Brian Joubert should NOT win the Olympics with his current LP

[Jasper]

I've just watched his LP performance from TEB. I'm sorry, there is no artistic merit to his program at all. I am so sick of the judges consistently over-marking his PCS - for instance, when he lost to Jeff Buttle at the '08 Worlds, how was it that he received a superior PCS score to Jeff? And even with his disastrous execution in Paris this week, he got 72.00 in PCS. And yet I didn't see any transitions or intelligent choreography whatsoever. It's like every program he does is exactly the same with the same jumps and cheesy moves, and the music is just playing in the background.

With skaters like Chan, Kozuka, Lambiel returning to eligibles, etc., Joubert should not be an Olympic champion. They actually know how to skate. He does not. For him to deserve an OGM, I truly believe he should have three clean quads in his LP and beat the rest of the field with amazing technical content. Otherwise he is not up to snuff. Not Olympic worthy.

[Blades of Passion]

Brian Joubert certainly knows how to skate, he just isn't an artist. Although, yes, that is a pretty big fault when you are participating in a sport that is very much about performance and musicality.

[Jasper]

Yes, he knows how to skate. But his stroking around the ice with his posture is nothing compared to Chan, Kozuka, Verner, Oda, and many of the other top skaters. Perhaps his poor performance with jumping in TEB is because he's feeling the pressure and he knows that without his jumps he cannot win.

[Tinymavy15]

Sure, he is not comparable to Chan or Nobu, but his LP is the best I have ever sen from him artistry wise. It is a really good program if he could just land his jumps.

[jennylovskt]

I've just watched his LP performance from TEB. I'm sorry, there is no artistic merit to his program at all. ...
With skaters like Chan, Kozuka, Lambiel returning to eligibles, etc., Joubert should not be an Olympic champion. They actually know how to skate. He does not. For him to deserve an OGM, I truly believe he should have three clean quads in his LP and beat the rest of the field with amazing technical content. Otherwise he is not up to snuff. Not Olympic worthy.

That is only your opinion.

I think that his this year's LP is his best LP ever. He actually added a lot of transitions and the music really suits him. If he could have clean jumps in the program, this is really a winning program. Yes, Chan, Kozuka, and Lambiel are better artistically. But Joubert is improving greatly in the artistic department. With his strong athletic abilities, now added some artistry, I think it's perfectly reasonable to beat Chan and Kozuka who are weaker at the jumps.

[Germanice]

Brian Joubert may not be THE artist per se, but after all these years he improved tremendously. His current LP is his best, IMO, it suits him, he "just" has to hit his jumps again ... which seems his REAL problem right now. I have no problem with Joubert being the next Olympic Champion ... he'd be a worthy one.

Lysacek on the top of the podium - now, that would be a horrid sight ...

[Blades of Passion]

Oh God, yes. I will take Joubert over Lysacek. At least Joubert has power. Lysacek is average in all regards (actually - above average in spins and FAR below average in quality of his edge jumps), when grading on the "this is a Gold Medalist" scale.

[museksk8r]

As with Mao's LP, I am also disappointed in Brian's LP music and performance level. As I've said on FSU, I've personally seen no progression from him since the 2004 season. I think this season's Ancient Lands LP deserves a place right alongside his other forgettable LPs, like 1492, Lord of the Dance, and Matrix Reloaded. I don't think it's an Olympic calibre LP, and Brian is not giving me the impression that he loves and enjoys skating right now. He seems to be under so much pressure and he's showing it. Hopefully for him, he can overcome his difficulties and skate with ease again.

[janetfan]

Brian Joubert may not be THE artist per se, but after all these years he improved tremendously. His current LP is his best, IMO, it suits him, he "just" has to hit his jumps again ... which seems his REAL problem right now. I have no problem with Joubert being the next Olympic Champion ... he'd be a worthy one.

Lysacek on the top of the podium - now, that would be a horrid sight ...

I agree Joubert would be a worthy Olympic Champion.

I also like that he makes Evan look like such a complete skater. Watching Evan's spins and CoP point winning steps (you may not like them but the judges do) it is easy to see how much Joubert is missing. Plushy may show the same defiencies too but I never count him out.

Joubert brings a certain coolness to the ice and Evan brings intensity. It is a matter of choice which style one prefers.

Plushy at his best brings both coolness and intensity but will he have it back in time for Vancouver?

