Figure Skating

[ML89]

Just realized Tennell’s program is the Romeo and Juliet ballet, then the 1968 movie and the Baz Luhrmann movie.  Nice. 

[Mellowyellow]

I really respect Bradie upping her tech content, especially when she's not 15 years old anymore. 

I only remember admiring her hairband from the Olympics but I've thoroughly enjoyed both her programs this year. 

Will she be at worlds etc?

Asking because this is my first year following figure skating. 

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I really respect Bradie upping her tech content, especially when she's not 15 years old anymore. 

I only remember admiring her hairband from the Olympics but I've thoroughly enjoyed both her programs this year. 

Will she be at worlds etc?

Asking because this is my first year following figure skating. 

Depends on how she does at the US championships in January most likely.  The US can send 2 women to Worlds.  The US Figure Skating Association will vote on the team after the US championships.  Most of the time, they’ll send the top 2 from the US championships.  Occasionally, they will send someone who was injured or otherwise unable to compete, but, most years, it would be the top 2 at nationals. Brodie has a good shot at it.

[ChicksDigScars]

So, here are the Grand Prix Final qualifiers. I didn't see anyone post them:

 

[Enero]

Hanyu is injured AGAIN. Poor guy. He’s a powerhouse on ice, but at the same time seems to be as delicate as glass. Anyway, it’s questionable whether he’ll be at the GPF. 

If he pulls out would there then be an open slot for someone else to compete? And if so, who could potentially get that slot?

Edited November 26, 2018 by Enero

[HartofDixie]

2 hours ago, Enero said:

Hanyu is injured AGAIN. Poor guy. He’s a powerhouse on ice, but at the same time seems to be as delicate as glass. Anyway, it’s questionable whether he’ll be at the GPF. 

If he pulls out would there then be an open slot for someone else to compete? And if so, who could potentially get that slot?

Keegan would take his place.

[Growsonwalls]

On 11/24/2018 at 12:26 PM, WhitneyWhit said:

I’m so bored by P/C. As soon as I saw their opening with their trademark generic contemporary arm movements I said oh I saw this program last year and turned it off. 

I saw the FD and I appreciate their aesthetics and lyrical style, but I do wish they'd branch out a little. I also wish they'd do more with their lifts. But if the judges continue to give them such high scores for everything they do why branch out? 

As for why the judges favor them so this is kinda tricky but ... because they most resemble fashion models? Not saying they don't have wonderful qualities (they do) or not appealing skaters. But Gabriella Papadakis is just about perfect looking, with the right proportions. 

[doodlebug]

9 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

I saw the FD and I appreciate their aesthetics and lyrical style, but I do wish they'd branch out a little. I also wish they'd do more with their lifts. But if the judges continue to give them such high scores for everything they do why branch out? 

As for why the judges favor them so this is kinda tricky but ... because they most resemble fashion models? Not saying they don't have wonderful qualities (they do) or not appealing skaters. But Gabriella Papadakis is just about perfect looking, with the right proportions. 

Certainly appearance is considered in judging, we've seen it before.  The fact that they are physically well matched and can use that in their skating is probably an advantage for them.

Back in the day, Dorothy Hamill who was very near sighted, wouldn't wear glasses in practice or competitions because she felt it would negatively affect her scores.  Plenty of skaters use stylists, makeup artists and hairdressers to design their competitive looks.  Appearance is part of the overall impression that the judges get of the performance and I do think P/C benefit from that.

[SeanC]

On 2018-11-26 at 1:42 AM, Mellowyellow said:

Will she be at worlds etc?

Realistically, yes.  The US has two Worlds berths, and there aren’t two other US ladies competing this season with the track records to take both of them from her.  She’s the only US lady to win anything in the first half of the season.

[qtpye]

On 11/19/2018 at 5:07 AM, Mellowyellow said:

I thought after Russian test skates, in the first two competitions Alina did really well. The jumps looked good, some of her entrances and exits were amazing. 

Then she kind of started to lose it a bit at the last two competitions. She looks really tired and exhausted or something. Every skate feels very tense. I wonder if she's still growing and it's taking a toll on her or her practice regime is too much. I read they with Eteri they do a lot of run throughs over and over again. I remember this because people were suggesting Evgenia wasn't doing enough run throughs with Orser and forgetting choreography. 

