2021-2022 U.S. Men's Figure Skating

[TontoK]

He’s trying awfully hard to get attention.

Well, he's getting it.

And, tbh, I can see why he's doing this. If he wants to be relevant for Olympic discussion, he needs to do something. His competitive results have been good, but not spectacular... and he's going to need something spectacular to disrupt the status quo. His other option is to quietly concede any hope, and I don't see him doing that. I certainly wouldn't if I were he.

His only chance is a top three finish at Nationals, and a storyline he can sell. And this is that storyline: We're already sending two medal contenders. What's the upside of sending a third soon-to-retire veteran, not really in the mix for medals, when you can send ME, the future of US Skating, who just beat him head-to-head?

For this gambit to have a chance, he MUST finish top three with Nathan and Vincent, and even then, it's a longshot. But there's a non-zero chance it will be successful. At this point, he's got to play the hand he's dealt himself.

 

[kan01]

If he would do 4T-4T in competition (or another crazy jumping pass), I'm sure he would get a lot of attention, and not only from his fans.

 

[ice coverage]

FWIW, Jason lately has been posting much more often on social media than he had been in recent years.
Because it is an Olympic season, I would guess?
Some of Jason's videos display his strengths -- such as his gorgeous skating and his incredible off-ice flexibility

IMO: Nothing wrong with any of that, and nothing wrong with Ilia's content either.

Like many/most(?) skaters, Ilia and Jason both occasionally share videos of mistakes/"failures."
Neither one is afraid to show that he is a fallible human as well as a gifted skater.

 

[el henry]

Jason fans only wish "the Daily Jason" had as much skating content as Ilia's account does, that would be awesome. (Jason has changed agents recently, so that may be responsible for his daily posting. He hasn't said. )

Looking at Ilia's last six IG posts, 100% were skating and combos, quads, what have you with jumps. Looking at Jason's last six posts, one was a video clip of him skating, and no hint as to whether it was recent. 100 percent of Ilia is "my recent practice" and maybe 10%, maybe, of Jason, is my practice today. They use their IG accounts for completely different purposes, as well they ought.

And Happy Birthday Ilia

 

[mrrice]

Do you guys see that BOTH the JGPF and the GPF have been canceled! Truly shocking. I was hoping that it could have been moved but, I guess there wasn't enough time.

 

[kan01]

Do you guys see that BOTH the JGPF and the GPF have been canceled! Truly shocking. I was hoping that it could have been moved but, I guess there wasn't enough time.

It's because the finals are held together, unlike the individual events.

Yeah, I was shocked too.

 

[mrrice]

It's because the finals are held together, unlike the individual events.

Yeah, I was socked too.

I wasn't aware that they took place at the same time. Was Japan hosting both events at the same Venue?

 

[Gia_Sesshoumaru]

I wasn't aware that they took place at the same time. Was Japan hosting both events at the same Venue?

Yes, because both events are held simultaneously.

 

[mrrice]

Yes, because both events are held simultaneously.

 

[ice coverage]

... They use their IG accounts for completely different purposes, as well they ought. ...

Jason and Ilia are at completely different stages of their lives and careers.
Jason has 158k followers on Instagram, which is a completely different order of magnitude from quadg0d's ~6600 followers.
Jason's post from today about GPF news already has ~6800 likes.

I don't try to keep up with Ilia's multiple Instagram accounts -- but he does/did(?) have a separate one devoted to off-ice stuff; yet another one devoted to gaming; and perhaps even others devoted to I don't know what.

As for his skating account, I get the sense that young Ilia likes to show his real-life social circle what he is working on/attempting. From my very sporadic/casual/non-scientific scanning of comments on his quadg0d posts, a lot of them appear to be reactions (sometimes teasing) from friends whom Ilia knows. And he often replies back (sometimes also with teasing).
IOW, I think Ilia's social media still is very much about being "social"/sociable with peers.
(At the same time that he is a smart kid who would be aware that skating journalists/bloggers/fans have started following him too.)

