Figure Skating

[ShellsandCheese]

On 4/7/2020 at 7:36 PM, ML89 said:

Yes, it was the Russians trading with the French so that their dance team would win and the Russian pair. Allegedly - I don’t remember that anyone really got punished except the French judge who told. 

This reminds me of how much I hated Sale / Pelletier and I loved Berezhnaya /Sikharulidze in my opinion the latter totally earned that gold medal. S/P always bored the heck out of me with their juvenile programs. 

[nittany cougar]

I caught the rerun of the 2010 Men's Singles.  This was the competition in which Evan Lysacek won the gold.  Peggy Fleming was a terrible commentator.  Daisuke Takahashi skated a great program with one fall.  Peggy had nothing good to say about his program even though it was artistically beautiful.  Based on her comments, I thought he was headed for 10th place.  He ended up with bronze.

In the ice dance, I watched the whole thing for the first time.  I thought it was sad that Belbin and Agosto did not make the podium in their last Olympics.

[Sew Sumi]

Sandra Bezic was the female commentator. She was terrible.

[nittany cougar]

46 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Sandra Bezic was the female commentator. She was terrible.

Ok, thank you.  She has replaced Tara Lipinski as my least favorite skating analyst. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

I watched the men's program in Sochi last night.  The judging there, of course, was suspect in all the ways, but personally I would have given the gold to Patrick.  

Hanyu, of course, was lovely.  And has gone on to do gorgeous things.

It's been fun to watch all the skating and compare the scores/programs from how I saw them then, and then get revaluate my opinions now that I have a bit more knowledge about the technical aspects of the sport now.

 

[NUguy514]

Sandra Bezic has always been a Negative Nancy and a horrid commentator who constantly sounds like she's about to slip into a coma.

As for the 2002 pairs, B/S > S/P.

For the 2014 men's, Hanyu > Chan.

In 2010, Daisuke should've won silver because I hate Plushy with every fiber of my being, and B/A should've won bronze because of this:

-300 billion infinity points for that.

[sweeks]

1 hour ago, NUguy514 said:

Sandra Bezic has always been a Negative Nancy and a horrid commentator who constantly sounds like she's about to slip into a coma.

I had forgotten how terrible Sandra Bezic was as a commentator, but watching the reruns of Olympic figure skating has brought it all back. I remember always thinking (even when I was a kid) that she was so obviously biased when it came to certain skaters. She might even surpass Johnny Weir when it comes to allowing bias to shape her commentary. 

[sweeks]

1 hour ago, NUguy514 said:

B/A should've won bronze because of this:

-300 billion infinity points for that.

That was so tasteless and offensive. I had forgotten that they got the bronze over Belbin and Agosto, and now I'm even more angry about them not getting a medal than I was in 2010.

18 hours ago, nittanycougar said:

In the ice dance, I watched the whole thing for the first time.  I thought it was sad that Belbin and Agosto did not make the podium in their last Olympics.

I really wanted Belbin and Agosto to make the podium. Even though I didn't like their programs that season, I thought they were excellent skaters.

[annzeepark914]

3 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

Sandra Bezic has always been a Negative Nancy and a horrid commentator who constantly sounds like she's about to slip into a coma.

As for the 2002 pairs, B/S > S/P.

For the 2014 men's, Hanyu > Chan.

In 2010, Daisuke should've won silver because I hate Plushy with every fiber of my being, and B/A should've won bronze because of this:

-300 billion infinity points for that.

IMO, this program should not have been allowed. What is it with some of the Russian skaters, anyway? These two weren't the only ones mocking Africans, were they? I seen to vaguely recall others doing tasteless programs, maybe Plushenko??  S/P > B/S in a heartbeat! & Sikharulidze was disgusting in his poor sportsmanhip comments, esp his snide remarks re: Jamie's eye. What a creep. 

