Lol, Elvis Stojko is the best! There's a reason why I've always loved not only his skating, but his mind! You can't break Elvis, he keeps going & going & going like the energizer bunny. I'm only sad I never got to meet him face-to-face. I'd love to sit down with him & rack his brain. Seriously.
Yes Nadine, it's obvious who your favourites are and that's great as no one likes the same things. However, I would much rather see skaters be able to walk properly after their skating careers. I've seen Elvis after he's skated at an After Show Reception. The man walks w/a very noticible limp and I wasn't the only one who saw that.
Then there Yags, whose skating I loved, he's had a hip replacement/major surgery. Stephane, whose skating I love, he's more than likely on the same road w/his hip problems, not to mention the shape his knees are in. Tim Gobel developed serious foot problems due to the Quad. Then there's your beloved Plushy w/how many issues w/his groin, knees and hips? Not being nasty here BTW, I know Evgeni's had at least the one groin muscle torn and two knee scopings and a few other things, so I've lost track.
Is it great to do the Quad, obviously. However, it's not the end all and be all of skating and I hope it never does go that way. Not just for the good of the sport, but also for the good of the Athletes. I think Evan should be applauded for his decision. Doing the Quad has given Evan a foot problem, he didn't want to make that worse, so decided he had enough to win w/out it. He did what was best for his Health and ended up also doing what was best for the Sport by proving that you need to do more than just a Quad to win a Skating Title.
I still stand by what I said last week to friends of ours. That Gold Medal didn't come down to a Quad being done. It came down to a very wonky in the air Triple Axel and other Triples that were also wonky in the air compared to someone who had control and quality on all of the Triples he did.
Yet, that somehow seems to be overlooked or not mentioned in all of these arguements.
And two more things...I feel sorry for Elvis. He still can't seem to get past the fact that better all around skaters can still beat jumpers in the new COP era. I have a feeling he thought this new system would change that. Thank God it hasn't and I hope it never will. I believe Elvis is bitter over being beaten by others who had the complete package and I would include Kurt Browning beside Kulik and Urmanov. If he wasn't, then why would he be saying some of the things he's saying? It's pretty obvious in his comments how he really feels about all of this and he's only hurting himself in the end. As well as opening the eyes of a few people I know who thought Elvis wasn't as arrogant as I've been telling them over the years.
Secondly...I hate to break it to all of the uber Elvis fans, but he is NOT a gracious or a nice guy. The stories I've heard and also things I've seen w/my own eyes over the years....Like the way he treated the staff at the Sudbury Arena back in the day of the old Elvis Tour. We're good friends w/the Chief Usher and he said if Katerina Witt had been so arrogant and uppity, he could kind of understand it, but she was one of the nicest big time Celebs he's ever met. Elvis OTOH, he treated them like dirt. Also, over all the years when I've got behind the Arena or at a Reception after a show Elvis has been in, if it's at the Backstage Door, he never stops or acknowledges the fans. It's straight to the bus. At a Reception, he does the barest he has to do, which is sign stuff and then he's gone!! He's also always been the first skater to leave a Reception too when I've attended them and usually it's a good twenty to thirty minutes between him leaving and the next skater leaving.
So to me...Elvis' rantings over the last two weeks, not a surprise to me. At least now, people are beginning to see what I've seen and known for about fifteen years now. I do feel a bit sorry for him though, as he's only hurting himself and his reputation, but...As Mom reminds me, you reap what you sow in this life and...Elvis is certainly finding that out.
Sadly, I don't think he gets why people are so ticked at him and that's even sadder to me.
That makes perfect sense! Evan did not have the quad, but he and his cheorographers worked the system to his advantage. It's not like Plushenko's quad was perfect either, that landing was very shaky. Plushenko's performance in the fs was not worthy of an Olympic gold medal--quad or not.
The gold medal should be given to a true champion like Plushenko. If no one has reached that level, leave it empty.
