Emanuel Sandhu - Well It had to Happen....

[fumie_fumie]

I don't know. I am under the impression that he is pretty much done with skating and ready to get on with his life.

And even though he comes back to the nationals, Skate Canada will be very reluctant to give him a spot in the world team, as he was far behind Chris Mabee in three competitions in a row, Canada's men's spots are down from three to two and he just tossed out his programs after botching first couple of jumps last year. So, the signs are on the wall very clear that he can only go so far.

Anywho, let's see what happens this season.

 

[layman]

I don't know. I am under the impression that he is pretty much done with skating and ready to get on with his life.

And even though he comes back to the nationals, Skate Canada will be very reluctant to give him a spot in the world team, as he was far behind Chris Mabee in three competitions in a row, Canada's men's spots are down from three to two and he just tossed out his programs after botching first couple of jumps last year. So, the signs are on the wall very clear that he can only go so far.

Anywho, let's see what happens this season.

Last time I checked, spots for the World Championships were determined on the ice (at the Canadian Nationals) rather than being the result of a popularity poll.

It should be clear to anyone who has even casually followed the sport in the last four/five years that Emanuel has qualities that no other Canadian man, that no other man in the world has, and that all he needs to do is show up at Nationals with a little bit of training and a winning attitude (like he did at the Grand Prix Final 2004) and he can pretty much write his own ticket (to Worlds and to any other competition that he wants to enter).

 

[layman]

...I might add that the montage that you put together of a few of Eman's performances (thanks for sharing) reminds me that he is greater than the last five men's Olympic Champions put together. Talent like that deserves recognition.

 

[Tinymavy15]

after watching some of the great videos some of you were nice enough to post highlighting Emanuel's great skates, i was very surprised at how much alike he and Johnny weir are. They both skate "the other way", they both create very original and artisic programs, excell in the spins and transitions. When they are on, they both have beautiful jumps, high, easy and just fluid and elegant. great edges. but one mistake and they both fall apart. the quad seems to be thier nemisis. Eman has landed them, often in combonation, but they seem to disrupt the program if he messes up even a little. Same with johnny.

that is the one place where Jeffery buttle shines. he too has no quad to speak of, but if he tries it, and falls he get up and continues with the program. it dosen't ruin it.

 

[fumie_fumie]

layman,

I think you read too much from my previous post. I didn't say that it is determined by popularity votes who gets to go to the worlds.

In fact, Skate Canada held him up quite a bit, even when he fell on his quad (there goes the combinations) and popped his triple axel in his SP in 2007 Nationals. His marks were a lot higher than other skaters who did cleaner programs. And please review his SP and LP in 2007 Nationals and Worlds on youtube. He lost the sharp moves and transitions that he used to bring to competitions. If he continues on with this downward trend, he can't even have a spot on the podium in the nationals considering the current Canadian men's field. He has Shawn Sawyer, Jeremy Ten, Vaughn Chipeur (the jumping jack), Patrick Chan breathing down on his neck just to name a few.

By the way, I am as just much of an Eman fan as you are (if you are). And I don't quite understand on what basis you determine someone follows the sport casually, while others are serious about it.

 

[fumie_fumie]

sandhu's exhibition

More goodies from Sandhu..

2006 Canadian ex
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0_E0PL9NSi0

 

[Kypma]

In fact, Skate Canada held him up quite a bit, even when he fell on his quad (there goes the combinations) and popped his triple axel in his SP in 2007 Nationals. His marks were a lot higher than other skaters who did cleaner programs.

That was the cause of a rather rare incident that night: the marks were actually booh-ed, and not because they were too low (which is the kind of booh-ing I am more used to!). Commentators were really surprised to see such a reaction (though I think they kind of agreed) and stated after Chris Mabee's skate (he was right after Emanuel) that the judges had better put him way over Emanuel, which they did, and the crowd cheered really hard. So yes, he was kept up in the SP, but I don't know much about other occasions, because I'm not crazy over him... It's just that those marks really surprised me that night.

Kypma

 

[slutskayafan21]

Ahhh...another prediction from Slutskaya fan....Let's let Sandhu decide if he comes back or not.

Sure if he wants to come back to place 5th or 6th at Nationals then that is his choice.

Afterall, he is the comeback kid.

I prefer the name "the has-been kid".

I think he can make the nationals team again.

I agree. The top 5 make the National team so he might squeek in and get assigned to Nelbelhorn Trophy next year if he wants to go.

 

[slutskayafan21]

Last time I checked, spots for the World Championships were determined on the ice (at the Canadian Nationals) rather than being the result of a popularity poll.

Sure what you do on the ice is important, but federations still do have some idea the kind of people they would like on the World team all the same.

Anyway Sandhu has made enough mistakes they could have put him down in the past, but they held him up partialy since he was someone they wanted on the World team in the past. I highly doubt he will be getting any gifts this season in the very unlikely event he shows up at Nationals (I still doubt very much he ever returns to eligible skating). He will have to work for anything he gets this time around. There really is no desire or incentive for the CSA to send someone who would need his best skate to barely come in the top 10 at Worlds at this point, and is likely to make mistakes and not make the top 10, and who no longer has capacity to improve; rather then grooming newer talent for the future.

It should be clear to anyone who has even casually followed the sport in the last four/five years that Emanuel has qualities that no other Canadian man, that no other man in the world has,

The quality of Sandhu's skating last season was drastically down from what it had been in his prime, even if he had landed all the jumps. He has gone from excellent spinner to weak spinner, excellent footwork to slow and laboured footwork, polished to sloppy, reasonably fast to slow. Maybe 2 or 3 years ago your comments would have some merit, although I would still disagree to the extent you are inferring. However as of today they are in no way reflective of his current abilities, something that anyone who watched him closely last season, instead of going by memories of several years back, would see.

and that all he needs to do is show up at Nationals with a little bit of training and a winning attitude (like he did at the Grand Prix Final 2004) and he can pretty much write his own ticket (to Worlds and to any other competition that he wants to enter).

I am afraid you are living in a time warp. A day like the 2004 GP final he is so far removed from now it might as well be 100 years ago.

 

[slutskayafan21]

...I might add that the montage that you put together of a few of Eman's performances (thanks for sharing) reminds me that he is greater than the last five men's Olympic Champions put together.

 

[Ladskater]

Emanuel's biggest challenge is self-discipline when it comes to training and he admits that himself. I don't quite count him out yet, but unless he starts doing some serious training I doubt Skate Canada will keep backing him. He is a gifted skater no doubt about that and he is popular with the fans here in Canada. We all support him and hope to see Emanuel do well.

slutskayafan21 is a bit harsh in predicting whether or not Emanuel will return to competitive skating and calling a skater - any skater - "a has been" is just not nice at all.

Emanuel has always been a little unconventional, unpredictable and maybe even a little under appreciated for his skating talent. But then again so was Toller Cranston (I am reading his book "Zero Tollerance") and he ended up being named "skater of the century."

So there we go - Emanuel may prove us all wrong.