2003 Televised Skate Canada Thoughts... (;^) | Golden Skate

2003 Televised Skate Canada Thoughts... (;^)

Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
PAIRS

T&M - love the music.......sounds like the music from "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve & Jane Seymour........one of my all-time favorite time travel movies btw. And T&M's interpretation of this classic piece was very good IMHO. However, though they have the best posture/toepoint/line/et al out of all the pairs, I'm not feeling any soul (aka "all the lights are on but nobody's home"). JMHO.

D&S - OMG, didn't recognize her at all........don't mean to be mean but she looks like she has aged 20 yrs. IMHO........still can't believe that this is the same young woman whom used to wear her long blonde hair in a ponytail a few yrs. ago & always reminded me of a fairy on the ice. Not anymore. That said, I thought their program was okay, and their lifts were superb as ever. Good job. Btw, I especially enjoy the fact that they seem so close off the ice, though unfortunately it doesn't transfer onto the ice. JMHO.

S&Z - aahh, just the ones I have been waiting for.........too bad this particular SP has never done anything for me.........but that didn't prevent my enjoying the connection these two have together. Can't wait till their LP! :)^)

L&A - wow, this is the first time I have had the pleasure of seeing this pair. And they didn't disappoint. In fact, if truth be known, I enjoyed their program more than all the other pairs put together (no lie). Love the music, costumes, choreography, everything. She reminds me of Tiffany Steigler when it comes to personality, vivaciousness, etc. And looks a little bit like her as well. Am looking forward to seeing more of this pair in future.

MEN

Jeffery Buttle - first time seeing this guy.......reminds me of a California surfer in looks (aka blonde hair & tan skin)........but out on the ice he reminded me of an effeminate spider for some reason (probably due to his odd long spidery movements). Love the smile. And the program wasn't bad either.

Takeshi Honda - to me, he had the most passion out on the ice in terms of body movements & conviction.......enjoyed this program more than the others.......including the jumps, presentation & music. Still, I'm a creature of aesthetics, and would enjoy him even more if he fixed up a little - not talking about the costume - talking about him always reminding me of someone who has just crawled out of bed & hasn't had time to wash his face & comb his hair. JMHO.

Ryan Janke - nice man, nice program, nothing much else to say - nothing really stood out to me.

Evgeni Plushenko - have always preferred him over Alexei Yagudin in the past & that includes today's crop of competitors as well. That said, I wish he would hire a choreographer that could make use of his long line, passion, self-confidence and fire out on the ice. I just know that there is a Baryshnikov hiding inside there somewhere. He already has all the goods, now he just needs a program made for him. ***Note: his tiny segment to "Bolero" in COI's all-star cast a few yrs. past was the closest he has ever come.*** JMHO.

Emanuel Sandhu - what's to say........like T&M, he has the best posture/toepoint/line/et al.........but unlike them, he does have the personality (even if I don't particularly care for it). Alas, he doesn't have the jumps. And without them, he might as well become an ice dancer or ballet dancer. JMHO.

WOMEN

Sasha Cohen - nothing much to say/add.......she's definitely the creme of the crop of all the GP participants.......and until they can match her in terms of presentation, spins, & spirals (or outjump her by a mile; aka 3axel, quad, two 3/3 combos.), they don't have a chance unless Sasha messes up. JMHO.

Shizuka Arakawa - hmm, her SP is rather boring in my honest opinion..........prefer her LP by far.........but what she does, she does very very well ~ smooth gliding edges, long line, graceful arms, flexible back, elegant presence, nice musicality, very good jumps, etc.

Elena Sokolova - what to say, nothing really.........just hope she is in fighting form by the time Worlds comes round (if she makes it there).........wish her the best (no lie). ***Note: disappointed that the network didn't show Julia Sebestian; would have rather seen her instead of Elena; JMHO.***

Yukina Ota - nice program, pleasant music, cute skater.......was expecting something a little more b/c of the hype per the internet.........but even though that didn't materialize, I still enjoyed her & her program. And I must say she does have the prettiest arms/hands & a pleasant musicality about her. But in comparison to Sasha Cohen, there's no competition whatsoever. JMHO.

Peace & Love, Nadine

P.S. As regards Dance, I enjoyed the song about Sunshine. :)^)

"I think of myself as an intelligent, sensitive human being with the soul of a clown, which always forces me to blow it at the most important moments" - Jim Morrison
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
L&A - wow, this is the first time I have had the pleasure of seeing this pair. And they didn't disappoint. In fact, if truth be known, I enjoyed their program more than all the other pairs put together (no lie). Love the music, costumes, choreography, everything. She reminds me of Tiffany Steigler when it comes to personality, vivaciousness, etc. And looks a little bit like her as well. Am looking forward to seeing more of this pair in future.

Yeay for Bella and Patch!!! I definately agree when it comes to their SP being awesome... it's my favorite pairs LP of at least the last couple of years from any skater... definately going to end up being a classic in my book! :)
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Originally posted by Nadine:
P.S. As regards Dance, I enjoyed the song about Sunshine.
Oh, man. I am so OLD!:laugh: And I'm not making fun of you at all Nadine, just chuckling at the idea that in my world, that song was a hit just the other day.

