Figure Skating

[Mellowyellow]

What's this kerfuffle about Hanyu repeating his programs?

I've only watched one full season of figure skating so they're all kind of new to me but apparently he's used these programs like already?

I wonder if that will annoy the judges? If it does and Nathan is clean they'll probably award Nathan lots of PCS and he'll get raged on and reported to Interpol again.

[SeanC]

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

What's this kerfuffle about Hanyu repeating his programs?

I've only watched one full season of figure skating so they're all kind of new to me but apparently he's used these programs like already?

The Chopin short program will now have been used in four of the last six seasons.

This will be the third usage of “Seimei” in five.

[Sew Sumi]

Soooo sick of Otonal. I know Yuzu has been injured, but he could still get some new programs.

[redpencil]

52 minutes ago, SeanC said:

The Chopin short program will now have been used in four of the last six seasons.

This will be the third usage of “Seimei” in five.

Even when he's NOT re-using programs they sort of seem the same to me. This isn't helping. I get when there are injuries it may make sense to re-use a program. But sheesh, come on. Maybe even try something totally different, for a change.

ETA: I know sometimes judges will send some sort of signal that they don't like a program or don't appreciate re-using a program too often (whether it's in scoring or even just in feedback to coaches or whatever). I wonder if they would ever do that to Hanyu, or is he considered above reproach?

Edited February 3, 2020 by redpencil

[Growsonwalls]

There's been some major drama with rape allegations against French figure skating coaches and officials. Holy shit at some of the allegations.

[Sew Sumi]

From what I've read, the young women are finally being listened to. Heads could (and should) roll.

Edited February 4, 2020 by Sew Sumi

[Growsonwalls]

There are demands for Didier Gailhaguet to resign over the explosive Sarah Abitbol rape allegation which her coach confirmed. She was 15 at the time.

There's more on this horrifying scandal here:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/figure-skating-french-boss-under-pressure-over-sex-abuse-12387466

https://www.rt.com/sport/479787-french-figure-skater-rape-coach/

Guillaume Cizeron has spoken out about it:

 

[Darknight]

My goodness. I heard France might be banned from competitions. 

 

Hanyu repeating programs? I don't know why unless it's to compete with Chen and land a 4A. I really think it's risky. 

[HartofDixie]

Results link for 4 Continents.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/fc2020/

[Mellowyellow]

7 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

Results link for 4 Continents.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/fc2020/

Thank you!!!! I've waited for days and could not find the actual times for the ladies short and free! You're my hero.

***

Rika has boot issues and is just freaking me out in general. I've decided I like competitions where there is no Rika because my stress levels are hitting the roof whenever I watch her practices.

Now that I'm old I find myself going all tiger parent on these kids (internally not online I'm not a nutjob) and it makes watching them so stressful!!!

[Sew Sumi]

11 hours ago, Darknight said:

My goodness. I heard France might be banned from competitions. 

 

Hanyu repeating programs? I don't know why unless it's to compete with Chen and land a 4A. I really think it's risky. 

Didier refused to resign, and he may well take down the FFSG with him. 

What a dirty bastard.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, Sew Sumi said:

Didier refused to resign, and he may well take down the FFSG with him. 

What a dirty bastard.

He was dirty re: the 2002 O's scandal, was suspended, and then (foolishly) let back in. 

[Sew Sumi]

Right. DG should have been far, far away from skating at this point in time.

[Souris]

Brian Boitano posted a longer version of that undercover video I mentioned. Terry Gannon also recognized him. 

 

[justmehere]

On 1/27/2020 at 12:44 PM, proserpina65 said:

Jason Brown's long program was the only one I wanted to see,

A little past the point perhaps, but in case you still haven't seen it, here is Jason Brown's free skate from Nationals. Bonus: no commentary.

 

[SusieVH]

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/susie-vanhalen?utm_term=P5zvGxb8A

[ML89]

8 hours ago, Souris said:

Brian Boitano posted a longer version of that undercover video I mentioned. Terry Gannon also recognized him. 

 

Terry recognizing him and just laughing and then asking Andrea how she didn’t recognize Brian is hilarious. Also loved that she was going to get him. That Scott didn’t catch it is even funnier. Hirsch admitted to being fooled on Twitter. 

[NUguy514]

13 hours ago, Souris said:

Brian Boitano posted a longer version of that undercover video I mentioned. Terry Gannon also recognized him. 

 

This is hilarious!  I love that the male ice dancer (I think?) and Terry were the only ones to recognize him, and Terry just immediately knew.  Scott Hamilton has always been and will always be a moron.

