Figure Skating

[Libby96]

Other than watching skating, one of my little Olympic joys is reading and discussing the event in forums like this, as well as reading articles and hearing others discuss the event.  It's also fun seeing some of the misinformation that floats around out there.  A local radio station  here has someone who reports and lightheartedly chats about the Olympics each day.  She told about Zag beating Med without even mentioning  their names.  Then she said "the 15-year-old was not the youngest champion even.  Someone back in the 80's won when she was younger."

No mention of Lipinski's name, and obviously she got the entirely wrong decade.

Then I read a Bleacher Report article that called Tessa and Scott a husband-and-wife team.  Check your facts people!

[gingerella]

Is it just me or can Kostner just fucking retire already?!? She gives me KWS - Katerina Witt Syndrome. I feel like Ashley Wagner has a touch of that as well. Sometimes a bitch just gotta tap out, yanno? It's called accepting the aging process with grace...Just because you can doesn't mean you should...

 

Also, I don't get all the cooing over Bradie Tennell, she looks totally awkward and gangly and has zero grace and connection to her music, the latter of which I find junvenile and insipid, but then again, compared to Streisand caterwauling "Poppa can You Hear Me" (unfortunately yeah, I can hear you...) I suppose Cinderella is a blessing....?

Edited February 24, 2018 by gingerella

[alexa]

2 hours ago, anniebird said:

All she had to do was say she wasn't happy with that performance but she was very happy to have won a bronze in the team event. She didn't have to include any of that bizarre Dancing with the Stars shit or claim she "saved" the team when that clearly was not the case. 

Also I think the big thing with Mirai is that she had so many people rooting for her to go to the Olympics expecting her to give it her all throughout based on how hard she had worked. They might have felt different if they knew she would say after getting the bronze team event she was ready to go home. (I saw part of an interview where she said that along with saving the team). That is just not the Olympic spirit and as of right now the team event is not the premier figure skating event. It is all about the individual events still. So though I know she is happy about her bronze it is not like she will be well known for it. 

[Enero]

For those who enjoy the Shibs they have an awesome YouTube channel with behind the scenes videos of their competitions which includes great footage of many other skaters. They seem like fun people.

Alex really is a talented director. 

[HartofDixie]

4 minutes ago, Enero said:

For those who enjoy the Shibs they have an awesome YouTube channel with behind the scenes videos of their competitions which includes great footage of many other skaters. They seem like fun people.

Alex really is a talented director. 

 

Their newest video is trending on you tube! I can’t wait to see their Olympics vlog!

[herbz]

I still have a few reservations about the Shibs as performers, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't fallen a bit in love with them as people the last two weeks. They just have such a brilliant attitude. 

[caracas1914]

Goodness, I wouldn't be surprised if both Evgenia and Alina's reaction to all this speculation that this is their first and only viable Olympics as competitors...FUCK YOU!    IMO there is such a bias to labeling the Russian skaters all joyless robots who will burn out and that these gals can't continue any longer.   I do have issues with some of the presentation and technique,   but that's different from saying now they are going to fall off the face of the competitive cliff.   Nobody was up in arms that Tara Lipinski retired after Nagano because her body gave out, but I think  both Russian girls have far better jump technique than Lipnsiki ever did.

Yulia who is always pointed as the poster child of Russian burnout,  she always seemed a bit gangly to me at Sochi , someone who  hadn't totaled  matured physically, both these gals seem more compact and physically balanced.  Ditto when you compare them to Lipinski who was practically childlike with no boobs or hips.

 

Of course there's a chance neither will survive another 4 year cycle, but it's far from a foregone conclusion either way.

[aemom]

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

Regarding the triple axel, since it's such a big deal how come someone like Alina doesn't do it?

She lands everything else, doesn't seem like stretch that she could land this as well. Is it not worth enough points?

Or do they calculate the risks and if you can do a tonne of 3Ls it's more worth it to do that?

