2014 Olympics Pairs Free Skate

[Frenchie]

To my fellow german goldenskate members, there is a positive side to S/S's bronze medal: We didn't have one yet in the medal chart and now we do.

Oooh wow, Germany in the lead with 6 Gold? Thankfully for Germany they still do those boring luge events noone cares about! (3 x Gold)
Scratch that, I'd love it if they didn't anymore, or if Germany became really bad at it, so they wouldn't waste precious tv time showing men in unitards sliding down an ice tube FOR HOURS every day!!! Thankfully there's the live streaming this time around for FS and other sports :agree:

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Then to be consistent say good bye to team gymnastics - j ust saying you have to be consistent.

Team Gymnastics cannot be compared to Team Figure Skating. In Team Gymnastics you have 5 gymnasts, 3 of whom are selected for routines on each apparatus. If the Team Event in Skating followed the same methodology, it would be like if a country sent 4 male and 4 female figure skaters, and then of these, 2 men had to do singles, 2 women had to do singles, 2 teams of 1 man and 1 woman had to do pairs, and 2 teams of 1 man and 1 woman had to do ice dance. So, essentially some men and women would have to perform routines in more than one discipline.

Obviously this is ridiculous because it's rare for a technical skater to be good at ice dance, and vice versa. Whereas a team event participant in gymnastics is usually good on at least 2-3 apparatuses (with exceptions like McKayla Maroney or Annia Hatch who are extremely good at one apparatus).

Team Gymnastics is about points, not placements, too. Which is why a poor performance has a strong effect on the team's standing, just like a strong performance can boost it. In skating, it's all relatively placements, so even a strong performance is negligible whether it's 0.1 or 10 points behind first place. There are too many differences.

 

[Zamboni]

Boston accent is only unfunny if you're a Kennedy- of course, that's if you're the kind of person who thinks only other people have accents.

Despite being a first-generation American, I have a very strong American accent.

When I was little, I didn't always speak the way others around me spoke, because both of my parents were from Europe, and they both had strong accents. Of course, being in the American public school system changed all that for me

 

[bobbob]

P/T should have gotten silver, S/S bronze.

 

[MaiKatze]

We should enjoy the bronze, while it is fresh! It'll be the last figure skating medal for Germany for at least a decade. Unless P/B really step up in pairs.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Oooh wow, Germany in the lead with 6 Gold? Thankfully for Germany they still do those boring luge events noone cares about! (3 x Gold)
Scratch that, I'd love it if they didn't anymore, or if Germany became really bad at it, so they wouldn't waste precious tv time showing men in unitards sliding down an ice tube FOR HOURS every day!!! Thankfully there's the live streaming this time around for FS and other sports :agree:

Aw, don't be so rough on luge. I'm sure there are a lot of people who hate figure skating and think we're all theatrical sequined nonsense and not a real sport. You wouldn't believe how many co-workers have come up to me and said how they can't believe ice dancing is still in the Olympics.

I know every sport isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the Olympics are much more fun and exciting if we can get excited about every sport and the medalists who pull through for their country.

They're in spandex on a sled doing turns and edges, we're in spandex on blades doing turns and edges... see, we can find common grounds!

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

P/T should have gotten silver, S/S bronze.

What about S/K? Their silver was thoroughly deserved, and it would have been a travesty if the cleanest performance wasn't credited. Part of me even thought they should have placed ahead of V/T (who erred on both throws), even though I knew it wasn't going to happen.

They got a monstrously high score, but so did the Germans. I would have had both teams earn about 3-4 points less PCS, but still have the positions the same.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Oooh wow, Germany in the lead with 6 Gold? Thankfully for Germany they still do those boring luge events noone cares about! (3 x Gold)
Scratch that, I'd love it if they didn't anymore, or if Germany became really bad at it, so they wouldn't waste precious tv time showing men in unitards sliding down an ice tube FOR HOURS every day!!! Thankfully there's the live streaming this time around for FS and other sports :agree:

LOL! I've always wondered what other countries focus on in their Olympic coverage. In the US, if there are expected winners, there will be MAJOR coverage plus some fluff "inspirational" focus pieces on specific athletes, but if we suck--I mean aren't very good in a particular sport, it's lucky if the camera pans past it so fast you're surprised the camera people don't get whiplash. I'll bet that OUR coverage on mainstream US tv tonight will consist of both American couples and maybe the top 4 skaters. Maybe. So bless the heavens for the internet. It is such a LUXURY to be able to watch an ENTIRE EVENT LIVE without interruptions. And how else would I have ever discovered Latvian tv?

