Figure Skating

[redpencil]

Yay for 2 pairs spots! It's been awhile, right?

I don't think I would trust the reports coming out about the Bell/Lim thing. So far everything that I've seen has come from Lim's agents/Korean federation. I simply can't believe that Mariah would intentionally injure her. Even if they don't get along for whatever reason, why on earth would she do that? Especially on the world stage where everyone can see? And Raf would just shrug that off? She also just does not at all seem like the type. At all. I don't buy it.

[displayname]

I need H/D to do Fifty Shades of Grey next season, just to read about ChicksDigScars' opinion of it.

[annzeepark914]

7 minutes ago, displayname said:

I need H/D to do Fifty Shades of Grey next season, just to read about ChicksDigScars' opinion of it.

Geez laweeze...good one, Displayname!

[honeywest]

Sui and Han win pairs! 

[Ruby Gillis]

aw, I feel bad for James/Cipres.  They had such a great free program all year.  The collision before the short looked rough.  Thank god Tarasova/Morozov didn't win though.  Great skating skills but I will never forgive them for Candyman or to a lesser extent, I Feel Good.

Edited March 21, 2019 by Ruby Gillis

[displayname]

S/H are the best skaters of our time (well, depends on what "our time" means, but let's say since the last quad).

https://www.france24.com/en/20190321-isu-launch-probe-after-korean-skater-injured-american-rival

[Ruby Gillis]

Good for Jason Brown!

https://www.rockerskating.com/news/2019/3/21/2019-world-championships-play-by-playresults-mens-short-program

[Good Queen Jane]

9 hours ago, redpencil said:

Yay for 2 pairs spots! It's been awhile, right?

Actually, the US usually has two pairs at World. There was only one US pair at Olympics because of the limits of participants, but we had two pairs at last year's Worlds. They just scored terribly and lost a spot.

Yay, USA, for having three of the four top spots after the short! Hanyu popped his opening quad Salchow, so he got no points for it but was lovely for the rest of his program. And Jason Brown showed a well done triple beats a shaky quad every time.

Edited March 21, 2019 by Good Queen Jane

[ChicksDigScars]

20 hours ago, displayname said:

On a different note, Bell is being accused of racist harassment towards Lim and of intentionally injuring Lim during practice. Lim has filed a complaint.

Wow, this went right by me yesterday. WHAT? Mariah Bell? Seriously? I can't even imagine it. Was it a misunderstanding?

Heh heh. OK, Chicksdigscars...steady on, as they used to say. You need to prepare yourself in case the worst (in our opinion, of course) happens. Since we can't watch the FD live & we'll only find out what happened from the forums online, prepare yourself. Do like Sally Fields in "Soap" and have a b.i.g. bottle of wine w/ a straw sticking out of it ☺ I'll join ya!

LMAO! I'm with ya.  A nice BIG bottle of wine. 

Sui and Han win pairs!

Thank you, baby Jesus with the double bladed figure skates! I was rooting for them or James and Cipres.  Basically, any team NOT from Russia.

[ChicksDigScars]

9 hours ago, displayname said:

I need H/D to do Fifty Shades of Grey next season, just to read about ChicksDigScars' opinion of it.

Oh, for fuck's sake. I sincerely hope that no one from Gadbois monitors this forum. Actually, I hope that they DO, and this suggestion goes right by them as they're scrolling. 

You guys make my day!

[SeanC]

I was praying as Sui went into that Salchow that she almost never lands, and was ecstatic when she nailed it.  Then it was obvious they were going to win.

[annzeepark914]

I'm dumbfounded by the Lim claim that Bell has been bullying her. So I'm waiting to hear what their coach has to say.  I'd think he or his assistants at the rink (or even other skaters) would've noticed *something* while these two skaters were training. 

Edited March 23, 2019 by annzeepark914

[Chaser]

I struggle with the thought that Bell stepped on the ice for her World Championship practice, looked around at the other skaters, the cameras, the spectators and thought “now would be a good time to assault someone”. It’s just ???

Happy to see Nathan and Jason do well in the short. Its funny to see a ten point lead after the short and think, oh that’s nothing. Hanyu can make that up. 

