Figure Skating

[Mellowyellow]

5 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

10 of the Biggest Figure Skating Controversies of All Time

Thanks for that! That was awesome!

[kittykat]

43 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Don't forget my favorite Olympic program ever:

 

YES!  I loved Phillip Candalero's D'artagnan performance.  If he hadn't messed up his short program this was the real gold medal performance.  I too was obsessed with figure skating back then.

[Vermicious Knid]

Olympic figure skating faces.

[NUguy514]

2 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

How do you think Davis/White’s Scheherazade compares to this Olympics Virtue/Moir? I was mesmerized by Davis/White and while I appreciate how much better Virtue/Moir are this Olympics, I don’t think it is still as good.

Scheherazade is probably my second favorite ice dance program after Bolero.  I thought (and think) D/W were absolute magic throughout that program, and I have no doubt they'd beat this year's V/M with it.  What I loved about D/W in their best programs is that their musicality, connection, and expression were never forced, and Scheherazade epitomized that; the only time I found V/M that effortless was in their Mahler program (which is among my favorite programs also).  D/W's Bollywood program is right behind Scheherazade and is the most fun ice dance program I can recall.

[displayname]

26 minutes ago, healthnut said:

 Since we are sharing videos on our off night, check out this Japanese phenom who does a triple axel/triple toe combination!

 

Also notable for having eight triples, and having actual choreography in her programs.

 

[zorak]

42 minutes ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Olympic figure skating faces.

That Adam Rippon picture is positively terrifying.  He looks mummified.  

[Souris]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

Don't forget my favorite Olympic program ever:

 

 

I wasn't a big Candeloro fan, but I LOVED that program. One of the absolute most memorable. The step sequence is amazeballs. Talk about building a character!

[P2C2E]

5 minutes ago, Souris said:

I wasn't a big Candeloro fan, but I LOVED that program. One of the absolute most memorable. The step sequence is amazeballs. Talk about building a character!

I'm pretty sure I still have that on VHS somewhere. I watched that routine over and over again. And then again. Thank gods for YouTube! 

[stealinghome]

25 minutes ago, zorak said:

That Adam Rippon picture is positively terrifying.  He looks mummified.  

I think Kolyada's face is creep city. He looks evil in addition to all out of proportion!

[displayname]

[displayname]

Also, whatever people's opinions of them, V/M deserve to win the OGM and the worlds medal (if they participate).

[Souris]

U.S. Team Relationship drama Buzzfeed article.

I love the Knierims so much for having a stroller for their cats.

[COESpiral]

Am I the only one that's really pulling for Papadakis/Cizeron to win in ice dance?  And if the Shib Sibs don't get third, for Hubbell/Dohohue to get it?  Arriight, then.

[twoods]

Nope, I’m pulling for them too. I like to see new blood on top. Hoping the Shibs sneak in for a bronze.

[methadonna]

16 hours ago, AAEBoiler said:

Going shallow here but Canadian skater Patrick Chan really has that "crazy eyes" thing going. He's freaking me out!

I actually texted my sister the second he got on the ice*, “Patrick Chan already looks like Data: who thought it would be a good idea to dress him up in a Star Trek costume?”

 

*We have little in common and sadly aren’t that close, but one of the things we always did together as kids was watch gymnastics and skating and share our based-on-nothing love and love-to-hate heroes and villains, screaming our otherwise-rarely synced views at their televised images at our sole color tv.

We don’t often talk/text just to shoot the shit, but we have during big competitions, apparently far less recently than I recalled: I was kinda devastated to learn she had no idea who or what I was talking about and didn’t even know about the team event. (Made me so thankful for everyone here!). I explained it as she finished putting her kids to bed, and she turned it on just in time to see Kostner skate. At the conclusion of which, she said, “Well that was enough to put me to sleep. Except now I’m gonna have nightmares about that outfit. You suck.” Knowing it would take the whole night to still not be able to explain how the next one up would be the team of the country banned from the Olympics anyway, I couldn’t really argue that she should stick it out (I have immense respect for Kostner, but that really was a snoozer).

