Caroline Zhang's 2009-10 season

[dorispulaski]

Do you really think the commentators fawn over the young kids skating though? ...

But i agree with the rest of the posters that i love your rant!

Ant

I don't think that the fawning is as blatant any more. However, Dick Button's & Jim McKay's commentary on ABC back in the day was sometimes creepy about little girls, all that 'little Katia' stuff. Not to mention exquisite baby ballerinas and so forth.

 

[Tinymavy15]

thanks for the pics! Caroline looks HOT! Big earrings, cute dress, she looks like she is ready to party!

 

[antmanb]

Here is a clip of Caroline, age 14 at her 2nd senior GP event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnFJ29VtXNk

This seems OK to me - even though the "A" word was used once.
What is apparent is some of her lack of developement and this is mentioned.
Anyone have a clip with some inapproriate "gushing" over a young skater?

To be honest i do realise that we're spoiled with the British Eurosport commentators but i'm more shocked at how little of any substance the commentators made at all during the broadcast - dribbling out the list of required elements really doesn't cut it. I think there were two comments one about the under-rotations she'd has at SA and then in the slo-mo mentioning the wrong edge take off. The Eurosport guys will nearly always call under-rotations and wrong edge take ofs in real time and will tell you about the levels on steps and spins, the difficulty of the transitions and then pass an opnion on the PCS at the end.

Ant

 

[janetfan]

To be honest i do realise that we're spoiled with the British Eurosport commentators but i'm more shocked at how little of any substance the commentators made at all during the broadcast - dribbling out the list of required elements really doesn't cut it. I think there were two comments one about the under-rotations she'd has at SA and then in the slo-mo mentioning the wrong edge take off. The Eurosport guys will nearly always call under-rotations and wrong edge take ofs in real time and will tell you about the levels on steps and spins, the difficulty of the transitions and then pass an opnion on the PCS at the end.

Ant

Being an OGM or OSM does NOT make you a good broadcaster. But I assume that people like Paul Wylie,, Peggy Fleming and Scott Hamilton know something about skating. I was curious - I do watch Euro clips, find them OK - but always wondered if these same guys also call Wimbedon play by play - or what exact expertise do they have to offer to skating fans. I wonder the same thing when I hear clips from Korea or Japan - not that I can understand them - but for tennis here in the states we listen to Johnny Mac. A good commentator imo and has forgotten more tennis than most will ever learn. Certainly there are very few people alive on planet earth that have seen as many top skating competitions as Dick Button or had half his expertise as a skater. When Dick says a leg position is unattractive - like he did to Yuna, a certain common sense about the reality of the world tells me to consider what he just said. His style may be another thing - but the old guy knows good skating from bad skating. And so do Scott, Peggy and Paul Wylie.

 

[seniorita]

Uncle Button always says something is wrong with all the respect , he is great commentator and a legend, but it is a sport that has music for 4 minutes, it has ruined me sometimes the ambiance talking too much about a skater that has ugly positions, and sit spin ok -not so good, if you add jumps commenting, intro talking, infos about skaters life and the end comments there is not much time to enjoy silently. Of course an ex skater sees the performance differently than the average spectator! But Terry Gannon was not a skater, but was commenting just fabolous!
I like a lot when they say about things that I dont see with naked eye, like the change of edges and what that builts to the score for example, or combos info, that stuff, hamilton does it a lot and I like it.
Sorry Mr Button, you rock
Have i said I love eurosport guys???

 

[janetfan]

Uncle Button always says something is wrong with all the respect , he is great commentator and a legend, but it is a sport that has music for 4 minutes, it has ruined me sometimes the ambiance talking too much about a skater that has ugly positions, and sit spin ok -not so good, if you add jumps commenting, intro talking, infos about skaters life and the end comments there is not much time to enjoy silently. Of course an ex skater sees the performance differently than the average spectator! But Terry Gannon was not a skater, but was commenting just fabolous!
I like a lot when they say about things that I dont see with naked eye, like the change of edges and what that builts to the score for example, or combos info, that stuff, hamilton does it a lot and I like it.
Sorry Mr Button, you rock

It is odd to consider this - but ever since I was a wee lad the first time I ever watched skating it was called by Button. Maybe I am used to him - he can certainly annoy me at times - but think about this. Between the the two Olympics and 6 WC's he took part in - that since then he has been to just about every Worlds and Olympics. We are talking about 60 years of watching the best skaters in the world and seeing the sport evolve. He knows the skaters, the coaches and the judges. I never forget that he has seen so much great skating , and was a great skater himself. Terry Gannon is good and always brings Dick his coffee when he asks for it

 

[seniorita]

I said Mr Button is legendjust sometimes while you watch yuna you dont want to hear the ugly leg position cause maybe for you is not so ugly.This is personal comment and not commentary of her skating. But I dont judge Button, pleasseeee, i m just a spot beside him, it was just an observation.
Maybe i m just stupid, I recall plushy saying around 2004 that he listens to button commentary on tapes to fix himself and he was asking him his opinion on his progress when he could.

I wonder 60 years of commenting, does mr button has a favorite skater of all time?

 

[janetfan]

I said Mr Button is legendjust sometimes while you watch yuna you dont want to hear the ugly leg position cause maybe for you is not so ugly.This is personal comment and not commentary of her skating. But I dont judge Button, pleasseeee, i m just a spot beside him, it was just an observation.
Maybe i m just stupid, I recall plushy saying around 2004 that he listens to button commentary on tapes to fix himself and he was asking him his opinion on his progress when he could.

I wonder 60 years of commenting, does mr button has a favorite skater of all time?