[Growsonwalls]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

S/P > B/S in a heartbeat! & Sikharulidze was disgusting in his poor sportsmanhip comments, esp his snide remarks re: Jamie's eye. What a creep. 

Odd, because Anton and David Pelletier later became pretty close. Both have said so in interviews. 

[annzeepark914]

19 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Odd, because Anton and David Pelletier later became pretty close. Both have said so in interviews. 

Who knows?  Pelletier said he only invited friends to his wedding (to Jamie) and B/S were not invited. That was a long time ago plus one marriage ago as well!

[Growsonwalls]

6 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Who knows?  Pelletier said he only invited friends to his wedding (to Jamie) and B/S were not invited. That was a long time ago plus one marriage ago as well!

Well Jamie Sale cheated on him with her Battle of the Blades partner. So I could imagine David Pelletier not having the warmest feelings for Jamie.

[Jeddah]

10 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Sikharulidze was disgusting in his poor sportsmanhip comments, esp his snide remarks re: Jamie's eye. What a creep. 

What did he say?

[displayname]

11 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

These two weren't the only ones mocking Africans, were they?

Africans?

[BlackberryJam]

That disgusting mess was supposed to Australian Aboriginal, right? I semi blocked it from my brain.

[NUguy514]

13 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

That disgusting mess was supposed to Australian Aboriginal, right? I semi blocked it from my brain.

Yes, they were supposed to be Australian Aboriginal, not African.  It goes to show how horrifically offensive their costumes were that people are confused about whom they were portraying.

[BlackberryJam]

1 minute ago, NUguy514 said:

Yes, they were supposed to be Australian Aboriginal, not African.  It goes to show how horrifically offensive their costumes were that people are confused about whom they were portraying.

It was one of those things that was so shockingly awful and reflected so poorly on the sport, that I blocked out the dance, the costumes and the very names of the ice dance couple that did it.

[SeanC]

14 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Who knows?  Pelletier said he only invited friends to his wedding (to Jamie) and B/S were not invited.

You can have many more friends than the people you invite to your wedding.

[CeeBeeGee]

On 4/7/2020 at 12:29 PM, MaryMitch said:

That was the event where I finally sat down and analyzed the 6.0 system, so I could see how Sarah Hughes won. An amazing competition.

LOVE that skate. G*dd*ammit, she left it ALL on the ice that night. An incredible long program. I love comparing her beautiful, mature skating with her entirely teenage reaction upon learning she'd won the gold. 

[Growsonwalls]

One thing I've noticed is figure skating is a pretty close-knit club and skaters who had big rivalries on and off the ice tend to get over it. So just because B&S and S&P were rivals in 2002 doesn't mean that 18 years later they still hate each other. Like back in the day Irina Slutskaya and Michelle Kwan had a super-intense rivalry but nowadays they follow each other on IG. 

Another example is I've seen Oksana Grishuk leave really nice comments on Anthony Ponomarenko's IG. People grow up, they get over things. 

[Sew Sumi]

From Alexa and Brandon's tryout last month (before the quarantine, I hope).

 

[Snow Apple]

On 4/12/2020 at 12:07 AM, Sew Sumi said:

Sandra Bezic was the female commentator. She was terrible.

Thanks for clearing that up. I was puzzled that Peggy was terrible. She's low key but I always thought she was lovely and gracious when commenting.

Sandra being terrible makes more sense.

[healthnut]

Peggy & Dick were always my favorite pairing. Tracy Wilson always did a good job, too. Sandra is quite lovely on her appearances on The Skating Lesson but horrid when paired with Scott on NBC. 

[Crs97]

Dick was a favorite until I watched him comment on one of Brian Boitano’s performances.  It was all going well until his cohort said, “Brian just might be the best ever” at which point Dick said not another word.  It was so obvious, and his cohort was oblivious and kept trying to get him back into the conversation.  After that, I really listened to him and realized he had a bit of a petty streak. 

