Figure Skating

[annzeepark914]

45 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

The funny thing is that Barbara Fusar-Poli insisted afterwards that she was never mad at her partner at all.  The death glare was simply her reaction to the whole embarrassing mess.

Sure, Babs, sure. Prior to their Free Dance, the cameras were following these two around the backstage area. They never spoke to each other, brushing past each other. They didn't look at each other it seemed until they were at center ice and into their starting positions. The commentators couldn't stop talking about it. At the end of the Free Dance, she seemed to thaw and they hugged. I don't think ice dance has ever been as exciting before or since that crazy night of the Original Dance.

[ChicksDigScars]

Italians holding a grudge are fantastic theater! (says the third generation Italian American)

[HartofDixie]

20 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

FYI: the Olympic channel is showing skating from previous games. Now here's an important question: which segment of the '06 ice dancing competition produced all the gobsmackin' drama? They're showing the 2006 Free Dance at 5:30 PM today. Something tells me it was the short dance, or whatever it was called in '06. I can't remember her name but she was Italian. Her unfortunate partner (Massimo?) stumbled and in their final pose, the expression on her face, as she stared at him, was terrifying!  Everyone felt sorry for the poor guy.

Instant classic

 

[healthnut]

Worlds 2021 ISU Results

Starting order for ladies and pairs is up.

Jackie Wong had some good previews for each event on his Instagram @rockerskating and The Skating Lesson had on Megan Duhamel Sunday for their worlds preview (a rare episode without a bunch of fluff).

[Avaleigh]

On 3/22/2021 at 5:31 PM, ChicksDigScars said:

The 2006 Pairs also was a splat fest. Wasn't it the silver medalists that had a horrific fall (Zhang/Zhang). I remember that they actually stopped the music, it was so bad, but they resumed the skate. And still won the silver. I still don't get that.

While we're on the subject of splatfests--wasn't the 1998 Olympic pairs kind of a mixed bag? It's been so long since I've seen it but I remember Elena and Anton having a rough skate where both of them fell and (plus missing the twist) they still ended up taking silver. I felt like Artur and Oksana kind of lucked into that win. It was a mostly clean program but a little shaky and they never had that perfect moment that felt like a gold medal winning performance. They were just the team who managed to stay on their feet. 

In Worlds 2021 news...

I know Anna has previously had tough practices just before turning in great programs, but I hope this isn't a sign that the pressure is getting to her. I want to see everyone have a clean skate and I hope that she's able to shake this bad run through off. 

[Avaleigh]

I just finished watching the ladies short. I'm kind of in shock that the judges didn't put Rika in first. I thought it would be close but I was sure she'd just edge past Shcherbakova. She was fabulous. 

I'm so happy for Karen. I was one of the people who thought it was unfair that USFS sent Karen over Amber, but Karen really showed today why she was the right person to send. Her triple toe looked a touch underrotated to me but not so much that it was distracting. Karen and Rika actually had my favorite programs.

Anna was great and I'm happy that she did so well. I wish she would point her toes. That's my only consistent nitpick with her. I also noticed her briefly having a wobble at the beginning of her step sequence. Still, I like the program and am glad that she hit everything. 

Elizaveta really has a chance of sneaking onto that podium. I hope she crushes it in the long. 

Trusova--I'm super surprised. I was expecting her to blow it in the long not the short. Once she decided to do a 2A instead of a 3A I thought she was just going to have a safe and easy skate. Really shocked that she completely missed the combination. 

I also feel terrible for Satoko. She's one of the most artistic of the ladies and it would be nice if her jumps could match her overall artistry. 

Yelim Kim deserves a shout out. I can't recall if I've seen her skate before but she has a lot of potential.

Really looking forward to the long. 

[Good Queen Jane]

Rika had two jumps scored down, which made the difference. Karen Chen in 4th and Bradie Tennell in 7th. If they can hold on to those places (and they should), the USA will get three Ladies slots in the Olympics. 