Since people have asked, I've now seen Ota skate twice, once at Jr. Worlds and this SP and I think she is absolutely lovely and more. Beautiful jumps, beautiful natural mover, great carriage, all the stuff Dick and Peggy said. She's still understandably a bit coltish, but at 16 it's part of her charm. I think the only variables between her and future figure skating stardom are the possibilities of injury and too much growth. But hopefully neither will happen to any serious extent and we'll get to watch her for a long time.

I thought Sasha skated a very impressive short. When the showed the little "Ice Moves" segment from last year, it made me realize how much more mature she both looks and skates. It's easy, at least for me, to forget how much young women can change even in their late teens and early 20s. Saw the same thing with Michelle.

About Tot/Marin: Someone I know whose figure skating opinion I respect a lot said he didn't think much of them until he saw them live and that in his opinion their technique and overall skating is very strong, much stronger than it appears on TV. Anybody who was there have an opinion on that, yea or nay?
Rgirl
 
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Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Sasha looking more mature and skating like a mature lady. Love it! We just may be getting away from the little dahlings.

Yukina - The most loveable dahling I've seen in years. She has no place to go but gold in 2006 at 19!

The rest of the field were fine and placed accordingly. Looking forward to JenRo's 3 place LP, and Shizuka's revenge.

Most impressive man for me, was Emanuel, and I generally don't care for his skating. IMO, he had the best thought out program. A great work of choreography. However, he always has consistent flubs in one of his skates. Maybe the LP will have none.

Butle came to life and Takeshi came back to life and Plush was, well, Plush.

T&M were slower this year but prettier. Liked their program. S&Z were, well, S&Z. L&A. imo, should have gotten higher marks.

I'm just a D&S fan and so they should have won for no other reason.

Joe
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Men

Buttle-he was just awesome to me. I’m definitely a fan now.
Sandhu- very creative and expressive but was trying to hard. He’s still one of my favorites who will never be consistent.
Plushenko was Plushenko. I just think he should have surgery now so he could be ready for the next 2 seasons.
Ryan- Have good style but kind of boring. He needs a whole season off to perfect his triple axel and other triples.
Takeshi-Had very good energy throughout the skate. Some of the footwork doesn’t fit to me. What happened to that Lutz? Honda could do that jump in his sleep.

Ladies

Sasha was Sasha. She’s growing. I still cringe when I see her land jumps. Still wobbly but much, much improve. Like her short program footwork much better this season. I didn’t really like it last year. Made a few changes to it.
Arakawa- I thought she was beautiful. She’s just so smooth on the ice. She just needs some stretch. I still think her scores were too low.
Ota-beautiful girl and if puberty doesn’t hit her bad she will be awesome. Has such lovely hands and arms. She wasn’t robbed like some say. I like her much more than Sasha but she was placed right.
Elena- OMG I like this girl but her presentation is bad and her jumps pretty much gone bye, bye. I thought her program was one of the worst out there even if she was in shape. Better taste is in order. It’s hard watching her now after last year but I’m sure she’s working on getting in fighting shape.
 

MasterF

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 24, 2003
My Take

MEN

Buttle looked much better than last year. I liked his program, I wish he could get that 4toe consistent enough to compete with. Sandhu's program was really good by my standards he is a great skater but a bad competitor. Honda looked great too, I am surprise he can do something with that girly music. Plushy was good too, but I couldn't make out the music that well. wish I had seen Lambiel.

LADIES

Sasha looked like a small version of Big Bird with that yellow outfit. Her jumps didn't look all that great to me.
Shizuka was okay, nothing great. Elena , I would have prefer to seen Sebastian instead. Ota, all the hype, she was good but I see weakness in her technique. Her technique doesn't look like it would hold up 100%. Did any one notice her take off on the flip. Her foot seemed to lean too far on the inside. She could easily break or strain an ankle.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
If Buttle hadn't tried that quad in the SP he could have possibly won it. Plushenko cut his 3A to a 2A and his quad combo was a tad shaky. A clean Buttle with a good 3A or 3Z combo might have beaten him.
 

elingrace4eva

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
I was so impressed by Jeff Buttle. I've always really enjoyed his skating, but he really shined. I was impressed, I have to say.

And I LOVED watching Sasha skate a perfect program. And I'm sorry, regradless of how you feel about her jump landings, she did land them all with no two foots, or bobbles, or, thank god, falls. I don't really like the dress...but she says she's going to modify it a bit...so hopefully it will improve. And the footwork is a MAJOR improvement from last year. I thought she looked great.

Bella and Patch were pretty phenominal. They skated better than I remember, as well. It was quite a night for the Canadians!

Kat
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I didn’t like Sasha’s outfit either. I love her long sleeve black one. I thought Sasha was crispier and more confident but I’m still not in love with her landings. Love Ota too but I don’t see her being consistent yet. Maybe later and if puberty doesn’t hit her bad.

My poor Sandhu..will he forever be a great skater and not a great competitor.
 

