Figure Skating

[Maelstrom]

I don't know if anyone else has seen this, but the Olympic channel is apparently reairing blocks of past Olympic figure skating -  last night I caught part of the Mens' FS from Torino (2006?! Holy crap where have the years gone). I just happened to tune in for part of Evan Lysacek and Matt Savoie (whom I adored) so I recorded the last hour or so to watch today at lunch.

And wow, I truly can't believe how much skating has changed just in eleven years. It makes the current exclusive focus on jumps that much more glaring. I only had time to watch maybe three or four programs so far, but just in that short time I saw so many more different moves, different positions, and different elements. And to be honest, the commentary was far more interesting as well, with Scott Hamilton and co. remarking on the creativity and variety of the programs without the endless harping on points being scored or left on the table (the current scoring system was newly introduced, and no one was quite used to it yet). Also appreciated was the lack of snark and bitchiness from the commenters (I forgot how excited Scott always got when the skaters did well).

It looks like they're airing the Vancouver 2010 figure skating today and tomorrow, if anyone is so inclined - I'll probably have to record the Mens' FS just to see Evan Lycsacek's Firebird program again. It will be interesting to see how much skating changes between Torino and Vancouver.

[MostlyC]

I caught the Torino pairs programs: the chinese couple that won silver after her scary scary fall was very impressive. 

[Maelstrom]

^^ I had to look Zhang and Zhang up on Youtube, and damn. That was a very impressive skate after such a horrible fall. (Also, I'd forgotten he's the same Zhang that's still competing).

[carrier76]

I have been watching when I can. I saw the Sarah Hughes medal ceremony. Michelle putting on a brave face with teary eyes made me sad. I loved her so much.

[ML89]

Been watching the replays and it's been fascinating. I remember why I never could stand Plushenko or Slutskyaya, who were just boring to watch. I somehow remembered Johnny had melted down in 2006 when it was just a missed jump and I suddenly flashbacked to Lysacek changing from that awful Grease number to Carmen. Zhang and Zhang coming in second is still a mystery to me, after that awful fall. 

Also, Scott and Sandra were really restrained and Tom wasn't as awful as they got by the end. I wonder if there was some producer screaming in their ears to be more and more annoying because they were not bad in 2002 or 2006.

[HartofDixie]

Michelle is starting to get her triples back.

[Mittengirl]

I have been watching the past Olympics skating and had forgotten quite a bit.   What was the deal with Michelle Kwan and Frank Carroll?  And Even Lysacek sure looked young in Torino.

 

It seems like we don’t hear much about skaters once they retire, unless they go into coaching, which few seem to do.   Anyone know what Lysacek, Cohen, Goebel and Emily Hughes are doing these days?   How is Scott Hamilton doing?  Didn’t his cancer return again in the last two years or so?

[AuntieDiane6]

I was curious about Goebel myself.  Apparently, he has a couple of degrees in mathematics/computer science and has worked for Google doing some kind of analytics. He married his boyfriend this year too and lives in NYC ...  Not sure how current or accurate this info is ... 

[HartofDixie]

20 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

 

I have been watching the past Olympics skating and had forgotten quite a bit.   What was the deal with Michelle Kwan and Frank Carroll?  And Even Lysacek sure looked young in Torino.

 

It seems like we don’t hear much about skaters once they retire, unless they go into coaching, which few seem to do.   Anyone know what Lysacek, Cohen, Goebel and Emily Hughes are doing these days?   How is Scott Hamilton doing?  Didn’t his cancer return again in the last two years or so?

 

Not sure what happened with Kwan and Frank but wasn’t their a rumor that he kicked her out over money?

Goebel got married as did Cohen - not sure if she’s with 60 minutes but I believe she’s writing. Evan works for Vera Wang and they are a couple/married? I think Emily got married this year.

[Crs97]

The reports at the time were that Frank was blindsided when Michelle fired him as her coach.  I hadn’t heard that he dumped her.

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, Crs97 said:

The reports at the time were that Frank was blindsided when Michelle fired him as her coach.  I hadn’t heard that he dumped her.

Michelle was making very big money doing endorsements and I believe Frank Carroll wanted a cut and they couldn’t agree on terms.

Michelle has been active in Democratic politics and worked for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. She was married to Clay Pell, son of the former senator, but they recently divorced. No kids.

Scott Hamilton remains very active in charities; raising lots of money for a foundation he started at Cleveland Clinic which provides services for cancer patients and their families. He hosts a big fundraiser every year starring various skaters.  It was held in November this past year and I hear he skated in it.  He’s still got some health challenges, but remains as positive and outgoing as ever.

