Figure Skating

[SeanC]

1 hour ago, Jeddah said:

I wonder if the judges would have placed Alysa in first if she had landed the triple axel cleanly. 

Just a base value triple Axel would have boosted her score to 77.34, narrowing the gap with Bradie to 1.62 points.  If she got, say, +2s on average from the judges, that's 1.6 extra points.  Plus decide for yourself if being completely clean would have boosted her components (yes, it would, though hard to say how much).  I'd say she would be in the lead, but more or less tied.

[redpencil]

That Ladies SP was an exceptionally well-skated event!  I didn't see the first warm-up group, but of the rest, I think Mariah's flukey fall was the only one? Can't imagine that happens very often.

[Sew Sumi]

Even the first group was good. A very entertaining evening. Sadly, I called Bunny Girl's fluke fall, noting to myself that she'd gotten through the jumps cleanly, now watch her fall. 

And she did. 😭

[alexa]

8 hours ago, Jeddah said:

The ladies short program was so much better than I was expecting! Who knew Amber Glenn had that in her?! I hope she keeps it together for the long. Mariah’s fall was too bad. That was still a badass program, even with the fluke fall. And Bradie delivered! I wonder if the judges would have placed Alysa in first if she had landed the triple axel cleanly. 

I felt bad for Gracie. Her attitude in her interview made me think she really isn’t ready to be back. I also want to tell her it’s okay to stop skating if it makes you miserable.

I felt the same way.  It was so awkward.  I don't follow her closely, but my impression was that she was doing much better, and she has been training pretty hard for a while now--so I was surprised to see that she was that far behind in skating still, and that she was still so impacted personally (in interviews).  It isn't like the short program has a big group of skills.... less jumping passes, etc, so I would have expected her to be able to do those at this point.  I do think she seems miserable as well.

[BelleBrit]

1 hour ago, alexa said:

felt the same way.  It was so awkward.  I don't follow her closely, but my impression was that she was doing much better, and she has been training pretty hard for a while now--so I was surprised to see that she was that far behind in skating still, and that she was still so impacted personally (in interviews).  It isn't like the short program has a big group of skills.... less jumping passes, etc, so I would have expected her to be able to do those at this point.  I do think she seems miserable as well.

The thing with Gracie is that she basically lost her triples a few years ago over a very short period of time, and has had to re-learn everything. She has also lost a lot of weight in the last year as she has been training, which messes with balance as she has been getting her jumps back, tried to regain the levels on her spins, etc. I think the consensus when she showed up at these practices was that Gracie was much further along with her jumps than it seemed like she was in the practice sessions at sectionals and regionals.

 I saw people starting to get a bit excited by this and I was inwardly cringing because 1.) Jumping in isolation is so much different than doing full programs with footwork, spins, etc. and 2.) Gracie was not the best competitor at times even when she was at her physical and athletic peak. It wasn’t atypical to see her pop one jump in the short program but get a high score because of her reputation, and because the quality of everything else was there. The commentators really simplify her competitive trajectory when they say “she came 4th at worlds, then she [etc. etc.]”. But her jumps in practice were much further along than I would have thought they would be from footage a few months ago. She just seems like the type of perfectionist personality where she can say aloud that it's all about the journey, but...it will be interesting to see how the comeback goes, but I also think that the media needs to chill and give her a little bit more space/praise the comeback without sounding condescending. There was no reason why NBC Sports had to lead with a "Bradie leads, Gracie struggles" type of headline in response to the short. And if I see the term "movie star looks" one more time (I'm looking at you, Christine Brennan), I will throw up.

[absnow54]

10 hours ago, Jeddah said:

I felt bad for Gracie. Her attitude in her interview made me think she really isn’t ready to be back. I also want to tell her it’s okay to stop skating if it makes you miserable.

That interview was hard to watch. I think she's been in a skating bubble with less competitive skaters, and it may have given her confidence that she could compete against the top ranked skaters again, and this was kind of a wake up call that she wasn't quite there yet. I hope she has the support system she needs to stay on the positive road to recovery, and doesn't let her skate last night get to her too much. It was a huge step back into the spotlight! Way to go Gracie!