***

Speaking of Gracie and Evgenia I was doing a little Evgenia stalking and browsing her old programs. Her 2016 Worlds LP was gorgeous, as was Gracie's SP at that same event. 

 

On 11/19/2018 at 6:37 AM, specialj67 said:

Alina won’t change anything as long as she’s coached by Eteri and team. There’s no immediate incentive for her to do so right now, since she’s still regularly winning competitions. I also like aspects of Alina’s skating but can’t stand that they’re being overrun by iffy technique, choppy/busy choreography and terrible music choices.

 

As for Gracie, I put at least some of the blame on USFSA. They could have done something to stop the Rostelecom Cup organizers from inviting her when she’s clearly not ready for that level of international competition. They could have insisted that she do some of the lower-level sectionals and regionals events in order to make her way back to nationals.

Good Lord, what the hell has happened to these two beautiful skaters? I am not even talking about their physical appearance. These two had such a passion for this sport and now it is like someone is holding a gun to their head and forcing them to skate. 2016 feels like a lifetime ago and it was only two years. Why does this sport seem to break people?

On 11/23/2018 at 12:35 PM, Good Queen Jane said:

Jason Brown's score for the short at the France GP shows what the changes in the scoring system can do. He didn't try a quad but got 4s and 5s in his GOEs for his triples and other elements and 8s and 9s in his component scores. He is in first place over the quad jumpers by almost 6 points. Of course, it helped that both Nathan Chen and Boyang Jin each had falls on their single quads. Still, the downgrading of quads is really changing the scoring.

By the way, is anyone else getting Adam Rippon vibes from Jason's new (ponytail less) look?

I think he is really grown into his looks. He was always a sweet kid and now he is a handsome young man. I wish him the best.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Good Lord, what the hell has happened to these two beautiful skaters? I am not even talking about their physical appearance. These two had such a passion for this sport and now it is like someone is holding a gun to their head and forcing them to skate. 2016 feels like a lifetime ago and it was only two years. Why does this sport seem to break people?

Because it's an expensive, high-profile competition with incredible rewards for the winners.  Add to that, family pressures (living away from home etc), coaching challenges, poor training, physical ailments. But this isn't new or limited to figure skating.  Many of the young stars have promptly collapsed upon reaching the big stage. Look at Tiffany Chin, Naomi Nari Nan ... it seems that the ones who succeed are those who quickly reach the top at the right age (Tara Lipinski)  or have the fortitude to stick it out over the long haul (Michelle Kwan). 

Quote

But Gabriella Papadakis is just about perfect looking, with the right proportions. 

Except for that giant Charles deGaulle nose.  A good surgeon could take care of that ...

[Jeddah]

11 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Certainly appearance is considered in judging, we've seen it before.  The fact that they are physically well matched and can use that in their skating is probably an advantage for them.

Back in the day, Dorothy Hamill who was very near sighted, wouldn't wear glasses in practice or competitions because she felt it would negatively affect her scores.  Plenty of skaters use stylists, makeup artists and hairdressers to design their competitive looks.  Appearance is part of the overall impression that the judges get of the performance and I do think P/C benefit from that.

When I see Charlie White on tv now I miss those floppy, blonde curls! I guess somewhere along the line his team decided that was his best competition look, so he stuck with it until they stopped competing.

[NUguy514]

A nose job is the last thing Gabrielle Papadakis needs; her nose is beautiful as is.

[KittenPokerCheater]

I don’t consider myself a huge fan of ice dancing and I’ve been finding all the tangos a bit repetitive and boring, but watching P/C’s tango  at the Grand Prix...wow.  I was stunned at how beautiful, and how clean it looked.  I don’t see anyone touching them this season.  

Edited November 28, 2018 by KittenPokerCheater

[surreysmum]

On 11/26/2018 at 12:42 AM, Mellowyellow said:

I really respect Bradie upping her tech content, especially when she's not 15 years old anymore. 

I only remember admiring her hairband from the Olympics but I've thoroughly enjoyed both her programs this year. 

Will she be at worlds etc?

Asking because this is my first year following figure skating. 

I like Bradie's free program this year too (haven't seen the short). Definitely a step forward in maturity from her Cinderella program.