[TwoBitUsherette]

Speaking of commentators, I wonder what sort of training Tanith had to go through in order to change her voice. There was an interview with her and Ben after the Torino free dance and her voice was so different. It was much higher than it is now, to the point where I'm not sure I would have recognized her if I hadn't been looking at the screen.

[Growsonwalls]

48 minutes ago, TwoBitUsherette said:

Speaking of commentators, I wonder what sort of training Tanith had to go through in order to change her voice. There was an interview with her and Ben after the Torino free dance and her voice was so different. It was much higher than it is now, to the point where I'm not sure I would have recognized her if I hadn't been looking at the screen.

Tanith said that she suffered for many years from disordered eating and that can cause delayed puberty and alter the hormones. All that can affect the voice. I've noticed many gymnasts also have this super-squeaky voice that disappears when they retire. 

[Jeddah]

23 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Dick was a favorite until I watched him comment on one of Brian Boitano’s performances.  It was all going well until his cohort said, “Brian just might be the best ever” at which point Dick said not another word.  It was so obvious, and his cohort was oblivious and kept trying to get him back into the conversation.  After that, I really listened to him and realized he had a bit of a petty streak. 

That’s one thing I really like about Nastia Liukin’s gymnastics commentary. She has no qualms about calling Simone Biles the greatest.

[displayname]

I personally liked Dick and Peggy, and I'd say Sandra was still better than Tara/Johnny/Wagner/current NBC gang (except Charlie White). At least she spoke with genuine appreciation and knowledge when she wasn't busy exploring her biases. Can't really say that about the current gang.

Edited April 16, 2020 by displayname

[annzeepark914]

Brian Boitano was very good and I was pulling for him during the Battle of the Brians. But he wasn't the greatest. There were times when he was hunched over. Not *all* the time, of course. I still miss Dick Button's unique commentary & interesting observations. 

[CeeBeeGee]

22 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Brian Boitano was very good and I was pulling for him during the Battle of the Brians. But he wasn't the greatest. There were times when he was hunched over. Not *all* the time, of course. I still miss Dick Button's unique commentary & interesting observations. 

I have a fond spot for Dick because of how crazy he went when Tonya Harding finally landed the 3A in '91 Nationals. You would think that she would not be his cup of tea because she's an athletic jumper and spinner and not particularly flexible or gorgeous in the other stuff (not the way say, Michelle or Sasha were). Nope. He appreciated the history that Tonya was making and hearing his ecstatic "Good girl!! Oh, how terrific!" in those well-bred tones makes me smile. He's just happy for the sport.

[doodlebug]

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2020 at 1:53 PM, Crs97 said:

Dick was a favorite until I watched him comment on one of Brian Boitano’s performances.  It was all going well until his cohort said, “Brian just might be the best ever” at which point Dick said not another word.  It was so obvious, and his cohort was oblivious and kept trying to get him back into the conversation.  After that, I really listened to him and realized he had a bit of a petty streak. 

I knew someone who competed against him and said that he was not a nice guy to his fellow competitors, not even the young up and comers. In fact, was downright nasty and unpleasant.   At the time, it had been around 40 years since this guy had competed with Dick and he definitely did NOT feel friendly towards him.  Not surprised to hear that Dick couldn't be gracIous about another male skater.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

That’s one thing I really like about Nastia Liukin’s gymnastics commentary. She has no qualms about calling Simone Biles the greatest.

Tim Daggett also had no problems calling Kohei Uchimora the greatest male gymnast.  

On the other hand, commentators also have no problem calling Uzuru Hanyu the greatest MALE SKATER and I have no doubt that if Michelle Kwan had won gold, SHE would have been considered the best (contemporary) female skater.  

Brian Boitano was NOT the greatest, although he DID elevate the sport as a professional and his 1988 routines were FAR AND ABOVE his earlier programs.  When he needed to step up, he did.