I feel so bad for Mariah Bell, she was so close to a clean performance!

[TwoBitUsherette]

9 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I feel so bad for Mariah Bell, she was so close to a clean performance!

I breathed a sigh of relief when she landed all of her jumps, so of course she'd have a fluke fall on the step sequence. Thank god she seemed to have a good sense of humor about it and hopefully she'll come back clean in the long.

[ChicksDigScars]

Alysa has drawn the final spot in the free skate. Ugh. I want to see Bradie or Mariah win. I really don't have anything against Alysa, but when I say that I don't like watching KIDS take over ladies figure skating, I don't just mean Russian kids. 

Can't wait for Dance. Oh, PLEASE skating gods, have Chock and Bates regain their title so that I can see the forced smiles on the faces of the Entitlement Twins!!!

Besides, their free dance this year is SPECIAL. It reminds me of other once in a lifetime, stand out performances that you go back to and watch over and over, like Coldplay for the Shibs and Bollywood for Davis and White. Oh, and Lyra Angelica by Queen Michelle. 

 

 

[PradaKitty]

The interview with Gracie was just awful. She was trying, but all I heard was a lot of “ums” mixed with word salad. 

[Chaser]

I kept hearing about the K/K’s excellent short but I’m pretty sure he tripped like 30 secs in. Does anyone know what was going on with then Cain/Leduc’s death spiral? I remember thinking it looked wrong but I don’t think they ever confirmed why it received zero points. 

Does anyone know why parts of twitter hate Bradie? I follow twitter during competitions and will random come across some ugly stuff directed toward Bradie. 

[ChicksDigScars]

I read somewhere that LeDuc moved his plant foot during the death spiral, so it was treated as a pivot and thus, they got no credit for it? Does that make sense?

Skating Twitter is still all over the Knerim's too, regarding Chris' defense of Coughlin last year.  I dunno. Chris was misguided, defending a friend that he couldn't fathom doing something so disgusting. Does he deserve a lifetime of harassment for it, since the real perpetrator is dead? 

 

 

[Avaleigh]

5 hours ago, TwoBitUsherette said:

I breathed a sigh of relief when she landed all of her jumps, so of course she'd have a fluke fall on the step sequence. Thank god she seemed to have a good sense of humor about it and hopefully she'll come back clean in the long.

I literally yelled "Fuuuck!!" when Mariah fell. I was thinking that she just might squeak ahead of the pack and then that happened. Little flukes like that seem to happen with my favorite skaters. (eg Sasha falling on a flying camel at worlds after hitting all of her opening jumps.) So frustrating but I still love the program and hope that she has a clean long. She's probably my favorite in this group of ladies.

Amber, wow! Her jumps seem effortless and she has an overall maturity that's refreshing to see. I really hope she makes the podium.

The US ladies are looking a lot better than I was expecting. The Russians might have a deeper field at the moment but we still have lots of potential. I only wish that Ting Cui were competing. I was curious to see how she'd fare this year since she was so awesome at Nationals last year. I hope she'll be back next season.

I loved Gracie's dress. I hope she isn't discouraged. I agree that it was hard to listen to that interview. She seems emotionally fragile.

Karen looks good. A lot of times when a skater goes off to college the skating suffers (eg Rachael Flatt) but she's looking pretty on point for the most part. Her spins are beautiful. 

Bradie's skate was wonderful. Very solid. Loved the speed and her death drop. She was so clearly on fire. I hope she keeps it up. 

I'm always rooting for Starr I just wish that she would work more on her skating skills and up her technical content. I also always feel like her music is a miss.

Alysa is fun to watch and still has enormous potential. A lot of the wind is sucked out of her programs though when she doesn't hit the big jumps. 

Regarding having a technical and an artistic program and medals for each--would there also be an all around medal that would be the ultimate crown? Would skaters have to compete in both artistic and technical or would they be able to have the option of doing one or both? 

I'm on the fence about this but I would love to see the spiral sequence brought back for the short or an artistic program. The long already has a required step sequence so why not replace the step sequence with the spiral? Or just put the spiral sequence back in as it used to be. Tara was right when she pointed out that the spirals are a much missed element that always get a strong audience reaction when done well.