Edited March 21, 2019 by Chaser

[ChicksDigScars]

40 minutes ago, Chaser said:

I struggle with the thought that Bell stepped on the ice for her World Championship practice, looked around at the other skaters, the cameras, the spectators and thought “now would be a good time to assault someone”. It’s just ???

And they're training partners? Why would Mariah do that on purpose? It makes zero sense.  Now, we have no idea whether the girls get along on a daily basis, but this has caused a backlash on social media in Korea, aimed toward Mariah. And she has to skate in front of Japanese fans, and Korean fans that travel. It's going to be brutal.  

[Darknight]

Mariah's bullying situation made top news. TMZ, NY post, Washington Post are reporting it. I hope RAF and both ladies make statements because this whole thing is crazy. 

And what happened with Hanyu? He's in third. Nathan first and Jason second. I'm surprised but I'm happy for Jason. At least this shows you don't need quads to medal. Nathan's PCS scores are a joke..

Also, I wish we can have the jump distance and height camera everywhere. 

Edited March 21, 2019 by Darknight

[Darknight]

10 hours ago, honeywest said:

Sui and Han win pairs! 

Well earned. They were beautiful. I'm a fan now. 

[SeanC]

3 minutes ago, Darknight said:

And what happened with Hanyu? 

Doubled his first quad.

[HartofDixie]

NBCSN will air Today Pairs finals 1-3pm Eastern, followed by Men’s SPs 3-5pm Eastern. 

[displayname]

22 hours ago, Darknight said:

Omg what? That's terrible. I never ever would ever expect Mariah to do this. This is terrible. 

Poor Rika. It also must be hard being at worlds, being a first year senior, and being at home. So much pressure. I think it's mental for her. 

 Elizabet came out of nowhere. I guess they're hoping she lands her quad. 

Thank you for the update 

Oh, no, I misremembered. It's actually Bell who is in the top 6 instead of Samodurova... Will not be a fun group to watch while looking at Twitter. 

For the ones who've asked, there's been some more information. I'll link it and summarize when I can, but maybe someone will get in before me.

[HartofDixie]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.tmz.com/2019/03/21/u-s-figure-skater-accused-of-slashing-korean-rival/

[Ruby Gillis]

The Skating Lesson posted the video with the still photos but it's really hard to see.  I'm surprised with all the smartphones, no one got a better angle.  Either Mariah has more stone cold killer instinct than I thought or she didn't notice she hit Eunsoo because she didn't even slow down.

[Chaser]

They are claiming Mariah wasn’t aware she had struck her. 

[displayname]

You can hardly judge intent from a video. The actual piece of information to me is that they've claimed Bell has been a bully for long. Whether intentional or not, SOMETHING led to Eunsoo/Eunsoo's agency's reacting.

Edited March 21, 2019 by displayname

[Crs97]

When my sister and I went to the US Nationals (Michelle Kwan and Tara Lapinski’s year for the Olympics - I am old), we went to every rehearsal.  Having watched those rehearsals live, I am surprised it doesn’t happen more often.  Everyone is working on the ice, and the person whose music is playing has the right-of-way, but no guarantees everyone is paying attention.  Bell looks like she is doing a run through of her routine when it was her turn, and she certainly doesn’t look like she went out of her way to catch Lim.  I am gonna need more before I agree that this was more than an accident.

[MaKaM]

Man, that would be stone cold to take your one time running through the music, change your choreography to ensure you can get close to your rival, slash her in the fraction of a second you pass her while doing a turn in front of a ton of people and media, and then keep going on as if you didn't notice what had happened. Or, you know, so improbable as to be basically impossible. Also, slash is so chancy since skates aren't *that* sharp and you don't know how many layers your competitor has protecting her legs, it would be much smarter to "stab" and try to leave a major bruise that would hinder their jumping. Just sayin'.

Maybe skaters need shinguards in addition to helmets...

[wintrygal]

There is a story on the cbc.ca website that the ISU has found no intent by the American skater to injure the Korean girl.  it was a verbal report, no formal complaint was lodged according to this article.  Much ado about nothing maybe? 

[displayname]

1 hour ago, MaKaM said:

Man, that would be stone cold to take your one time running through the music, change your choreography to ensure you can get close to your rival, slash her in the fraction of a second you pass her while doing a turn in front of a ton of people and media, and then keep going on as if you didn't notice what had happened. 

