Can Patrick Chan cope with the pressure of Olympic favouritism? | Page 5 | Golden Skate

Can Patrick Chan cope with the pressure of Olympic favouritism?

lcd

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
He was under quite a bit of pressure and high expectations in Vancouver, given that it was a home Olympics. Has he said what factors contributed to his somewhat disappointing showing there, and specifically has he done something which will help him address it this time (on a mental preparation basis in particular)? Obviously he has much more experience under his belt, as well as some additional years of personal maturity. But does he work with a sports psychologist (for instance)?
 

Bluebonnet

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Regarding mental space and pressure, I am now more worrying about other skaters finding theirs, so that they can skate their best. (If everyone skates their best, we all win no matter what the result.) I think Patrick has and can find his space to deal with the pressure, as shown at Skate Canada. And as regards his reputation, the sport really is about skating for most of us, right? The other stuff we talk about, acknowledge and has some secondary importance (and often legitimately choose who we like and want to win), but we really are here first and foremost to laud great skating. But for Patrick this year, he can handle the pressure.

I agree that he should avoid certain Canadian reporter/reporters. However I cannot say that much about he can handle the pressure this year. Let's not jump ahead and take one competition and apply it to all, whether it is a good competition or it is a bad competition. I can only say so far so good. And wish him good luck. He cannot rest on anything because he has had the absolutely best outing on the first GP event this season. So far it shows that Patrick is still the one to chase. But he needs to rely on his clean skating with quads if everyone skates clean when it comes to the top skaters packed event like GPF and Olympics.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
While kozuka is very light on his feet and the way his blade touches the ice is an art form he doesn't have Patrick's very deep edges or his wonderful upper body movements.

I agree. Kozuka's SS are wonderful because of their lightness and ease of movement. Patrick's are wonderful because of the edges he gets on them. He has better edges and turns than many ice dancers... and there is literally every turn and step integrated into his program. I agree with somebody earlier who said his ice coverage during his FS is remarkable. Even if he isn't emotionally your cup of tea, there's no denying his actual skating is just breathtaking.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Actually, S/Z were the favorites going into Vancouver, having had a very strong GP campaign while S/S struggled all season. A pity as to the latter, because they had lovely programs while S/Z were not skating to their best material.

I think it was more neck in neck, but the Germans had won the previous two World Championships while S/Z were on the comeback trail. I guess it'd be like Lysacek being the favourite (being the reigning World Champion) and Plushenko being the sentimental favourite (maybe Lambiel, too). S/S indeed had a bad GP season though, so it was becoming more apparent that S/Z would take gold -- although a comeback is always a question mark until we actually see the skater do well.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
During the Worlds competition in Russia, I remember a closeup of a group of Russian fans standing and cheering after Patrick's winning skate. It was funny, because a few seats over was a woman who was giving these fans a looong disgusted stare. :laugh:

:laugh: I didn't know pangtongfan had a twin sister in Russia!
 

Srin Odessa

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
He was under quite a bit of pressure and high expectations in Vancouver, given that it was a home Olympics. Has he said what factors contributed to his somewhat disappointing showing there, and specifically has he done something which will help him address it this time (on a mental preparation basis in particular)? Obviously he has much more experience under his belt, as well as some additional years of personal maturity. But does he work with a sports psychologist (for instance)?

Other than the pressure of skating on home ice, Patrick said it was a very difficult season due to his injury. He missed his second GP assignment and his training due to having the H1N1 flu which lead to a calf injury. He planned on adding a quad during that season until that injury threw off his training schedule.
 

emdee

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Other than the pressure of skating on home ice, Patrick said it was a very difficult season due to his injury. He missed his second GP assignment and his training due to having the H1N1 flu which lead to a calf injury. He planned on adding a quad during that season until that injury threw off his training schedule.

He also lived in a one room motel in Florida for a good part of that season... so personal conditions were not optimal.
I also had the H1N1 flu that year and was in bed for ten days. It hit younger people more so I can believe it really decimated him. I think I was exhausted for two weeks after that.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Certainly Vancouver could have turned out very differently if the men hadn't been so hard hit by health issues. Others who had problems that season include Tomas Verner (H1N1), Daisuke Takahashi (not fully recovered from his ACL tear and subsequent surgery), Evgeni Plushenko (Knees? Back?), Stephane Lambiel (adductor, I believe) and Brian Joubert (foot surgery to repair tendon/ligament damage).
 