The competitions that are still to go this year are 1. Grand Prix final;  2. the various national championships;  3. Europeans (for Europeans plus, I believe, Israel) OR Four Continents Championship (for everybody else); 5. Worlds

Bradie didn't qualify for the Grand Prix final. Assuming she remains healthy, she should be at U.S. Nationals. Her ranking at U.S. nationals, though not binding on the US federation, will heavily influence whether she is assigned to 4 Continents &/or Worlds.  U.S. skaters (unlike some other countries) typically do not attend 4 Continents if they are put on the team for Worlds.  I don't have all the placements at hand, but I'd say based on impressions from the fall championships, Bradie is likely to place well at US Nationals and I think she's a good bet to fill one of the two spots the U.S. has for women in the upcoming Worlds. 

Not answering from any position of authority; just another fan (and actually a Canadian one, so I hope US fans will step in and correct me if I've blundered).

[Mellowyellow]

@surreysmum here is the short. This is the best version of it as she's been missing the lutz-loop lately. 

 

I feel like she's stepping it up with the jumps and transitions plus I really respect her getting over botching the SP in France and doing so well to get Bronze in the final skate. Those UR calls were sketchy imo. I counted and it looked good to me *shakes fist*

I feel like she was slightly underscored in the FP. 

[surreysmum]

14 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I feel like she's stepping it up with the jumps and transitions

I agree. Thank you for posting the short - that was a pleasure to watch.

(Also, tangentially, what a pleasure to watch a program with good audio, simple non-fussy but capable camerawork, and zero commentary during the skating. Sigh. If only the broadcast folks would just learn from this).

[Libby96]

On 11/24/2018 at 11:44 AM, specialj67 said:

I don’t doubt P/C were the best in the dance field for this competition, but can someone explain how/why they are scored SO MUCH higher than the other top teams? The judges stratospheric scores for them continue to baffle me.

My thoughts exactly!  Yes, they are extremely good and certainly deserve their win,  but I don't see how they are 20 points better than everybody else.  I am not a skater and I don't know all the technicalities of ice dance, but come on.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Hawayek and Baker's beautiful free dance. I wish they had made the podium, but I think they were pleased with their effort.  In the absence of the Shibs, they are my favorite U.S. ice dance team.  I would love to see them dethrone Hubbell and Donahue at nationals, but we all know unless H/D make some mistakes, that's not going to happen.  

[Harry24]

On 12/1/2018 at 7:46 PM, Libby96 said:

 

Quote

SpecialJ67 wrote: I don’t doubt P/C were the best in the dance field for this competition, but can someone explain how/why they are scored SO MUCH higher than the other top teams? The judges stratospheric scores for them continue to baffle me.

On 12/1/2018 at 7:46 PM, Libby96 said:

[P/C] are extremely good and certainly deserve their win,  but I don't see how they are 20 points better than everybody else.  I am not a skater and I don't know all the technicalities of ice dance, but come on.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Hawayek and Baker's beautiful free dance. I wish they had made the podium, but I think they were pleased with their effort.  

I'm certainly no expert in ice dance and can't appreciate edge work and other technical ice dance stuff AT ALL, but it seems fairly clear to me that P/C are in a whole different league when it comes to ease of movement, power, fluidity and control compared to the other current top teams.  

A far more expert ice dance viewer on another board wrote: 

"It's obvious ... when you see Sinitsina/Katsalapov skate back-to-back with P/C that P/C are just on their own level (for now). I don't usually like it when people go OTT into that sort of hyperbole, but it's true in the case of P/C. They are doing things most ice dance teams CANNOT do with their edges, how they complete and finish the elements, how they link it all together, how seamlessly they dance, and how well they dance. There's a level of polish ... that no other ice dance team has."

I also TOTALLY agree on H/B's cool, beautiful free dance.  I would love to see P/C do something with a similarly quirky dance vocabulary.

[Mellowyellow]

Can someone help me with a question regarding Salt Lake City 2002?

I was lurking on Golden Skate and people were discussing the SLC results. Seems like a SUPER complicated system that let Sarah Hughes win gold. When I watched it during that year I had no idea about the scoring but thought the nicest looking skate won.

So I went and watched all 3 skates again and to me Sarah Hughes was hands down the best.

So did the judges score the way they did (ie rig it so that Irina Slutskaya would beat Michelle Kwan) to give Sarah Hughes the gold (deserved imo) on purpose or was it genuine scores given that somehow played out that way? 

[Jeddah]

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Can someone help me with a question regarding Salt Lake City 2002?

I was lurking on Golden Skate and people were discussing the SLC results. Seems like a SUPER complicated system that let Sarah Hughes win gold. When I watched it during that year I had no idea about the scoring but thought the nicest looking skate won.