Fossi

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
I liked Sasha's performance. But why is she using old SP and exhibition this year? Why isn't she trying new stuff? She better be skating this SP clean every time. Good for her for getting it together though.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I thought Sasha was great. The best I've seen her. I don't agree at all with the criticisms of her jump landings. I thought they were crisp and clean with nice flow out.

I liked Navko and Kostamorov a lot, too.

OT -- Fossi, can you tell me what CD has the Maureen McGovern song on it that Sarah skates to, about I can't say goodbye?

Mathman
 
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hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Originally posted by Rgirl About Tot/Marin: Someone I know whose figure skating opinion I respect a lot said he didn't think much of them until he saw them live and that in his opinion their technique and overall skating is very strong, much stronger than it appears on TV. Anybody who was there have an opinion on that, yea or nay?
Rgirl
I agree with him, although I had already come to like them a lot more when I saw last year's lyrical SP to Peer Gynt on TV. (Actually, I really liked the first half of their 2002 SP. I thought the second half was dull, to duller music.) Most pairs go straight into the big moves -- SBS 3T's and the throw. And there's a certain anxiety and rushed feeling until they land them. T&M have no problem starting with footwork or a pairs spin or a death spiral, and getting to the jumps closer to the mid-point in their program. They never seem to rush into the "big" elements; they show a lot of patience which many find boring. IMO, this creates a pace in which the elements unfold and flower.

When I saw them in Malmo and DC, I was blown away by their line and her landing edges and form. The difference between their SP and LP last year was that the SP achieved speed and sweep that the LP never did. It wasn't exactly slow, but it didn't build or break out. Nonetheless, they had intricate dance lifts, and I hope they continue this trend in the new LP that they're planning to unveil at Russian Nationals.
 

Fossi

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Mathman said:
.

OT -- Fossi, can you tell me what CD has the Maureen McGovern song on it that Sarah skates to, about I can't say goodbye?

Mathman

Yes, Yes, Yes!! Thanks for asking! It's on the CD "The Music Never Ends." It's beautiful! :)
 

blurrysarah

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 21, 2003
I'm a bit undecided on Yukina Ota. I think the amount of praise she's received is OTT, lot of comparisons to Sasha because they are both more flexible than your average skater, but I don't think she'll be a Sasha threat for a long time.

She reminds me of Sasha, in the way she has a very graceful and balletic upper body, but her legs scream "clunky" to me. Sasha's gotten more steady this season however, like she's grown into her feet. Also - both skaters absolutely terrify me with their jumps. It seems you are either graceful or a jumping master, but never both. I find myself gripping the seat for dear life as they fling their skinny bodies into the air and land by the skin of their teeth. :eek:
 

nysk8r

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Since Skate Canada was Ota's first international senior event, I wasn't really expecting a :eek: performance. I agree with Button on the footwork sequence that it fits well with the music. They're very unique moves that don't have that "wow" factor to them, but they fit. Besides, does everything need to have a "wow" factor?

As for the men, there must be something in the water in Canada because these Canadian skaters really have artistry! Jeff Buttle could have possibly charmed the pants off the judges hadn't he fell on his quad, and Sandhu always comes out with neat moves and choreography. Also, was it me or did I see for the first time a smile on Takeshi's face during his program?

Oh, and did anyone catch Button's comment on Sandhu? Something referring to Button being afraid Sandhu is a skater with great talent? I know the "afraid" part was referring to Sandhu's inconsistancy but I wanted to get the entire quote.
 

pairsfan

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Is this what you wanted?

“Just got off balance at the end, had a couple of problems through it. I’m sorry, you know, I get excited when I see people who have real talent in this business and I’m afraid he’s one of them. He is one of them. I’m not afraid of it. I’m happy about it because he really can blast forward with what the sport all too often lacks. The problem is he can’t also sustain all the quadruples.”
 

berthes ghost

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
About Tot/Marin: Someone I know whose figure skating opinion I respect a lot said he didn't think much of them until he saw them live and that in his opinion their technique and overall skating is very strong, much stronger than it appears on TV. Anybody who was there have an opinion on that, yea or nay?

I've seen them live a couple of times, and it only confirmed my worst suspicions. I'm pretty sure she's a Fem-bot.

Absolutely everything about their technique, speed, carriage, delivery is perfect. PERFECT. Live, they show even less emotion than on TV. I know it's crazy, but after seeing them several times, I'm convinced that they're not born of woman. I can't wait for thier new LP to the soundtrack of "the Stepford Wives".
 

euterpe

Medalist
Joined
Sep 4, 2003
I agree that Tot/Marinin are indeed humanoids. They are expressionless and don't even relate to one another when they are skating. How any pair can skate to "West Side Story" without ever looking at one another or showing an emotion is incomprehensible to me.

They are the emotional antithesis of Gordeeva and Grinkov.
 

anya_angie

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 20, 2003
Zhenya knows what his competitors do and how to beat them. He saw everyone's performances and I think he knew that he could play it safe with a 2ax instead of a 3ax. If Jeff had landed his quad, who knows maybe he would have done the 3ax. Course it could have been a mistake but knowing him, it wouldn't have been a big deal if he had been second LOL. Wasn't that the way the standings were in Worlds 01?
 
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