Figure Skating

[CeeBeeGee]

Ilia landed the 4A again! And beautifully! So stoked for that crazy kid!

[absnow54]

55 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Ilia landed the 4A again! And beautifully! So stoked for that crazy kid!

Those were some terrific jumps! I admit, it felt very much like Eteri’s girls hitting their jumps on cue, while skating from point a to point b, though. Hopefully he’ll mature into a more well rounded skater by the next Olympics. 

[healthnut]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Agreed re: Amber. Her programs never demanded my attention before. So I was astonished to be closely following her SP. Did she change choreographers? Something's different in a very good way. 

She is now training with Tammy Gambill in Colorado Springs. Not sure about a choreographer change. 

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Her partner starting that lift while skating in a kneeling position? Such power! 

The Japanese do that lift, too, and they have more speed and flow than Deanna & Max, it’s a nice lift but they lost some levels on it, I think he’s supposed to turn three times and he only turned twice in one of those positions and I don’t think the exit was right. Very costly. 
 

I really missed the pattern dance in the rhythm dance today. It’s hard to tell to compare the teams without it. 
 

I watched US Classic live so I saw Ilia’s first quad axel but this one was magnificent. I was so excited I couldn’t even tell you if he did spins or footwork, I was having so much fun with all the quads and crazy combos. 

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, healthnut said:

She is now training with Tammy Gambill in Colorado Springs. Not sure about a choreographer change. 

The Japanese do that lift, too, and they have more speed and flow than Deanna & Max, it’s a nice lift but they lost some levels on it, I think he’s supposed to turn three times and he only turned twice in one of those positions and I don’t think the exit was right. Very costly. 
 

I really missed the pattern dance in the rhythm dance today. It’s hard to tell to compare the teams without it. 
 

I watched US Classic live so I saw Ilia’s first quad axel but this one was magnificent. I was so excited I couldn’t even tell you if he did spins or footwork, I was having so much fun with all the quads and crazy combos. 

Damon Allen was with Amber in the K&C. 

Ilia's 4A was glorious. But he definitely ran out of steam at the end, causing the fall. His legs were gone. He needs to learn to pace himself better. 

Ilia, Yuma, and Kao look to make the next quad exciting as they all grow up together. Grassl is improving artistically. I enjoy Cha, but a 2 quad program isn't going to cut it any longer. Who else is there who can keep up with the first 3 guys I mentioned? It's late, I am sure there's someone I've forgotten? Or maybe not! 

[healthnut]

7 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Who else is there who can keep up with the first 3 guys I mentioned? It's late, I am sure there's someone I've forgotten? Or maybe not! 

Shoma is still around, at least this year. And Kazuki Tomono. 

[specialj67]

Wow, can you notice the absence of Russia and China in the pairs discipline. Skate America had 2 world championship-level teams with typical sorta messy early season free skates and then…everyone else. Woof. Not even close to the same level.

What Ilia Malinin can do on the technical side is so impressive, and his win this week is well-deserved. I hope his coaches spend more time on the non jumping elements because those feel lacking in comparison. Reminds me of Nathan Chen around 2015/16.

[annzeepark914]

55 minutes ago, specialj67 said:

Wow, can you notice the absence of Russia and China in the pairs discipline. Skate America had 2 world championship-level teams with typical sorta messy early season free skates and then…everyone else. Woof. Not even close to the same level.

What Ilia Malinin can do on the technical side is so impressive, and his win this week is well-deserved. I hope his coaches spend more time on the non jumping elements because those feel lacking in comparison. Reminds me of Nathan Chen around 2015/16.

The German pair had me uneasy right from the start. Yes, I noticed the absence of the Russian pairs, but I sure don't miss any of them--especially their women's team & Eteri.

[Salacious Kitty]

3 hours ago, healthnut said:

Shoma is still around, at least this year. And Kazuki Tomono. 

I knew I forgot someone important! How could I forget Shoma??? 😱

[specialj67]

The ice dance result was a bit surprising in that I didn’t expect it to be THAT close. I like and appreciate Madison and Evan’s free dance, but I instantly ADORE Kaitlyn and Jean Luc’s. The twizzle sequence where they hold their movements in time with the held notes in the music between each set…so good! Very happy to see the score reflect what they put out there today. 
 

The French Canadian team who did the Pink Panther program were super fun and unique in this particular competition. Look forward to seeing them again!

