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Athena

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Eyes High

Eyes High

I enjoyed Yuzuru's exhibition program a lot. It had a lot of cool elements you'd never see in competition--there was this jump where his leg was out for part of the jump that was really neat--which is what makes exhibition skates so much fun.

Javi's routine was so cute. (As is Javi. Yum.)

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Mittengirl
Mittengirl

I cannot believe that there are some journalists who are suggesting that US Figure Skating needs to be more like US Gymnastics in the training of young athletes.  The very idea is so - I don’t even kn

herbz
herbz

The Nassar situation isn't another discussion- Karolyi's methods and reign of intimidation directly created a world in which young girls pushed through injuries which sometimes permanently crippled th

Growsonwalls
Growsonwalls

Wow I feel bad for both girls.  There's Med, crying because at the ripe old age of 18 she's gotten dumped for the New Shiny Thing, and then there's New Shiny Thing, all of a sudden looking so childlik

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anniebird

anniebird

(edited)

I loved Duhamel and Redford's skate! He's so tall and she's so short he's able to turn her completely upside down and spin, and the throw afterwards was great1

Question for those of you who understand the rules -- is there some reason they couldn't do that upside down spin in competition? 

Edited by anniebird
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MaKaM

MaKaM

8 minutes ago, PattyG said:

Scott Hamilton called that jump of Yuzuru's "delayed Axel, a lost art".  I'm glad he said that since I thought it was a weird popped Axel!  

Yeah. It would be nice if they allowed a "personality" element that just had some standard base value not predicated on its difficulty. Something to let the skaters do something that works for their choreography or to show who they are without it negatively impacting their score (like, I don't care if a spread eagle is easier than an ina bauer, or a delayed axel, just give me some variety!). I know someone said they were talking about shortening the LP (though I think that is a bad idea because the length and strength necessary really is what separates the best from the rest) but they could limit jumps to 6 total, give footwork sequences a time limit, and then allow for some personality moments.

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PattyG

PattyG

I went back and watched the video of Yuzuru's delayed axel jump and the lighting was so bad I couldn't see his legs, no wonder I didn't recognize it as anything special.  Can't see from the DVR'd programmed from last night nor from the video posted on nbcolympics either.  Oh well! I'll go youtube it!

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MaKaM

MaKaM

3 minutes ago, anniebird said:

I thought Zagitova's costume and music were way too mature for a 15 year-old but I'm probably just being an old fogey.

Oh, my mom would NOT have let me out in public in that at 15. Or 18. or 21 but she really wouldn't have had a say at that point. But she would have looks.

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doodlebug

doodlebug

3 minutes ago, anniebird said:

I thought Zagitova's costume and music were way too mature for a 15 year-old but I'm probably just being an old fogey.

Considering her Olympic programs were pretty somber/mature; I’d have liked to see her doing something lighthearted and fun.  Alas, the current crop of NotRussians don’t seem to do lighthearted and fun.

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Omeletsmom

Omeletsmom

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

That sucks.  As many of you probably already know, the whole thing is available On Demand, at least, it is on Cox.  They've also got all of the long programs available.  Looks like they'll be there until March 31.

Sadly, while we have Cox, we use a TiVo and not their box, so we do not get on demand. :-(

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mledawn

mledawn

18 minutes ago, anniebird said:

I thought Zagitova's costume and music were way too mature for a 15 year-old but I'm probably just being an old fogey.

Co-signed to the fogey club. Lesley Jones' reaction on Twitter made me laugh, then I remembered Zagitova is 15.

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doodlebug

doodlebug

7 minutes ago, anniebird said:

Yuzuru Hanyu's performance wasn't fun but it was gorgeous and left no doubt that the right person won the gold.

It was fun in the sense that we all got to appreciate the innate beauty of figure skating as he was able to hold positions and perform moves in a way that we just don’t get to appreciate in competition anymore.  It was breathtaking.

On a sort of fun note, a friend asked, “Why is he wearing a woman’s top?” when he skated out for the introductions.

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doodlebug

doodlebug

(edited)

Since we were talking about Brasseur and Eisler, here's their exhibition skate from Lillehammer '94.  It wasn't Devil with a Blue Dress, though they did skate to that at other times.  About a minute and a half in, they skate past a white banner with 'USA' and the Olympic rings on it.  Next to it is a yellow/orange state flag from New Mexico.  I'm seated in the second row behind the white banner, I remember talking to the folks from New Mexico who brought the flag that day.

