Men's Free Skate - Thurs, 18th 8pm EST

Mrs. P · Feb 19, 2010

So my two cents:

* I am definitely not a fan of Evan (really hoping that Dice-K could win it all. Darn quad!) but I have to admire that he has a great work ethic and does bring it when it counts.
* I keep getting mixed reports that Plushy is a good sport/gracious to complete sore loser....which one is it?
* Also props to Dice-K for that fantastic program. I know he fell on the quad, but his program was my fave for the evening.
* Johnny was underscored, for sure. But you got to love how classy he was. I really like that moment when he gestured to the audience to calm down. I think he can go away from the Olympics knowing he did two clean programs. And I could sense that he actually had a really good time, and isn't that a good thing?
* Glad J. Abb could get out of that cursed 11th place spot and get on the top 10. Now he needs to kill it in Torino!
* Also....since Evan and Johnny aren't likely to compete in Worlds...does that mean they might send Ryan Bradley and Adam Rippon? That would be a cool opportunity for both of them.

Soldier of Love · Feb 19, 2010

"An Olympic champion who doesn't know how to jump a quad, well I don't know.... it's not men's figure skating," he told reporters. "It's dancing." - Plushenko

Despite being dethroned, the Russian would not give up the spotlight. As his name was called for the silver medal, he cheekily scuttled over the gold medalist's podium to take his place on the lower platform.

Source

LOL Whooo! Congrats again Evan! LOL Whoooo! Better and better! LOL

Layfan · Feb 19, 2010

DesertRoad said:
Let me explain it for once and for all why you don't need a quad to be an international champion in men's skating right now: Because there is no dominant skater in the world who can do all the elements well, and has a quad on top of it. When we have this Skater X, who has level 4 spins, footwork, 3 triple axels in the SP and FS, good skating skills, transitions, performance ability, consistency, and has a quad on top of it, then and only then will other skaters need to gamble with a quad in hopes of beating him. Sorry Plushenko, you're far from that skater. The fact that Lysacek won Olympic gold without a quad is partly your fault. You just didn't put enough pressure on him. In fact, you lost the gold medal in TES, having tied him in the PCS. You are an inferior skater to him in technical elements in too many ways for him to worry about your quad. If you had better steps, cleaner jumps, better spins, more transitions, better choreography, then who knows, maybe Lysacek would've felt necessary to put in a quad and might have won with it. But you didn't. You'll just have to console yourself with that Olympic gold medal you already have.

I agree. Plush has to blame himself for not working some of the other elements - spins, footwork more.

aftertherain · Feb 19, 2010

Mrs. P said:
So my two cents:

* I am definitely not a fan of Evan (really hoping that Dice-K could win it all. Darn quad!) but I have to admire that he has a great work ethic and does bring it when it counts.
* I keep getting mixed reports that Plushy is a good sport/gracious to complete sore loser....which one is it?
* Also props to Dice-K for that fantastic program. I know he fell on the quad, but his program was my fave for the evening.
* Johnny was underscored, for sure. But you got to love how classy he was. I really like that moment when he gestured to the audience to calm down. I think he can go away from the Olympics knowing he did two clean programs. And I could sense that he actually had a really good time, and isn't that a good thing?
* Glad J. Abb could get out of that cursed 11th place spot and get on the top 10. Now he needs to kill it in Torino!
* Also....since Evan and Johnny aren't likely to compete in Worlds...does that mean they might send Ryan Bradley and Adam Rippon? That would be a cool opportunity for both of them.

For a moment there, I thought you meant the Olympics. I was like, "Wait. But that was four years ago!"

Then I realized you were talking about Worlds. Hahah.

Layfan · Feb 19, 2010

Mrs. P said:
So my two cents:

* I am definitely not a fan of Evan (really hoping that Dice-K could win it all. Darn quad!) but I have to admire that he has a great work ethic and does bring it when it counts.
* I keep getting mixed reports that Plushy is a good sport/gracious to complete sore loser....which one is it?
* Also props to Dice-K for that fantastic program. I know he fell on the quad, but his program was my fave for the evening.
* Johnny was underscored, for sure. But you got to love how classy he was. I really like that moment when he gestured to the audience to calm down. I think he can go away from the Olympics knowing he did two clean programs. And I could sense that he actually had a really good time, and isn't that a good thing?
* Glad J. Abb could get out of that cursed 11th place spot and get on the top 10. Now he needs to kill it in Torino!
* Also....since Evan and Johnny aren't likely to compete in Worlds...does that mean they might send Ryan Bradley and Adam Rippon? That would be a cool opportunity for both of them.

Oh yes, I almost forgot! One thing I think almost everyone will be happy about: With Evan's win Ryan gets to to to worlds! Woohoo!!!! Paul Wylie moment!!! I believe! Bring it on!!

aftertherain · Feb 19, 2010

Layfan said:
Oh yes, I almost forgot! One thing I think almost everyone will be happy about: With Evan's win Ryan gets to to to worlds! Woohoo!!!! Paul Wylie moment!!! I believe! Bring it on!!