So I went and watched all 3 skates again and to me Sarah Hughes was hands down the best.

So did the judges score the way they did (ie rig it so that Irina Slutskaya would beat Michelle Kwan) to give Sarah Hughes the gold (deserved imo) on purpose or was it genuine scores given that somehow played out that way? 

I suspect that the judges probably did what they needed to do in order to give Sarah the gold, but not in a corrupt way or anything. They just thought Sarah deserved it. Based on those performances, I would have had it as Sarah, Michelle, then Irina. But if it had to be Sarah, Irina, then Michelle to give Sarah the gold, then I approve of that. I imagine the judges may have felt the same way.

Actually, in an ideal world I probably would have had it be Sarah, Michelle, then Sasha, but the judges wouldn’t have gone for American sweep.

I know people complain about the current system, but the ordinals sucked. Whether Sarah beat Michelle didn’t depend on their performances head to head. It depended on Irina’s skate. To me that’s ridiculous.

[MaryMitch]

1 hour ago, Jeddah said:

I know people complain about the current system, but the ordinals sucked. Whether Sarah beat Michelle didn’t depend on their performances head to head. It depended on Irina’s skate. To me that’s ridiculous.

I never really understood the ordinals until the Ladies' event at the Salt Lake Olympics. (I was out of town for business and had a lot of time to kill.)  It WAS insane, and I don't know how it lasted so long. I think the scoring system is still evolving, but the way it is now the fans can understand it, and for a sport like skating to grow it needs fans.

[boaty mcboatface]

Jean-Francois Ballester, one of the two coaches for Savchenko/Massot, died suddenly of a heart attack last night just after returning home from the Tallinn Trophy. Only 53 years old, really tragic and upsetting news.  

[HartofDixie]

https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2018/12/04/in-his-new-whirlwind-life-adam-rippon-keeps-lessons-from-skating-close/

[Darknight]

On 11/27/2018 at 12:43 PM, qtpye said:

 

Good Lord, what the hell has happened to these two beautiful skaters? I am not even talking about their physical appearance. These two had such a passion for this sport and now it is like someone is holding a gun to their head and forcing them to skate. 2016 feels like a lifetime ago and it was only two years. Why does this sport seem to break people?

I think he is really grown into his looks. He was always a sweet kid and now he is a handsome young man. I wish him the best.

Well, in Alina's case puberty. Apparently she grew and in Eteri's group puberty is the devil. I heard Alina say she skips breakfast and only drinks water. 

 

Gracie, I don't know. She switch coaches was the it girl and has an eating disorder. 

Junior Worlds is more exciting than US champions. 

USA fed needs a huge change. Also, I just read about skating in Harlem. It providesessons and support to low income Black children who want to skate. Some of them are very talented. It sucks skating has to be so expensive with zero support from the fed. 

[Darknight]

I also just read some past comments from Tatiana. I swear the woman has no chill. She said something about Russian ladies skaters being thin at 14 and US women skaters find it hard to jump or something like that. Well, of course it's easier to jump at 14 when you're 70 pounds and 4'9. 

[qtpye]

10 hours ago, Darknight said:

I also just read some past comments from Tatiana. I swear the woman has no chill. She said something about Russian ladies skaters being thin at 14 and US women skaters find it hard to jump or something like that. Well, of course it's easier to jump at 14 when you're 70 pounds and 4'9. 

Yes, skating should only be for deliciate looking prepubescent dolls. She probably hates the sight of a full grown woman’s powerful and athletic body.

[Darknight]

10 minutes ago, qtpye said:

Yes, skating should only be for deliciate looking prepubescent dolls. She probably hates the sight of a full grown woman’s powerful and athletic body.

Her comments are gross. She even calls young skaters fat or if they're not jumping she tells them. To lose weight. She told a skater she should just quit because jumping and skating is for thin young girls. See, this is why I support Liz right now. She's 21 and has a grown adult womanly body and is doing 3a.

 

Tatiana, current 14 year olds will grow and gain weight too. They're not 14 forever. Did she ever think maybe some of her skaters can't jump because they're underweight and have poor technique? 

[qtpye]

22 minutes ago, Darknight said:

Her comments are gross. She even calls young skaters fat or if they're not jumping she tells them. To lose weight. She told a skater she should just quit because jumping and skating is for thin young girls. See, this is why I support Liz right now. She's 21 and has a grown adult womanly body and is doing 3a.