 

I figured I'd better post it since a lot of people here probably weren't born yet.  If you want to see them skate in drag, look for 'Patricia the Stripper'.

ETA: Their last move in the exhibition at Lillehammer is known as a headbanger or bounce spin, for obvious reasons.  At the end of 'Patricia the Stripper', they do a one armed Detroiter.  Both moves are illegal in competition because they're really dangerous; but they make for very exciting skating.

Edited by doodlebug
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doodlebug

doodlebug

10 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

Eisler was a great skater, not so great human being though.

No, he was specifically a pretty lousy husband to his first wife.  He cheated on her with Kristy Swanson who was his partner on a celebrity skating show while she was pregnant.  There was a lot of drama including Kristy and the estranged wife getting into some sort of fight and Kristy being arrested.  He did, however, eventually marry Swanson and had a kid with her and they're still married about 10 years later.

He was also suspended as a coach by Skate Canada for a year after supposedly sending suggestive emails to a 15 year old he was coaching.  Skate Canada refused to acknowledge the reason why he was suspended.  That was back in 2006, and, as far as I know, there's nothing since then.

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PattyG

PattyG

1 hour ago, HartofDixie said:

Virtue/Moir Roxanne documentary 

https://youtu.be/VytuMwew3-Y

Med/Zag documentary 

 

Thank you for posting those.  I enjoyed them very much.  Hardcore fans probably have seen them but I haven't seen either one.

Some comments from the 2nd documentary:

  • Med seems quite bubbly and happy off the ice, Zag, not so much. Med's mom is with her whereas Zag lives with her granny. I hope she makes enough money off the OGM that her parents can afford to be with her now.
  • They're both watching their weights very carefully. Med explained to the camera that 200-300g can make a difference in jump aerodynamics.  
  • Their coaches were quite happy when Zag came in 2nd to Med at whatever competition that was. Smiles and hugs! 
  • Eteri is tough on both of them in training, but seems quite impatient with Zag for not taking notes well. 
  • They both seem like very sweet girls. I wish them the best.
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anniebird

anniebird

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

It was fun in the sense that we all got to appreciate the innate beauty of figure skating as he was able to hold positions and perform moves in a way that we just don’t get to appreciate in competition anymore.  It was breathtaking.

On a sort of fun note, a friend asked, “Why is he wearing a woman’s top?” when he skated out for the introductions.

Did you see the overhead shot? It looked like he was wearing a tutu.

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KFC

KFC

3 hours ago, MaKaM said:

Yeah. It would be nice if they allowed a "personality" element that just had some standard base value not predicated on its difficulty. Something to let the skaters do something that works for their choreography or to show who they are without it negatively impacting their score (like, I don't care if a spread eagle is easier than an ina bauer, or a delayed axel, just give me some variety!). I know someone said they were talking about shortening the LP (though I think that is a bad idea because the length and strength necessary really is what separates the best from the rest) but they could limit jumps to 6 total, give footwork sequences a time limit, and then allow for some personality moments.

So much this. I hate that scratch spins are such a rarity these days. They used to be such an exclamation point to a perfect free skate.

With no cap on the amount of points on the table, everything just becomes a point/level grab instead of a showcase for what a skater excels at. It's almost like there need to be rules in place that force the skaters not to turn every element into an attempt at getting higher levels. I'd love it if there were more requirements for L1/L2 spins and moves-in-the-field for GOE only. I want more spread eagles, more length-of-the-rink spirals, more spins with one position but held for a long duration. But of course no one's doing those moves because it takes valuable time away from grabbing your skate blade for a L4 element.

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displayname

displayname

17 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Alina's family is Tatar. I wonder if that's one reason for the cold response to her. In Russia being the right ethnicity matters a lot. I found this out the hard way by lurking on Russian ballet forums, where the ethnicity of dancers was discussed endlessly.

OK, so according to some comments on YouTube (not reliable, I know), this might indeed be the problem. :/

That's pretty awful, and I hope the majority, at least, are supportive of her.

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Enero

Enero

(edited)
3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

On a sort of fun note, a friend asked, “Why is he wearing a woman’s top?” when he skated out for the introductions.

 Apparently Leslie Jones said the same thing on Twitter which caused her to get roasted for being intolerant which eventually led to a debate about his sexuality. SMH. 

