Figure Skating

[healthnut]

I agree with sending Vincent, he is the reigning bronze medalist and he has just changed coaches and taken a break from school. This is exactly why you have committees to choose the team to consider extenuating circumstances. 
 

The pairs, however, I completely disagree. Cain-Gribble/Leduc have been a mess all season. I wouldn’t trust them. They didn’t show any signs of improvement at Nationals either. Calang & Johnson struggled in the fall with jumps but they always skated beautifully and they are a new pairing. They really should’ve gotten the nod. 

[displayname]

3 hours ago, redpencil said:

Remember, it was a whole big thing back in 2018 over the Olympic selections (when Adam and Vincent were chosen over Ross Minor).

I don't exactly have an issue with Vincent going here, but I think Tomoki beat Vincent in two criteria here - Nationals, and for being the reigning JWC. Vincent has only one criteria over him, being reigning WBM, and lacks an entire season of experience. Neither is exactly consistent. Tomoki has more of a case to go to Worlds than Vincent ever did for Pyeongchang (and I didn't even care that much back then). They are putting their eggs in the basket that Vincent can quad up by March (and that his bad technique will escape critique again).

The programs and performances at these Nationals... well, no one really impressed artistically. Boring programs, skated boringly, with some like Chen's LP being downright awful. I agree with who said he skates like Plushenko, with incredibly tacky presentation, but I think Plushy was more charismatic than this. Brown was his usual self - precise, yet lacking excitement. Zhou lacks musicality and understanding of movement. Hiwatashi skates like a junior still, and there's nothing outstanding there outside of a few transitions. Bell's LP is very incongruous with the music, although she does have nice spins and spirals. Tennell is improving, but she'll never get there. Karen Chen has all the ingredients, but those generic programs are buoyed only by her natural ability. I'm most impressed by Liu, surprisingly, she has the ingredients, and for a junior she did a good job - but of course, it's still a junior skating, and with bad jumps at that.

Edited January 27, 2020 by displayname

[alexa]

9 hours ago, redpencil said:

It's unfortunate for sure, but I don't see how it impacts the skaters? I think they're in a tough spot. They don't know what the press conference is going to say ahead of time. This is a HUGE story, not just in the U.S. but world wide. I don't blame them, and they DID try to warn people. Unfortunate timing, but I don't necessarily think the wrong decision from the bigger picture.

And I say this as someone who missed both Nathan and Jason because I was watching on delay and by the time I heard them say they would be switching to NBCSN at some point, it was too late for me to start recording there. Luckily I did see Nathan when they re-aired it later.

ETA: Basically what absnow54 said.

I just meant the TV exposure for the skaters and for US Figure Skating is a big deal.  They do not have many televised events anymore--and Nationals is their big event.  And for many of their fans to miss such a key moment is a big deal.  It is what it is, and many would have been more understanding if it was breaking news, but the reality is that it wasn't.  And that they prolonged it by having random interviews with people about Kobe versus returning to skating.  Lastly, national news was coming on in 45 minutes, and when it came on, you know what they said?  "Breaking News!!" and proceeded to repeat what we saw 45 mins ago.  Kind of proved the point it could have waited.  

As others have said other places, they would not have interrupted the end of a basketball or football game.  They would have waited.  

Life moves on though...

[Jillibean]

I think Vincent is a fair choice for worlds when you take into account what the circumstances have been. Cain and LeDuc though- it almost seems like they were given the spot solely because they’re the ones who earned it last year. 

[surreysmum]

14 hours ago, SeanC said:

https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/events/detail/2020-figure-skating-toyota-us-championships-greensboro/videos/

It’s possible this is only international; if you have a VPN.

Thank you for this - it worked for me and it was completely worth messing with the rather clunky interface to finally see Jason Brown's performance.

[Mellowyellow]

The link worked for me too!

Although you cannot fast forward! I had to sit through a bunch of stuff to see Vincent's SP.

I'm gearing up the energy to sit through to get to his FP.

