Duhamel/Radford new element: throw quad lutz

[4everchan]

honestly, it's not like D/R have been the favorites for many seasons... i can see them fist pumping when skating clean, with all the hard elements they keep adding to the programs... for instance, with their SP, they often had deductions on the SBS 3Lz... so when those go clean, I am sure they are thrilled....

I think that it also depends on the music. If you have a softer classical piece, it would be totally inappropriate but on a MUSE medley, anything is fine with me... and of course, they do not tend to pick soft classical music because it doesn't suit their powerful style so perhaps it gives the impression that they are rejoicing more often than other pairs...

As long as it's rarely done - V/T, Lipinski, those were reactions that they didn't have all the time and were after they knew they had won the medal they worked to achieve for their entire lives. Done to often and it looks more like you are show-boating. When I played sports throughout school we were always told to 'act like you've done it before'.

 

[Sugarpova]

And, who are you kidding, Eric's sexuality has everything to do with it... Meagan and Eric aren't going to pretend to love each other beyond being friends because of his sexuality. You'll never see them do a Romeo and Juliet or a Love Story for that very reason. It's very apparent that their skating is about showing off the athleticism, dynamism, and intricacies of the sport and not trying to portray a couple in love.

In terms of improvement, I'd rather they improve by adding a quad lutz rather than "improve" by pretending to have feelings for each other because that would be ridiculous. Especially when they've shown the ability to win (essentially dominate) without all that romantic, dramatic, over-the-top "classic pair" bs.

hmm idk why sexuality should dictate what to perform. Its not a reflection of real life but a sport & art.
i.e. some gay actors (Bomer etc. come to mind) can be even way more convincing portraying love with a woman onscreen than straight. same can be said about the reverse situation (like afaik some 'Queer as folk' actors are straight)

Not that I suggest D/R to do a romcom programm.

I think the point was that a skater who is inferior artistically (D/R; Tukt) has closed the PCS gap on a superior artistic skater (V/T; Mao) - and has increased their difficulty - such that if the former goes clean, the latter shouldn't be afforded the same error cushion as in the past.

ah I see now (anyway as a Liza has IT & thats enough) but as someone mentioned its diff situation with single skaters (to me at least).
I can be wowed by difficult elements in singles no matter if a sk8er is a balletic type or athletic (imo this type is usually hugely underappreciated as having no artistry!:no but with pairs & dance I can see why some fans (myself included) arent fully satisfied with pairs concentrated more on tech difficulty.
Tho I agree D/R should just use their strengths rather than try to wow the 'critics'.
Its all subjective.

Not everyone can be V/T
& not everyone should

 

[Mista Ekko]

hmm idk why sexuality should dictate what to perform. Its not a reflection of real life but a sport & art.
i.e. some gay actors (Bomer etc. come to mind) can be even way more convincing portraying love with a woman onscreen than straight. same can be said about the reverse situation (like afaik some 'Queer as folk' actors are straight)

And just like in this case, The moment an actor is famously out of the closet there will always be some people who are gonna complain
they're not buying it, No matter how good of a work he\she does in a "straight role",
That is an actor's job, D\R are not actors, they're athletes, They are fully capable of reaching the full arc needed for high PCS marks
without forcing a romantic theme,
And honestly, Most figure skating pairs have never really conveyed a real Romantic emotion on the ice (even the married ones), Just gestures.

 

[MaxSwagg]

Um, they need a lot more than "romance" to get deserved and high PCS. Lol

 

[Mista Ekko]

Right,

And whatever it is they need they obviously got it


Gotta hand it to you though,

You're very passionate about making this negative point over and over.

 

[Dr. Jenn]

Right,

And whatever it is they need they obviously got it


Gotta hand it to you though,

You're very passionate about making this negative point over and over.

Exactly! MAXSwagg, the horse is dead. Stop beating it!

 

[MaxSwagg]

Well the same can be said for others glossing over their many shortcomings. I will defend my points just as you will defend yours. But it's not negative, it's just the truth. Lol I've show myself to be very friendly and fair towards them.

 

[LRK]

Well the same can be said for others glossing over their many shortcomings. I will defend my points just as you will defend yours. But it's not negative, it's just the truth. Lol I've show myself to be very friendly and fair towards them.

I'm curious - what good things have you to say about them?

 

[moriel]

And just like in this case, The moment an actor is famously out of the closet there will always be some people who are gonna complain
they're not buying it, No matter how good of a work he\she does in a "straight role",
That is an actor's job, D\R are not actors, they're athletes, They are fully capable of reaching the full arc needed for high PCS marks
without forcing a romantic theme,
And honestly, Most figure skating pairs have never really conveyed a real Romantic emotion on the ice (even the married ones), Just gestures.

Just repeating, the connection people mention is not a romantic connection.
Example - S/S.

 

[LRK]

Just repeating, the connection people mention is not a romantic connection.
Example - S/S.

Some pairs that I feel (since it can be very subjective, I'll speak for myself only), have good connection also, that I assume (for obvious reasons) are not romantically involved:
Kavaguti/Smirnov, Marchei/Hotarek, Astakhova/Rogonov, Peng/Zhang

Note though that whilst I am not really a D/R fan, and they would perhaps not come to mind when I was thinking of "good connection", I also don't find them as DISconnected as many clearly do. I have no issues with the way they skate together, or their unison, or their connection.