 

[Frenchie]

Aw, don't be so rough on luge. I'm sure there are a lot of people who hate figure skating and think we're all theatrical sequined nonsense and not a real sport. You wouldn't believe how many co-workers have come up to me and said how they can't believe ice dancing is still in the Olympics.

I know every sport isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the Olympics are much more fun and exciting if we can get excited about every sport and the medalists who pull through for their country.

They're in spandex on a sled doing turns and edges, we're in spandex on blades doing turns and edges... see, we can find common grounds!

Good point about the similarities between luge and figure skating!
I love sport, I love the Olympics and I love watching as many sports as possible. But in this particular case, you have to realize the 1 channel in Germany broadcasting the Olympics litterally shows constant luge for days. Yes, they show bits and pieces of other sports (like the last 4 pairs today!), but it feels to me like being trapped in a locked room listening to 1 song in an endless loop - might be a great song, but...
6 days of luge, 3 days of skeleton, 6 days of bobsleigh. Only 2 days in these whole Olympics without luge and its derivatives - those events really go on for long periods of time: many teams, many runs... Germany has just won too many gold medals in those categories in the past I guess... But that's ok, the live feed they offer now allows me to completely disregard watching TV, they even offer the videos to catch up on other sports after they took place! :agree:

 

[bobbob]

I think V/T, S/K, B/L, and S/S were hugely over scored.
V/T had mostly strong elements but from their out of sync sbs spins to a hand down on the 3LoTh and a two foot on the 3STh, they had quite a few minor mistakes. Their transitions basically consisted of crossovers and Tatiana standing still while Maxim moved around her. Their choreography was very pedestrian and they didn't seem to feel the music.
S/K were also way overscored. I knew the judges were going to gift them the silver even before they skated and that is just ridiculous. They skated a clean program that was lively but their skating skills, transitions, choreography were all very weak. Although the overall impression of their program was okay, if you break down each component there really wasn't anything there. Their overall grace and flow was way behind the other top four teams, arguably even worse than M-T/M and D/R. The Canadian pairs at least had good transitions and choreography.
B/L clearly had a very weak weak skate that deserved less than D/R, C/S, P/Z and all of the other top 9 teams. I still cannot comprehend how their PCS were higher than D/R, even with their atrocious skating skills and poor TR/CH/IN. B/L seemed to be skating separately, not as a pair. And how did they get higher TES than M-T/M? Ludicrous.
S/S were also hugely overscored, especially in PCS. P/T skated far better than S/S had just had better overall emotion, grace, and elegance. The Nutcraker just seemed empty and weak, not to mention their two falls. I alsodo not understand how their TES is about the same as P/T. As I missing something here, or should two falls really have a higher impact on TES?
On the other end of the spectrum, I think P/T, M-T/M, D/R, and P/Z were very underscored.
P/T skated a fabulous program that was mainly clean (except for the single axel) and they had the best choreography and interpretation of the night. As a package their program had the most flow, grace, and emotion. Most importantly, it was the most touching.
M-T/M also skated well and despite the 2S, deserved about as much as S/S for what was a pretty solid skate. D/R, although a bit shaky, deserved more than B/L. P/Z were also better than B/L.
Overall I would have scored for the FS
1. V/T 74+72=146
2. P/T 68+71=139
3. S/K 70+64=134
4. S/S 66+68-2=132
5. M-T/M 66+65=131
6. D/R 64+64-1=127
7. P/Z 65+61=126
8. C/S 62+60=122
9. B/L 61+61=122

 

[Mrs. P]

LOL! I've always wondered what other countries focus on in their Olympic coverage. In the US, if there are expected winners, there will be MAJOR coverage plus some fluff "inspirational" focus pieces on specific athletes, but if we suck--I mean aren't very good in a particular sport, it's lucky if the camera pans past it so fast you're surprised the camera people don't get whiplash. I'll bet that OUR coverage on mainstream US tv tonight will consist of both American couples and maybe the top 4 skaters. Maybe. So bless the heavens for the internet. It is such a LUXURY to be able to watch an ENTIRE EVENT LIVE without interruptions. And how else would I have ever discovered Latvian tv?