 

Tatiana, current 14 year olds will grow and gain weight too. They're not 14 forever. Did she ever think maybe some of her skaters can't jump because they're underweight and have poor technique? 

Not to mention the psychological effects of telling young girls to loathe what is nothing but a natural way in which their bodies develop. I think the cut off in  woman’s figure skating should be 18, though she probably would just falsify documentation like birth certificates so her girls can compete.

[KittenPokerCheater]

I would not put it past some coaches to spike the food/vitamins they give to their skaters to delay puberty.  I’m not even sure it illegal in the sport.

[Darknight]

4 hours ago, qtpye said:

Not to mention the psychological effects of telling young girls to loathe what is nothing but a natural way in which their bodies develop. I think the cut off in  woman’s figure skating should be 18, though she probably would just falsify documentation like birth certificates so her girls can compete.

Tatiana isn't skinny herself. She is just disgusting. You can't jump because you're getting fat when the girl is only 80 pounds? O USA ladies cant jump like a 14yo Russian lady? Why do they even listen to her? 

 

I think the age should be raised but then we won't see younger girls doing quads. Puberty seems like a death sentence in skating for ladies especially Russian ladies. 

26 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

I would not put it past some coaches to spike the food/vitamins they give to their skaters to delay puberty.  I’m not even sure it illegal in the sport.

Eteri has been known to have done crazy diet to delay puberty. It was in a documentary. They're obsessed with weight. At worlds Alina said she has to stop eating and only drinks tea. Yulia said she only drank diet shakes twice a day. These girls are skating for 5-8 hours a day. Their body needs food. Eteri thinks she can stop them from eating and stop puberty? You can't stop puberty. 

 

Alina grew and went through puberty after the Olympics. I worry about Anna and Alexandra. Anna is so thin already. 

[HartofDixie]

Results link for Grand Prix final.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/gpf1819/

[Harry24]

Which Tatiana is this?  Tarasova?

[Mellowyellow]

Just caught the last  3 skaters in the JGP by pure chance. Alena Kostornaia skates beautifully! I don't know much about her but her jumps look good to me and her skating was gorgeous!

She's also absolutely STUNNING looks wise! Not that it matters but heck that is a beautiful face!

I also enjoyed Trusova a lot more than I thought I would. She's improved heaps in terms of spins and general skating.

Trying to work out why Anna Shcherbakova was last...... 

[SeanC]

3 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Just caught the last  3 skaters in the JGP by pure chance. Alena Kostornaia skates beautifully! I don't know much about her but her jumps look good to me and her skating was gorgeous!

She's also absolutely STUNNING looks wise! Not that it matters but heck that is a beautiful face!

I also enjoyed Trusova a lot more than I thought I would. She's improved heaps in terms of spins and general skating.

Trying to work out why Anna Shcherbakova was last...... 

Kostornaia is easily the most artistic skater Eteri's camp has ever produced.

Shcherbakova was last because she fell on one jump and then lost the combination on her 3Lz.  She had easily the lowest TES as a result.

In the men's JGP Final, Stephen Gogolev got to correct the errors the last time he was in Vancouver and deliver a clean short program with a new personal best score.  Happy for him.  We'll see how the free goes.

In seniors, Alina and Satoko both got a look at the girl who's threatening to take away their world and national #1 statuses, and Rika bested both of them, finally landed the 3A in the short this season and setting a new world record.  Sad about Satoko's jump error and the double; she had to skate right after Rika's huge score.

[honeywest]

I love Shoma, but he was way overscored in the short. And he looked ill.

[Mellowyellow]

Just managed to watch Rika's skate. She's a joy to watch. That was gorgeous and exciting! I had a stupid smile the entire program.

[redpencil]

I think I said this earlier this season at one point, and my impression hasn't changed with another viewing. I really don't care for Shoma's SP. Love the music, but the choreography has way too many sections where it just doesn't seem to fit the music. The music has some fast/intense sections, but the choreography never rises to the occasion. Instead it's just sleepy and never builds to anything. The music really screams for a fast, intricate footwork section, or something, and it's just not working for me.

[Darknight]

I'm happy for Rika. Alina looks tired. Poor girl. I hate getting attached to Russian skaters because they might not last long. I love Alena. I hope they don't ruin her. Anna. Her jumps are so small. I think she may get held back next year. I don't understand why her coach didn't at least hug her. 

