US Nationals: Men's Long

What are your thoughts?

Lysacek's PCS scores were a joke. 79+ with a flawed performance, LOL!
At the Olympics he will be lucky to even reach 70 on the PCS with his best performance. The USFSA clearly has a hugely inflated perception of this guy. He is not a real medal contender for Turin at all, and he does not deserve the pampered treatement he gets from the USFSA. I also gaurantee at the Olympics he will not get as high of PCS scores as Weir, yet he did in the final free to ensure he made the Olympic team with a mediocre skate.

I agree that Lysacek's PCS Scores were extremely inflated, but nonetheless I am very happy with the end result and with who will be representing the US in Torino.

Lysacek will be brought down to earth in Turin, and I look forward to it, there he will be lucky to reach 70 on PCS even with his best skate while Buttle, Lambiel, Weir, and Sandhu will reach the high-70s or higher.

I thought they were inflated, too. They were clearly ready for him to take it all, and the end result was a little too close for my comfort. I thought Savoie skated so well and his skate tonight reflected that he desorves a spot. While I think that Lysacek does deserve a spot, he has yet to live up to all the hype that's been surrounding him since last year's Worlds.

I like Evan but I have to agree with everyone's thoughts on the PCS scores. Actually I thought that Matt should've won, despite the fall on the lutz. But oh well, at least he's going to Turin.

Gee I have mixed feelings about the results. I have always been a fan of Weiss and Goebel so I hate to see them not make the team. OTOH Weir, Lysocek, and Savoie are probably the strongest team. Happy for Matt. Very disappointed for Rohene who is my new favorite.

Matt was soooo beautiful - he so deserves his spot on this Olympic team. I think he deserved the silver. Even had so many mistakes and wonky landings. Matt was so clean and beautiful, with one fall that to me did not detract from the program. He was getting applause for moves in the field and footwork, and well deserved, too. That is my kind of skating.

I am glad Johnny won, but not a great skate. He must learn to connect with the audience. He also needs more dynamic variation in his skating - some power to balance the gorgeous lyrical quality. But his biggest problem this year is that program. The music isn't great, but I think it is the choreography that really doesn't work. I still love his skating and am happy that he won, although I wouldn't have been at all upset if Matt had that gold medal.

Evan was fine and deserves his spot, but not the silver. Can anyone explain this to me? Does one 3/3/2 really add up that much? Matt's component scores should have blown Evan's away.

Anyway, a very exciting competition which I enjoyed thoroughly.

I doubt any of the U.S men will medal in Turin.

Johnny was apparently changing the program and the jumps. Which is why his 4th combination jumps got NO marks at all. He must have lost count. I have doubts about this music too as he didn't seem to be "with it " the way Buttle, Sandhu, Savoie and even Lysacek are.

WOW what a competition!!

LOL, I race walked back to the hotel so I can make a fast post and then race walk back for ladies!! I hope that all of you who have never been to Nationals find a way somehow, someday to go. This has been the experience of a lifetime - many new memories that I will treasure forever.

What a difference two days make!! Since I have to make this fast, I'll start with Matt. As I posted after the SP, I thought he just lacked something that kept him a tad behind the other guys. Not tonight!! He really skated lights out. Everything about this performance IMO, was better, more free, faster and more relaxed than the SP. And as someone before me mentioned, the performance overall was so exciting to me, that the fall didn't matter. (didn't ruin the enjoyment of the program.) I'm so glad I got to see this - this is the live performance I will remember from Matt.

On the flip side, I think both Johnny and Evan were a bit tight tonight. Especailly Johnny - I'm not sure if it's this music or what. For him....as Uncle Dick might say, The Swan sings, and this really doesn't. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't horrible but it wasn't the Swan either. So when I go home, I will keep Johnny's SP closest in my memory of the Men's event.

It's too bad there are only 3 spots. I feel SO bad for Weiss. When the score sheets come out, I suspect we might find that popped A's were the only thing between him and the Olympics. I can't imagine what tonight must feel like for him.

