Can Patrick Chan cope with the pressure of Olympic favouritism? | Page 6 | Golden Skate

Can Patrick Chan cope with the pressure of Olympic favouritism?

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Yes. Now I can say this, with the same confidence I felt for him at the time I joined the board before the 2010 GPF where he finally put his quads and the programs together. TEB does not seal the deal for the OGM for Patrick as claimed by some. It is up for grabs and will be sealed at the Olympics. However, TEB showing bodes very well for him because he showed he was able to apply his newest skill - mind management, aka mental fortitude.

Since the last Olympics and his decision to continue skating, Patrick's ultimal goal has been the OGM but he has broken the process into steps without obsesing about the Olympics. He has had a different focus each season, first the technical skills and the big jumps, then the artistry/performance, and now the most import of all, the mental aspect to pull everything together. Patrick has sought the right coaches for himself along the journey and they have all contributed greatly to his progress. But from my observations and his interviews, Patrick has developed mentally with councils from and observations of great athletes from various sports as well as drawing from
personal experiences. I don't think TEB is a fluke or the peak of the season but rather a demonstration of his new mental ability to get into the zone. He was not particularly ecstatic at his results because a winner knew he had won before the competition. It is akin to expressing and extending the energy and intention beyond the brick or board to be broken by the bare hand.

Both his programs relate to Mr. Colson and I think they are chosen to resonate his feelings and focus with the music, a mental strength. He wants the OGM for himself, Canada, and his late coach, the first and most ardent believer in his talents and future. This faith and belief in him at childhood must has been a prime motivation.

So, I think he's got it, in his pocket with the blade skills, the quads and the dance movements. Doesn't mean he will always be flawless, but it this mental fortitude is a depenable and power tool purposefully and seemingly successfully acquired.

I will keep watching him and his progress with fancination.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
Chan seems to be really confident and I hope that he will be successful in Sochi. It is though a very different matter to stand on the Olympic ice and wait for the freeskate music to start...
 

spikydurian

Medalist
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
I am with you, SF. Although I am very happy for Patrick that he put together two incredible programs at TEB, I am also aware the deal at Olympics is not sealed. No skater can be perfect all the time (if there's a thing such as perfection). And he knows that numbers do not mean anything. If it is a WR, well great .. 'icing on the cake' as he would have described it. Every moment is different. Like he said, he wants to 're-create' that moment in TEB in future skates. He respects his competitive peers as they all have improved tremendously and caught up with him. Hence he still need to work hard to try to stay ahead of the competition.
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
I am with you, SF. Although I am very happy for Patrick that he put together two incredible programs at TEB, I am also aware the deal at Olympics is not sealed. No skater can be perfect all the time (if there's a thing such as perfection). And he knows that numbers do not mean anything. If it is a WR, well great .. 'icing on the cake' as he would have described it. Every moment is different. Like he said, he wants to 're-create' that moment in TEB in future skates. He respects his competitive peers as they all have improved tremendously and caught up with him. Hence he still need to work hard to try to stay ahead of the competition.
Yes, just ask Michelle Kwan. Anything can happen at the Olympics.
 

Bluebonnet

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
True. Patrick has greater distance ahead of his competitors compare with Michelle Kwan and her competitors. All Patrick needs is to overcome himself mentally. If he could be able to toughen his mind in facing pressure like how Plushenko did in 2006 Olympics, the gold will be his.
 

Srin Odessa

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Nah, he's got it. Light years ahead of the pack.

Assuming all the top men have a blowout and skate clean at the Olympic men's event, who can defeat a clean Chan? Yuzuru doesn't seem to have the PCS for it. Javier's SP is a bottleneck for his total score. Only a theoretically clean Daisuke has the PCS, TES, and GOE to match him. However, two quads, two triple axels, and level 4s are a tall order.

I think the big wild card is the team event. It takes place before the main event and may affect how some skaters perform in later events.
 

Bluebonnet

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Assuming all the top men have a blowout and skate clean at the Olympic men's event, who can defeat a clean Chan? Yuzuru doesn't seem to have the PCS for it. Javier's SP is a bottleneck for his total score. Only a theoretically clean Daisuke has the PCS, TES, and GOE to match him. However, two quads, two triple axels, and level 4s are a tall order.

I think the big wild card is the team event. It takes place before the main event and may affect how some skaters perform in later events.

As long as Patrick skates clean with all planned technical content like in TEB, a clean Takahashi with planned technical content including two quads and two triple axels still cannot beat him. As usual, no one could beat a clean Chan.

If Patrick isn't clean, the result will be tricky.
 

lcd

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Having already had an Olympic experience under arguably the far greater pressure of skating before a home country audience, should serve him well as he competes at the Olympics. What will be new for all of the athletes is what impact the Team event will have in terms of "energy expenditure" especially given the uncertainty that currently/unfortunately seems to be an issue with Kevin Reynolds at this point in the season.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Assuming all the top men have a blowout and skate clean at the Olympic men's event, who can defeat a clean Chan? Yuzuru doesn't seem to have the PCS for it. Javier's SP is a bottleneck for his total score. Only a theoretically clean Daisuke has the PCS, TES, and GOE to match him. However, two quads, two triple axels, and level 4s are a tall order.

