Figure Skating

[Mellowyellow]

15 minutes ago, Darknight said:

And poor Evgenia. She is getting so much hate in Russia. The comments are so nasty. She should just get rid of social media or let her agent handle everything 

It makes me livid to think of the amount of hate both Zhenya and Alina get. Both are incredibly talented, hard working, beautiful and absolutely lovely girls (Alina often does these videos to thank fans, she's like the sweetest, most humble lil munchkin).  

These trolls who write nasty things about them probably can't slide 2 inches on ice and should all go to hell 😠😠😠

[HartofDixie]

http://www.globetrottingbyphiliphersh.com/home/2019/2/28/us-figure-skating-asks-again-for-safesport-to-finish-investigation-into-allegations-against-john-coughlin

[Darknight]

4 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

It makes me livid to think of the amount of hate both Zhenya and Alina get. Both are incredibly talented, hard working, beautiful and absolutely lovely girls (Alina often does these videos to thank fans, she's like the sweetest, most humble lil munchkin).  

These trolls who write nasty things about them probably can't slide 2 inches on ice and should all go to hell 😠😠😠

I agree. Sometimes I wish social media didn't exist. The amount of hate these girls receive is terrible. They're teens for godsakes. Leave them alone! Let them skate. I would encourage Alina and Evgenia to either turn off social media or try as hard as possible to ignore. They don't need to read ugly things online or read about death threats. 

[HartofDixie]

https://mobile.twitter.com/TuktikLiza/status/1101474220041740288

[HartofDixie]

[HartofDixie]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2019/03/04/figure-skating-culture-grooming-abuse-probe-safesport/3053528002/

[Darknight]

Apparently, Alena Kos is injuried and pulled out of junior worlds. The injury is serious. She is my favorite Eteri skater. This is so sad. 

Not to be a conspiracy theorist but I hope Alena is well and goes senior next year. However, it wouldn't shock me if she doesn't go senior and is left behind because there are so many upcoming seniors next year. Russian federation is really pushing the quads and now 3a. Anything is possible with Russia

2 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2019/03/04/figure-skating-culture-grooming-abuse-probe-safesport/3053528002/

Can't the federation hire their own person to investigate? 

[SeanC]

36 minutes ago, Darknight said:

Not to be a conspiracy theorist but I hope Alena is well and goes senior next year. However, it wouldn't shock me if she doesn't go senior and is left behind because there are so many upcoming seniors next year. Russian federation is really pushing the quads and now 3a. Anything is possible with Russia

There's no reason they would leave Kostornaia in juniors, particularly when so many of their current seniors are sputtering.

Quote

Can't the federation hire their own person to investigate?

Yes, they can.  Which is what should happen here, as SafeSport evidently believes that its mandate does not extend this far.

[Ruby Gillis]

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

Yes, they can.  Which is what should happen here, as SafeSport evidently believes that its mandate does not extend this far.

The funding situation for SafeSport sounds insane.  We should call our senators.

https://www.wsaw.com/fox/content/news/Government-Olympic-funds-not-usable-for-abuse-probes-500054991.html

Quote

To be sure, the money — SafeSport will use $1 million in the first year, $875,000 in Year 2 and $378,000 in Year 3 — represents a significant infusion for an office operating on $6.4 million in 2018. But according to the rules of the Justice Department grant awarded last month, it must all be directed toward prevention and education programs, and for auditing national governing bodies' work in sex-abuse prevention — not the most acute needs for an operation that has struggled to hire investigators to look into the 1,622 complaints, an average of 85 a month, that have come its way.

https://deadspin.com/safesport-the-usocs-attempt-to-stop-child-abuse-is-se-1826279217

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/416659-the-safe-sport-act-wont-prevent-child-sex-abuse-in-youth-sports

[ChicksDigScars]

So, is Douche Moir getting into coaching, now? That long article (posted a few pages back) about Tessa says that she has zero desire to coach, but Scott must be a different story. I guess he would have more of the personality for it.  If he is, I'm glad it's somewhere besides Gadbois.  It's time to redistribute the wealth. 

[SeanC]

13 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

So, is Douche Moir getting into coaching, now? That long article (posted a few pages back) about Tessa says that she has zero desire to coach, but Scott must be a different story. I guess he would have more of the personality for it.  If he is, I'm glad it's somewhere besides Gadbois.  It's time to redistribute the wealth. 

