Overall Opinions of NHK 2010

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I watched on the computer and Univeral Sport Chanel. I'm not all that on Takahashi's bandwagon, don't see him as a good presenter, but he is definitely good competitor. There was another Japanese boy - quite frail - but had excellent technique and good body language. Will look forward to seeing him again. Abbott is always good at the beginning of the season, and he will be in the Finals, but he will fade at Worlds and maybe Nats.

I feel sorry for Kevin vd Perren. He was once a contender.

Nice to see Rachael without those chipmonk cheeks. Katy Couric got rid of them some time ago. Rachael did well, as did Carolina, but the Ladies just don't get to me. It's all a rehash of what they've done before. I think Mao is getting bored as Yu Na did at Worlds.2010.

I think Pang and Tong will go gold right up to, and include Sochi.

Bravo for Weaver and Poje. It's time for them to shine. Sorry, but Charlie does not get to me.

 

[Tonichelle]

Welcome back, Joe!

I agree that Abbott doing well in the Grand Prix doesn't mean much - he peaks too early, or something. He'll shine at nationals and then World's will come around and he'll bomb. But his coach looks FAB! Her hair is gorgeous!

 

[museksk8r]

I agree that Abbott doing well in the Grand Prix doesn't mean much - he peaks too early, or something. He'll shine at nationals and then World's will come around and he'll bomb.

How is placing 5th at Worlds considered bombing? Jeremy's one of the reasons the US can send 3 men to Worlds in Japan. Yes, he's had the potential to medal at Worlds before; he could have easily won the World title in 2009 if he had gone clean in both segments and he could have won World gold or silver in 2010 if he had been completely clean both segments there too, but he has never delivered a 2010 World SP performance a la Nobunari Oda - that is bombing when you single every one of your planned jumps and fail to advance to the LP.

 

[blue_idealist]

Most of the segments could have been better, but it was the first competition of the season. The ladies seems really up in the air right now, what with Mao down in 8th place and Kostner back on top (weird). I'd hoped for more from Ashley Wagner. As for KVDP not being a contender anymore, I think it's obvious that he's suffered under COP, as his non-jump elements are not the best. They may have improved slightly from last year though? Maybe? In dance, my thought that Ilynikh and Katsalapov (sp?) had been overhyped was somewhat shown to be true. I'm more interested in the Shibutanis, actually. I hope Weaver and Poje can make the World team this year. It would be sad with this much improvement if they didn't. Nothing stuck in my mind that much about pairs - it was a rather lackluster event.

 

[dorispulaski]

Actually, I really liked the LP of Yankauskas (spelling?) and Coughlin (the tribute to his mother). I just wish that they weren't in white costumes because they don't show up that well.

As to many of the competitors, it's just way too early in the post Olympic season for everyone to be up to speed again. The programs will all look better by the GPF, Nationals at the latest.

 

[miki88]

Ladies was underwhelming to say the least. It was tough watching Mao struggle so much. But reworking her jumps is going to be a long process, so I hope she hangs in there. And Carolina seems to be back to the skater from 2008. (Still sloppy but not bombing anymore).
Enjoyed the men's event. I liked Dai's short but thought Jeremy had the best freeskate. Amodio was very entertaining in his MJ program.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

1. That no matter how good the men are, we're more interested in the ladies
So bizarre. The men were quite good. Many early season jitters, but considering that, it was a respectable skate with some thrilling highlights. But the women's event, which by all rights was a semi-disaster, has 50% more posts (23 pages to the men's 15) at this point. I don't get it.

2. Amodio will be a star
How many young skaters have that level of command, that level of confidence? The crop of young men coming up are really quite diverse and that's pretty awesome, but he's making a case for himself to vault to the front of the pack.

3. Up from juniors with a point to make
I/K: In context, this was a breathtaking debut. They came in 4th at their first senior GP. They've been skating together LESS THAN TWO YEARS. Keep that in mind. Davis/White had nearly ten when they made their senior debut. V/M had 9. I know people had stratospheric expectations, but this is a good result.

