Free Dance Sunday 4:45 PM EST

[Artistry]

After watching the canadian feed of the small medals ceremony, and some other footage of them from 4CC, I do agree with a previous poster about a change
in how V/M and D/W interact with one another.

Did anyone notice that when Meryl was explaining what makes up ice dancing judging, she mentioned elements and used an example. She said “For example,
we have 4 lifts in our program and V/M have three”. That sounded weird and how Tessa was looking at her was also strange. Also, if there are youtube videos
of that ceremony, check out the body language of the group before Charlie arrives. It’s like Meryl is afraid to come closer to Tessa. Something is definitely up.

Both teams are amazing though, so they will always be stealing each other’s thunder if they compete uninjured.

[colleen o'neill]

No.

Nothing weird in her answer. Listen to the question again.

Nothing strange in the way Tessa was looking at her, either.

Fear of Tessa ? NO.

Their body language says they were all wondering if Charlie would get there , after he was chosen for drug testing.

That's all.

They can't both win , it's inevitable one team or the other will be somewhat disappointed.... but I don't see anything here to suggest any big rift.

[jcoates]

Amen Colleen.

Unless one of the skaters comes out and says they have a personal issue that can't be resolved, all of this nonsense is purely speculative, pointless, off-base, tiresome, juvenile and flat out wrong. It's a childish attempt to inject additional dramatic tension for the sake of interesting discussion among fans. It serves no real purpose whatsoever. You can be disappointed in a loss and still be friends with the person who defeated you afterward. Please drop this petty attempt at gossip. You're only embarrassing yourselves.

[dorispulaski]

Thank you, jcoates!

[cotillion]

What I see as my observances are just that;they are not petty,speculative, pointless, off-base, tiresome, juvenile or flat out wrong,or childish nor am I am embarrassing myself. But I can see a nerve has been touched. V&M, D&W are my favourite teams and it upsets ME to see them being cold to each other. I think your post, jcoates borders on harrassment! Let others have their opinions too.

[chuckm]

cotillion, you are seeing what YOU want to see, for whatever reason. Just don't spread your fanciful thinking as truth. IMO, your posts smack of trollishness.

[dorispulaski]

Actually, we are pretty much anti-gossip at GS: that is because Paula runs a newsletter, and publishes news stories and interviews with skaters. She relies on the good will of the coaches, skaters, federations, and journalists to get the story or the interview. To maintain that good will, we try to avoid buying in to speculation about the skaters' and coaches' private lives, and thoughts, and relationships, and we do not publish unsourced rumors.

[Olympia]

Actually, we are pretty much anti-gossip at GS: that is because Paula runs a newsletter, and publishes news stories and interviews with skaters. She relies on the good will of the coaches, skaters, federations, and journalists to get the story or the interview. To maintain that good will, we try to avoid buying in to speculation about the skaters' and coaches' private lives, and thoughts, and relationships, and we do not publish unsourced rumors.

Just one more reason to love GS!

[colleen o'neill]

cotillion..speaking for myself , although this is my favourite place for discussion ( for the very reason that it is less rumour prone ) , I read other boards, and occasionally post elsewhere. So when I read your post , I'd already seen a lot of comments along the same lines ( many of them put in much stronger terms than yours ).And it doesn't take much for things to escalate from skater A and skater B were standing at least a foot apart , to Skater A was scared to stand too close to skater B.. ergo , skater B must be a nasty piece of work .I hate when that happens...

I remember the " Kaitlyn rolled her eyes " episode and " Meryl didn't care that Tessa was injured "..both of which made me roll MY eyes, as well as want to tear my hair out. So if I was very firm in my response, it was because I didn't want to see that stuff get started here ( which GS wouldn't allow , anyway).

Occasionally you see something obviously real , like Barbara's death stare..( Thank you , Barbara )..but those things are very rare.

[dorispulaski]

If I were a rink mate & friend of Alex (and Charlie too), I would have had a funny expression on my face, because I would be worrying whether my friends were really OK. Also, if I were really tired myself, I would have a funny expression on my face while trying not to appear tired.

I hope they all go back to Canton and follow the usual S&Z method of looking at where the low calls came and strengthening the programs so that those calls do not happen again rather than focussing on the scoring itself.

They should all be the better prepared for worlds then.

[jcoates]

I stand by my post and maintain that all of this silly talk flies in the face of actual quotes from the skaters themselves, including rather candid ones in the wake of the scoring error after the GPF, and other visual evidence of real action rather than "eye contact" or "body language". Tessa and Scott sat in the K&C throughout Meryl and Charlie's program cheering them on in tough conditions they had to know were harder on Charlie due to his asthma. Scott can be seen in the IN video of the event visibly clapping for them in the background as they perfrom their signature rotational lift in the middle of the program. You could even hear him being questioned about it in the background by the interviewer afterward. Charlie and Scott were also very warm to each other during the awards ceremony. Tessa and Meryl are both more reserved than their male partners in public. As to any perceived distance, I fail to see how going through the standard mental exercises necessary to get ready for competition are any indication of personal feelings among the skaters. This isn't the Mickey Mouse Club or a weekend hobby. These are adults pursuing a professional level craft and sport to which they've devoted their entire lives. Despite this, they remain well balanced individuals, attending school as a counterbalance. They clearly know how to compartmentalize their lives to make everything work. I know something of how they feel. On more the one occassion in college, I had to compete against close friends on the tennis team for starting positions. In addition to playing each other for a coveted slot, we had to call our own lines in the playoff matches. Still when it was done, we cheered on the winner when he took up his starting lineup slot. It's called being mature. This is not "Smash" or "Glee". It's real life where people actually know how to deal with disappointment, pressure and tension.

[Scrufflet]

Just one more reason to love GS!

Ditto to that!

[KKonas]

What I see as my observances are just that;they are not petty,speculative, pointless, off-base, tiresome, juvenile or flat out wrong,or childish nor am I am embarrassing myself. But I can see a nerve has been touched. V&M, D&W are my favourite teams and it upsets ME to see them being cold to each other. I think your post, jcoates borders on harrassment! Let others have their opinions too.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over this speculative rumor. I was at the final press conference and while photographers were taking a group photo, I stood behind and to the side of the photo shoot and saw Charlie and Scott shake hands behind the backs of Tessa & Meryl. Apparently all is well in Canton still. BTW girls generally do not bond like guys do when it comes to competition, but Meryl and Tessa are friendly-no animosity there.

[SkateFiguring]

I stood behind and to the side of the photo shoot and saw Charlie and Scott shake hands behind the backs of Tessa & Meryl.

Awww, how cute and heart warming. However, it would help figure skating's popularity greatly if these teams care to do a frienemy play for public consumption. Just act like they are bitter enemies and throw a few insults at each other when reporters and photographers are around and never get caught shaking hands behind the scene again. All for the greater good, guys.

[colleen o'neill]

jcoates..ITA

KKonas..great colour. Thanks.

SkateFiguring..you devil , you.