Adam Rippon's future in skating

[KwanIsALegend]

OK People......It's program selection time again. Paul McCartney is playing tonight at The Save Mart Center here in Fresno, Ca. and I have several friends who are going to see him as Clovis is a suburb of Fresno. This got me thinking about Adam. Do you think he could pull of "Live And Let Die?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7aGAIWe3uE

I was thinking that instead of using the Beatles. He could use songs from Paul. Like "Silly Love Song" and "My love" and the above listed L.A.L.D.

Yeah, no, I don't think 'live and let die' would be a good music choice. How about Helter Skelter? j/k.

 

[mrrice]

Yeah, no, I don't think 'live and let die' would be a good music choice. How about Helter Skelter? j/k.

Does live and let die have a bad theme behind it? I thought it was from a James Bond Movie. Is that wrong??

 

[Skater Boy]

Does Ashley's dress have a really sexy back to make up for that matronly front? Oh my. Quite possibly the least Ashley Wagner-looking dress I've ever seen.

Adam: is this the best he's ever been during his career? That finally consistent 3A is doing him all kinds of favors. Good job Raf. Next stop quad. If any skater as old as Adam can get a decent quad at that age, it's going to be the Adam + Raf team.

Do I see him making a world podium? No. But he has a decent chance to help the US men get back three spots and then go to the Olympics. (Though as much as I enjoy his skating, I'd prefer a US #1 with higher scoring potential, such as Nathan or Josh or Jason with a quad.)

WE will see how Jason does; you can't really say he has a quad when he barely has a triple axel. i am kind of shocked he is even doing the world team challenge because i thought he was coming back from injury. It is possible that the North American men could have quite a disastrous showing with Nam having grown so much he is a mess, Brown a huge question mark even before injury and who knows which Adam will show up and he has a very limited scoring option without a quad.

I think Adam will go for 2018; he is improving and getting more consistent. He has great style. It will help and we will soon see if the Americans stop cowering or bowing down to Jason Brown because then there will be legitimiately two spots open otherwirse it is one. Adam has found himself, not talk about sexuality, but stylewise and if he can milk that he can be ahead of Aaron who despite us trying to be positive really looks awkward - like trying to make a ballet star into a hip hop street dancer. Also, with Ashley cheering him on that will help too. of course a lot may depend on how many spots there are for 2018 and if Abbott comes back too.

 

[Skater Boy]

IMO, Ashley's dress looks amazing (in a good way :hap36 in this view:

https://twitter.com/FSinHarlem/status/719642116310372352​

Ouch ... I don't agree with the Little House references at all.
For me, the best part of Ashley's dress is the fabric. To my eyes, the fabric seems to have a metallic sheen -- which I would hardly call quaint or old-fashioned.
And the geometric pattern of the fabric complements the geometric cut of the dress :yes:.

In any case, for the record, Nellie's family was named Oleson :roll5: .

Liked Adam's suit; tie crooked but nice cut and fit Ashley's dress is imho a fashion miscue. Sure on the one angle it showed off a slim figure but a slim and trim body should make anythign look pretty good but the dress while fitted really did nothing. The pattern wasn't very spring, the length not particularly complimentary or complementary, the hair was rather ho hum, a stylist might be needed or perhaps Adam could help her with a fashion intervention. If this was a designer dress the way Ashley carried off sorry is not flattering or a winner. I've seen H and M dresses far more fun, stylish and frugal.

 

[mrrice]

I love Jason and Adam however, my eggs are still in a "Healthy" Joshua Farris Basket. With Nathan coming up I really think that next season will be crucial for Adam. I also look for Max to stay in contention and now that Grant is doing well, it will be difficult for some of the Men who missed the podium to find their way back. I'm thinking about Ricky and Ross specifically.

 

[karne]

I don't buy that Jason has higher scoring potential than Adam (not factoring in the quad at this point). Adam's scores this season have easily surpassed Jason's - not to mention that Jason still struggles with the 3axel. Plus, I'm not convinced that Jason's quad won't be MIA in the coming seasons. Sure Jason has transitions, but his jumps and general skating seem a bit laboured no matter how much enthusiasm he has. Adam this year has really transformed, and I feel pretty optimistic about his chances going forward.

Jason made more progress on the 4T in one half season than Adam has on the 4Lz in three years.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Must of been a good sale at Olsen's Mercantile on that fabric

Nelly Olsen is a Beeyutch Goddess!

 

[Tavi...]

WE will see how Jason does; you can't really say he has a quad when he barely has a triple axel. i am kind of shocked he is even doing the world team challenge because i thought he was coming back from injury. It is possible that the North American men could have quite a disastrous showing with Nam having grown so much he is a mess, Brown a huge question mark even before injury and who knows which Adam will show up and he has a very limited scoring option without a quad.