Murakami and Hanyu: She medalled in her senior debut. He had two rock solid skates that foretells a good future.

Shibutanis: The growth spurt really did wonders. They've got an old fashioned elegance ot them that is very appealing.

Takahashi/Tran: They hung on. Can we expect to see them at senior worlds this year? It's not like Japan has any other pairs teams. I have to admit I don't like the junior-senior flip flop (it's okay to go to one event for experience, but competing on both circuits seems unecessarily taxing)

4. Anna and Luca... should we be worried?
They're not consistent, true, but they rarely are this off. They were supposed to be on the podium easily (shows you what we know) but they ended up in fifth - not only behind the third Canadian team, but the two junior upstarts. This is not the beginning they wanted. Out of the GPF too. You've gotta look at Skate Canada and think everyone's thanking their lucky stars that they're competing there.

Sometimes, there are teams that don't ever make it to the poll position in their country and I really hope that they get at least one season as the Italian number ones, but Alessandrini/Vaturi are a very intriguing team and I expect they'll have their supporters.

5. The number two dance spot in the USA just became VERY interesting
Okay, so it was supposed to be D/W, S/B, C/Z and then the Shibs vs the Hubbells for spot four. But S/B are out due to injury (hopefully not career ending, because I was looking forward to seeing their An American in Paris routine) and the Shibs just did better on the senior GP than the Hubbells have come close to doing (and their scores here are ten points clear of the Hubbells at Finlandia, fwiw). It'll be neat to see if C/Z can medal at Skate Canada (which, without V/M, has a wide open race for bronze, with four teams in the hunt, imo). I expect Nationals to be a nail-biter, even with three spots.

 

[skfan]

1. That no matter how good the men are, we're more interested in the ladies
So bizarre. The men were quite good. Many early season jitters, but considering that, it was a respectable skate with some thrilling highlights. But the women's event, which by all rights was a semi-disaster, has 50% more posts (23 pages to the men's 15) at this point. I don't get it.

2. Amodio will be a star
How many young skaters have that level of command, that level of confidence? The crop of young men coming up are really quite diverse and that's pretty awesome, but he's making a case for himself to vault to the front of the pack.

3. Up from juniors with a point to make
I/K: In context, this was a breathtaking debut. They came in 4th at their first senior GP. They've been skating together LESS THAN TWO YEARS. Keep that in mind. Davis/White had nearly ten when they made their senior debut. V/M had 9. I know people had stratospheric expectations, but this is a good result.

Murakami and Hanyu: She medalled in her senior debut. He had two rock solid skates that foretells a good future.

Shibutanis: The growth spurt really did wonders. They've got an old fashioned elegance ot them that is very appealing.

Takahashi/Tran: They hung on. Can we expect to see them at senior worlds this year? It's not like Japan has any other pairs teams. I have to admit I don't like the junior-senior flip flop (it's okay to go to one event for experience, but competing on both circuits seems unecessarily taxing)

4. Anna and Luca... should we be worried?
They're not consistent, true, but they rarely are this off. They were supposed to be on the podium easily (shows you what we know) but they ended up in fifth - not only behind the third Canadian team, but the two junior upstarts. This is not the beginning they wanted. Out of the GPF too. You've gotta look at Skate Canada and think everyone's thanking their lucky stars that they're competing there.

Sometimes, there are teams that don't ever make it to the poll position in their country and I really hope that they get at least one season as the Italian number ones, but Alessandrini/Vaturi are a very intriguing team and I expect they'll have their supporters.

