Figure Skating

[Growsonwalls]

dubemoir.blogspot.com is the secret baby blog.

[proserpina65]

I don't get the Shibutanis.  Technically they're very good, but even though that program was better than the short and an improvement from the Nationals, it was just 'eh' to me.  I never seen any feeling for the music from them and little personality when they skate.  For me, they're just there, nothing special.  Although I'll admit to being impressed by their Twizzles.

The Italians were wonderful, and it seemed to me that they were underscored.  The Russians were, well, Russian, overwrought and almost laughable.  Virtue and Moir are clearly on a whole different level than most, if not all, of the teams here, although of course we haven't seen the #1 French pair yet.

[Good Queen Jane]

2 hours ago, Jillibean said:

I completely agree that the scoring system needs to change (and they usually do their overhauls right after the Olympics, right?)

There are multiple rule changes which are scheduled to go into effect next season. The base value of quads are going to be reduced, the GOEs will be from +5 to -5, the number of jump passes will be reduced, increased deductions for multiple falls, and Men's and Pairs long programs will be reduced to 4 minutes (because the President of the ISU thinks the competitions go on too long), No change to the bonus period but the ISU will meet this summer and I'm sure that it will be discussed.

[herbz]

Jeez, I couldn't read more than a paragraph of that blog I had so much second hand embarrassment. I'm going to try and scrub its existence from my brain.

[proserpina65]

11 hours ago, stealinghome said:

If that was the ShibSibs skating that program "inspired," I'd hate to see them do that program UNinspired. Am I the only one who found that boring? I thought the Italian program was more interesting.

Their twizzles are very pretty though.

Nope, I thought it was boring as hell.

[ChicksDigScars]

You have been warned about the Secret Baby blog. It's hilariously delusional. I mean HOW does Tessa have THREE babies in between skating seasons for the past 8 years? What is her secret? No pouchy tummy or saggy boobs. It's amazing.  (cough, cough)

 

I've noticed that with the Olympic Channel rerunning Nationals, Europeans, Grand Prix Final, Four Continents, plus past Olympic figure skating since the holidays,  and the Grand Prix Events before that, it's been like Skateapalooza.  It also makes me recognize the musical selections and identify it with certain skaters.  Such as, the opening notes of the Italian's short dance keep running in my head today for some reason.  

 

Oh, and I've had enough Moulin Rouge, thanks.  It's been used more than Carmen and Nessun Dorma this season. 

[ChromaKelly]

1 minute ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Oh, and I've had enough Moulin Rouge, thanks.  It's been used more than Carmen and Nessun Dorma this season. 

Ugh, yes. Make it stop. So sick of "Come What May". Music selections should get permanent lifetime bans after they have been used X number of times. 

[HartofDixie]

http://www.rockerskating.com/news/2018/2/12/opining-on-olympic-team-event-part-3-an-ode-to-mirai-nagasu

[mntnsrck79]

I think they should start deducting from the Composition score (which is part of the program components score) for programs that have all of the jumps in the second half. I love Zagitova's free skate, and I think she is completely amazing, but I do think that composition suffers when all of the jumps are crammed into the end of the skate. They could at least deduct a point from composition for it. Then the skater would still get extra points for doing the jumps in the second half, because that's valid as a difficult thing to do, but maybe it would slightly discourage it. Zagitova's composition score was 9.39 last night (Mirai's was 7.89, for comparison).

[vibeology]

10 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

There are multiple rule changes which are scheduled to go into effect next season. The base value of quads are going to be reduced, the GOEs will be from +5 to -5, the number of jump passes will be reduced, increased deductions for multiple falls, and Men's and Pairs long programs will be reduced to 4 minutes (because the President of the ISU thinks the competitions go on too long), No change to the bonus period but the ISU will meet this summer and I'm sure that it will be discussed.

I don't even want them to get rid of the bonus altogether. Just cap it so there is an incentive to jump throughout the program and not just at the front or back. Maybe 3 jumps in the back half are eligible for the bonus for the long and 1 in the short. I definitely think you should be rewarded for jumping on tired legs but if you're not doing any jumps in the first half of your program, your legs aren't going to be as tired.