[SeanC]

25 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

Rika had two jumps scored down, which made the difference. Karen Chen in 4th and Bradie Tennell in 7th. If they can hold on to those places (and they should), the USA will get three Ladies slots in the Olympics. 

Karen staying in fourth place will be a challenge -- in particular, she's ten points ahead of Trusova, but that's the value of one quad.

Granted that Trusova has to skate clean-ish first, but she can easily make up the gap.  Sakamoto would also be a strong candidate to move ahead.

[Good Queen Jane]

Men's starting order for tomorrow is posted. Jason skates first in the last group , followed by Hanyu. Nathan skates second from last. Vincent Zhou is in an earlier group.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Good Queen Jane

[Avaleigh]

I feel like it can go either way with Trusova. I can see her having an amazing performance since she's had the chance to get the nerves out of her system. OTOH I can't remember the last time I saw her do a clean long. She hasn't really been successful when she's tried to pack too many quads into one program. 

Lucky Hanyu getting to skate second. I always think second and third are the best when it comes to skate order. 

[ChicksDigScars]

There is a Twitter thread from @TripleFigure which starts out, "Hoped this wouldn't be necessary, but alas, here's a running list of rule breaking/unsafe behavior around the World Championships #WorldFigure" 

And the thread goes on to report that the Russians are basically running around maskless, not social distancing including on the plane to Stockholm, and Surprise! Alexi Yagudin is a prick. Also, the rules about "one coach per skater" apparently don't apply to Eteri and her staff.

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by ChicksDigScars

[healthnut]

Both Ashley & Tim and Alexa & Brandon made mistakes but somehow they are in 6th and 7th after the short program and we have a prayer to get three pair teams at the Olympics next year. The pairs SP overall was messy with almost no one skating clean (only M/G and B/K). Brandon doubled their SBS triple toes and Ashley fell on her triple salchow although she finally landed the throw lutz. 
 

I AM SO EXCITED FOR KAREN!!

Overall, total shenanigans in PCS for the ladies event has me worried for Ice Dance in a couple of days. Total crime that Rika is not in first. 

Edited March 24, 2021 by healthnut

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

otal crime that Rika is not in first. 

Her jumps were marked down. Also, she skates with no facial personality. Maybe I couldn't see her facial expressions, but she looked bored as heck.  Not impressed. Maybe a crowd would have helped.

[Avaleigh]

1 hour ago, healthnut said:

Overall, total shenanigans in PCS for the ladies event has me worried for Ice Dance in a couple of days. Total crime that Rika is not in first. 

I'm not super worked up about it, but I agree that Rika should be in first even with the jumps being marked down. I don't understand how Anna's PCS are so much higher than Rika's. To me their scores should be neck and neck. 

I haven't seen the pairs yet but I'm happy to see that the Americans are higher than I was expecting. I'm also bummed that KMT and Marinaro are down in 10th. I'm guessing they had a rocky skate. Same with Tarasova and Morozov. Totally expected them to be in the top two. 

My fingers are crossed that Sui and Han win the long.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Avaleigh

[annzeepark914]

3 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

There is a Twitter thread from @TripleFigure which starts out, "Hoped this wouldn't be necessary, but alas, here's a running list of rule breaking/unsafe behavior around the World Championships #WorldFigure" 

And the thread goes on to report that the Russians are basically running around maskless, not social distancing including on the plane to Stockholm, and Surprise! Alexi Yagudin is a prick. Also, the rules about "one coach per skater" apparently don't apply to Eteri and her staff.

 

So, the ISU has rules but it's ok when the Russians don't comply. Uh-hunh. Anyone not wearing a mask should be kicked out of the arena. Why are the ISU folks so afraid of the Russians? 

[SeanC]

Thrilled that Maddie did so well.  That's the best short program from a Canadian lady since the divine KO retired.

The final flights of both the ladies and pairs shorts were very chaotic -- but lots of really good skates from the ladies in the earlier tiers, in particular.