5. The number two dance spot in the USA just became VERY interesting
Okay, so it was supposed to be D/W, S/B, C/Z and then the Shibs vs the Hubbells for spot four. But S/B are out due to injury (hopefully not career ending, because I was looking forward to seeing their An American in Paris routine) and the Shibs just did better on the senior GP than the Hubbells have come close to doing (and their scores here are ten points clear of the Hubbells at Finlandia, fwiw). It'll be neat to see if C/Z can medal at Skate Canada (which, without V/M, has a wide open race for bronze, with four teams in the hunt, imo). I expect Nationals to be a nail-biter, even with three spots.

umm... you're the one who breaks people silences ^_^

just speaking for myself, i am NOT more interested in the ladies. if i'm allowed to venture a guess, the ladies events have more posts because, well, IMO, it's rubber necking. it's a disaster, everybody's got some input, some advice, some reassurance for those about to jump off the ledges, something like that.

dai... i love him, but i'd rather see him slay monsters than dance in the long if he's already danced in the short. OTOH, if he just skates well i'm happy. that's love.

amodio is already a star in my eye, but i'm not a fan of the gloves. or the posing. or the stops.

jeremy... i'm starting to see what people say about his soul shining through, but to me, more sparing choreography serves him better than more busy choreography (short program). still waiting for him to have a program that will affect me like MK's lyra angelica or rachmaninov ('98 version)

best discoveries: the shibutanis, takahashi and tran. the shibutanis have IT, what i like about ice dance in general (they're not the only ones i admire, but it's nice to see another up and coming pair that has it). as for t&t, nice lifts = reason to watch pairs for me. otherwise i can watch the ladies do their thing w/o some guy obstructing my view of them (LOL i speak as a fan of M&D and G&G... which reminds me of dai and abbott... except dai has more G&G in him than abbott has of M&D... just one opinion.)

ETA i was only joking about the men in pairs--artur was the star half of M&D, and i have enormous respect for men like solkowy of S&S, etc.

 

[Layfan]

Ladies was underwhelming to say the least. It was tough watching Mao struggle so much. But reworking her jumps is going to be a long process, so I hope she hangs in there. And Carolina seems to be back to the skater from 2008. (Still sloppy but not bombing anymore).
Enjoyed the men's event. I liked Dai's short but thought Jeremy had the best freeskate. Amodio was very entertaining in his MJ program.

It's strange. It's just like last year. The women were rather underwhelming throughout the GP, with the exception of Yuna at Bombard and her Skate America SP, and I suppose a few skates from other skaters here and there. But overall, most people seemed to be expecting the men to be the highlight of the Olympics. Instead it was the women. Turns out, they all brought their A-game. Maybe it'll be the same this year. Hope so.

 

[Tonichelle]

Actually, I really liked the LP of Yankauskas (spelling?) and Coughlin (the tribute to his mother). I just wish that they weren't in white costumes because they don't show up that well.

I've liked them since seeing their antics in the K&C at nationals 08. Really like their look on the ice, too. Kinda like Brooke and Ben - but with a little more consistency (so far).

 

[SamuraiKike]

1. That no matter how good the men are, we're more interested in the ladies
So bizarre. The men were quite good. Many early season jitters, but considering that, it was a respectable skate with some thrilling highlights. But the women's event, which by all rights was a semi-disaster, has 50% more posts (23 pages to the men's 15) at this point. I don't get it.

Ohh ITA.. and I really hate it.. Sometimes I watch a mens event and want to come here to discuss about how great or at least how interesting they were, but theres no one in the thread. They are all discussing which lady bombed the worst..

 

[janetfan]

just speaking for myself, i am NOT more interested in the ladies. if i'm allowed to venture a guess, the ladies events have more posts because, well, IMO, it's rubber necking. it's a disaster, everybody's got some input, some advice, some reassurance for those about to jump off the ledges, something like that.

.

I think you are right and I might also add the Ladies are much harder to predict.
Looking at NHK and SC almost all of us could predict 2 of the three men who will medal. Some can pick the podium and even the podium order.

Try that with the Ladies.

I don't follow Pairs and Dance as closely but they also appear to be more predictable.
I predict D/W will not lose an event this season or until V/M are recovered and back at full strength.

Am I a Dance expert? No way - just know the Dance podium follows reputations very closely.

 

[museksk8r]

I predict D/W will not lose an event this season or until V/M are recovered and back at full strength.
Am I a Dance expert? No way - just know the Dance podium follows reputations very closely.

