Men's Free Skate - Thurs, 18th 8pm EST

[ademption]

I'm not into conspiracy theories, but I think it would be naive to say that the Russians (and the USSR before it) never played the political game.
Actually Aunt Joyce has a very insightful and right-on post on this very topic: http://auntjoyceicecreamstand.blogspot.com/2010/02/art-of-international-politics.html
So just read that instead of reading my post.

Oh, I'm not naive about the games that the different federations, including the Russians, play. I'm just sick of Scotty et al because that is what I'm most exposed to right now. I don't like Plushy's skating either, but I think all of this negativity against Plushy from before these Games has started was WAY over the top.

Thanks for the article. I enjoyed reading it. For one thing I didn't realize that the infamous Joe Inman had a close relationship with Frank Carroll. That explains Johnny Weir's reaction to the e-mail. Very interesting....

I also agree with the biases of Scotty Hamilton, Dick Button and Peggy. It was obvious. I didn't mind the bias from Dick and Peggy towards Michelle. Its hard to remember since it's been a few years now, but I can't remember it being as insiduous as Scotty's catty comments about competitors other than Evan. I do think that NBC should explicitly explain Scotty Hamilton's business relationship with Evan. IMHO, it's a conflict of interest and their business relationship should be stated publicly.

As for looking below 1-2, I remember vaguely Susie Wynn saying something similiar about looking at 3rd and below years ago.

All in all, a good article. I might have to start reading that blog. Aunt Joyce's writing provides a good glimpse into the backroom dealings of ALL the federations....

 

[Morning Glory]

Oh. Phew! That's good. I remember someone mentioned that Midori Ito had to apologize to the nation when she got silver instead of gold, so to hear that the people are admiring Daisuke, it's a relief! Any word about Oda and Takahiko?

Yes, Midori apologized, but at that time many people thought " You don't have to apologize. It's us who have to apologize for pushing you under so much pressure."

As for Takahiko and Nobu, they get little focus but people admire Takahiko for his first succees of the quad and bravery to do it at his first Olys. As for Nobu, feel sad but admire his attitude not giving up to the end. Last night Nobu cried durling the interview saying " It's all my fault", but today he seemes to be refreshed.

http://vancouver.yahoo.co.jp/photos/detail/20100220-00000018-jij_vanp-spo.view-000

 

[SunshineSlayer]

She's said that a lot. I think both Bezic and Hamilton have some sort of major issue and can't admit that Johnny actually is a really good skater...Sandra had to huff and puff her way to admitting that Johnny has good technique after he skated his SP. (And he does. The only problem is that that pesky lip issue, and I'm bothered the judges docked him so much for that while ignoring all the flutzes in the house).

Yeah, its like they begrudgingly complimented him. And then just give one line to say that he may have been underscored and then moved on to the next thing. I don't buy the thing about his program not being difficult enough due to a lack of transitions or easy transitions. Plushenko by his own admition has no transitions and look how highly he still gets marked. He is the only one other than the top 2 that did not have a major mistake in either of his programs. I could maybe believe Johnny getting at least 4th, but 6th?! That is ridiculous. I think most likely the reason was nailed right on the head by the Aunt Joyce article.

 

[aftertherain]

Yes, Midori apologized, but at that time many people thought " You don't have to apologize. It's us who have to apologize for pushing you under so much pressure."

As for Takahiko and Nobu, they get little focus but people admire Takahiko for his first succees of the quad and bravery to do it at his first Olys. As for Nobu, feel sad but admire his attitude not give up to the end. Last night Nobu cried durling the interview saying " It's all my fault", but today he seemes to be refreshed.

http://dailynews.yahoo.co.jp/photograph/pickup/?1266634287

Oooh. Okay. Thanks for the insight! Poor Oda, I felt so sad for him! But Kozuka did well and he's kind of cute too! Teehee.

Ahhhh! Another link! This one's cute too! Thank you!

Keep it up!

 

[screech]

That's a really cute picture of the three Japanese men. Adorable.

Just FYI

nternational Skating Union (ISU) spokeswoman Devra Pitt Getaz said they had not received any complaints about the judging.

"To date no protests have been received," she said.

Source Article

So obviously it's not as much of an issue as people are making it out to be.

And also, the title of the story is "Lysacek ready to defend title in Sochi"

 

[UM84]

That's a really cute picture of the three Japanese men. Adorable.

Just FYI

Source Article

So obviously it's not as much of an issue as people are making it out to be.

And also, the title of the story is "Lysacek ready to defend title in Sochi"

That's the thing, it's only a big deal in Russia. And to all of them, I'll borrow a quote from Scott Hamilton tonight "It's Figure SKATING"

 

[DesertRoad]

The music has so little going on? It is filled with subtle note progression, tempo change, and a driving rhythm and Kozuka interprets it beautifully. Look at the way he outstretches his arm before the final Triple Lutz - an expression of unfilled desire that goes exactly with the theme of this music.