[Good Queen Jane]

Ouch! Vincent Zhou totally fell apart in the short and right now is below the qualifying line. Let's hope Jason and Nathan step up to the challenge. 

[Good Queen Jane]

Double Ouch! Nathan fell on his opening 4 Lutz, ended in third place. Jason was, IMHO, underscored in his presentation, and is in 7th. Vincent ended 25th and does not move to the Free Skate. Not a stellar performance by the American men.

Top six: Hanyu, Kagiyama, Chen, Kolyada, Messing, Uno.

Edited March 25, 2021 by Good Queen Jane

[Jeddah]

I’m crushed for Vincent!

[healthnut]

There are additional implications to Vincent not making the free skate. Even if Jason and Nathan get placements high enough to qualify for three spots, only two spots are guaranteed. They will have to qualify for the additional spot at Nebelhorn. They changed the rule after last Olympics. Really bad break for US Men potentially.

Edited March 25, 2021 by healthnut

[Good Queen Jane]

According to Jackie Wong, the third spot for the Olympics would have to be earned by a skater other than Jason or Nathan. 

[healthnut]

7 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

According to Jackie Wong, the third spot for the Olympics would have to be earned by a skater other than Jason or Nathan. 

Yes. Meaning it could be Vincent. And whomever it was would probably need to be top 6 (or in the top 6 among countries trying to get another spot). Definitely doable. Need Jason to hold it together Saturday and be no worse than 10-12 (assuming Nathan is 1-3).

[SeanC]

Nathan won't be lower than second, realistically (unless he's in much worse shape than publicly known), so as long as Jason is eleventh the US is fine.  Qualifying the third spot at Nebelhorn shouldn't be a problem, if you look at the overall caliber of the US men versus the men who are aiming to qualify at Nebelhorn generally.

Kagiyama will be the next World champion not named Hanyu or Chen, bet on it.

[Chaser]

I feel like the US’s best lock for 3 entries is Ice Dance. I remember when our Ice Dance teams were happy with top 10 finishes. 

[ChicksDigScars]

Ahhhh. Three Russian pairs in the final flight, giving Johnny Weir the opportunity to over annunciate not one, not two, but EIGHT Russian names!! 

 

Is it me, or does this younger Russian pair skating to Queen, need a couple shots of Red Bull? They hit everything, but seemed so slow and plodding. But, of course, plenty of gushing over them, so what do I know?

 

GO Sui and Han.

 

ETA: And of course, the ones I thought were slow and lacked energy, won the whole thing. 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by ChicksDigScars

[peachmangosteen]

I thought they were slow as hell, too. I couldn't believe they were getting such high praise and then that they actually won lol.

[annzeepark914]

5 hours ago, healthnut said:

Yes. Meaning it could be Vincent. And whomever it was would probably need to be top 6 (or in the top 6 among countries trying to get another spot). Definitely doable. Need Jason to hold it together Saturday and be no worse than 10-12 (assuming Nathan is 1-3).

We need a face that shows nervous clenched teeth! 

[healthnut]

Mishina/Gallimov were the only team in the whole event not to have negative GOE. What a messy event and they definitely deserved the win. My heart broke for Alexa, she had a rough day and was so disappointed with herself. It's clear the international judges do seem to like them though. They would've been close to bronze if they had been clean in both programs. Tim & Ashley had a good skate for them but too many Level 3 elements along with their SBS jump troubles. I don't think the international judges love them as much. Looking forward to the rhythm dances tomorrow, after three shaky events in a row, I really hope Ice Dance brings the magic.

[specialj67]

So happy to see Kolyada do well, even with the oops on his first jump. His free is my fave of this season, so I’m really rooting for him. I know if Hanyu and Chen both skate to their capabilities in the free, that Kolyada can’t beat them, but he would be my pick for bronze.

