misc PAIRS grumblings

[Frau Muller]

Tatiana Totmianina is absolutely correct -- a polite handshake of Ms Zhang is all that was required at the podium. BRAVA, Tanya!!! YOU & MAX ARE THE OLYMPIC CHAMPS, despite being barely able to warm-up because of the Zhangs' intimidating tactics! URRAHH!!!!

Little Miss Zhang should learn to be more gracious and sportsmanlike on the warm-up ice.

SHAME to NBC for minimizing this incident. This is the first time in recent memory that the network covering Olympics has chosen to not show the warm-up of the final group of skater....Very interesting, ehhh???? Ditto --- SHAME to NBC for chosing to not report on Obertas/Slavnov's skate & its incorrect marking by the judges (in relation to Zagorska/Siudek's fabulous skate, which earned lower marks). NBC has a case of 'selective reporting.' More important to show replays of Flying Tomato or repeats of boring fluffs. :chorus:

[FreeKatie]

Shen & Zhao were still my favorites, its too bad they didn't have another few weeks to prepare because I think they would have won. T&M were clean but very cautious (esp. in the last lift) but I guess I can't blame M for that. I was happy for them because of the tremendous amount of pressure they must have felt to continue the Russian legacy. They are certainly not the best Russian pair we've ever seen but they delivered the 2 cleanest programs. Zhang & Zhang made the night very exciting. As far as class goes, S&Z are at the top of my list!!

[soogar]

Tatiana Totmianina is absolutely correct -- a polite handshake of Ms Zhang is all that was required at the podium. BRAVA, Tanya!!! YOU & MAX ARE THE OLYMPIC CHAMPS, despite being barely able to warm-up because of the Zhangs' intimidating tactics! URRAHH!!!!

Little Miss Zhang should learn to be more gracious and sportsmanlike on the warm-up ice.

SHAME to NBC for minimizing this incident. This is the first time in recent memory that the network covering Olympics has chosen to not show the warm-up of the final group of skater....Very interesting, ehhh???? Ditto --- SHAME to NBC for chosing to not report on Obertas/Slavnov's skate & its incorrect marking by the judges (in relation to Zagorska/Siudek's fabulous skate, which earned lower marks). NBC has a case of 'selective reporting.' More important to show replays of Flying Tomato or repeats of boring fluffs. :chorus:

What exactly happened? Though of course NBC won't paint the Chinese pairs the way they are. It would ruin all their attempts at portraying the Chinese as heros looking to usurp big bad Russian's throne.

[Ptichka]

I don't want to bash the Zhangs who are indeed formidable skaters. However, I find their silver medal ridiculous. They might have amassed enough points to win, but the overall impression their program left was far below both Pang & Tong and Shen & Zhao. As for the throw and the fall... the commentators said Z&Z landed it 40 to 50% in practice. My guess is that it was decided they would nonetheless do it because basically the silver and the bronze was already guarateed for China, and this was indeed the only way they could overtake T&M for the gold.

I actually felt extremely sad for T&M. I do like their skating, but it seems that everyone is always attacking them. They are attacked in the West for not having the emotions of former Russian pairs, and they are seen as outsiders at home. To me, Tanya looked quite miserable even on the podium.

[emma]

Ant, thanks so much for your post....NBC didn't show O&S and I didn't check out CBC last night, nor did I surf the web yesterday....I remember the competition you are speaking of....somehow i think it was a worlds but maybe it was Europeans...anyway, i get the picture. I'll be sure to look for their SP though.

[Frau Muller]

They are attacked in the West for not having the emotions of former Russian pairs, and they are seen as outsiders at home. To me, Tanya looked quite miserable even on the podium.

TT/MM looked extrememly happy & proud to be Olympic Gold Medalists, this morning on the TODAY Show, when they were interviewed by Katie Couric.

Had NBC chosen to show the entire DRAMA of the warm-up -- as was shown on Eurosport, which I followed in 'real time' yesterday, via audio only...so I only heard & didn't see -- then we would have seen for ourselves how the Zhangs 'tracked' TT/MM on the ice, not allowing them to complete a single practice throw. It was highly reported in Europe. It was a big deal. I will translate some Russian articles later.

Needless to say, Tatyana had NO OBLIGATION to be phoney and to hug Ms Zhang.

EMMA - I was referring to NBC not showing O/S yesterday...their chosing not to make an issue of something that was a major issue during the Eurosport coverage yesterday -- that O/S made numerous errors inthe LP, yet received much higher marks than the Poles. Perhaps if Zagorska/Siudek skated for Team USA, NBC would have chosen to cover that story??? SHAME on NBC's selective reporting...as if intelligent fans don't know what has REALLY happened on Olympic Ice, a few hours prior to NBC's phoney selective coverage.

[WeirsAngel]

TT/MM looked extrememly happy & proud to be Olympic Gold Medalists, this morning on the TODAY Show, when they were interviewed by Katie Couric.

Had NBC chosen to show the entire DRAMA of the warm-up -- as was shown on Eurosport, which I followed in 'real time' yesterday, via audio only...so I only heard & didn't see -- then we would have seen for ourselves how the Zhangs 'tracked' TT/MM on the ice, not allowing them to complete a single practice throw. It was highly reported in Europe. It was a big deal. I will translate some Russian articles later.

