Originally Posted by antmanb
I won't waste my time discussing certain things here,but to say plushy was mostly held up last year when he was the best skater with the only perfect performance at cup of china is ridiculous. of course michell has not been held up since salt lake right? whatever,
Well you did waste your time! I never mentioned cup of russia i blanketly said last season and the one before - meaning at some point over those seasons i feel that he's been held up, i mentioned no specific compeitions. The competitions i was thinking of specifcally for Plushy were '04 worlds and europeans - i forget which one it was that he fell a couple of times and singled an axel and still got something ludicrous like a silver medal when he should have been dumped off the podium with a performance like that.
Sadly you also appear to be blind and/or illiterate since my post replying to yours said i thought Michelle has also been held up on the basis of previous performance/world rakings...which part of that statement don't you understand???
Ant
I think both the mens & ladies will be exciting at the '06 Olympics. The competition for the medals in mens is too hard to predict. I'll go out on an early limb & say the Gold medal won't be won by a Russian male. I think that both Plushenko & Klimkin will be hampered either by past or new injuries. Beyond that I can't begin to guess...could be Lambiel, Joubert, Li, Sandhu, Buttle, Weir, Lysacek, Goebel. Healthy is the answer to who will win.
I notice a distinct lack of interest in the teenaged Ladies. It's been a teenager who has won the last 3 Olympic golds. I believe it will be someone about 18 yrs old who will win it next year. Kostner? Rochette? Ando? Meissner? Liang? Someone we aren't even aware of as yet?
Guessing/predicting is fun but we are all free to change our minds between now & next February. Lighten up, people!!
yeah I really can't stand itYes, especially Jeff! Also Aaron Parcham!
You don't like the Big Head? The Big Head
MM
Last edited by janetb; 06-30-2005 at 12:54 PM.
2004 worlds? an injured plushy giving a fabulous performance under huge pressure after watching five great skates that's the reason he is the best
This is lining up to be a very exciting Oly year!!
I am most excited about the Men's and Ladies events, but I think I give a slight edge to the Men's. What I'm about to say is a very broad generalization, but under 6.0 the Men's event in particular seemed to be much more of a jumping contest only. While I'm sure there have been examples of a 2 quad program beating a 1 quad program, etc., I think for the most part you could probably evaluate jump content to determine the podium.
While jumps are still important, and barring a complete meltdown I think the Men's Oly podium will consist of quaded men, IMO the competition has become more interesting as non-jump qualities have moved up in their importance.
I love all the varieties of styles that have emerged. Plush, Lambiel, Buttle, Weir E-man, etc. all have their unique styles and strengths. To me that makes for interesting competition to watch regardless of the outcome, or the mistakes, etc.
Of course lots could happen in the Ladies and therefore, no early predictions from me in any division!!
The pairs will also be exciting to watch as always. The Russia China Showdown.
So much of Dance still seems pre-determined to me which makes it less fun to watch. But...I'm willing to be "re-sold" by the Dance enthusiasts if any of you care to try!
DG
Well, I think we all know who are the heavy favorites for gold, but who do you think are predetermined to win silver and bronze?
Except for the travels on all of the spins and the break between the steps and the flip...
My feeling is that the World's podium is it. (assuming B&A's citizen issues resolve - otherwise #4 moves up).
I really don't like feeling this way about dance, and I hope I'm pleasantly surprised. I guess I'll have to wait for the season to begin to see if any surprises are in store!!
DG
okay which lady out there doesn't have a break between the steps and the jump in short program, this is an endemic problem and the few that don't have it (joannie rocette) don't get rewarded
Michelle has the perfectly paced schedule to build to Turino. Her schedule:
October 1st (?) -- Campbell's Invitational.
October 20-23 -- Skate America
November 3-6 -- Cup of China
December 3 (?) -- Marshall's Invitational
December 16-18 -- Grand Prix Final
January 7-15 -- U.S. Nationals
February 10-26 -- Olympics
This means traveling twice to Asia and once to Europe. So what? She's young, she's adaptable, get out there and see the world!
She will have to skate three times before non-U.S. audiences. Poor baby!
Wear and tear on her body? Well, you know best, Michelle. But trust me -- at age 24 you know nothing about a worn-out body, LOL.
The only thing certain on her list is the two Invitationals (the future of figure skating, as interest in ISU events continues to decline) and U.S. Nationals.
I might be wrong, but I think Michelle is contractually locked into the Don't-Call-Us-Cheesefests cycle of Invitationals through 2007. In this case, one monkey does stop the show. I think the sponsors insist on Michelle's participation or no cigar.
As for the Olympics, she has to make the team first, so she can't make any promises about that.
If she needs a little more fine tuning after Nationals, she could also do Four Continents (it's in Colorado Springs.)
Michelle will be going for Gold. She won't be going just in the hope that she might luck onto the podium if someone else messes up. She already has a Bronze.
A string of six decisive victories in a row will give her the momentum that she needs.
That's how I see it.
Hey, mathman, that's what Raphael kept saying to Michelle. LOL.
The break is like the telegraph and the flutz. There are various degrees, and the supposedly mandatory deduction is based on degree. I can't count 4-5 between the last step and the jump for many Ladies, as I can for Slutskaya. The advantage that she gets in the jump from the delay should be offset by the delay, in my opinion.
The only way that skaters are supposed to be rewarded for doing this properly is that it counts toward a phase being done average, above average, even better. The issue is that the break is not being deducted for many skaters, but few of the top skaters have the duration of break that Slutskaya has.
Skaters have often performed this differently from program to program. Miki Ando's one-footed steps into 3F at 2004 Worlds had no hesitation, while in her 2005 Worlds SP -- different steps -- she had a break.
Just out of curiosity -- has any lady who has never been on the podium at Worlds ever won the OGM?
Nope, I just checked.
There's always a first time, though.
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