2018 Olympic Figure Skating Mens SP

[Blondie12]

Phil hersch is reporting that Rafael is saying "it's too complicated to discuss" on what went wrong with nathan. What's that about?

 

[katymay]

I know this has been debated to death, but watching, it seems to me that Nathan has put on some bulk, (weight training?)or perhaps had a minor growth spurt. Yes, I know he is 18, but males, especially those who have high gear athletic lives, have been known to have growth spurts in their late teens. He seems bigger, heavier and almost taller than he was four months ago. I wonder if his jump issues are a temporary adjustment to a changing physique.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Phil hersch is reporting that Rafael is saying "it's too complicated to discuss" on what went wrong with nathan. What's that about?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJG75FJkjr8

 

[ks777]

I know this has been debated to death, but watching, it seems to me that Nathan has put on some bulk, (weight training?)or perhaps had a minor growth spurt. Yes, I know he is 18, but males, especially those who have high gear athletic lives, have been known to have growth spurts in their late teens. He seems bigger, heavier and almost taller than he was four months ago. I wonder if his jump issues are a temporary adjustment to a changing physique.

I think it's mental. Nathan's been landing his jumps in practice so.

 

[Blondie12]

On another note, the phil hersch article today is very compassionate to nathan whereas the christine brennan one is pretty harsh - headline is that he "bombed" the short program wherea hersch's is "no way to sugercoat it: nathan chen did awful" but tone in article was better than christine. I did not like tone of christine article - we're talking about teenagers here guys. he knows he did bad, no reason to give him those headlines . And all the picture are of him on the falling on ice. when the boy was getting his scores you could see how heavy he was breathing - he just had the worse day of his life in front of the whole world. I realize newspaper need headlines and like hersch said you can't really sugarcoat it but have some compassion.

 

[shiroKJ]

Phil hersch is reporting that Rafael is saying "it's too complicated to discuss" on what went wrong with nathan. What's that about?

It's complicated to discuss something that you yourself is confused/unsure about...

 

[blackey]

I feel like many people are trying to find an excuse for Nathan. For team event it was "nobody ever skate that early" and now it's "too much media attention". I agree those things are factors too but I really don't think that's Nathan's biggest problem. There is something wrong about the way he preparing for this, and many people have seen this coming before it happens.

Also glad to see so many people finally discover Aliev! He has been my fav for years and seems finally be able to put himself together now. Very happy for him.

 

[Blondie12]

did adam use different music in short than at nationals? It seemed kinda risque if you listen to the words of people making out. i think i would have noticed at nationals that he had such a program. was his layout the same just changed the music? i recall he had a very nice moment at nationals in short but i don't recall it being so much like an exhibition skate. did he change the program?

 

[casualFSfan]

Hello everyone! Casual FS fan here and first time posting. I just wanted to say how awesome and informative this forum is. Esp opinions that are expressed in a respectful manner. Hard to come by in this age of online trolls and flaming wars.

I love FS and can remember the era of kristi Yamaguchi, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, etc. I’ve never really been into the Men’s but this season was different. The competition is fierce with all this quad talk (side note: I am concerned all this pressure to perform quads will have unforeseen consequences on these athletes’ bodies).

Glad to see some great performances but heartbroken for Nathan Chen. I am a huge fan but in the back of my mind I honestly wasn’t sure how he would fare with the other favorites. He certainly gained a lot of momentum and buzz from his last few competitions but he skated in only one world championship and has less experience in that regard. I think there is a difference between national and international pressure. There were cameras following him everywhere, not to mention all the media hype. He did seem to embrace the challenge though. I hope his story/ journey does not end at Pyeong Chang.

I’ve learned a lot through these posts- this “casual fan” appreciates the expertise and comments you all share! Thank you.

 

[disco_dannio]

Hmm... I honestly wonder if people really understand that 'skating skills' and 'artistic' are not synonymous. I read so many posts where people are saying things like "Adam should be getting PCS as high as (eg) Chan, Hanyu", etc.

Sure, Rippon skates 'artistically' in the sense that he's expressive, takes advantage of the music, has decent upper body posture, a nice layback, and looks 'pretty', etc. But does that mean he should be getting PCS in the ballpark of the top skaters?

No way... Rippon scratches around the ice with far less speed, poorer ice coverage, etc. He 'looks nice' and should get good interpretation scores... but I think overall many people are distracted/won over by the 'prettiness' and sequins rather than taking a step BACK and actually analyzing the mechanics of his skating. Like Jennifer Robinson back in the day - I used to think she deserved higher scores b/c she skated 'pretty', etc. Now I understand otherwise...

And re: Chan's PCS. Are you kidding me? Only 2 points higher than Jin? 4th place overall, by a significant margin?

That is the travesty of the current skating system. One single triple makes up the different of light years in terms of skating/PCS quality. That's utterly ridiculous. To say that Chen, who, again, kind of scratches his way around the rink (look, of course he's good, but I'm speaking comparatively with, eg, Chan, Hanyu, Uno, etc.) is only a couple points lower than Masters of the blade... and can throw in a single double axel and make up the difference... I mean really?!

There needs to be a way to differentiate between the PCS and skating skills to a much higher degree. Honestly, is the skating of a Chan or Hanyu or Shoma worth only the equivalent of a double axel over, eg, Chen, etc.? NO WAY!