[annzeepark914]

Thank God for Daisuke, my favorite male singles skater. Now I can still watch him bring the fire to the ice via his dramatic & exciting programs with his partner. Watching H/B? Their skating is superb but I'm not a fan of the soft, dreamy programs (a la Papadakis/Cizeron). And during Chock & Bates similar dreamy FD, I found myself thinking about Davis & White's energetic Scheherazade and Cappellini & Lannotte's firey Romeo & Juliet. 

[Salacious Kitty]

C/B had an element invalidated which allowed H/B to win the free dance. Their dance is going to be a MASTERPIECE by worlds. In contrast, you could tell C/B don't have a lot of mileage on their program yet. Aside from the lifts, it bored me.

[healthnut]

I don’t know what to think of C/B. On one hand, it’s their first competition and it’s bound to improve. On the other hand, they are behind what Guinard/Fabri put on there at Lombardía a few weeks ago and Guilles/Poirer still yo go next weekend, this isn’t a good look. Had their character step not been invalidated they would’ve probably scored around 124. Loya of speculation on skating twitter that Evan isn’t feeling well or injured, he was really off this competition. I want them to win worlds and I’m pretty sure anything short of that will be a disappointment. They’ve got a lot of work to do on these programs, they both are lacking something. I really hope they are better by their second Grand Prix event. 
 

For H/B, this is huge for them. I’ve always felt like they should be in that next tier with Fear/Gibson and Fournier-Beaudry/Sorenson. I think this result will help elevate them. 

Edited October 23, 2022 by healthnut
Misspelling

[Chaser]

I haven’t been able to watch the free dance yet (and nbc messed up the upload on YouTube so who knows if I will), but I’ve been concerned about c/b since I heard them describe their program. It was vague and aimless and just ‘love’. The snake charmer and alien programs had a very specific storyline. 

Edited October 23, 2022 by Chaser

[absnow54]

I was hoping for a US sweep, but Sakamoto is in her own league. She’s such a powerful skater. All of her jumps were just so effortless. 

[annzeepark914]

Just now, Chaser said:

I haven’t been able to watch the free dance yet (and nbc messed up the upload on YouTube so who knows if I will), but I’ve been concerned about c/b since I heard them describe their program. It was vague and aimless and just ‘love’. The snake charmer and alien programs had a very specific storyline. I’m wondering if they got distracted and a bit lazy. 

That's what I'm worried about...distracted & maybe really ready to move on and they haven't acknowledged it yet. When they described their FD yesterday, all about their love, my reaction was, "Oh s**t".  Whenever skaters skate about themselves, it shuts everyone else out & that's not what figure skating has ever been meant to be about. 

[Chaser]

I admire Gracie for all she has come through but I feel like she shuts down every time she steps on the ice. Maybe it’s the programs. I don’t know. She said she loves it but I wish I could see that. 
 

19 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

That's what I'm worried about...distracted & maybe really ready to move on and they haven't acknowledged it yet. When they described their FD yesterday, all about their love, my reaction was, "Oh s**t".  Whenever skaters skate about themselves, it shuts everyone else out & that's not what figure skating has ever been meant to be about. 

I remember when they talked about wanting to skate to programs and music that would bring non skating fans in and I’m like ‘yes! That!’

[Jillibean]

I thought H/B were gorgeous today, maybe the best I've ever seen them. I'm glad to see they also seem to have inherited the number two US team scores boost. 

Madi and Evan have a lot of room in that program. A lot of their elements were at a 2/3 level, and add mentioned, one of them didn't even end up counting. However, I remember seeing their programs for the first time last year and being very, very underwhelmed. The alien FD in particular had many of us bewildered on the first couple of outings. By the time they got to the end of the season, both programs were stunning. I expect that, barring injuries, we'll see a similar trajectory this season. And one thing IAM has been consistently good at is tinkering with programs to maximize value while minimizing risk based on the way they're scoring. I expect that after the errors here, we'll see quite a bit of sharpening and maybe some redone choreographic elements. 

I'm honestly surprised that Tanith chose to step away from commentating in favor coaching, if that is in fact what she did. It seemed like being a commentator was her main career goal. Maybe being able to be closer to her family made more sense for her. 

37 minutes ago, Chaser said:

I haven’t been able to watch the free dance yet (and nbc messed up the upload on YouTube so who knows if I will), but I’ve been concerned about c/b since I heard them describe their program. It was vague and aimless and just ‘love’. The snake charmer and alien programs had a very specific storyline. 