 

 

I'm shocked Alina might not win because I heard she was locked in for gold. Interesting. 

[Mellowyellow]

Bradie got 71.5 at the Golden Spin. I like Bradie! She's like the little engine that could. Just chugs along consistently. Interesting she switched to the 3Lutz3Toe instead.

I'm really interested to see where Alina is headed in the future. From what I've seen of her on social media, interviews etc she seems to be very devoted to the sport. I don't see her peacing out and quitting anytime soon. Once the Quad girls go to seniors though what will they do with Alina? That said, Trusova seems like the only really consistent quad girl so Alina may not get tossed by Eteri as she's a stable performer.

Alena who is so graceful on ice actually looks pretty strong physically to me so I have high hopes for her! Her jumps are solid and she doesn't look frail.

Same with Rika who doesn't look like she banks on being teeny tiny to make her jumps! Gives me faith in her longevity.

[SeanC]

19 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Same with Rika who doesn't look like she banks on being teeny tiny to make her jumps! Gives me faith in her longevity.

I don’t worry about Rika getting older.  She’s coached by Mie Hamada; the elite Japanese coaches know how to guide a skater to maturity.

[Darknight]

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Bradie got 71.5 at the Golden Spin. I like Bradie! She's like the little engine that could. Just chugs along consistently. Interesting she switched to the 3Lutz3Toe instead.

I'm really interested to see where Alina is headed in the future. From what I've seen of her on social media, interviews etc she seems to be very devoted to the sport. I don't see her peacing out and quitting anytime soon. Once the Quad girls go to seniors though what will they do with Alina? That said, Trusova seems like the only really consistent quad girl so Alina may not get tossed by Eteri as she's a stable performer.

Alena who is so graceful on ice actually looks pretty strong physically to me so I have high hopes for her! Her jumps are solid and she doesn't look frail.

Same with Rika who doesn't look like she banks on being teeny tiny to make her jumps! Gives me faith in her longevity.

I worry about Alina too. I read Trusova and Anna had issues landing their quads. They changed Trusova's costume because she grew. I like this costume much better. She definitely looked taller to me. There is no way Alina can compete with the quad girls next year. I wish Eteri would fix her technique. I don't understand why she doesn't fix technique. Even her skaters quads need fixing. Eteri has Alexandra she is investing in and hoping for 2022 and Alena. Anna is a question mark. She also has two soon to be junior skaters learning quads too. They're both 11 and 12 I think and turn 15 during the Olympic year. So just like her past skaters, I think Alina isn't her main focus next year. Eteri will continue with her quad machines. 

 

 

Rika looks strong. I can't believe she is two months younger than Alina. 

 

 

 

And I seriously need to learn Russian. I alway mess Alena's name up. It's Aloyna. Then I get confused seeing Anna's last name. It's Scherbokva but in Russia it started with a W. 

I know it's not just me but seeing Rika, the other skaters  and the Russian girls, you can see how Rika uses her toe pick to jump and actually has some strength vs Alina and some of Eteri skaters who use their whole blade and their jumps aren't as strong. Anna's jumps are so tiny and you notice she is not using her legs. She is using her arms. 

[ML89]

On 12/6/2018 at 1:04 PM, Darknight said:

hey're obsessed with weight. At worlds Alina said she has to stop eating and only drinks tea. Yulia said she only drank diet shakes twice a day. These girls are skating for 5-8 hours a day. Their body needs food. Eteri thinks she can stop them from eating and stop puberty? You can't stop puberty. 

What makes me crazy is that all these girls starve and so do the gymnasts. Meanwhile, Michael Phelps was eating 12,000 calories a day. It's not just the Russian coaches either, I well remember that Sports Illustrated article about Chris Bowman where he did something to hack Frank Carroll off and Frank made him eat a box of donuts and go spin until he threw up. Or Brian Boitano saying judges told him to be thinner. It's sick, frankly.

[honeywest]

3 hours ago, ML89 said:

What makes me crazy is that all these girls starve and so do the gymnasts. Meanwhile, Michael Phelps was eating 12,000 calories a day. It's not just the Russian coaches either, I well remember that Sports Illustrated article about Chris Bowman where he did something to hack Frank Carroll off and Frank made him eat a box of donuts and go spin until he threw up. Or Brian Boitano saying judges told him to be thinner. It's sick, frankly.