Also, Terry could still get it in a major way!

[proserpina65]

11 hours ago, justmehere said:

A little past the point perhaps, but in case you still haven't seen it, here is Jason Brown's free skate from Nationals. Bonus: no commentary.

 

Oh my, that was absolutely wonderful!  Jason's such an expressive skater that I don't give a damn if he doesn't do quads; everything he did was glorious.  He's one of the few really good spinners among the men, and he actually holds positions for more than a fraction of a second.

Thank you so much for posting this.

[ChicksDigScars]

 

7 hours ago, ML89 said:

Terry recognizing him and just laughing and then asking Andrea how she didn’t recognize Brian is hilarious. Also loved that she was going to get him. That Scott didn’t catch it is even funnier. Hirsch admitted to being fooled on Twitter. 

 

2 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

This is hilarious!  I love that the male ice dancer (I think?) and Terry were the only ones to recognize him, and Terry just immediately knew.  Scott Hamilton has always been and will always be a moron.

Also, Terry could still get it in a major way!

The look on Jean-Luc Baker's face. He saw it, immediately. "You know who that was, don't you?" to Katelin, as Brian walked away. LMAO. 

 

And Didier is a scum bag. He needs to be gone, like YESTERDAY. 

[Mellowyellow]

Squeeeeeeeee

One and two baby!!!!! They need to have mercy on me and skate clean frees to retain those leads!!!!

I may have contemplated going into hiding when it was Rika's turn but so glad I stuck it out. I'm so awful when it comes to Rika. I go all tiger parent on her 😅

[Sew Sumi]

I was only able to stick it out for Dance and Pairs. On the west coast, Ladies started about 1:45am. No can do. I just had to catch up on the protocols this morning. 

Happy for Rika and Bradie.

[Darknight]

On 2/5/2020 at 6:53 PM, Sew Sumi said:

Didier refused to resign, and he may well take down the FFSG with him. 

What a dirty bastard.

French president got involved. Holy shit. 

What's with these scores? I always feel as if Rika is underscored. Maybe it's just me. Young You is progressing but I'm not a fan yet. 

 

[Mellowyellow]

44 minutes ago, Darknight said:

French president got involved. Holy shit. 

What's with these scores? I always feel as if Rika is underscored. Maybe it's just me. Young You is progressing but I'm not a fan yet. 

 

She was. They gave her ridiculously low GOEs for some reason especially on her spins.

Her team is interesting. There is A LOT of emphasis on perfecting all her elements and not rushing but sometimes I feel like she's held to a higher standard and gets undeservedly penalised for all sorts of things.

***

I think the top 3 were spot on but I don't understand why Kaori got the highest PCS or was above Higuchi who I thought should have been 4th. 

Ladies did a fantastic job but the judging was odd.

And the commentator. YIKES!!!!!!!!!! 

I don't know how I'm going to watch Bradie's free with his ongoing drivel and incessant butchering of her surname 😵😵😵

One thing I love especially about that free is the angst she conveys. Dude is just going to kill the mood!

[KittenPokerCheater]

I'm sad that Kaori didn't skate better (and/or get better scores).  I love her skating- she is such a breath of fresh air.

What's happening over in France- WOW.

[honeywest]

Ten of the sixteen dance teams at 4CC are at Gadbois.

[displayname]

Very well-skated men's SP event, even if it meant we had to see the Chopin SP that's been beaten-to-death.

Edited February 7, 2020 by displayname

[ChicksDigScars]

YES, Chock and Bates!

Wow. H/D got the bronze. They had the lead after the rhythm dance, but fell to third after the Free. And that was with C/B having a one point deduction.  The judges really are sending H/D a message. Am I a little happy that Piper Gilles just beat out her old partner Douche Donahue for the silver? Uh huh. 

They'd better do something before World's. This is starting to look like they'll be off the podium, all together, between the way that Chock and Bates have been scored this season, and the love jones that the judges seem to have to Sinitsina and Katsalapov. Now, you also throw Gilles and Poirier (NOT Gadbois!) into the mix as a team that jumped over them onto the podium.  Worlds should be FUN. 

For context: C/B total points for 4CC was 213. Both S/K and P/C hit 220 at European's, with S/B scoring 211 for the bronze (although I'm still on the S/K were WAY over scored, train).  G/P scored 210 at 4CC with H/D scoring 208. 