[displayname]

13 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Although you cannot fast forward

You can pause and move the slider around.

[Mellowyellow]

1 minute ago, displayname said:

You can pause and move the slider around.

I've tried but it won't move *wails*

So what I did was I let it run forward while I did chores and then came back after it had played most of the programs. Then I could go backwards to sift for Vincent.

Maybe my technology is wonky. I had to pretend I was from Canada for it to load at all 😅

 

[TwoBitUsherette]

3 hours ago, Jillibean said:

I think Vincent is a fair choice for worlds when you take into account what the circumstances have been. Cain and LeDuc though- it almost seems like they were given the spot solely because they’re the ones who earned it last year. 

I agree with you and was somewhat surprised to see them on the team. This is one case where I wish USFS had held off on assigning that spot until after 4CC.

Dave Lease says a lot of things that I don't agree with, but I thought he had a good suggestion that the deciding factor for that second worlds spot should have been determined by totaling the points from nationals + 4CC, and whoever came out with the bigger score got to go. Obviously USFS disagreed.

[ChicksDigScars]

19 hours ago, sweeks said:

Yay for Chock and Bates! I was so excited that they won. While the very petty part of me would have loved to have seen h/B's bitch faces when C/B's scores were announced, I was also happy to not have to see them after they performed.

While I was worried that C/B might get lost in the mix in Montreal, the change in coaches has made a huge difference in them. Gadbois has certainly done them a world of good both in terms of skating skills and in material. I've been impressed that they moved away from the face clutching, romantic programs they did with their previous coach (and that their current training mates P/C and certainly H/D tend to go with) and instead go with programs that have more personality. I loved their Elvis free dance last year, and this year's free dance has served them very well.

I'm befuddled by H/D's choices. How did anyone think that those programs were top-tier material? Do H/D select the programs/music, and no one stops them? The Marilyn Monroe number is a hot mess (I will never be able to get behind "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"), and even with the improvements, I find the A Star is Born free dance disjointed (I also don't care for the music).

I tried watching H/D's free as objectively as possible (difficult since I loathe their smug, entitled personalities so very much). They are fast skaters and can certainly fill the rink, but the attempts at "passion" come off as messy to me. While they might want to be the next V/M, they lack the chemistry, talent, and precision/discipline of that pair.

I wish I could "love" your post a hundred times. 

I'd also like to add that Gadbois has done wonders with costuming C/B and making them look more elegant. Weren't Chock and her Mom making their costumes before? Some of them were awful. They've looked gorgeous since the coaching change.  And I think it also adds to an air of confidence on the ice. 

I think H/B knew what was about to happen. The bitch faces were more pronounced after the rhythm dance. They seemed resigned to the silver medal after the Free Dance, even before C/B skated.  Oh, and did Darling Douchy Zach make any "we gave away our medal" comments afterwards, like he did after getting beaten by the Shibs?

Someone posted P/C's score sheet on Twitter, and on the very bottom, there was a "Music Violation." Did they finally get zinged by the spoke word at Euros? 

Edited January 27, 2020 by ChicksDigScars

[SeanC]

6 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

I think H/B knew what was about to happen. The bitch faces were more pronounced after the rhythm dance.

I assume you mean Hubbell & Donohue, but they'd have been quite fair to be annoyed with the RD results since Chock & Bates had a visible error on the Finnstep that the judges and the tech caller ignored.

[Omeletsmom]

18 hours ago, alexa said:

They have the short programs available on youtube, so hopefully Jason's long will be posted soon/later today.  I am still bummed they did that though--such bad timing considering there was no new news, and that national news comes on fairly soon.  It really made no sense.  

Seriously.  They could not go 5 minutes over to show Jason's program? They'd do it for a LOT of other sports.

[ChicksDigScars]

On 1/25/2020 at 11:30 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Congrats to Chock & Bates! The choreography of their FD is fascinating and their incredible lifts are stunning. That move to Gadbois was so smart. And Carriera & Ponomarenko? They sure don't look like they've only recently moved up to seniors. I really like them. The only thing I don't like about ice dance now is all the sliding on the ice (or rolling!) Remember when so many teams were "dying" on the ice? 