Evan's skipping Worlds 'cause he won? I guess I missed that statement ...

screech · Feb 19, 2010

Layfan said:
Oh yes, I almost forgot! One thing I think almost everyone will be happy about: With Evan's win Ryan gets to to to worlds! Woohoo!!!! Paul Wylie moment!!! I believe! Bring it on!!

Why is that? Wouldn't Evan, Johnny and Jeremy still be going to worlds? Unless one of them has announced their retirement...

Mrs. P · Feb 19, 2010

Sorry to bring the Ladies in the discussion. But doesn't that remind you all of the whole fuss in 1992 about whether the ladies would have to have a Triple Axel to win gold? And when Kristi won the gold without one (and Midori got silver after landing one), it seem that it has been more downplayed, especially has you had skaters like Michelle Kwan enter the picture. And it seems the ladies who try to do high-risk jumps have had to basically reinvent themselves in a way because the jumps left them (i.e. Miki Ando; Mao Asada)

So I disagree with Elvis. I think Evan winning it all will show that you need both jumps and the footwork and spins and artistry. You will always need solid jumps. Look at Jeremy and Patrick. They obviously have great non-jump elements but ultimately a lack of solid jumps hurt them. I think over time the whole quad thing, like the Triple Axel discussion with the ladies, will probably go into the dust.

aftertherain · Feb 19, 2010

Mrs. P said:
Sorry to bring the Ladies in the discussion. But doesn't that remind you all of the whole fuss in 1992 about whether the ladies would have to have a Triple Axel to win gold? And when Kristi won the gold without one (and Midori got silver after landing on), it seem that it has been more downplayed, especially has you had skaters like Michelle Kwan enter the picture. And it seems the ladies who try to do high-risk jumps have had to basically reinvent themselves in a way because the jumps left them (i.e. Miki Ando; Mao Asada)

So I disagree with Elvis. I think Evan winning it all will show that you need both jumps and the footwork and spins and artistry. You will always need solid jumps. Look at Jeremy and Patrick. They obviously have great non-jump elements but ultimately a lack of solid jumps hut them. I think over time the whole quad thing, like the Triple Axel discussion with the ladies, will probably go into the dust.

THIS! THIS! That was pretty much what I was thinking!

Also:

Jeremy Abbott Right here, right now... I solemnly swear that I will no longer be the forgotten child! It's time to step up and take my place in the world!

I hope he sticks to that statement.

Mrs. P · Feb 19, 2010

screech said:
Why is that? Wouldn't Evan, Johnny and Jeremy still be going to worlds? Unless one of them has announced their retirement...

I believe someone mentioned earlier that Evan's signing on full-time to Stars on Ice for the rest of this year. Given the show/rehearsal schedule, there would be no way that Evan would be able to compete at Worlds. And perhaps Johnny may go for it one last time, but I have a feeling that with all the stuff he's doing, he'll probably opt out too.

mycelticblessing · Feb 19, 2010

screech said:
Why is that? Wouldn't Evan, Johnny and Jeremy still be going to worlds? Unless one of them has announced their retirement...

I hope not, I don't want any of them to retire yet. Though this could always turn out to be a repeat of 2006, where all four champions retired after the Olympics.

Nadia01 · Feb 19, 2010

mycelticblessing said:
I hope not, I don't want any of them to retire yet. Though this could always turn out to be a repeat of 2006, where all four champions retired after the Olympics.

We all knew Shen & Zhao weren't going to stick around for Sochi from the beginning. So that shouldn't be a shocker.

Lightbulb · Feb 19, 2010

i'm not a big fan of evan, but his program was clean. the jumps were landed with ease. the skid in the triple axel is obvious tonight though. plushy- the jumps were wonky. that pretty much did him in. would have hoped to see daisuke on top of the podium but props to him for going after the quad. even when he fell, he was able to pull it all together to still give a memorable program. johnny also did very well. i would have put him in fourth.

i have a question. had daisuke landed his quad, would it be enough to be first?

and, can i just say what an awesome skater kozuka is? i know he is not at the level of the top skaters yet, but his skating skills are really sound. he landed the quad!i hope he works on expressing himself more during his performances.

boo69 · Feb 19, 2010

Plushy could compete in 2014 and could probably still get at least a bronze. Actually he should since it is in his home country. That guy is truly a remarkable skater.

DesertRoad · Feb 19, 2010

And puh-leeze to all the people who say skating has regressed. I've been a skating fan for a damn long time, long before the COP was a twinkle in some Canuck's eye. The sport changed. It has changed before. Sure, modern skaters do less quads. And the skaters before them do less figures. But the COP's demand of complexity and skill in every part of skating is like nothing we ever had before. I can't imagine Elvis Stojko tackling the kind of spins, footwork, transitions that even novice skaters are doing. He'd run away screaming, like a little girl. No, I take it back, even little girls who want to cut it in modern figure skating will toughen up and pick up those skills. It's an old hound dog like Elvis who can't learn new tricks, and do the thing he accuses the sport of neglecting: progress.