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Alysa has drawn the final spot in the free skate. Ugh. I want to see Bradie or Mariah win. I really don't have anything against Alysa, but when I say that I don't like watching KIDS take over ladies figure skating, I don't just mean Russian kids. 

Can't wait for Dance. Oh, PLEASE skating gods, have Chock and Bates regain their title so that I can see the forced smiles on the faces of the Entitlement Twins!!!

Besides, their free dance this year is SPECIAL. It reminds me of other once in a lifetime, stand out performances that you go back to and watch over and over, like Coldplay for the Shibs and Bollywood for Davis and White. Oh, and Lyra Angelica by Queen Michelle. 

 

 

Me too...they are the only ladies skaters I enjoy watching...Mariah especially. IMO, she's what figure skating is all about, the blend of athleticism with artistry. Too bad about that slip (as Scott Hamilton always said, "Ice is slippery" 😎--remember the gazillion times we had to hear that?)

Oh, yeah skate gods...please watch over C/B. Think I'll have my camera ready tonight & tomorrow to catch the twins' expressions if/when another team beats them.

I've gone back to watch Bollywood, the Coldplay FD, and the queen's 1996 LP. Geez... the first two teams' music was awful to my ears--had to hit the mute. Green/Parsons are amazing for such a brand new team!

[Jeddah]

18 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Do you know where I can find the interview with Gracie? I just got home a little while ago, I started watching at the end of Amber Glenn's program so I missed it. I wonder if the USFSA YouTube feed has it.

 

Edited January 24, 2020 by Jeddah

[specialj67]

The rhythm dance was super fun to watch. The NBC stream had Charlie White doing commentary solo—he’s really growing on me as a commentator. He does a great job of not talking while the performance is happening.

And color me pleasantly surprised that Chock and Bates are in the lead. They and Hubbell and Donahue had oopsie!moments, and I was expecting Chock and Bates to take more of a penalty for theirs since it happened in the Finn step. I would LOVE to see C/B win this year—mostly because I prefer their programs to H/D.

And the teams in 3rd through 6th were also great to watch. It’s a real shame that USFSA and/or NBC hasn’t done a better job hyping up US ice dance since that’s where the depth of talent is right now.

Edited January 24, 2020 by specialj67

[KittenPokerCheater]

#TeamGracie- no matter how or where she places.

(also Mariah).

[CeeBeeGee]

2 hours ago, Jeddah said:

 

Thank you!!!!

[alexa]

This interview just now was kind of awkward too.  I guess she just doesn’t know how to express herself well.  

[absnow54]

1 minute ago, alexa said:

This interview just now was kind of awkward too.  I guess she just doesn’t know how to express herself well.  

It makes me nervous when someone with mental health issues fantasizes about a plane going down. Her free skate was beautiful, even though she didn’t hit all of her jumps. 

[Jillibean]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Oh, yeah skate gods...please watch over C/B. Think I'll have my camera ready tonight & tomorrow to catch the twins' expressions if/when another team beats them.

 

6 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Can't wait for Dance. Oh, PLEASE skating gods, have Chock and Bates regain their title so that I can see the forced smiles on the faces of the Entitlement Twins!!!

Hope everyone had their cameras ready! Those smiles were the most forced I think I’ve seen so far. Very interesting to see C/B in first even with the tiny loss of balance. That has to send a message. Seems like the tide really is turning, and I hope it lasts. I so vastly prefer Evan and Madi. Maybe if Madison H hadn’t HAD to be Marilyn Monroe and skate to the creepy My Heart Belongs to Daddy, the shift would never have started. Interesting also to hear Tanith state that C/B’s lift was by far the best in the competition. I do think the relative height difference between the pairs allows C/B to do more in terms of lifts than H/D.

That was a beautiful and moving skate from Gracie. I hope she’s happy with it. 

[Sew Sumi]

Gracie made me cry. I am so proud of her. ❤️

[CeeBeeGee]

Gracie looked so pale and terrified when she first took the ice. I wonder if a sports psychologist would help her? It did wonders for Simone Biles.

[alexa]

Just now, CeeBeeGee said:

Gracie looked so pale and terrified when she first took the ice. I wonder if a sports psychologist would help her? It did wonders for Simone Biles.