[SophiaD]

I watched the 2010 Men's Free Skate last night and thought Johnny was scored way too low.  What a great performance that was.

The contest between Lysacek and Plushenko was very impressive, but would never go that way today.  Also, I had forgotten how much I miss Daisuke Takahashi.  I hope the Olympics channel does this on a regular basis, because it's really wonderful to have the chance to revisit past performances with fresh eyes.

[ChicksDigScars]

Watching the 2010 Free Dance on the Olympic Channel....love this channel, by the way, and turned it on just in time to see the King and Queen of the tacky skating costumes: Domnina and Shabalin, warming up in the final group.  Eyeballs and veins on their costumes. Nice.

 

But Tanith’s wasn’t exactly understated in that free dance, either. Yikes.

Edited January 1, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[Shades of Red]

On ‎2017‎-‎12‎-‎23 at 11:04 AM, legaleagle53 said:

Huh.  Australia has figure skaters.  Who knew?

Just watched the pairs team perform on the ISU Grand Prix Final, Gala and they looked pretty decent.  They were the junior champions so just starting their careers.  The young lady apparently just got her Australian citizenship.

Watching Chock and Bates Gala performance is a treat.  I will admit I'm not usually a fan, not sure why, but they don't inspire any emotion from me when they compete.  The Gala number is outstanding however and it's something I would watch over and over again.

[annzeepark914]

On 12/29/2017 at 6:53 PM, ML89 said:

Been watching the replays and it's been fascinating. I remember why I never could stand Plushenko or Slutskyaya, who were just boring to watch. I somehow remembered Johnny had melted down in 2006 when it was just a missed jump and I suddenly flashbacked to Lysacek changing from that awful Grease number to Carmen. Zhang and Zhang coming in second is still a mystery to me, after that awful fall. 

Also, Scott and Sandra were really restrained and Tom wasn't as awful as they got by the end. I wonder if there was some producer screaming in their ears to be more and more annoying because they were not bad in 2002 or 2006.

Amen!  I, too, could never understand the adoration of Plushy and Slutskaya ( yikes...remember the LP intro where she dealt out the "cards"?).  That's an interesting comment re: Scott, Sandra and Tom.

[ChicksDigScars]

Sochi team finals on the Olympic Channel tonight. God, Sochi was a drag. Unless you were Russian, skaters had to BEG for applause from the audience. Not even appreciative applause for excellent performances. Sad. 

[attica]

On 12/30/2017 at 1:54 AM, Mittengirl said:

Anyone know what Lysacek, Cohen, Goebel and Emily Hughes are doing these days?

I actually passed Lysacek on the street in NYC a few weeks ago. First of all, he's really tall, which surprised me. Thin as a whippet, which didn't. So anyway, I was all 'was that EL? Why is he in NY?' and I set to googling. He's working for Vera Wang these days, which would explain it.

[SophiaD]

I'm watching the Sochi Games, and now think that Terry Gannon is an order of magnitude better as a commentator than Tom Hammond.  Also, it seems as though Scott and Sandra REALLY express their preferences.  They REALLY were on board Team Patrick Chan.  Maybe Johnny and Tara do it too, but it seems less obvious to me.  Or maybe I just know how this comes out.

I'd forgotten how depressing this Olympics was.  A real splatfest, and it was so painful to watch Jeremy Abbott crashing into the boards like that.  

[CeeBeeGee]

Not to mention the ridiculous ladies podium. Sotnikova winning the LP with her tug of war choreography and waving to the audience--as opposed to Asada, Kostner or Kim--made a mockery of the sport. Utterly ridiculous.

[SophiaD]

I'm not sure I'm going to be able watch the ladies' competition, because it made me so annoyed.  I am looking forward to the ice dancing, however.  Meryl and Charlie's performance is one of my favorite ice dance routines of the recent era.  

[ChicksDigScars]

And after the team final medal ceremony, NBC stuck a microphone in Plushy's face and he praised President Putin for putting on such a great Olympics for them. Yeah, you got that right. A great Olympics for YOU. and your country mates.  It was as if Plushenko was reading a prepared statement....which he probably was.  "Here. President Putin would like you to read THIS to American audience." 

 

Yeah, I couldn't watch the ladies free skate, either.  It was a reminder of the old Cold War judging block days, where results were almost pre-determined. 