I was hoping that C/P would get a 4CC spot, and I'm actually surprised that they didn't.  The U.S. is sending the same three dance pairs to Worlds and 4CC. It's the only skating disciple of the four where the roster is the same for both events. Do they give the top skaters the option of doing both? 

I was hoping that H/D would choose to sit 4CC out.  (shocked, aren't you?)

Yeah, I DEFINITELY mean H/D not H/B on my post above. LOL.

 

Edited January 27, 2020 by ChicksDigScars

[SeanC]

8 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

I was hoping that C/P would get a 4CC spot, and I'm actually surprised that they didn't.  The U.S. is sending the same three dance pairs to Worlds and 4CC. It's the only skating disciple of the four where the roster is the same for both events. Do they give the top skaters the option of doing both? 

Ice dance is heavily momentum-based, and you need to keep buffing your World Standing points all the time, so no top ice dance team would ever skip Euros or 4CC if they could go.  Not going would be directly ceding ground to Chock/Bates and Gilles/Poirier in advance of the big show in Montreal.

[displayname]

34 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Someone posted P/C's score sheet on Twitter, and on the very bottom, there was a "Music Violation." Did they finally get zinged by the spoke word at Euros? 

No, only 3 judges voted for it.

[ChicksDigScars]

7 minutes ago, SeanC said:

Ice dance is heavily momentum-based, and you need to keep buffing your World Standing points all the time, so no top ice dance team would ever skip Euros or 4CC if they could go.  Not going would be directly ceding ground to Chock/Bates and Gilles/Poirier in advance of the big show in Montreal.

Refresh my memory, what happened last year, then? H/B won 4CC. Both H/D and C/B skipped the event. Slight injuries that needed resting, because both teams went to World's. 

[displayname]

31 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

I was hoping that H/D would choose to sit 4CC out.  (shocked, aren't you?)

More shocked we haven't heard your critique of them yet.

11 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Refresh my memory, what happened last year, then? H/B won 4CC. Both H/D and C/B skipped the event. Slight injuries that needed resting, because both teams went to World's. 

No, C/B won 4CC. H/D finished 4th with their StaLiB debacle.

On the topic of 4CCs ID, I hope G/P win the title this season.

Edited January 27, 2020 by displayname

[annzeepark914]

1 minute ago, displayname said:

More shocked we haven't heard your critique of them yet.

No, C/B won 4CC. H/D finished 4th with ther StaLiB debacle.

OK, ChicksDigScars...we're waiting for your critique of HD's free dance.  It's a gloomy Monday here so I'm looking to be cheered up 😉

I usually don't watch 4CC but *this* year I definitely will!

[SeanC]

4 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Refresh my memory, what happened last year, then? H/B won 4CC. Both H/D and C/B skipped the event. Slight injuries that needed resting, because both teams went to World's. 

Chock & Bates won 4CC last year; Hubbell & Donohue finished fourth due to a big technical error.

You're thinking of 2018 4CC, which Hawayek & Baker won.  In the Olympic year, the top North American competitors always skip 4CC because it's too close to the Olympics (which generally doesn't happen with European teams and Euros because it's a few weeks earlier and doesn't involve traveling so far away).  So the ice dance podium in 2018 was Hawayek & Baker, Soucisse & Firus, and (for the first time ever) the Japanese team Muramoto & Reed.

[displayname]

1 minute ago, SeanC said:

(for the first time ever) the Japanese team Muramoto & Reed.

And then it wasn't to be! Looking forward to several rising Asian teams though, with Beijing coming up. We have Wang/Liu from China here, and Komatsubara/Koleto from Japan both here, and next season, we'll get our first good glimpse at Muramoto/Takahashi.