I am pretty sure she tried that before the worst of her problems kicked in.  Now she just needs a lot more than that.  She is in therapy, which is why she gives some odd analogies at times.  

55 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

It makes me nervous when someone with mental health issues fantasizes about a plane going down. Her free skate was beautiful, even though she didn’t hit all of her jumps. 

Yes, the plane thing kind of freaked me out....

[annzeepark914]

50 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

 

Hope everyone had their cameras ready! Those smiles were the most forced I think I’ve seen so far. Very interesting to see C/B in first even with the tiny loss of balance. That has to send a message. Seems like the tide really is turning, and I hope it lasts. I so vastly prefer Evan and Madi. Maybe if Madison H hadn’t HAD to be Marilyn Monroe and skate to the creepy My Heart Belongs to Daddy, the shift would never have started. Interesting also to hear Tanith state that C/B’s lift was by far the best in the competition. I do think the relative height difference between the pairs allows C/B to do more in terms of lifts than H/D.

Speaking of that awful song, I've never heard any singer before pronounce daddy as "daddd-dee". I finally had to hit the mute button. That was a wonderful audience reaction to H/B's RD. I think they loved the BeeGees music as well as the skating. I sure did. Didn't have my camera ready but I *loved* Madison's many efforts to keep a smile on her face. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

She didn't media train for this so so she's not polished and full of sound bites, like we will hear/have heardr from other skaters.  I doubt she expected to be interviewed (because she knew she wasn't going to be top six).

She looked nervous, but she fought for the jumps, and she didn't give up. I'm glad she is figuring things out and not stuffing herself into a pretty box.  She's made a start for herself, and that's a good first step.  What she does next is up to her.  I wish her luck no matter what.  

[Guest]

Got excited when I heard Haley Reinhart and Postmodern Jukebox during Courtney Hicks’ routine just now - and then of course Johnny criticized her music choice.

[absnow54]

12 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Got excited when I heard Haley Reinhart and Postmodern Jukebox during Courtney Hicks’ routine just now - and then of course Johnny criticized her music choice.

Somebody used it in the short, can’t remember if it was Ladies or Pairs, so maybe it’s getting a lot of play this season and Johnny is already over it. I like the cover though. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, absnow54 said:

Somebody used it in the short, can’t remember if it was Ladies or Pairs, so maybe it’s getting a lot of play this season and Johnny is already over it. I like the cover though. 

His criticism seemed to have more to do with how it related (or didn’t) to what she was doing, but I admit I wasn’t really listening to him XD 

[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 compelling. She had the entire arena wrapped around her finger. Such an amazing moment. 

[Sew Sumi]

Mariah was spellbinding. Alysa got her arsenal of jumps done (albeit with a carrot on the lutz). Alysa HAS improved artistically, but Mariah rightfully outscored her on PCS. 

[Mellowyellow]

Well done Alysa! Got forth and conquer my wee jumping bean. I really enjoy Alysa because I love the adorable and the cute so I'm really pleased she conquered. This competition was a good lesson for her. She was under pressure and I think she was nervous on a certain level but she handled it beautifully. 

That said I'm devastated about Bradie so it's a really weird competition for me. I love Bradie 😭

ETA: I thought the scoring was fair. They really couldn't do much more. Alysa hit her jumps and won it.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Mellowyellow

[Souris]

Alysa had the jumps, and congratulations to her, because that’s what the sport is now and the judges wanted to send a message internationally that the U.S. has a quad queen too ... but, damn, Mariah was magnificent. What a skate!

Such a shame for Bradie about the fall. I think Alysa would still have won regardless, though.

I was happy for Gracie for a pretty good skate, but like others, that interview made me go “Uhhhhhhh” and be concerned.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Souris

[Mellowyellow]

Awww Bradie and Mariah said their goal is to get back the third spot at Worlds🥰

I hope they do! They can take the Lil Nugget with them when she turns senior. What a team that would be!

[CeeBeeGee]

55 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

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 compelling. She had the entire arena wrapped around her finger. Such an amazing moment. 

I was crying. That look of incandescent joy when she landed that last jump--I broke down and wept. What a gorgeous skate. She's stunning. I'm so happy she hit this.