On their podcast they explained it further--it's the imagined history and journey of their engagement ring, which is vintage. The music was done specifically for them, apparently. So while it's a departure from their last two FDs which encompassed the past three years, I do think a lot of thought went into it. Just maybe a little less practice than the program needed--but hey, they still won the competition. 

[Salacious Kitty]

As I noted above, the program needs some mileage. I'm sure it will be top notch by Worlds. But today? H/B deserved the free dance win.

[justmehere]

Anyone know why C/B had the element invalidated? Also, in a couple of places, Evan was rated level 1 or 2 while Maddie was level 3, which was surprising. Even so, I loved their program, and I think it will be amazing when they're more comfortable with it. As much as I loved their last two character-driven programs, this is a nice alternative. It's flowy but taken up a couple of notches with some complex lifts, even for them, and other moves. Can't wait to see how it develops.

I also loved H/B's program. Beautiful and so in tune with each other. I really hope they (continue to) get some overdue and much-deserved recognition this season. They were gorgeous and looked much more practiced and comfortable than C/B today. 

[Salacious Kitty]

It was their choreo steps. They apparently ended them too far apart from center, or something like that. It was hotly debated at the judges table according to someone sitting right behind them 

[healthnut]

2 hours ago, justmehere said:

Anyone know why C/B had the element invalidated?

Their character step didn’t get close enough to the boards. Madi said it won’t happen again. 

[Mittengirl]

Was anything said about the Team Olympic medals?

Edited October 24, 2022 by Mittengirl

[healthnut]

1 minute ago, Mittengirl said:

Was anything said about the Olympic medals?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2022/10/21/russian-olympic-skater-kamila-valieva-doping-hearing-details-secret/10562304002/

[absnow54]

6 hours ago, healthnut said:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2022/10/21/russian-olympic-skater-kamila-valieva-doping-hearing-details-secret/10562304002/

Wow, I hadn't realized that RUSADA was performing the investigation and hearings. I thought they went through the process of a sham investigation and disciplinary action while the games were happening so that Valieva could still compete, and that we were now in the appeals portion of that decision. This will probably drag on for another year, since I'm sure RUSADA will drag their feet through the disciplinary hearings.

[Jeddah]

1 hour ago, absnow54 said:

Wow, I hadn't realized that RUSADA was performing the investigation and hearings. I thought they went through the process of a sham investigation and disciplinary action while the games were happening so that Valieva could still compete, and that we were now in the appeals portion of that decision. This will probably drag on for another year, since I'm sure RUSADA will drag their feet through the disciplinary hearings.

This is so ridiculous. The whole thing is a farce. Russia will get away with it, and it’s infuriating.

[annzeepark914]

What kind of an investigation could it be with the accused person's own country investigating? What a waste of time.  So glad we don't have to see any of them at any of the competitions now.

[AuntieDiane6]

18 hours ago, Jillibean said:

I'm honestly surprised that Tanith chose to step away from commentating in favor coaching, if that is in fact what she did. It seemed like being a commentator was her main career goal. Maybe being able to be closer to her family made more sense for her. 

I am too.  But coaches travel just as much, if not more, than commentators.  Nowadays some commenting is done remotely.  

I'm annoyed, though, that NBC couldn't find a US commentator.  Weaver's voice is soft and flat and her comments border on the obvious. She adds nothing.  

[Lady Whistleup]

42 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

What kind of an investigation could it be with the accused person's own country investigating? What a waste of time.  So glad we don't have to see any of them at any of the competitions now.

I mean, it's the system that each country has their own doping body. For instance, if a US athlete fails a drug test, it's regulated by the US doping agency.

I actually miss Valieva's skating. She was by far the most talented of the Eteri girls. Her skating skills were amazing.

[ChicksDigScars]

On 10/22/2022 at 11:26 PM, absnow54 said:

Those were some terrific jumps! I admit, it felt very much like Eteri’s girls hitting their jumps on cue, while skating from point a to point b, though. Hopefully he’ll mature into a more well rounded skater by the next Olympics. 

The difference being that Ilia got TREMENDOUS air. He was so high, that he could have thrown an extra revolution in there and been good to go. Noodlehead's jumping beans barely seem to get off the ice. I just hope he doesn't flame out with injuries due to the constant quads. He's a kid. I would think that he still has growing left to do. I just hope that he can sustain through this Olympic quad. 

To whomever put Kaitlin Hawayek in that god awful dress for the rhythm dance. NO. Just no. You are doing her ZERO favors. The Free Dance dress was much more beautiful.  I mean, I realize that it's hard to take your eyes off Jean-Luc Baker, but come onnnnnn. She deserves better than that. And how great were they? My god. Hoping that Chock and Bates can clean up those programs. I know it's early. 