I'm probably the odd one out that I don't mind the Tanos. If that's always harder, you should always get a bonus for going it.

Where I do think the judges aren't being reasonable is with the composition score. If every jump looks the same or a skater spends 2 minutes covering the ice, that's not a well composed program and that should be reflected in the scores.

[voiceover]

7 hours ago, fan94 said:

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1718/owg2018/OWG2018_TeamLadies_FS_F_Scores.pdf

Uh...thanks.

Now I'm going to search for the YT vid that surely exists that will explain the chemical White Paper I just read.

[HartofDixie]

[tearbender]

37 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I don't get the Shibutanis.  Technically they're very good, but even though that program was better than the short and an improvement from the Nationals, it was just 'eh' to me.  I never seen any feeling for the music from them and little personality when they skate.  For me, they're just there, nothing special.  Although I'll admit to being impressed by their Twizzles.

The Italians were wonderful, and it seemed to me that they were underscored.  The Russians were, well, Russian, overwrought and almost laughable.  Virtue and Moir are clearly on a whole different level than most, if not all, of the teams here, although of course we haven't seen the #1 French pair yet.

 I get the same impression. I'm not sure I agree with the prevailing sentiment that they're continuously held down in scores solely because they are a sibling team and can't do romantic or sexy routines. They are technically good, but not so amazing that it makes up for other shortcomings IMO. In Ice Dance especially I feel you need to have great musicality and charisma. The Shibs seem very controlled and sometimes stiff, and to me it feels like they rely on the music to bring the personality to their routines, instead of acting as storytellers themselves. Even Tanith noted that the energy in the arena went up once the Italians skated after the Shibutanis in the SD.

 

Word from a journalist is that Yuzuru looked good in practice. Landed a 3A then left. I hope he's recovered well from his injury.

[BitterApple]

20 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

Aw. I'm so happy for them. On a completely shallow note, they're a really good-looking bunch.

[stealinghome]

1 hour ago, herbz said:

No- they couldn't have done that with V/M. Substitutions cannot be made on the day, start lists were finalised the day before. Chan is unreliable at best, and Daleman has had her share of messy skates too. At that point, they had no idea they wouldn't need V/M's 10 points for gold, and W/P could well have ended up 4th. 

I was about to post the same thing—Canada didn’t know for sure that they didn’t need Vortue/Moir until like half an hour before the ice dancing. Had either Chan or Daleman had a fluky accident, tripped, and broken a leg, V/M would’ve been needed to try to salvage the bronze. By the time Team Canada knew V/M weren’t needed, it was way too late to sub.

[kili]

With team Canada's win, Eric Radford becomes the first openly gay athlete to win a winter Olympic Gold. 

[selkie]

1 hour ago, ChicksDigScars said:

You have been warned about the Secret Baby blog. It's hilariously delusional. I mean HOW does Tessa have THREE babies in between skating seasons for the past 8 years? What is her secret? No pouchy tummy or saggy boobs. It's amazing.  (cough, cough)

 

Industrial grade Spanx under her costume? 

 

(ducking and running away)

[mostlylurking]

19 minutes ago, selkie said:

You have been warned about the Secret Baby blog.

Why does it have to be a secret if they have babies??  I am very intrigued by this.

[blackwing]

6 minutes ago, mostlylurking said:

Why does it have to be a secret if they have babies??  I am very intrigued by this.

Never underestimate how crazy some people can be.  From my understanding, Tessa and Scott are not dating and never have been.  But some people seem so determined to see them together that they have invented this fantasy life for them, where they are secretly married unbeknownst to the public and have these secret babies that they keep out of the public eye.  Or something like that.

What I would really like to know is if people actually believe this or if they are just having fun and if it's some kind of fan fiction.

[AshleyN]

2 hours ago, herbz said:

No- they couldn't have done that with V/M. Substitutions cannot be made on the day, start lists were finalised the day before. Chan is unreliable at best, and Daleman has had her share of messy skates too. At that point, they had no idea they wouldn't need V/M's 10 points for gold, and W/P could well have ended up 4th. 

