Misha Ge out with Injury from 4CC

[Interspectator]

And this comes...

https://twitter.com/mishageofficial/status/693335687567900673


I don't know what to say. I don't even know if I'm agreeing with him or not.

I'm so glad he's back on the ice...and his statements are from the heart. So good for him for sharing them.
He's is for me one of the most 'colorful' skaters in the world.

I would like him to be invited to more Japan galas. The tribute he did to Takahashi last year was really touching.

 

[Perdita]

I'm so glad he's back on the ice...and his statements are from the heart. So good for him for sharing them.
He's is for me one of the most 'colorful' skaters in the world.

I would like him to be invited to more Japan galas. The tribute he did to Takahashi last year was really touching.

Yes, I really appreciate that he shares with his fans what he thinks. I'm yet to have my opinion about the recent discussion on injury and quad, and I probably will not agree 100% with Misha, but imo it's good for the sport as well. This sport is complex that if football's objective is to goal more, and dash's objective is to run faster, then figure skating's objective is to perform the best figure skating which definition varies tremendously. The sport should be welcoming to discussions, and I think it's great that the athlete do speak up for themselves if they feel they need to.

 

[Lexiglass]

NO one forces him to do things he don't like. He can do what he wants and have joy. End of story

Unfortunately, I think you have completely missed Misha's point. He is not whining about being "forced" to train a quad and perfect his jumps. He's sharing a personal revelation - that complete focus on the elements made him lose sight of the power and importance of performance. Figure skating is a multi-faceted sport. Right now, we are extremely lucky that the top men in the world are able to deliver the best technical programs we've ever seen WHILE delivering moving performances. That's extremely rare. Unfortunately, judging below that very top level seems to value technical difficulty over incredible performance. I don't think that's true to the COP or the sport of figure skating. I'm glad an engaging figure skater like Misha (who frankly became notably less engaging when he started focusing on a quad) is speaking honestly about the way he feels. The sport will keep marching on and hopefully will continue to try and balance athletic jumps and spins, great skating skills and performance. There's room for many perspectives IMO, not just "it's a sport! So more jumps!"

 

[HanDomi]

Unfortunately, I think you have completely missed Misha's point. He is not whining about being "forced" to train a quad and perfect his jumps. He's sharing a personal revelation - that complete focus on the elements made him lose sight of the power and importance of performance. Figure skating is a multi-faceted sport. Right now, we are extremely lucky that the top men in the world are able to deliver the best technical programs we've ever seen WHILE delivering moving performances. That's extremely rare. Unfortunately, judging below that very top level seems to value technical difficulty over incredible performance. I don't think that's true to the COP or the sport of figure skating. I'm glad an engaging figure skater like Misha (who frankly became notably less engaging when he started focusing on a quad) is speaking honestly about the way he feels. The sport will keep marching on and hopefully will continue to try and balance athletic jumps and spins, great skating skills and performance. There's room for many perspectives IMO, not just "it's a sport! So more jumps!"

Below top level there are skaters who are stronger in performance, and those who are stronger in jumps, but they are below because they can't connect both things. So I don't see point here

 

[4everchan]

Below top level there are skaters who are stronger in performance, and those who are stronger in jumps, but they are below because they can't connect both things. So I don't see point here

the skaters who are better at jumps are ahead of the skaters who are better at performing. For instance, Boyang. The other GPF finalists are a rare crop of more complete athletes. These guys will not always be there. Saying things like : Yuzu, Javi, Patrick and Shoma can do it so they should win is perhaps true but it's not realistic. They represent a very small percentage of the overall picture here. What kind of skating will we have after these guys retire? Think about it. RIght now, the next generation is quad focused and they lack a lot of pure skating skills. They lack a lot of performing flair. They lack musicality, connectivity.

Figure skating is a unique sport. It's not only athletic but it has a performance requirement. It looks a lot like music performing. Some like faster and louder... some get injured for over practicing the faster and louder.... some don't as their bodies are not prone to injury.... but in the end, what moves the audience is not necessarily the fastest and loudest musicians, but the most engaging ones. Virtuosity is impressive but is not the only factor of enjoyment.

Right now, the skaters are voicing their opinions as it is true that the ISU is focusing on quads.
A few changes of rules are showing this :
Allowing two quads in the short.
Removing the 2nd step sequence in both programs.
Allowing the 10% bonus in the second half (even in the SP!!!!) ---incentive to place the harder jumps when most tired as 10% of a triple is not that much but 10% of quad is over a full point.
ETC


What have they done to value performers and all around great skaters? Not that much, especially since the PCS are now given out quite easily and there is a very small margin between top skaters, which means that it is not the main factor in deciding placement, TES is.


