2014 Worlds - Men Free Program

Mrs. P said:

Yurusu: 3

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Sorry for offtopic but it just reminded me when B.ESP guys created Yazura and Yazanuri

HanDomi said:

Sorry for offtopic but it just reminded me when B.ESP guys created Yazura and Yazanuri

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Actually I'm off topic since Jason wasn't at worlds. Glad you got a laugh out of my butterfingers.

Mrs. P said:

So I find it sort of crazy that people consider Jason a terrible jumper because he isn't 100 percent on the 3A. It's just one jump out of many.

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I don't consider him a terrible jumper at all,I was just trying to say that he is not above average technically.He has trouble with his 3A,Hanyu has trouble with his second type of quad and I think it' s a big difference considerring how solid all his other jumps are

and yes see now that he doesn't < as much as I thought,but he still does it way too often and you can't deny that his technique isn't that good on this jump,but the media/some of his fans are saying that he 'mastered' it

Hanyu landing the 4S is a gamble,but as you say that the second axel in Jason's program must be a mental thing,I can say the same thing about Yuzuru's 4S,he lands it during ice shows,his success rate in practice reports is abnormally high,in Sochi during the 2 weeks period he fell only during one day and did multiple ones on the other days but the difference between Yuzu&Jason is that is that he has the correct technique down(rotation,air position,height,ice coverage),the only thing missing is the landing,while Jason imh needs to relearn the jump or work with someone who can correct him.Sooner or later Hanyu is going to land the S consistenly just like his T and the fact that Jason is landing it like this is not a good sign.

Ryusa5 said:

I don't consider him a terrible jumper at all,I was just trying to say that he is not above average technically.He has trouble with his 3A,Hanyu has trouble with his second type of quad and I think it' s a big difference between his

and yes see now that he doesn't < as much as I thought,but he still does it way too often and you can't deny that his technique isn't that good on this jump,it took him so long to include it and the media/some of his fans are saying that he 'mastered' it

Hanyu landing the 4S is a gamble,but as you say that the second axel in Jason's program must be a mental thing,I can say the same thing about Yuzuru's 4S,he lands it during ice shows,his success rate in practice reports is abnormally high,in Sochi during the 2 weeks period he fell only during one day and did multiple ones on the other days but the difference between Yuzu&Jason is that is that he has the correct technique down,the only thing missing is the landing,while Jason imh needs to relearn the jump or work with someone who can correct him.Sooner or later Hanyu is going to land the S consistenly just like his T and the fact that Jason is landing it like this is not a good sign.

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But I do think he mastered it. You don't get a 3A 7/7 times in a SP with +GOE if you aren't consistent with it.

Also consistency =/= technique, as some has discussed in the best technique thread. I don't think Jason has the best technique with the 3A, but I don't think it's as poor as you seem to insist. In fact, the main issue I see with that 3A in the FS is that he doesn't generate enough speed when he's going into that jump.

Also regarding success rate in practice: Watching Jason practice at Nationals, he was pretty much spot on with that 3A the whole time -- EXCEPT when he was doing that second 3A in the FS run through.

Mastery of something doesn't mean you get 100 percent. I mean if you are going to pick on Jason for bad technique on his 3A because he hasn't had 100 percent execution with it in competition, then I can point to a lot of other skaters who probably should be pegged for "bad technique" on their jumps.

As to whether he is above average technically, it's a YMMV. Looking at seasons best TES scores in the SP:

Yuzuru: 54.84 (2014 Olympics)
Tatsuki: 52.82 (2014 Worlds)
Patrick: 52.70 (2013 Trophee Eric Bompard)
Maxim: 51.78 (2013 Rostelecom Cup)
Javier: 51.43 (2014 Worlds)
Daisuke: 50.41 (2013 NHK Trophy)
Han: 50.25 (2013 Cup of China)
Nobu: 48.87 (2013 Nebelhorn Trophy)
Tomas: 47.83 (2014 Worlds)
Peter: 47.26 (2014 Olympics)
Jason: 45.98 (2013 Trophee Eric Bompard)
Brian: 45.11 (2014 Olympics)
Kozuka: 44.89 (2014 Worlds)

Jason is just outside the top 10 in TES even with not having a quad. I would say that's a good argument for being above average. Is he excellent? No, of course not (50+ is where I would say that applies). But above average? Yes.

ETA: And if you want to get especially nerdy and technical. Here is what "average" in TES at the Olympics and Worlds were in the SP for those who made the final cut (top 24):

Olympics: 41.80
Worlds: 39.36

So technically, Jason's TES is above average.

I'll do FS later on. Sorry to clog up the thread.....and thanks for indulging my data nerdiness.

CanadianSkaterGuy said:

I think TEB and SC and the GPF are good indications that his jumps were better this season. He just mentally couldn't hold it together in Sochi and caved to the immense pressure placed on him. He doesn't need a jump coach to do a 2A properly, and obviously nerves got to him.

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Totally agree!

Mrs. P said:

Mastery of something doesn't mean you get 100 percent. I mean if you are going to pick on Jason for bad technique on his 3A because he hasn't had 100 execution with it in competition, then I can point to a lot of other skaters who probably should be pegged for "bad technique" on their jumps.