Needless to say, Tatyana had NO OBLIGATION to be phoney and to hug Ms Zhang.

EMMA - I was referring to NBC not showing O/S yesterday...their chosing not to make an issue of something that was a major issue during the Eurosport coverage yesterday -- that O/S made numerous errors inthe LP, yet received much higher marks than the Poles. Perhaps if Zagorska/Siudek skated for Team USA, NBC would have chosen to cover that story??? SHAME on NBC's selective reporting...as if intelligent fans don't know what has REALLY happened on Olympic Ice, a few hours prior to NBC's phoney selective coverage.

So you think they did it in purpous?

[antmanb]

Had NBC chosen to show the entire DRAMA of the warm-up -- as was shown on Eurosport, which I followed in 'real time' yesterday, via audio only...so I only heard & didn't see -- then we would have seen for ourselves how the Zhangs 'tracked' TT/MM on the ice, not allowing them to complete a single practice throw.

I think that's somewhat of an exaggeration since the certainly did complete a practice throw - i saw T&M warm up their throw triple salchow with no problem...going round the corner near centre ice first doing the double and then doing a triple....i was watching british Eurosport and don't recall the commentators saying anything bout the warm up...i may have been not paying attention, i'll go back and check but i don't recall any comment and i did see thrown jumps landed.

Ant

[WeirsAngel]

I think that's somewhat of an exaggeration since the certainly did complete a practice throw - i saw T&M warm up their throw triple salchow with no problem...going round the corner near centre ice first doing the double and then doing a triple....i was watching british Eurosport and don't recall the commentators saying anything bout the warm up...i may have been not paying attention, i'll go back and check but i don't recall any comment and i did see thrown jumps landed.

Ant

I must agree with antmanb. I saw the whole thing live and didn't notice anything. They also zoomed in a couple of times when T&M did throws and stuff like that. I think that they're kinda overreacting.

[Mafke]

Even if Z/Z were intimidating (I'm not convinced, but for the sake of argument) T/M then she chose a poor way to handle it. A private word (or three or four) out of camera range would suffice, especially since Zhang just nearly maimed herself. Had Z/Z been clean then chilly behavior in public might be called for but it wasn't for in the circumstances last night.

Compare the Cohen/Kwan warm up incident a few years ago ....

[Hikaru]

Tatiana Totmianina is absolutely correct -- a polite handshake of Ms Zhang is all that was required at the podium. BRAVA, Tanya!!! YOU & MAX ARE THE OLYMPIC CHAMPS, despite being barely able to warm-up because of the Zhangs' intimidating tactics! URRAHH!!!!

Little Miss Zhang should learn to be more gracious and sportsmanlike on the warm-up ice.

SHAME to NBC for minimizing this incident. This is the first time in recent memory that the network covering Olympics has chosen to not show the warm-up of the final group of skater....Very interesting, ehhh???? Ditto --- SHAME to NBC for chosing to not report on Obertas/Slavnov's skate & its incorrect marking by the judges (in relation to Zagorska/Siudek's fabulous skate, which earned lower marks). NBC has a case of 'selective reporting.' More important to show replays of Flying Tomato or repeats of boring fluffs. :chorus:

nothing worst than a sore winner...

[Shanti]

I actually felt extremely sad for T&M. I do like their skating, but it seems that everyone is always attacking them. They are attacked in the West for not having the emotions of former Russian pairs, and they are seen as outsiders at home. To me, Tanya looked quite miserable even on the podium.

Tanya and Max looked extremely happy when they were giving interviews for Russian TV. And I guess now (finally) they are really loved in Russia.

[antmanb]

I must agree with antmanb. I saw the whole thing live and didn't notice anything. They also zoomed in a couple of times when T&M did throws and stuff like that. I think that they're kinda overreacting.

Incidentally did you see that horrible fall Pang & Tong had on the throw triple loop wih only a minute or two left in the warm up? It looked painful and she had to shake herself out after it...i held my breath when they set it up in the LP but she landed it without any problems! I thin kits amazing when skaters take big nasty falls in the warm up and then go out and nail their elements in the program.

I'm reminded of Robin cousins commentary on the 1998 Nagano Olympics - for both SP and LP he noted that Tara had not managed to warm up the triple lutz but she landed everyone in the programs.

I think it was at the same competition where he commented as Lulu landed her SP triple lutz "and that's the first one she's landed today" apparently she'd struggled with the jump in the morning practice.

Ant

[Ptichka]

Tanya and Max looked extremely happy when they were giving interviews for Russian TV. And I guess now (finally) they are really loved in Russia.

Glad to hear it. Perhaps last night it just hasn't sunk in yet.

[3lutz3toe]

My thoughts on pairs:

While coach Yao has been able to replicate the Soviet model of creating pairs, he has not been able to replicate the quality of the pairs that came out of the Soviet Union. I hope Russia will step it up and put some money into pairs because they will lose the title the next Olympics. Maybe Vassiliev will take on a top junior team and help to mold them. He has done an excellent job with T&M.

I have to agree w/ u there.
While the Chinese have the wow factor moves, their positions and skating are not as polished as T/M. Hence the quality of their spins, footwork and and such are not as good as the Russians.

I}m not a fan of T/M because they do have this cold/stoic/detached quality to their skating. They don't really relate to each other or the audience.

They do deserve the gold though, because no one else really stepped up to challenge them.