Layfan · Feb 19, 2010

Mrs. P said:
Sorry to bring the Ladies in the discussion. But doesn't that remind you all of the whole fuss in 1992 about whether the ladies would have to have a Triple Axel to win gold? And when Kristi won the gold without one (and Midori got silver after landing on), it seem that it has been more downplayed, especially has you had skaters like Michelle Kwan enter the picture. And it seems the ladies who try to do high-risk jumps have had to basically reinvent themselves in a way because the jumps left them (i.e. Miki Ando; Mao Asada)

So I disagree with Elvis. I think Evan winning it all will show that you need both jumps and the footwork and spins and artistry. You will always need solid jumps. Look at Jeremy and Patrick. They obviously have great non-jump elements but ultimately a lack of solid jumps hut them. I think over time the whole quad thing, like the Triple Axel discussion with the ladies, will probably go into the dust.

I was actually reminded of of Midori v. Kristi as well. But unlike Evan, Midori was 4th heading into the FS. So the situation is not really comparable. I think Plushenko makes a stronger case for whether skaters should be more rewarded for having difficult jumps than Midori in 1992.

If Midori had virtually been tied with Kristi heading into the FS and lost despite landing the 3a, then we can start talking...

SunshineSlayer · Feb 19, 2010

I agree with Evan winning, although I personally don't like him much. Plushenko's program was actually more fun for me to watch, but Evan had the better overall package I suppose.

What I'm really upset about are Johnny's scores in both the short and the long. He is the only main skater other than the top 2 that did not have a fall in either the short or the long and in fact had only one really visible error over the whole competition and he is 6th!? Behind people who had several errors in both programs. Is this a fault of the scoring system not looking enough at the overall picture or did the judges have it out for him? (wouldn't surprise me) He should have been at least 3rd taking the overall into account. I also don't buy the lack of transitions in and out of jumps as being a valid justification for his scores - where are Plushenko's transitions? And look at the scores he gets.

Would have loved it if Daisuke had won, but he probabally shouldn't have gone for the quad.

Ice-Lady · Feb 19, 2010

Mrs. P said:
Sorry to bring the Ladies in the discussion. But doesn't that remind you all of the whole fuss in 1992 about whether the ladies would have to have a Triple Axel to win gold? And when Kristi won the gold without one (and Midori got silver after landing one), it seem that it has been more downplayed, especially has you had skaters like Michelle Kwan enter the picture. And it seems the ladies who try to do high-risk jumps have had to basically reinvent themselves in a way because the jumps left them (i.e. Miki Ando; Mao Asada)

So I disagree with Elvis. I think Evan winning it all will show that you need both jumps and the footwork and spins and artistry. You will always need solid jumps. Look at Jeremy and Patrick. They obviously have great non-jump elements but ultimately a lack of solid jumps hurt them. I think over time the whole quad thing, like the Triple Axel discussion with the ladies, will probably go into the dust.

Yes, he needs to have all. And Plushenko has it all. Lysacek have no idea how to jump. His jumps are low and underrotated. Congratulation to Rogge and Chiquanta, they didn' want to see the next Olympic Champion from Russia, so they have achieved it. Blame on you. I like FS for my whole life, but without this objectivity I think it should be taken out from the Olympics, Sorry for it an d thnak you Sale/Pelletier

Layfan · Feb 19, 2010

aftertherain said:
Evan's skipping Worlds 'cause he won? I guess I missed that statement ...

Well, I guess I'm just assuming. Well betting. I bet a lot that Evan won't be showing up at worlds. Why should he? He's already got that GM.

billeh · Feb 19, 2010

Nadia01 said:
I can't believe Plushy lost on TES.

Evan did 7 triples & 4 doubles.

Plushy did 1 quad, 7 triples & 3 doubles.

So...come on, ISU. Seriously? 1 double loop can beat 1 quad toeloop?!?!

Plushy got totally robbed.

P.S. Johnny was UTTERLY ROBBED. Chan's LP score is a disgrace.

I'm not a big fan of Evan or Plushy, though I think the right skater won. Plushy landed more difficult jumps, but with less quality landings. If he hadn't have been so arrogant and added a few transitions and/or changed his program to better suit CoP, he'd be olympic champion. He was not ROBBED, he was outscored. It's that simple.

Men's Free Skate - Thurs, 18th 8pm EST

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!

Soldier of Love

Layfan

aftertherain

Layfan

aftertherain

screech

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!

aftertherain

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!

mycelticblessing

Nadia01

Lightbulb

boo69

DesertRoad

Layfan

SunshineSlayer

Ice-Lady

Layfan

billeh

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