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yeah I get what you mean,but the only reason why I mentioned Jason was because someone mentioned him,I do agree he is above average as a complete skater because he is saved by his artistry and he has really nice programs,but I don't really consider his jumps all that much,he has other qualities,and imo to be above average technically you have to have really solid jumps, a great 3A and preferably a quad but then again this is just my opinion,and yes I was talking only about jumps

and no his technique isn't all that bad,but of course I would love it is he improves it.I guess I'm a bit dissapointed because his 3A was hyped for years,and when he finally included it the overall result wasn't exactly what I expected

Ryusa5 said:

yeah I get what you mean,but the only reason why I mentioned Jason was because someone mentioned him,I do agree he is above average as a complete skater because he is saved by his artistry and he has really nice programs,but I don't really consider his jumps all that much,he has other qualities,and imo to be above average technically you have to have really solid jumps, a great 3A and preferably a quad but then again this is just my opinion,and yes I was talking only about jumps

and no his technique isn't all that bad,but of course I would love it is he improves it.I guess I'm a bit dissapointed because his 3A was hyped for years,and when he finally included it the overall result wasn't exactly what I expected

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Who hyped his 3A? Certainly not me! If Jason got any hype, it's cause he's FARED better than expected this season.

I would be last person to say that Jason got as far as he did this season because of his 3A. In fact, many speculated he wouldn't get anywhere because he had got the 3A too late and lacked a quad.

In fact when his Riverdance FS went viral, it was interesting to see how non-skating people covered it. Basically they kept framing it as "Oh this kid is awesome and his program is amazing but he doesn't have something called a quad."

Deadspin framed it this way: http://deadspin.com/your-guide-to-jason-brown-the-skater-you-cant-help-bu-1522244096

If he won silver at the U.S. championships, why are you so sure he won't win an Olympic medal?

Because he can't do quadruple jumps, which is when a skater leaps into the air and completes four full rotations before landing. Quads are the most difficult jump to land, and in recent years they've essentially become a requirement for any Olympic hopeful. It doesn't matter how many perfect triples a skater lands; if he can't do a quad, he's probably not going to win anything.

So, you're saying Jason Brown kind of sucks.

No!

Well then how the hell is he going to become a household name if he can't even do a damn quad?

By being really, really awesome at everything else a figure skater does. Watching the biggest names in the sport go flying through the air and sticking quadruple toe loops is great, but there are other ways to put on a visually stunning program, and nobody understands that better than Brown. If the other skaters in the Olympics are the power pitchers of the sport, then consider Jason Brown the R.A. Dickey of figure skating. The other guys dominate with physical strength, but Brown dips and dances through his programs in a way that is just as impressive.

Which brings us to the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. After placing third in the short program standings, Brown came out for his free skate and did this:


I'm not going to pretend to be the biggest figure skating fan in the world, but there is something undeniably affecting about that routine. And judging by the standing ovation Brown got from the crowd and the 3.8 million views that video has accrued on YouTube, I'm not the only one who thinks so. There's a relentlessness to that program, one that makes it hard not to get swept up by the precision and fluidity of Brown's movements.

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My point is, nobody claimed Jason was special because he had the best jumps. Really it was everything else and he did ENOUGH (at least average, I suppose) on the jumps to get on the Olympic team and finish in the top 10 (and even be part of the final group at the Olympics!).

But again, I think his 3A is not bad. When he's hit the jump he's received +1 mostly in +GOE.

I think the most EXCELLENT jumpers gets +2 and +3, but again I'd argue he has above average jumps for the most part since he gets at least +1 most with a few +2 added in. (His 3Z at his Olympics SP got +2 and +3).

I'm going to start a new thread.... because this is way OT.

Technically above average to me means knowing how to land the basic jumps well and consistently and having very good skating skills and athletic ability, so that would include most of the top skaters. Chan is the best in skating skills because he has far above average blade mastery due to practicing figures. Jason is above average technically IMO. I don't feel that one has to have a quad to be considered above average in basic jump technique. A quad is not a jump, it is an extra revolution. Way too much emphasis is being placed upon that extra revolution which has turned the men's event upside down.

I think Denis Ten has more instinctive artistry than Machida, but no one, especially in the men's sp at 2014 Worlds displayed more pure self-belief, determination and command of their program technically and artistically than Tatsuki Machida.

Say and think what you will about Jason Brown. That young man is a dynamo on the ice -- pure magic the way he is able to command and mesmerize an audience bringing both Art & Sport together in superb fashion. A very difficult thing to do made to look so effortless through hard work, natural talent, excellent coaching, unique choreography, trying and failing and trying again, practice, charisma, musicality, performance ability par excellence! Enjoy the skaters you love everybody.


ETA: BTW, there have been some skaters able to land quads who look horrendous doing so, or have not great jump technique. Skating is a mixed bag.

Thanks for all the good discussion, esp by Art & Sport and Mrs. P. I wanted to add a couple of things to the discussion.

1) Originally Jason's 2nd triple axel in Riverdance was mid-program. I saw him run the program in practice back in September where it was in the middle and he fell on it but landed everything else - it was a full on run through. (So cool to get a front row seat!) Probably as he gets stronger and more consistent with the axel he'll be able to move it back to later in the program. Great kid, btw, he was so gracious in talking with us, a sweetheart, just as he appears on TV.

2) I thought Jeremy's free skate score was OK, though not sure about some of the downgrades - as was Jeremy (the reason he was unhappy with his score - he said he'd have to check the protocols). However, he was underscored in the short program in both GOE and PCS. The fall on the quad did not interrupt the flow and he skated the program really well with energy. Even so, many judges gave him PCS in the 7s, only one gave him anything 9 or above. Had he been given PCS as he deserved, he would have finished 4th overall.

That's all!