The 2008 Surprises in Figure Skating

[Joesitz (RIP)]

The year is over. What were your unexpected surprises this past year? Here are my surprises:

Rochette becoming a gold contender
Asada looking vulnerable at times
The American Senior Ladies: None looking liking podium placers
Lyacek and Meissner kind of in decline
TT's non winning choreographies

Lambiel and Buttle retirements
Abbott emerging to contender status
Kozuka suddenly a contender
Chan disappointing GPF
Ponsero now a top Senior male skater

McLaughlin/Brubaker not making the GPF
Muchortova/Trankov challenging at SA

Nothing surprised me in Skate Dance but I missed Virtue/Moir.

Now, what surprises did you see during 2008 (including GPs)

 

[Buttercup]

I'd say Buttle winning Worlds was the no. 1 surprise of the year, and I strongly suspect nobody expected it up to and including Buttle himself (didn't he ask his coach coming off the ice if he'd done enough to win?). His retirement was pretty much a surprise too; Lambiel's, with all the injuries, was not. Did you know there's a video of him skating - in the "promising young local skater" role - at the 1997 Worlds gala? It's pretty cute stuff.

Other surprises are D/D's bronze at Worlds, S/S not coming close to winning GPF and Pang/Tong winning it after they seemed to have lost favor with the judges, Joannie's emergence as a top contender, as well as Jeremy Abbott's, and as a bad surprise, Tomas Verner's totally awful LP at Worlds.

 

[MissIzzy]

I'd say Buttle winning Worlds was the no. 1 surprise of the year, and I strongly suspect nobody expected it up to and including Buttle himself (didn't he ask his coach coming off the ice if he'd done enough to win?).

Not even that; he asked if he'd done enough to medal.

 

[berrycute]

For me the surprises were

a) the recent struggles of Mirai Nagasu
b) (Spoiler: Happened very recently...)Yukari Nakano's fifth place at Nationals, left off the Japanese teams for next year's Worlds and 4CC
c) Takahiko's victory at Skate America
d) Abbott's victory at the GPF
e) Kiira Korpi's 4th place short at the 08 Worlds
f) Of course, Jeff Buttle's big win at 08 Worlds
g) No medal for Daisuke Takahashi at 08 Worlds

 

[MKFSfan]

1-Jeff Buttle's win at Worlds
2-Evan and Joubert's shaky season
3-Fumie winning the LP at Nationals and getting Silver, earning her way back on the World/4CC teams!

 

[champs]

Personally, Daisuke's knee injury and the announcement to sit out the whole season was the most unexpected one and the most depressing one as well. The news broke only a few days after some bits and pieces of his La Strada program showed up on sports news and I was getting excited to watch the full picture within a few more days.

The second most was Jeff's retirement since just as with Daisuke's case, I was really looking forward to his M.A.Y. in the Backyard program.

The third is Mirai's far from fantastic start of the season. Actually it's been sort of downhill since Japan Open but I was thinking it would be ok by the start of this season.

Now, I wish I could say the biggest surprise had been Ashley's winning all competitions. I am hoping to be able to say something similar after the LA Worlds.

 

[pista04]

-D/W doing better than expected
-Buttle's Win. =]
-Lambiel, Buttle Out; Joubert who?; Takahashi temporarily out
-Suguri!! Rochette!! Abbott!!
-Awwh...Nagassu! =[
-Meissner and Lysacek's decline.
-McL/B not doing as hot as they could've



that pretty much sums it up. Haha. =]

 

[Jaana]

The year is over. What were your unexpected surprises this past year? Here are my surprises:
...
Lysacek and Meissner kind of in decline
TT's non winning choreographies
...

To me Buttle sinning the gold medal at Worlds was a big and very pleasing surprise....

About Lysacek´s decline, I really don´t see it there, at least not yet. This year he could not compete at Worlds because of an injury and both his GP events in the fall were so very early ones, that I´d assume he would have skated better in a later event. Nationals and 4CC will show his condition a lot better, I believe. They are held in 2009 though, LOL.

Tarasova has created great programmes for Lysacek, his PCS have shown that.

Abbott winning the GPF was another really pleasant surprise.

 

[lcd]

Let's not forget....

Ryan Bradley - silver at Skate Canada
Kokhlova/Novitsky - coming out ahead of Dom/Shab at Cup of Russia
Tanith falling in compulsories at Worlds

 

[KayMil01]

Stephane's retirement
Daisuke's knee injury
Tanith's fall
Ben/Agosoto not medaling at Worlds
Jeremy Abbotts' break-through season
Ryan taking silver at SC ahead of Evan
Pang/Tong winning the GPF
Rochette's 2 golds in her GP's
Fumie's "comeback" can't believe she's doing this well at her age! lol.
Kozuka doing well
Ponsero doing well

 

[Ptichka]

I someone suggested a year ago that Belbin & Agosto and Domnina & Shabalin would train with the same coach - I'd thought they've gone off their meds!

 

[merrybari]

About Lysacek´s decline, I really don´t see it there, at least not yet. This year he could not compete at Worlds because of an injury and both his GP events in the fall were so very early ones, that I´d assume he would have skated better in a later event. Nationals and 4CC will show his condition a lot better, I believe. They are held in 2009 though, LOL.

Tarasova has created great programmes for Lysacek, his PCS have shown that.

I agree. No major mistakes and two early back-to-back comps is probably the worst schedule for anyone debuting two new programs. Getting used to a new style all takes time. He knows what needs to be done - I expect he's doing it! Really looking forward to what he'll bring come Nationals.