Driving rhythm? Driving rhythm? I'm starting to think we're talking about different skaters and different music. I'm thinking of this dude. Not the Japanese skater with the circus program, nor the one with the Chaplin program. 'Cause if it's actually Kozuka, I don't see how you get "driving rhythm" out of the music he used, which had all the verve of incidental music for a 60's educational filmstrip.

You fail to understand the human emotion of yearning. The program filled with nostalgia and longing. It was sublime.

Oh, I'm definitely learning about it from hearing you talk about Kozuka, if that's the skater you're thinking of. If that's so, then I shall argue with you no more, 'cause you can't argue with love.:agree:

 

[silverlake22]

Yes, Midori apologized, but at that time many people thought " You don't have to apologize. It's us who have to apologize for pushing you under so much pressure."

As for Takahiko and Nobu, they get little focus but people admire Takahiko for his first succees of the quad and bravery to do it at his first Olys. As for Nobu, feel sad but admire his attitude not give up to the end. Last night Nobu cried durling the interview saying " It's all my fault", but today he seemes to be refreshed.

http://dailynews.yahoo.co.jp/photograph/pickup/?1266634287

They are so cute! Don't look like they are in their twenties though...maybe like 15, especially Oda. So adorable.

 

[ademption]

ademption, I love your post!



All the nations including the media admire Daisuke! He is the first Japanese figure skater to get the medal at Olys and many people are proud of him having tried the quad.

Oh, that's so good to hear. In the articles that I've read here in the United States like USA Today and the NY Times, there's a lot of discussion about the "Cold War" rivalry between Evan and Plushy. Very little coverage about Daisuke. Just one sentence--he won a bronze--in one USA Today article, for example. Takahashi winning a bronze medal is a big achievement and should be recognized by US commentators and articles. I wish I could read/understand Japanese so that I could see how his win was playing in his home country. I've googled Daisuke's name and gotten just a few links, but some are in Japanese and I can't figure out how to translate them....

Thanks for the links, chloepoco. It's good to see the unity of the Japanese mens' team here. It's great that they all support each other.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Driving rhythm? Driving rhythm?

Yes it's rather easy to understand. The guitar chords of his music have a continuous driving thythm.

 

[yangjie]

Oh, that's so good to hear. In the articles that I've read here in the United States like USA Today and the NY Times, there's a lot of discussion about the "Cold War" rivalry between Evan and Plushy. Very little coverage about Daisuke. Just one sentence--he won a bronze--in one USA Today article, for example. Takahashi winning a bronze medal is a big achievement and should be recognized by US commentators and articles. I wish I could read/understand Japanese so that I could see how his win was playing in his home country. I've googled Daisuke's name and gotten just a few links, but some are in Japanese and I can't figure out how to translate them....

Thanks for the links, chloepoco. It's good to see the unity of the Japanese mens' team here. It's great that they all support each other.

i think you can read some articles here http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/so20100220a4.html.

 

[Dee4707]

You gotta love this one
http://www.rtve.es/imagenes/johnny-weir-siempre-polemico/1266563929149.jpg

And he wore it proudly!!!!

 

[ademption]

i think you can read some articles here http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/so20100220a4.html.

Thanks for the link. I really liked that article "Takahashi makes history..." Both Takashi and Oda both took responsibility for the errors in their programs and didn't blame others for their misfortunes. Love the picture accompanying the article. DT looks so happy that he won the bronze. A true Olympian...

 

[screech]

From Jeff Buttle's Twitter

I hate being entertained by well choreographed, musical programs! More tacky posing to catch breath for the next jump is what skating needs.

Now I'm going to go watch a real sport where they really push the envelope: under water basket weaving.

Yes, Jeff was one of the ones who was more of a Program skater than a jump skater, but his sarcastic comments amused me. And a completely different comment from his twitter...

Just finished a tv shoot modeling Armani @ Holt's. Awesome!

Yum!

And it seems Cheryl Burke wants Evan to do Dancing with the Stars

@EvanLysacek you're truely amazing!! How awesome would it be if you did DWTS? You would be great!

He responded with

@CherylBurke1 I would love to do the show. I'm a big fan!!!

It would be kind of fun to see his gangliness on the show.

 

[Hsuhs]

2014 Olys, Patrick Chan will do two 2As and win the Gold because he has the artistry, footwork and spins. He is such a well-rounded skater!