Those are all facts in the COP that favour quad masters, so saying that skaters who don't have them are not obligated to do them is not fully accurate.... the rules from the ISU are sending a clear message.

I remember how Ito raised the bar technically.... still nowadays, we do not have a woman close to her level of consistency technically. We can say Liza and Mao, are getting closer but that's almost 25-30 years later.... Yet, back then, Ito couldn't win because her performing skills were not on par with some of the others.... they preferred giving titles to skaters who were much weaker technically.

Imaging the sport in 2 years from now... Let's say that Yuzu, Javi and Chan all retire.... some of the others in the current cycle are gone too because they have suffered enough injuries, (Ten, Brown, Ge, Farris).... we have eliminated 7 great performers. Who is left..... Boyang? Will Nam recover? Will Nathan recover?

Will the sport recover? Will we watch these jumping machines if we do not get excited by their performance level?

I think it was a great thing Misha shared his feelings.... as a musician, I see exactly where he is coming from. However, nothing I do will break my body in two. Figure skating is a very dangerous sport and on top of that, there is a requirement for emotion....

It's like asking someone being artistic while doing the ski jump....

We have to look at the future... so that the kind of skating we enjoy now doesn't disappear.

 

[Tavi...]

Below top level there are skaters who are stronger in performance, and those who are stronger in jumps, but they are below because they can't connect both things. So I don't see point here

You don't see the point because you're not open to any point of view beyond your own, which you've been repeating pretty much verbatim in every thread.

 

[StitchMonkey]

NO one forces him to do things he don't like. He can do what he wants and have joy. End of story

Try reading some figure skating forums then see if you agree no one forces him to do things he does not like.

 

[silverfoxes]

the skaters who are better at jumps are ahead of the skaters who are better at performing. For instance, Boyang. The other GPF finalists are a rare crop of more complete athletes. These guys will not always be there. Saying things like : Yuzu, Javi, Patrick and Shoma can do it so they should win is perhaps true but it's not realistic. They represent a very small percentage of the overall picture here. What kind of skating will we have after these guys retire? Think about it. RIght now, the next generation is quad focused and they lack a lot of pure skating skills. They lack a lot of performing flair. They lack musicality, connectivity.
(snip)
Imaging the sport in 2 years from now... Let's say that Yuzu, Javi and Chan all retire.... some of the others in the current cycle are gone too because they have suffered enough injuries, (Ten, Brown, Ge, Farris).... we have eliminated 7 great performers. Who is left..... Boyang? Will Nam recover? Will Nathan recover?

I guess you didn't watch Euros, because there were several musical, excellent performers there...Mikhail Kolyada, Deniss Vasiljevs, Daniel Samohin (ok, Daniel's more of a quad guy & not so strong in SS, but he can absolutely perform). And there are some other younger skaters coming up who have those qualities in spades, like Petr Gumennik, Georgi Kunitsa, Ilia Skirda, Kevin Aymoz, etc.

 

[cruzceleste]

Try reading some figure skating forums then see if you agree no one forces him to do things he does not like.

Every sportmen/ women must think about whats best for him, beyond the public opinion. Do you think Federer runs to change his form just because he lost to Djokovic? If every skater will listed to the fans, they will be better of retiring, because they will never please anybody.

Imaging the sport in 2 years from now... Let's say that Yuzu, Javi and Chan all retire.... some of the others in the current cycle are gone too because they have suffered enough injuries, (Ten, Brown, Ge, Farris).... we have eliminated 7 great performers. Who is left..... Boyang? Will Nam recover? Will Nathan recover?

Will the sport recover? Will we watch these jumping machines if we do not get excited by their performance level?

Wow, talk about a negative point of view, everything goes for a dark period.

Before there was an Adele, we have to live with Justin Bieber and One Direction. The same, as Ecclestone once said after Schumacher retired "if F1 could recover after the death of Senna, F1 will survived this", fans will come and go, the sport will survive, with new stars, with new things to admired.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Below top level there are skaters who are stronger in performance, and those who are stronger in jumps, but they are below because they can't connect both things. So I don't see point here

4verhan laid out the scenario well, including what I've wanted to say. The top tier, the 4 or 5 Worlds medal contender are the all round skaters. The next tier are the quadsters, threatening to medal if some of the top Men have a bad day on the wrong day. The artistic skaters without a quad, or a reliable one, are ranked below them, with no chance whatsoever to medal or in the top 7 or so no matter how talented they are, how wonderfully they perform, and how hard they work. Some of them are injured now trying too hard for the quads. Will some of them be disabled or discouraged? Will there be the next generation in this category to stick around to perform for us? I guess fans like you don't give a damn, for their health or their existence. But skaters and most fans care about what figure skating is about.

