Lysacek likely to enter U.S. Int'l in Salt Lake City, per Hersh (Jun 12) | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Lysacek likely to enter U.S. Int'l in Salt Lake City, per Hersh (Jun 12)

Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I am just curious, why does everyone hate Lysacek so much? I get that he doesn't have a solid consistent quad. But neither does Takahashi, Kozuka, Abbott, Amodio, Brown, or Miner, all of whom seem to get more appreciation here. I don't understand the level of hatred Evan seems to inspire.

I don't understand it either. I think he held it together in a high-pressure situation in Vancouver. He's got the best record of any American man in the last decade or so, and if he wants to try to come back, he has every right to give it the effort. If there's someone who can do better, by all means let's give it to that guy, but so far no one has shown up with that level of excellence.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
People don't hate Evan because of the quad. There are plenty of other reasons. :biggrin: For instance:

A) They think that he robbed legendary skating grandpa Plushenko of another Olympic gold medal.
B) They don't like the mild disses Evan aimed at skating's pixie-troll Johnny Weir.
C) They don't like his hilariously un-self-conscious statements about bringing masculinity b(l)ack to skating.
D) They don't enjoy his calculated skating.
E) They know him personally... or so I hear.

That said, I, for one, welcome back Mr. Lysacek. The current sorry bunch of US men's skaters ain't cutting it. We need somebody, anybody, to keep the USA from being embarrassed and shamed in enemy territory. If Evan is good enough now, and he well might be, I wish him great success in his comeback.

Aaron is quite capable of a top 5. I highly doubt Evan is even capable of that at this point. Evan does not improve U.S mens situation. If one wishes for a U.S man on the podium, grandpa Evan certainly isnt going to achieve that. They need to focus on developing new stars to get back there someday. Plushenko was 1 year younger than Evan will be in Sochi, is about twice as talented a skater, and still didnt win gold against a way less talented field than the Sochi field will be.
 

LRK

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Excuse me but didn't Plushenko not come back until the Olympic season when he made his comeback? So he can take 3 years off and it was perfectly allright but with Evan it's not?

Really? Weren't people quite sceptical about Plushy's return as well? I recall the Swedish commenators discussing it, in early 2009 or something, and the expert commentator stating categorically, when asked what she thought of the rumours that he meant to return: "No. It's been far too long." I especially remember because I was particularly miffed at her trying to squash my hopes - not succeeding, though. Hope is hard to kill in the skating fan - I'm sure it's the same with many of Evan's fans - and why not? :)

ETA - I think for some people the proof of the pudding is in the eating. With those people I think that, if Evan makes a successful comeback, then his absence will become - in hindsight - "allright" as well.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Why is it funny when an athlete is prevented from competing because of an injury? Just wondering.

It is funny when many of us know said skater was never serious about a comeback in the first place and it has all been a huge PR stunt to begin with.
 

ForeverFish

Medalist
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
It is funny when many of us know said skater was never serious about a comeback in the first place and it has all been a huge PR stunt to begin with.

I'm sorry, but I still don't understand. You wouldn't be gleeful (I hope) if a stranger on the street slipped and broke his leg, so why is it so amusing when an elite athlete who's sacrificed every semblance of a normal life to train -- and whose condition we currently "know" very little about -- has all of his efforts go to naught?

Dislike for Lysacek is excusable, but finding sadistic joy in a potentially serious injury is not.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
I'm sorry, but I still don't understand. You wouldn't be gleeful (I hope) if a stranger on the street slipped and broke his leg, so why is it so amusing when an elite athlete who's sacrificed every semblance of a normal life to train -- and whose condition we currently "know" very little about -- has all of his efforts go to naught?

Dislike for Lysacek is excusable, but finding sadistic joy in a potentially serious injury is not.


Again you seem to be missing the boat. Most of us dont believe if Evan pulled out with an "injury" he would even really be seriously injured in the first place. Most of us never believed his comeback for a moment.
 

SkateFan66

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
When Evan pulled out of competitions in the past because of injury (2006 GP final, 2008 WC), I don't recall people questioning whether the injury was real or fake. Given that Evan's injury last year was severe enough to require surgery, only a true 'hater' could suggest that he faked injury last season. Evan has never faked an injury to get out of competing, and I have no reason to believe that he would this season.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
When Evan pulled out of competitions in the past because of injury (2006 GP final, 2008 WC), I don't recall people questioning whether the injury was real or fake. Given that Evan's injury last year was severe enough to require surgery, only a true 'hater' could suggest that he faked injury last season. Evan has never faked an injury to get out of competing, and I have no reason to believe that he would this season.

Have to agree with this. He's not Johnny Weir.

He does have a history of groin injuries. But I would just be a bit sceptical if he didn't do so great at this B, and then pulled out of SkAm. Like, that's just a bit TOO convenient. But I am naturally sceptical of many things.
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
When Evan pulled out of competitions in the past because of injury (2006 GP final, 2008 WC), I don't recall people questioning whether the injury was real or fake. Given that Evan's injury last year was severe enough to require surgery, only a true 'hater' could suggest that he faked injury last season. Evan has never faked an injury to get out of competing, and I have no reason to believe that he would this season.

But unlike in 2006 and 2008 he has Olympic gold now and it is a radically different environment in skating! More changes in technical requirements has rarely been seen in the sport. No one doing quads in sp or or lp or barely anyone to almost everyone doing quads in sp an lp? this kind of radical change in jumping just has never been seen! Every single previous cycle saw slower technical change!
 