According to Christine Brennan ( Inside Edge), it was four boxes of doughnuts that Carroll made Bowman eat—because Bowman’s mother told Carroll that Chris had taken money from her purse to buy those doughnuts even though he was supposed to be watching his weight.

[Darknight]

7 hours ago, PoshSprinkles said:

She really has no incentive to fix their technique when her skaters are never called on it by the judges. Evgenia was known for "flutzing" and always got +GOE for it until recently. Alina backloaded her Olympic season program and never took a hit on her PCS for doing it. If her current crop of girls compete a quad, even poorly, they'll be overcompensated for it because that's the standard that's been set. 

See, what if the ISU starts calling that out? Then what? Bad technique is hard to fix which is why Evegenia is having issues. I always had an issue with her flutz. On top of that, they don't eat and are doing quads with bad technique? That leads to injuries. I can't blame Eteri for the judging. Judges should call it out and not reward it. Which is why I'm a fan of this new system. However, as a coach, Eteri should try to keep her skaters safe and healthy. Quads are so dangerous especially for young girls with bad technique and who are starving themselves. Does she even care? 

[Darknight]

5 hours ago, ML89 said:

What makes me crazy is that all these girls starve and so do the gymnasts. Meanwhile, Michael Phelps was eating 12,000 calories a day. It's not just the Russian coaches either, I well remember that Sports Illustrated article about Chris Bowman where he did something to hack Frank Carroll off and Frank made him eat a box of donuts and go spin until he threw up. Or Brian Boitano saying judges told him to be thinner. It's sick, frankly.

This is sick. What in the world is wrong with him? The judges are absolutely disgusting. I've actually heard skaters say the judges told them they were fat and told them to lose weight. You can't expect a skater to skate well if they don't eat and they don't have some fat on them. There is such thing as healthy fat your body needs to function. I think a lot of these judges are used to seeing a certain look. Skinny and thin. However, skating has a variety of body types. 

 

Phelps needed to eat 12,000 calories because he burned so much. That man trained everyday for 5-6 hours swimming plus 2-3 hours of dryland a day. That's 7-9 hours of training. These skaters are skating around the same amount. I know eating disorders is common in certain sports especially skating but coaches should be careful how they talk with their athlete about weight. Healthy eating is key with a few cheat meals of course. Even Simone Biles rewarded herself with Pizza and cinnamon rolls after Worlds. 

 

 

I remember Alina was pissed at herself for drinking  a soda. A soda for godsakes. A soda every once in a while doesn't hurt. Now it's don't drink water. How do these girls skate is beyond me. No water, no food, only tea, and twice a day diet shakes. 

1 hour ago, honeywest said:

According to Christine Brennan ( Inside Edge), it was four boxes of doughnuts that Carroll made Bowman eat—because Bowman’s mother told Carroll that Chris had taken money from her purse to buy those doughnuts even though he was supposed to be watching his weight.

Eating doughnuts is not a death sentence. You can actually eat junk food once in a while and relax a bit. 

Seriously, Frank should be ashamed of himself. 

[Crs97]

I was a mediocre gymnast in a barely competitive gym starting around age 8, and by the end of my tenure (around age 13-14) we worked out 4 hrs a day, 6 days a week.  She weighed us weekly and fat shamed me so many times.  I see old pictures of me now, and I was thin.  Have never felt thin in my life because I can hear her voice in my head, no matter how many times my mom would get angry and tell her to stop and tell me to ignore her.  I get mad every time I hear stories about athletes and weight issues.

Edited December 8, 2018 by Crs97

[Mellowyellow]

How is Trusova's technique?

I dont know enough to judge. I always thought Alina had nice jumps but have noticed UR and scratchier landings lately. 

Someone on this board pointed out to me that at the Olympics Zhenya was jumping by throwing her body weight and muscling her jumps and I could see that but I'm curious how Trusova's technique is viewed since a lot of Russians seem to think it's game over for everyone when she gets to seniors.

[honeywest]

Chen gold, Uno silver, Cha bronze.

[NUguy514]

4 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

How is Trusova's technique?

I don't know if she's improved in the last nine months or so, but the routine I saw showed her jumping technique to be abysmal and her spins and footwork to be sloppy.  Plus, her "quads" were not quads so much as they're triples because she severely prerotates and lands at least a half-turn short on every single one.  She's Russian and hasn't yet defected from Eteri, so it probably won't matter.