Senior Men's Free Skate

[blue dog]

Terry Gannon is the dumb play by play guy who doesnt know jack about skating. No offence but cant you come up with a better quote reference then that.

Terry Gannon wasn't quoting his own opinion--he was quoting Plushenko's. I don't think Plushenko is someone who doesn't know jack about skating.

Not to mention, Gannon became a commentator 10 years ago--when he covered other sports besides skating. Now, he's strictly skating--and I'm sure he has the same, if not more expertise than fans like us.

 

[temperboy28]

Terry Gannon wasn't quoting his own opinion--he was quoting Plushenko's. I don't think Plushenko is someone who doesn't know jack about skating.

Not to mention, Gannon became a commentator 10 years ago--when he covered other sports besides skating. Now, he's strictly skating--and I'm sure he has the same, if not more expertise than fans like us.

I would think Gannon has less knowledge on skating then fans like us, regardless if he is payed money to be a bimbo in the booth just because he is a former athlete in a totally different sport, and skating happens to be the sport he ended up commentating in. Listen to how he talks sometimes, at the 97 Worlds saying Weiss to come from 5th to 1st and win Nationals if he won the long was possable since Urmanov came from 6th to 1st to win Europeans that year. That is seriously dumb since any semi-knowledgable skating fan knows that when you are 5th you need 1 other person to beat the leader after the short and the 2nd place finisher in the short to have a chance to win, and if you are in 6th place you need even more then that(which happened for Urmanov at Europeans)but at U.S Nationals nobody had beaten Eldredge in the long program, Weiss was the final skater, so that was not a possability. At the 97 Worlds he then says before Bourne and Kraatz skate, that when you are in the top 3 going into the final phase of the competition and you win that phase you are the overall winner, when in fact any semi knowledgable skating fan knows that does not apply to ice dancing like it does singles and pairs, and that Bourne/Kraatz would have needed somebody else to beat Gritschuk/Platov in the free dance to have a shot to win which hadnt happened and they were the final skaters. I could come up with alot of other examples but he is NOT knowledgable on skating at all, and I certainly dont look up to his knowledge on the sport one iota because he is payed to be a sidekick.

No Terry Gannon does not know jack about skating, I dont care how long he has been a Button sidekick doing it, and I would hope that 99% of the fans here are more knowledgable then him atleast.

 

[Tigger]

Okay...I wasn't going to be dragged into this, but this is different than picking on a skater...

I graduated from one of the top Broadcast Journalism programs in Canada. In the city the College is in, there is no local TV news because we were/are so close to Ottawa. That meant we were local news on TV. As for radio, the local stations all ended local news at 5pm. We, when I was there, ended ours at 9pm, so responisblity for the Prime Time hours of any local news getting out on air came to us.

Those two years also took in the Nagano Olympics and we were the main source of what local athletes did in Japan. Some of us were doing up to four or five different stories on Nagano a day. Lots of fun, but also lots of very hard work. I then did my Internship at CTV Sports before graduating.

What that means is, I actually do know what goes into a TV Sports broadcast and that is a lot of work. During my internship, I saw Rob Faulds and Rod Black constantly looking up stuff on the computer and/or finding it through the resources available to them. You don't get to that level of broadcasting w/out doing your homework, or you'd be looking for work awfully quickly.

Now yes, there are times when Rod and/or Terry will say something regarding placement points and/or what needs to happen for movement in the standings that is a bit off. Well, hate to break it to you, but they're being fed that information by the team in the truck. You want to complain about them getting it wrong, fine, but don't assume that what's coming from their mouths is something they came up w/themselves. Much of it is being told to them to share w/us here at home.

When an event is live, you often don't have time to check stuff until later and then they realize, "I can't believe we let that one go to the talent!!". Quite a lot of meals and/or drinks to the on air people after an event/portion of a broadcast have come from the off air behind the scenes people over the years from mistakes like that.

Now of course there are some real gems like the other night from Rod Black where he said, "When we come back from the break, we'll have the team of Bryce and Davidson.". However, I'm willing to bet that both he and Tracy had a good laugh about it during the break and Rod also couldn't believe he'd said that. That stuff happens and will always happen. If it didn't, we wouldn't have something to laugh over.

BTW, never did meet Rod during my internship. Saw him passing through the area I was in more than once, but that was the closest I got to him. Everyone there though could not sing his praises more. Both as a nice guy and a professional. Yes, he got a lot wrong when he started out. He also still says some things that you just want to pitch something through the screen at him for, but Rod's got a genuine love for this wacky sport and he's come a very long way since the early 90's when he first got the gig.

