Who Will Be Dominating Men's Figure Skating? | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Who Will Be Dominating Men's Figure Skating?

pangtongfan

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Jun 16, 2010
I hope Jason Brown can increase his technical difficulty and consistency. I used to be a fan of Hanyu's skating but I'm less enthused by his skating due to uninspiring programs, lack of improvement in his posture and lines, and tendency to skate sloppy in his long programs. I felt he has been propped up in PCS recently, not unlike Chan. Brown has far better presentation, musicality, interpretation, better spins, lines, and overall refinement.

Brown is like a month about in age from Hanyu. I guess it isnt impossible for him to challenge him someday but it would take a ton of improvement in basic skating, speed and power, and jumping difficulty, quality, and consistency before he is able to. My guess now if forced to make one would be he that he never becomes a serious rival (atleast not consistently) to Hanyu.

Brown does not have better spins than Hanyu btw.
 

pangtongfan

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Ten is such an inconsistent skater. His miracelously having his very few great performances at Worlds and Olympics, and everyone else bombing at the same events, isnt likely to continue. Meanwhile if he doesnt get alot more consistent his PCS will never be up with the best. That he lost to Chan with how he skated at the 2013 Worlds despite skating perfectly is a pretty good indication what the judges think of him at the highest level that is.
 

karne

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They're attempting more quads and training them at a younger age. On top of that, their spins levels are also high which can lead to injuries as well. I fear that many of them will end up with short careers.

I'm curious to know where this myth of "quads younger and younger" is coming from. Evgeni Plushenko landed his first quad at 14. Apart from Boyang Jin, I can't think of any other skater at the top level today who started them that young. Setting aside the Russians, I know of the Americans...even when Joshua Farris was being pushed by Tom Z he didn't start the quad til 16. Jason, obviously, didn't start the quad til 18. Nor did Chan, IIRC. I'd be interested to know when Max Aaron started the quad but I don't think it was before he broke his back.


However, I'm in total agreement with you about the spins. The men are almost being forced to do catchfoots which is great for guys like Jason who are little rubber bands, but I expect in a few years we'll start seeing a rash of back and groin injuries from men forced to bend beyond their flexing point.
 

ice coverage

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... I'd be interested to know when Max Aaron started the quad but I don't think it was before he broke his back. ...

The men are almost being forced to do catchfoots which is great for guys like Jason who are little rubber bands ....

I'm sure you are correct that Max did not master a quad until after recovery from his broken back. TSL asked him about the quad timeframe, and IIRC, he did not give a precise age or year, but the answer essentially was his late teens, I believe.

And just want to make note that Jason has said that he was not born with the flexibility that he has achieved and in which he takes justifiable pride. From a young age, he has worked very hard on it and made it a priority.
 

Ophelia

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Dec 6, 2013
I'm curious to know where this myth of "quads younger and younger" is coming from. Evgeni Plushenko landed his first quad at 14. Apart from Boyang Jin, I can't think of any other skater at the top level today who started them that young. Setting aside the Russians, I know of the Americans...even when Joshua Farris was being pushed by Tom Z he didn't start the quad til 16. Jason, obviously, didn't start the quad til 18. Nor did Chan, IIRC. I'd be interested to know when Max Aaron started the quad but I don't think it was before he broke his back.


However, I'm in total agreement with you about the spins. The men are almost being forced to do catchfoots which is great for guys like Jason who are little rubber bands, but I expect in a few years we'll start seeing a rash of back and groin injuries from men forced to bend beyond their flexing point.

Didn't Hanyu learn the quad at 15? Or was it 17? Or am I remembering incorrectly?
 

Li'Kitsu

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lilahozi said:
Didn't Hanyu learn the quad at 15? Or was it 17? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

15. He already landed one in competition in 2011 4C in his 1st senior season, when he had just turned 16 :)

He probably started training the 4S at 17.
 

karne

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And just want to make note that Jason has said that he was not born with the flexibility that he has achieved and in which he takes justifiable pride. From a young age, he has worked very hard on it and made it a priority.

