Figure Skating

[Good Queen Jane]

6 minutes ago, Quof said:

Since it was mentioned that Rippon went to him specifically for the triple axel, has Patrick tried that?  Is there anyone who can help him with the triple axel?  Preferable before the free skate

After the last Olympics, Patrick took a year off. When he came back, his coaches were Kathy Johnson and then Marina Zoueva, both of whom are better known as dance coaches. Obviously jumps are not their specialty. I always wonder why he did that.

And Quof, come sit by me and we will talk behind the young whippersnappers backs.

[displayname]

3 minutes ago, Moxie Cat said:

No, there are just more accurate (and callous) ways it could be spun: "Will Nathan Chen be able to fight his way back? Or will Adam Rippon come out on top?" I just hated that it was so painfully inaccurate.

This is kind of evidence as far as I am concerned that the hype train was there just for the benefit of the media and no one else. They don't care.

[Jeddah]

20 minutes ago, surreysmum said:

[Conversation re: Brian Orser]

This is so true, and so much of it can depend on what stage a skater is in their career, and what they really need from a coach at that time: perhaps particular technical problems need a solution - as I recall, Adam Rippon went to Brian for a while specifically for help with his triple axel  - or the need for a particular type of training environment (more supportive, more bracing, presence of near-rivals to spur one on, absence of the distraction and conflict of near-rivals), or there may be a need (real or perceived) for the influence of working with a "name" coach. I think there are mistakes to be avoided on both ends of the spectrum of "keeping a coach": who remembers sighing heavily as Nicole Bobek worked her way through every coach on the planet like a hot knife through butter? But I could also point to cases where loyalty to a first or early coach contributed to serious problems (Emanuel Sandhu jumps to mind).  I remember always being a little perplexed when people praised Brian Boitano's steadfast loyalty to Linda Leaver as a virtue in itself.  It was certainly good judgment for Boitano (clearly it worked extremely well for him), but it wouldn't necessarily work for the next skater. At least skaters have a fairly open choice, as opposed to, say, the system the American women gymnasts have had to work with for the last couple of decades, where, regardless of coach of record, their primary career decisions depended on the opinions of one mega-coach, Marta Karolyi.  (I suppose I should qualify that statement a bit to "Western skaters" - I don't really know how much flexibility elite Russian skaters have these days in choosing their coaching strategy).

Anyway, all this is merely from the viewpoint of an interested outside observer.  But it seems to me that Orser's results can't be just pure luck; he must be doing something right for a pretty large percentage of his skaters.

I am fascinated by the relationships between skaters and coaches. I love Shoma’s coach who just seems so enthusiastic all the time. But, then again, so does Shoma.

This season I started thinking Jason Brown needs to leave Kori Ade if he ever wants to have a consistent quad. She has made him into a wonderful skater, but she hasn’t been able to teach him that. It’s got to be hard though to leave someone who has brought you to that level.

[Quof]

Good Queen Jane, I remember gasping in front of my tv when Underhill and Martini fell in Sarajevo.  Top that. 

[kittykat]

3 minutes ago, fan94 said:

This is kind of evidence as far as I am concerned that the hype train was there just for the benefit of the media and no one else. They don't care.

I wonder if it's in the media's head to hype up the Americans because if the viewers don't think the Americans don't have a chance to medal (which, barring disaster from the Top 5, they don't) then people won't watch.  This of course is total bs.  As we've complained about games after games, we Americans do actually watch and root for other countries (I KNOW ?) so it's just the media being the media.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Unpopular opinion: I can’t stand Hanyu. I have never liked that guy. I’m probably biased, but other than his jumps, which were incredible, I was bored and zoning out during his SP. I hope Javier (or Shoma, or anyone) spanks him in the long. Probably won’t happen, but I can dream.

Same here. Look - I easily recognize how talented Hanyu is. I'm just not a fan of the overly-dramatic, operatic style of skating. It leaves me emotionally disconnected. It's like looking at a famous portrait or something. Yeah, it's pretty and it's impressive, but I'm not entertained. I much prefer the showmanship of a skater like Javier Fernandez or Adam Rippon. They really connect with the audience and make me feel like they're skating for the audience instead of the judges or themselves or "artistry" or whatever. 

I've always felt that way - it's just a personal preference. Don't like the classical piano concerto type numbers, much prefer the show numbers. I even liked that French guy in the first group who did the taxi number. 