Scott isn’t coaching in Detroit full-time.  He’s been traveling around various schools of late doing seminars; he was at the TCC with some of their junior teams about a week ago.

But yeah, Scott seems certain to go into coaching long-term.  Most are expecting him to become part of Marie-France’s staff, at least initially.

[displayname]

2 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

So, is Douche Moir getting into coaching, now? That long article (posted a few pages back) about Tessa says that she has zero desire to coach, but Scott must be a different story. I guess he would have more of the personality for it.  If he is, I'm glad it's somewhere besides Gadbois.  It's time to redistribute the wealth. 

I'm kind of surprised Sergei Ponomarenko isn't advising these two. 😛

Also, I wonder what you'll say about Lajoie/Lagha XD They resemble V/M with their skating.

[ChicksDigScars]

2 hours ago, displayname said:

I'm kind of surprised Sergei Ponomarenko isn't advising these two. 😛

Also, I wonder what you'll say about Lajoie/Lagha XD They resemble V/M with their skating.

Did Sergei and Marina coach them at first, or was it a situation where coaching your own kid is like trying to teach your own kid. It ends up being a struggle. 

If Lajoie and Lagha end up doing cunnilingus lifts, then I might not like them. 😄

[displayname]

11 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Did Sergei and Marina coach them at first, or was it a situation where coaching your own kid is like trying to teach your own kid. It ends up being a struggle. 

Doesn't say so on wikipedia. But yeah, probably for the best.

[Impromptu]

19 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Did Sergei and Marina coach them at first, or was it a situation where coaching your own kid is like trying to teach your own kid. It ends up being a struggle. 

If Lajoie and Lagha end up doing cunnilingus lifts, then I might not like them. 😄

Sergei and Marina never coached Carreira and Ponomarenko -they've always been with Sphilband.  They did coach Anthony and his former partner, Sarah Feng (who is now a pairs skater and is competing at Junior Worlds this week).

[Darknight]

More ladies are joining hockey over figure skating. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-many-girls-figure-skating-loses-its-edge-to-hockey-11551802166

[displayname]

2 hours ago, Impromptu said:

They did coach Anthony and his former partner, Sarah Feng (who is now a pairs skater and is competing at Junior Worlds this week). 

Huh, doesn't say they coached Feng either.

[Impromptu]

31 minutes ago, displayname said:

Huh, doesn't say they coached Feng either.

No, it's not on Wikipedia. Ice-dance.com keeps links to their older events coverage.

Here; https://www.ice-dance.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2014USNationalsProfiles-Novice.pdf

(Scroll to page 2)

[displayname]

1 hour ago, Impromptu said:

No, it's not on Wikipedia. Ice-dance.com keeps links to their older events coverage.

Here; https://www.ice-dance.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2014USNationalsProfiles-Novice.pdf

(Scroll to page 2)

Ah, thanks. I would add it in now that I know this, but I edit things there only to troll 😛

Edited March 6, 2019 by displayname

[SeanC]

The men's short program at Junior Worlds was a remarkably high-quality affair.  No falls among the top 12, and the top 10 were all basically clean.  Only five points separate Camden Pulkinen (in first place) from Stephen Gogolev (in tenth).

The Winter Universiade is also on.  Matteo Rizzo is one of the big-name skaters competing there -- after landing a quad toe loop in his free skate for the first time at Europeans, he successfully introduced it to the short program here.

[Minneapple]

7 hours ago, Darknight said:

More ladies are joining hockey over figure skating. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-many-girls-figure-skating-loses-its-edge-to-hockey-11551802166

I can't read the article -- but well, why not. The US women have done quite well in hockey so girls have those athletes to look up to. And there are women's college hockey teams (go Badgers!) so a scholarship is attainable.

[Darknight]

29 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

I can't read the article -- but well, why not. The US women have done quite well in hockey so girls have those athletes to look up to. And there are women's college hockey teams (go Badgers!) so a scholarship is attainable.

I'm sorry. I think the WSJ has a limit on how many articles you can view. I can copy and paste the article if you'd like. 

I remember reading about ice rings closing or rings only allowing hockey players on the ice over skaters. I love that girls are becoming more interesting in hockey. I use to be a big hockey fan too. The USA women's team is a big influence and inspiration to young girls. I hope women's hockey becomes more popular like men's. 

[Minneapple]

2 hours ago, Darknight said:

I'm sorry. I think the WSJ has a limit on how many articles you can view. I can copy and paste the article if you'd like. 

Thanks for the offer but please don't copy and paste. Newspapers rely on those paid subscriptions more than ever these days. 

[stet]

Does the article go into costs of the sports? Hockey equipment is expensive (and takes up a lot of space in the home), and it’s probably expensive to be on a team - especially if traveling is involved. Still, I imagine figure skating is much more expensive.

Also, hockey doesn’t seem to be as potentially mentally damaging (and I can’t imagine eating disorders are rampant in hockey) - that probably appeals to parents.

I can see the appeal of going into sports that can be played on the collegiate level. Alas, very few colleges have Division 1 hockey (or gymnastics) programs, so there really aren’t that many scholarships to be had in those sports - but on the other hand, figure skating is not an NCAA sport.

[doodlebug]

18 hours ago, stet said:

Does the article go into costs of the sports? Hockey equipment is expensive (and takes up a lot of space in the home), and it’s probably expensive to be on a team - especially if traveling is involved. Still, I imagine figure skating is much more expensive.

Also, hockey doesn’t seem to be as potentially mentally damaging (and I can’t imagine eating disorders are rampant in hockey) - that probably appeals to parents.

I can see the appeal of going into sports that can be played on the collegiate level. Alas, very few colleges have Division 1 hockey (or gymnastics) programs, so there really aren’t that many scholarships to be had in those sports - but on the other hand, figure skating is not an NCAA sport.

Yes, hockey costs a fraction of what figure skating costs.  While the equipment and uniforms might be costly, an aspiring figure skater is going to need custom-made skates which probably cost more than all the hockey equipment combined.  They'll also need replaced several times a year, especially if the kid is still growing.  Meanwhile, most hockey equipment should last at least a couple of seasons if the kid takes care of it.  Add in the private coaching, the higher fees charged by elite skating coaches vs hockey coaches and the fact that there are a lot of expenses that can be shared by an entire team while a figure skater would be on their own; and figure skating is way more expensive, even for upper level amateur hockey players.

Aside from the emotional toll, a kid who plays hockey is going to be able to keep playing and competing even if he/she doesn't make the pros or Olympics; many communities have leagues.  Meanwhile, a figure skater, if he/she wants to compete; doesn't have many options and has far less chance that he/she will ever get to a point where they might actually break even, let alone earn a living with it.

[selkie]

Hockey gear also gets passed down as kids outgrow it. I think Play-It-Again Sports exists in snowbelt regions primarily to resell old hockey equipment. 

The down side to hockey is concussions, but these days you've got to get pretty deep into the game before they tend to be a more serious concern

[redpencil]

Tomoki Hiwatashi won Junior World's and Ting Cui and Hanna Harrel are in 3rd and 5th respectively after the SP.

[Darknight]

20 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Meanwhile, a figure skater, if he/she wants to compete; doesn't have many options and has far less chance that he/she will ever get to a point where they might actually break even, let alone earn a living with it.

Very true. I remember when skating shows and tours were very popular. Skaters could earn a living and money. Now, what options are there for skaters?

I know this isn't the same but I bring it up because some people think it's ridiculous how much money I spend on dance. Well, a dancer has many options available to them. Hockey players have more options available too. Skating doesn't have many options. 

[Darknight]

5 hours ago, redpencil said:

Tomoki Hiwatashi won Junior World's and Ting Cui and Hanna Harrel are in 3rd and 5th respectively after the SP.

I hate Hanna's Cha Cha costume. It's ugly to me. Please Ting, run from ToM Z.  I'm happy for both Hanna and Ting. They're both very beautiful skaters from the few videos I've seen of them.

I just hate absolutely hate it when Jonny or Tara brings up the Russians. There was an article about Hanna. She is half Japanese and speaks Japanese fluently. She has Russian coaches. Suddenly, Johnny says she has Russian technique. She skates like a Russian. No Johnny. She skates like Hanna and does rippons named after Adam Rippon.  The Russians didn't invent the jump Johnny. Now all we're going to hear now is how Hanna jumps like the Russians. 

Also, I heard Liu went to her first red carpet event for VH1 I believe. Sigh. 

Can anyone please post about pairs and ice dance results? Thank you. 