I think the big wild card is the team event. It takes place before the main event and may affect how some skaters perform in later events.

Takahashi would be the only one with an outside shot to beat a clean Chan, but would require skating cleanly himself and that would never happen. Fernandez's SP scores are never that high even when he skates cleanly, despite that he shows very high scoring potential for the LP. I am not sure why, he cant seem to get the GOEs especialy in the short even when he skates well for some reason. Last year at NHK his clean short was 9 points behind Hanyu.

Being that it is the Olympics though I expect a messy event, and the one who withstands the carnage best winning. The only ones I believe you will see skate cleanly at the Games are Yu Na Kim, Volosozhar & Trankov, and maybe Mao Asada (who I sense is super determined this time as I said in another thread, and has scaled down her tech. content to give her a shot a better shot at skating cleanly).
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Patrick may make nervey mistakes, but he wins anway. But when he is clean, it is awesome to watch these edges. Only Dai comes close. He'll win easily. Yuzu can't do a clean long, tho he's exciting-but dump the girlie blouse please!
 

Moment

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 18, 2013
Assuming all the top men have a blowout and skate clean at the Olympic men's event, who can defeat a clean Chan? Yuzuru doesn't seem to have the PCS for it. Javier's SP is a bottleneck for his total score. Only a theoretically clean Daisuke has the PCS, TES, and GOE to match him. However, two quads, two triple axels, and level 4s are a tall order.

I think the big wild card is the team event. It takes place before the main event and may affect how some skaters perform in later events.

Patrick's 2013 TEB skates will score higher than theoretical clean Daisuke skates in all areas incl. the PCS. Simply no one has more of what the judges are looking men's figure skating for.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Patrick's 2013 TEB skates will score higher than theoretical clean Daisuke skates in all areas incl. the PCS. Simply no one has more of what the judges are looking men's figure skating for.

Right. Dai's PB is 276 while PC's PB is 295.
 

RobinA

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
I don't think Chan will win the gold medal, but the pressure of expectation will have little to do with that.

Who is going to beat him? The only man even close to him is Takahashi, who has his own consistency issues. No one else is even close, unless I'm blanking on someone. This, to me, is the big difference between him and Orser. Orser was evenly matched and either could have won on a given night.
 

jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
I remember that the great Tarasova stood up and cheered for Patrick after his long.
He is also a skaters skater and nearly all of them will show you their appreciation of his skills.

His skills with the blade are most noticeable when he is skating in a practice with other high ranked skaters.

I think Patrick's "skills with the blade" are the best since Kurt Browning--another Canadian. Kurt, of course, had his Olympic disappointments. But I don't think Patrick will. He has a consistent quad and a lot more that will overcome any mistakes he makes. He also almost always skates well in the short program, which gives him a cushion in the long.
 

emdee

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Nah, he's got it. Light years ahead of the pack.

He is light years ahead but anything can still happen. Injury, illness, nerves etc.
I recall the awful time ( for me) when Kurt didnt win the gold in the two tries when he was a favourite.

What I commend greatly is his preparation in the last 14 months. He knew what he had to do to get where he needs to be ( for himself that is).
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
Kozuka certainly has very elegant arms and posture and inner musicality, I m rehearshing my applause for Chan's Gold in Sochi ( a la Oscar) but SS is not the alpha and omega of Pcs, and I think Kozuka is no less talented.
As such, it is disappointing regardless of who the winner is. Of course, that disappointment can be countered if one happens to like the winner (I'm sure Plushenko fans shed no tears about the meh men's event in Torino 2006, for instance). But for fans in general, while hair pulling is not indicated, it is not what one hopes for.
I pulled my hair and cried in Vancouver. That would do for both Olys.:biggrin:
 

emdee

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Seniorita
Kozuka is one of my favourites ( after Chan and Hanyu) but one wonders whether his silver was a flash in the pan. He has all the ingredients for success but cannot put it together on the day. In that sense I applaud Hanyu who is constantly looking to improve something or the other and learn what he can from Dai and Chan.
I wonder if Kozuka didnt have the take charge attitude to find what he needed to help him. He comes across as a very traditional and correct person.

Please do keep rehearsing your applause for Chan. Practice makes it perfect!

No SS are not the alpha and omega but they certain do help to present a very impressive package.

Please
 

sapphiresky

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
I've always wondered...is Patrick Chan training his technical elements by himself, since Kathy Johnson is a dance coach? He must have a technical team behind him right?
 

emdee

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
I dont believe that Patrick works with a full time tech coach. At the same time I am sure he has access to a number of Canadian and other coaches.
According to some it was Kathy's dance training that helped him with his quads.
 
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