You realize Lim really was hurt, right? And no, Bell didn't change her choreography. For all the talk about how many people were there (in a PRACTICE) there sure haven't been too many videos!

All this distracts from the main issue anyway. Lim, or at least her agents (from ATS, owned by Yuna Kim) felt there was something shady going on, and have alleged history. Even if this is an accident, there was discomfort.

Edited March 21, 2019 by displayname

[Libby96]

Sui and Han were mesmerizing.  My biggest wish for Worlds this year was for those two to win, and they certainly did it in style.  The top two Russian teams were strong and clean, but so boring.  

And the US men are first, second and fourth after the SP.  Wow!  My favorite part of the SP was watching that amazing Japanese crowd rise to its feet as Jason knelt on the ice in his ending pose.  Chills.

[HartofDixie]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/christinebrennan/2019/03/21/skater-eunsoo-lim-mariah-bell-bullied-attacked-not-true/3237611002/

[annzeepark914]

Good article & comments from Ashley Wagner, esp the no-bullying policy at RA's training rink. That's quite an accusation so I hope someone does a bit of investigative reporting. 

[Mellowyellow]

I think Nathan deserved his PCS. He had hard tech content, was clean and committed to the routine like a happy penguin.

They gave Hanyu who popped a jump pretty decent PCS so they sure couldn't dink Nathan on PCS. That would have been unfair imo but ymmv.

***

Whoa on the other drama.  I think people were keeping an eye out/hoping for Zhenya/Alina drama but they have been predicably drama free (one is too sensible, the other too sweet for anything).

I didn't expect this instead😨

[KittenPokerCheater]

2 hours ago, Libby96 said:

 My favorite part of the SP was watching that amazing Japanese crowd rise to its feet as Jason knelt on the ice in his ending pose.  Chills.

Yes, that was so great to see.  The Japanese really understand and appreciate figure skating in ways that most of the world does not. And the place looked like it was sold out.  

[MaKaM]

3 hours ago, displayname said:

You realize Lim really was hurt, right? And no, Bell didn't change her choreography. For all the talk about how many people were there (in a PRACTICE) there sure haven't been too many videos!

All this distracts from the main issue anyway. Lim, or at least her agents (from ATS, owned by Yuna Kim) felt there was something shady going on, and have alleged history. Even if this is an accident, there was discomfort.

Yes, I realize she was injured and am pleased she was able to rally and earn a PB in the short. My disbelief was the notion that her management (and her?) thought it was deliberate. It defies belief to think a skater would try an attack like what was alleged in front of everyone and right before the biggest competition of her recent career. What if someone did try an attack like that, what if they swung and missed? They'd be thrown off balance and could potentially injure themself being that close to the boards. Alleging the attack and a bullying history, especially knowing how South Korean skating fans have reacted to "attacks" on their skaters in the past seems like a form of bullying in and of itself. I hope Mariah is not looking at social media and someone is preparing her for being booed/harassed during the long program.

[Enero]

Haven’t watched any of the competitions yet but have seen the results. 

I am heartbroken for James/Cipres. They had such wonderful momentum this season and coming into Worlds. I knew that Sui/Han weren’t going to lay down and be rolled over and thus it would be a tough win for James/Cipres if they won. However, I didn’t expect the fight to be over before they even got started. 😢 Hopefully they can have better success next year if they continue competing. 

Congrats to Sui/Han though. I know they were breathtaking. They are my favorites right up there with James/Cipres. Can’t wait to watch their programs. 

I cannot believe Hanyu popped the 4S. 😳 That’s his money jump, besides the 3Axel. 🙂 I hope he can come back in the long, but I don’t know. He’s been injured for 3-4 months. He’s 12 points behind Nathan (which will be very difficult to make up) and this ain’t the Olympics. So the intense hunger may not be there to win. Though I think he does want to win being that the championships are in Japan, but again this ain’t the Olympics and his body is not what it used to be. There are only so many beatings and comebacks the body can take before it just becomes nearly impossible to rise to the occasion . Anyway good luck to him.

Shocked, but then kind of not shocked to see Shomo in 6th after the short. He’s been grinding through his programs all season. 

And what’s happened to Boyang? I thought and still think he has so much potential but he seems to be regressing this season. He was top 5 the last several years now he’s barely making in the top 10. Is he injured? Struggling with focus and confidence? Not getting the training he needs? So disappointing. I hope he’s able to course correct and find success again. 