[Darknight]

Hockey is actually less expensive than figure skating. Not even hockey skates cost as much as figure skates. Add in costumes, choreography, ice time, coach fees, travel fees, figure skating takes the bait as the more expensive sport. Both are expensive but skating has extra costs involved. 

Edited March 9, 2019 by Darknight

[displayname]

L/L are defo the team I'll be watching out for next season. Hopefully they'll be seniors.

[displayname]

7 hours ago, Darknight said:

I just hate absolutely hate it when Jonny or Tara brings up the Russians. There was an article about Hanna. She is half Japanese and speaks Japanese fluently. She has Russian coaches. Suddenly, Johnny says she has Russian technique. She skates like a Russian. No Johnny. She skates like Hanna and does rippons named after Adam Rippon.  The Russians didn't invent the jump Johnny. Now all we're going to hear now is how Hanna jumps like the Russians.  

I'm sure Weir thinks everything can be put into the same neat boxes he believes the world exists in.

Edited March 9, 2019 by displayname

[redpencil]

All Junior World results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wjc2019/index.htm

Ting took the bronze, Hanna finished 7th.

[Vera]

10 hours ago, displayname said:

L/L are defo the team I'll be watching out for next season. Hopefully they'll be seniors.

L/L have confirmed they're going senior next season. They stayed in juniors this season because they wanted a JWC medal.

[Darknight]

17 hours ago, displayname said:

I'm sure Weir thinks everything can be put into the same neat boxes he believes the world exists in.

It's very annoying. Hanna and Ting along with Alyssa are working on quads too. I feel bad for US ladies because every single time we'll hear look at the Russians. See Russians and everyone our ladies can do quads too. Look, see USA ladies skate like the Russians. They can do quads and rippons. My goodness. 

I remember Tara or Johnny or one of them said something about the Russians creating quads and pushing the sport forward so now others are copying them.  Excuse me, the Russians didn't create quads. Nobody is copying them. 

[Mellowyellow]

Anyone excited for Worlds?

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!

The guys I have very set wishes for:

*Junliet to medal! Any kind of medal I don't care!

*Nathan to skate like he did at nationals. Those quads looked awesome.

The ladies are a bit of a mess for me because I love so many of them so it is going to be a case of whoever gets the gold I'll be a bit sad for the one that didn't get the gold. I don't know who I want to get the gold to be honest if they all bring their A game on the day. Anyone out of Rika, Alina, Zhenya and Bradie getting a gold is fine with me. Probably the only definitive wish is for Bradie to medal! 

[KittenPokerCheater]

I'd like Cain and Leduc to place well enough that the US can send two pairs teams to worlds next year.

[HartofDixie]

I think the ladies field is wide open but I'm thinking the podium will be 2 Japanese ladies and 1 Russian.I hope that Bradie and Mariah can get us 3 spots for next year.  As for pairs I think it will be Sui/Han, James/Cipres, and Tarasova/Morozov.  Fingers crossed that Cain/LeDuc finish in the top 10 and get the 2nd pairs spot back.  No predictions for the Men.  As for dance I'm curious to see how these teams will place since C/B and W/P missed most of the season.

[CeeBeeGee]

On 3/6/2019 at 8:15 PM, Darknight said:

I'm sorry. I think the WSJ has a limit on how many articles you can view. I can copy and paste the article if you'd like. 

I remember reading about ice rings closing or rings only allowing hockey players on the ice over skaters. I love that girls are becoming more interesting in hockey. I use to be a big hockey fan too. The USA women's team is a big influence and inspiration to young girls. I hope women's hockey becomes more popular like men's. 

I was talking about this yesterday with a parent (I am a soccer coach). I adore FS but I can get why the girls go for hockey, and honestly I applaud them. When I grew up no girls played ice hockey. I was part of the first generation of girls to play soccer. I would love for girls to go for both and I desperately want the US to regain its dominance in FS but it's great that we're showing strength in this area as well.

[Mellowyellow]

Danni (Alina's choreographer and coach) went online to confirm that all Alena, Anna and Trusova are all turning senior next year and they want them all to learn triple axels and use them in the SPs.

That will certainly get interesting with Rika also training quads. It's going to be a tech blood bath. 

[Darknight]

It's going to be interesting to see if an Eteri skater can do 3a. From what I've read her skaters struggle with it. Even Alena struggled with it.  Alexandra wanted to learn 3a but learned quads instead. 