[NUguy514]

The ladies' result from Sochi was absolutely the most abominable figure skating result I've ever seen, give or take Grishuk/Platov winning the ice dance in 1998.  More than the pairs in 2002, more than Lipinski beating Kwan (I haaaaated Lipinski), more than Baiul beating Kerrigan.  It was so blatantly obvious that the judges had been bought and ordered to give the gold to any Russian female; and when pre-ordained winner Lipnitskaia splatted, they panicked and gave Sotnikova the most inflated scores I've ever seen.  Her technique was middling, her form was bad, and her artistry was nonexistent.  Yuna Kim was robbed (and Carolina Kostner should've won silver), and I'm waiting for Sotnikova's gold medal to be stripped due to doping.  I'd also like every one of those judges to be forced to defend their votes; they simply can't.  I'd also like to see the PyeongChang audience treat each and every Russian skater (there will certainly be some who compete) as terribly as the Sochi audience treated every non-Russian skater.

[Joelle N. Bird]

I saw an article by Christine Brennan in USA Today, titled "Ashley Wagner Has Already Proven She Belongs on Team,"  in which she said this:

Quote

The newest, youngest, most delightful and surprising skater, who might charm us with a riveting skate in San Jose, might not be the best person to send to South Korea.... Ashley Wagner, the nation's most reliable and internationally decorated skater, was properly placed on the 2014 Olympic team over Mirai Nagasu.... [Wagner] is unlikely to win an individual medal in South Korea. But she, along with Chen and an ice dance team or two, can help the United States to a likely team bronze medal....

And during the coverage of previous Olympics on the Olympic Channel, I heard Sandra Bezic say confidently that newcomers don't win gold medals at the Olympics, that it takes experience and several tries to win there. So I checked the female Olympic gold medalists' Olympic experience. 

1992: Yamaguchi. First and only Olympics.

1994: Baiul. First and only Olympics.

1998: Lipinski. First and only Olympics.

2002: Hughes. First and only Olympics.

2006: Arakawa. First and only Olympics. [My mistake -- she was at 1998 Olys. Thanks, Jeddah.]

2010: Kim. First Olympics; silver four years later, in 2014.

2014: Sotnikova. First and only Olympics.

Why do commentators keep maintaining that previous experience should be the no. 1 criterion for selection to the Olympic team, when fresh young skaters can and do come out on top?

And so what if Ashley Wagner helps the U.S. win a bronze medal in the team event? Who cares about the team event???? It's just a ridiculous vehicle invented so also-rans from the four major skating countries (U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan) can grab medals in the hope of burnishing their lackluster careers. I say, let the fresh faces go to the Olympics if they do well at Nationals, not those whose qualifications are in the past. Many of the youngsters will never have another shot at it. The Olympics should be about the wonderful young skaters who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much, NOT about the number of medals raked in by the U.S.

Edited January 2, 2018 by Joelle N. Bird
I made an incorrect statement that I'd like to amend.

[doodlebug]

18 minutes ago, Joelle N. Bird said:

I saw an article by Christine Brennan in USA Today, titled "Ashley Wagner Has Already Proven She Belongs on Team,"  in which she said this:

And during the coverage of previous Olympics on the Olympic Channel, I heard Sandra Bezic say confidently that newcomers don't win gold medals at the Olympics, that it takes experience and several tries to win there. So I checked the female Olympic gold medalists' Olympic experience. 

1992: Yamaguchi. First and only Olympics.

1994: Baiul. First and only Olympics.

1998: Lipinski. First and only Olympics.

2002: Hughes. First and only Olympics.

2006: Arakawa. First and only Olympics.

2010: Kim. First Olympics; silver four years later, in 2014.

2014: Sotnikova. First and only Olympics.

Why do commentators keep maintaining that previous experience should be the no. 1 criterion for selection to the Olympic team, when fresh young skaters can and do come out on top?

And so what if Ashley Wagner helps the U.S. win bronze medal in team event? Who cares about the team event???? It's just a ridiculous vehicle invented so also-rans from the four major skating countries (U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan) can grab medals in the hope of burnishing their lackluster careers. I say, let the fresh faces go to the Olympics if they do well at Nationals, not those whose qualifications are in the past. Many of the youngsters will never have another shot at it. The Olympics should be about the wonderful young skaters who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much, NOT about the number of medals raked in by the U.S.