 

[KayMil01]

Stephane's retirement
Daisuke's knee injury
Tanith's fall
Ben/Agosoto not medaling at Worlds
Jeremy Abbotts' break-through season
Ryan taking silver at SC ahead of Evan
Pang/Tong winning the GPF
Rochette's 2 golds in her GP's
Fumie's "comeback" can't believe she's doing this well at her age! lol.
Kozuka doing well
Ponsero doing well

Oh, and 1948575934037 skaters changing coaches before the start of this season.

 

[vlaurend]

Fumie Suguri qualifying for the Japanese Ladies' Worlds team instead of Yukari Nakano this week at Japanese Nationals. Happy for Fumie, but poor Yukari. . .

 

[mycelticblessing]

-L/H beating D/D at Canadian Nationals (That was a really pleasant surprise for me.)
-Daisuke not winning Worlds.
-Jeff Buttle winning worlds.
-Joubert's outburst on not winning worlds.
-Tanith's fall in the CD at Worlds
-P/T not medalling at worlds.
-B/A leaving Zoeva and Shpilband.
-Takahashi, L/H, V/M having to sit out the entire Grand Prix.
-S/S's results in SA and TEB.
-Kozuka winning SA.
-Evan out of GPF.
-Volosozhar/Morozov's great showing this season.
-Mao's losing TEB to Rochette.
-I/B winning the silver medal at the NHK.
-Mao's two 3As!
-Kim losing GPF.
-P/T winning GPF. That was a wonderful moment!
-Abbott winning GPF.

That's alot of surprises. And there's probably a few more I can't recall at this point in time.

 

[wonssoyou]

1. Jeff Buttle's retirement
2. Kozuka and Chan and Abbott become suddenly a contender
3. Mao's two 3As
4. Jeff Buttle does not become 4 time National champ
and His big winning at Worlds.
5. Daisuke's injury
6. Evan out of GPF.

 

[Audrey19]

There were so many...
- Jeff winning worlds
- Takahashi not medalling at worlds and now having to skip the whole season
- Tanith and Ben not medalling at worlds
- Lysacek's decline and not making the GPF
- Dube and Davison ot making the final
- Savchenko and Szolkowy struggling with the throws and not coming close to win the final
- Jeremy Abott's breakthrough and winning the final
- Kozuka
- Joannie beating Mao
- Mao landing two triple axels
- Stephane's and Jeff's retirement
- Ashley Wagner doing so well
- Kokhlova & Novitski beating DomShab

 

[MissCleo]

1. The "new" guys doing well. (Abbot, Chan, Ponsero)
2. The "old" girls doing not so well (Meissner, Ando)
3. The fact that I haven't followed the ladies as diligently as I used to
4. The fact that i am following Ice Dance even a little bit
5. So many skaters not competing for various reasons (injuries/retirements are expected but it stil is surprising when they are announced)

 

[rosee]

- My biggest surprise is Linichuk's inability to give decent programs to B&A and D&S.
I was expecting a lot (maybe too much) of her. I used to LOVE both teams but they let me down the past 2 years for D&S and the past 3 years for B&A.

- Yu-na's Dance Macabre.
I usually find the ladies very boring and never really watch it but I just fell in love with this program!

- Pechalat & Bourzat leaving Lyon

- DelShoe staying

- The Kurt & Brian split

 

[NatachaHatawa]

I agree with most of what has been said. Here are my biggest shocks of the year:

1) Stéphane retiring
It wasn't as such that he was retiring that surprised me - I had suspected for a while that he was going to soon, but the timing. Had it had been after the worlds (08 or 09), I wouldn't have been surprised, but just before the new season was unexpected, despite his injuries. I was more expecting him to sit out the first half of the season, then either have an awful second half or just sit that half out too, then announce his retirement.

2) Jeff retiring
I really thought he was going to try and aim for gold.

3) Brian and Kurt's split
Kurt was just what Brian needed. They made such an amazing team.

4) Khokholva & Novitski's 08/09 FD
So classical - so not them!

5) Pechalat & Bourzat moving to Zhulin
A French ice-dancing pair leaving Muriel? It's unheard of!

6) Patrick Chan being as amazing as he is
I was expecting it at some point, but not this season!

7) Joannie
What a season! It just goes to show, one should never rule anyone out

8) Carolina's silver medal at worlds
Everybody was expecting a purely Asian podium...

9) Daisuke's dreadful performance at worlds
I was expecting him to win!

10) Mao's tough season so far
Saying that, her other seasons were so good that it was bound to happen at some point. At least it's this season and not the next.

11) The results at the Japanes nats
Which are also due to the big surprise of...

12) Fumie's comeback
Congrats to her!

13) Me, for the first time in my entire life admitting that Jeff deserved to beat Brian (at worlds)!!!!!
I really loath Jeff's skating (nothing personal, I just never could get into it) and worship Brian, so I've often found it unfair when Jeff beat him, but in March he deserved it!

14) Brian's awful start this season.
I wasn't expecting a season like the previous ones, but I never imagined one like this one.

15) Volosozhar & Morozov this season
They've always had potential, but never brought it out.

16) Ryan Bradly's LP
Somebody who skates on latin music and that actually does it well! Thank You!

17) KVDP's new programs
What the...?

18) Kozuka this season
WOW

19) Adrian Shultheiss beating Kristoffer Berntsson