[Jasper]

As with Mao's LP, I am also disappointed in Brian's LP music and performance level. As I've said on FSU, I've personally seen no progression from him since the 2004 season. I think this season's Ancient Lands LP deserves a place right alongside his other forgettable LPs, like 1492, Lord of the Dance, and Matrix Reloaded. I don't think it's an Olympic calibre LP, and Brian is not giving me the impression that he loves and enjoys skating right now. He seems to be under so much pressure and he's showing it. Hopefully for him, he can overcome his difficulties and skate with ease again.

I agree. I think his LP this season is one of his worst. People here have been mentioning transitions but I failed to see any. I prefer his Metallica and the Lord of the Dance programs.

An Olympic podium WITHOUT Joubert, Lysacek, and Plushenko... that sounds absolutely wonderful. I'll cheer for that.

[Germanice]

As for the Olympic podium, it's really hard to pick a favourite, the depth of talent is tremendous!!! Let's put it this way: Any podium WITHOUT Plushenko (see below , one Gold is enough!), Chan (boring and overrated, mostly by himself!) and Lysacek () would be fine with me!

[Buttercup]

First of all, I don't like the title of this thread. It's mean and unnecessary regardless of who the skater is. Why can't it be titled "Joubert's new LP", with the perceived merits or lack thereof then discussed in the posts?

With that out of the way: we have now seen the LP twice. It was not performed well either time, and may look completely different if Joubert ever gets comfortable with it. I really don't see the point of judging whether or not Ancient Lands is a good program; at this point, it's simply not ready to be judged yet, as is often the case with Joubert - who's really not much of an early season skater.

Brian Joubert knows how to skate; his style of skating is simply not one that will appeal to everyone - no skater will be universally admired, though some might come close. As for Joubert's PCS, complaining about them shows a remarkable lack of understanding with regard to the judging system. Joubert has very good skating skills, and PCS tend to cluster around that mark. He is also a really good performer, and generally selects the sort of music he can interpret instead of forcing classical stuff that doesn't suit him. Would that more skaters learned to play to their strengths with their music choices, instead of letting their choreographers think for them.

Kunstrijdster, I like your choices! I also want Tomas and Brian on the Olympic podium, and your third slot guys also work for me...

[seniorita]

It took me some hour to admit, but B is right(and I cheered for him, I kept my promise!) Jouby live it was a pleasant surprise for me, he is a powerful skater, really fast and captivates you to watch him even if he didnt skate his best. I just wish he could skate his program like he skated his exhibition which was just fantastic , especially merci, letting all emotions out. His Lp was nice but I dont know if it leaves room to emotions because the choreo is too too power kind with these gestures and except for the slow part it is like he is chasing something. If he feels comfortable with the program he can sell it I think.
Anyway the resume is Tv does harm some skaters.

[CARA]

Personally I love Brian's LP. Albena and Maxim did nice job with their music selection and choreography. And dare I say that I recognize their influence on Brian's costume? Color aside, it is very much reminiscent of Maxim Staviski's 2006-2007 free dance costume. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NUV7...eature=related
What I liked about what D/S did was that they built on Brian's strength. The choreography goes with Brian's naturally masculine presentation. He is also capable of responding better to "rhythm" than to "melody," and movement is taken into account of that factor.

Gosh, I miss D/S. I know some people are still understandably judgmental about Maxim's drunken driving-manslaughter incident. I would never condone what he did. However, he did serve his time, and killing someone is what Maxim S. has to live with for the rest of his life.

I, for one, is glad that he is allowed back to our sport and utilize his talent for a good use.

One more thing - as a psychologist, if Brian is going though a difficult time dealing with pressure and expectations as I imagine he has been, Maxim, with his life altering experience, would be a wonderful asset to be on Brian's side.

I wish the best luck for both of them.

[Buttercup]

That's exactly it and why I think the PCS judging concerning Joubert was rather good. His marks for Skating Skills 7.60 and Transition 6.75 show that the influence of SS on all other components could have been far greater.

I could go into another "transitions are overrated" rant, but I won't. Instead, here's what I think the ISU should do with the PCS. First of all, do away with the choreo mark. CH is the choreographer's vision; interpretation is the skater's vision, and that's what should be marked. Next, take P&E, and make it worth double the other components. There needs to be more attention paid to the overall impact of the performance. This will never happen, of course, but it's interesting to think who might benefit from such a change, isn't it?

back in the days when I was just lurking on GS, there was actually no need to post because I found your posts already said the right thing about the right skaters most of the time

Thanks... It's so nice of you to write that. I hope you'll post more often, I enjoy reading your posts!