Yeah, it's a bit of a shame that Weaver and Poje couldn't get in there for a medal, but I kind of love that Canada really went all in for this event. The one substitution they did make was between two ladies who are pretty evenly matched.

Anyways, watching this event was a nice reminder of what a terrific generation of Canadian skaters this group is. I assume that, ladies-aside, they'll all be retiring after these games so it's great to see them go out on top like this.

[annzeepark914]

Lots of good comments here re: the team event.  And thanks to the person who provided the link to that article on Natalia.  I was a big Natalia/Artur fan back in the day (well, of their skating, not Artur's treatment of Natalia). Speaking of pairs, I have to admit that I find it hard to watch Duhamel/Radford.  I guess to me they epitomize what pairs skating has become (and why I no longer love this discipline).  She's about half his height and, IMO, there's no connection between them (as some commentators have said, she's always counting off the pts as they're skating--I think that shows) so to me, they are definitely not "two skating as one" as pairs was meant to be.  I know it's a sport and skaters need to keep pushing the boundaries, but it would be nice if there were some parts of pairs skating where the two really skate as one (remember Tai & Randi's gorgeous Ina Bauer that went from one end of the rink to the other?) It's the same in singles skating (w/ the exception of a few skaters who manage to include some beautiful skating between the jumps).

So, yeah!  Where were Hubbell & Donohue during the team event?  

[SophiaD]

Didn't Evgeni Platov give Grishuk his wedding ring?  (He was still married to Maia Usova at the time).  If so, that's pretty trashy.  If I remember my past gossip correctly, she (Grishuk) wore it on a chain around her next.  (That should have been neck.  Whoops).

Oh, Artur Dmitriev!  He was so horrible to Natalia - calling her names, announcing that he was skating to a new partner on live TV without telling her first.  I was actively rooting against him and his new partner in 1998, to no avail.  I remember that this was an enormous Thing, because Sergei Grinkov had died a few years earlier, and apparently, he and Artur were good friends.  I remember seeing Artur bow to Ekaterina in the stands, and thinking, "Am I the only one who remembers how terribly he treated his first partner?"  

I am unrealistically hoping that Adam and Mirai make serious runs for the podium.  I know it's all-but-impossible, unless they both skate perfectly and other people fall, but it's so wonderful to see them both do so incredibly well and surpass everyone's expectations.

Edited February 12, 2018 by SophiaD

[sweeks]

I so enjoyed last night's team event. Seeing Adam, Mirai, and the ShibSibs bring their A games was awesome (if nerve wracking). Lurking here to read everyone's comments and commentary makes watching figure skating (Olympic or otherwise) even better.

I'm delurking because I have to share a moment that I haven't seen mentioned here yet (if it has been shared, many apologies). I loved watching the replay of Mirai's triple axel. In the background, you can see the team from Canada react to it, and it is delightful. I'm not a fan of Duhamel/Radford (I long for the days of G&G), but seeing Megan Duhamel stand up and cheer when Mirai nailed the jump was endearing and adorable.

Edited February 12, 2018 by sweeks
*Because getting the ShibSibs nickname correct is important to me

[absnow54]

I am unrealistically hoping that Adam and Mirai make serious runs for the podium. I know it's all-but-impossible, unless they both skate perfectly and other people fall, but it's so wonderful to see them both do so incredibly well and surpass everyone's expectations.

I think Adam's base value is just too low to compete. I do wonder, though, if Mirai can hold onto her triple axel through both programs, if she could make a run for bronze. It's a long shot, but it's making the women's competition a lot more exciting for me!

[COESpiral]

No one’s posted about the new drama with Ashley Wagner?  She took to Twitter last night to talk about how she, too, was uncomfortable with this business of the Russian women totally backloading their programs. No diss to the girls personally, just talking about how the programs looked lopsided and boring. Well now the Russian higher ups are insulted and are throwing shade at her left, right, and center. Alexei Yagudin really pissed me off because he made it personal. If I can find the link to their comments, I’ll post. Ashley’s comments are on her Twitter page. 

