Article on Olympic Team Media Summit

Mathman said:

Back off-topic, LOL,...

Joe, I don't agree at all about Red Dog. To me, Red Dog is the pepper in the stew -- it would be pretty bland around here without him.Mathman

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MM - I really don't want to carry this much further, but the singlely out one skater with irrational phrases is to me, quite caustic and not just a few times but constantly. When we closed down on Gezando for similar posting of one skater, I could understand that and you didn't show any objection to that either. Gezando posts were the chilies of chilies.

BTW - I don't think the forum is bland at all. There are so many informative and well thought out posts without resorting to low insinuations.

Joe

Well the Gezando issue was COMPLETELY different, in my opinion anyway. That, to me, was TRUE hatred of a skater. That's basically all I'm going to say on this issue, as I've exhausted just about everything else. If my posts about Kwan (which I believe are non-bashing and non-threatening) bother certain people, then said people would just be best to IGNORE it. There seems to be a lot of people, including some Kwaniacs, who apparently have no problem with my comments. I think certain posters just have an ax to grind. What these posters don't know is that the very source of their complaint (me supposedly "dissing" Kwan) is actually the CAUSE of it! What happens is that I get frustrated with these fans and post all these angry/critical posts (I hate doing this. Can't we go back to discussing skating instead of all this pointless drama). Then these posters jump on that. :scratch:

What's more, having the Kwan legion against me can't possibly do anything to change my mind about Kwan (if that's what these fans ultimately want)- it ends up having the exact opposite effect, pushing me (farther) away from Kwan and otherwise forcing me to feel all these negative feelings about her that I shouldn't be feeling. (And perhaps that's contributing to the so-called "vitriol" that I've been posting?? Hmm, just something to think about.)

In fact, you know what? I challenge any dissenters to go find a post(s) of mine that (you think) is(are) dissing Kwan. Shouldn't be too hard if you guys are telling the truth. Make a nice big list and then I'll go through it and fix it up, make it nice and neat, since it's apparently an unwritten rule to talk about her in a non-glowing fashion, one I wasn't aware of. Better yet, tell me just what it is that you don't like. I just might change all my opinions to suit you guys. How 'bout that? :frown2:

And that's it. I'll leave it at that. I don't think I've ever been more angry and frustrated with these fans than now. It's taking a lot on my part to actually NOT say what I'm really thinking...

Ok, read through this thread and got to the last post and forgot what the heck the thread was about. Ok, went back to the first post and now I've got it.

I find nothing wrong with what Sasha said at all. She was talking about how she felt a couple of years ago not now. Now, it seems to me, she wants Kwan to be there so "when" she wins Nationals she is winning against Kwan. With that said, I think Cohen should be more worried (if at all) about the Biellmannitis of Irina (even though Cohen's pretty flexible herself). Maybe she should add a few more into her program so she's truly competitive with Irina.

What I don't understand is the use of the term "non-fan". Does that mean someone is a "non-fan" of a specific skater or of figure skating itself? If it's the first choice, then everyone's entitled to their likes/dislikes. Heck, I am not a fan of a whole ton of figure skaters and other athletes. Like Meissner-I don't "get" her skating at all. Just does nothing for me.

Now if it's the second choice, I am truly wondering why a "non-fan" of figure skating would waste their time posting on a figure skating board in the figure skating section. JMO, but that just kinda boggles my mind.

Ok, that's my 25 cents worth of nonsense. Back to lurkdom where life is beautiful all the time and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats........................

ETA: Oh, RedDog, I don't care if you like any figure skater no matter who they are. No skin off my nose, ifyouknowwhatImeanjellybean. It's just that I never understood anyone's desire to post so much about a skater they don't like.

Non-fan= fan of figure skating but not a specific skater. Aka "general skating fan".

For the umpteenth time, I don't hate Kwan.

Red Dog said:

Non-fan= fan of figure skating but not a specific skater. Aka "general skating fan".

For the umpteenth time, I don't hate Kwan.

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Well, I certainly didn't say you hated Kwan at all. I said

It's just that I never understood anyone's desire to post so much about a skater they don't like.

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Nothing in there about "hating" anyone.

But, anyhow, thanks for the definition of non-fan. That's not the definition I think of though. I would use non-fan as a non-fan of figure skating in its entirety, but I can see where that would apply to anyone on any board who didn't like a particular skater be it Kwan, Cohen, Slutskaya, Plushenko, etc.

This thread seems to have been hijacked.

I guess I am as guilty as anyone, but the thread has long since ceased to have anything to do with the Olympic media conference -- or, indeed, with figure skating. If anyone is interested in continuing a discussion of Red Dog's fandom or lack of it, let's take it to the Cafe -- or better yet, to Personal Messenging.

Reminder: If you see a post that is in violation of the Golden Skate guidelines -- in particular, in violation of the rules against bashing skaters or fellow GS members -- please report it to the GS administrative staff by clicking on the little trangle icon at the bottom left of post.

Mathman

I think posters should continue posting on this thread here. It has nothing to do with Le Cafe. A moderator openly sided with the party concerned and should not be closing the thread. It opened the way for more discussion on this issue. Why stop it now?

I disapprove of closing this thread.! I believe posters have a right to their views.