I think I read somewhere that Johnny Weir has designed some of his costumes and honestly what Hanyu wore in the exhibition looked like something Johnny wore when competing. So that might explain the “woman’s top” he wore. 

Edited by Enero
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MaKaM

MaKaM

10 minutes ago, fan94 said:

OK, so according to some comments on YouTube (not reliable, I know), this might indeed be the problem. :/

That's pretty awful, and I hope the majority, at least, are supportive of her.

She is one of two total OAR gold medals (and really, the hockey team should be stripped of their for violating the agreement to not mention Russia since they sang the Russian anthem on the medal stand) which should count for something. Or she can hang up her skates, just do skating shows, or find a new supportive federation (though she'd have to sit out for 2 years even if Russia let her go). So young to have achieved all the major dreams (aside from a senior World Championship gold).

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elle

elle

1 hour ago, vixenbynight said:

I know that folks that follow the Olympics probably have seen this tribute, but I wanted to share it for others that may not have seen in back in 2014.

Brilliant!  Right through to the credits, just brilliant!  Loved the cameo!

Thank you so much for posting this, I did not know it existed.  What a great tribute, I can not imagine the planning that had to go into making this.

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ProudMary

ProudMary

1 hour ago, KFC said:

So much this. I hate that scratch spins are such a rarity these days. They used to be such an exclamation point to a perfect free skate.

With no cap on the amount of points on the table, everything just becomes a point/level grab instead of a showcase for what a skater excels at. It's almost like there need to be rules in place that force the skaters not to turn every element into an attempt at getting higher levels. I'd love it if there were more requirements for L1/L2 spins and moves-in-the-field for GOE only. I want more spread eagles, more length-of-the-rink spirals, more spins with one position but held for a long duration. But of course no one's doing those moves because it takes valuable time away from grabbing your skate blade for a L4 element.

Split jumps!
One of the lower tier men did one during the competition and I thought, "Wow, you never see split jumps any more."

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Growsonwalls

Growsonwalls

1 hour ago, fan94 said:

OK, so according to some comments on YouTube (not reliable, I know), this might indeed be the problem. :/

That's pretty awful, and I hope the majority, at least, are supportive of her.

Russia is sort of undergoing a religious re-awakening and that includes a huge increase in the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. I don't know what religion Alina's family is but most Tatar families are of Muslim heritage. Aliya Mustafina AFAIK is also Tatar. Anyway yeah it's pretty awful all-around if she's experiencing this prejudice but not surprising. I made the mistake of looking in the comments section of a fluff article on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the racist comments there were hard to stomach.

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displayname

displayname

1 minute ago, Growsonwalls said:

Russia is sort of undergoing a religious re-awakening and that includes a huge increase in the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. I don't know what religion Alina's family is but most Tatar families are of Muslim heritage. Aliya Mustafina AFAIK is also Tatar. Anyway yeah it's pretty awful all-around if she's experiencing this prejudice but not surprising. I made the mistake of looking in the comments section of a fluff article on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the racist comments there were hard to stomach.

Her sister's name is Sabina, so maybe they do have Muslim heritage. :/

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Jeddah

Jeddah

7 hours ago, sweeks said:

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this thread. In fact, it made the Olympics for me! I've lurked here and on the TWOP (R.I.P.) boards for a very long time, but this is the first time I've participated. Thanks for the great, insightful, and often very funny commentary and for putting up with a posting neophyte. 

This needn’t be the end! Let’s all meet in the regular Figure Skating thread for Worlds!

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aemom

aemom

(edited)
8 hours ago, Enero said:

If you have the NBC Sports app they have the entire gala there. The Australian lady calls it with that guy - don’t know who he is, which is great. 

So, I found the info for both of them now.

The Aussie woman is former skater Belinda Noonan and the man is Canadian sportscaster Jim Van Horne.

Edited by AEMom
Typo
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MaKaM

MaKaM

3 minutes ago, AEMom said:

So, I found the info for both of them now.

The Aussie woman is former skater Belinda Noonian and the man is Canadian sportscaster Jim Van Horne.

They need to not hire Jim next time. Belinda can be on all streams forever. If a person is looking for quiet competence, she delivered.

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specialj67

specialj67

1 minute ago, MaKaM said:

They need to not hire Jim next time. Belinda can be on all streams forever. If a person is looking for quiet competence, she delivered.

In 2014, it was Belinda and a British man (I think he does/did figure skating commentary on British Eurosport). I’d love if they used them together again.