And my heart breaks for Tim. I wonder where he will go from here.

And OH Rohene!! Piel, I am with you. What a devastating performance. I wish, wish, wish you could have been here to see his SP practice. And he was landing his jumps beautifully in the warm up. I did find out that there are some people who really want to help him have a more settled life, and solid skating opportunity. It wouldn't surprise me if there are offers of help coming from many places. If that is so, I hope he considers these offers and really goes for it. He has SO much talent and potential. And even at 23, given that he CAN do this stuff - at least in practice, I don't think it's too late for him at all.

On a fun note, my new technical assistant Haley (the 10 year old with National level Sweeper experience) had a nice surprise for me today. I think State Farm is giving away bears to kids to throw to the ice for skaters. She had two of them, and she gave one to me. We talked about who we would throw them to. Rohene for me, Evan for her. They will be there for Ladies, so of course I couldn't help going out to the booth and getting a toy for her to throw for her favorite lady, which is Emily. I mentioned to the guy at the booth that the toy was for my 10 year old friend, and he threw in a second teeny toy for free. So Haley will also be throwing the little toy for Sasha.

Mean time, several folks in our section worked with Haley on a couple of signs to hold up during Ladies. They are not huge, but who knows - maybe you will see Haley holding up a sign for Sasha, and one rooting for MK to make the Oly team. You have to love a Mom who has colored sharpie pens handy, and another Mom of grown children who figured out that those "#1" signs could be taken apart and made into a different type of sign. I would make a horrid mom because I would never think of either of those things.

Mean time....enjoy the TV coverage. I hope the ladies event is as exciting and as close as the men's event was. Congrats to the winners, and my heart goes out to the folks who have (and will) just miss the podium / Oly team.

DG

Piel said:

Happy for Matt. Very disappointed for Rohene who is my new favorite.

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I agree with everything you said. I just don't understand why Matt was in 3rd place. I think Evan skate was at best Ok. Matt's skate was terrific. I would have even like to see Mike go to the Olympics moreso than Evan.

Dee

I'm not a huge fan of men's skating, so I wasn't very familliar with all of the men and I didn't have any pre-set "wish list" for the podium. Matt Savoie skated beautifully and I was very happy to see him medal. I hope he does well at the Olympics. Johnny Weir was very smooth and elegant and most of his jumps were beautiful, but there is just no connection between him, his music, and the audience. I wish he would open up a little more on-ice. I did enjoy his program, though, and I like how he was able to make is elegant without looking like a sissy. Evan Lysachek, I have mixed feelings about him. As a person he seems very sweet and very likeable, but he has shown so far that he is not capable of much variety. Also, he keeps doing that weird headthing. Kinda distracting. I do think he deserved to be on the podium, as no one else really rose to the occasion. Ryan Bradly, when he was not jumping, was very enjoyable to watch. I was hoping for a better showing for him. He has great charisma. Tim Goebel has regressed so much since the last Olympics. Without his jumps, he has nothing, and that was clear today. His posture is still awful, and his presentation sorely lacking. I find it sad to see how far he has sunk since his brilliance in Salt Lake City. Rohene Ward is an interesting skater, too bad he couldn't pull it all together but hopefully we will see more of him in the future. Mike Weiss, I admit I felt a little bad for him not making the Olympic team. I actually liked both of his programs this year, too bad about the jumps. Kudos to him for sticking it out this long.

I don't disagree with the top three, but how in the world did Lysacek outskate Weir and Savoie? No way. I would have placed him third, barely ahead of Weiss (I'm still in mourning here, wanted Michael to make the Oly team, but oh well.......that's the way the "jump pops", I guess ).......42

As I said on another thread Evan's scores were a joke. I just don't get the judges scores on his behalf. Matt should have won the FS and been on top of the podium but I am just glad he is going to the Olys. Sad for Tim but he has had a good career. Weiss has finally gotten to me; I liked both his programs for the first time. Rohene is just beautfiul and needs some big bucks behind him. I may write to George Steinbrenner about him. GS is known for helping out aspiring athletes. And Johnny is just beautiful but this program needs help. It is not good enough for the podium in Torino and he does not connect at all with the audience. And honorable mention to Parker P and Scott Smith.