Edited February 7, 2020 by ChicksDigScars

[Jeddah]

13 hours ago, honeywest said:

Ten of the sixteen dance teams at 4CC are at Gadbois.

My prediction is that Hubbell and Donahue won’t be there much longer. I doubt they’ll want to be around Chock and Bates after the way this season has gone.

ETA: Maybe they’ll have a good Worlds, but I’d be surprised. 

Edited February 7, 2020 by Jeddah

[TwoBitUsherette]

I'd love to see a total count of just how many senior dance teams Gadbois has. I know there were ten of them at 4CC. Plus you've got teams like P/C, F/G, and S/D. Someone's got to leave eventually and I'm super curious as to who it will be and where they will go.

If it is Madi and Zach I wonder if they might try someone like Marina? For as dominant as she used to be, I feel like she's dropped off the face of the earth when it comes to ice dance. Maybe she's preoccupied enough with T/M right now to care.

[Sew Sumi]

The judges didn't have to send H/D a message. Zach biffed those twizzles all on his own, and that was enough to bump them down. 

Here's Yuzu's record setting skate.

 

[KittenPokerCheater]

Just saw the video of the Free Dance.  

Zach (Donahue) had quite the disaffected look on his face.  I couldn't tell if he was made at the scores or mad at himself. 

Cannot wait to see the men's short program when it airs.  I heard it was awesome.

[Avaleigh]

I just watched the ladies short at 4cc.

I think this was my first time seeing Yu Young and I feel like she has a lot of promise. I liked the Romeo and Juliet program and think she has the potential to be more than just a jumping bean. It'll be interesting to see her develop over the next few years. I definitely want her to work on her speed. 

I'm glad that Rika did well. It was nice to see how excited she got after hitting all of the jumps. I don't love her music choice here (or the dress if I'm being really honest) but I still enjoyed the program and am looking forward to the long.

I thought Bradie's program was the best even without a triple axel. It would be really great if she (and Mariah) could get a triple axel because they'd really be the full package. Love Bradie's flying sit. She probably has the most interesting (and difficult) jump spin out of the top tier ladies right now. 

Kaori's opening combo was fire. Loved the energy she brought to the program. Johnny wasn't wrong though about it being strange that she wasn't called out on the loop being underrotated. 

I like Eunsoo's music choice and feel like it suits the delicate vibe she has. 

Wakaba's program was fun. There are so many strong Japanese skaters that I kind of forgot about her. She's obviously not going to make the podium at worlds this season but I'm interested in seeing if she's able to up her technical content within the next couple of seasons. 

Karen probably has the most beautiful spins in the competition. I'd like to see her give it her all once she graduates from college. If she has the determination and drive I feel like she could still improve on her jumps and pull a Mirai where she doesn't make it in 2022 but sticks around and surprises everyone by making it for 2026.

I'm bummed that Amber didn't bring it since the short program is where she's usually at her best. 

[ChicksDigScars]

1 hour ago, Sew Sumi said:

The judges didn't have to send H/D a message. Zach biffed those twizzles all on his own, and that was enough to bump them down. 

 

What was Chock and Bates one point deduction for? 

 

 

[Sew Sumi]

Maddy fell. At least it wasn't during an element. She just tripped.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Scott Hamilton has always been and will always be a moron.

He's had two bouts of cancer, including a brain tumor, the treatments of which most likely have affected some of his cognitive abilities. 

[annzeepark914]

6 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

YES, Chock and Bates!

Wow. H/D got the bronze. They had the lead after the rhythm dance, but fell to third after the Free. And that was with C/B having a one point deduction.  The judges really are sending H/D a message. Am I a little happy that Piper Gilles just beat out her old partner Douche Donahue for the silver? Uh huh. 

Heh heh, CDS. I knew I could count on ya for a feel good chuckle--DD, indeed! I'm watching ladies SP now, having missed anything else shown so far on NBCSN. Anyway, I'm so glad C/B won the gold at 4CC. On to World's!!

P.S. Sad to see so many masks on folks in the audience.

 

Edited February 7, 2020 by annzeepark914

[Mellowyellow]

Men's SP was awesome. I watched the broadcast live.

I just looooove the way Junliet moves. He's very.....flowy.

The other stand out for me was Boyang. I really enjoyed his program.

Tomoki Hiwatashi was adorable and very enjoyable too. Going to keep an eye on him in the future. He's so cute (in a baby way not a pervy way I could be his mother).

 

 

[NUguy514]

Quote

He's had two bouts of cancer, including a brain tumor, the treatments of which most likely have affected some of his cognitive abilities.