An Axel requires a forward entry unlike all the other jumps, so that may be a sticking point for her.

As for point value, these are the base point values for the various jumps:

triple Axel  8.5

triple Lutz  6.0

triple flip  5.3

triple loop  5.1

triple Salchow  4.4

triple toeloop  4.3

[Jeddah]

35 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

Their newest video is trending on you tube! I can’t wait to see their Olympics vlog!

 

I can barely handle the cuteness! That is so sweet!

[Darknight]

I love Alina and felt bad for her. She's so young and adroable. Clearly Evgenia was the favorite. They'e been saying that for 2 years. She was suppose to win gold. But both are amazing. Russia should be proud. It sucks we will never see these two again. 

5 hours ago, Minneapple said:

I don't know. Other American teens in other disciplines do well in competition. For figure skating, think it has more to do with development and lack of American stars in women's figure skating right now. The young skaters don't have an American star to look up to. That's important. And, apparently nobody is teaching the proper skills to measure up to the scoring system. The Russians have gamed the system perfectly. Nobody in the US is even attempting that -- and they should be. We complain about backloaded programs but it's perfectly legal, so why wouldn't you do it if you can?  

Russia's skating program is also government funded. USA skating is expensive. You'e right about gaming the system. I don't understand why American skaters don't do this

[methadonna]

9 hours ago, fan94 said:

 

Quote

   7 HOURS AGO,  TANICHKA SAID: 

I think they should raise the age to 17, then there is a level of maturity.

 

Have you watched Adelina Sotnikova skate?

Or Bradie?

[Darknight]

4 hours ago, meep.meep said:

If you want to know why I can't stand Johnny Weir's "commentary" - Med clearly screwed up her second jump, there was a yellow light on it, and does master commentator Weir even mention it?  No, dead silence.  He's too unprofessional to bring that up.  Instead we get some goofy statement about how Med "skates with her whole soul."  Can you see it, John?

So Med and Zag won't be back to defend their medals in four years because their bodies will have developed and they won't be able to handle the jumps.  You could see that in the third Russian's performance.  Her body has already developed to the point where the bad techniques no longer work.  Kind of like Tara Lapinsky's super long career (2 years ?).  

I notice that too. It seems like the younger the better. Alina is 15 and hasn' really gone through puberty yet. Yulia was 15 too. So once puberty fully hits it's game over

[Dots And Stripes]

4 minutes ago, Darknight said:

I love Alina and felt bad for her. She's so young and adroable. Clearly Evgenia was the favorite. They'e been saying that for 2 years. She was suppose to win gold. But both are amazing. Russia should be proud. It sucks we will never see these two again. 

Russia's skating program is also government funded. USA skating is expensive. You'e right about gaming the system. I don't understand why American skaters don't do this

I completely agree about the expense. I wonder how many skaters Russia funds, but it does seem like the high costs are a big determent in the United States. It's something that affects the US across the Olympics.

U.S. skaters need consistency before they can learn to back load. I'e noticed most mistakes happen with the first jumping pass (usually a difficult one they want to get out o the way) or at the end (when they're tired). I think it really is more difficult and that's why the bonus exists. We don't back load like that because we can't. Lysaceck was gaming the system way back in 2010. It's not a new idea. 

[CeeBeeGee]

Okay, I have some leftover responses from last night (the posts I made earlier today were from my work browser).

 

Re: the "Rivalries" video narrated by Tara: BLECH.

 

21 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Too bad she bombed the short, because I like this NotRussian's aesthetics and style.

Yes! She was lovely!

 

21 hours ago, Moxie Cat said:

Johnny has mentioned a few times now some skaters go to other countries because there are better openings. If that's the case, then why don't some of the glut of tiny Russian ballerinas come here? It seems like there is a massive opening in our ladies' program. Someone slightly overlooked in Russia, like say Radiova (which I'm probably misspelling - the blonde), would probably do quite well.