[Good Queen Jane]

6 minutes ago, Quof said:

Good Queen Jane, I remember gasping in front of my tv when Underhill and Martini fell in Sarajevo.  Top that. 

Quof, I had a Dorothy Hamill haircut (although I was a mere slip of a girl). And I was cheering in front of my TV for Scott Hamilton in Sarajevo.

[doodlebug]

23 minutes ago, Quof said:

Good Queen Jane, I remember gasping in front of my tv when Underhill and Martini fell in Sarajevo.  Top that. 

I'm not Good Queen Jane, but I remember watching Peggy Fleming win gold in '68.  And Dorothy Hamill in '76.  And on and on.  I saw Peggy in the Ice Follies or Capades, whichever one she joined, on more than one occasion.  My scout troop went every year.

I always loved Underhill and Martini, one of my favorite pairs, ever.  I really prefer the more athletic pairs to the artsy ones.

Edited February 16, 2018 by doodlebug

[HartofDixie]

The Skating Lesson: This and That: 2018 Olympic Games Team Event with Kimmie Meissner

[doodlebug]

10 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

Quof, I had a Dorothy Hamill haircut (although I was a mere slip of a girl). And I was cheering in front of my TV for Scott Hamilton in Sarajevo.

Did you use her shampoo?  'For the short and sassy look!'

Scottie didn't skate his best in Sarajevo, but I loved the little sprite.

[shoregirl]

I wonder if Nathan had skated better or even  skipped the team event would he have preformed better here.  By that I mean he skated poorly (bad ice conditions or not) so now he is coming into the event maybe a little tight because he obviously doesn't want that to happen again then he falls on the first jump then it just snowballs from there . Instead of shaking off a bad skate or bad jump he couldnt let it go till it ends in disaster .  A lot of high level athletes have sports psychologist because it's not only physical training but mental training too.  Perhaps Nathan would benefit from that. I feel bad for him he looked so sad I hope he can have a clean free skate for himself and go into worlds with a clear head.

[selkie]

I wonder how Ross Miner is feeling today 

[displayname]

Jun Hwan Cha was short-changed. I liked his skating more than Chan's. If Aliev could make the final group, Cha could've too.

 

(Though objectively I guess he didn't have the content to compete, and was definitely less good than Chan at PCS.)

[BitterApple]

Nathan comes across to me as one of those kids who over-thinks everything and gets hung up on his mistakes as opposed to what he did right. When you have that personality type it can be extremely hard to shrug off a bad skate and start fresh the next day. It certainly didn't help that he followed Hanyu's epic performance and had to wait while the teddy bear tsunami was cleared from the ice. 

Edited February 16, 2018 by BitterApple

[kili]

Quote

I wonder if Nathan had skated better or even  skipped the team event would he have preformed better here. 

Kurt suggested that, after what happened in the team short program, that team America should have had Nathan skate the team long program. It would have given him the opportunity to shake off the nerves with a different skate. As it was, he was returning to the same ice to skate the same program a week later. That had to be on his mind.

Olympics are so important they play mind games. If Nathan returns for the next Olympics, the pressure will be even harder for him to redeem himself. You have to believe you can land the jump to land the jump.

I sympathize.

For tonight, he should take a page from Kurt's playbook after his disastrous Olympic short. Tonight, he should concentrate on skating for himself and his fans. He's realistically out of the running for the medals, so just forget about the marks and remember why he went into skating in the first place. Fly across the ice and enjoy the movement.

Edited February 16, 2018 by kili

[Growsonwalls]

AFAIK Brian is fairly open that he accepts skaters who already have solid strong technique but need to get over a hump to be the best in the world. In the case of Yuna, she was 15, spectacularly talented, but worn down and burned out by skating. So Brian Orser is more of a "finisher" type coach. In other words, he would have been the perfect coach for maybe Gracie Gold, who had technique for days but obviously a severe mental block during competitions. Maybe not so much for Ashley Wagner, whose underrotation of jumps has been a consistent problem throughout her career.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

I have never liked that guy. I’m probably biased, but other than his jumps, which were incredible, I was bored and zoning out during his SP.