Glad Evegenia is at least within striking distance of the podium. If she skates the LP well I think she’ll at least get bronze, maybe even silver. Glad to see Sakamoto currently in second. I hope she can stay on the podium.  What happened to Rika? She’s been having such a great season I thought she’d be a contender at Worlds. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Enero

[SeanC]

54 minutes ago, Enero said:

What happened to Rika? She’s been having such a great season I thought she’d be a contender at Worlds. 

The same thing that's happened at every competition other than the Grand Prix Final -- she messed up the short program triple Axel (popping it, as she's done several consecutive times now).

[displayname]

5 hours ago, MaKaM said:

Alleging the attack and a bullying history, especially knowing how South Korean skating fans have reacted to "attacks" on their skaters in the past seems like a form of bullying in and of itself.

The alternative would be to keep quiet if this did happen. Maybe it is unintentional, but they MOST CERTAINLY SHOULDN'T stay quite if they suspect something is off just because "Korean fans" get out of hand. Maybe they should have lodged the complaint before reporting. But the rest of it just reads like "person x shouldn't report harassment lest Twitter get a whiff of it". Thanks.

And remember, this is the story of a Korean skater that was first reported by Korean outlets. They are looking out for their own. If it were an American/Canadian skater who was believed to be the victim, would your reaction be the same? Are American/Canadian fans all sane?

8 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/christinebrennan/2019/03/21/skater-eunsoo-lim-mariah-bell-bullied-attacked-not-true/3237611002/

"True? No." Is something no one else has been able to conclude, yet. And Bell and Lim both know who has the right of way: Lim was standing right at the boards. Sensationalism isn't even coming from the major KOREAN outlets; the "slashing", "stabbing", "Tonya Harding 2.0" have all been Western. Filing a complaint in itself isn't sensational, but far be it from Brennan to realize that.

8 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Good article & comments from Ashley Wagner, esp the no-bullying policy at RA's training rink. That's quite an accusation so I hope someone does a bit of investigative reporting. 

It is merely PR from Wagner's end. There are several high schools with supposed no-bullying policies that still end up with tons of bullying. There needs to be an actual in-rink investigation, and the person in the wrong needs to be kicked out. Hardly would I say the person who has called people "elephants" and has implied Wagner herself and Rippon were lazy has the same definition of "unprofessional" as most others. Especially because laziness itself is unprofessional, and we saw Wagner stick around that camp and in skating for far too long.

Edited March 22, 2019 by displayname

[Jaded]

Edited March 22, 2019 by Jaded
Updated shot with Rhythm Dance at the top

[displayname]

4 minutes ago, Jaded said:

@ChicksDigScars

[HartofDixie]

14 minutes ago, Jaded said:

[Jeddah]

Has Eun Soo said there was bullying? Her management company deciding there was bullying is a lot different than her saying it. I would take the accusation a lot more seriously if it came directly from her.

There were years of Denis Ten being accused of trying to intimidate Hanyu by skating too close, Mao intimidating Yuna, Hanyu slashing Patrick Chan’s chest intentionally. I don’t think any of those things were intentional. I think it’s a case of there just being chaos when there’s so many people on the ice.

[annzeepark914]

Uh-oh. Is this karma? Chock/Bates are in 6th place? What happened? 😕  

[Ruby Gillis]

ugh, was really hoping for the Japanese ladies to pull this out.  Don't want this to become a quad competition like the men's for the next 4 years

https://www.rockerskating.com/news/2019/3/22/2019-world-championships-play-by-playresults-ladies-free-skate

[Jeddah]

I’m so happy for Alina! This was the one title she didn’t have. A good way to end the season!

[Mellowyellow]

Devastated for Rika but beyond thrill for Alina and Zhenya.

Zhenya skated with sheer will. That fierce face when she finished. It was like she willed herself through the skate to quash all the people who wrote her off. My gosh that girl is admirable.

Alina also fought her ass off during that skate. I teared up at her landing those jumps and the sheer relief on her face at the end of it. Baby did great and deserves a nice, long vacation and LOTS of endorsements! 

Rusfed nailed it with their decision!!!!!!!

Congrats to Bradie too! She did so well in a really tough field!