I LOVE Elena Rodionova, she's so adorable. Come on over to the US, Elena!

 

21 hours ago, GeminiDancer said:

What's up with Daleman? She's falling apart!

 

21 hours ago, stealinghome said:

This poor woman. I feel so bad for her, and am glad that the crowd is SO behind her right now.

 

21 hours ago, mtlchick said:

After 90 seconds, I had to get out of the room. I felt horrible for Gabby :( 

I was hyperventilating in sympathy for her, and actually talking to the TV. That poor, poor woman. We all love you, Gabby!!!

 

20 hours ago, MaKaM said:

Med's costume would be prettier without the collarbone appliqués. 

Ugh, that DRESS. Ug-lay. (FWIW, I quite liked Med's FS and thought she would win.) I much preferred Alina's sassy vixen-red classical tutu. She really needed matching red boots. And this makes me wonder if anyone's ever skated to The Red Shoes?

 

2 hours ago, Minneapple said:

Sports and politics have always combined. Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics winning in front of Adolf Hitler. Muhammad Ali - for years sportswriters refused to call him by his chosen name, referring to him as Cassius Clay. The black power salute in the '68 Games. Billie Jean King fighting for equal pay and helping to create the Virginia Slims tour for women. Title IX. 

Athletes are human beings, they don't live in a bubble. I agree that they should think carefully about what they say, especially in these days of instant anger and outrage, but then they shouldn't be told to shut up and dribble either.

Don't forget Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia in '68, when they forced her to share the gold with a Soviet gymnast, turning her head away during the Soviet anthem. Or the famous "Blood in the Water" water polo match in '56 between the Soviets and Hungary.

 

1 hour ago, Libby96 said:

Other than watching skating, one of my little Olympic joys is reading and discussing the event in forums like this, as well as reading articles and hearing others discuss the event.  It's also fun seeing some of the misinformation that floats around out there.  A local radio station  here has someone who reports and lightheartedly chats about the Olympics each day.  She told about Zag beating Med without even mentioning  their names.  Then she said "the 15-year-old was not the youngest champion even.  Someone back in the 80's won when she was younger."

No mention of Lipinski's name, and obviously she got the entirely wrong decade.

Then I read a Bleacher Report article that called Tessa and Scott a husband-and-wife team.  Check your facts people!

Oh my God, that's hilarious. Tara isn't exactly a household name there!

 

50 minutes ago, Enero said:

For those who enjoy the Shibs they have an awesome YouTube channel with behind the scenes videos of their competitions which includes great footage of many other skaters. They seem like fun people.

Alex really is a talented director. 

 

How freaking adorbs!

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, Ohwell said:

When Mirai finished skating she looked like she was about to collapse on the rink laughing.  I know it was probably just nerves and relief that it was over, but she really did look weird with all the laughing.  

Between that and her totally bizarre behavior at the post competition interview, I am a little concerned about her mental health at this point.  She's never said or done anything to indicate that she was the sort to blame others or that the many years she has spent at the rink were in preparation for a reality TV gig.  I hope somebody is keeping an eye on her.

[sweeks]

7 hours ago, surreysmum said:

Flashback!  Apparently on the post-Olympic tours, Katarina Witt's western friends used to sneak her ice cream on the bus because her coach Jutta Mueller wouldn't let her have any.  I have no idea how or why I remember that... (it may be in Brian Orser's 1988 autobiography). Speaking of stupidly premature autobiographies, Brian, when are we going to get the far more interesting volume 2? :)

I also recall reading somewhere (I have no idea where) that, during the 1984 Olympics, the skaters each got a box of chocolate as a welcome present. Katarina ate some of her chocolates, only to have her coach, who was arriving later, tell her that the box should be intact and full or Katarina would be in trouble. Rosalynn Sumners, who was saving her box to take home as a souvenir, heard of Katerina's situation and gave Katerina her unopened box. I have no idea if this actually happened (I can't find the article/story online), but I want to believe it is true. 

