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- Dec 29, 2013
I think both Phil and Adam were being equally obnoxious.
Enough said
Enough said
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Adam Rippon Out of Nationals
- Thread starter demarinis5
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- Aug 12, 2014
Wouldn't that have made Adam sound a bit full of himself? It doesn't sound like something Adam would ever say. And it would have been a huge leap from the question: "what do you think of Nathan's development over the past year?"
It speaks really well for Adam that he was able to recover from the shock of Phil's insensitive question enough to turn it around toward the end of the teleconference. He said, "I can look to my training partner Nathan Chen, who had an even more serious injury and who came back even better."
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- Aug 12, 2014
This is what I heard Adam answer in the teleconference.
Phil: What can you say about Nathan's development over the last year since Nationals?
Dead silence.
Adam: I would say, uh, I don't know, Phil, I think that is just really, like, kind of inappropriate timing, so I think he's a great competitor, and I'm really impressed with what he's done this season.
More dead silence.
Finally another journalist recovered enough to ask a question.
I had to look this up just because of all comments in the forum... Renee's "...okay" was the best part of that
Poor Adam though :sad21: I totally get where he's coming from shutting down Phil--he probably feels miserable, both emotionally and physically, and that had to just make things worse. I hope he recovers fully and brings his glorious free skate back next year (which he wanted to use for the Olympic year anyway).
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- Feb 27, 2012
But Phil's five live-tweets reported details from Adam's long announcement at the top of the call.
To me, there is no reason to assume anything other than that Phil was live-tweeting in real time, right as he was hearing worthy detail after worthy detail come out of Adam's mouth. Meaning that Phil's live-tweets were completed before he asked his question and before Adam replied in the way that he did.
No disrespect to Lynn Rutherford, but the first three of Phil's live-tweets came before the first live-tweet from Lynn.
And most or all of Phil's live-tweeting was completed before the official USFS tweet announcing the withdrawals of Adam and Polina.
Phil recognized Adam's announcement as the significant breaking news that it was, and Phil sprang into action to live-tweet about Adam.
Phil wanted to be ON IT, and he was on it.
All of which indicates to me that Phil considers Adam to be a U.S. man worth paying attention to.
My short answer is No. (Gotta go .. don't have time for a longer answer.)
And Adam already said something in a similar vein at the presser at 2016 Nats.
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- Nov 19, 2010
I think Adam was blindsided, even a bit shocked, and unprepared for Phil's insensitive and disrespectful question, therefore coming back with something sounding somewhat disrespectful himself.
With the benefit of time for thoughts, I think it'd have been better for Adam to talk from his own perspective instead commenting on the question and Phil, such as "I think it'd be inappropriate for me to talk about someone else' development." or "I'd have to think about that and maybe get back to you another day."
My favorite response to a reporter's intrusive question was from Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada, re his wife Margaret, "A gentleman does not ask such a question, and a gentleman does not answer such a question." It was a prompt response, with a stare.
With the benefit of time for thoughts, I think it'd have been better for Adam to talk from his own perspective instead commenting on the question and Phil, such as "I think it'd be inappropriate for me to talk about someone else' development." or "I'd have to think about that and maybe get back to you another day."
My favorite response to a reporter's intrusive question was from Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada, re his wife Margaret, "A gentleman does not ask such a question, and a gentleman does not answer such a question." It was a prompt response, with a stare.
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- Feb 25, 2006
I haven't read all the comments, but better this season than next season.
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- Aug 12, 2014
I had to look this up just because of all comments in the forum... Renee's "...okay" was the best part of that
What do you mean?
Well said, I agree. Except that I don't know if I'd say his words equal "shutting down Phil," at least not the words that I heard Adam say when I listened. He was taken aback, thus the pauses, and then the ums and the "I would say" and the "I don't know" before he could say, as gently as possible while reflecting the truth of how he felt, that it was "kind of inappropriate timing." Then he went ahead and answered the question about Nathan anyway. He didn't have to, but it was generous of him.
After that long pause she really quietly says "okay" before she says "Pete". Speaking of Pete, his comment to Adam was super nice.
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- Aug 12, 2014
Point made. I didn't know when Phil's live tweets came, in real time. But for me, his quick live tweets don't excuse what I feel was his total and jerk-worthy thoughtlessness. Of course, since he was so busy tweeting during Adam's announcement (getting the Scoop), he had less time than the others to take it all in ... the injury AND how Adam must be feeling.
YMMV, but I much prefer Lynn Rutherford's response that kept the focus on Adam during the teleconference, and then her IN story, when she didn't bring up the other top competitors -- Nathan, Max and Jason -- until the last third of her story. All the other journalists managed to keep the focus on Adam, where it belonged. I also appreciated Pete's response to Adam, "we certainly will not forget about you, Buddy."
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- Mar 23, 2014
Bottom line, IMO: Phil could've phrased his question more considerately. Adam could've phrased his response more diplomatically and/or tried to answer it. (Though Adam is naturally at more of a disadvantage, given that he cannot plan or think about an answer the way that Phil can plan or think about his questions).
Phil can dish it out, and Phil can take it. Same goes for Adam. They obviously know each other better than any of us know of them, so us fans trying to justify the appropriateness of the question or the response based on the little we know about their relationship is an exercise in futility, IMO. Figure skating is a small world, and people in press conferences respond differently when they're talking to someone they know fairly well as compared to "famous person who I don't know personally" or "random journalist #5." ESPECIALLY in a sport like figure skating, where what one says probably won't be making any national headlines.