 

[4everchan]

i didn't watch everyone... but look at your podium... and that will explain it all... (javi is well rounded... not so much the other two)

I guess you didn't watch Euros, because there were several musical, excellent performers there...Mikhail Kolyada, Deniss Vasiljevs, Daniel Samohin (ok, Daniel's more of a quad guy & not so strong in SS, but he can absolutely perform). And there are some other younger skaters coming up who have those qualities in spades, like Petr Gumennik, Georgi Kunitsa, Ilia Skirda, Kevin Aymoz, etc.

 

[4everchan]

that's a pretty accurate summary of my super long post thank you now go add a C to my name like I did in quoting you since as much as I adore Han Yan, I don't want patrick to go jealous on me

4verchan laid out the scenario well, including what I've wanted to say. The top tier, the 4 or 5 Worlds medal contender are the all round skaters. The next tier are the quadsters, threatening to medal if some of the top Men have a bad day on the wrong day. The artistic skaters without a quad, or a reliable one, are ranked below them, with no chance whatsoever to medal or in the top 7 or so no matter how talented they are, how wonderfully they perform, and how hard they work. Some of them are injured now trying too hard for the quads. Will some of them be disabled or discouraged? Will there be the next generation in this category to stick around to perform for us? I guess fans like you don't give a damn, for their health or their existence. But skaters and most fans care about what figure skating is about.

 

[silverfoxes]

i didn't watch everyone... but look at your podium... and that will explain it all... (javi is well rounded... not so much the other two)

Well if Mikhail had been clean, or had any international reputation, he would have been on there. I don't agree with you that the future is bleak...in fact, I think it's actually going to be better (not a huge fan of some of the so-called "best" right now & I'm excited for new blood). And some of my favorite skaters who are "just jumpers" got shafted at competitions by quadless men recently, so I guess it all evens out.

 

[StitchMonkey]

Every sportmen/ women must think about whats best for him, beyond the public opinion. Do you think Federer runs to change his form just because he lost to Djokovic? If every skater will listed to the fans, they will be better of retiring, because they will never please anybody.

I have no clue who those people are but would anyone encounter eye rolls while people derisively say
"it's a sport" and imply they were not real athlete in a real sport if they did not "change his form"? because that is what Misha Ge and other male skaters face if they "choose" not to include a quad. Many people think men not including a quad is down right absurd..... many even want it as a requirement in the short.

Would you still call it a choice if/when it is a requirement in the short... or will you say they have the chose to retire. To say there is not an expectation on male skaters to do quads is silly. And how dare Misha and others try to live up to peoples expectations for them!

 

[Violet Bliss]

that's a pretty accurate summary of my super long post thank you now go add a C to my name like I did in quoting you since as much as I adore Han Yan, I don't want patrick to go jealous on me

 

[cruzceleste]

Would you still call it a choice if/when it is a requirement in the short... or will you say they have the chose to retire. To say there is not an expectation on male skaters to do quads is silly. And how dare Misha and others try to live up to peoples expectations for them!

Show me where it is a requirement in the rules? as long as I know they only are forced to do a 3A. Anything else is up to the skater.

And this is a reason what fans don´t write the rules, because fans will never agree.

 

[el henry]

#BringColorsBack to skating

#Truth

Mad respect for Misha

 

[Raomina]

So I haven't followed Men's skating for long enough but now that there seems to be so much talk about quads, I have a lot of questions. When did the trend in mentality of 'I need a quad' for the artistic skaters start? Did the switch flip 'this' season?

It seems like since Worlds 2012 or so, all the medalists all had quads so it already seems like you can't medal without a quad internationally, so why all the panic now? Why wasn't the onus to get a quad as prevalent before or why didn't skaters start training then and ease into it slowly? Is it really because of medalling potential?

Did they think that they could do without it while the quad skaters continued to up their difficulties because they (quad skaters) weren't consistent even though they are winning and now they are more consistent? In other words, someone without a quad can still hope to win as having the quad is risky but now it's not as risky for the quad skaters and there is no hope?

Or is 3 quads in 2 programs the limit of what they are comfortable with to not have a quad themselves? Is it because of the younger quad jumpers like Boyang and Nathan?

What I'm asking is, what was the tipping point?

*Sorry in advance if there are typos as I'm typing on my phone.

 

[StitchMonkey]

Raomina - Todd Eldridge has commented/complained about how much quacking about the quad he encountered when he won World Championships in 1996.

So it has be going on and threatening to become an issue since then. In 2010 era bad quads were very costly and so not as many were being attempted, but when Evan won the OGM... some people lost their minds. After that rules were changed that made it more worth it to risk/try quads... or at least it was made less punitive when you messed up.

Six years later, and we have men skating that learned how to jump in those years after the change, so they trained quads, and do quads.

 

[noskates]

...so they train quads, and they do quads, and they get injured doing quads. Where will it all end?