I think she may be referring not just to previous Olympic experience, but also to international competition on the senior level like the World Championships and the Grand Prix.  Most of the previous Olympic gold medalists had competed successfully internationally before winning the gold.  However, while Ashley Wagner has more international experience than younger women vying for the team; both Karen Chen and Mariah Bell do have some successes in those competitions in the past couple years.  It's also not like Ashley hasn't had some rough outings in big competitions; putting her in there is not a guarantee that she'd outperform the others.  Just because she's been around the longest, she should not be guaranteed a place on the team.

I also agree that the team event is a bogus competition and winning a medal there is fairly meaningless.

[Jeddah]

Christine Brennen thinks Ashley is reliable? That is not a word I’d ever use to describe Ashley.

Shizuka Arakawa had been to the Olympics before she won in 2006. She went in 1998, and then didn’t make it in 2002. How great would it be if Mirai could pull that off? Go as a 16 year old, miss the next Olympics, then win it all as a 24 year old? I know that’s not likely, but it would be great.

I rewatched Ilia Kulik’s skate from 1998 the other day, and Scott Hamilton kept talking about how great Ilia would be someday. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he was watching a gold medal winning performance and that a 20 year old could actually win.

[iMonrey]

Here's the TV schedule for Nationals:

1/3 Ladies Short 11:00 pm - 1:00 am NBCSN

1/4 Pairs Short 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Olympic Channel

1/4 Paris Short 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm NBCSN

1/4 Mens Short 8:30 pm - 12:00 am NBCSN

1/5 Short Dance 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm NBCSN

1/5 Ladies Free 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm NBC

1/6 Pairs Free 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm NBC

1/6 Mens Free 8:00 pm  - 11:00 pm NBCSN

1/7 Free Dance 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm NBC

1/14 Smucker's Skating Spectacular 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm NBC

Edited January 2, 2018 by iMonrey

[displayname]

4 hours ago, Jeddah said:

I rewatched Ilia Kulik’s skate from 1998 the other day, and Scott Hamilton kept talking about how great Ilia would be someday. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he was watching a gold medal winning performance and that a 20 year old could actually win.

I know Kulik deserved to win that one... But that performance wouldn't really be gold winning now, or even just 4 years later with Yagudin. :P

4 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

I'd also like to see the PyeongChang audience treat each and every Russian skater (there will certainly be some who compete) as terribly as the Sochi audience treated every non-Russian skater.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATED that audience. Didn't shut up during the practices, didn't cheer for non-Russian skaters, cheered when non-Russian skaters fell, cheered when they thought Yuna was going to fall, kept chanting Sotnikova's name when Yuna's results were being tallied.

 

It's a mark of Yuna's mental (and athletic) abilities that she was able to pull off two perfect programs. If she weren't just that good and had fallen, the judges would probably have made it her first competition off the podium.

Edited January 2, 2018 by fan94

[MostlyC]

/small voice: I care about the team event.

[displayname]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Why do commentators keep maintaining that previous experience should be the no. 1 criterion for selection to the Olympic team, when fresh young skaters can and do come out on top?

And so what if Ashley Wagner helps the U.S. win bronze medal in team event? Who cares about the team event???? It's just a ridiculous vehicle invented so also-rans from the four major skating countries (U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan) can grab medals in the hope of burnishing their lackluster careers. I say, let the fresh faces go to the Olympics if they do well at Nationals, not those whose qualifications are in the past. Many of the youngsters will never have another shot at it. The Olympics should be about the wonderful young skaters who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much, NOT about the number of medals raked in by the U.S.

Honestly, I think the current crop of US ladies is just not good. So the commentators would of course back the most experienced one.

[Joelle N. Bird]

4 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

I'd also like to see the PyeongChang audience treat each and every Russian skater (there will certainly be some who compete) as terribly as the Sochi audience treated every non-Russian skater.

Wow, I totally disagree. I've been to Worlds several times, and I always loved that the true fans in the audience cheered encouragingly for all competitors, regardless of nationality, at practices as well as in competition. I hope the Olympic fans continue to do that and not sink to the regrettable favoritism demonstrated by the audience in Sochi. Let's not encourage poor sportsmanship; it's not the skaters' fault that the fans acted badly four years ago.

[Jeddah]

1 hour ago, fan94 said:

I know Kulik deserved to win that one... But that performance wouldn't really be gold winning now, or even just 4 years later with Yagudin. :P

Well, it was 20 years ago and under a different scoring system. There are a lot of winners whose routines wouldn’t hold up even four years later, but I don’t think that diminishes their win in any way. Evan Lysacek wouldn’t have won with the same program in 2014. Hanyu’s 2014 program would probably not be good enough this time.

