GPF previews and interviews | Golden Skate

GPF previews and interviews

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
I enjoyed the Kurt's preview a lot. Thank you so much, golden! :)

I loved how Kurt described each skater/team, especially Kiira and Akiko. That's why I admire and root for veteran skaters. :yes:
:clap: to their believeing themselves and, of course, their hard work over the years to improve to be a 'better skater' each season! :)
 

chloepoco

Medalist
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Very interesting to read that Kurt thinks Kozuka is the best skater, even better then Patrick! Wow! What a great compliment coming from such a legendary skater himself!!
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Very interesting to read that Kurt thinks Kozuka is the best skater, even better then Patrick! Wow! What a great compliment coming from such a legendary skater himself!!

Kurt is fair and loves skating. Not surprising that he can ignore national bias.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I love him for naming Kozuka the best skater:love: and I hope judges would hear him but dissapointed he refered to Liza with a two lines paragraph!
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
DiManno: Sochi going from sleepy to gaudy as Olympics draw near
Published on Sunday December 02, 2012
By Rosie DiManno
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/a...ng-from-sleepy-to-gaudy-as-olympics-draw-near
Note: The article above mentions the GPF only in passing. It is mostly a scene-setter/status report re the infrastructure in Sochi as the Olympics approach.

And for history buffs, today's offering from DiManno:
Joseph Stalin still looms large in Sochi, Russia
Published on Tuesday December 04, 2012
By Rosie DiManno
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1297163--joseph-stalin-still-looms-large-in-sochi-russia
 

let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Here is a video of VolTran practice in Iceberg (click on the red button with "Видео"). In the interview Max said that the arena doesn't have any minuses like other Olympic arenas, for example in Vacouver there were no special changing rooms, in Turin the gym was not so well-equipped. Kudryavtsev mentioned that the ice is "skating" very well, which is definitely a good advantage for skaters.
www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=974874&cid=680
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Wow, what an interesting preview from Kurt. Fascinating to read his remarks about the contenders' basic skating skills. Since he is one of the ultimate "skater's skaters" in the sport, I certainly respect his opinion. Very surprising to see him, a Canadian, publicly name Kozuka as the man with the best skating skills and edgework!!

The only thing I can't agree with him on is his opinion of Davis/White. He sees the rest of the field getting closer to them--I feel just the opposite.
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
My goodness, more complaints from Max. He really is becoming quite the drama queen.

Here is a video of VolTran practice in Iceberg (click on the red button with "Видео"). In the interview Max said that the arena doesn't have any minuses like other Olympic arenas, for example in Vacouver there were no special changing rooms, in Turin the gym was not so well-equipped. Kudryavtsev mentioned that the ice is "skating" very well, which is definitely a good advantage for skaters.
www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=974874&cid=680
 

let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
PChan told how he spent a day walking around Sochi and enjoying ping-pong. As well as he didn't forget badmouthing about one of his main rivals that he will have to face at the same Olympic stadium- that tall blond Russian:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/figur...with-figure-skating-grand-prix-season-dimanno
"I think I feared him at the beginning," admits Chan, who arrived in Sochi in the wee hours Tuesday after an exhausting trek from Colorado via Frankfurt and Moscow. "In Japan, on the ice with him, that was almost like being in a time capsule. I was actually more impressed with him in practice than in the competition. I thought to myself, 'Wow, he’s doing a lot better than I had expected.' He can still do all his jumps, which is pretty good for someone who’s — what? — 36, 37 years old."

Is it just Patrick's usual badmouth talking about his opponents or Canadian media started its PR work? He and they seriously believe that bashing that tall blond Russian in Russia will give them some love advantage? But hell, there is ISU at the end! :laugh:
 

emdee

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
No is just Patrick's way of saying what he believes. Its his honesty.
 
Last edited:

let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Not is just Patrick's way of saying what he believes. Its his honesty.
Oh, please. DiManno is not PChan but Canadian media, and her attidue to Plu in that article is quite clear. Patrick is just helping her and himself in doing dirty PR work for Sochi. And mind, Plu is not even at GPF, so technically there wasn't any reason to drag him there. I believe it's just he beginning. :popcorn:
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Last edited:

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
A couple of newspapers say the arena is too warm so that ice is melting here and there. Also, the surface of ice is not level..Is that true? :no: I am crossing my fingers these bad conditions do not affect skaters' performances.
Good luck to everyone, and may the best man/lady/team who skates the best on the night win! :yay:
 

let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
^ That's odd. I was partly surprised to read these comments in J-media. Diva Trankov, who had arrived earlier in Sochi and had complained about everything possible (food, rooms, then he got another room), actually spoke quite high about the quality of the ice. Pair skating is not kids' stuff, that Russian Drama Queen with no national bias would have surely reported if smth. was wrong with the ice. My guess is at some moments maybe that ice stuff is not working properly well. Or whatever.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Golly, I hope the ice is okay. It's terrible to see skaters falling through no fault of their own, just because the ice isn't right. And if this is what the Olympic ice will be...eeeeek! Let's Talk, I hope you're right and that Trankov is satisfied with the quality of the ice, because he seems to have pretty exacting standards, and if the ice is good for a pairs skater carrying his partner overhead while balancing on one foot, it's probably all right.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
(1) Meagan Duhamel ‏@mhjd_85
Amazing practice here in Sochi! Beautiful rink and perfect ice! #GPF2012 #Sochi
2:31 AM - 5 Dec 12​
[emphasis added]​

(2) Korpi battles flu to continue fine season at Final
Three-time Finnish champion delighted by 2012-13 results so far

By Vladislav Luchianov, special to icenetwork.com
(12/06/2012)
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121205&content_id=40542978&vkey=ice_news

Excerpt:
Just a week ago, the skater was considering withdrawing from the event because of unexpected health problems. However, those obstacles could not stop her from fulfilling her great desire to perform in Sochi, on the same ice that will host the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
 
Top