 

Apropos nothing except skating and my sucking, as kids, while my (younger) sister was 99% of the time the one to torment me (mainly because I’d never dream of hurting her back; I mostly unintentionally tortured her by constantly trying to push a relationship that she never wanted), one of the one times I did do something intentionally “mean” to her (because I thought it was funny as hell ... and 30?!) years later, not gonna lie, still kinda do was: 

I think it must have been around the 1988 Olympics. Two of the biggest names from pop culture we had around our house were Debbie Gibson (ah, the ‘80s) and Debi Thomas (tear... and, also, ah, not knowing it wasn’t “Debbie,” which would have ruined the whole bit).

I convinced my sister that their real names were reversed—Gibson Debbie and Thomas Debbie—but they decided that it sounded better the other way around, so they got them changed, and they were actually sisters.

I don’t know why, but I thought this was some damn funny shit, playing “her sister’s” music to get psyched up before Debi competed, the whole shebang. Then the rest of the world and we moved on to the next singers, the next skaters, and I didn’t really think about it much for, oh, a few decades.

And, I kid you not, we were adults (it may have been as recent as when Debi Thomas’s mental health struggles first became well known) that I was recounting this silly little moment from our childhood to someone (with my mom and sister present), and my mom is cracking up, all “[Methasister] never even questioned one of the most ridiculous things you’ve ever said!” At which point, my poor sister (in her 30s now, mind you), piped up, like someone just let her in on the fact that the world isn’t flat, going, “Wait, you mean they’re not really sisters?”

 

ETA If this were all today (or social media of today was back then), maybe there’d be an entire Secret Debbie Sisters Blog and mythology. Thankfully my mindfucking was limited to my family and not unleashed to be exponentially proliferated by the true crazies of teh Interwebz.

Edited February 13, 2018 by methadonna

[riley702]

Speaking of the '88 Olympics, one of my favorites did poorly there (Kurt Browning, eighth place), but he must have peaked just a bit later that year, as just a month later, he landed the first quad jump in competition. One year later, he started his 3 year run as World Champion. I loved his footwork. He was the personification of grace and strength. This is one of my favorite of his performances, in '97. He did 3 double axels in a row and his footwork is unreal.

Edited February 13, 2018 by riley702

[Minneapple]

Okay so here are some of the programs I watched tonight:

Davis/White -- Bollywood, 2010 Olympics long program
Kim Yuna -- her brilliant long program in the 2010 Olympics
Yuna -- her long program in the 2014 Olympics. SHE WUZ ROBBED.
Michelle Kwan -- Tosca, 2004 US Nationals. Probably nobody should ever skate to Tosca again.
Kwan -- Fields of Gold, Olympics exhibition 2002. Moves me to tears every time.
Kwan -- Lyra Angelica, 1998 US Nationals. Do you guys sense a theme? I love Michelle Kwan, the way she melts into the music and conveys her emotions on the ice. 
Sasha Cohen - short and long programs from Torino. After nailing her short program, Sasha went and splatted her long program. You could see terror in her eyes before the long program even started. At least she fell right away, not delaying the inevitable. Sasha had a lovely spiral sequence and was more artistic than I'd remembered.
Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan and Oksana Baiul, 1994 Olympics. Just because. We all know why. Oksana's poofy pink thing was hilarious. And it appears Tonya had a rash on her cheeks or got really excited about the fuschia-colored blush.
Surya Bonaly -- 1998 Nagano Olympics. THE BACKFLIP OMG. I remember watching with my dormmates and we all gasped when this happened. 
Thank you for that Phillippe Candeloro program @scarynikki12! What a fun program! 

[HartofDixie]

Pairs Preview

[methodwriter85]

The team event was a new thing at Socchi, right? I definitely remember that most of the skaters at the team event in Socchi weren't really THAT into the whole team thing (especially Gold, Wagner, and Abbott) and they were kind of treating it like a warm-up to the real event. They win bronze again this time but it seems like this team appreciates it more. Interesting. Adam and Mirai seem like the leaders this time around and the vibe feels a lot different.

[Mellowyellow]

Does anyone here know much more about Sasha Cohen and give me some goss?

I don't know much about her other than that I thought she was a beautiful skater and was so sad for her when she fell. I remember reading a few articles afterwards which implied she was a choker? Was she? She looked so beautiful on ice! 