Davis/White are not winning based on reputation. They are that much better than the other teams they've faced currently.

 

[Mathman]

I agree with Joe about Weaver and Poje , also with everyone who mentioned the Shibutanis. Il liked the dance competition the best.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

I think you are right and I might also add the Ladies are much harder to predict.
Looking at NHK and SC almost all of us could predict 2 of the three men who will medal. Some can pick the podium and even the podium order.

Try that with the Ladies.

I don't follow Pairs and Dance as closely but they also appear to be more predictable.
I predict D/W will not lose an event this season or until V/M are recovered and back at full strength.

Am I a Dance expert? No way - just know the Dance podium follows reputations very closely.

My predictions

I follow dance and this podium isn't reflective of reputations. No way do Weaver/Poje have the reputation of C/L, at the very least. D/W are simply that much better.

Another way of saying it: imagine if solid but not perfect Kim faced this field instead of Asada. That's where D/W are at right now.

 

[janetfan]

My predictions

I follow dance and this podium isn't reflective of reputations. No way do Weaver/Poje have the reputation of C/L, at the very least. D/W are simply that much better.

Another way of saying it: imagine if solid but not perfect Kim faced this field instead of Asada. That's where D/W are at right now.

I liked your predictions which I did read before I wrote the previous post.
I agree and know that at times a singles skater can be pretty dominant.
The difference is that in Dance it is always that way. We alway know who will win and it is not as hard to guess the podium.

My point was addressing why "Ladies" may have more interest than Men.
The Ladies just seem far less predictable and I think that adds a little excitement.
Yuna won the Olympics but not Worlds. Mao won Worlds but was a non-factor at NHK. Dai appears unbeatable if he stays on his feet and even if doesn't.

I can't imagine how poorly D/W would have to skate to miss a Dance podium. As I "predicted" they will remain unbeatable for the time being. There are reasons for that - basically Dance is just a different discipline than singles.

Just saying upsets and topsy-turvy results can creat interest which seems more common in the Ladies events than the other discipines.

When I say I have no idea who will make the Ladies podium at SC I really mean it. So I will watch it with a little more interest and probably comment about it more.

 

[Tonichelle]

My point was addressing why "Ladies" may have more interest than Men.
The Ladies just seem far less predictable and I think that adds a little excitement.

yes trying to find out which lady will stay on her feet does add a whole lot of "excitement" *yawn* thank God for the three other disiplines.

 

[goldenpleasures]

I'm not all that on Takahashi's bandwagon, don't see him as a good presenter.

Even if you don't like Takahashi's style, I can't see how you can say he doesn't present the programs well.

But I suppose we're all entitled to our views.

 

[mishieru07]

1. That no matter how good the men are, we're more interested in the ladies
So bizarre. The men were quite good. Many early season jitters, but considering that, it was a respectable skate with some thrilling highlights. But the women's event, which by all rights was a semi-disaster, has 50% more posts (23 pages to the men's 15) at this point. I don't get it.

3. Up from juniors with a point to make
I/K: In context, this was a breathtaking debut. They came in 4th at their first senior GP. They've been skating together LESS THAN TWO YEARS. Keep that in mind. Davis/White had nearly ten when they made their senior debut. V/M had 9. I know people had stratospheric expectations, but this is a good result.

Murakami and Hanyu: She medalled in her senior debut. He had two rock solid skates that foretells a good future.

Shibutanis: The growth spurt really did wonders. They've got an old fashioned elegance ot them that is very appealing.

Takahashi/Tran: They hung on. Can we expect to see them at senior worlds this year? It's not like Japan has any other pairs teams. I have to admit I don't like the junior-senior flip flop (it's okay to go to one event for experience, but competing on both circuits seems unecessarily taxing)

5. The number two dance spot in the USA just became VERY interesting
Okay, so it was supposed to be D/W, S/B, C/Z and then the Shibs vs the Hubbells for spot four. But S/B are out due to injury (hopefully not career ending, because I was looking forward to seeing their An American in Paris routine) and the Shibs just did better on the senior GP than the Hubbells have come close to doing (and their scores here are ten points clear of the Hubbells at Finlandia, fwiw). It'll be neat to see if C/Z can medal at Skate Canada (which, without V/M, has a wide open race for bronze, with four teams in the hunt, imo). I expect Nationals to be a nail-biter, even with three spots.