[basiltherat]

Random thoughts:

The Soviet Bloc (past and present) churned out skaters because that was their lives.  There was no school, time with friends and family, rest and food because their mission in life was to win or be sent to Siberia.  It was all sacrifice.  Does anyone in US or other western countries want to sacrifice their lives anymore?  Tara (and I don't like her) wrecked her body for that damn gold medal.  Will Med and Alina have a privileged life like Tara?

Some of the old "war horses" like Carolina are around to secure places for their country for the next worlds and Olympics.

Frank Carroll needs to retire already and go sit next to Uncle Dick.

We need to clone Brian Orser.

[displayname]

https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/yuzuru-hanyu-was-phenomenal-high-praise-for-the-prince-from-his-rivals/?utm_source=instagram

 

... Please tell me she isn't going to be a correspondent.

[annzeepark914]

Loved reading Dick's tweets about the Ladies' LP, especially his reaction to all the crying right after they finished their programs.  Dick (and I) found it very annoying.  I admire Dick Button and enjoyed his commentating.  That sobbing was really getting to me (not just in Ladies...it was there in pairs and ice dancing as well, by the females).  Save it for the Kiss & Cry and get off the ice.

I watched OI tonight where Scott shared his observation re: American skaters (I think he was referring to Ladies).  He felt they didn't come to the Olympics with the determination to get out there and skate lights out (or something like that, can't remember his words).  Tanith's response was, IMO, wishy-washy.  She remembered the US Fed being soooo supportive.  She really didn't provide any information on what's going on with American skaters.

[legaleagle53]

11 hours ago, AEMom said:

Maybe this is the next "big jump" in ladies figure skating.  I still remember that at the 1988 Olympics, only Midori Ito and Elizabeth Manley did a 3L.  Ito came to Worlds the next year and blew everyone out of the water with her Lutzes and everything else - especially since most women were doing 3T2D in the short as their combo.

After that, 3L2T became de rigeur in the short if you were going to be on the podium.  It really hasn't changed must since then with the exception of some triple-triple combos and the occasional skater with a 3A.  If the young girls are starting with quads now, that will really shake everything up

It will also result in an even higher turnover rate because of the greater risk of injury to the hips and the knees from attempting them.

[methadonna]

8 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Yes there;s also shots of her with ice cream. I hope her coach let her eat this:

That’s why there’s two spoons: one bite for Alina (after she lands a seven-triple sequence); the rest for Eteri and Eteri’s amazing monocolor shattered-dreams-and-souls coat.

[HartofDixie]

56 minutes ago, sweeks said:

I also recall reading somewhere (I have no idea where) that, during the 1984 Olympics, the skaters each got a box of chocolate as a welcome present. Katarina ate some of her chocolates, only to have her coach, who was arriving later, tell her that the box should be intact and full or Katarina would be in trouble. Rosalynn Sumners, who was saving her box to take home as a souvenir, heard of Katerina's situation and gave Katerina her unopened box. I have no idea if this actually happened (I can't find the article/story online), but I want to believe it is true. 

I think that was in the book “Little Girls in Pretty Boxes”.

[displayname]

I sure hope she starts translating this to ice:

[sweeks]

Just now, HartofDixie said:

I think that was in the book “Little Girls in Pretty Boxes”.

Thanks, HartofDixie! It was really bothering me that I couldn't remember or find where I read that story.

[Minneapple]

I don't understand not letting the athletes eat. They need protein and carbs and calories to burn! They're working out like crazy! Every skater should see a nutritionist to help them create a proper diet. Hell, every athlete who is training like that needs a nutritionist. A nutritionist, and a few treats every once in awhile.

[Crs97]

Michael Phelps used to eat 12,000 calories a day while he trained, and he was not considered fat.  I wouldn't expect figure skaters to eat that much, but it certainly argues against the below subsistence meals fed to figure skaters and gymnasts.