[ChromaKelly]

8 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I think Adam's base value is just too low to compete. I do wonder, though, if Mirai can hold onto her triple axel through both programs, if she could make a run for bronze. It's a long shot, but it's making the women's competition a lot more exciting for me!

How is a skater's base value determined?

[mostlylurking]

3 minutes ago, COESpiral said:

new drama with Ashley Wagner?

Ugh.  She really rubs me the wrong way.  She made the team last Olympics which I thought was totally wrong and undeserved.  This year she is not a part of it but still trying to make herself relevant.  I liked when Adam was being interviewed and he said last Olympics he and Mirai were bummed not to be a part of it but this year they are both there and how Mirai especially really deserves it.  I took this as a dig towards Ashley, whose took Mirai's spot last time (probably imagined but she really bugs).

[leopardprint]

31 minutes ago, SophiaD said:

I am unrealistically hoping that Adam and Mirai make serious runs for the podium.  I know it's all-but-impossible, unless they both skate perfectly and other people fall, but it's so wonderful to see them both do so incredibly well and surpass everyone's expectations.

I am clinging to Mirai’s overachieving performances at Olympics. She got fourth the first go round and landed a triple axel this time and six triple jumps. Go Mirai! 

Edited February 12, 2018 by leopardprint

[absnow54]

How is a skater's base value determined?

By the elements they have programmed. Men's skating right now is driven by how many quads you can stuff in. Nathan Chen, I think, has 5 in his free skate, where as Adam just removed the one quad he had, because he wasn't landing it reliably. And we saw in the Men's program, that the judges are willing to reward skaters who quad-n-splat, then those who skate a beautifully clean program (I still can't believe Adam and Kolyada got the same PCS!!!!!!)

I liked when Adam was being interviewed and he said last Olympics he and Mirai were bummed not to be a part of it but this year they are both there and how Mirai especially really deserves it. I took this as a dig towards Ashley, whose took Mirai's spot last time (probably imagined but she really bugs).

I don't know. Adam is really good friends with Ashley, AND he made this Olympic team under the exact same circumstances that Ashley did four years ago (except his international record wasn't nearly as strong) so it would be really hypocritical of him to throw shade. I do love the In N Out story though. It's really cute.

[ChicksDigScars]

19 minutes ago, COESpiral said:

No one’s posted about the new drama with Ashley Wagner?  She took to Twitter last night to talk about how she, too, was uncomfortable with this business of the Russian women totally backloading their programs. No diss to the girls personally, just talking about how the programs looked lopsided and boring. Well now the Russian higher ups are insulted and are throwing shade at her left, right, and center. Alexei Yagudin really pissed me off because he made it personal. If I can find the link to their comments, I’ll post. Ashley’s comments are on her Twitter page. 

Too bad she's absolutely RIGHT about the back loading. 

And Yagudin asking, "Where is she?" as a way to bully her into silence? Fuck him. She's entitled to her opinion, and she's the same place that you are pal. WATCHING the Olympics. 

Judging from the Russian reaction, which includes Sotnikova coming out of the woodwork to defend the "art" of back loading, Ashley struck a nerve. 

 

 

[kittykat]

43 minutes ago, SophiaD said:

Didn't Evgeni Platov give Grishuk his wedding ring?  (He was still married to Maia Usova at the time).  If so, that's pretty trashy.  If I remember my past gossip correctly, she (Grishuk) wore it on a chain around her next.

Blerg!  I can't even see the name Grishuk without being overcome with the seething rage that was Lillehammer Ice dancing.  Never forget, Torville and Dean were robbed.

