quad, lose their center, and splat like a poor octopus at a hockey game.   

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