Is it just me, or does Ryan Bradley+buzz cut=Chandler Bing?? WTF??

I've seen the future, and it's name is Ward. Rohene Ward. Anyone who didn't get a little knot in their throat watching him with his mom (and a chuckle watching his nephew stealing the spotlight) is less than human. Too bad his skating didn't pan out...but his SP especially was something beautiful, even with the fall.

I was tossing up between whether I was wanting Matt or Evan second. I think Matt is the better skater, and Evan the better showman. Was nice to see Matty with better speed than he had in Canada (oops, did I just say "speed"? Me and Johnny and our drug references!)

Boooo to the freaking fluff piece on Kwan, a non-present skater, shown during the MEN'S program. But kudos for Michelle looking so good in it.

YAY Johnny, for finally skating his LP almost totally clean (but what the heck with the fourth combo?) It doesn't give me goosebumps like the last two LPs from him, but I think it IS a good program for him, and good for him for continuing to fine tune it, rather than to give up like Jeff and Sasha and go back to comfortable (boring) old routine. Good for him for putting something of a different style out there.

And to Mikey, who had such a fantastic SP, and really seemed to put his best effort out there in the LP. Kudos to him for remaining so competitive and near the top for so many seasons. I'm sure some younger skaters like Bradley, Pennington and Ward wouldn't have minded being 4th. And good for him, handling his disappointment with dignity and class.

Enero said:

I like Evan but I have to agree with everyone's thoughts on the PCS scores. Actually I thought that Matt should've won, despite the fall on the lutz. But oh well, at least he's going to Turin.

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to start...i'm nowhere near an expert like some of you...but i thought savoie had the best long. so much feeling and power. johnny had unbelievable jumps, but i felt he was connecting the dots...a very cold skate, for me....the opposite of how i usually feel from him. i would have had evan third...he had lots of little mistakes.

Johnny W. -- Definitely had the best overall skate of the top men, but his program is a mediocre vehicle for the Olympics. Of the Top 4 men I think his choreography and music is the worst. He deserves the win, though, because he skated very well and his SP is stunning.

Evan L. -- I liked the Carmen program, it looks very CoP friendly and allows him to play up his extroverted style without being too over-the-top for an international judging panel. He did have several small errors, but a solid performance. An argument could be made for Matt Savoie in 2nd, but Matt fell in both the SP and LP and Evan has a much stronger international reputation.

Matt S. -- I thought his LP was the most inspirational of the night. It is well suited to his strengths and a strong vehicle for him (much better than last year's). He is a skater's skater and I am very glad to see him on the Olympic team.

Michael W. -- It was very close between Savoie and Weiss. Both skated well and had strong programs but had one major mistake in the LP (Savoie a fall, Weiss a popped jump). Had this been judged under the old 6.0 system, I think Weiss may have finished ahead of Savoie. But under CoP, completing three rotations in the air and falling is preferable to popping a jump into a single. I think that was the difference.

Tim G. -- Have never been a fan of his. I was underwhelmed.

Overall I agree with the result, though it was close between Evan, Matt and Michael.

This was one of the best programs I've seen from Matt Savoie. Skating clean, I think he's right up there with a quad-less Buttle.

nicole_l said:

This was one of the best programs I've seen from Matt Savoie. Skating clean, I think he's right up there with a quad-less Buttle.

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Yes, indeed. And IMO he moves better than Buttle, more natural. The only thing that holds him back is that his movement is not sweeping/free enough most of the times, and he skates kind of sluggishly.
But I think we finally saw a glimpse of what Matt's capable of on the competition ice tonight. I'm so happy for him.