And YAY ALYSA!!!!! Our teeny tiny quad queen! She brought it as well! So thrilled for her!

[TwoBitUsherette]

Alysa might have gotten the gold, but for me the true winner tonight was Mariah. That performance was gorgeous and, for once, I agreed with Tara - I was on the edge of my seat. I hope she gets to have similar performances at 4CC and worlds.

[honeywest]

I telepathically ordered Mariah not to fuck up the free skate, and she obeyed me!

[Mellowyellow]

29 minutes ago, honeywest said:

I telepathically ordered Mariah not to fuck up the free skate, and she obeyed me!

Great idea. I'm going to try that on Rika at Worlds!

[Darknight]

I hate it how Feds are using children to send a message. Alysa still has to grow up, get through puberty, and hopefully improve for years to come. She also has to handle the pressure to perform internationally. USA fed is just as bad as Russian fed. See look Russia and Japan we have a quad lady too. But she is too young to compete as a senior internationally. I hate the hype Alysa is getting and Tara irks my nerves. USA fed should let Alysa grow and invest in their current senior skaters. 

 

Mariah killed it. 

 

Lindsay in juniors was really good. 

 

Europeans is a damn joke. It looks like they all want the 3A they're calling them to sweep the podium. I feel as if all of them were over scored. 

 

And the stream sucks and I'm reminded why I never spend 60 dollars on it. 

 

Gracie should retire imo. It sounds like she's not into it at all. I wasn't a fan of her programs. 

 

And can we please stop calling these girls 4Lz a quad. Very few men can land a beautiful 4Lz. I feel as if calling these girls 4Lz a quad cheapens the jump. The only real 4Lz I see that I can name off the top if my head is Chen, Hanyu, Koylada, and Boyang. Little or zero pre rotation, beautiful outside edge, and use of toe pick. Not flat edge, inside edge, rotation on ice and using your whole blade/upper body to take off. ISU stop calling fake quads quads. 

 

ISU is in a dump. 

[displayname]

1 minute ago, Darknight said:

I feel as if all of them were over scored. 

They were.

[honeywest]

Of course Tara loves Alysa Liu, a little girl with jumps and energy, no visible nerves—and a quad. (Still bitter about the Nagano Olympics? Moi?)

Gracie’s free skate and interview were disturbing. She didn’t look mentally or physically ready to be back at Nationals.

Edited January 25, 2020 by honeywest

[BelleBrit]

11 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

She didn't media train for this so so she's not polished and full of sound bites, like we will hear/have heardr from other skaters.  I doubt she expected to be interviewed (because she knew she wasn't going to be top six).

She looked nervous, but she fought for the jumps, and she didn't give up. I'm glad she is figuring things out and not stuffing herself into a pretty box.  She's made a start for herself, and that's a good first step.  What she does next is up to her.  I wish her luck no matter what.  

The plane analogy was uncomfortable. Gracie has been doing a fair amount of media promotion for her new Julep Beauty Eye on the Prize Campaign (which also aims at increasing awareness of mental health…so Gracie gets to talk more about her personal struggles for these promotions, which could be both therapeutic and re-traumatize her), so I’m sure that her team had arranged for her to be interviewed by NBC ahead of time. Most of the girls like Gracie who have an agent have had media training to some extent, but I always wonder if these post-performance interviews are such a good idea. The skaters are all hopped up on adrenaline and are still absorbing their performances, and it often leads to some weird stuff being said.  But a lot of Gracie’s interviews have been like this lately.

I went in thinking that Alysa would likely win given her technical content, but I was halfway expecting them to give it to Mariah after her clean performance. In how Bradie and Mariah were scored last year, it seemed that the judges would have preferred to give one of them the title over Alysa.  But it looks like that ship has sailed. 

What Alysa has accomplished is very impressive, but she definitely seemed like a girl among women. I'm not sure that I like the direction that skating is going in. And will Alysa be able to stay injury free and adjust as her body grows? Part of me was happy to see her repeat as champion however.  2013 nationals where Ashley Wagner won as a repeating champion was a rather crappy event where everyone turned in rough performances, including Ashley (Gracie had a clean free but she had bombed the short).  On a positive note, I think that Bradie and Mariah have a good chance of getting three spots back for the US at worlds.  Karen Chen did better than I thought she would. I've always had a soft sport for Amber Glenn, but unfortunately the free played out exactly like I feared it would. I miss Ting! I hope that she recovers and is able to return to nationals next year. I do get sick of the "highest short program score at nationals ever! Highest free skate score at nationals ever!" Do they think we're dumb? These records get broken each year at nationals! 

edit: I see that Mariah had an underrotation called on her triple lutz, so it wasn't technically a clean performance. Ok, I think that I actually agree with this Alysa win more now. 

Edited January 25, 2020 by BelleBrit

[specialj67]

The Euros mens and pairs events were a generally rough bunch to watch. Aside from Aliev managing to hold it relatively together for both portions and win, there wasn’t a lot of greatness on display. The absence of recent top competitors like Kolyada and Fernandez was really apparent.

The only discipline I’m looking forward to today is ice dance, purely because of the politicking going on with P/C vs N/K scoring in the rhythm dance. 

[Growsonwalls]

IDK what is "overscored" about this. I feel like this checks the boxes for technical content and grade of execution.

 

[displayname]

1 hour ago, Growsonwalls said:

IDK what is "overscored" about this. I feel like this checks the boxes for technical content and grade of execution.

 

Well, there's the PCS component to it still. I disagree even on TES though.

[Mellowyellow]

Is there some scandal with the ice dance results?

I rarely watch ice dance so have no idea but there seems to be some upset if sorts.

Was it legit? 

[Growsonwalls]

52 minutes ago, displayname said:

Well, there's the PCS component to it still. I disagree even on TES though.

I don't get it. I feel like she's a very artistic skater with excellent grade of execution on all her elements. Just because she's Russian doesn't mean she's evil and bad.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Growsonwalls

[ChicksDigScars]

14 hours ago, Jillibean said:

Hope everyone had their cameras ready! Those smiles were the most forced I think I’ve seen so far. Very interesting to see C/B in first even with the tiny loss of balance. That has to send a message. Seems like the tide really is turning, and I hope it lasts. I so vastly prefer Evan and Madi. Maybe if Madison H hadn’t HAD to be Marilyn Monroe and skate to the creepy My Heart Belongs to Daddy, the shift would never have started. Interesting also to hear Tanith state that C/B’s lift was by far the best in the competition. I do think the relative height difference between the pairs allows C/B to do more in terms of lifts than H/D.

That was a beautiful and moving skate from Gracie. I hope she’s happy with it. 

One thing that I will give Madison Hubbell props for, is that she has a face that was made for throwing SHADE. OMG!!! They were PISSED. Snort. Did you also see Zach's face when H/B got a wee bit too close in the warm up? He does Resting Douche Face extremely well. 

Hawayek and Baker had a very fan friendly routine to Bee Gees music. I still love some Ponomarenko and Carreira, too. 

Mariah. OMG. I cried along with her and Adam. That performance was EVERYTHING. It was title worthy. It should go down as one of those performances that won a U.S. Championship. But no. Give it to the cute kid with the jumps who isn't old enough to skate in seniors anywhere else. UGHHHHHHHH.

[ChicksDigScars]

35 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Is there some scandal with the ice dance results?

I rarely watch ice dance so have no idea but there seems to be some upset if sorts.

Was it legit? 

I wouldn't say it was a scandal. Madison Chock had a balance check and had to grab Evan to keep from falling at one point, but in slow mo, she didn't lose her edge. That's the only thing I can think of. Hubbell and Donahue got a level 2 on a skating skill and that probably cost them 1st place. But, C/B's routine is so much better than H/D's this season. 

[Growsonwalls]

Just watched Mariah Bell's FS. Rafael Arutyunyan really seems to do well with older skaters who struggled with technique and consistency. I wonder if he would do well for Gracie Gold. 

[annzeepark914]

I noticed during both the short & long programs, that Rafael seems to have thawed. He was always The Great Stoneface in the K&C. But now we see him smiling, heck--even laughing!  He does have excellent skaters. Maybe this has cheered him up.