I’m sure we agree that Ilia’s plastic bumblee costume totally still holds up! That costume is timeless! ;)

[displayname]

29 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

Well, it was 20 years ago and under a different scoring system. There are a lot of winners whose routines wouldn’t hold up even four years later, but I don’t think that diminishes their win in any way. Evan Lysacek wouldn’t have won with the same program in 2014. Hanyu’s 2014 program would probably not be good enough this time.

I’m sure we agree that Ilia’s plastic bumblee costume totally still holds up! That costume is timeless! ;)

Oh, I meant more in the sense that he really wasn't all that good in 1998. Technical, but not really all that artistic. Best of the field, though.

 

I brought Yagudin up, because the system wasn't different, and I bet Kulik in 2002 would have been far better than he was in 1998. Scott was right there.

[Jeddah]

2 hours ago, MostlyC said:

/small voice: I care about the team event.

I do too! I think it’s a really good opportunity for skaters to earn an Olympic medal who may not have gotten one otherwise. It rewards countries for having good skaters across all four disciplines. Plus it means we get to see more nights of skating! 

[displayname]

53 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

3 hours ago, MostlyC said:

/small voice: I care about the team event.

 

The Team event shouldn't account for world record scores (without getting into how bogus WRs are for a subjective sport, with different panels of judges for each competitions) or have a different point system, at least. These events see some of the worst point inflation, and I can't really see why Team Russia should even go when it's going to win anyway.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

The Olympics should be about the wonderful young skaters who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much, NOT about the number of medals raked in by the U.S.

You can applaud them at any skating rink competition in the world.  The Olympics is about excellence and they usually get it right. 

Quote

Honestly, I think the current crop of US ladies is just not good. So the commentators would of course back the most experienced one.

Karen Chen is a HUGE disappointment. Gracie Gold. All those chokers ... And every once in awhile, you get a Paul Wylie.  

[Mrs. P.]

Paul Wylie is my favorite male skater ever. Does anyone know what he's doing now? 

[Silver Raven]

14 minutes ago, Mrs. P. said:

Paul Wylie is my favorite male skater ever. Does anyone know what he's doing now? 

He runs a high end travel agency called High Gear Travel.

[Jaded]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Here's the TV schedule for Nationals:

1/14 Smucker's Skating Spectacular 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm NBC

The two sources I found have that as airing on the 13th. 

http://www.usfigureskating.org/story?id=91116&type=media

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/how-watch-us-figure-skating-national-championships

[Cherpumple]

14 hours ago, Joelle N. Bird said:

I say, let the fresh faces go to the Olympics if they do well at Nationals, not those whose qualifications are in the past.

I just wish there was more consistency in how people are chosen. Either stick with whoever performs best at Nationals, no exceptions, or decide that selection will be based on each skater's performance record over the entire season. One method or the other would be fine with me, but the shady half-and-half process we've seen a few times is really frustrating; i.e., "we'll choose the Nationals winners.... unless we don't like the results".

 

I have zero memory of the team event in Sochi, but it was fun to watch the replay this week. It's clearly a medals grab, but I liked that it gave the athletes a chance to perform on Olympic ice before their "real" events, and since it was a new competition they didn't seem to be feeling much pressure, so it was somehow more relaxing to watch.  And it must be fun for them to compete as part of a team, rather than on their own for once.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I do too! I think it’s a really good opportunity for skaters to earn an Olympic medal who may not have gotten one otherwise. It rewards countries for having good skaters across all four disciplines. Plus it means we get to see more nights of skating! 

I can see both sides. I understand how the skaters themselves probably appreciate the additional opportunity to bring home a medal, since figure skating is one of those rare events where you only have one chance to win anything, unlike skiing or speed skating where you can enter multiple events. On the other hand, it sort of waters down the impact of their individual performances since they've already skated one of them in the team event prior to the individual event. I'm guessing there's a different panel of judges for each competition, but still - you're kind of bound to think "gee, I just saw that routine 2 days ago, ho-hum." I also wonder if the skaters themselves lose a bit of adrenaline and/or momentum after performing one of their routines in the team event, then going into the individual event to do it again.

[Jeddah]

In gymnastics the individual all around probably gets the most glory, but a gold in the team event is still huge. Swimming and track are like that too. There are individual events, but relays can be just as exciting.

I think the team event in figure skating is still so new, but in time it will be a bigger deal. I liked that Meryl and Charlie wanted to skate both programs in the team event in 2014. They knew it was a chance to earn another Olympic medal, and they didn’t act like it was just a warm up for their real event.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Jeddah

[doodlebug]

13 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

He runs a high end travel agency called High Gear Travel.