 

 

[HartofDixie]

Current world standings

Ladies: http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wsladies.htm

Men: http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wsmen.htm

Pairs: http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wspairs.htm

Dance: http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wsdance.htm

[redpencil]

I don't know anything about how the points are awarded or what they're used for (Grand Prix assignments?), but it seems like there's something wrong with the men's standings. Why does Nathan not have any points for the 2018/2019 Worlds? I'm assuming it's just an error somewhere.

ETA: I misread. He does have the points for 2019 Worlds. I'm guessing the points he's missing are because he didn't go to 4CC?

Edited April 25, 2020 by redpencil

[ML89]

Airing Sunday at 2 Eastern on NBC in the US:

 

Season wrap up

[SeanC]

7 hours ago, redpencil said:

I don't know anything about how the points are awarded or what they're used for (Grand Prix assignments?)

The World Standings serve two functional purposes:

1.  They're used to determine starting placements in the short/rhythm segments of most major competitions, especially at the senior level (so, for instance, if Worlds were to be held tomorrow, Papadakis/Cizeron would be in the penultimate flight of the rhythm dance, rather than the final).

2.  Being in the top 24 of the World Standings at the end of the season guarantees you one Grand Prix assignment (as long as your federation submits you).

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Airing Sunday at 2 Eastern on NBC in the US:

 

Season wrap up

I'm really pissed that I missed this!  And I'm even more upset that if I WANT to see it, I have to buy yet another app as it's not being REPEATED on the NBCSN channel or the NBC OLYMPIC channel.  I pay an extra $20 a  month as it is to get the premium NBC sports channels and now that there's a show I'd like to see, I have to buy YET ANOTHER app or pass!!!  

It also wasn't even announced UNTIL FRIDAY.  It never showed up in my listings... and it seemed like it was offered on a really odd date in the MIDDLE OF APRIL. 

 

[MaryMitch]

16 hours ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I'm really pissed that I missed this!  And I'm even more upset that if I WANT to see it, I have to buy yet another app as it's not being REPEATED on the NBCSN channel or the NBC OLYMPIC channel.  I pay an extra $20 a  month as it is to get the premium NBC sports channels and now that there's a show I'd like to see, I have to buy YET ANOTHER app or pass!!!  

It also wasn't even announced UNTIL FRIDAY.  It never showed up in my listings... and it seemed like it was offered on a really odd date in the MIDDLE OF APRIL. 

 

I had set up my DVR to record it, but they changed the name and on my DVR that cancelled the recording. But I saw a few minutes of it at someone else's house and it looked like routines you can probably find on youtube.

[ML89]

7 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

I had set up my DVR to record it, but they changed the name and on my DVR that cancelled the recording. But I saw a few minutes of it at someone else's house and it looked like routines you can probably find on youtube.

It was - it was Mariah's long from Nationals, Alyssa's long from Nationals, Chock & Bates free dance Nationals, Calalang and Johnson's long from Nationals, Nathan and Yuzuru and Alena Kosternaia from the Grand Prix Final, with Johnny and Tara giving a little set up from their homes. Nice tip of the hat to Terry not being there by Tara ending with "As Terry Gannon would say, so long, everybody."

BTW, I posted over in the gymnastics thread Terry commentating on Simone Biles' handstand challenge, since he's taken over play by play for gymnastics.

[surreysmum]

Haven't seen a link to the April 25 "Open Ice" fundraiser put together and streamed by Kaitlyn Weaver (now on youtube). It's in support of the UN Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund.  It's mostly highly informal and sometimes rather giggly interviews - but interviews with a really stellar collection of (housebound) international stars past and present. (There's a very occasional skating segment, from older shows). The stars aren't listed out in full but here's part of the youtube intro:  "The event, beginning at 2pm EST on Saturday, April 25th, features an extensive list of figure skating legends, past and present, all willing to donate their time, energy, and talent to the cause. Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Kurt Browning, Adam Rippon, Javier Ferrnadez, Ashley Wagner and more promise there isn’t a moment to be missed. Games, interviews, and impromptu performances vary the pace of warm and heartfelt sharing, with entertainment and unscripted moments of unbridled spontaneity." I also saw, just in the first few minutes, Meryl Davis & Charlie White (with respective spouses), Carolina Kostner, Vanessa James. Oh, and Kurt has a beard.  🙂

It's about 4 1/2 hours in total, and you can safely ignore the first 20 minutes, which is all just trivia questions. I skimmed for my favourites rather than watching it through, so if you do a more thorough job, please do post your highlights.