[Darknight]

Elizabet just landed an under roated Quad. So of course she's 2nd. Judges pushing those quads. Those PCS scores will probably be high. I wonder if Russia is regretting letting her go now. 

Poor Rika. Hopefully next season she'll have the confidence to land her 3a. 

I don't like Jean Luc and Kaitlin together. They look awkward. 

Finally  Alina skated clean and won her first world medal. However, it wouldn't shock me if we'll see her again. Poor kid had a rough season. Eteri has 3 new seniors now. At least she ended her season well. Her program is still awful to me especially with the music cuts. I hope next season she will have a good program 

Kolyada. I wish Russia wouldn't put so much pressure on their men. 

I thought not having American, Russian, or Japanese judges would mean fair scoring. Yep, I was wrong again. Let's pretend we didn't see tech issues. 

I also love how sweet Japan is to every skater. They cheer and clap for everyone. I also see their arena is full. Too bad we can't have a full arena like that. We need axel cam too. 

The thing with Bell is so confusing. It sounds like she was running through her program and it was an accident. These things happen all the time. Maybe Rafael might let her go after this. The hate she is getting is sad. 

Notice how the podium is 1. Eteri 2. Eteri. 3. Use to be Eteri. 1. Russian. 2. Use to be Russian.  3. Russian. An almost Eteri and Russian sweep. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Darknight

[Darknight]

28 minutes ago, Ruby Gillis said:

ugh, was really hoping for the Japanese ladies to pull this out.  Don't want this to become a quad competition like the men's for the next 4 years

https://www.rockerskating.com/news/2019/3/22/2019-world-championships-play-by-playresults-ladies-free-skate

Nope, it's about quads now. That's why Elizabet came up fast. Next season her scores will be through the roof. Even UR quads are quads. it's a quad feast. Now, when injuries happen ISU will be forced to look at that. I was hoping Rika pulled through because she's the whole package. Nope. Quad feast. 

[Chaser]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Uh-oh. Is this karma? Chock/Bates are in 6th place? What happened? 😕  

GOE. All the top teams got lvl4s and performed well. Not a wide point spread between 2-6 at all. I’m hoping they have great free skate, I’d love to see that program in the top 3. 

3 hours ago, Jeddah said:

Has Eun Soo said there was bullying? Her management company deciding there was bullying is a lot different than her saying it. I would take the accusation a lot more seriously if it came directly from her.

There were years of Denis Ten being accused of trying to intimidate Hanyu by skating too close, Mao intimidating Yuna, Hanyu slashing Patrick Chan’s chest intentionally. I don’t think any of those things were intentional. I think it’s a case of there just being chaos when there’s so many people on the ice.

I imagine now that the competition is over we will get official statements. 

The ISU statement surprised me. Based on the first reports I thought it was a much more violent interaction and that official complaint was already submitted. I was surprised to find out that no complaint was filed and ISU first heard about it indirectly from the management team. 

Regardless, I hope they visit the rink and investigate. 

I wish Figure Skating was popular in America. The difference in audiences is extreme. 

[Darknight]

I wonder who Russian fed will choose next year to go to world's. I'm sure Evgenia is still the top lady because she has their support. Russia has three spots. Alena, Anna, Alexandra are all seniors next year. Liza is still competing. Sofia is too. Anastasia might turn senior. Who goes to world's? I'm guessing anyone with quads. But Alina is the defending champion. Will they keep her at home?

Seeing Rafael with Lim broke my heart. You can tell there's tension. And USA fed need to accept their two spots and be grateful for it. Some countries don't even have two spots. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Darknight

[Moxie Cat]

Bradie and Mariah did well. They are in the mix with the Russian and Japanese ladies. 

I'm more disturbed by the rhythm dance. I'm no big H/D fan, but they should be able to take the silver or bronze. No excuse for an American dance team to not medal, or be beaten by two Russian teams.

[Good Queen Jane]

Unfortunately, Bradie and Mariah did not do well enough to get the USA three places in next year's Worlds, but it had to be hard for Mariah to skate as well as she did with all the controversy going on.

As far as dance, the second, third, fourth and fifth place teams are separated by less than a point and sixth (Chock/Bates) is barely a point behind second. So silver and bronze is really up for grabs. Should be a great final.