[EllenB]

I don't seem to be able to do links from my phone since I am a tech-challenged geezer, but my favorite Olympic skating moment was Paul Wylie's breakout performance that won a silver.  I think his LP score was actually higher than Viktor Petrenko's.  Wylie had been around for years and had some nice routines, but always choked on jumps at Nationals.  He was the third member on the U.S. team and I don't think anyone expected much from him.  The two "stars" of the team were a party animal who pretty much decided to wing it on his routine after not practicing, and failed miserably (Bowman?), and a guy whose name I don't remember who turned his impressive Nationals routine to "West Side Story" into a splatfest.  So I am always hoping that someone will come out of obscurity and have a similar memorable, perfect star-making routine as Wylie did.

[Jaded]

3 minutes ago, EllenB said:

I don't seem to be able to do links from my phone since I am a tech-challenged geezer, but my favorite Olympic skating moment was Paul Wylie's breakout performance that won a silver.  I think his LP score was actually higher than Viktor Petrenko's.  Wylie had been around for years and had some nice routines, but always choked on jumps at Nationals.  He was the third member on the U.S. team and I don't think anyone expected much from him.  The two "stars" of the team were a party animal who pretty much decided to wing it on his routine after not practicing, and failed miserably (Bowman?), and a guy whose name I don't remember who turned his impressive Nationals routine to "West Side Story" into a splatfest.  So I am always hoping that someone will come out of obscurity and have a similar memorable, perfect star-making routine as Wylie did.

Here you go...
 

[Jaded]

[Jeddah]

Looking back at these videos I really think skaters should think, “This is the Olympics. People will rewatch this for a long time. Is this the costume I want to be wearing? Will it hold up over time?”

Paul Wylie’s costume is plain, but holds up 26 years later. Ilia Kulik’s was bad at the time, and looks like an even worse choice in retrospect. Stephane Lambiel’s zebra costume from 2006 was another one that I will never understand. Oksana’s fuzzy scrunchie did not age well, but Nancy's dress did. I think Virtues and Moir’s 2010 costumes were perfect for that performance. Dick Button’s tux will never go out of style. I wish people would pick things a little more timeless.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Jeddah

[Mumbles]

I'm a little tired of the Adam Rippon PR spin. "Four years ago Mirai and I were eating In-and-Out Burgers and crying because we weren't at the Olympics." Uh, you came in fifth at Nationals and she had come in third and had been replaced by the fourth place skater, so you two weren't exactly similarly situated. It's as if he's trying to make people forget that he came in fourth at THIS Nationals as well, and is on the team in lieu of the guy who came in second. 

[EllenB]

2 hours ago, Jaded said:

Here you go...
 

Oh, thank you!  Okay, there were a few very tiny bobbles on the jumps, but for sheer artistry, very few skaters have measured up.  The way the programs are all about the math now, there's no time for those gorgeous extended moves anymore.

[mtlchick]

10 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

Don't forget my favorite Olympic program ever:

 

Zut alors!  That takes me back.  

 

Quote

Speaking of the '88 Olympics, one of my favorites did poorly there (Kurt Browning, eighth place)

Kurt Browning never being able to medal at the Olympics is one of the most "Why? WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO YOU!" frustration moments I've ever had.  I'll always remember his tearful apology to Canada after he bombed out in the short program in 1994.  Then with nothing left to lose, had probably his greatest skate ever in the long program. 

[Quof]

And someone faxed him a hug.  

[Growsonwalls]

Speaking of triple axels, Johnny Weir when he was in shape and disciplined had one of those most beautiful triple axels. Great edge takeoff, height, air position, landing. 

Actually I wonder what Johnny Weir feels sometimes when he watches and commentates on skating. Part of him has to feel some regret that he had such prodigious talent but did not ever develop the discipline and work ethic to go to the very top. Because his basic skating skills were without reproach.

[ChicksDigScars]

12 hours ago, caracas1914 said:

I don’t see the big deal, you limit the number of the same triples/quads  a skater can do (once as a single and once in combination) so I don’t see why you couldn’t limit a Tano or Rippon to say 2 jumps in a program.   Ditto on backloading, make it a maximum of say 4 jumps you can do in the bonus time.