I'm completely aware of his health issues, and I'm also completely aware that his being a moron predates those health issues because he's always been a dipshit.

[specialj67]

The 4CC mens short was fantastic. Especially with the last group, it felt like watching a world championship short. A whole different level than what happened at Euros a couple of weeks ago. 

When I compare the lineups of this year’s 4CC and Euros across the disciplines, the 4CC men is the only group where I didn’t really notice the lack of top European (more specifically, Russian) competitors (with the exception of Dimitri Aliev, perhaps).

Edited February 7, 2020 by specialj67

[healthnut]

Zach’s face when they got their scores...he was so over it. They’re not medaling at worlds unless C/B slip up big time although I’d love to see a podium of P/C, C/B, and H/D. I still prefer H/D’s free dance over S/K. Actually, I like G/P over H/D too. I like the first part of H/D free dance okay but the rest is just okay. That being said I’m surprised they only scored 122 even with the problem on the twizzles, I thought the rest was clean. G/P have such a unique style and creative lifts, I really enjoyed their free dance. 

Bummed for H/B, I really enjoyed their free dance, it’s come a long way, I would’ve had them ahead of the Bohemian Rhapsody couple. The Chinese dance team was a breath of fresh air, too. I highly recommend watching their black swan program.  

[Souris]

 

 

[Sew Sumi]

15 minutes ago, Souris said:

 

 

It's probably for the best. Their short was a disaster.

[Growsonwalls]

It's unfortunate that the massive selfishness of the French officials might affect the ability of French skaters to participate at Worlds.

Although that might not be a bad thing for P/C. For whatever reason they just don't seem to have their mojo this season. 

[redpencil]

There were some really close scores among the ladies! Bradie was .26 away from silver instead of bronze. I honestly probably would have flipped her and Young You, but it comes down to personal preference when it's that close. Just felt like all of Bradie's non-jump elements were a lot better than Young You (who lost some levels and was sort of lackluster to me in between jumps, especially her step sequence--level 2!). But again, still close either way.

And then 5th through 8th was only a 2 points difference essentially. That's close! I thought Sakamoto was overscored for such a sloppy skate and even with her lead from the short I would have slid her down to at least 7th below Yelim Kim and Karen Chen, if not 8th behind Lim as well. Also felt like Karen's PCS should have been higher. But most of this is quibbling when they're all bunched together like that.

So happy to see Karen Chen have such a good competition! I hope she is able to continue on this trajectory next season.

[Mellowyellow]

Ahh Rika wouldn't be Rika if she didn't recreate a mini dramatic comeback of her own at least once. Despite me going grey over the waxel it was kinda awesome to see her go into nuclear mode and do that 3F3T2T plus a bunch of backloaded triples! Apparently it was her emergency layout!

So proud of Bradie and really happy she medalled but I think it should have been a silver here. It was very close but I would have given Bradie the silver.

I also don't think that Rika should have gotten lower PCS than Bradie. 

It sort of all worked out fine in the end (although there is a good case for Bradie to get silver) but there are some strange discrepancies! Probably best not to obsess over it!

 

[Mellowyellow]

On 1/25/2020 at 7:45 AM, Chaser said:

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. 

Ok so I can finally answer this one as I am starting to follow more people on Twitter.

There is a lot of talk about Bradie getting in the way of other skaters during practice. Happened at GPF when Rika was doing spin and Bradie headed her way.

There was also footage of Rika flinching as Bradie crossed her path during the SP practice for 4CC.

However Rika has some VERY intense fans (a lot of them are Hanyu fans and they are VERY intense) so they film a lot of her practices and maybe have an eagle eye for everything Bradie does. 

Make of that what you will.

[specialj67]

I also would have preferred Bradie in 2nd over Young You, but I can’t be too annoyed since they essentially tied in the final points total. You is very impressive, especially considering how young she is.

I have a lot of love for Kaori, but that free skate was Not Good. I’ve wanted to like her free skate all season, but it just hasn’t clicked for me. I hope she comes back roaring next season—she really is one of my faves to watch.

[Growsonwalls]

Do Didier finally resigned. I guess when Emmanuel Macron has to get involved ...

[healthnut]

Karen was great! Would’ve moved up more had she not had three under rotations called in the second half. But still, that’s progress over the first half of the season, where those jumps were falls. I really hope Mariah and Bradie can get placements to equal 13 or less so we can have three spots next year. With the way the Japanese ladies (outside of Rika) have been skating, they really should be able to do it.