[Avaleigh]

On 1/25/2020 at 6:36 PM, Growsonwalls said:

Everyone bags on Eteri's girls but the truth is all of them had/have loads of talent. The least talented was maybe Evgenia Medvedeva -- technique was never her strong suit. But Yulia Lipnitskaya, Alina Zagitova, and nowadays Alena, Anna, and Alexandra all have tons of talent. I think Alena might be the most talented -- her triple axel is huge and her basic skating skills are wonderful. The issue is Eteri's assembly-line attitude -- she doesn't give the girls the programs and choreography they deserve and they're abandoned at the first sign of puberty. I would actually love to see the three A's through this quad and see how they develop. It's not likely though. 

They are talented and I sometimes feel like the criticism that they receive is more about not liking Team Eteri as opposed to her skaters not being legitimately worthy of the placements and attention they receive.

I do wish that they were more interested in developing things like good technique, beautiful lines, holding positions, not rushing through every element, etc. These are valid points. At the same time, something about their approach *is* working to the point where it seems almost set in stone that another Russian lady will win in 2022. I don't think any other country that has top skaters in this sport is as much of a guarantee as Russia is right now. 

Mariah's long was easily my favorite moment at Nationals. It is frustrating that she couldn't win with a performance like that but I understand why it couldn't be when I consider all of the factors. As refreshing as it was to watch a performance like Mariah's, I can't pretend that I wasn't just as excited to watch the A squad do their thing at Russian nationals and Euros. They're pushing the sport in ways I wouldn't have predicted five years ago and it makes for compelling viewing.

I disagree that it has to be an either/or thing when it comes to jumps and artistry. At the end of the day I feel like the best example of the full package is rewarded more often than not. I'm not convinced that the rise of Team Eteri is evidence that the sport is moving in a bad direction.

In terms of the whole assembly line aspect--I do wish they could find a balance so that more of a skater's personality could shine through. One gets the impression that the girls have minimal input when it comes to music, dress, choreography, etc. They even look alike in a way in terms of styling. Waist length hair, tiny bodies, pretty faces. It would not surprise me at all if looks were also a factor for Eteri agreeing to take on a student.

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

there was no way they were going to skip coverage of what will be the biggest story of the week for afternoon figure skating. 

See, that's what's so frustrating, because I really wonder if they would have cut into a football game or a basketball game the same way. I don't think they would have. And switching over to NBC SportsNetwork didn't do any good for those of us who recorded this thing. Luckily they reran Nathan's LP at the end of it (and my DVR didn't cut off). 

I for one really enjoyed Nathan's LP although he did have some wonky landings that shouldn't have garnered the extra GOEs. But the end part where he started dancing was just so entertaining, it was a completely new side to his personality I've never seen before. Just so fun and different for him. 

Speaking of weird programming decisions, I can live without Tanith's "skating for dummies" segments. Anybody watching this already knows this stuff, and if they don't they're probably not interested. 

[proserpina65]

20 hours ago, doodlebug said:

NBC did show Nathan's long program at the end of the broadcast since they knew it was cut for the press conference.  No sign of Jason's though.

Jason Brown's long program was the only one I wanted to see, so of course regular NBC didn't show it because we had to hear from the reporter at the scene of the helicopter crash even though he had absolutely nothing to add at that point, and I don't get NBC SN.  Pooey.

20 hours ago, specialj67 said:

Jason’s 2nd place finish is well-deserved. Watching a performance like his today feels special. There aren’t a lot of skaters in the mens field who excel at the non-jumping aspects the way he can. I know he’ll never win a world medal at this point, but I’m so glad to get to watch him do what he does.

He's one of the few male skaters who actually makes me feel invested in his programs.  Nathan Chen is obviously very talented, but he leaves me cold.

19 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Terry announced a little before 5 that figure skating coverage would switch to NBC SN during the press conference. Not that that information helps anyone now...

It didn't help me then either.

18 hours ago, JayCeeJ said:

U.S. Figure Skating tweeted links to both Nathan's and Jason's programs, in case anyone is still having trouble. Still can't believe NBC cut them from the live feed.