I think Adam will go for 2018; he is improving and getting more consistent. He has great style. It will help and we will soon see if the Americans stop cowering or bowing down to Jason Brown because then there will be legitimiately two spots open otherwirse it is one. Adam has found himself, not talk about sexuality, but stylewise and if he can milk that he can be ahead of Aaron who despite us trying to be positive really looks awkward - like trying to make a ballet star into a hip hop street dancer. Also, with Ashley cheering him on that will help too. of course a lot may depend on how many spots there are for 2018 and if Abbott comes back too.

Umm. On what planet are "Americans...cowering or bowering down to Jason"? It's one thing if you don't like him. To imply that he's gifted with placements he doesn't deserve is the height of absurdity, especially given the obvious fact that his petition for the world team was denied. It's also kind of offensive. I guess we'll see next week and next season whether or not he "barely" has a triple axel, will ever achieve a fully-rotated quad, or will have a "disastrous" showing at TCC.

 

[TMC]

Umm. On what planet are "Americans...cowering or bowering down to Jason"? It's one thing if you don't like him. To imply that he's gifted with placements he doesn't deserve is the height of absurdity, especially given the obvious fact that his petition for the world team was denied. It's also kind of offensive. I guess we'll see next week and next season whether or not he "barely" has a triple axel, will ever achieve a fully-rotated quad, or will have a "disastrous" showing at TCC.

Thank you for that :agree:

As for Adam, I'm a big fan but I have to admit that it looks to me that while his jumps have stabilised, his speed and especially his edges have suffered. I've seen his 2014 and 2015 FSs in person and noticed a difference. (Or it could've been always like that, just in 2014 season I was so in love with his programme that I didn't pay attention.) But this season it looked like his edgework was noticeably weaker than most of the other competitors, which was surprising... All that notwithstanding, Adam is super popular in Finland so he's already got an "edge" over the other guys at Helsinki Worlds in 2017

 

[artsciboy]

Jason made more progress on the 4T in one half season than Adam has on the 4Lz in three years.

How so? In an instagram clip? I mean, there's more than enough documented proof of Adam's 4z via social media as wel. And in fairness to Adam, he's had more ratified 4t's in competition than Jason in that one season he attempted them. Until I see Jason actually fully rotate/land a 4t in competition, I'm not sure how much "progress" has been made.

 

[TMC]

How so? In an instagram clip? I mean, there's more than enough documented proof of Adam's 4z via social media as wel. And in fairness to Adam, he's had more ratified 4t's in competition than Jason in that one season he attempted them. Until I see Jason actually fully rotate/land a 4t in competition, I'm not sure how much "progress" has been made.

Well, just looking at the protocols, in the three competitions he tried it it went from a downgrade (fall) to an underrotation (fall) to an underrotation (stood up). So there clearly was some progress

 

[Jaana]

It was nice to see Rippon skating so well at Worlds, only one fault (the unfortunate quad lutz, LOL). I think that six or seven years ago he might have made the podium with this performance.

 

[mrrice]

Nelly Olsen is a Beeyutch Goddess!

KABOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With curls to match Polina's Gone With The Wind hairdo.

By the way, What's happening with that cute boy from Minnesota? I'd put him in the Ricky and Ross group. He really needs to get himself into the top 5 ASAP. Alexander Johnson. That's his name.

 

[ice coverage]

Seeing the dress from this angle, yeah, not a matronly look at all. The dress is skin tight. What a difference an difference angle can make.

:agree:

... the hair was rather ho hum ...

All in the eye of the beholder.
I would say that Ashley's hairstyle complemented the contemporary look of her dress.

...at Marissa Webb‘s New York Fashion Week show on Feb. 11, ... a low pony with a deep side part. It reminded me of this look seen on Rihanna in 2014. It’s still totally cool and current today. ...

http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/02/12/marissa-webb-runway-fashion-week-hair-makeup-fall-2016-nyfw/ (Feb 12, 2016)​

A-List Hair Trend: Ponytails

Monday, 11 April 2016
Simple, sleek ponytails are bang on-trend this season...
http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/beauty/celebrity/hair/2012/03/celebrity-ponytails​

And thus endeth the fashion commentary (at least from me ) for today.

The important thing is that Adam and Ashley showed up to support Figure Skating in Harlem :yay: and to honor their friends Meryl and Charlie .

---

Returning to the thread topic:

Adam has brought a lot of excitement to US skating for the last two or three seasons ... and counting.
If he can keep it up next season -- amid a crowded field of other hungry US men -- good for him. I think Adam's upward trend has only whetted his appetite for more.

 

[noskates]

I love them both - don't see why you have to be in Adam's camp solely or Jason's camp solely. As someone said upthread, both have brought a lot of excitement to the US Mens competitions.

