Influenza going around

[SailorGalaxia518]

If you are wondering why the top skaters are not doing so well, it's because they are not feeling well. Shizuka Arakawa said the she did the short program while still having a fever. Julia Obertas says that she is not feeling well. Hao Zhang said that he is not feeling well and that they haven't been doing their programs since Cup of China, due to illness.


On a side note, Evgeny Plushenko actually admitted that he was "nervous" during the short program. I don't know about you guys, but I have NEVER heard Evgeny said that he was nervous when he did a program.

 

[wvgal57]

While it could be flu, I don't think it's a big possibility. Lots of skaters get queasy stomachs when they have to deal with jet lag and simple change of continent. Shiz having a fever gives reason for pause I agree. She's been there for close to a week and it IS the height of flu season in Russia.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

There are a lot of factors involved in the skaters' feelings before the SP. Certainly, for some it is the long travel. Aside from the jet lag, there is the constant recycling of the air in planes which very often carry diseases, such as colds and flu. Other reasons, would be a change in diet, bad sleep on arrival, rushing to get to the arena, etc., I don't know when these skaters arrive but they should give themselves enough time to acclimatize themselves in a new environment before the competitions.

Everyone has 'butterflies' before they skate. In most cases, they actually help the skater especially if they make their first big jump.

Evgeny is carrying the load of being numero uno in the World. It is understandable that he is concerned with the possibility that an upstart might overtake him in the scores. Although that possibility is not realistic, the concern could still be there if he were to have an unexpected poor skate. On the other hand it could actually make him skater better than ever.

Joe

 

[bronxgirl]

Didn't these elite skaters get a flu shot? I'm sure the USFSA (and the other federations) had access to enough vaccine to give them to these skaters. At lesat you'd know that if they were sick, it wasn't the flu, as well as protecting them from getting the flu at what might be a major competition.