Maybe I was just distracted by the razzmatazz, but I really liked the team from Russia who won the pairs event. I’m disappointed Sui and Han couldn’t repeat as champs again, but at least they didn’t give up on the performance after the small mistakes. And color me pleasantly surprised that both U.S. pairs kept it together enough to maintain 2 spots for next year.

if you can, I recommend watching on the Peacock app. The commentator doesn’t talk much during the performances and makes efforts to say something positive about each competitor. If he has preferred faves, I can’t tell.

Edited March 25, 2021 by specialj67

[annzeepark914]

Watching Men's SP, it felt like the '18 Olympics while Nathan was skating. Somebody's in his head.

[justmehere]

9 hours ago, Good Queen Jane said:

Jason was, IMHO, underscored in his presentation,

It seems he always is. Although it looks like his 3-A was downgraded, so that didn't help his result. Still, his component was below both Hanyu and Chen.

Feel so bad for Vincent. His short program really is so beautiful. --What a shock to see Nathan fall. I expect he'll come back strong in the LP.

Nice to see Shoma Uno smiling, even with some mistakes. And boy Yuma Kagiyama is a fireball. 

I'm sad that Sui and Han missed gold by just that one mistake but glad they still got silver.

Loved Moore-Towers and Marinaro's long program. I also love Peng and Jin - both their programs - and am sorry their LP wasn't quite their best outing. (Also love both their music choices.)

I'm sure I'm ignorant of the rules, but why are Russian's allowed to skate just by not using a particular name/flag/anthem? Where's the actual penalty? (I also don't fully understand the censure - but it has to do with doping, yes?) It still feels like they are over-scored. 

Most of the time I'm OK with the main commentary (although Tara's overly obvious comments do get to me - everyone wants and needs to skate clean!) - and maybe it's because they weren't actually together in person - but they're making me crazy talking constantly this round. I'm going to need to switch to Peacock going forward (and maybe re-watch some to catch missed skaters I'd like to see). Although Ice Dance would be OK without them. Still - NBCSN doesn't show everyone. 

 

[SeanC]

6 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Is it me, or does this younger Russian pair skating to Queen, need a couple shots of Red Bull? They hit everything, but seemed so slow and plodding. But, of course, plenty of gushing over them, so what do I know?

M/G are definitely slower than some of the other top teams.  Moskvina has only had them for a year so the polishing process is ongoing.  They won it on tech -- that 3S-Eu-3S is a lethal weapon directed at pairs with jumping difficulties (which describes all the Chinese pairs, unfortunately).

It was a close thing and could have gone either way, but I've been an Anastasia uber since she was a junior whose partner dumped her and openly said it was because she was too fat.  So this is sweet vindication.

[Jillibean]

I think this event has really shown the effect of not having an actual season leading up to worlds. Extra credit to everyone who has managed to keep it together and skate clean. 

I hope Frazier and Knierim are able to chalk this up to their first competitive season together and a worlds without competitions under their belt. They have such potential. That said, if I were their coach, I’d have them working with a sports psychologist. Alexa has consistently made mistakes on the big stage, and I don’t think the partner switch is going to solve that problem, as evidenced by this event. I liked that M/G seemed to genuinely be enjoying themselves. 

I agree about Jason being underscored on performance. I feel sad knowing that if he had existed just a decade and a half earlier, he probably would have been the undisputed king of figure skating with multiple world championships and probably an Olympic championship as well. I was shocked to see the fall from Nathan, but I think it’s a positive sign that he was able to pull it back together and skate the rest of the program well. Poor Vincent; what a mess. I think the US is going to have to take a really careful look at how they can improve next season prior to the Olympics, because this has to be showing them that a 1-2 competition season prior to the big one isn’t cutting it. They did a great job this season of keeping everyone safe, and that’s a big win. Now they have to address how to get their skaters competition tough. 