There was an utter stillness about that program that made it breath-taking. It wasn't an in-your-face program like Adam's but rather it was like he was a music speaker and the music went through him to the other side.  Notice that when he landed one of his jumps, he went immediately into a spread eagle or footwork.  Notice how his arm movements during his spins accompanied the music.  It's one of those performances where the more you watch it, the more you see in it. IMHO, of course.

[TheWereCow]

Quote

I have put up with so much nonsense from Andrea Joyce over the years as a gymnastics fan that anyone who wishes to troll her inane questions during live interviews is a hero in my eyes.

As I always say, it's not an Olympic Games until Andrea Joyce has tried to make an athlete cry. 

[CherryMalotte]

46 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

I had a Dorothy Hamill haircut (although I was a mere slip of a girl)

Yup, third and fourth grade.  And it did not look good on me, though I luckily had poker straight hair.  Gawd I hated it.

There could be a myriad of reasons why Nathan had a bad skate.  What it all just comes down to was my mom's fave bumper sticker - shit happens.  And it always happens an an inopportune time, for example in front of millions of viewers and fellow competitors.   As hard as it is, you have to getcher ass up and go on.  At the age he is it always feels like it's the end of the world when you fail.  I hope he's got the support system to help him.

Nicole Bobek!  I always think of her wistfully - when she was good she was very very good, and when she was bad...well we all know that story.  She needed training discipline, and I'm sorry she never had that one person she would have heeded.  Maybe Fassi, if he had lived....   

Edited February 16, 2018 by CherryMalotte
spelling is a good thing...

[BitterApple]

I think Adam's and Hanyu's performances suited their styles and personalities brilliantly. Adam's was flashy, upbeat and in-your-face, while Hanyu was ethereal, elegant and composed. Depending on your personal preference, I can see why viewers would favor one over the other, but both men undeniably knocked it out of the park last night.

Edited February 16, 2018 by BitterApple

[tanyak]

2 hours ago, kittykat said:

I wonder if it's in the media's head to hype up the Americans because if the viewers don't think the Americans don't have a chance to medal (which, barring disaster from the Top 5, they don't) then people won't watch.  This of course is total bs.  As we've complained about games after games, we Americans do actually watch and root for other countries (I KNOW ?) so it's just the media being the media.

I do think there's some truth to that. Take the World Cup. When the U.S. failed to qualify last fall, I'm sure the leadership at Fox Sports fainted. They paid millions upon millions of dollars for the rights this summer, banking on the huge following the 2014 team had. With the U.S. out, the casual fan probably isn't going to bother to tune in with any regularity. We will because Mr. Tanyak loves soccer and I've grown to love it as well. He was going to root for Mexico and Spain either way, but would have been happy to see the U.S. do well. But the casual fan isn't settling in to watch France and Ghana.

I think it's like that with Olympic sports. Unless you are a die-hard fan of a particular sport, many people aren't going to tune in to watch people from countries you don't follow. I absolutely understand why the American athlete/team is hyped up. 

Edited February 16, 2018 by tanyak

[displayname]

1 minute ago, BitterApple said:

while Hanyu was ethereal, elegant and composed.

XD This isn't him at all.

[Enero]

12 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

There was an utter stillness about that program that made it breath-taking. It wasn't an in-your-face program like Adam's but rather it was like he was a music speaker and the music went through him to the other side.  Notice that when he landed one of his jumps, he went immediately into a spread eagle or footwork.  Notice how his arm movements during his spins accompanied the music.  It's one of those performances where the more you watch it, the more you see in it. IMHO, of course.

This. The choreography was brilliant. Every movement blatant and subtle was perfectly time to the nuances in the music. I'm assuming David Wilson was the genius behind the choreography since he worked on so many of Brian's skaters programs? 

[herbz]

14 minutes ago, TheWereCow said:

As I always say, it's not an Olympic Games until Andrea Joyce has tried to make an athlete cry. 

Will never get over her mishandling of the Wieber/Raisman/Douglas AA mess in 2012. Poor Jordyn was bawling right there.

[displayname]

2 minutes ago, Enero said:

This. The choreography was brilliant. Every movement blatant and subtle was perfectly time to the nuances in the music. I'm assuming David Wilson was the genius behind the choreography since he worked on so many of Brian's skaters programs? 

David Wilson and Hanyu didn't work out. It's Jeff Buttle.

 

No wonder it's filled with transitions. Also the genius behind Yuna's Roxanne SP.