As for Rob, I did meet him and he's a really great guy. He is also one of the most genuine funny people I have ever met. Really nice guy who also learned a lot about this sport when it was him in the booth and always tried to learn more. Always thought he got a really bad and undeserved reputation from the fans.

As I learned the hard way, it's always easier when you're in your favourite chair watching on TV to do commentary.

One more thing....If you honestly believe that after ten years of covering this sport that Terry Gannon hasn't learned a thing or two about the sport of skating...Well, that's what you're entitled to think then.

 

[temperboy28]

Now yes, there are times when Rod and/or Terry will say something regarding placement points and/or what needs to happen for movement in the standings that is a bit off. Well, hate to break it to you, but they're being fed that information by the team in the truck. You want to complain about them getting it wrong, fine, but don't assume that what's coming from their mouths is something they came up w/themselves..

If it is something though so OBVIOUSLY wrong as the things I pointed out it shouldnt matter where they are being fed the information from. They are things that are the easiest forms of common sense for a skating fan, that almost every skating fan on this forum would know are wrong, so I dont care who is feeding it to them, it does not excuse it.

If I were a play by play and the feeds told me to say Mao Asada was the first women to land a triple axel I wouldnt do it. If the feeds told me to say that Tonya Harding had beautiful style and line I wouldnt do it. Some things are just common sense, but apparently not for Terry Gannon.

 

[Jasper]

Terry Gannon wasn't quoting his own opinion--he was quoting Plushenko's. I don't think Plushenko is someone who doesn't know jack about skating.

Not to mention, Gannon became a commentator 10 years ago--when he covered other sports besides skating. Now, he's strictly skating--and I'm sure he has the same, if not more expertise than fans like us.

Actually I've seen him commentate for other sports on ABC, but I think skating is what he does most.

Just saw Jeff Buttle's AMAZING LP and wow, wow, wow. If he can skate clean with the jumps at Worlds, he's got a Medal!

 

[temperboy28]

If Joubert misses some of his big jumps, and Lambiel either does not show up or shows up not 100%(one or the other seems likely at this point) Jeff could even win with that program skated perfectly clean.

I just love Jeff's new program, so intricate, such a masterpiece of work, such incredable connection to the audience and with the music he has, such attention to the small details.

 

[Jasper]

Jeff has a great track record in Asia! I think that bodes well for him too. The crowds love him in Japan and China. Additionally, I think Takahashi will feel the pressure and struggle to skate his best. I don't expect Buttle to beat Joubert if he's got his quads going or even maybe Oda if he lands all of his jumps, because his GOE is always so high, but you never know! If he skates cleanly, he's the best non-quad skater in the world.

To be honest, I worried that this injury and last year's disappointing Worlds was the start of the end for Jeff and I wondered if he could keep going through until Vancouver, especially with his contemporaries starting to improve their consistency. But the passion he displayed in these programs completely changed my mind, and I'd love to see him go through another 4 years! Not having Buttle in the sport would be a huge hole.

 

[Tigger]

Going to try one more time and then I am done w/this...

That's not Terry's fault. That is the fault of the researcher and the source of wherever they got that from. Do you really think off the top of his head he would know that? Oh...I keep forgetting...That's common knowledge. For skating fans who remember everything, yes. For Peggy and Dick, yes and that is what they are supposed to do. Mind you , they don't 99.9% of the time and it ticks me off as much as Rod Black calling Elvis the first one to land a quad and Debi Willkes and/or Tracy not correcting him, but that is what their job is supposed to be. To catch research slipups like that because that should be common knowledge to them.

And now...I have said my peace and I'm done w/trying to reason w/someone who doesn't really want to listen to what I'm trying to tell them...

 

[SailorGalaxia518]

Going to try one more time and then I am done w/this...

That's not Terry's fault. That is the fault of the researcher and the source of wherever they got that from. Do you really think off the top of his head he would know that? Oh...I keep forgetting...That's common knowledge. For skating fans who remember everything, yes. For Peggy and Dick, yes and that is what they are supposed to do. Mind you , they don't 99.9% of the time and it ticks me off as much as Rod Black calling Elvis the first one to land a quad and Debi Willkes and/or Tracy not correcting him, but that is what their job is supposed to be. To catch research slipups like that because that should be common knowledge to them.

And now...I have said my peace and I'm done w/trying to reason w/someone who doesn't really want to listen to what I'm trying to tell them...

No Kidding

 

[Mathman]

Terry Gannon totally rocks, because he was part of the 1983 NCAA championship team in college basketball.