[ChicksDigScars]

Three points separating the top three in Dance. I hope that snake charmer Free Dance can go clean and vault Chock and Bates into first. Number one and number two aren't my faves. (S/K and H/D)

[annzeepark914]

3 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Three points separating the top three in Dance. I hope that snake charmer Free Dance can go clean and vault Chock and Bates into first. Number one and number two aren't my faves. (S/K and H/D)

Why are Chock/Bates in 3rd? Did something similar to Nationals happen? Well...if they don't win Worlds, I could handle S/K atop the podium. But dear skate gods...please spare us the sight of the entitlement twins on that lofty perch!

[Good Queen Jane]

C/B got Level 3 on their twizzle sequence while the top two got Level 4. Little things make a big difference in Dance.

[CeeBeeGee]

I admire Trusova's athleticism and courage but man, does her artistry need to improve. There was absolutely nothing on her face during her FS. Good on her for carving out a piece of history though.

[ChicksDigScars]

13 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I admire Trusova's athleticism and courage but man, does her artistry need to improve. There was absolutely nothing on her face during her FS. Good on her for carving out a piece of history though.

But she is still rewarded for landing on her ass more than once and doing nothing but skating around, setting up the next quad when she is upright. No expression, no transitions. And her PCS scores were still high, despite this. I hate the quads in the ladies event.

[Lady Whistleup]

This is the worst editing of Swan Lake ever.

[annzeepark914]

Wow...I put on the ladies LP and was dumbfounded by Johnny's outfit and backdrop. He looks like a dandy in a Victorian novel (I *think* dandy is the right word). He's perched on a fancy looking chair. I think he's finally outdone himself :>)

Edited March 26, 2021 by annzeepark914

[Lady Whistleup]

I wish I could care about Bradie Tennell's skating but ... just so dull.

[CeeBeeGee]

All props to Russia and I like those skaters but--how does such two such mistake-filled performances get rated that highly over two nearly perfect ones? This feels like the 2014 Games.

[Lady Whistleup]

The final group was an awful splatfest.

[Chaser]

Falling while Russian is a thing. 

[ChicksDigScars]

5 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

The final group was an awful splatfest.

Well, except for one. And she got nothing.

[Good Queen Jane]

At least the US qualified to send three ladies to the Olympics. 

[Avaleigh]

53 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

All props to Russia and I like those skaters but--how does such two such mistake-filled performances get rated that highly over two nearly perfect ones? This feels like the 2014 Games.

It's really frustrating. Loena and Karen were both better than Trusova. These PCS are a joke. Trusova had the most basic choreography. I hesitate to even call it choreography as there was zero musical interpretation. 

I feel like there's something wrong with a sport where a person can fall twice (and underrotate another jump) and still place third while two people with clean and beautiful performances end up in fourth and fifth. 

I can't believe everyone in the top three had at least one fall. That's what I'm going to remember about the ladies event this season. 

Super bummed about Rika but glad that the US will be able to send 3 ladies. Also felt bad for Yelim and Bradie. 

 

[annzeepark914]

While watching Karen skate, I was reminded of Michelle. Both skate with elegance, know how to interpret the music even while dealing with athletic challenges, and they both delivered when it counted. 

[healthnut]

So happy for Karen! I, too, am frustrated by the splat fest but I also think it’s a result of the lack of a season. Russians skated a ton and it seems to be paying off at least in ladies and pairs. I don’t know what to do about the scoring. As long as Trusova can rotate her quads, they end up being about as much as a triple jump even if she falls, so if she only lands a couple she still has a massive score.  If they the change the rule to getting zero if you fall then people aren’t incentivized to try. No one else is really doing enough quads for it to matter except Trusova. 
 

Super bummed about the rhythm dance today, I expect nothing but a crowning of S/K tomorrow. 
 

[specialj67]

2 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

All props to Russia and I like those skaters but--how does such two such mistake-filled performances get rated that highly over two nearly perfect ones? This feels like the 2014 Games.

I was having the same thought. All of the good stuff for the top 2 skaters happened in the SP. And this time around, it’s not like Alexandra had the skate of her life, like Denis Ten did in 2014.

All of my fave performances from the ladies event today were the nonmedalists: Leona, Karen, Kaori, Olga.