So much THIS. 

And I'm with you on the Bollywood train. That was such an awesome dance! When I think of Meryl and Charlie, THAT is the dance that immediately comes to mind.  If that had been performed in an Olympics not held on Canadian soil, or even U.S. soil, but someplace neutral to both pairs....

 

Didn't realize that Todd Sand is the Pairs technical specialist in these Olympics.

 

Alas, the 2010 ice dance competition will forever be in my mind as the year that they HAD to put a non-North American couple on the podium, and we were subjected to THIS. The opposite of "timeless." (shout out to Mumbles)

 

Edited February 13, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[HartofDixie]

Had to go back to watch this!

[kitmerlot1213]

10 hours ago, COESpiral said:

Am I the only one that's really pulling for Papadakis/Cizeron to win in ice dance?  And if the Shib Sibs don't get third, for Hubbell/Dohohue to get it?  Arriight, then.

No, I'm right there with you.  I know I'm getting annoyed by the over-hyping Virtue/Moir are getting from Terry and Tanith--the individual competition hasn't even started yet and the commentators are acting like the gold is theirs.  P/C haven't had their chance to wow the judges yet and I have no doubt it will be epic.  And as much as I love Hubbell/Donohue, I hope the Shibs get a bronze medal.

[Avaleigh]

11 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Does anyone here know much more about Sasha Cohen and give me some goss?

I don't know much about her other than that I thought she was a beautiful skater and was so sad for her when she fell. I remember reading a few articles afterwards which implied she was a choker? Was she? She looked so beautiful on ice! 

Sasha is one my favorite skaters of all time but yes, YES. She was a legendary choker.

In 2000 when she was 15 and competing in her first nationals as a senior, she had a gorgeous short program and actually beat the seasoned veteran Michelle Kwan with it. Sasha had a beautiful long that year and it was full of excitement and originality. She hit every jump except the last one (a triple toe.) She blew an easy jump and had to settle for second.

In 2001 she was going to try a quad salchow at some grand prix event. She popped it and spent the rest of the program in a psychological funk. 

In 2002 in Salt Lake she had a beautiful short program and seemed to have a realistic shot at a medal. She missed her triple lutz triple toe combo but otherwise had a great skate. I still feel that she should have been third. I personally think she was penalized for being new to the international scene. 

When she skated to her Rachmaninoff program in (I think) 2003 (?) She actually hit all of her opening jumps including the triple lutz triple toe combo only to have this weird two hand touch down on her flying camel after slipping off her edge. It was bizarre and it must have messed up her focus because the next thing you know she's missing a triple toe.

Actually, come to think of it, she missed the triple toe a lot. No idea what her issue was with that jump.

In 2004 at worlds she had a beautiful swan lake program and it didn't feel tired. (This was during her brief Robin Wagner period.) She had an awesome opening and it really looked like she was going to make it happen but she missed two jumping passes late in the program so that was that.

Once when she was skating to her Malaguena short program she hit all of the jumps but fell at tge end of her straight line footwork. Lol, she never disappointed in the choking department. 

In 2005 she had the gorgeous Nutcracker program but blew it at the major events.

In 2006 at Nationals she won but it wasn't with a perfect performance. 

In Torino, she crashed and burned right out of the gate. She was able to save the program but it was a real shame because she should have done a clean program. She would have easily won. Her short program was fire in that Olympics.

Sasha and Alissa Czisny are my two coulda woulda shoulda skaters. 

Alissa's Valse Triste program was one of the most tragic things I've ever seen on the ice. I think she fell five times. So sad that she couldn't get it together mentally.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Avaleigh

[Jeddah]

52 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

Had to go back to watch this!

I love this performances so much! She did 6 triples there, and it was awesome. The other night she did 8! I am so impressed by her.

[SeanC]

1 hour ago, ChicksDigScars said:

And I'm with you on the Bollywood train. That was such an awesome dance! When I think of Meryl and Charlie, THAT is the dance that immediately comes to mind.  If that had been performed in an Olympics not held on Canadian soil, or even U.S. soil, but someplace neutral to both pairs....

Such as the 2010 World Championships, where they also came second?

There isn’t any reason to think the choice of venue was a factor.