Edited October 24, 2022 by ChicksDigScars

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I am too.  But coaches travel just as much, if not more, than commentators.  Nowadays some commenting is done remotely.  

I'm annoyed, though, that NBC couldn't find a US commentator.  Weaver's voice is soft and flat and her comments border on the obvious. She adds nothing.  

At least Kaitlyn was born & grew up in the US (unlike back in the day when Canadians were regular commentators--Tracy & Sandra). I often wondered if any Americans were commentating on Canadian TV. But, yes...I can barely hear what Kaitlyn's saying while the music is playing. Judy Blumberg used to commentate once in a while but I vaguely recall comments re: her being too critical 😉.

[Harry24]

1 hour ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I'm annoyed, though, that NBC couldn't find a US commentator.  Weaver's voice is soft and flat and her comments border on the obvious. She adds nothing.  

What happened to Agosto?  He was never/rarely on the main broadcasts, but he was excellent.  Does he have a conflict too?

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, Harry24 said:

What happened to Agosto?  He was never/rarely on the main broadcasts, but he was excellent.  Does he have a conflict too?

Ben Agosto would be the perfect commentator for NBC. Ben knows ice dance and, more importantly, he knows exactly how to explain all the intricacies of this unique but beautiful sport (as we've seen in the past). I guess NBC wants an attractive blonde (Katlyn's outfit on day one certainly made this obvious).

[Harry24]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Ben Agosto would be the perfect commentator for NBC. Ben knows ice dance and, more importantly, he knows exactly how to explain all the intricacies of this unique but beautiful sport (as we've seen in the past). I guess NBC wants an attractive blonde (Katlyn's outfit on day one certainly made this obvious).

He seems knowledgable, and he’s also articulate, warm and funny.  I remember once he groaned in pleasure (and then sheepishly apologized) at a turn in one of PapCiz’s sequences.  It was hilarious and was the clearest explanation why they’re considered to be so great.

And if NBC doesn’t realize that an attractive brunet would also be welcome, they clearly don’t know their audience!

Edited October 24, 2022 by Harry24

[Lady Whistleup]

8 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

At least Kaitlyn was born & grew up in the US (unlike back in the day when Canadians were regular commentators--Tracy & Sandra). I often wondered if any Americans were commentating on Canadian TV. But, yes...I can barely hear what Kaitlyn's saying while the music is playing. Judy Blumberg used to commentate once in a while but I vaguely recall comments re: her being too critical 😉.

I don't really see why Canadians can't commentate for the U.S. Canada has produced so many excellent female ice dancers that it seems kind of right

[annzeepark914]

35 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I don't really see why Canadians can't commentate for the U.S. Canada has produced so many excellent female ice dancers that it seems kind of right

So, how many Americans have been commentating for Canada? I don't know of any. We have a lot of retired skaters who could probably do a decent job commentating in Canada. 

[Salacious Kitty]

Alissa Czisny lives in Canada. For those out of the loop, she's married to Kurt Browning.

[Lady Whistleup]

7 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

So, how many Americans have been commentating for Canada? I don't know of any. We have a lot of retired skaters who could probably do a decent job commentating in Canada. 

But Tanith is Canadian. Shes now a US citizen but she was born and raised in Canada.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

But Tanith is Canadian. Shes now a US citizen but she was born and raised in Canada.

Tanith is ok because she's married to the adorable Charlie 😁.

[absnow54]

Wikipedia tells me that Kaitlyn Weaver was born in Texas and lives in New Jersey, so she did the reverse Tanith. 

[Chaser]

It’s been awhile since I’ve listened to her but I remember enjoying Polina Edmunds commentary during the Olympics.

[Avaleigh]

On 10/23/2022 at 2:09 PM, Chaser said:

I admire Gracie for all she has come through but I feel like she shuts down every time she steps on the ice. Maybe it’s the programs. I don’t know. She said she loves it but I wish I could see that. 

The impression that I get is that she wants a dream performance. She always starts out wanting that perfect skate and when she makes a mistake she's unable to fully recover mentally. Even before she had her hiatus, this was a problem. She'd start to give up after the first mistake. Her triple flip has always been unreliable, I can't even count how many times she's missed it in competition. Very often she starts to give up once she misses a jump. I wish she'd just focus on each element as she's doing it. Take one thing at a time and give each element your all instead of worrying about what happened earlier in the program. 