Srin Odessa

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Lysacek also dealt with a stress fracture in his foot. It's not uncommon for skaters to compete with injuries or severe pain at high level events. There's a risk of losing world ranking points, an endorsement, or a chance at gold medal at the Olympics.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Lysacek also dealt with a stress fracture in his foot. It's not uncommon for skaters to compete with injuries or severe pain at high level events. There's a risk of losing world ranking points, an endorsement, or a chance at gold medal at the Olympics.
Lysacek was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot more than a year before the Olympics. I don't believe that's quite as serious a setback as what some of the others were dealing with. Joubert and Chan missed competitions during the Olympic season because of their health issues, while Lambiel and Takahashi had to sit out the entire previous season (Lambiel actually retired because it appeared his injury would not be manageable).
 

SkateFan66

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Lysacek was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot more than a year before the Olympics. I don't believe that's quite as serious a setback as what some of the others were dealing with. Joubert and Chan missed competitions during the Olympic season because of their health issues, while Lambiel and Takahashi had to sit out the entire previous season (Lambiel actually retired because it appeared his injury would not be manageable).

Lysacek's injury was not more than one year before the Olympics. Evan was diagnosed with the stress fracture prior to the World Championships in March 2009. (The diagnosis was shortly after he competed at 4CC, where he landed his last 4T in competition) Part of the treatment required Lysacek to be off the ice for one month in the summer of 2009.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Lysacek's injury was not more than one year before the Olympics. Evan was diagnosed with the stress fracture prior to the World Championships in March 2009. (The diagnosis was shortly after he competed at 4CC, where he landed his last 4T in competition) Part of the treatment required Lysacek to be off the ice for one month in the summer of 2009.
I stand corrected, it was one year before and not more than a year before. The point I made, and I think it's valid, is that Patrick Chan was one of several top skaters whose 2010 Olympic season was greatly affected by injuries and health issues (of the sort that could not wait for a summer rehab program).
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
While kozuka is very light on his feet and the way his blade touches the ice is an art form he doesn't have Patrick's very deep edges or his wonderful upper body movements.

Ironically my fear is that judges will be swayed by armchair judges many who post on these sites. I have spoken to three coaches - two who do not like Chan's style and they said his pcs overall skating skills, trnasitions and choreo should be MUCH HIGHER compared to even good pcs like Dai and Kozuka etc. Chan may have nothing to cope with if those judges listen to these fan oops skating sites.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
I stand corrected, it was one year before and not more than a year before. The point I made, and I think it's valid, is that Patrick Chan was one of several top skaters whose 2010 Olympic season was greatly affected by injuries and health issues (of the sort that could not wait for a summer rehab program).

Point well taken and really a year over a year the point is a lot of time before the olympics!
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
OMG a year or over a year it doesn't matter. Evan had far more time to heal than other skaters.
 

Bluebonnet

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
If this article's link has been posted somewhere, I apologize to post it here:

Patrick Chan golden at Skate Canada

"I was nervous, honestly," Chan said. "I started having the (negative) feelings I had last season. . . It was really challenging even before I got on the ice to stay positive, and remember the things that I wanted to repeat that I had in the short program — looking forward to going out there, to look forward to doing the quad, but not looking too far ahead, doing one quad at a time and then moving on."

As the world's most dominant skater for three seasons, he's easily the man to beat in Sochi. He boasts the physical tools to take him to the top of the podium, but says this season is all about the mental game.

"It's not about physically being prepared but mostly being mentally prepared, because I think that's the only thing that held me back (last season)," Chan said. "When I think of being aggressive and being really focused, I get too serious and I start to stress too much, and think of the little things."

Another article:

Patrick Chan’s move to Detroit meant split with mom

Chan’s mom Karen was travelling in Europe when he won his fourth Skate Canada International title Saturday. The trip was her way of “coping with the separation” the skater said, after he moved to Detroit without her — a split that wasn’t a mutual decision.

the absence of his mom was remarkable considering she’d basically been the boss of Team Chan for his entire career, acting as everything from his manager to his chauffeur and his cook.

He’s diligent during the week, maintaining a strict training schedule and diet, but he “lets loose” on the weekends. He eats what he wants, and makes a point of enjoying his time off the ice. He golfs or works on his car. It helps him cope, he said, with the grind of training.

He didn’t allow himself that luxury before the Vancouver Games, where he finished a disappointing fifth after having his sights set on a medal.

“I was narrowly minded: ‘It has to be this way or I’m going to lose the medal.’ It had to be this perfection in life and perfection in skating,” he said. “This Olympics I’m approaching differently, I’m teaching my body to adapt in different situations, so that when I get to Sochi I’m not so focused on, ‘Oh my god, because I ate pasta that’s not gluten-free, I’m going to lose this competition.’”
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
Fascinating stuff, Bluebonnet. Thank you for posting it. I really hope Patrick can maintain his mental fortitude this season!
 
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