To get to the tournament Gannon's North Carolina State team first had to win the ACC league championship tournament, which they did by beating Wake Forest 71-70, North Carolina with Michael Jordan in overtime and Virginia with Ralph Sampson 81-78.

Then in the NCAA tournament they were down by six to Pepperdine with 24 seconds left and pulled it out in overtime.

And in the final they upset heavily favored Houston with Hakim Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, 54-52, breaking Houston's 26-game winning streak.

Sort of like if Chris Mabee had beat Buttle.

 

[emma]

Congratulations to the medalists!!!! Sounds like the men's event was really exciting to watch - that's awesome -- and so Congrats to all of the skaters!!!!

I think Terry Gannon does a great job for the set up he is put in- he looks good, his voice is good, he does a good job of playing the sports commentator/non-export and bringing the experts in, he's polite and seems happy to be there (as opposed to say wishing he were at a basketball game).

I do wish Eman seemed in better shape - if he were, I would still hope for him; right now I just feel sad looking at him. If he does go to Worlds I hope he trains hard and gives it his all regardless of where he ends up.

 

[Spun Silver]

Eman's FP looked a lot better than I feared from some of the comments here. He's a bit slow but the jumps are mostly there and he *looks* fantastic. He's lost the excess weight, his costume is much improved (I think - unless I'm mixing up two of them) - and that haircut - wow.

Jeff was marvelous. I love both his programs ... although the footwork sections make them seem a bit too similar. But that's not really a problem. They both show off his speed and elegance. Nitpick: I think he should have a different costume for the LP that suits the music better (even though I love the flashes of the blue lining on his jacket).

Thanks so much for the vids, Sleepless, and welcome to Goldenskate! What a generous first post!

 

[lutzskate]

The point I've tried to make has been summed up nicely by a couple of posters. Sandhu has all of the ability in the world and yes, he can finish on the podium. Will he? Probably not. His consistency is always an issue and always will be if he plans on sticking around.

However, he has a way bigger chance of having a high placement than Mabee, Sawyer, Chan, and whoever else anyone wants to name besides Buttle. It might just be me but I think a guy who just scored over 140 points with a flawed program has more than an excellent chance of possibly making the top five, let alone 10 as some think he's barely capable of.

Until Sandhu decides to step aside or the other guys get better, he is the best male skater in Canada, not counting Buttle..

I agree with you.

I just have to wonder if his heart is really still in it. He looked tired to me, a bit sluggish. Maybe it was the slower music. I'm not a big fan of the program. Sandhu egnites the audience when he does his fast steps and dances. He's an awesome dancer!

 

[emma]

I have to wonder too - about his heart -- when I watched his LP there seemed to be some unfished moves, a little lack with spins and footwork given what we've seen him do in the past, a little sluggishness and some body language with the sholders and arms that made me feel, yeah, he no longer has is heart in it...but then I saw his hope in the kiss and cry and those eyes and thought - what the heck do I know???!!!???? If he wants it (and for real, not just cuz' he doesn't know what else he would do) I hope he keeps at it and really goes for it. If not, I hope he finds contentment in whatever he does. If he doesn't know what he wants, I wish him all the best in discovering that.

Anyway, I have to say it wasn't what I expected after reading about it first - I thought he did pretty good. I'm impressed with the men for stepping it up in the LP - and while lot's of work needs doing, it was an exciting competition.

 

[scorekeeper]

As a former fan of Sandhu's, I was rather saddened to see him once again turn in two performances that were not even close to what he's capable of. As for his third-place finish, that was a gift he didn't (to my mind) deserve. I thought Sawyer did a better job in both the short and the long programs. They weren't perfect, but his mistakes weren't as glaring as Sandhu's, and he's got style, musicality, stretch, and charisma to spare.

 

[slutskayafan21]

Jeff has a great track record in Asia! I think that bodes well for him too. The crowds love him in Japan and China. Additionally, I think Takahashi will feel the pressure and struggle to skate his best. I don't expect Buttle to beat Joubert if he's got his quads going or even maybe Oda if he lands all of his jumps, because his GOE is always so high, but you never know! If he skates cleanly, he's the best non-quad skater in the world.

To be honest, I worried that this injury and last year's disappointing Worlds was the start of the end for Jeff and I wondered if he could keep going through until Vancouver, especially with his contemporaries starting to improve their consistency. But the passion he displayed in these programs completely changed my mind, and I'd love to see him go through another 4 years! Not having Buttle in the sport would be a huge hole.

One thing to remember is Takahashi and Oda will both received highly inflated GOE and PCS scores because Worlds is in Japan.