MENS LP = Lame programs?

In my opinion Lysacek´s freeskate is the only one in the whole freeskate competition that I really enjoyed watching and will continue to watch again.

He and Weir are my biggest favourites this season. Very different skating styles, but both styles equally pleasing to my eye. Also I like Lambiel very much and hope that he will recover from his injury soon and will be okay in coming Worlds.

Wouldn't it be something if the top ten skaters at the olympics all had two clean skates at world. Love to see it.But it's HOPE against HOPE.

Emma, shine, rrgirl, kaesie

(BLUSH) thank you, thank you thank you.

I guess I have to watch ladies now (I don't understand anything about dance and probably won't comment on it). When Kwan was still entered I knew my nerves would never stand it (i was going to record everything and watch in the distant future. Now that Kwan's out I don't much care who wins (I'm officially rooting for Arakawa for the time being but we'll see how the SP goes) and I think I can take it.

I agree with much that's been said here...

Plushy is a brilliant technician and his confidence just exdues when he's on the ice. That being said, he has little interesting or challanging choregraphy. He's music is like an assault...disco godfather??? IMHO

That was my big disappointment and "judge scandel" this year. How can you give that program over 80.00 points for componant scores???
Howver, that being said, he did deserve the win and the gold medal.

I think that Labiel is still immature in his skating even with all that talent. Him crying over seeing his flag (in any position) at the flag ceremony was one of the sweetest of the games.

Buttle is always a favorite due to his attention to detail. He finishes off moves that others just don't think to do, there is a completeness to his skating that is very satisfying to me.

As for the rest (and this includes some of the above, lol) it was a splatfest Olympics. I don't know why we get surprised when this happens, as it seems to happen every other olympics in one dicipline or another...nobody brings a clean skate with them to the olympics and winners are chosen with "default placings" in the mix.

Short thoughts....

Evan: Not a personal favorite but must be admired for his courageous skate with lots of heart.

Kilmkin: Undermarked, and underappreciated. I hope he fully recovers from his injuries and gives the russian men a run for their money.

KVP: Finally, the powerhouse came together.

Sawyer: My next pic for olympic medal if he can incorporate different jumps into that great skating style.

Eman: Which Sybil showed up this time??? #13?

Chinese men: What happened? They are both usually challangers

Johnny, with a quad and his skating could be the next "great one." Johnny has a problem, he lacks the bravura in his skating that he brings to his conversations.

Matt: Way undermarked, one of the greatest skaters out there for authenticity. May have been my favorite skate of the night. I agree with so many posters...if there is one word for Matt it's "balanced."

I wasn't completely impressed with plushenko's program but it was definetely the best of the night... it wasn't the program that yagudin delivered 4 years ago... he's capable of much more. His component marks were way too high considering he did all of his jumps in the beginning of the program.
The only programs that I enjoyed were Buttle's and Lysacek's. Jeffrey Buttle's program was the best one I've seen him perform. I love his cheoreography. He could go out and not do a single jump and still get really good marks.

That men's competition is not a one to remember unless you draw a record of missed opportunities! Medalling without a triple axel or with falls in the short AND the long is a new feature that CoP allows. While the new system rewards spins, steps, choreography which is a good thing in itself, its flaws were truly enlightened. A fall on a quad earning more points than a clean triple, or components scores that have more to do with the general standard of a given skater, well ... as the judges see it, than the real performance. Actually the latter was also true under 6.0 but now it is much better disguised, you have to be a graduated statistician to split a skater's score and anyway you won't even know who gave the marks!
By the way, as I watch pairs' and ladies' skating more closely than men's, I was surprised that the men didn't jump as high than I remember most of them would at that level. Take Joubert's axel (that he didn't land cleanly) for example. He seemed to step into his jump rather than really jump into it, just reaching the minimum height to do the 3 revolutions in the air. Skaters like Matt Savoie or Evan Lysacek had great skates, well choreographed and performed, and very pleasant to watch, but their jumps too were all in rotation speed rather than height. Is this some kind of a new trend ?