I don't have twitter and can't access them, nor can I access the Olympic Channel site.  Ugh.

 

[alexa]

Quote

I don't have twitter and can't access them, nor can I access the Olympic Channel site.  Ugh.

You don't have to have an account.  I can't remember if you can post links to twitter or not, or I would....  But if you google us figure skating twitter, the first result is their twitter page.  If you go to it ,and scroll down through the posts, you will see the one where they have Jason's skate and also Nathan's.  

 

 

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Their skating is also paid for by the government. So yes, USA puts so many financial difficulties on families and athletes.  Especially for skating. Have talent? Great. Have money? No. O well guess you'll miss out then. 

It's a double-edged blade, so to speak.  The skaters whose federation/government pays for their skating have a lot more requirements from their financial backers as to their coaches, programs, prize money and endorsements.  

[ChicksDigScars]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

OK, ChicksDigScars...we're waiting for your critique of HD's free dance.  It's a gloomy Monday here so I'm looking to be cheered up 😉

I usually don't watch 4CC but *this* year I definitely will!

LOL. Well, I will give H/D props that they are powerful and have great ice coverage.  And they did mask the screw up rather well (where they got turned around). But, "in the shalllll....shal-lo-lo," Gaga and Bradley, you ain't.  There had to be better cuts from A Star is Born to mix with Shallow. Why did you need that spoken word passage? Is it some "too cool for school" cliquey thing to be like P/C?  I just thought the music could have been edited better.

Don't get me started on My Heart Belongs to Daddy. Really? Eeewwww. Perhaps Zach should have dressed up like Woody Allen instead of Joe DiMaggio?  I wonder what angsty movie score they'll go for next year? Marriage Story? Let's see you act out that fight between Johannsen and Driver on the ice!! Doooooo it! 

It wasn't as fun criticizing them this year. I knew they were screwed, and the writing was on the wall. It's not as fun when you know that they've been struggling all season with this number. They did give us some classic H/D attitude to snark on after the Rhythm Dance. The question is, will they make the podium at World's. If international judges like Chock and Bates snake dance that much, and it certainly seems as if Sasha Zhulin's check to the ISU is clearing this season, will those two teams make the podium with P/C?  Vomit.  I'd prefer a Canadian team, or H/D to S/K. I'd actually prefer S/B to S/K, if it has to be a Russian team up there. 

With P/C losing this weekend, I would absolutely lose my shit if Chock and Bates won World's. But, I doubt that will happen. The French were sent a message this weekend, and I doubt they show up at World's thinking that they have it in the bag, now. Or maybe Didier's check will be bigger than Zhulin's. 

With the interruptions yesterday during the Men's long, my guess is that the Olympic Channel will repeat all the Nationals broadcasts this week. I think they do anyway, but this year would be even more of a reason to. I watched the Special Report and hit record on NBCSN so that I could see both. But, yeah, they didn't do a great job of announcing that they were going to be switching channels as soon as the Kobe news conference started. I happened to check NBCSN on a whim. My channel guide said something about an auto show. I clicked over, saw ice skating and hit record. Then went and watched the sad presser from LA. 

Edited January 27, 2020 by ChicksDigScars

[cpcathy]

I am now officially tired of any dance couple that tries to act like they are in love and tries to be sexy. It's boring. I've hated the rule that you can skate to songs with lyrics ever since it was announced. You're not interpreting the music, the lyrics are interpreting the music for you!

[Growsonwalls]

3 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

In terms of the whole assembly line aspect--I do wish they could find a balance so that more of a skater's personality could shine through. One gets the impression that the girls have minimal input when it comes to music, dress, choreography, etc. They even look alike in a way in terms of styling. Waist length hair, tiny bodies, pretty faces. It would not surprise me at all if looks were also a factor for Eteri agreeing to take on a student.

 

Actually very few skaters have much input about their music. I was really shocked when a lot of skaters in interviews said how they "didn't like" a certain piece of music but were told they had to skate to it anyway. Gracie Gold was one who complained that with Lori Nichol she didn't get to pick her music. 