[Jaded]

Olympic Skater Tara Lipinski Hasn't Seen Her Gold Medal in 15 Years — Here's Why

[Irlandesa]

31 minutes ago, LadyKenobi said:

And electoral politics on a granular level is what some athletes are getting into, and that has not been seen until more recently.  

I think that's a thin line since geopolitical, social and granular/electoral politics tend to blend.  Adam Rippon's stated issues, for instance, were not about the corporate tax rate. 

Everyone has to weigh the risk of making a statement, even in the past, but I'm not sure there was a change in attitude about what's appropriate but more like no one needs approval to share anything on social media.  Not athletes.  Not my next door neighbor.  Just as we can choose who to follow/what to read.

[galaxygirl76]

23 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

I don't understand not letting the athletes eat. They need protein and carbs and calories to burn! They're working out like crazy! Every skater should see a nutritionist to help them create a proper diet. Hell, every athlete who is training like that needs a nutritionist. A nutritionist, and a few treats every once in awhile.

I remember stories about ski jumpers that were anorexic because the less you weigh, the farther you fly.

[BitterApple]

24 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

I don't understand not letting the athletes eat. They need protein and carbs and calories to burn! They're working out like crazy! Every skater should see a nutritionist to help them create a proper diet. Hell, every athlete who is training like that needs a nutritionist. A nutritionist, and a few treats every once in awhile.

I remember when dirt started coming out about the Karolyis, and Kim Zmeskal said Marta only allowed the girls to eat fruit in the weeks preceding the Olympics. I don't know how one of them didn't drop dead from the strain that must've put on their bodies.

[Irlandesa]

4 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I remember stories about ski jumpers that were anorexic because the less you weigh, the farther you fly.

I believe that's why skaters don't eat either.  I believe the article on Adam Rippon's former eating habits showcased that. It's easier to do a quad the less you weigh.  It makes me wonder if champions will get younger and younger because the body types seem to be slighter.

[Jeddah]

During Skate America the commentators said Satoko Miyahara's injuries were caused by a bone density issue. If someone 19 has bone density issues, that's a major red flag. Now I worry about her every time I see her skate.

ETA: Ice Network had an article about it. Miyahara Fights for Stronger Bone

Edited February 24, 2018 by Jeddah

[selkie]

11 hours ago, TwopLurker said:

I wish someone had skated to something from the Game of Thrones soundtrack, same classical sound, more opportunity to engage a new audience. 

Germany's Paul Fentz did a Game of Thrones soundtrack free program this year while dressed as Jamie Lannister. It worked pretty well from a theme/concept standpoint, IMO. 

 

6 hours ago, blackwing said:

Question... why do a few of the female skaters (like Zagitova) pull the ends of their flesh coloured tights over the outside of their skates instead of tucking them inside underneath their foot?  I assume there is some kind of stirrups to ensure they don't bunch inside.  Is this for comfort?  I think the outside method looks terrible.  It destroys the illusion that they aren't wearing tights.

 

I suspect because it makes your legs look longer and by extension a little more ballerina graceful-like.

 

5 hours ago, Jeddah said:

When was this magical time when there wasn’t politics in sports and all athletes kept their mouths shut?

Pretty much never. The modern Olympic movement's 'amateurs only' rule was entirely about keeping the Olympics the playground of the upper class of the time and not allowing those icky middle class and working class boys near the Chosen Ones of their generation.  

Edited February 24, 2018 by selkie

[galaxygirl76]

13 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

During Skate America the commentators said Satoko Miyahara's injuries were caused by a bone density issue. If someone 19 has bone density issues, that's a major red flag. Now I worry about her every time I see her skate.

ETA: Ice Network had an article about it. Miyahara Fights for Stronger Bone

Aren't there also a lot of hip problems among figure skaters because they keep falling on the same hip when learnibg a new jump? 

[MaKaM]

16 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I remember stories about ski jumpers that were anorexic because the less you weigh, the farther you fly.

They've somewhat changed the rules in response to that if I recall correctly. Your ski length is based on your height/weight ratio so it disincentivizes being extremely underweight. But most elite sports have this weight fixation to some extent. Wrestlers and martial artists have to "make weight" (aka be the heaviest possible in the weight category but not an ounce heavier). Honestly, I don't see US Figure Skating making any kind of big comeback when to be at the top, parents have to sacrifice their kids on the altar of sport. Yeah, there are some who will do it, but fewer now than in the past. With so much emphasis on abuse in sports and all the parenting-by-the-public that happens now in the US (you let your kids walk to school? Abuse!, Your kids are playing outside alone? Abuse!), the number of people willing to send their kids to certain crippling/head injury/eating disorders/emotional disorders is shrinking. I think that is why Ice Dance is gaining in popularity. It looks fun, takes skill, and you don't usually have to have a full blown eating disorder to compete (even though it appears Tanith at least did). And you aren't going to be needing double hip replacement at 23.

I wonder if this will happen to every sport as it distills into the most elite of the elite. There weren't major advancements being made in ski jumping (at least that I've heard of) so the only thing a person can improve (other than technique to an extent) is their body. So that's what they started tinkering with their weight ratios. Figure skating is just about at the point where there nothing left to improve (unless skating boot technology starts incorporating angi-grav). They can tinker with the rules, make it harder to get certain levels which will then continue eliminating certain body types (as is already happening--if you can't do a Bielmann or other super-flexy move, you are going to greatly limit the types of spin combos you can put together). So yeah, NBC can say all they want about "do you want to try X sport?" in their commercials, but if you don't have the right body type for the sport you love, you are not going to be winning anything and we should all stop pretending otherwise.

[redpencil]

I got stuck in a YouTube rabbit hole and came across this. Nathan watching his younger self doing a Lion King program.

Edited February 24, 2018 by redpencil
Because I apparently don't know how to embed videos

[stealinghome]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Loved reading Dick's tweets about the Ladies' LP, especially his reaction to all the crying right after they finished their programs.  Dick (and I) found it very annoying.  I admire Dick Button and enjoyed his commentating.  That sobbing was really getting to me (not just in Ladies...it was there in pairs and ice dancing as well, by the females).  Save it for the Kiss & Cry and get off the ice.

I understand the critique, but I find it really hard to blame someone like Daleman for crying when her routine just goes horribly, or even Med when it’s just SUCH a release of pressure when the routine is over, for better or worse. This is the culmination of these people’s lives...I’m not going to begrudge them a few tears.

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I watched OI tonight where Scott shared his observation re: American skaters (I think he was referring to Ladies).  He felt they didn't come to the Olympics with the determination to get out there and skate lights out (or something like that, can't remember his words).  Tanith's response was, IMO, wishy-washy.  She remembered the US Fed being soooo supportive.  She really didn't provide any information on what's going on with American skaters.

I really think the US needs to get some sports psychologists on staff (or some new ones if they already employ one or more sports psychologists). I don’t doubt that everyone wanted to skate well, but the amount of the skaters who DID skate well across the board is so small that it does make one raise an eyebrow about the US program in general.

[displayname]

LOL https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2018/02/23/wrong-russian-won-gold-medal-womens-figure-skating-2018-winter-olympics/366111002/

[qtpye]

Quote

Ugh, that DRESS. Ug-lay. (FWIW, I quite liked Med's FS and thought she would win.) I much preferred Alina's sassy vixen-red classical tutu. She really needed matching red boots. And this makes me wonder if anyone's ever skated to The Red Shoes?

Med is so lovely, but it was like someone stuck pink flowers on a piece of poop.  In a game where every point counted, I actually think her costuming did her no favors.

Quote

Between that and her totally bizarre behavior at the post competition interview, I am a little concerned about her mental health at this point.  She's never said or done anything to indicate that she was the sort to blame others or that the many years she has spent at the rink were in preparation for a reality TV gig.  I hope somebody is keeping an eye on her.

Quote

 

I am also a little concerned.  She has never been like this.  Either she made some snarky jokes that were misunderstood or something has really snapped inside her head.

They've somewhat changed the rules in response to that if I recall correctly. Your ski length is based on your height/weight ratio so it disincentivizes being extremely underweight. But most elite sports have this weight fixation to some extent. Wrestlers and martial artists have to "make weight" (aka be the heaviest possible in the weight category but not an ounce heavier). Honestly, I don't see US Figure Skating making any kind of big comeback when to be at the top, parents have to sacrifice their kids on the altar of sport. Yeah, there are some who will do it, but fewer now than in the past. With so much emphasis on abuse in sports and all the parenting-by-the-public that happens now in the US (you let your kids walk to school? Abuse!, Your kids are playing outside alone? Abuse!), the number of people willing to send their kids to certain crippling/head injury/eating disorders/emotional disorders is shrinking. I think that is why Ice Dance is gaining in popularity. It looks fun, takes skill, and you don't usually have to have a full blown eating disorder to compete (even though it appears Tanith at least did). And you aren't going to be needing double hip replacement at 23.

 

Figure skating, a sport that will destroy you physically/emotionally and bankrupt your family....where can I sign up?  I say this as a giant fan of the sport.  Also, the chance for success are slim to none.

[MaKaM]

8 minutes ago, qtpye said:

Figure skating, a sport that will destroy you physically/emotionally and bankrupt your family....where can I sign up?  I say this as a giant fan of the sport.  Also, the chance for success are slim to none.

Yeah. Gymnastics is another one that will break you, but at least gymnasts have the option/potential to get a college scholarship and compete in a more team orientated atmosphere instead of struggling alone for nearly no payoff until you have to medically (or financially) retire. And a lot of international gymnasts are starting to take advantage of the US college system and come over on scholarships too.

[Growsonwalls]

3 hours ago, Minneapple said:

I don't understand not letting the athletes eat. They need protein and carbs and calories to burn! They're working out like crazy! Every skater should see a nutritionist to help them create a proper diet. Hell, every athlete who is training like that needs a nutritionist. A nutritionist, and a few treats every once in awhile.

I know quite a few dancers and models and athletes and it's more of a mental thing: many of them think that to give in to hunger is a sign of weakness and lack of discipline. So it becomes an unhealthy race of who can starve themselves more. Their coaches, teachers, and colleagues all feel the same way so it becomes a vicious cycle. Also many of them have this ideé fixe that losing 15 pounds is going to be a magical fix. That's one thing they can control -- their calorie intake. To face the facts that even if you limit yourself to a vegetable and juice diet that you're never going to be able to hit that triple loop/triple loop combo or do 32 fouettes or (whatever the goal is) is a harsher thought than "I'm just 10 pounds away from achieving my dreams."

[NUguy514]

2 hours ago, fan94 said:

LOL https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2018/02/23/wrong-russian-won-gold-medal-womens-figure-skating-2018-winter-olympics/366111002/

Christine, you're projecting the 1998 results onto the 2018 results, and you really need to stop.  I get it, hon, I'll never get over 1998 results either, but honestly: Michelle =/= Med, and Tara =/= Zag.  Like, at all.

[Occasional Hope]

I actually loved the free skates of all three of the medallists in the women's competition.

[Darknight]

On 2/23/2018 at 12:57 AM, Growsonwalls said:

Ashley Wagner liked this tweet:

Uh not very classy considering all the U.S. ladies had one rough miserable night. 

I also thought it was rude of Bradie Tennell and Nathan Chen to be so glued to their phones the whole time while sitting in those chairs. I didn't see the other competitors doing that in any discipline. Sure they had loved ones sending well-wishes too.