Meanwhile, I would say that Jason's social media is far more about offering a connection to his large fanbase -- with journalists/bloggers looking on. And far less about interacting with peers.

 

[Tavi...]

Well, he's getting it.

And, tbh, I can see why he's doing this. If he wants to be relevant for Olympic discussion, he needs to do something. His competitive results have been good, but not spectacular... and he's going to need something spectacular to disrupt the status quo. His other option is to quietly concede any hope, and I don't see him doing that. I certainly wouldn't if I were he.

His only chance is a top three finish at Nationals, and a storyline he can sell. And this is that storyline: We're already sending two medal contenders. What's the upside of sending a third soon-to-retire veteran, not really in the mix for medals, when you can send ME, the future of US Skating, who just beat him head-to-head?

For this gambit to have a chance, he MUST finish top three with Nathan and Vincent, and even then, it's a longshot. But there's a non-zero chance it will be successful. At this point, he's got to play the hand he's dealt himself.

I can also see why he’s doing it . I’m just not sure how well it’s serving him, because at this point USFS surely knows how talented a jumper he is and how much potential he has. As you said, I think what will really count is how well he can put everything together at Nats.

 

[karne]

I don't mind if Ilia wants to have a bit of fun trying and posting video of impossible jump attempts. He can have that fun, there's nothing wrong with it, and it irritates me when people say "oh he should be working on spins/steps etc". People used to do the same to Max. Let them have their fun.

Where I draw the line is when people use the fun videos as some kind of proof that Ilia is immediately better/more deserving of assignments than other skaters. Particularly Jason.

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

I wish Ilia would work on performance, SS and spins instead of 4T-4T combos. He can do crazy tech content, and now he needs to become a full package. Plus, he won't get injured that way.

 

[karne]

I wish Ilia would work on performance, SS and spins instead of 4T-4T combos. He can do crazy tech content, and now he needs to become a full package. Plus, he won't get injured that way.

It's almost like people can work on more than one thing at once and still have some fun along the way.

 

[cheerknithanson]

I would totally love to see Ilia do a program to Welcome to the Black Parade.

 

[mrrice]

I just watched a mini marathon of Illa's season. He's great jumper but, he still performs like the junior he is. IMO, he is ZERO threat to the current top 3 but, as he gets older, I'm sure his performance qualities will become more of his focus. Like his Mother, he is a great jumper and that's a big hurdle he's already cleared. Is he the #1 Junior Man for the US? I have seen Will Annis and I really like his skating but, I haven't seen any other Juniors this year.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I wish Ilia would show us some of the work he has been doing on his spins. Far more impressive to me is his improvement in that area than a 5T-4S-Eu-3A or whatever the heck else he wants to do in practice.

Yeah but if he's trying to make a case of the Olympic team over Jason, showing spins isn't gonna cut it.

I think if he's trying to get attention by showing his quads, why not? His 3Z+4L is amazing.. and if he's the first to do a certain combo in competition that's great!

And if Ilia or any skater actually did a 5T in practice or otherwise that WOULD be more impressive than a new donut spin, but YMMV.

 

[TontoK]

I just watched a mini marathon of Illa's season. He's great jumper but, he still performs like the junior he is. IMO, he is ZERO threat to the current top 3 but, as he gets older, I'm sure his performance qualities will become more of his focus. Like his Mother, he is a great jumper and that's a big hurdle he's already cleared. Is he the #1 Junior Man for the US? I have seen Will Annis and I really like his skating but, I haven't seen any other Juniors this year.

I don't see him as a real threat now. He could have been had his season been a little more consistent in terms of upper-range scoring.

It wasn't, so now he's either got to accept "wait your turn" or try to stir things up. I admire him for the effort - it's a "never say die" mindset that I find appealing. Either way, he is a really fun Instagram follow.

 

[sheetz]

Ilia says he's going to work on 4A next and I'm pretty sure that if he were to land that there would be a collective meltdown on figure skating twitter.

 

[Arigato]

Ilia needs to learn to walk the walk instead of talking the talk.