But the similarity of the Eteri girls in terms of choreography, presentation, costumes etc. is kind of weird. The flappy fringes and weird color mixing on their costumes is something that drives me crazy. 

As for C/B I like them but I'm not crazy about the snake FD. I think it's kind of tacky to be honest.

[Mellowyellow]

16 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

But the similarity of the Eteri girls in terms of choreography, presentation, costumes etc. is kind of weird. The flappy fringes and weird color mixing on their costumes is something that drives me crazy. 

The random horsy leg kicks just kill me. Even Kamila can't make it look good and Kamila is pretty graceful.

I'm on the fence about whether they'll keep their jumps. I think you can. At least Rika seems to have kept her jumps. The triple Axel is better now than when she was younger and the other triples don't seem to be hard for her at all. So it's possible.

[SeanC]

27 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Actually very few skaters have much input about their music. I was really shocked when a lot of skaters in interviews said how they "didn't like" a certain piece of music but were told they had to skate to it anyway. Gracie Gold was one who complained that with Lori Nichol she didn't get to pick her music. 

That sort of thing varies wildly depending on the age of the skater, the relationships they have with the coach and choreographers, etc.  Juniors, especially, tend to have very limited input everywhere (because they don't know shit anyway, and often it's the coach/choreographer's job to find things that they think with develop their students outside their comfort zone), which, since Eteri's school is mostly juniors, particularly emphasizes that.  But that generally extended to seniors (Zagitova at one point last year said that her programs for next season had been picked but that she didn't know what they were) -- though there are exceptions, which again shows how much individual relationships matter.  Lipnitskaya's Schindler's List and Medvedeva's Anna Karenina were both skater selections, for instance, as is Kostornaia's Twilight program.

Kaetlyn Osmond said that the Black Swan/Swan Lake theme was one that she had wanted to do for years, but Ravi Walia and Jeffrey Buttle didn't think it was a good idea and so they kept putting it off until the Olympic year.

[Souris]

I got to go to the men's free skate -- my first time seeing an ice-skating competition in-person. Quite a different experience than on TV!

As much as I like Nathan, he was definitely over-scored with multiple wonky landings. Not surprised, though -- it's Nationals.

The crowd was incredibly supportive of Vincent. Terrific skate, knowing how little prep he had. His exhibition skate showed a lot more artistry, so I wish they could tap into that for his competitive programs. He and Tomoki did a fun fist-bump routine when they were on the podium.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Actually very few skaters have much input about their music. 

Terry Gannon asked Johnny Weir that very thing during the running commentary, and Johnny said that at this level most of the skaters do have a big say in the music they skate to. For what that's worth.

[Avaleigh]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Terry Gannon asked Johnny Weir that very thing during the running commentary, and Johnny said that at this level most of the skaters do have a big say in the music they skate to. For what that's worth.

I guess it depends on the skater and their team but senior level skaters generally seem to have input along with the choreographer and primary coach. (At least US skaters do.) Adam Rippon has talked about, Ashley, Johnny, etc. It depends on a variety of factors and maybe because Eteri's skaters are so young that's why they have minimal input at this point. It's not exactly a wild leap to think that it might be helpful for skaters to skate to music they actually like lol. Interesting that Gracie hasn't had much say until recently. Hell, even some of skaters from the rigid Soviet era had input on their music. I remember Ekaterina Gordeeva talking about how when it was decided they would do a Romeo and Juliet program that they listened to Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev selections and decided that she and Sergei by far preferred to use Tchaikovsky for their long. 

[annzeepark914]

On 1/27/2020 at 5:11 PM, cpcathy said:

I am now officially tired of any dance couple that tries to act like they are in love and tries to be sexy. It's boring. I've hated the rule that you can skate to songs with lyrics ever since it was announced. You're not interpreting the music, the lyrics are interpreting the music for you!