[galaxygirl76]

Does anyone think the North Korean pair has a shot at a medal?

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Does anyone think the North Korean pair has a shot at a medal?

No.

[annzeepark914]

In 2000 when she was 15 and competing in her first nationals as a senior, she had a gorgeous short program and actually beat the seasoned veteran Michelle Kwan with it. Sasha had a beautiful long that year and it was full of excitement and originality. She hit every jump except the last one (an easy triple toe.) She blew an easy triple toe and had to settle for second.

I do believe this was the beginning of the Bitch Face saga.  Young Sasha skated a gorgeous SP and everyone was raving about her.  Then came the LP and the look on her face when Kwan beat her and won Nationals was memorable (and in my memory, was the first of the bitch face scenes in figure skating but I could be missing any earlier ones if they occurred).  The next Bitch Face, I think, was Gracie Gold (along with her sister).  I think it was a similar situation, not positive, in which she won the SP, people raved, and then Ashley beat her in the LP and won Nationals.  Ashley went over to give her the traditional hug and Gracie, looking furious, wouldn't even stand up.  The third was most recently--Hubble/Donohue (mostly Donohue's face - wow!) after the Shibs beat them in the SD at Nationals.  People have long snickered at all the bland things that skaters say about their own performances and also how they comport themselves but these bitch faces can really live on.

[Mumbles]

Quote

Actually I wonder what Johnny Weir feels sometimes when he watches and commentates on skating. Part of him has to feel some regret that he had such prodigious talent but did not ever develop the discipline and work ethic to go to the very top. Because his basic skating skills were without reproach.

At the time, I think Johnny thought he was never one of the "favorites", and he may be right. In Vancouver in 2010, Patrick Chan had a horrible free skate - I think he had to stop the program to tie his laces - and he *still* placed higher than Johnny, who had a great free skate. I remember Johnny commenting at the time, if that program placed higher than mine, I have no future in competition. I also remember snarky comments from commentators and others about Johnny's "flamboyance" (dog whistle) and even his using Russian coaches (I remember that horrid little mole-woman Jamie Sale snarking on Johnny gravitating toward Russian coaches along the lines that he should just become Russian already.)

[herbz]

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

Such as the 2010 World Championships, where they also came second?

There isn’t any reason to think the choice of venue was a factor.

Yeah- D/W's Bollywood had been fractionally winning over V/M's Flamenco during the Grand Prix circuit because V/M kept making stupid mistakes (they always were more inconsistent) and couldn't get it down. The second they went totally clean at Vancouver and then at Worlds, they scored higher, as they should've done. The Bollywood was tremendous fun, but again that Farrucas was much more intricate choreography. Location had zip to do with it- it was in Turin that year iirc. 

Edited February 13, 2018 by herbz

[cleo]

As a Canadian that never really paid much attn to figure skating, the virtue/moir dance blew me away. Can anyone recommend any other good performances of theirs? Or should i just dive into youtube

Also am I the only person that hates cbc's site and can't navigate it? Particularly looking for events after they air. Bc half of it is happening overnight. Not sure if it's me or what.

Edited February 13, 2018 by cleo

[herbz]

21 minutes ago, cleo said:

As a Canadian that never really paid much attn to figure skating, the virtue/moir dance blew me away. Can anyone recommend any other good performances of theirs? Or should i just dive into youtube

Also am I the only person that hates cbc's site and can't navigate it? Particularly looking for events after they air. Bc half of it is happening overnight. Not sure if it's me or what.

 

Aha! This I can do- start with their 2010 free dance to Mahler's Symphony #5, then if you want a total contrast last year's short dance to Prince was a total masterclass. Their Carmen (it was so difficult they never quite got it right, but 2013 Worlds is the best performance of it) is most similar in vein to Moulin Rouge. Their 2014 short dance to Dream A Little Dream includes what remains IMO the best non touching step sequence of all time. 

They have great programs from their earlier years too- 2008's Umbrellas of Cherbourg and 2007's Assassin's Tango (if you ignore Tessa's terrible red hair) were wonderful. They were also pretty darn great at compulsories- 2010's Tango Romantica was the best. 

And just because it's cute, their Cutting Edge style exhibition from 2010 is worth a watch.

