Lysacek's road to Sochi starts to get serious | Page 5 | Golden Skate

Lysacek's road to Sochi starts to get serious

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Jaana had stated that since 1976, all Olympic gold & silver medalist, except for Wylie, had previously been a world medalist. LRK, then asked Jaana, who of the current competitors, would this include.

No big whoop and no offense to LRK, but I would have asked the question a different way if I were seeking the same answer.
Also no big deal, and no offense to mskater, but clearly the question as worded was confusing to her/him. I still do not know (and it really does not matter at this point) what question mskater thought was being asked.

Ready to move on, SF66? I am. :)
 

LRK

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
All I did was provide answers to questions that you asked. Why would I not be "ready to move on." ;)

Indeed, thank you, SkateFan66, for stepping in and clarifying on my behalf - AND for answering my question as well. Much appreciated. :)

@golden411 - My apologies to anyone who was mystified by my question - obviously I thought I was being clear, or I would have worded it differently. :) But these things happen on the internet, and considering the confusions that can occur, I think this was pretty minor - and also, I found mskater99's list really interesting as well, so all in all, the confusion gained me two interesting lists, instead of "merely" one - so personally, I rather feel as if I've rather gained by it than not. However, again, if I caused anyone else any annoyance, of any sort, I'm really sorry about that - and will try for more clarity in the future. :)
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Two lists are always better! (I have very rarely met a list or a chart I didn't like.)

Back to the original point of the prior track record of Olympians who made the podium, this is fascinating; I never thought of it that way before.

Thanks to both listers for the research!
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Evan is def podium material in USA. It depends on if judges want him to have Olympic spot or respectable bronze retirement goodbye. Evan is a champion, and liked. One can never underestimate two elders-three actually in mens-Plush, Joubert and Lysacek. We love these long-time warriors and so do the judges. If Evan won a bronze in Olympics, it wouldn't surprise me- but he'll have to outskate Plush- Plush owns Bronze in Sochi unless he messes up bad. Evan and Plush are handicapped only by age and unhealed injury. They will be fierce competitors in anything til they die. I will never count them out.

Look as Shizuka in 2006. Boring, conservative clean. Cool competitors show off in practice then force the nervous to blow the Olympics. Kim has gold unless she falls to nerves. Kwan, Witt always won because they never let it consume or frighten them.

I will put my money on a veteran WC/OC any day. Clean is very impt. Had Sasha been clean, she easily would have beat Shizuka, but the Shiz was doing 3x3x3 in practice. She didn't need her full arsenal that day. Maybe we would have seen Shizuka's best effort with a clean stunning Sasha, but we seldom saw clean from the tiny dancer. Sasha was the silver skater who mihjt have been gold, could have been Kwan. Sad, kind of. Unlike Kim in 2010 with triple axels in the mix, she had to do her toughest stuff to ensure victory. She is in same place again, incredibly with a 20 point lead from Mao. It's gonna be kinda sad-that race.

I think mens will be a splatfest-the podium is no given-and Chan is no lock for gold like YuNa. I hope I'm wrong about the men, but Olympics doesn't always bring out the best from the majority of competitors.
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
I m not sure if I would agree that men's 2014 could be like ladies 2006 where all the main contenders avoid quads in the sp and dont do them in the lp like all the ladies avoided 3/3 in 2006. The total absence of 3/3 in the free skates started in the sp. It was a really 3/3 free season in ladies. If you are saying lysacek could be like arakawa or another man could not do any quads or just do them in practice? I hope not. I don't believe men 2013-2014 will be like the ladies 2005-2006 and abandon all 3/3's!
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
The question I answered was who is going to compete for those 2 spots among the US men (since that SEEMED to be the question).
 

LRK

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
The question I answered was who is going to compete for those 2 spots among the US men (since that SEEMED to be the question).

Yes, I realised that - I'm afraid my question was very unclear, since it confused so many people. But I appreciated seeing that list as well. (Men's is my favourite discipline, so I'm interested in most aspects of it anyway.) But, again, I'm sorry if I caused any annoyance to anyone.
 