I don't think so
2014 Olys will be held in Sochi, which is in... Russia. Borodulin will be the lucky rock star! :agree::thumbsup:

 

[Nadine]

I've been wanting to give my impressions of all the men since I got back from watching them L I V E last night!!!!!!!:thumbsup:

First off, seeing the first two groups of men come out onto the ice was exciting, but nothing NOTHING compares to the excitement of seeing the top dog come out onto the ice (one for the ages; we were all going wild, cheering & screaming, it was joy to behold first hand!).

Okay, onto those ones that I recall & stood out to me:

Vaughn Chipeur -- I've always loved this guy's skating since I first saw him skate at NHK this past Fall. His jumps are those of a titan, biggest & baddest I've ever seen! So my eyes were glued to him when he was practicing in his group in that bright blue top. Then it came his turn to skate. He just flew from one end of the ice to the other. I actually took a ton of photos of him, which I had to erase later on because my digital camera could only hold 38. *sad* I can't recall the jumps he did, though he did fall once or twice, I was just excited to see this powerhouse up close & personal. And for the record I do think he's better than Kevin Reynolds in terms of big bad jumps with full revolutions & speed speed speed! Though I do think Kevin is the future.

Adrain Schultheiss -- I was soooooooo excited to see him in practice, I kept pointing him out, etc. And then he did his unique one-of-a-kind program. Lol, I don't even recall what jumps he did because I was too blown away by the program. Loved it, and so did the crowd! *thumbs up* He too I took a ton of pics of which I had to erase later on.

Brian Joubert -- as with the other men, I was excited to see him also in person! And boy was he pumped!!!!!!!!! He had his determined game face on, doing all sorts of difficult jumps left & right. Then when it came time for him to take his starting position he did this pugilist type of fist pump, which was exciting to see. Unfortunately, I recall his program didn't go too well, and I felt so sorry for him.

Jeremy Abbott -- in person he's poetry in motion, quite easily the best skater there, he's just as or more impressive in real life. He fills up the entire rink/arena with his presence. He reminds me of Evan Lysacek in that way because of their long balletic limbs. I hope he stays in skating & wins a World medal, a testament to his beautiful skating. It would be a shame to see such artistry & athleticism not rewarded.

Florent Amodio -- he's such a little dab of a thing in real life, but fun & exciting to watch. *smile*

Russian Man (sorry I can't remember his name & I don't have a list of all the competitors that competed) -- this golden haired beautiful man was in one word FANTASTIC! Simply exquisite. In fact I don't think I've ever seen him skate before. He had the audience entranced, and that's the truth. He was miles better than anybody else that had skated up to that point. Tall, long limbed, lithe. Beautiful ballet posture & arms, et al. And his jumps were just as impressive. He was the entire package. Truly the future of Russian men's skating, along with Evgeni, of course. *wink*

Kozuka -- impressive, as always, yet I think his SP was miles better than his LP. He was a joy to watch skate!

Brezina -- he reminds me of the Russian Man I talked about it earlier. The whole package. The future of Czech skating is here.

Johnny Weir -- omg, I wanted to know immediately whom that gorgeous man in the beautiful glittery costume was, and was overjoyed to find out it was Johnny! My niece looooooves him so much, she made me take a ton of pics of him, which I didn't mind because I too enjoy Johnny as well. *smile* He skated great with a lot of verve & attitude. And my niece threw him a stuffed teddy bear, along with a note, lol. I too went wild waving the American flag & cheering him on all the way! And then she cried when his marks came up. And we ALL booed the judges! *mad*

Evan Lysacek -- funny thing I recalled when he was skating I decided not to take any pics because I wanted to save them for Evgeni, but what immediately came to mind was that he could be the Olympic Champion, and this was during his practice group. Odd that, my psyche knew, but I immediately pushed the thought away & tried to focus on Evgeni. Evan was fantastic from beginning to end, he fills up the ice with his long balletic limbs in the same way that Jeremy does, only different; Jeremy is a lyrical skater, Evan a bravura skater. Therein lies the difference, both great, but different. And he got a rousing SO, the biggest by far, and well deserved!

Oda -- he reminds me of Florent Amodio, both tiny dabs out there on the ice, but both cute & pleasant to watch. But I was totally surprised to see him fall and then grab his side & go to the judges. Everybody around me was whispering "what happened?" "what happened?" However, this funny guy behind me, whom had been imbibing all night long, made me & the guy next to me LOL! He said "when you break a lace, make sure it looks like you broke a rib". ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!! Shades of Tonya Harding, only at the Olympics, only at the Olympics, lol. *laughing*

Daisuke Takahashi -- he too is small in real life, but boy can he skate!!!!!!!!!!!! What a performer, what a performer, and I yelled out loud WHAT GUTS!!!!!!! when he attempted the quad. The Japanese are more about honor than anything else, it is the S K A T E that matters to them, not the reward. He could've played it safe & won the gold, but, no, he went for the hardest jump of all -- the quad -- what a man, what A MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *cheering*

Stephane Lambiel -- ah, to see him in person is a real treat! Angel Eyes lights up the arena like a firefly. Beautiful moves, pleasant smile, super spinner, daring & risky quad jumper, what more can a f.s. fan ask for! Great job, great job!