Edited February 16, 2018 by fan94

[absnow54]

I wonder how Ross Miner is feeling today

I don't think Ross Miner can really feel vindicated, since he was passed over for Adam Rippon, who did his job at the team event, and is currently the best performing US skater in the men's competition (although if Zhou lands his jumps and doesn't get under rotations on them, he'll probably come out on top for the US men) and has become an NBC Olympics Darling. It's possible that Miner could have Rippon's place in the standings right now, but Adam Rippon's SP has been stronger than his, and Miner's LP is only better than Rippon's when he nails his quad.

Edited February 16, 2018 by absnow54

[galaxygirl76]

3 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

Adam Rippon on Quiet Starvation in Men’s Figure Skating

That's just awful. Reading how judges told Brian Boitano that he had to lose weight is so sick. 

Edited February 16, 2018 by galaxygirl76

[ChicksDigScars]

51 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Did you use her shampoo?  'For the short and sassy look!'

Scottie didn't skate his best in Sarajevo, but I loved the little sprite.

My mother made me get that haircut. It didn't matter that Dorothy had straight hair and I didn't.  My hair winged out and curled. I looked like a boy so much that the movers who packed my room saw me and wrote "Boy's Room" on all the boxes, even though my walls were pink and I had a flowered bedspread (my mother tired to turn me into a girl, and all I wanted to do was climb trees and play kickball with the boys). 

I believe that I told my mother, "The next time you see a cute hair cut on TV, YOU try it."

[HartofDixie]

54 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I don't think Ross Miner can really feel vindicated, since he was passed over for Adam Rippon, who did his job at the team event, and is currently the best performing US skater in the men's competition (although if Zhou lands his jumps and doesn't get under rotations on them, he'll probably come out on top for the US men) and has become an NBC Olympics Darling. It's possible that Miner could have Rippon's place in the standings right now, but Adam Rippon's SP has been stronger than his, and Miner's LP is only better than Rippon's when he nails his quad.

The last spot was actually between Ross, Vincent, and Jason.

 

[stealinghome]

1 hour ago, tanyak said:

I think it's like that with Olympic sports. Until you are a die-hard fan of a particular sport, many people aren't going to tune in to watch people from countries you don't follow. I absolutely understand why the American athlete/team is hyped up. 

Agreed. I think there are individual sports diehards, and then the Olympics (as opposed to the World Cup, say) also benefits from Olympic diehards—people who don’t care about sports regularly but just go rabid for Olympics coverage. Both groups will watch no matter what. But the general American audience isn’t going to care about the vast majority of sports unless they think the US could medal.

[Darknight]

2 hours ago, kittykat said:

I wonder if it's in the media's head to hype up the Americans because if the viewers don't think the Americans don't have a chance to medal (which, barring disaster from the Top 5, they don't) then people won't watch.  This of course is total bs.  As we've complained about games after games, we Americans do actually watch and root for other countries (I KNOW ?) so it's just the media being the media.

Simone Biles and Phelps were hyped up. I think sports that aren' popular here are hyped up so people can watch it. 

1 hour ago, tanyak said:

I do think there's some truth to that. Take the World Cup. When the U.S. failed to qualify last fall, I'm sure the leadership at Fox Sports fainted. They paid millions upon millions of dollars for the rights this summer, banking on the huge following the 2014 team had. With the U.S. out, the casual fan probably isn't going to bother to tune in with any regularity. We will because Mr. Tanyak loves soccer and I've grown to love it as well. He was going to root for Mexico and Spain either way, but would have been happy to see the U.S. do well. But the casual fan isn't settling in to watch France and Ghana.

I think it's like that with Olympic sports. Unless you are a die-hard fan of a particular sport, many people aren't going to tune in to watch people from countries you don't follow. I absolutely understand why the American athlete/team is hyped up. 

Women's soccer team are amazing. It' the men' that suck

12 hours ago, greyhorse said:

I feel bad for Nathan Chen that he choked.  But hey, when you are America's best hope for gold, and the viewers are told as such, the viewers and the country expect a lot.  Some rise to the pressure and perform (Shawn White and Chloe Kim), and some don't.  He'll learn and maybe he'll get another chance one day.  What I couldn't stand, however, was that his coach seemingly ignored him while waiting for his score.  Poor Nathan was just sitting there shell-shocked, and there didn't seem to be one word spoken between the two of them.  Coach was pissed, but come on, this is your pupil and you need to console him and give him support.  If I were Nathan, I'd be looking for a new coach.