 

As far as scoring goes, there appears to be the same issues as there are with gymnastics.  In Rio we all complained of the Chinese men turning in sloppy performances but still scoring 15 above because of high start values.  Now in figure skating everyone throws in jumps they can't complete but still get rewarded for.  I'm sorry but a fall is a fall, you haven't mastered a jump don't put it in your program.  A perfectly executed triple should not be ranked below a botched quad.  I'm not advocating playing it safe but I agree with those upthread that mistakes need to be further penalized.  Under rotate a quad and fall, get dinged not only as a fall but as a triple.  I remember skaters on the 6.0 system receiving nothing higher than a 5.5, usually less, if there was a fall.  I know it changed because the 6.0 system was more favorable to judge collusion but there is still scoring issues 16 years after Pairsgate so what have they really accomplished?

[mostlylurking]

22 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I don't know. Adam is really good friends with Ashley,

Yeah, I don't think it was a snub, I just wish it was.  Heh.

[iMonrey]

Quote

(I still can't believe Adam and Kolyada got the same PCS!!!!!!)

The scoring brings to mind US Nationals when Ashley complained that her component scores should have been higher. Both she and Adam sort of rely on high component scores to make up for their lack of technical merit and the judges this season just aren't having it. They're more interested in rewarding the jumps than the artistry. This seemed egregiously obvious with Kolyada - no way his component scores should have been anywhere near Rippon's. The judges seem to be collectively sending a message to the skaters to step up their games and add quads and triple-triple combos. 

[BitterApple]

Where is that Michael Jackson popcorn gif, because I am so here for the Not-Russia vs. US drama.

FWIW, Ashley's right. I get that the Russian girls are competing within the rules, but it does make for some boring performances.

[annzeepark914]

Ashley didn't shove Mirai out of the way in 2014.  That was the US Skating federation that made that decision and it was based on Mirai's recent skating history at that time vs Ashley's.  People seem to forget that Mirai went through some rough years with her skating (along with her feelings about skating) so they were understandably leery of her.  

[absnow54]

The scoring brings to mind US Nationals when Ashley complained that her component scores should have been higher. Both she and Adam sort of rely on high component scores to make up for their lack of technical merit and the judges this season just aren't having it. They're more interested in rewarding the jumps than the artistry.

This rule does not apply to Carolina Kostner though. I was actually shocked that Mirai had the lowest PCS score last night with a technically challenging and clean performance. I don't know if the men and women have different judging panels, but they're not very consistent.

[meep.meep]

30 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Too bad she's absolutely RIGHT about the back loading. 

And Yagudin asking, "Where is she?" as a way to bully her into silence? Fuck him. She's entitled to her opinion, and she's the same place that you are pal. WATCHING the Olympics. 

Judging from the Russian reaction, which includes Sotnikova coming out of the woodwork to defend the "art" of back loading, Ashley struck a nerve. 

 

 

Actually Zagitova is *not* representing a "great nation" because they were banned for providing illegal substances to all of their athletes at Sochi.

Why were they even able to form a team for the skating team event?

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, COESpiral said:

No one’s posted about the new drama with Ashley Wagner?  She took to Twitter last night to talk about how she, too, was uncomfortable with this business of the Russian women totally backloading their programs. No diss to the girls personally, just talking about how the programs looked lopsided and boring. Well now the Russian higher ups are insulted and are throwing shade at her left, right, and center. Alexei Yagudin really pissed me off because he made it personal. If I can find the link to their comments, I’ll post. Ashley’s comments are on her Twitter page. 

Although I would have to agree with her about the backloading, it makes me feel unsettled.  I don't like anything about her, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the Russian guy saying "and where are you?"  It comes across as sour grapes from her... she wasn't good enough to make it this year so she's complaining about the likely gold medalist.

Then again, she seems to have a knack for making everything about her.  She is desperate for the attention and seems afraid that people will forget about her.  There was an article somewhere, I think maybe EW, featuring snippets from Twitter reaction to Mirai's triple axel.  

Wagner said something like "I had just gotten out of filming and I heard about it, great job!"  When a simple "Great job Mirai!" would have sufficed.  But no, she had to let everyone know that she was "filming" and therefore didn't actually even have time to bother to watch these unimportant Olympics.  I have no idea what she was filming... a commercial or a movie or maybe just reviewing film footage of her performances.  No doubt she wants people to ask, and she wants everyone to know that she's not at the Olympics this year, but it's ok, because those judges she was "furious" at did her a favour because now she's "filming" and is going to be a bigger star than any of these girls at the Olympics will ever be.  