4 hours ago, Chaser said:

It’s been awhile since I’ve listened to her but I remember enjoying Polina Edmunds commentary during the Olympics.

I know it won't happen because she doesn't have a major title but I would love it if NBC replaced Tara with Polina. She's my favorite current skating commentator. 

[Avaleigh]

On 10/23/2022 at 7:24 AM, annzeepark914 said:

The German pair had me uneasy right from the start. Yes, I noticed the absence of the Russian pairs, but I sure don't miss any of them--especially their women's team & Eteri.

I'm in the minority because I definitely missed the Russian pairs. With the other three disciplines there are so many strong skaters that the absence isn't really felt. With pairs though it's like what happened? Not having the Russians and the Chinese made this event the least fun to watch. I like Alexa and Brandon and hope they keep up their winning streak I'm just wondering why there are so few decent teams out there. It's disappointing that there aren't more nations with pairs teams who are capable of stepping up now that there's this awesome opportunity.

[annzeepark914]

3 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

I'm in the minority because I definitely missed the Russian pairs. With the other three disciplines there are so many strong skaters that the absence isn't really felt. With pairs though it's like what happened? Not having the Russians and the Chinese made this event the least fun to watch. I like Alexa and Brandon and hope they keep up their winning streak I'm just wondering why there are so few decent teams out there. It's disappointing that there aren't more nations with pairs teams who are capable of stepping up now that there's this awesome opportunity.

Why weren't the Chinese at Skate America? I must've missed any explanations for this.

[Salacious Kitty]

56 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Why weren't the Chinese at Skate America? I must've missed any explanations for this.

They only have Peng/Jin and maybe one other couple left. So not enough pairs to cover all 6 events. Plus, Peng/Jin would probably beat Alexa and Brandon, so they wouldn't be invited to Skate America.

[ChicksDigScars]

If you have the time, check out Kaitlin Hawayak's Instagram. She posted a video. Evidently, during warm up for the Skate America gala, fans called she and Jean-Luc over to the boards for photos. One "fan" reached over and pulled her close (NOT okay in itself), and whispered in her ear, "My dear, you need to lose a lot of weight." She talks about it and how that also is not okay.

Now, I said that her dress was not flattering in the original dance. Nothing against HER. She's gorgeous. That dress...ehhhh.  Just want to make that clear. I would NEVER make that kind of comment, especially having dealt with an eating disorder for years myself. And female athletes are especially scrutinized like this. I remember having lost a considerable amount of weight. An adult male swim coach said to me, "all you need to do is lose 10 more pounds and you'd be perfect." I was starving myself. I was wearing a size 6.

I don't know if it's part of being in a partnership where the female is basically the same size as the male. Whether he's shorter, like Jean-Luc is, or the female partner is just taller than most (like Madison Hubble), and there is that illusion, or what. But it's NOT okay. 

Edited October 25, 2022 by ChicksDigScars

[Lady Whistleup]

I missed the Russian pairs too. I think it's just the history -- I have such fond memories of watching G&G, M&D, B&S, V&T skate that to not have Russian pairs just feels weird.

[ChicksDigScars]

Well, holy fucking shit! This appeared as a reply on Jackie Wong's Twitter comment supporting Kaitlin Hawayek. SO WRONG:

If this was the same person, they need to figure out who it is and ban them from attending events. Is there security footage that they can check? These "helpful hints" are bad enough, but throwing physical contact on top of it? No touchy!!!

Edited October 26, 2022 by ChicksDigScars

[KittenPokerCheater]

On 10/25/2022 at 2:06 PM, Avaleigh said:

Yes, I noticed the absence of the Russian pairs, but I sure don't miss any of them-

 I miss that caliber of skating in the pairs, but because I have so many doubts about anyone skating clean, I don't miss them.

Edited October 27, 2022 by KittenPokerCheater

[healthnut]

Speaking of missing pairs, Peng/Jin have withdrawn from both their Grand Prix events. 😥😥😥

[specialj67]

19 hours ago, healthnut said:

Speaking of missing pairs, Peng/Jin have withdrawn from both their Grand Prix events. 😥😥😥

Oh no! Will there be any Chinese teams in the Grand Prix this season? I don’t recall if there were any other senior-level competitive teams from China in the mix. 
 

And re: the absence of Russian pairs teams this season. I certainly do miss the skating skills and quality individual elements many of those teams have. I do not miss many of the programmatic choices (choreography, costumes, music).