(My favourite program of theirs was actually last year's Alice in Wonderland/Everlasting LP - but since I was seemingly one of the few who did enjoy it, I'm not surprised that they have chosen to go in another direction. Sighs sadly. Ah, well... )

 

[Weathergal]

No. Her muscular and dumpy body probably allows her to do all her tricks, and they get rewarded for that. Her line and extension aren't that good, and her lift positions are not that good either (as has been said many times). If that's because of her body, oh well. As has also been said, Aliona and Robin were not romantically involved yet they had that intangible connection. And what does his sexuality have to do with anything? Seems like a cheap dig at their "critics." Actually, I do like at least one thing about them so I am definitely not a "hater."

Well the same can be said for others glossing over their many shortcomings. I will defend my points just as you will defend yours. But it's not negative, it's just the truth. Lol I've show myself to be very friendly and fair towards them.

Not sure how that qualifies. Note I like things about both Duhamel/Radford and Volosozhar/Trankov. What I don't like is mean spiritedness, and that comment was just uncalled for.

 

[MaxSwagg]

Not sure how that qualifies. Note I like things about both Duhamel/Radford and Volosozhar/Trankov. What I don't like is mean spiritedness, and that comment was just uncalled for.

That doesn't mean it's not true. I said they're very slowly getting better in terms of actual pairs skating, and that I appreciate their technical ability. However, their perception as the trick team will never change...

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

That doesn't mean it's not true. I said they're very slowly getting better in terms of actual pairs skating, and that I appreciate their technical ability. However, their perception as the trick team will never change...

You could have said the same about S/Z and P/T being considered technically superb teams in their first 5ish seasons but only became known as artistically sound teams after that.

Also you can't even say your opinion is "the truth" because their results totally unsubstantiated your opinion. I could hypothetically say Kim is a horrendous skater as my opinion and profess that to be the truth all I want. :sarcasm:

 

[joeyfrancis7]

SOME people are so salty and rude here. saying you don't like their skating is one thing but to go as far as calling some one's body "dumpy" is uncalled for and mean spirited.

 

[Mista Ekko]

SOME people are so salty and rude here. saying you don't like their skating is one thing but to go as far as calling some one's body "dumpy" is uncalled for and mean spirited.

If someone needs to follow a subject for 17 pages just to be negative that's their own problem.

 

[4everchan]

yup but we wouldn't have that many pages if the sour mean spirited people didn't pollute the forum with unnecessary banter...this thread is about a great team adding a very difficult element.. yet if it does open like this, some people who don't like D/R just come over to rain on all of us fans who are thrilled about them... i wonder why... i don't enjoy some skaters as much as some others.. so you won't see me be a party pooper on threads talking about those skaters... some people have a hard time accepting that other people can succeed and be happy and they need to ruin it for others

If someone needs to follow a subject for 17 pages just to be negative that's their own problem.

 

[Weathergal]

Not sure how that qualifies. Note I like things about both Duhamel/Radford and Volosozhar/Trankov. What I don't like is mean spiritedness, and that comment was just uncalled for.

That doesn't mean it's not true. I said they're very slowly getting better in terms of actual pairs skating, and that I appreciate their technical ability. However, their perception as the trick team will never change...

SOME people are so salty and rude here. saying you don't like their skating is one thing but to go as far as calling some one's body "dumpy" is uncalled for and mean spirited.

Yes, I was speaking of the "dumpy" quote. I don't care if they're the world's most artistic team or only known for their tricks or anything in between. Making the comment was bad enough, but then describing that behavior and "friendly and fair" :disapp:

I spend many hours reading this board and really enjoy the knowledge shared, the passion for figure skating, the affection shown toward the athletes, and the participants from around the world.

But those kind of comments are unkind, unnecessary, and, quite frankly unbecoming toward the commenter him/herself.

 

[Dr. Jenn]

Here is a new TSL video about Meagan and Eric's new programs. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqIQQwVhAk8

As you will see in the video, they are indeed committed to working on the PCS side of their skating, not just the 'tricks', as some people like to call them.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Here is a new TSL video about Meagan and Eric's new programs. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqIQQwVhAk8

As you will see in the video, they are indeed committed to working on the PCS side of their skating, not just the 'tricks', as some people like to call them.

Thank you for sharing this. Glad to hear that they themselves want to work on their on ice connection and display a bit more awareness of each other. It's only going to help IMO. I definitely don't need to see a romantic pair to give my support to but I tend to be drawn to pairs skaters that display a unison and illusion of togetherness. They have all the talent they need and a WC to to go with it. Let's see where the road takes them next!

 

[Mista Ekko]

Here is a new TSL video about Meagan and Eric's new programs. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqIQQwVhAk8

As you will see in the video, they are indeed committed to working on the PCS side of their skating, not just the 'tricks', as some people like to call them.

This kinda sums up this thread nicely (with Hometown glory):

They're working on connection
The movement and choreography looks interesting
The lift positions look tight
The ending is very original and quiet, not another "bravura" moment