Go suck an egg, Ashley.

[BitterApple]

11 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

Actually Zagitova is *not* representing a "great nation" because they were banned for providing illegal substances to all of their athletes at Sochi.

Why were they even able to form a team for the skating team event?

The fact that every announcer across various events is calling them Team Russia, there's fans all over the place sporting the flag and they were able to compete in the team skate shows what a farce this whole doping ban really is.

[Garden Wafers]

7 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

The fact that every announcer across various events is calling them Team Russia, there's fans all over the place sporting the flag and they were able to compete in the team skate shows what a farce this whole doping ban really is.

Agreed. If I were Putin, I would have just changed the official name of the country to "Olympic Athletes from Russia" for the duration of these games - just to see what the IOC would do. 

[kitmerlot1213]

1 hour ago, SophiaD said:

Didn't Evgeni Platov give Grishuk his wedding ring?  (He was still married to Maia Usova at the time).  If so, that's pretty trashy.  If I remember my past gossip correctly, she (Grishuk) wore it on a chain around her next.  (That should have been neck.  Whoops).

 

Oh no, it was the trashy Alexander Zhulin who gave Grishuk his wedding ring and Maya Usova had to have that rubbed in her face every time all four of them competed together--what a class act Zhulin and Grishuk were.  Remember when Grishuk dyed her hair blonde and she thought she was going to be a movie star?

I know I'm growing a little tired of the tongue baths Terry Gannon and Tanith were giving Virtue and Moir during the team competition.  It's a little nauseating and makes me want to cheer against them.

[HartofDixie]

1 hour ago, SophiaD said:

Didn't Evgeni Platov give Grishuk his wedding ring?  (He was still married to Maia Usova at the time).  If so, that's pretty trashy.  If I remember my past gossip correctly, she (Grishuk) wore it on a chain around her next.  (That should have been neck.  Whoops).

It was Zhulin! 

[vibeology]

14 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Although I would have to agree with her about the backloading, it makes me feel unsettled.  I don't like anything about her, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the Russian guy saying "and where are you?"  It comes across as sour grapes from her... she wasn't good enough to make it this year so she's complaining about the likely gold medalist.

Then again, she seems to have a knack for making everything about her.  She is desperate for the attention and seems afraid that people will forget about her.  There was an article somewhere, I think maybe EW, featuring snippets from Twitter reaction to Mirai's triple axel.  

Wagner said something like "I had just gotten out of filming and I heard about it, great job!"  When a simple "Great job Mirai!" would have sufficed.  But no, she had to let everyone know that she was "filming" and therefore didn't actually even have time to bother to watch these unimportant Olympics.  I have no idea what she was filming... a commercial or a movie or maybe just reviewing film footage of her performances.  No doubt she wants people to ask, and she wants everyone to know that she's not at the Olympics this year, but it's ok, because those judges she was "furious" at did her a favour because now she's "filming" and is going to be a bigger star than any of these girls at the Olympics will ever be.  

Go suck an egg, Ashley.

I'm not an Ashley fan but I don't think she's wrong to say it. It's the current talk of the figure skating world, a world Ashley is a part of. There are figure skaters commenting for TV saying the exact same things. Why is it okay for Kurt Browning to call the programs unbalanced to an audience of millions (I don't actually know how many Canadians are watching) but not Ashley to tweet her thoughts to her thousands of followers? I didn't watch the NBC feed but I'd bet someone mentioned the backloaded program and expressed that they weren't fans there too. I'd personally think it would be tacky to comment if Ashley was there competing but she isn't and she went out of her way to praise Alina. Scoring and potential changes to the scoring system are always the hot debate around any Olympics. Ashley is a part of the figure skating community. I see no reason why she shouldn't be allowed to weigh in just because she's clashed with the judges in the past.

[Good Queen Jane]

1 hour ago, ChromaKelly said:

How is a skater's base value determined?