It's the same thing with artistic gymnastics! We're all about the ladiezzz, it's a common layman perception since this is an "artistic" sport. To be truthful though, I'm far more interested in dance than singles or pairs. I have seen way too many splatfests and have learnt not to be so emotionally invested.

I'm excited with the next crop of rising stars; They've got tremendous potential! Elena is a total Russian diva in the making; I/K just need to make sure they hit the levels and up the tech ante. The Shibutanis, OTOH, remind me very much of V/M in their skating. Very soft, lyrical, musical, effortless skating with gorgeous lifts and edging. ITA about the old-school, ballroom-ish elegance.

I'm a bit worried about Murakami, who has similar technical issues as Mao. I hope she corrects that flutz before it comes back to hurt her. Her enthusiasm is infectious though; it's nice to see a skater who actually goes out there and has fun. Hanyu just needs to build consistency, he's a solid skater.

Janetfan, I think the main reason why Dance standings tend to be somewhat more predictable is simply because the dancers tend to be more consistent. For starters, you rarely see dancers bombing an entire programme, which tends to happen a fair bit with headcases in singles and pairs. Even when dancers do make mistakes, they tend to be relatively minor (and typically on the twizzles) and less costly compared to a fall or popped jump.

That's also the reason why I like watching dance far more than the other disciplines; it's less nerve-wracking (I don't spend every second praying skaters don't fall), the programmes can be wildly entertaining, and the level of performance tends to be good, if not at least decent!

At any rate, D/W are well on their way to world domination, if they stay injury and error free. I love V/M but I will be very surprised if they can top D/W this year after Tessa's surgery. The standard of the top two teams is such that there's a huge gulf between them and the 3rd ranked team. They're just so much better technically, assuming everyone performs up to standard, that they can afford to make mistakes, short of bombing royally. No such thing for the other teams though; look at what happened to Cappellini/ Lanotte. Faiella/ Scali v Pechalat/ Bourzat will be interesting to see as well, as will be US Nationals (GO SHIBS!!!) It's not THAT predictable!

Now excuse me as I bleach my brain to remove the horrible memories of the splatfest that was the Ladies ...

 

[Medusa]

The splatfest that was the Ladies is the revenge for the good Olympic competition. We will have to suffer through it for the next 4 years, I am sure...

I thought that Murakami is adorable, I would prefer it if she had a more stretched leg during her spins and if she didn't fall all over the place. Kostner's program is decent and I would really love to see it cleanly, securely and with all the Triple jumps.

The men were pretty good for the beginning of the season. There is unfortunately no excuse for Amodio's long program. The short is alright, I am happy that Morosov makes him do a 3Lz-3T in the short program and not that old 3S-3T. Overall Florent's jumps looked very good - but Morosov is known to have helped a skater here and there with consistency. But there is still no excuse for that sorry excuse of a long program.

Takahashi skated very well, but I am underwhelmed with his program choices. I will still enjoy watching him fly over the ice and enchant the ladies. But he now has 3 Latin dances in a row (SP last season, SP and LP this season), that is unoriginal and also rather dumb in my opinion. Yes, he makes this style work - but I think that people are bound to be disappointed when a skater follows up a brilliant program (the last season's Tango SP) with two programs that have a similar style but simply cannot attain the same status. It's like Lambiel's Tango program after Lambiel's Tango SP (Carne Cruda) and his Flamenco LP.

Abbott's short is simply too busy for my taste. I get that the hand movements are authentic but it just scares me. The long program is also not to my taste, I don't get the story, the music is rather bland and not worthy of a skater like Abbott.

On a more positive note - Hanyu is adorable with hopefully a great future and Kevin had a good jumping day once again.