I don't know why Plushenko's six jumping passes in a row should be attributed to the affects of CoP. He did a 4/3/2 before CoP. He did eight jumping passes under OBO. He lost the GPF in the first year of CoP by doing one too many combinations, which would have been allowed under OBO. If anything, CoP rewards skaters who jump in the second half of their programs, while OBO had no such incentive. Upping the footwork coincided with Yagudin's emphasis on footwork in the pre-CoP era.

The only difference between Plushenko's programs under CoP and OBO is in spins. Under OBO he had the Biellmann, which for health reasons he's given up recently, and like nearly every other male skater, perfunctory camel and sit spins. Under CoP, he does change-of-edges in his spins to up the level.

I agree with most of your analysis. I think Matt had the best skate of the night. I was so happy that he made it to the Olympics so that others could see his skating - so complete in all ways.
I like Evan, but he is a little over the top in his arm movements and some of his expressions for my taste. He definitely has potential.

My thoughts: I only caught the end of Klimkin's program and downloaded the German version. What did Scott, Dick and Sandra say about him? Anything interesting?

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Yes. They recounted his medical problems over the last two years.They said his father had died several years ago, being electrocuted driving a nail into the wall of the apartment, that his coach had died of cancer, but that the old coach had not only picked the new coach, but had left a whole library of music for Ilia to skate during the rest of his career. Sort of a male version of the Angela Nikidinov story. Very, very sad. I was glad to see him skate a good LP, though.

Several people, including Rgirl, whose choreographic opinion I always trust, said Buttle's program told a story. I very, very humbly ask you, as a choreography ignoramus, what the heck was the story???:scratch:

I fail to 'get' Buttle, other than the good looks. He as strikes me as a cute engineering student with basset hound puppy eyes and a calculator strapped to his wrist so that he can figure out on the fly what to do next each time he screws up. His best trick is his triumphant bow at the end of the program where he smiles and projects, " I done good, absolutely." even when he has screwed up and people/judges buy it. However, bad & insecure jump landings bother me a lot more than the bother COP or the judges. They make me feel insecure and unable to enjoy a program, so it is quite possible there really is a story in there...I just am programmed to miss it.

So please tell me the story. I'm not being facetious, or anyway being less facetious than usual.

Both my faves, Stephane and Ilia have come out of years of knee problems and I think one could consider that - not for a medal - but a cheer for going for something beyond their means. They were not at their best, and imo, showed the smoothness of their skating despite the pain. I'm skeptical about their future.

Plushy is CoP favorite. His jumping is unparalelled He skated cleanly and much his attempts at spinning was well rewarded, maybe too much. He deserved his win, however, it doesn't change my opinion of being a better skater than Ilia. I am not amused by the show off style, although it was very much less this competition.

Buttle has his moments. This was not one of them.

Joubert may be at the end of his competitive career. I hope not.

Evan should be the next man in USA figure skating unless Johnny talks less and gives more action.

Matt did very well and I hope he finds the time to continue in future.

Whatever it is keeping Eman from skating his best is beyond me. Anyone to explain?

Shawn Sawyer. Undermarked and wait till next year!!!

Joe

Mafke said:

I remember when Paul Wylie was my favorite male skater but he kept falling and being passed by less interesting skaters (once driving poor Dick Button, who clearly adored him, to spluttering rage). I'm also a big Klimkin fan.
So, by the time Buttle came around my guard was up, I've been hurt before so I'm reluctant to commit ... if he gets some clean performances under his belt then we'll see ....

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There are some specific things about Jeff which remind me of Paul. That gorgeous spreadeagle Buttle does just screams Wylie. Paul was known for fast spins with great positions; ditto Jeff. Remember the beautiful Ina Bauer Paul had? Jeff had a nice one in his Sampson & Delilah LP. Of course, the two also share the same jump inconsistency. I am not saying Jeff is a Paul-clone (Jeff probably owes more to Kurt B. stylistically), but I think it is a valid comparison.

It wasn't until Paul that I saw how beautiful a forward spiral could be.

I have one thing to say; Jeffrey Buttle deserved 3rd overall and 2nd in the freeskate. That program has so much detail...he is such a beautiful skater and has worked so hard and not to mention a sweet guy. I think is hair is adorable and I loved his new costume.

I agree with some people, Evgeni's program was blah if you ask me... all that's good is his jumps...he has no real emotion.