Don't hold your breath. They somehow thought it would be a great idea to skip S/K yesterday. I will kill them if they skip the now SILVER medalists today.

 

[Blades of Passion]

S/K were also way overscored. I knew the judges were going to gift them the silver even before they skated and that is just ridiculous. They skated a clean program that was lively but their skating skills, transitions, choreography were all very weak.

I don't think they were weak in any of those areas.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Don't hold your breath. They somehow thought it would be a great idea to skip S/K yesterday. I will kill them if they skip the now SILVER medalists today.

Pfft, go ahead. I'll just find a Latvian feed and watch the whole thing. LOLOLOL!

 

[Ilvskating]

ITA. Couldn't say it better!

Count me another that wishes more time was spent analyzing the skating, rather then snarking at each other.

These days I really only watch pairs occasionally, so I admit there are nuances that escape me. I did watch all of the programs once and read through the protocol sheets.

I have an issue with the PCS here. All those 10's for V/T?!? And in P/E, Choreo and Interpretation?!? They were tight and had small errors - that has to come off of P/E and Interpretation. The only 10's should have gone to S/K for P/E - they really did perform and execute that program perfectly, and to P/T for Choreo and Interpretation - they had the only really beautiful and emotional skate.

To me PCS should have gone:

S/K
V/T (very close to above)
P/T (mistakes in sbs jumps bringing down SS and P/E)
S/S

P/T ad S/K are the only ones I'll rewatch for pleasure

 

[Mrs. P]

Pfft, go ahead. I'll just find a Latvian feed and watch the whole thing. LOLOLOL!

Uh, I won't either. I have my own devices....let's say it doesn't involve any Eastern European television feeds.

 

[cptnhastings]

Don't hold your breath. They somehow thought it would be a great idea to skip S/K yesterday. I will kill them if they skip the now SILVER medalists today.

I'm guessing they'll show the 2 American teams and then later they'll show S/K, V/T, P/T and S/S. They showed D/R last night, but since M-T/M are higher, I dunno if they'll just skip the Canadians entirely rather than show a non-medal better-scored M-T/M. Here's hoping they show the entire final 8 and the two Americans, but it's doubtful.

In any event, if it weren't for the NBCSP in the morning I'd be pretty annoyed at this pathetic nighttime coverage.

 

[UnChosen]

I always wonder how V/T can get so many 10.0 on CH and IN. How is that program even remotely close to an artistic masterpiece?

Meanwhile, P/T brilliantly choreographed and performed program can't even break 9.0 in CH and IN because a 1A somehow ruins the entire program. I wish judges would stop tying PCS to the tech scores...and get rid of the damn PCS corridor already (like how one judge gave Plushenko 4 for transitions).

 

[helga1]

Last year on Canada, in London the attitude to Bobrova and Solovev was worst then that and it was very hostile for Russian skaters. I remember watching on TV and I was shocked. Don't blame Russians only. Canadian did it to.

 

[Mista Ekko]

Oooh wow, Germany in the lead with 6 Gold? Thankfully for Germany they still do those boring luge events noone cares about! (3 x Gold)
Scratch that, I'd love it if they didn't anymore, or if Germany became really bad at it, so they wouldn't waste precious tv time showing men in unitards sliding down an ice tube FOR HOURS every day!!! Thankfully there's the live streaming this time around for FS and other sports :agree:

Russia are going to defeat them on the medal count though. After they win the Men Bronze, Ice dance Silver And Ladies Gold AND bronze

 

[Amei]

LOL! I've always wondered what other countries focus on in their Olympic coverage. In the US, if there are expected winners, there will be MAJOR coverage plus some fluff "inspirational" focus pieces on specific athletes, but if we suck--I mean aren't very good in a particular sport, it's lucky if the camera pans past it so fast you're surprised the camera people don't get whiplash. I'll bet that OUR coverage on mainstream US tv tonight will consist of both American couples and maybe the top 4 skaters. Maybe. So bless the heavens for the internet. It is such a LUXURY to be able to watch an ENTIRE EVENT LIVE without interruptions. And how else would I have ever discovered Latvian tv?

Weakankles, if you have NBC sports network they show the whole event, but if you are in the US you either need a DVR, VCR or the flu because it's on from 9am-1pm CST in the US.