Patrick Chan -- he practically got a SO even before he started, lol. And then when he skated I *finally* realized what all the hubbub is about. He can skate like no one else, totally one-of-a-kind. For those (like me) whom never got this kid, I say you need to see him skate in person. It makes all the difference in the world. Funny that, everybody else was pretty much as I expected, except for Patrick. Oh yeah, he got a huge SO at the end of his performance (matched Evan's I think). *smile*

Evgeni Plushenko -- I am biased, that's true, so my POV comes from one who thinks Evgeni can do no wrong. I have no words really to describe my feelings & emotions to just see him appear at the corridor with the rest of the men (before he even skated in the practice group, et al). Actually looking back I didn't cry at all throughout the competition, just shook when I saw him, trembling with emotion & excitement & pure utter joy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My hands shook so much trying to take pics of him that the woman behind me laughed to her companions (in a good way) about how my pictures weren't coming out due to my shaking hands, Rotflmao! Anyhow, I can't describe what it's like to see Evgeni at the Olympics, both before & after & during his skate. It was like nothing else. He was magic, pure magic, reminiscent of Michael Jackson in that way. He's the only one whom everybody held their collective breath when he went into his 4/3jumping pass, and he did it!!!!!! Also, they all gasped (like me) when he magically landed those jumps wherein he was off in the air & looked like he was going to fall, but God put his hand upon him & corrected his position in the air in order for him to land like a cat. I've never seen anything like that in my entire life. WOW. Him & his whole performance was just WOW. I knew I was seeing something special, a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see the greatest skater of all time in person, come back & skate like that at the Olympics. I am humbled. No more words need be said except THANK YOU GOD.

P.S. the following are some pics I took, ENJOY!

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7636.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7639.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7651.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7658.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7660.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7665.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7669.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7671.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7675.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7683.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7685.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7688.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7689.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7692.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7693.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7694.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7697.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7699.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7700.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7702.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7703.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7704.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7705.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7706.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7708.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7709.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7710.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7711.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7712.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7713.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7714.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7715.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7716.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7717.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7720.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7721.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7723.jpg
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx254/sms666/000_7724.jpg

 

[DesertRoad]

Patrick Chan -- he practically got a SO even before he started, lol. And then when he skated I *finally* realized what all the hubbub is about. He can skate like no one else, totally one-of-a-kind. For those (like me) whom never got this kid, I say you need to see him skate in person. It makes all the difference in the world. Funny that, everybody else was pretty much as I expected, except for Patrick. Oh yeah, he got a huge SO at the end of his performance (matched Evan's I think). *smile*

What exactly was the difference? And what do you mean when you say he can skate like no one else?

 

[Nadine]

Hi, DesertRoad, I've been trying to put into words what it's like to see Patrick Chan skate live.

Hmmm, even though he is relatively short like the Japanese men, he skates like a long-limbed ballet dancer. Every move stretched out to the very tips of his nimble fingers & his pointed toes (similar to Sasha Cohen in that respect). And he skates with a lot of passion & soul, and utilizes the ice well from one end of the rink to the other end in record time. This doesn't translate well on t.v. IMHO, thus I never quite got Patrick, that is until I saw him skate live last night at the Olympics.

 

[watchvancouver]

Yes, Jeff was one of the ones who was more of a Program skater than a jump skater, but his sarcastic comments amused me. .

Well, 3Aless-World-Champion-Jeff obviously has his deepest sympathy for the future 3Aless-OGM-Chan. I wouldn't be surprised these two are secretely hoping ISU will just make 3A an illegal element in future competitions. haha..

 

[yangjie]

Hi, DesertRoad, I've been trying to put into words what it's like to see Patrick Chan skate live.

Hmmm, even though he is relatively short like the Japanese men, he skates like a long-limbed ballet dancer. Every move stretched out to the very tips of his nimble fingers & his pointed toes (similar to Sasha Cohen in that respect). And he skates with a lot of passion & soul, and utilizes the ice well from one end of the rink to the other end in record time. This doesn't translate well on t.v. IMHO, thus I never quite got Patrick, that is until I saw him skate live last night at the Olympics.

year, i really agree with you,although i dont like patrick who always get a high score.

everybody here said the patrick is a great skater, but i dont know why.
i know he has a great skating skill and nice footworks, but he has awful jumps. he couldnt even land 8 triples including two 3As.

i mean, he is not a all-around skater.