There should be a FAR wider gap between the different tiers or skaters. As a teacher, I hate it when people throw around A's and B's like they're parmesan cheese. The AVERAGE student is AVERAGE. They have to impress the heck out of me to get a B, and blow my mind to get an A. Just b/c someone skates clean to some pretty music does NOT mean that they should outscore a master.

Positive note: I finally 'got' Shoma Uno last night. I think his 4flip is a joke, but was really impressed by his skating skills and attention to detail. I actually find his program and construction better than Chan, probably second to Hanyu and better than Fernandez.

Hanyu... Sigh, I so want Chan to be 'better' than Hanyu, but he really has the whole mental thing down to an astounding level!

 

[HanDomi]

they are showing it on british eurosport 2 right now

 

[Mathman]

Am I the only one who enjoyed the German guy, Paul Fentz?

 

[MaiKatze]

Am I the only one who enjoyed the German guy, Paul Fentz?

Probably.

Ok, that was mean. But being presented with Paul Fentz and then the top three right afterwards on German TV is really eye opening.

Or maybe I just don't like his high pants.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Am I the only one who enjoyed the German guy, Paul Fentz?

Yes.
(Sorry, Mathman, the devil made me do it!
You go ahead and enjoy anyone you want. I enjoy Miki Ando.......

Bye the way, is 3200 posts all you guys got? That's it?

Rabbit ears / Slow web speed Chris

 

[ks777]

Am I the only one who enjoyed the German guy, Paul Fentz?

yes you are the only one in the world.

 

[Artistry]

Someone said Dick Button still has his wit and sharpness about him. Why did he retire? I mean i would prefer him over Tara. Johnny is informative and opinionated, but Tara, while pleasant, adds little value.

I watched the Russian stream (thanks for the link!) and Julia speaks a lot about nerves, technical details and also is very perceptive in those “Button” ways- talking about a skater’s arm movements, positions for example. I want someone like that on NBC next to Johnny.

 

[HollyRose]

I may be speaking out of turn, so sorry if that's the case, but something seems very, very off with Nathan and his training...and kind of his everything. I really don't think NBC can be completely, or even mostly, blamed for his troubles.

I'm nowhere near an expert, but it just seems odd that he's had repeated boot and blade issues that crop up at the worst times, plus the vague answers Rafael likes to give, and the constant changing of program layout... It all gives me the impression that something is very wrong with his training or the approach he's taking here.

Again, not even close to an expert, so I may be completely off base.

 

[Fool]

Hmm... I honestly wonder if people really understand that 'skating skills' and 'artistic' are not synonymous. I read so many posts where people are saying things like "Adam should be getting PCS as high as (eg) Chan, Hanyu", etc.

Sure, Rippon skates 'artistically' in the sense that he's expressive, takes advantage of the music, has decent upper body posture, a nice layback, and looks 'pretty', etc. But does that mean he should be getting PCS in the ballpark of the top skaters?

No way... Rippon scratches around the ice with far less speed, poorer ice coverage, etc. He 'looks nice' and should get good interpretation scores... but I think overall many people are distracted/won over by the 'prettiness' and sequins rather than taking a step BACK and actually analyzing the mechanics of his skating. Like Jennifer Robinson back in the day - I used to think she deserved higher scores b/c she skated 'pretty', etc. Now I understand otherwise...

And re: Chan's PCS. Are you kidding me? Only 2 points higher than Jin? 4th place overall, by a significant margin?

That is the travesty of the current skating system. One single triple makes up the different of light years in terms of skating/PCS quality. That's utterly ridiculous. To say that Chen, who, again, kind of scratches his way around the rink (look, of course he's good, but I'm speaking comparatively with, eg, Chan, Hanyu, Uno, etc.) is only a couple points lower than Masters of the blade... and can throw in a single double axel and make up the difference... I mean really?!

There needs to be a way to differentiate between the PCS and skating skills to a much higher degree. Honestly, is the skating of a Chan or Hanyu or Shoma worth only the equivalent of a double axel over, eg, Chen, etc.? NO WAY!

There should be a FAR wider gap between the different tiers or skaters. As a teacher, I hate it when people throw around A's and B's like they're parmesan cheese. The AVERAGE student is AVERAGE. They have to impress the heck out of me to get a B, and blow my mind to get an A. Just b/c someone skates clean to some pretty music does NOT mean that they should outscore a master.

Yeah, even me, who despite having followed this sport since before Yuzu was born ( ) don't have a great grasp of a lot of the technical nuances, but I DO know that SS is not equivalent to making better faces and being able to express yourself in tune to the music and to the audience/viewers. A beige potato could have great SS. However, I do think for casual viewers the terminology of SS sounds ridiculous. They're told in one breath that someone like Jin Boyang just did the most difficult jump that "few would even attempt!11" and he does it well, then in the next breath they're told his SS isn't quite up there. It just sounds wild in that context imo.

 

[charlotte14]

yes you are the only one in the world.

Nope he is not the only one for sure. But I am not on his side btw.

 

[Mathman]

Or maybe I just don't like his (Paul Fentz') high pants.

That's all right. Me and judge #7 liked him, pants and all! :yes: