CTV: Rochette issues Olympic edict

Ginask8s said:

Tugba Chan and Rochette in the same breath??????

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What is your point?

Not for nothing, but you must have thought Dorothy Hamill, Janet Lynn ,Nancy Kerrigan, Debi Thomas, Rosalyn Sumner , Katarina Witt , Tonia Kwiatkowski and Angela Nikodinov just to name a few , were OBESE.

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Thank you for inventing opinions for me. Would you like my GS pw so you can create my posts for me as well? :sheesh:

Where did I call Joannie overweight? I used the words "rather blocky" which concern her shape, not her weight.

i love to skate said:

Are you aware of the amount of eating disorders that exist in figure skating and the pressure that is put on the skaters to look a certain way? Good for Joannie for not caving to this way of thinking. There is nothing wrong with having muscle mass. Joannie's body has been made fun of numerous times this year and frankly I am sick of it.

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Yes, I am extremely aware of this, it is pointed out ad infinitum on these boards whenever someone has the temerity to refer to a female skater's body ... that is, in any way other than "tiny" or "thin" or "slim," all of which are frequently written without objection here.

Being able to speak freely and honestly (i.e., freedom from censorship) is also an important value for a forum to respect. Sorry, but my calling a skater "rather blocky" is hardly responsible for eating disorders in the skating world or anywhere else. Anyone who performs in public - especially women wearing skimpy little skating outfits! - is going to be discussed and needs to get used to it. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Every woman in public life needs to develop skin as tough as rhinoceros hide."

I'm sorry if Joannie's body has been ridiculed (that I'm not aware of) but I would be surprised if Joannie is as sensitive on this score as you are. Performers are usually extremely aware of their bodies (and faces) and how to work with them to disguise their flaws, accentuate their strong points, and create illusions. They also learn to tune out unwanted distractions.

janetfan said:

Here is Joannie - looking pretty darned good to me.

http://www.joannierochette.com/images/ROCHETTE20545948.jpg

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You know what they say...different strokes

to me, God gives you a certain body type and there's not a darn thing you can do about that . What you can do is exercise and watch your weight so that you make the body type you are given look the best it possibly can . I think Joannie has done this very well . It seems to me there is somewhat of a trade-off ( like so many things in life ) in that the tighter " blocky " builds usually are stronger and more powerful whereas the lean, long-limbed types have the breathtaking lines.
I think Joannie's strength and power make her performances fabulous to watch ( when she is " on" ) however she could improve her facial expression to relate better to her music which of course, has nothing to do with body type.

Joannie's LP

Joannie finally skated up to her potential, but her '144' was
There would be some question about whether that triple toe/triple salchow sequence should count as a sequence or as two separate jumping passes.

There is absolutely no reason why a relatively muscular woman can't be graceful and limber, just look at any halfway decent ballerina. Joannie's just not one of them. I'm not saying she's ungraceful, and really, outside of moves that demand great extension like an arabesque spiral or a layback spin, she doesn't really hit any bad poses. It's just that she holds most of her body in great tension most of the time instead of letting more movement out to flow with the music. But at least she has great posture.

I personally wish her to pick up a different style of costume.

She seems to like bikini-style (w/ deep V-neck and bare shoulders and arms) very much, which is apparent in this season's LP and new SP dress and last season's SP and LP dresses as well. This style seems to accentuate her body type that is discussed here.

I prefer her previous SP dress to the new one: it seems more suitable for Tango. She looked sexier, more charismatic, feminine and, of course, more beautiful.

janetfan said:

Here is Joannie - looking pretty darned good to me.

http://www.joannierochette.com/images/ROCHETTE20545948.jpg


Of course I like athletic girls - and just about any girl that skates is aces in my book.

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Amen to that. I'd kill to have that body, not to mention that talent! If Joannie is "blocky" where does that leave the rest of us?

bigsisjiejie said:

If Joannie is "blocky" where does that leave the rest of us?

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monumentally gargantuous, I guess.

Wow...even though no one really said Joannie was heavy, I saw this picture today and was shocked by how thin she seems these days:
http://davecskatingphoto.com/photos/2008SkateCanada/ladies/IMG_9995A.jpg
It reminded me of 2002 Michelle and 2006 Sasha:
http://www.goldsea.com/Personalities/Kwanm/michelle2.jpg
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/02/21/sports/olympics/21cnd-cohen.450.jpg

That said, I think Joannie is beautiful and graceful. She's also powerful and capable of really nice jumps. When you see her live, she is so tiny, but for whatever reason, her curves and muscular built comes across more so on TV. Someone like Sasha is built so straight up and down even though she is very muscular too, so she will never look anything but skinny on TV. Same for Yu-Na: her long limbs make her look even thinner and long. But all three are so tiny live!

MKFSfan said:

Wow...even though no one really said Joannie was heavy, I saw this picture today and was shocked by how thin she seems these days:
http://davecskatingphoto.com/photos/2008SkateCanada/ladies/IMG_9995A.jpg

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Don't worry....that picture was taken last year. She seems to be in very good shape this year

Joannie used to look a little stiff to me when I'd watch her skate a few years ago. I do feel that she has gotten more graceful over the years, and I like the differences that she brings. I agree with others who say that some of the cuts of her dresses were not ideal (e.g. deep V with spaghetti straps), given her more toned arms and shoulders...but I think her Delilah dress this season does a lovely job of accentuating, not exaggerating her body.

I love her carriage the most. On Joannie I do not miss the limberness I see on many other lady skaters, because when the latter is not done right, it looks overly soft, flimsy, and uncontrolled.

Joannie's skating is more mature and refined than most of others, but somehow I do wish she could bring more sensitivity in upper bodies and arm movements.

Blades of Passion said:

Which is essentially the problem I always have with her.

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Joannie robotic? I don't think so. Of all the lady skaters, Joannie has really notched her game up in the last couple of seasons. She is very exciting to watch. I love her new program. I wish her the best at the Olympics.