As for world's, I secretly want Koylada to medal  and Alina to skate clean. Poor girl should just take a nice vacation after. I'm happy for Ting Cui but sad she is getting hate because people wanted a Russian sweep at Jr worlds

Next season will be interesting for ladies. Quads and 3a?  Let's  see if this can last. I also can't fault skaters for jumping when judges only care about the jumps. It's jumps over artistry. 

[Libby96]

I can’t find any time that any TV stations will be airing the pairs short program or the free dance from Worlds.  Sigh.  I guess NBC really wants people to buy that Gold Pass.  

[Mellowyellow]

Rika gives me hope that there can be jumps and artistry. She is beautiful to watch on ice, so smooth and very expressive in addition to being quite the jumping bean!

I enjoy Alina too when she has her groove so it's not all dire.

I'm actually thinking this may signal a change of the times. Remember when the skaters way back could only do a triple lutz and double toe? I think eventually we will settle on quads and 3A as a norm and then they will need to whip out the artistry.

[peachmangosteen]

14 hours ago, Libby96 said:

I can’t find any time that any TV stations will be airing the pairs short program or the free dance from Worlds.  Sigh.  I guess NBC really wants people to buy that Gold Pass.  

Ugh, that sucks. Pairs and, especially, ice dance are my faves.

[displayname]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Ugh, that sucks. Pairs and, especially, ice dance are my faves.

There are enough free streams out there. No need to give Weir, Lipinski, or Wagner your time or money.

Follow this: https://soyouwanttowatchfs.com/

Edited March 12, 2019 by displayname

[Darknight]

21 hours ago, Libby96 said:

I can’t find any time that any TV stations will be airing the pairs short program or the free dance from Worlds.  Sigh.  I guess NBC really wants people to buy that Gold Pass.  

This is why I can rarely watch skating in America and why it's not popular here. You can't watch it anywhere. I usually have to depend on YouTube and fans to watch skaters programs only for the ISU to take videos down. Also, I can't stand Tara or Johnny and their obsession with the Russians or their Hanyu/Chen obsession. 

Eurosport does an excellent job at commentary. Too bad I live in the USA.

Edited March 12, 2019 by Darknight

[Darknight]

20 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Rika gives me hope that there can be jumps and artistry. She is beautiful to watch on ice, so smooth and very expressive in addition to being quite the jumping bean!

I enjoy Alina too when she has her groove so it's not all dire.

I'm actually thinking this may signal a change of the times. Remember when the skaters way back could only do a triple lutz and double toe? I think eventually we will settle on quads and 3A as a norm and then they will need to whip out the artistry.

I don't believe Quads will be the norm or even 3a because it's difficult to do in ladies skating. Even when Tonya landed her 3a it didn't  become the norm. I'm not convinced yet until I see a grown woman passed puberty land quads. Right now only girls who starve themselves and didn't go through puberty yet are landing quads. Let's see if they can land them when they're adults with an adult body then I'll be convinced. 

I don't believe the judges will reward artisty like they use to. Sad because I love seeing artistry and technique. Now it's all about the jumps. Who can jump the most quads? Who can jump the most? Pick any song and just jump. 

[Ruby Gillis]

4 hours ago, Darknight said:

I don't believe Quads will be the norm or even 3a because it's difficult to do in ladies skating. Even when Tonya landed her 3a it didn't  become the norm. I'm not convinced yet until I see a grown woman passed puberty land quads. Right now only girls who starve themselves and didn't go through puberty yet are landing quads. Let's see if they can land them when they're adults with an adult body then I'll be convinced. 

Before IJS scoring, didn't skaters get downgraded more for under-rotations?  Mao's triples would be judged as doubles rather than losing GOE?  I imagine they'll change the scoring system again if the skaters burn out and don't stay around long enough to become stars.    

[healthnut]

How much is the Gold Pass for future reference?

[Jaded]

21 minutes ago, healthnut said:

How much is the Gold Pass for future reference?

It's $60. NBC has different passes for each sport. If there are fans of multiple sports that NBC is paywalling like this they could end up spending hundreds of dollars a season combined when adding up the prices for each pass. If you use the menu scroll bar on the page I linked to the price for each sport is listed. 

Edited March 13, 2019 by Jaded