wonderlen3000

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Well I think men event in Sochi will be a nail bitter as all men in top 10 will attempt quad in SP and at least one in LP. When you are in the biggest stage of figure skating, many things will play factors. Landing them cleanly will be different between on podium or not. Regarding Plushy, we will have to see until he skates, as there is no reports of what condition he is in after his injury. And he be the oldest one in men event, along with Takahashi. Looks at Takahashi, his jumps are already barely there.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Have been saying this from the beginning. I don't think Evan has a chance in #$%& to place at the Olympics. I personally think he got very lucky in Vancouver and had alot of help from inept performances from other skaters. As far as Nationals.....it's going to be whoever skates clean. A clean Jeremy Abbott will leave Evan in the dust. His technical skills and performance skills are far and above Evan's IMO. And he's been competing for 4 years and Evan hasn't. A clean Jason Brown could beat both of them. It's been a long time since anyone from the US has had the panache and personality on the ice as Jason...and having seen him land 2 triple axels beautifully in a show program......and assuming he has his quad....the guy could be unbeatable. And then there are always the dark horses....Adam Rippon (don't laugh...) Ross Miner (okay, go ahead and laugh) and a couple others. Evan has his work cut out for him and like someone upthread said about Plush, it remains to be seen what he's going to bring to the ice. But I think we all should stop putting these guys into a competitive situation successfully - sight unseen - based on what they did 4 years ago!!!! Four years in men of a certain age in figure skating might as well be 10 years.

And all of that having been said, I am definitely looking forward to sitting in the audience in Boston and watching how US Nats plays out!!!!

p.s. notice I didn't mention Max Aaron. Not a fan, although he's a really nice young man. I just don't like his herky-jerky style and he's going to lose points on presentation. Now I will sit back and field the tomatoes that will no doubt be thrown my way. Whatever.
 

ManyCairns

Medalist
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Country
United-States
Well, most comebacks haven't gone that well in terms of medals, such as Boitano, Witt, Torvill/Dean in 2004; Sasha more recently, etc. Of course for a few a comeback has been golden, such as with G/G.

But I tend to think unless Evan truly is in it for the experience (and I think he may be, perhaps because he simply is not as fulfilled and happy when out of training for competition than when in training and competition), he stands to lose a bit in terms of rep and renown. Why tarnish a gold by falling far off the podium, or not making the team?

One thing, though, is that Evan has surely thought over all the many possible results and consequences far more than anybody else, and I do suspect he is prepared for all possible outcomes. He'll keep an always-look-forward attitude whatever happens.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
rally - I agree. That's why I think if he doesn't do well at Skate America we may not see him at Nationals.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
rally - I agree. That's why I think if he doesn't do well at Skate America we may not see him at Nationals.

You think he'll get as far as SkAm? He comes across Aaron and Farris at SLC. I'm picking he doesn't make it past that.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
I am sure he has something up his sleeve. Evan is a competitor. He is smart. He maximizes everything thta is how he beat Plushy in 2010. He is not inately artistic and technically not the best but he come s up big when others falter. He is not "special" - good but not a persona like Witt, tecnically brilliant like Plushy, Yagudin, Slutskaya, he is not a personality like Bonaly, Cadelero or a real all around skater like Lambiel, Buttle, Chan or Browning or atistically intrinsic like Daisuke, Igor Bobrin in his days or Oksana Baiul. He is almost a Kimmie Meissner with an OGM.
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
I am sure he has something up his sleeve. Evan is a competitor. He is smart. He maximizes everything thta is how he beat Plushy in 2010. He is not inately artistic and technically not the best but he come s up big when others falter. He is not "special" - good but not a persona like Witt, tecnically brilliant like Plushy, Yagudin, Slutskaya, he is not a personality like Bonaly, Cadelero or a real all around skater like Lambiel, Buttle, Chan or Browning or atistically intrinsic like Daisuke, Igor Bobrin in his days or Oksana Baiul. He is almost a Kimmie Meissner with an OGM.

I predict a 1/7 jumping layout in the Free skate and a 1/2 jump layout in the SP.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
No way is Evan going to get a bronze medal in Sochi unless everyone else completely melts down. 3rd place, you serious? He'd probably need to do 3 (maybe 4) quads between his 2 programs to wind up on the podium. Four years ago we saw Evan try a quad ONCE in his competitive season and the result was a 4t< fall. He doesn't have the skating skills of Chan or the performance ability of Takahashi, and they have been competing and doing quads in recent seasons. Lysacek can maybe make the lower top 10 in Sochi if he even makes the team at all. He just won't be competitive. We all saw Joubert get relegated to 9th at Worlds last season, and that was WITH him landing 3 quads!! 3rd place in Sochi means Evan would have to beat at least one of Chan, Hanyu, and Fernandez, and hold off ALL the other challengers (Takahashi, Aaron, Reynolds, Abbott/other US entrant, Brezina, Amodio, Kozuka/Mura (or whoever the 3rd Japanese entrant is), Joubert, etc.). I just do not see that happening at this point.
 
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