Edit: Oh and their Hip Hip Chin Chin free dance from 2011! Puts every one of the Latin shorts from this year (including their own tbh) to shame. Tessa's dancing in the first 30 seconds is just a marvel.

Edited February 13, 2018 by herbz

[Growsonwalls]

You might be right about Johnny not being a judge's favorite. However he was a very inconsistent skater and Vancouver was one of the few times he put in two clean b2b programs. With some skaters you can see the technical deficiencies that cause the inconsistency -- Ashley Wagner and her underrotation, Patrick Chan and his wonky edge takeoff in the triple axel. With Weir his basic skating skills were so strong (his spins among the fastest and most centered of all the male dancers) that his lack of consistency was puzzling. I remember he gave some interviews where he said his diet was "ambien and coffee." 

I do like his commentary though. You can tell this is someone who knows his skating. 

[Mumbles]

I love Johnny as a commentator. I like how he comments too on the presentation, including costumes, music choice, etc. If we can't have Dick Button, we can at least have Johnny.  And I think he strikes the right balance in the frequency of his comments. He's not jabbering through the performance.

48 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I do believe this was the beginning of the Bitch Face saga

Yes! On another (now defunct) TV comment board a lot of us had fun having imagining Sasha say "Bitch, please" in various scenarios.

[kili]

Quote

Also am I the only person that hates cbc's site and can't navigate it? Particularly looking for events after they air.

I'm finding it very easy to navigate, but maybe I just stumbled upon the path.

1. Go to www.cbc.ca. There is a blue banner near the top with some vidoes. Click on the link underneath labelled "More PyeongChang 2018 videos"

2. That takes you to the video Overview page. From any of the CBC's Olympic pages, you can also find the "Video" tab on the far left.

3. There is a scrolling list of full Events as the top row of videos. Those durations are usually in the 2-4 hour range. If it is a live event, they will skip to the event in progress, but you can replay any part of it by dragging the bar back (and click "Go Live" to return to live. Make your own replays). The video has little dots above the time bar denoting the "important" parts of the event (namely, when a round/competition begins or when a Canadian performs. For the team skating events, it's one long stream for that night, but dots appear when each round starts). Usually, the dots are about a minute or two before the "important" part. If the event has already been completed,. it will start you at the beginning of the event. It usually looks like an empty event because they start about 20 minutes before the event. You can click to the end part of the video bar and then you will see all the dots for the "important" events (so it is easy to find the "start of event" dot - it will be the first dot).  The dots only appear when you are past the time they appear in the video. There are usually about 16 videos in that scrolling right bar encompassing the past day or two.

4. To find videos for a specific sport, pick the "Full Event Replays" video tab  from a CBC Olympic's page. and select the event. Here is the figure skating full event replay page. You can also filter by date instead of sport.

[ChicksDigScars]

2 hours ago, SeanC said:

Such as the 2010 World Championships, where they also came second?

There isn’t any reason to think the choice of venue was a factor.

It usually is. Look at how many home teams get a boost from hosting the Olympics.  Medal counts go up across the board, not just in the subjectively judged sports. Home field advantage actually IS a natural factor. Excitement. Being in front of your home fans. The crowds being loud and in your favor (and in Sochi, not even cheering for the opposition at all). Adrenaline. It all factors in. And I think we've all seen home cooking when it comes to subjectively scored sports. Or referees calls and non-calls in team sports. 

I meant that MAYBE it would have been different. Not that it WOULD HAVE. 

 

Quote

I do believe this was the beginning of the Bitch Face saga

Well, Ashley  has picked up that baton and run with it. If she's done with competitive skating, perhaps she can hand off to Madison Hubble? Just score the Shibs higher than her, and the face literally melts down, like the Michael Jackson video. What song was that where the faces just kinda melted into each other? Black or White? 

 

Alex Shibutani went on a little Twitter rant. Nothing controversial, but I wonder if he's a little tired of the "you have no connection because you're siblings," and "you can't do the face clutching romance dances that are currently in style" crap. Because he does mention that (sort of). Perhaps now that he has an Olympic medal, he feels free to get a little off his chest? "You don’t have to be, or skate like anyone else. You don’t have to fit the mold or follow the path that everyone else is on."  Yup. Applause, Alex. 