 

 

[Jillibean]

19 hours ago, surreysmum said:

Haven't seen a link to the April 25 "Open Ice" fundraiser put together and streamed by Kaitlyn Weaver (now on youtube). It's in support of the UN Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund.  It's mostly highly informal and sometimes rather giggly interviews - but interviews with a really stellar collection of (housebound) international stars past and present. (There's a very occasional skating segment, from older shows). The stars aren't listed out in full but here's part of the youtube intro:  "The event, beginning at 2pm EST on Saturday, April 25th, features an extensive list of figure skating legends, past and present, all willing to donate their time, energy, and talent to the cause. Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Kurt Browning, Adam Rippon, Javier Ferrnadez, Ashley Wagner and more promise there isn’t a moment to be missed. Games, interviews, and impromptu performances vary the pace of warm and heartfelt sharing, with entertainment and unscripted moments of unbridled spontaneity." I also saw, just in the first few minutes, Meryl Davis & Charlie White (with respective spouses), Carolina Kostner, Vanessa James. Oh, and Kurt has a beard.  🙂

It's about 4 1/2 hours in total, and you can safely ignore the first 20 minutes, which is all just trivia questions. I skimmed for my favourites rather than watching it through, so if you do a more thorough job, please do post your highlights.

 

 

I love the makeup challenge at around 3:33 with Madi C and Evan, Madison H and her fiancée (and fellow ice dancer) and JL and Kaitlyn. Also, interesting to see that some teams are quarantined together while others aren’t. 

[SeanC]

17 hours ago, Jillibean said:

I love the makeup challenge at around 3:33 with Madi C and Evan, Madison H and her fiancée (and fellow ice dancer) and JL and Kaitlyn. Also, interesting to see that some teams are quarantined together while others aren’t. 

One of the advantages of dating your partner.  Or otherwise living with them, as is the case with some junior teams where one partner moved long distances to train with the other and ended up rooming with the latter's family.

[annzeepark914]

I'm very impressed with Kaitlyn Weaver (aside from her fantastic skating). 

[Dr.OO7]

On 4/13/2020 at 4:22 PM, CeeBeeGee said:

LOVE that skate. G*dd*ammit, she left it ALL on the ice that night. An incredible long program. I love comparing her beautiful, mature skating with her entirely teenage reaction upon learning she'd won the gold. 

That was magnificent. I've never forgotten that. I think it really helped that there wasn't the pressure on her to win gold like there was on Michelle Kwan and because of that, she was able to turn out the best performance of her life.

 

[Mellowyellow]

Trusova left Eteri!!!!!!!!! Wow!!!

[healthnut]

58 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Trusova left Eteri!!!!!!!!! Wow!!!

More specifically, she’s going to be training with Evgeny Plushenko according to International Figure Skating’s Facebook page. I’m shocked by this but totally here for it. I keep wondering why these girls are happy to stay with Eteri with so much competition there, they can’t all get proper attention. 

[carrier76]

I suppose Plushenko will keep encouraging her to bamoboozle us with her hands instead of performing with any artistry.

[andromeda331]

6 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Trusova left Eteri!!!!!!!!! Wow!!!

Good for Trusova!

[Sew Sumi]

One of Eteri's lesser known juniors also left her for Plushenko. 

[displayname]

Plushy also swiped one of Eteri's coaches from her team.