On golden skate forums his coach isn't very well liked 

[vixenbynight]

3 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Since Adam knows he has no chance of dethroning Johnny and Tara from ice skating commentator, maybe he's gunning for Andy Joyce's job as the rink side correspondent.

He would probably do a better job than Joyce. 

[iMonrey]

Who has Rafael Artunian coached that won an Olympic Gold Medal? He coaches both Ashley Wagner and Nathan Chen and look at where they are right now. I believe he coached Sasha Cohen too (although she switched coaches about a dozen times). Seems to me his skaters have a problem with consistency.

[basiltherat]

Let's put Adam and Johnny in the commenting booth together and watch the feathers fly!

Underhill and Martini!  I always think of them when I see a death spiral, 'cuz theirs was the best.  She would sweep the ice with her short hair and come up with frosted hair!  Yup, I'm an old fogey too.  Get off my ice rink!

[wintrygal]

I've had two people ask me in the last 2 days how come Virtue and Moir didn't skate the other night?  Someone sat through the whole Pairs competition waiting for V/M to skate, I find that so funny. They are both people who only watch during the Olympics tho.. well obviously eh?

I'm so pleased for K Messing, love his energy. I hope he can stay in the top ten, glad he decided to skate for Canada, his mom is Canadian.  Hope Patrick can hold on for a good skate he can be proud of since this is his last competition, I presume he won't be attending Worlds?

I would love to see Fernandez win, tho think it's highly unlikely, I much prefer his style of skaking to Hanyu, I like performances that draw me in, Hanyu's has never done that for me. 

[Good Queen Jane]

Rafael Arutunyan coached Michelle  Kwan the last three years she skated competitively. He is not exactly known as a feel good coach. In fact, I remember the Nationals where he gave Ashley Wagner a stare that rivaled Barbara Fusar-Poli 's when Ashley didn't skate her long program the way he thought she should. He is the hot coach now, but I'm not sure he is the best coach for someone like Nathan. He's a great technician, but he seems to be pretty harsh, as evidenced by his comments in the article about weight posted above. Not that Nathan should be treated as a snowflake, but some consideration should be given to a skater's psychological reactions.

Edited February 16, 2018 by Good Queen Jane

[MaKaM]

1 hour ago, herbz said:

Will never get over her mishandling of the Wieber/Raisman/Douglas AA mess in 2012. Poor Jordyn was bawling right there.

I'll never get over her trying to make the gymnastics team cry in 2008 when they got the silver. She was acting like did it on purpose to deprive the US of a gold rather than them being underdogs to a (probably underage) Chinese team. I even wrote to NBC and we can see how much that helped. I'd love it for Adam (or anyone, really, Tanith?) to take her spot. I think she got her journalism degree from a crackerjack box. She may not be bad at play-by-play but the off-the-cuff interviews, she is simply terrible at. I already complained about her using slang when interviewing Aliona and Bruno and you have to wonder if she even prepares her questions beforehand. And, as Corey Matthews once famously asked "What are you, new?" when she screws up like that. Long story short, I dislike Andrea immensely.

[selkie]

Eteri Tutberidze, who is the coach of seeming most of the good baby Russians these days, seems to be a raging asshole toward many of her skaters at times. But she is also reportedly quite good at building a team that compensates for that, and finding sports psychologists who get her skaters focused and ready to perform to expectations at the highest level events. 

[displayname]

Just now, selkie said:

Eteri Tutberidze, who is the coach of seeming most of the good baby Russians these days, seems to be a raging asshole toward many of her skaters at times. But she is also reportedly quite good at building a team that compensates for that, and finding sports psychologists who get her skaters focused and ready to perform to expectations at the highest level events. 

Did you read about her and Lipnitskaya?

[selkie]

Just now, fan94 said:

Did you read about her and Lipnitskaya?

Yep. It ties into the 'Eteri is an asshole' narrative, even fi she does get results in the short run. 

[Athena]

Please be civil to one another. That includes using a polite tone on these forums. No one should be questioned on their speculations or opinions. Disagree politely or move on. Thank you.