Edited February 13, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[Good Queen Jane]

With all the fuss over Adam's Xanax and drink comment, I wonder if Johnny Weir is reliving his own controversy when he described Ryan Bradley's skating style as " like vodka shots and snorting coke." The USFSA doesn't like its skaters to know about evil alcohol and drugs. Stay in school, kids, and don't do drugs.

[kittykat]

4 hours ago, mtlchick said:

Zut alors!  That takes me back.  

 

Kurt Browning never being able to medal at the Olympics is one of the most "Why? WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO YOU!" frustration moments I've ever had.  I'll always remember his tearful apology to Canada after he bombed out in the short program in 1994.  Then with nothing left to lose, had probably his greatest skate ever in the long program. 

Yeah poor guy.  I looked at the stats and he had the 3rd best skate behind Alexei and Elvis.  Even with his 12 th after short he still finished fifth, which was an amazing recovery under the ordinal system.

 

Todd Eldredge would be the American equivalent.  Excelled at National and World's but bombed out come Olympic time.

[Mumbles]

28 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Nothing controversial, but I wonder if he's a little tired of the "you have no connection because you're siblings," and "you can't do the face clutching romance dances that are currently in style" crap. Because he does mention that. Perhaps now that he has an Olympic medal, he feels free to get a little off his chest? "You don’t have to be, or skate like anyone else. You don’t have to fit the mold or follow the path that everyone else is on."  Yup. Applause, Alex. 

I guess the young'uns don't remember the delightful Carruthers sibs who won Silver in pairs (not dancing but same idea re "connecting") at the 1984 Olympics. IIRC, the best showing by any American pair since. 

A few Olympics ago there was a sib dancing team from the UK named the Carpenters (not Karen and Richard thank goodness) who were also delightful.

[Avaleigh]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

I do believe this was the beginning of the Bitch Face saga.  Young Sasha skated a gorgeous SP and everyone was raving about her.  Then came the LP and the look on her face when Kwan beat her and won Nationals was memorable (and in my memory, was the first of the bitch face scenes in figure skating but I could be missing any earlier ones if they occurred).  The next Bitch Face, I think, was Gracie Gold (along with her sister).  I think it was a similar situation, not positive, in which she won the SP, people raved, and then Ashley beat her in the LP and won Nationals.  Ashley went over to give her the traditional hug and Gracie, looking furious, wouldn't even stand up.  The third was most recently--Hubble/Donohue (mostly Donohue's face - wow!) after the Shibs beat them in the SD at Nationals.  People have long snickered at all the bland things that skaters say about their own performances and also how they comport themselves but these bitch faces can really live on.

In terms of people not being gracious about not winning I immediately think of Surya Bonaly at worlds in 1994. She wouldn't even get on the podium until she was forced on. Then she took of her medal and got booed for it. 

Maria Butyrskaya is another one who comes to mind. 

Plushenko after Evan's win was memorable. Talk about being sour.

Ashley definitely gave the bitch face in Sochi. 

Christopher Dean was legit pissed in Lillehammer after the free dance but I understood his frustration and to his credit, he pulled it together during the ceremony.

Elvis Stojko was ticked in Lillehammer too. 

Lloyd Eisler made a crude comment in the kiss and cry where he said he didn't "give a rat's ass" about the judges scores. 

Mao didn't give a bitch face in 2010 but she definitely looked sad.

Michelle looked like she got slapped in the face in 1998 and it was obvious she'd been crying. 

1 minute ago, Mumbles said:

I guess the young'uns don't remember the delightful Carruthers sibs who won Silver in pairs (not dancing but same idea re "connecting") at the 1984 Olympics. IIRC, the best showing by any American pair since. 

A few Olympics ago there was a sib dancing team from the UK named the Carpenters (not Karen and Richard thank goodness) who were also delightful.

I remember the Hartsells being around for a bit. in the 90s. I think Danielle might have had some body/weight issues. Her brother eventually got another partner IIRC.

I also remember people wanting the Stieglers to happen after the Olympic Festival back when that event was still around. Tiffany was a stronger skater than Johnny though and they fizzled out. I think she did dance for awhile.