Joe

I don't know- I think the topic should have been left closed, but that's only because it was getting way off base. But now that it's been re-opened, let's get back to the topic at hand

If anyone has any more concern with my posts, or would like to discuss this issue further, we can discuss it further in private. Just send me a PM. But I really would like to stick to discussing skating here. That's what GS (should be) all about.

BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND

I also think Sasha has a certain respect for MK. ITA with her when she says that a National title will mean more to her if she had to beat MK in order to get it. Just think about that for a minute. Doesn't it make perfect sense? I get the feeling that she doesn't really want to wait until Mk retires and then coast to victory (unless Kimmie rises as a formidable competitor). She wants bragging rights. I BEAT MICHELLE TO GET THE NATIONAL TITLE.

Let's see if her time comes. If not, it's someone else's turn.

JMO.

Now that this post is reopened, another article in the Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, Wed., Oct12/05. I was browsing on MKF forum. I think that this quote put everything in perspective.
QUOTE: "Everyone has a different trojectory, "Cohen said"I could say "Why wasn't everything perfect for me when I was 15 like it was for Tara/" Or I could say "What have I learned?' I've evolved as a skater, and I keep building confidence."
This shows another side of Sasha!

It's perfectly understandable for Cohen to go through a phase like that. Nothing earth-shattering to me. I really like her honesty though. She says what she really thinks. Not too many ice skaters do that. They're busy being "ice princesses".

Red Dog said:

It's perfectly understandable for Cohen to go through a phase like that. Nothing earth-shattering to me. I really like her honesty though. She says what she really thinks. Not too many ice skaters do that. They're busy being "ice princesses".

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I'm just curious why everyone who thinks that skaters who don't talk like Sasha (or Johnny Weir) are somehow phoney or "less honest" than those skaters who do talk that way. Why can't different skaters have different personalities, and these different personalities express themselves in the different ways they answer media questions? IMO, Michelle would sound as phoney if she started talking like Weir as Weir would sound if he started answering questions the way Michelle does.

attyfan said:

I'm just curious why everyone who thinks that skaters who don't talk like Sasha (or Johnny Weir) are somehow phoney or "less honest" than those skaters who do talk that way. Why can't different skaters have different personalities, and these different personalities express themselves in the different ways they answer media questions? IMO, Michelle would sound as phoney if she started talking like Weir as Weir would sound if he started answering questions the way Michelle does.

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I think the point is that the majority of skaters give the same comments day in and day out. When someone like Cohen or Weir comes along, their comments sound "refreshing". But I think that Cohen and Weir are open about their EXPERIENCES in skating. That's what I like. Not being open is not a bad thing, per-se, but sometimes you just want to know what they're really thinking...sometimes too much PC can get boring...

And the skaters can be themselves- fine by me.

attyfan said:

I'm just curious why everyone who thinks that skaters who don't talk like Sasha (or Johnny Weir) are somehow phoney or "less honest" than those skaters who do talk that way. Why can't different skaters have different personalities, and these different personalities express themselves in the different ways they answer media questions? IMO, Michelle would sound as phoney if she started talking like Weir as Weir would sound if he started answering questions the way Michelle does.

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Ditto attyfan! You make an excellent point! What are these skaters supposed to say when they are interviewed by the media? Do they say, I'm only here for the love of skating! If they said that we would say that it's a pile of c---!. If they say I am here to win, we would say that they are cocky. Why else are they in these competitions, if not to win and beat their competitor.

Each of these skaters have their own personalities and express themselves in different ways. We can't condem them when they express how they feel, whether we like it or not.

Happy skating

attyfan said:

I'm just curious why everyone who thinks that skaters who don't talk like Sasha (or Johnny Weir) are somehow phoney or "less honest" than those skaters who do talk that way. Why can't different skaters have different personalities, and these different personalities express themselves in the different ways they answer media questions? IMO, Michelle would sound as phoney if she started talking like Weir as Weir would sound if he started answering questions the way Michelle does.

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Consider the source.

You know, when I first read the quote by Sasha, I was annoyed but after considering what everyone has said, I've realized that what she felt I'm sure anyone else in her situation would have felt in the past. Therefore, Nationals will mean much more because of the competition between her and Michelle or Kimmie or whoever. The only thing I wish she could have changed was the when to if. Other than that, I don't see anything wrong with her comment. Kudos to her for having confidence for this year. I'd like to see everyone skate their best this year as much as possible.

Articler and Pictures from the USFS site.

Check this out. There are some good pics in the photos section as well

http://usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=31156&type=news

Sasha Cohen helps Katie Orscher with the questions.

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To a survey?
Thanks RD. Kimmie looks great. G&P are doing Romeo & Juliette? Those are some ugly costumes.....she looks like she is wearing a doily on her head.

Melissa and Denis

Red Dog said:

Check this out. There are some good pics in the photos section as well

http://usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=31156&type=news

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Check out the picture of Melissa and Denis on page 7 - I wonder if they are doing Romeo and Juliet this season??????

Thanks for the link!!!!

Herm (sk8ngnutt)

Sorry guys, I just can't help myself...

If Red Dog is the "pepper in the stew" and Gezando is the "chilies of the chilies" then Piel, you are the Dorito who scoops it and serves it all up in a way we just can't get enough of. :agree:

XXOO,
Rgirl

The photos of Kimmie, Katie, and Sasha are beautiful. Anyone know why Johnny didn't go?