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shizzle

shizzle

8 hours ago, sweeks said:

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this thread. In fact, it made the Olympics for me! I've lurked here and on the TWOP (R.I.P.) boards for a very long time, but this is the first time I've participated. Thanks for the great, insightful, and often very funny commentary and for putting up with a posting neophyte. 

Same here, I'm awestruck by the figure skating knowledge on this forum, as well as on the old TWOP...I'll have to remember to check in to the figure skating board that I didn't know existed during Worlds!

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Minneapple

Minneapple

As we say goodbye to the Olympics, I want to thank everyone in this thread for making figure skating SO MUCH FUN this Olympics! I like skating...but watching and snarking with all of you guys has made it 12 thousand times better!

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sweeks

sweeks

Watching the "Return to" highlights is fascinating. Since I know how the skaters did, I can pay attention to the little details (as opposed to watching my favorites through my fingers). The best thing so far is watching the little boys and girls who pick up the flowers and toys between skaters clap to "Paradise" when the Shib Sibs were skating. It isn't really a song that is easy to clap to, but I appreciate their enthusiasm.

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Jeddah

Jeddah

I finally finished watching The Skating Lesson’s ice dance recap with Sandra Bezic. It made me appreciate Johnny and Tara even more. I forgot how much I disliked  Sandra Bezic as a commentator. She talks a lot without actually saying anything.

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kili

kili

Quote

One of the lower tier men did one during the competition and I thought, "Wow, you never see split jumps any more."

Kurt Browning said the same thing. He sounded wistful. I'm wistful. Those were fun.

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sweeks

sweeks

3 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

I finally finished watching The Skating Lesson’s ice dance recap with Sandra Bezic. It made me appreciate Johnny and Tara even more. I forgot how much I disliked  Sandra Bezic as a commentator. She talks a lot without actually saying anything.

I never cared for Sandra Bezic's commentary. In addition to her wordy (and vapid) remarks, I also found her to vacillate between ridiculous sentimentality and bitchiness. I can tolerate Johnny more than Sandra because, for all of his snark and bias, he can actually add something substantive to the conversation.

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stet

stet

(edited)

I haven’t posted until now (you’re all so intimidating!), but I’ve followed along. 

The men’s competition was my favorite, but I loved reading your emotions and insights into the battle of Alina and Zhenya/Janny … how both of them, despite skating while Russian(*), captured our hearts (and our brains), and how both had legit claims to gold. And that perhaps, beyond the unbalanced programs and crazy coaching, in the end Alina and Janny are likely sweet young women whose otherworldly talents and work ethic placed them in a bonkers situation. Love to Kaetlyn too!

Costuming - Amid the malfunctions (poor Gaby!), I am smitten by all the pretty shades of blue across all disciplines. (Color of the Olympiad? Yes.)

Finally, I will sing the praises of Señor Fernández.? “Showman” is a word you hear a lot about Javi. I believe he’s what Christopher Bowman could have been if he got his shit together. 

As an admittedly every-four-years watcher (I can’t deal with the stress!) who was happy Javi was still in the mix this time, I was curious if Javi had other exhibitions beyond his “Aerobics Class,” which he did in Sochi (and which I remember fondly!). I think maybe that’s why NBC chacked him - but Aerobics with Javier never gets old! (The slow-mo on OBS this time of him being doused with water from Luca “Little Tramp” Lanotte is priceless … NBC sure fucked up.)

So, in case you were curious about what else Javi can do in exhibitions:

It’s Carmen (#diecarmendie), but trust me, you won’t roll your eyes at this.

“Black Betty” (bam a lam) - this video is from his exhibition at Euros this year, but “Black Betty” was his SP when he won his first World Championship in 2015.

“Touch of Evil,” at last year’s Worlds. Tank top and suspenders/braces. Unf. 

Still, “Aerobics Class/Super Javi” is worth an Olympics repeat. It’s got something for everyone - bitchin’ ‘80s tunes, goofiness, opportunities to ogle Javi’s biceps, more goofiness, and of course, that Javi Charm®. He’ll be missed on the competitive circuit. 

Edited by stet
Edited because I still can't figure out formatting on p.tv
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MaKaM

MaKaM

(edited)

The future of figure skating: one of those projection scores embedded into the ice! So all the Carmens can have roses at their feet. And all the moulin rogues can have diamonds. 

Edited by MaKaM
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