Well, sorry, but H/D are following in the skatesteps of V/M, complete with the adoring stares at each other, as they approach center ice. *And* did y'all see Hubble running her hands all over her partner's chest as they waited rink-side for the warm-up? It was a sight to behold.

I'm weary of lyrics already. I want to concentrate on the skaters, not think about the singer and the song. 

P.S. I'm also weary of the Knierems. They said, at the end of the 2018 O's, that they were thinking of starting a family. But here they are again, with all their pairs (will he fall again?) drama.

[KittenPokerCheater]

17 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

P.S. I'm also weary of the Knierems. They said, at the end of the 2018 O's, that they were thinking of starting a family. But here they are again, with all their pairs (will he fall again?) drama.

SO this.  Their dramah has wearied me beyond weariedness.  I'm ready for other us pairs teams please.

And while the fake romance in ice dancing is silly, I am comforted by know that at least C/B are a legit couple- and they've become my favorite team.  The French may be brilliant, but right now, I can't get past their spoken word free dance.

[Growsonwalls]

Interview with Alexandra Trusova. Wow. I was not expecting her voice to be that deep.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlbGNoJAZAc

ETA: Natalia M has been posting pix of her and old figure skaters at Nationals. I think they all look great but as of today I actually think Natalia is prettier than Katia.

 

Edited January 29, 2020 by Growsonwalls

[ML89]

Well, I recognized Brian and Paul...

I enjoy songs with lyrics, but is the distortion as bad in the arena as on TV? Some songs end up an aural mush when the skater is trying to convey some emotion. Also while I love Mariah, Hallelujah has been worn out by a generation of screechy attempts on Idol. 
 

I too am weary of the Kneirems and all fake romance in ice dance. It’s worse than a season of Big Brother. 

[ChicksDigScars]

On 1/27/2020 at 5:11 PM, cpcathy said:

I am now officially tired of any dance couple that tries to act like they are in love and tries to be sexy. It's boring. I've hated the rule that you can skate to songs with lyrics ever since it was announced. You're not interpreting the music, the lyrics are interpreting the music for you!

The one advantage to using songs with vocals. Less Carmen. The disadvantage? More Hallelujah. 

But, a testament to how beautifully Mariah skated was that after the first few notes, I stopped cringing due to Hallelujah overload. I was too absorbed in her performance. 

 

[doodlebug]

11 hours ago, ML89 said:

Well, I recognized Brian and Paul...

I enjoy songs with lyrics, but is the distortion as bad in the arena as on TV? Some songs end up an aural mush when the skater is trying to convey some emotion. Also while I love Mariah, Hallelujah has been worn out by a generation of screechy attempts on Idol. 
 

I too am weary of the Kneirems and all fake romance in ice dance. It’s worse than a season of Big Brother. 

The first photo has them identified in the comments.  Ekaterina Gordeeva is standing on the far left next to Paul Wylie in the second photo.

I, too, don't think lyrics add to the performances and often detract.  And the less sickening sweet romantic swooning in ice dance, the better.  The Kneirems need to retire, he is never going to be able to land his jumps consistently which puts any sort of medal at worlds beyond their reach.  They have some wonderful throws, but it is not enough.

Edited January 29, 2020 by doodlebug

[Avaleigh]

It took me like 30 seconds to recognize Brian. I haven't seen him in about eight years or so. Damn, I feel old.

Natalia and Katia were always beautiful and I'm glad that neither seems to have gone the filler overload route. 

[annzeepark914]

16 hours ago, ML89 said:

Well, I recognized Brian and Paul...

I enjoy songs with lyrics, but is the distortion as bad in the arena as on TV? Some songs end up an aural mush when the skater is trying to convey some emotion. Also while I love Mariah, Hallelujah has been worn out by a generation of screechy attempts on Idol. 
 

I too am weary of the Kneirems and all fake romance in ice dance. It’s worse than a season of Big Brother. 