Wylie also had a sudden cardiac arrest a couple years ago.  Luckily, someone performed CPR on him and he was able to be revived by paramedics.  He has a permanent defibrillator implanted in his chest.

[HartofDixie]

23 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Here's the TV schedule for Nationals:

1/3 Ladies Short 11:00 pm - 1:00 am NBCSN

1/4 Pairs Short 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Olympic Channel

1/4 Paris Short 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm NBCSN

1/4 Mens Short 8:30 pm - 12:00 am NBCSN

1/5 Short Dance 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm NBCSN

1/5 Ladies Free 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm NBC

1/6 Pairs Free 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm NBC

1/6 Mens Free 8:00 pm  - 11:00 pm NBCSN

1/7 Free Dance 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm NBC

1/14 Smucker's Skating Spectacular 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm NBC

If you don't have NBCSN or the Olympic channel follow the results here: http://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2018/26192/results.html

Practice session videos

[HartofDixie]

16 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

He runs a high end travel agency called High Gear Travel.

 

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Wylie also had a sudden cardiac arrest a couple years ago.  Luckily, someone performed CPR on him and he was able to be revived by paramedics.  He has a permanent defibrillator implanted in his chest.

He just performed with Stars on Ice Legends in Lake Placid.

 

12 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

I just wish there was more consistency in how people are chosen. Either stick with whoever performs best at Nationals, no exceptions, or decide that selection will be based on each skater's performance record over the entire season. One method or the other would be fine with me, but the shady half-and-half process we've seen a few times is really frustrating; i.e., "we'll choose the Nationals winners.... unless we don't like the results".

 

I have zero memory of the team event in Sochi, but it was fun to watch the replay this week. It's clearly a medals grab, but I liked that it gave the athletes a chance to perform on Olympic ice before their "real" events, and since it was a new competition they didn't seem to be feeling much pressure, so it was somehow more relaxing to watch.  And it must be fun for them to compete as part of a team, rather than on their own for once.

But then you have someone like Yulia Lipnitskaya who had her Olympic skate during the team event.  By the time the ladies competed nerves/pressure got to her.

[Silverglitter]

On 12/9/2017 at 9:10 PM, kitmerlot1213 said:

I sometimes feel that the pair rely on Chock's being pretty to carry them through, sort of like Belbin and Agosto relied on Tanith.

You're joking right? Ben was an excellent skater and totally carried Tanith until they switched coaches and Linichuk whipped her into a proper ice dancer.

[carrier76]

Just got to see Slutskaya’s 2006 LP. It was so.....floppy and sloppy. All of those awkward Bielmanns. Egads.

[ML89]

On 1/1/2018 at 11:14 PM, SophiaD said:

I'm watching the Sochi Games, and now think that Terry Gannon is an order of magnitude better as a commentator than Tom Hammond.  Also, it seems as though Scott and Sandra REALLY express their preferences.  They REALLY were on board Team Patrick Chan.  Maybe Johnny and Tara do it too, but it seems less obvious to me.  Or maybe I just know how this comes out.

I'd forgotten how depressing this Olympics was.  A real splatfest, and it was so painful to watch Jeremy Abbott crashing into the boards like that.  

Absolutely Terry over Tom (although he wasn’t as bad as I thought/remembered) - I am a Terry fan.  

20 hours ago, Mrs. P. said:

Paul Wylie is my favorite male skater ever. Does anyone know what he's doing now? 

 

He’s commentating on Westwood Radio for the Games. He and Christine Brennan were both just on the Ice Talk podcast talking about Tonya & Nancy - well worth the listen!  

[SophiaD]

That was an intriguing Women's Short Program.  Bradie was extremely impressive.  I also really liked Mirai's and Karen's performances.  The free skate should be interesting.

[HartofDixie]

4 minutes ago, SophiaD said:

That was an intriguing Women's Short Program.  Bradie was extremely impressive.  I also really liked Mirai's and Karen's performances.  The free skate should be interesting.

PCS were a bit low for some skaters and Bradie is the new Gracie. 

[Jeddah]

When Mirai stepped out of the axle, I thought it was all over. But it wasn’t! She looked good the rest of the program. I just want her to keep it together for the long program and go to the Olympics.

I’m not a fan of Ashley’s, so I’d be happy if the current top three are the Olympic team.

I think I’m in the minority because I like Johnny and Tara’s commentary.