Ashley failed to medal twice 

[displayname]

LOL that moment when you discover that Med beat Zag on PCS and GOEs in the FS (and was pretty much dead even on GOEs in SP).

 

So she's neither the better technician nor the better artist according to the judges. Just a backloader.

 

Ladies' FS is bogus.

[Mellowyellow]

I love Evgenia and I still can't get over how devastated she was but I am really annoyed that no one seems to give Alina credit for how entertaining she was besides being able to nail a zillion jumps.

I have watched that routine several times now and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It had a lot of spark and I adore the bit where she kneels on the ice briefly and gets up again.

So weird how I can't quite enjoy the result because I feel so bad for Evgenia but I REALLY like Alina as well! 

I don't see them as jumping bots at all. IMO They were the best two skaters with the most entertaining routines and they did not go splat or looked like they were in constant peril of going splat.

Random thought: Both girls have very pretty faces. Yulia was pretty too I remember. I wonder if besides ability this is something the Russian skating body (or whatever) actually takes into account or is it coincidental that almost all of their skaters are extremely pretty.

***

Now to work out how to watch Worlds! 

[Darknight]

On 2/22/2018 at 4:00 PM, Mellowyellow said:

I actually hope the little Russians do well mainly because that woman looks terrifying and if they have to spend time with her I hope they get something out of it. 

Evgenia said she dragged her across the ice because she kept falling. Holy hell. 

[Mellowyellow]

2 minutes ago, Darknight said:

Evgenia said she dragged her across the ice because she kept falling. Holy hell. 

I think I'm letting my imagination run away with me a bit when it comes to that coach. I don't know her so it's not really fair but she looks damn scary. Plus I saw this 1 minute video of the two girls practicing and when they were being interviewed they were teary. They looked so poorly and little. I think part of why I wanted them to do so well (ie win!) was because I keep imagining bad things happening to them if they don't! 

[BelleBrit]

13 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Regarding the triple axel, since it's such a big deal how come someone like Alina doesn't do it?

She lands everything else, doesn't seem like stretch that she could land this as well. Is it not worth enough points?

Or do they calculate the risks and if you can do a tonne of 3Ls it's more worth it to do that?

The Eteri Tutberidze school is kind of known for not teaching the greatest axel technique. Though supposedly one of their girls Kostornaia has trained one, but isn't consistent with it.  She's 14.  At this point, it doesn't seem like there's that much incentive for women to go for the triple axel, given its point value. I think that it should be increased for women.  The Eteri squad will be pumping out the quad salchows before they are the triple axels. Wakaba has practiced triple axels, but said that she's not consistent with it yet.  Mirai's triple axel, while not always there in competition (she's rotated it but two footed or stumbled) , has been pretty consistently landed cleanly in the practice reports this season.  So when she was falling repeatedly on them in the practices leading up to the free skate, I wasn't holding out hope of her landing it.  Again people, you don't go for a jump that pummels your body just for the hell of it.  Physical exhaustion also takes a mental toll.  I could see Ashley and Gracie sitting back and kind of being smug about the results of the US ladies (Ashley liked the post about the US ladies dismal showing, but then posted a very pr friendly "our girls accomplished a lot" post for the public...but again, these people are human, she's still dealing with her own emotional fallout and devastation), but the technical demands for even the last two years has really transformed with women from other countries being able to consistently deliver clean shorts and clean longs (maybe that's not the right phrasing, but the depth? Kaetlyn and Gabby's improvements, the arsenal of very competitive Japenese skaters who didn't even make the Olympics this year like Wakaba and Mae, etc). 

Edited February 24, 2018 by BelleBrit

[displayname]

1 minute ago, BelleBrit said:

The Eteri Tutberidze school is kind of known for not teaching the greatest axel technique.

Lol let's not start with what else it fails to teach properly.

Kostornaia is a good skater, though.

4 minutes ago, BelleBrit said:

Ashley liked the post about the US ladies dismal showing,

Oh, she's un-liked it now.