Each element (jumps, spins, footwork) is given a value. The value is set by the ISU. Jumps have specific values for each jump based on difficulty. Axels get the highest, the more revolutions done get higher values. Spins and footwork are given levels from 1 to 4., which sets their value. If he hit all the elements he planned, Patrick Chan's base score for the long would have been 80.15, Kolyada would have been 87.41, and Adam would have been 76.01. So Adam has to not only hit all his element but hit them really well to get positive GOEs from the judges to add to his score in order to beat Chan and Kolyada if they were only average.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Good Queen Jane

[SophiaD]

That's right!  Apologies to Platov.  Zhulin was the one who was horrible.  Thanks, @HartofDixie and @kitmerlot1213!

Edited February 12, 2018 by SophiaD

[HartofDixie]

45 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Ashley didn't shove Mirai out of the way in 2014.  That was the US Skating federation that made that decision and it was based on Mirai's recent skating history at that time vs Ashley's.  People seem to forget that Mirai went through some rough years with her skating (along with her feelings about skating) so they were understandably leery of her.  

If anything they chose Polina over Mirai.

[MaryMitch]

1 hour ago, kittykat said:

As far as scoring goes, there appears to be the same issues as there are with gymnastics.  In Rio we all complained of the Chinese men turning in sloppy performances but still scoring 15 above because of high start values.  Now in figure skating everyone throws in jumps they can't complete but still get rewarded for.  I'm sorry but a fall is a fall, you haven't mastered a jump don't put it in your program.  A perfectly executed triple should not be ranked below a botched quad.  I'm not advocating playing it safe but I agree with those upthread that mistakes need to be further penalized.  Under rotate a quad and fall, get dinged not only as a fall but as a triple.  I remember skaters on the 6.0 system receiving nothing higher than a 5.5, usually less, if there was a fall.  I know it changed because the 6.0 system was more favorable to judge collusion but there is still scoring issues 16 years after Pairsgate so what have they really accomplished?

I like that idea. In a program that can consist of 100+ points (men's FS), a one point deduction is nothing.

[HartofDixie]

1 hour ago, COESpiral said:

No one’s posted about the new drama with Ashley Wagner?  She took to Twitter last night to talk about how she, too, was uncomfortable with this business of the Russian women totally backloading their programs. No diss to the girls personally, just talking about how the programs looked lopsided and boring. Well now the Russian higher ups are insulted and are throwing shade at her left, right, and center. Alexei Yagudin really pissed me off because he made it personal. If I can find the link to their comments, I’ll post. Ashley’s comments are on her Twitter page. 

I've never seen an alternate get as much attention during the Olympics as she has!  She's trying to copy what Gracie did during Nationals with the live tweeting and she's coming off super fake on her Instagram story feeds - you know she's still salty about not getting named to the team.

[displayname]

52 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

which includes Sotnikova coming out of the woodwork to defend the "art" of back loading

XD

 

This created a hilarious image in my mind.

Edited February 12, 2018 by fan94

[blackwing]

12 minutes ago, vibeology said:

I'm not an Ashley fan but I don't think she's wrong to say it. It's the current talk of the figure skating world, a world Ashley is a part of. There are figure skaters commenting for TV saying the exact same things. Why is it okay for Kurt Browning to call the programs unbalanced to an audience of millions (I don't actually know how many Canadians are watching) but not Ashley to tweet her thoughts to her thousands of followers? I didn't watch the NBC feed but I'd bet someone mentioned the backloaded program and expressed that they weren't fans there too. I'd personally think it would be tacky to comment if Ashley was there competing but she isn't and she went out of her way to praise Alina. Scoring and potential changes to the scoring system are always the hot debate around any Olympics. Ashley is a part of the figure skating community. I see no reason why she shouldn't be allowed to weigh in just because she's clashed with the judges in the past.

That's not what I have issues with about her comment.  I do agree with her about the unbalanced scoring.  

What I was pointing out is that she seems to be commenting just to get attention for herself.  Just like her comments about Mirai, she made it clear to let everyone know was "filming" so didn't actually see it.  She used Mirai's success as a way to promote herself.