[Tippi]

Nathan was the athlete I felt "invested in" at these games.  Over the years I have found myself invested in various athletes, and if they do well, it's great, and if they don't, it's like a punch to the gut.  I felt real grief for Michelle in 1998 and 2002, and for Johnny in 2006.  I have to say tonight will tell a lot.  I don't know if he can bounce back--I'm not sensing resilience in him.  He looks what I have thought of as "iced."  I saw this in Midori Ito in 1992.  You could look at her and see that she was not going to be at her best.  You could also see it in Gracie at 2017 Nationals.  I am glad that Johnny mentioned his experience in 2006.  It's funny, Men's is often either a splatfest or incredibly clean.  The 2006 Men's SP was a splatfest.  That was when Johnny did his spellbinding Swan short.  The stars pretty much lined up for him to get the silver, but he blew the long program and finished off the podium.  I appreciated his honesty, because Tara had competitive nerves of steel and she often does not seem to understand when a skater wilts under the pressure.

I have to confess, I'm pulling for Boyang Jin.  I really liked his long program at Four Continents and...don't hate me...I'm getting a little tired of the Orser stable winning all the time.

[absnow54]

NBC promos have been updated and are now hyping Yuzuru Hanyu's possible OGM repeat.

[kittykat]

I'm fine with any of the top 3 in any order but I'd like to see Javi win considering he was the dreaded 4th place in Sochi.

[HartofDixie]

Will the coverage start on NBCSN then switch to NBC?  Go Javi!  I hope for a better free skate from the men after the Sochi splat and best of luck to the US men.

[Jaded]

Apparently my DVR didn't pick up all the skating shown on NBC last night. The late local news cut off showing the rest of the guys skate after Adam who I saw on the NBCSN coverage DVR'd and I think was the only one I saw shown on the NBC recording before the news. I didn't realize there would be more skating after the news. Oops. 

[choclatechip45]

1 hour ago, MaKaM said:

I'll never get over her trying to make the gymnastics team cry in 2008 when they got the silver. She was acting like did it on purpose to deprive the US of a gold rather than them being underdogs to a (probably underage) Chinese team. I even wrote to NBC and we can see how much that helped. I'd love it for Adam (or anyone, really, Tanith?) to take her spot. I think she got her journalism degree from a crackerjack box. She may not be bad at play-by-play but the off-the-cuff interviews, she is simply terrible at. I already complained about her using slang when interviewing Aliona and Bruno and you have to wonder if she even prepares her questions beforehand. And, as Corey Matthews once famously asked "What are you, new?" when she screws up like that. Long story short, I dislike Andrea immensely.

Same. I've hated Andrea Joyce ever since she asked  Alicia Sacramone "How does it feel to lose the gold for your team"? When they probably wouldn't have won the gold anyway.

Edited February 16, 2018 by choclatechip45

[carrier76]

4 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

Same. I've hated Andrea Joyce ever since she asked  Alicia Sacramone "How does it feel to lose the gold for your team"? When they probably wouldn't have won the gold anyway.

 

THIS is the moment that I started hating her as well! I thought it was something related to Sacramone, and I was right. 

 

I look forward to more Adam trolling.

Edited February 16, 2018 by carrier76

[selkie]

28 minutes ago, Tippi said:

I have to confess, I'm pulling for Boyang Jin.  I really liked his long program at Four Continents and...don't hate me...I'm getting a little tired of the Orser stable winning all the time.

I've become a Boyang fan over time- I like that he's trying to move beyond the jumping bean label he had when he made the senior ranks and that he actually seems to pick music a geeky teenage boy would pick when left to his own devices and follow his own path. For all the snark he got over the Spiderman program being 'too novelty', he sold the heck out of it.

[Moxie Cat]

5 hours ago, Jeddah said:

This season I started thinking Jason Brown needs to leave Kori Ade if he ever wants to have a consistent quad

I completely agree. Recently, so many Facebook friends have shared that Riverdance routine, and it's so frustrating because yes, it's awesome, but Jason has not progressed since then! If anything, his jumps have become LESS consistent. I agree it would be hard for him to leave her (haven't they been together since he was a kid?) but they need to bring in another coach for his jumps, or she needs to recognize that he needs a different influence if he's going to progress. And obviously, I say this as someone completely on the outside. But every time I see him in the K&C after a disappointing performance, I think exactly the same as you.