Phil can dish it out, and Phil can take it. Same goes for Adam. They obviously know each other better than any of us know of them, so us fans trying to justify the appropriateness of the question or the response based on the little we know about their relationship is an exercise in futility, IMO. Figure skating is a small world, and people in press conferences respond differently when they're talking to someone they know fairly well as compared to "famous person who I don't know personally" or "random journalist #5." ESPECIALLY in a sport like figure skating, where what one says probably won't be making any national headlines.
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- Feb 21, 2014
I finally got a chance to listen to that podcast and what shocks me is not Hersh's question but the massive overreaction to it here. As you said, skaters are asked all the time about their training mates and this is hardly the first time Adam's been asked about Nathan. And I think his response to Phil was perfectly fine; he sounded a bit taken aback by the question at first but recovered and responded to it without any animosity toward Phil.
What I believe is fueling all this criticism of Hersh are the comments he's made in the past about Adam/Jason/Max/whoever lacking the technical ability/consistency to compete at the highest levels internationally. It reminds me of how Michelle Kwan's fans would tear into Phil whenever he voiced even the slightest criticism of her. I wonder what those fans thought when they found out that Michelle invited the evil Phil to her wedding.
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- Aug 12, 2014
To switch focus, I really liked Karen's question to Adam: "Listening to you speak, I'm really struck by your positivity ... where does that come from?"
For a 27-year-old (Read: Old!
)figure skater who's finally developed some consistency and ability to skate to his potential, who was having his best season yet, to deal with this disappointment and come up with a new strategy -- to work on things in his skating that might have gotten less attention otherwise -- and to be able to communicate it as sincerely as Adam did, is something.
For a 27-year-old (Read: Old!
)figure skater who's finally developed some consistency and ability to skate to his potential, who was having his best season yet, to deal with this disappointment and come up with a new strategy -- to work on things in his skating that might have gotten less attention otherwise -- and to be able to communicate it as sincerely as Adam did, is something.
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- Jan 1, 2013
I disagree. It was obvious that Hersh just wanted to be the first to "break" the news. Lynn may have delayed tweeting, but she also asked a good, sensible question in response to what Adam had said in spite of the fact that she was the first one called upon and had the least time to prepare.
Maybe if Hersh had actually spent more time listening to Adam and thinking about what he might ask instead of live-tweeting, he might have come up with a sensible question himself.
"Pete" showed exactly what to do in a situation where all of the original questions no longer apply. He obviously couldn't come up with another on the fly, and so he simply wished Adam luck and health. That is how it should be done.
I think it's more that Hersh has made it quite clear he thinks Chen is the only one of the US men worth anything, and the others can all go jump on the trash heap, because Chen is the King! Then, even when Adam had announced his injury and was obviously extremely disappointed, Hersh simply brushed past it all and just had to ask about Chen, Chen, tell him about Chen!
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- Feb 27, 2012
The way that you snipped my post has resulted in an unfair representation of what I was saying.
I am highly amused
that Phil -- who is a reporter -- is being criticized in this thread for ... reporting news.In Adam's announcement at the top of the call, the 2016 U.S. champion was making news, and Phil's instinctive reaction was to report the breaking news from the 2016 U.S. champion. Horrors
.With some of you, Phil just cannot win.
Phil reported Adam's news, and he is getting criticism for doing so.
If Phil had not reported Adam's news, some of you would be using Phil's lack of reporting as ammunition for your opinion that Phil cares about no one about Nathan.
:agree:
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- Mar 18, 2013
This is not out of the realm of possibility.
Regardless, I did LOVE Adam's programs this year. I got to see them both live at SA, and I has to hold myself back from screaming "YASSSSSSSSSSSSS QWEEN! WERK B****!" bbefore, during, and after that short program. His long program is truly one of my favorites of the season. Get better Adam!
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- Feb 2, 2011
I think the question about Nathan combined with the "poor mans Jeremy Abbott" comment on TSL-- (which was super insulting in and of itself-- both Adam and Jeremy are wonderful skaters but each have their own skating style, saying that you are a lesser version of another skater is so incredibly rude it is mind boggling to me that he actually said that) It is clear Phil doesn't think Adam is a worthy competitor. It is Phil's job to stir the pot, but sometimes I think he goes too far. Figure skating is the only sport I follow so I don't know if this is a regular thing sports writers do.
Yes, Nathan did really well at the GPF getting silver in an international event but some of the top skaters faltered and Nathan had some falls earlier in the season, so crowning him seems a little premature. I wish ALL the US men well and I HOPE HOPE HOPE we can get 3 spots back.
Still in shock and I will miss Adam, hoping he comes back stronger and fiercer next season.
Yes, Nathan did really well at the GPF getting silver in an international event but some of the top skaters faltered and Nathan had some falls earlier in the season, so crowning him seems a little premature. I wish ALL the US men well and I HOPE HOPE HOPE we can get 3 spots back.
Still in shock and I will miss Adam, hoping he comes back stronger and fiercer next season.
Phil is not being criticized for reporting news. Phil is being criticized for being an insensitive boor. Did you listen to the phrasing of the question? "I'll ask it anyway.." Adam was obnoxious? Not even. Adam was taken aback and I thought he handled himself very well.
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- Feb 27, 2012
You apparently have not read the entire range of criticism of Phil in this thread.
Some of the criticism here has been against Phil's reporting of breaking news coming out of Adam's own mouth about Adam's injury and outlook going forward.
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