AFAIK, it used to be Janet Lynn. He built a whole pro show and championship series around her free skating artistry.
Joe or mm might know more about this or who Button's favorites were.
On a personal level I think Button liked Irina. He was so nice to her in an interview after she came in 2nd in SLC. I think he told her "you are a champion in my eyes young lady." Not those exact words but something close to that. It was a nice thing to say when Irina was so upset.

 

[Mathman]

I wonder 60 years of commenting, does mr button has a favorite skater of all time?

I can't say for sure, but I bet he has a warm spot in his heart for Tenley Albright.

Here she is, direct from the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society (so named because they performed the public service of patroling the frozen Schuylkill River and rescuing all the skaters who fell through the ice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGKcapad5hE

 

[i love to skate]

Dick Button has a lot of skating knowledge but I think he is well past the point where he should have retired. He often calls jumps wrong, harps about a leg position, let's his hatred of COP be known and he rarely make sense. To me, he doesn't add anything to commentating anymore. Time for a new generation.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I can't say for sure, but I bet he has a warm spot in his heart for Tenley Albright.

Here she is, direct from the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society (so named because they performed the public service of patroling the frozen Schuylkill River and rescuing all the skaters who fell through the ice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGKcapad5hE

Wow, I remember her as a little boy from the newsreels. So different from Sonia. She took the ballet road naturally where Sonia faked it. Loved some of those old jumps which we don't see anymore. One foot axels, split flip, axel into sit spin, etc. Btw, does she do a double Axel in that program?

There is a Heiss video there also. She skated more agressively.

 

[evangeline]

To be honest i do realise that we're spoiled with the British Eurosport commentators but i'm more shocked at how little of any substance the commentators made at all during the broadcast - dribbling out the list of required elements really doesn't cut it. I think there were two comments one about the under-rotations she'd has at SA and then in the slo-mo mentioning the wrong edge take off. The Eurosport guys will nearly always call under-rotations and wrong edge take ofs in real time and will tell you about the levels on steps and spins, the difficulty of the transitions and then pass an opnion on the PCS at the end.

Ant

And this is exactly why Simon and Chris are winning the 'Best English-language commentators' poll by a mile (I assume you were referring to British Eurosport).

 

[janetfan]

And this is exactly why Simon and Chris are winning the 'Best English-language commentators' poll by a mile (I assume you were referring to British Eurosport).

I just watched them on a clip Joe put up of Brezina. There was total silence. I mean nothing. maybe they were stunned since it was pretty good skating.
I hear them and see nothing that good or bad about them.
They raved and raved like the red sea had just been parted over Yuna's "Roxanne" and Button poined out a sloppy spiral and weak spin.
To each his own.

 

[seniorita]

you need to see their olympic coverage were tension was more, and you will see...I think you will enjoy them a lot.
And silence is gold.

 

[janetfan]

you need to see their olympic coverage were tension was more, and you will see...I think you will enjoy them a lot.
And silence is gold.

I will watch NBC. I am not embarrassed to be a Button fan, I still liked John Madden even though he was beginning to lose it during NFL broadcasts.
And some think loyalty is worth more than gold.

Back on topic - did we ever figure out how tall Caroline is now?
If she ever hits 6'0 and can still be so bendy she will be like the 8th wonder of the modern world

 

[feraina]

thanks for the pics! Caroline looks HOT! Big earrings, cute dress, she looks like she is ready to party!

I agree she looks hot and grown-up with the earrings, hair thing, and make-up. This is what I mean about the inner diva coming out.

But I don't think that dress is too flattering to her figure (my bf and I both think this style of "pregnant dresses" does nothing for women who are actually slim and fit; it's only popular because it allows us overweight Americans to hide our waist). Caroline herself said she didn't even like the dress, but was in such a rush that she had no time to pick out a proper outfit.

Thanks Silvia for pointing out Golden West is in early September, I had assumed that it would be in August as usual. Now I worry that I may not be able to see Caroline skate because I'm planning on a trip to East Asia in September and the dates may conflict.

 

[feraina]

Back on topic - did we ever figure out how tall Caroline is now? If she ever hits 6'0 and can still be so bendy she will be like the 8th wonder of the modern world

Back in May she said she was between 5'3 and 5'4.

I don't think she'll hit 6'0, though her sister is around 5'8 I think. I don't think there are very many ethnic Chinese women who are 6'0.

Even at 5'4, she has much longer limbs now than before, and that already makes her bendy moves (Biellmann, pearl, spirals) look all that much more impressive.

 

[janetfan]

Back in May she said she was between 5'3 and 5'4.

I don't think she'll hit 6'0, though her sister is around 5'8 I think. I don't think there are very many ethnic Chinese women who are 6'0.

Even at 5'4, she has much longer limbs now than before, and that already makes her bendy moves (Biellmann, pearl, spirals) look all that much more impressive.

Thanks feraina. I thought Caroline looked nice in the pics Bob posted.
And after always seeing her in a skating dress or warmups it was cool seeing her in the dress.

 

[feraina]

Thanks feraina. I thought Caroline looked nice in the pics Bob posted.
And after always seeing her in a skating dress or warmups it was cool seeing her in the dress.

I see. Maybe it's because I've seen her in much nicer dresses that I am not crazy about this one.

Like what she wore to the WTT awards cermony:
http://web.icenetwork.com/gen/photogallery/year_2009/month_04/day_20/cf64115.html

 

[LeCygne]

I see. Maybe it's because I've seen her in much nicer dresses that I am not crazy about this one.

Like what she wore to the WTT awards cermony:
http://web.icenetwork.com/gen/photogallery/year_2009/month_04/day_20/cf64115.html

Yeah, I agree. After a whole afternoon of chamber music concerts by 9 year olds in flowery dresses, I really don't like that dress on Caroline. I agree that she's had much nicer dresses, that black one she wore at WTT is very pretty.