ForeverFish

Medalist
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Again you seem to be missing the boat. Most of us dont believe if Evan pulled out with an "injury" he would even really be seriously injured in the first place. Most of us never believed his comeback for a moment.

Define "really seriously injured," please. An athlete has no obligation to compete when he/she is physically unable.

You seem to be "missing the boat," actually. Evan sat out last season due to injury and SURGERY (can't fake the severity of that). I don't understand why so many people feel that he's lazy -- you don't win the OGM by sitting on your butt all day. Yuna was in a pretty similar situation last year, deciding to come back after a season off.
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Define "really seriously injured," please. An athlete has no obligation to compete when he/she is physically unable.

You seem to be "missing the boat," actually. Evan sat out last season due to injury and SURGERY (can't fake the severity of that). I don't understand why so many people feel that he's lazy -- you don't win the OGM by sitting on your butt all day. Yuna was in a pretty similar situation last year, deciding to come back after a season off.

The key word was IF! IF as in the whole thing would be phony! Using a previous injury and surgery to pull out of something you never had any intention of doing when you are fine! Obviously the first injury and surgery can be true but the pulling out because of the actual old injury and surgery would be fake. This comes up a lot and is not even about Evan Lysacek specifally. Just using some recent history of americans like Sasha Cohen and etc! All had real injuries but people were like if they pulled out of an event citing the injury THAT wouldn't be true- not the injury had been fake! Injuries real! Pulling out because of it- fake.
 

ForeverFish

Medalist
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
The key word was IF! IF as in the whole thing would be phony! Using a previous injury and surgery to pull out of something you never had any intention of doing when you are fine! Obviously the first injury and surgery can be true but the pulling out because of the actual old injury and surgery would be fake. This comes up a lot and is not even about Evan Lysacek specifally. Just using some recent history of americans like Sasha Cohen and etc! All had real injuries but people were like if they pulled out of an event citing the injury THAT wouldn't be true- not the injury had been fake! Injuries real! Pulling out because of it- fake.

Wait, what? Are you saying that athletes shouldn't pull out because of injury?

Again -- an athlete has NO obligation to wreak further havoc on his/her health by competing injured, regardless of whether it's a new injury or an old one that never properly healed. Some do, of course, but many do not. I wouldn't want to see a gymnast tumbling on a sprained ankle any more than I'd want to see a figure skater trying to land jumps with a groin injury (which, for the record, Sasha Cohen had in 2006. If I remember correctly, she fought through and won the silver medal at the Olympics). Every athlete has to face physical debilitation at some time in his/her career. Being American has nothing to do with it.

I'm not sure how you're so certain that Evan doesn't intend to compete at the Classic or on the GP. Do you have a source that you'd like to share with the rest of us unenlightened folk?
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Define "really seriously injured," please. An athlete has no obligation to compete when he/she is physically unable.

You seem to be "missing the boat," actually. Evan sat out last season due to injury and SURGERY (can't fake the severity of that). I don't understand why so many people feel that he's lazy -- you don't win the OGM by sitting on your butt all day. Yuna was in a pretty similar situation last year, deciding to come back after a season off.

It is a new World now. Most everyone agrees Evan even at his best does not have the skill set to compete with the current top men, let alone after years off and nearing 30. Thus it surprises no one that if his comeback is more a PR stunt than anything else, and a way to keep his name in the news. Who can blame him really, what former Olympic Champion wants to come back just to finish 2nd to 5th at Nationals or 9th to 12th at Worlds or Olympics (if he somehow makes it). Yet if he doesnt do something to keep his name in the news he would be forgotten before now. This is the best compromise to squeeze a few more years out of earning potential, before fading into obscurity. I dont fault him, he is being smart. I first thought he wasnt as he was sacrificing time on SOI, but that show blows and is almost dead now anyway so who cares.

Evan might have some injuries, frankly I dont really care either way, what active skater even a show level doesnt have some kind of injury. However most of us believe he was never going to compete regardless. That is what the "pull out with injury" joke came from the previous poster, not laughing at someone having an injury, but that whether he does or doesnt that is what is likely to occur.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
A new injury COULD occur if he were to try and train too hard without working up to it which could lead to him "pulling out with an injury" which could be real and make it too difficult to be competitive. I believe this is what happened to Cohen in 2009-10 seasons.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I think there is also a middle ground possibility. The trumpet sounds, the war rage rises in the champion's breast, and he starts thinking, "I'm not dead yet, by gum!"

So he gives it a shot and comes up lame. Oh well.

I do have to give Sasha credit, though. No matter how unrealistic her comeback effort proved to be, no matter how many events she had to pull out of along the way, she still stuck it to her critics by taking the ice at Nationals, where she actually skated a pretty good short program. (The tech panel helped her out a little, but :rock: even so.)
 
Last edited:

merrywidow

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
For those who are interested in facts rather than someone's daydreams, Evan Lysacek is one DAY older than Jeremy Abbott.
 

NYscorp6

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Country
United-States
I think there is also a middle ground possibility. The trumpet sounds, the war rage rises in the champion's breast, and he starts thinking, "I'm not dead yet, by gum!"

So he gives it a shot and comes up lame. Oh well.

I do have to give Sasha credit, though. No matter how unrealistic her comeback effort proved to be, no matter how many events she had to pull out of along the way, she still stuck it to her critics by taking the ice at Nationals, where she actually skated a pretty good short program. (The tech panel helped her out a little, but :rock: even so.)

I agree, Sasha's star power lit up the arena. If only she had begun the comeback the previous year............
 
Top