I sure didn't recognize Brian Boitano!  When did he lose his hair? Shock of all shocks. I only recognized Natalia (loved her pairs skating with The Great Artur...too bad he's not in these photos standing next to gorgeous, still slender Natalia, heh heh) and Paul (my favorite male figure skater of all time), with his same beautiful smile.  So who are the rest?

Guess I'm weird because I still love Hallelujah.  And Mariah skated so well to this music, IMO. I've never heard anyone screech this song so maybe that's why I still like it (I don't watch Idol).  I'm ready for some more skating - bring on 4CC's !

[doodlebug]

18 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Interview with Alexandra Trusova. Wow. I was not expecting her voice to be that deep.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlbGNoJAZAc

ETA: Natalia M has been posting pix of her and old figure skaters at Nationals. I think they all look great but as of today I actually think Natalia is prettier than Katia.

 

First picture left to right: Tatiana Druchinina, Larisa Selezneva, Andrei Khvalko, Elena Leonova, Brian Boitano, Elena Betchke, Natalia Mishkutenok, Evgenia Shishkova.  From Natalia's Instagram.  There are other photos there from the Nationals, too including some of Natalia's daughter, Natasha, who is a budding pairs skater.

39 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I sure didn't recognize Brian Boitano!  When did he lose his hair? Shock of all shocks. I only recognized Natalia (loved her pairs skating with The Great Artur...too bad he's not in these photos standing next to gorgeous, still slender Natalia, heh heh) and Paul (my favorite male figure skater of all time), with his same beautiful smile.  So who are the rest?

Guess I'm weird because I still love Hallelujah.  And Mariah skated so well to this music, IMO. I've never heard anyone screech this song so maybe that's why I still like it (I don't watch Idol).  I'm ready for some more skating - bring on 4CC's !

Brian never did have a lot of hair, I think he got to the point where it was almost gone anyway, so he shaved it off.  I only recognized him because NBC showed him sitting in the stands with Scott Hamilton, bald as ever, at the Men's Final.

[Souris]

They showed a taped bit of Brian Boitano attending the breakfast in disguise as a local reporter interviewing the skaters. The sound was crap where I was, but it seemed nobody recognized him except Jean-Luc Baker. Scott Hamilton didn't. 😂

Edited January 30, 2020 by Souris

[annzeepark914]

Leonovo & Khvalko...didn't recognize her at all but there was something about Khvalko that made him look familiar (maybe his height, dark hair...). I remember when they first showed up at pro competitions.  We learned that they'd never competed as a team on the amateur level but got together as pros & built a career skating on cruise ships. They were *really* good. 

[Darknight]

Alena Kanysheva retired from singles due to injury. Sad, she's only 14. Great skating skills too. 

[Sew Sumi]

2 hours ago, Darknight said:

Alena Kanysheva retired from singles due to injury. Sad, she's only 14. Great skating skills too. 

I read she's going to try ice dance.

[displayname]

I'm sad kanysheva had to make this decision because of injury, but I'm not sad that she's trying Ice Dance. She's talented in all aspects of skating except for jumps.

[proserpina65]

On ‎01‎/‎28‎/‎2020 at 6:25 PM, KittenPokerCheater said:

And while the fake romance in ice dancing is silly, I am comforted by know that at least C/B are a legit couple- and they've become my favorite team.  

I wasn't blown away by their free dance.  It was technically challenging, but I found it maybe too intellectual for ice dancing, I think.  I greatly prefer Hubbell and Donahue as far as US teams are concerned.  Although I rather like Carreira and Ponomarenko a lot; I wish they had finished on the podium.

[SeanC]

6 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

 Although I rather like Carreira and Ponomarenko a lot; I wish they had finished on the podium.

They did; they won the pewter medal, that thing that exists only at US domestic competitions.

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, SeanC said:

They did; they won the pewter medal, that thing that exists only at US domestic competitions.

Heck...so we're a trophy lovin' country. I'm just glad this team keeps rising so quickly (unlike the days when his parents had to wait their turn behind the unappealing, IMO, B&B).