Oh yes, I love that story, that he saw Joshua doing a Charlotte spiral into a 2A and decided he wanted to be like that too...and now the tables have turned, and Joshua's split jump gets less split-y by the year, while Jason hauls himself into increasingly eye-popping positions. :yes: Funny how things change. (Joshua's split-jump is still the second-prettiest in the US, though, just behind Jason's.)
 

Becki

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Nov 28, 2011
Didn't Hanyu learn the quad at 15? Or was it 17? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

I think Yuzuru landed one in competition when he was 15. He's a phenom - won Junior Worlds at 15 years old and turned senior in the same year. Many people keep forgetting he turned senior in 2010, and has been on the senior circuit for 4 years now.
 

Mrs. P

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I'd like to do it by country....namely contenders....

Japan
Yuzuru Hanyu
Shotaro Uno
Tatsuki Machida (if he stays)

USA
Jason Brown
Max Aaron
Joshua Farris
Nathan Chen
Vincent Zhou

Russia
Maxim Kovtun
Adian Pitkeev
Alexander Petrov

China
Han Yan
Boyang Jin

Kazakhstan
Denis Ten

Spain
Javier Fernandez

I'm sure there are others we don't even know about yet...
 

pangtongfan

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I'd like to do it by country....namely contenders....

Japan
Yuzuru Hanyu
Shotaro Uno
Tatsuki Machida (if he stays)

USA
Jason Brown
Max Aaron
Joshua Farris
Nathan Chen
Vincent Zhou

Russia
Maxim Kovtun
Adian Pitkeev
Alexander Petrov

China
Han Yan
Boyang Jin

Kazakhstan
Denis Ten

Spain
Javier Fernandez

I'm sure there are others we don't even know about yet...

I take it you are assuming Chan wont stay (probably right) but if you are doing such an extensive list wouldnt Reynolds, Firus, and Nguyen all be potential long shot contenders. You gave enough names I assume some of those are long shots as well.
 

Mrs. P

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I take it you are assuming Chan wont stay (probably right) but if you are doing such an extensive list wouldnt Reynolds, Firus, and Nguyen all be potential long shot contenders. You gave enough names I assume some of those are long shots as well.

Oh, I had a Canada list...but somehow it disappeared when I actually posted..
 

LRK

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Nov 13, 2012
About the potential injuries, this extract from a recent Plushy interview might be relevant:

Evgeni Plushenko: --- The reason why I had so many injuries and surgeries is that in my time we had no doctors, rehabilitation or proper understanding of these issues. We only trained hard and had no rehabilitation whatsoever. Now I see it all and if my kids will have doctors, rehab programs, massages, saunas, pools, they can have a very long career in sports and minimize the traumas.

HealthyLivinG Magazine: I suppose athletes from developed countries might have had better conditions but none lived in sport as a top achiever as long as you.

Evgeni Plushenko: I don’t really know their conditions. Today we have everything. I am very pleased how the sport ministry takes care of us these days: we have doctors, rehab programs, pools—everything we need. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for most of the time I trained. If I had these earlier, many of my injuries and surgeries would have been prevented.
 

pangtongfan

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Jun 16, 2010
Oh, I had a Canada list...but somehow it disappeared when I actually posted..

BTW regarding Machida he has already said he is going to the 2014 and 2015 Worlds then retiring. Chan I am pretty sure would atleast be taking a break, but could see him making a comeback later in the quad. I sense he wont though as he will get too comfortable on his time away from the sport, and probably doesnt have this craved obsession that Plushenko has (which is a good thing).
 

Mrs. P

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BTW regarding Machida he has already said he is going to the 2014 and 2015 Worlds then retiring. Chan I am pretty sure would atleast be taking a break, but could see him making a comeback later in the quad. I sense he wont though as he will get too comfortable on his time away from the sport, and probably doesnt have this craved obsession that Plushenko has (which is a good thing).

Oh that's right about Machida. Thanks for the info.
 
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