What I do find odd is someone saying Adam's edges have suffered. I don't know where you saw this. He's one of the smoothest most graceful men out there. look at the edges or lack thereof of the quad kings. Not sure what you want. Adam's choreo and programs were so far superior to most of the men at Worlds - he just didn't have the fire power. I also don't know how long Jason was injured before he acknowledged it and it's unfair to him to compare him to someone who skated a whole season.

Sometimes I think people post stuff just to be contrary.

 

[Mrs. P]

I love them both - don't see why you have to be in Adam's camp solely or Jason's camp solely. As someone said upthread, both have brought a lot of excitement to the US Mens competitions.

What I do find odd is someone saying Adam's edges have suffered. I don't know where you saw this. He's one of the smoothest most graceful men out there. look at the edges or lack thereof of the quad kings. Not sure what you want. Adam's choreo and programs were so far superior to most of the men at Worlds - he just didn't have the fire power. I also don't know how long Jason was injured before he acknowledged it and it's unfair to him to compare him to someone who skated a whole season.

Sometimes I think people post stuff just to be contrary.

Unpopular opinion alert: Good choreography =/= great skating skills/edges.

Obviously we're going to disagree, noskates, but Adam's edges are definitely not as good as someone like Yan Han or Patrick Chan's. And honestly, Boyang Jin's skating skills isn't THAT much worse (and I dare say they could be comparable at times) than Adam's either, if we're going to pick on "quad kings." Jin's FS lacks a lot of in-betweens/choreography, but again we're talking skating skills here, not transitions/choreography.

Adam obviously has a lot of performance ability, but golly, I so wanted him to get deeper in those edges for his step sequence in SP. That's something I noted seeing him live, even while appreciating that he skated a clean program with a compelling performance.

That said, that doesn't take away from the fact he skated two clean programs and had a decent competition and certainly makes him a prime candidate for next year's World team.

It's going to be a bloodbath when you consider the following:

World teams 2011-2016
2011 - Bradley, Dornbush, Miner
2012 - Abbott, Rippon
2013 - Aaron, Miner
2014 - Abbott, Aaron
2015 - Brown, Rippon, Farris
2016- Rippon, Aaron, Hochstein (Chen)

If Abbott returns (along with others from last season) - You will have 9 different U.S. men that have either competed or qualified to Worlds fighting from 2 spots. yikes!

 

[Jammers]

To be honest for 2018 i want to see the younger guys make the team. Josh, Jason and Nathan have more long term potential then a 28 year old Adam in 2018. Getting that 3rd spot back next season is essential since their are so many good US Men.

 

[mrrice]

To be honest for 2018 i want to see the younger guys make the team. Josh, Jason and Nathan have more long term potential then a 28 year old Adam in 2018. Getting that 3rd spot back next season is essential since their are so many good US Men.

True. Although, I'd be more than happy to send Adam if he skates his way into contention. It's Jeremey that worries me. I love his style and think he's smooth as silk when the pressure is off. However, I just don't trust him to skate clean at the big events.

 

[Mrs. P]

To be honest for 2018 i want to see the younger guys make the team. Josh, Jason and Nathan have more long term potential then a 28 year old Adam in 2018. Getting that 3rd spot back next season is essential since their are so many good US Men.

Just to play devil's advocate, if you want to see "younger guys" you should push for Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou and Andrew Torgashev, who would be ages 18, 17 and 17, respectively. Compared to them, Jason and Josh (who will both be 23 during that Olympics) are "old guys."

Think it's time to update the stats sheet and wrap up the State of U.S. Men thread. Well after TCC next week...

 

[TMC]

I love them both - don't see why you have to be in Adam's camp solely or Jason's camp solely. As someone said upthread, both have brought a lot of excitement to the US Mens competitions.

I agree! I'm a fan of both of them. That made 2015 Nationals so heartbreaking...not the result but people's vicious comments afterwards.

Sometimes I think people post stuff just to be contrary.

That's a bit unfair I wrote that to share my impression of his skating, I was not trying on purpose to imagine something negative to say.

I made a point of saying that this was how it looked to me, this was my impression, not that this was some sort of undisputable fact. Many people express their feelings and opinions as facts (D/W have no chemistry, Jason doesn't have a 3A, Ashley always underrotates, yada yada yada...), which really irks me sometimes. I try to make an effort not to do that.

So. When I saw Adam skate, I could compare him to many many skaters who are nowhere near his level in most other aspects like grace or choreo (Voronov, Menshov, Brezina to name a few), yet their speed and edges appeared to me to be superior, and I was even really surprised when I realised this! I kinda felt like I'd been bamboozled And I know I'm not the only one who thinks this. When you watch Adam, you don't see this, and that's what you see.

Similarly when I watch Jason (I haven't seen him in person so I can't and don't really want to compare), he looks too often slow and laboured. To me. But I bet, in fact I know that there are a bunch of people, fans and non-fans, who don't see this

ETA I suppose the only way to know for sure would be some kind of sensors in the skate blades. Until then, we're just going to have to go by our impressions