- Joined
- Jun 3, 2005
S
SkateFan4Life
Guest
As I wrote, Irina's Salt Lake long program was a flawed one, with several awkward landings and a near-fall on her triple flip, yet she barely lost the gold medal in a 5/4 judges' split decision. Two of the judges awarded her 5.9 for technical merit, which was too high, IMHO, as her program wasn't technically perfect. My point is that the judges love this woman, they appreciate her skating, they respect her tenacity and perservance, and I fully expect them to award Irina the gold medal at Torino, provided that she skates two good programs.
I think you're exactly right SkateFan4life ... Irina really just needs to skate two good programs (great ones not needed), and the gold will be hers. I really don't think, at this point, there's much any of the other ladies can do to combat this. I will be very curious as to how this will affect the other ladies emotionally. Will they be more relaxed, and thus, skate with more freedom? If so, you could have a real battle for the silver and bronze.
Another burning question is how Irina HERSELF sees this situation. Will she use this to her advantage, or will she give in under the pressure? She will be EXPECTED to skate well. Remember, she'll be the favorite- she won't be allowed to brew up a storm under the radar.
Remember, MK was exactly in this position in the 2002 Olys. But she gave in to the pressure.
Remember, MK was exactly in this position in the 2002 Olys. But she gave in to the pressure.
S
SkateFan4Life
Guest
Personally, I think Irina has been around enough and has battled adversity enough to take everything with perspective. I believe she will control her competitive nerves and will skate very well in Tornio. She's not a 15-year-old kid competing in her first Olympics - she's a seasoned, mature 27-year-old woman.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
ITA - She's won many competitions and other than getting the butterflies which every athlete gets including Alex Rodriguez, Irina is solid. If she doesn't win and this is a possibility for all skaters it wont be for pressure.SkateFan4Life said:
Kwan and Slutskaya are not under pressure and those who think they are, are just plain wrong. It's that simple. Of course, Mao or Alissa may step atop the podium, Cute teenagers have a history at the Olys.
Joe
I just don't get this reasoning. You could be the first Russian woman to win the Olys in a long time (ever?). It's almost like you're carrying your country with you. Everyone expects you to do well- fans, media, etc. Plus, you've waited for this moment a long time. If that's not pressure, I don't know what is. It's not about whether or not you have pressure, it's about how you deal with it. JMO.
Besides the Given- Slutskaya, Arakawa, Cohen, Kwan - I won't assume anybody else will be at the OLYs.
Gezando
My friend with M.S. took Prednisone and I took Prednisone-the exact same drug. My friend is deceased. But while she took it, she had loads of energy. It made me feel worse exactly the opposite- unable to sleep, edgy and I had difficulty concentrating. We were taking comprable doses. I think it is impossible to attribute side effects one person has to another. I have no doubt Irina needs these medications and I have no doubt Michelle is injured-badly. She would be practicing her heart out if she wasn't. I am not one who questions skaters who need medic. or take time off from competition or practicing because of injury. I do speculate on how it will effect their ability to compete.
My friend with M.S. took Prednisone and I took Prednisone-the exact same drug. My friend is deceased. But while she took it, she had loads of energy. It made me feel worse exactly the opposite- unable to sleep, edgy and I had difficulty concentrating. We were taking comprable doses. I think it is impossible to attribute side effects one person has to another. I have no doubt Irina needs these medications and I have no doubt Michelle is injured-badly. She would be practicing her heart out if she wasn't. I am not one who questions skaters who need medic. or take time off from competition or practicing because of injury. I do speculate on how it will effect their ability to compete.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Red Dog said:
I said handling pressure is key to pressure way back months ago.
This will be Irina's 3rd Oly. She knows very well what to expect. How will she handle it? Probably the same way Cohen, Arakawa and Kwan will handle it. they've all been at Olys before.
How will Cohen handle it? It will be her second Oly.
How will Arakawa handle it? It may be her first? I'm not sure she's been in a previous Oly or not.
If they all handle their pressure well and I think they will, we will have a genuine winner.
Then there are the little ones who don't have that pressure.:think: :think:
Joe
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2005
kyla2 said:
I will never question anyone who takes prednisone's need for it because NO ONE who has taken it in significant doses would ever stay on it longer than they had to. In my case, I had insomnia, followed by lethargy, weight gain and bloating, a gray cast to my skin, hair loss, nausea and heartburn (I had to take nexium with it) and best of all uncontrollable temper and borderline psychotic episodes. (I was on +200mgs/day, because they had to shut down my immune system, which is a LOT for pred, but I shared some side effects with a co-worker with MS, notable insomina and eating binges.) While 'increased energy' can be a side effect, it's usually in the form of quasi-manic episodes. Like, "It's three am and I can't sleep! Let's vacuum the house! And then clean the attic! Then can we run around the block? What was I saying? *crash*" I can't possibly see it enhancing someone's performance. In fact speed skater Nick Thometz, who had the same autoimmune disorder I do, quit taking it because it was adversely affecting his ability to skate. (Though fatigue related to the ITP once it wasn't drug-controlled contributed to his retiring anyway.)
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
Joe, are you being sarcastic when you say there is no pressure on Kwan or Slutskaya?
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
No BG. - Not sarcastic. I am saying that in the sense that neither skater will go to pieces. They are both very well seasoned skaters, and have already been in two Olys so they know what the feelings will be. I prefer to use the word butterflies rather than pressure.BronzeisGolden said:
If the feelings become moreso than butterflies (like a fall), these ladies will get up and continue their best without going to pieces. That's the advantage seasoned skaters have on the newbies. If the newbies fall they will also go downhill with the rest of the routine.
Joe
I agree that Irina is the favorite, but I think Sasha could win if she is healthy and has 2 performances of her life. Not sure about MK due to her injuries, but I would not count her out just yet. There is always the possiblity for a delicious upset by a youngster so who knows, anything can happen.
S
SkateFan4Life
Guest
I just watched several of my videos that include competitive performances by Irina Slutskaya. Even when she isn't skating her best, she is one tough competitor. IMHO, she's reached the stage of confidence, competitive maturity, and drive that she will go into Torino ready and primed to win the Olympic gold medal. I really admire this woman - talk about coming back from adversity!
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2003
Red Dog said:
Sasha is definitely going to be a favorite, particularly if she wins the US Nationals. My gut feeling is that she will win it this year and that will give her tremendous confidence going into the Olympics. Unfortunately I don't get very good feelings about Michelle. Being untested under the COP is going to be a MAJOR roadblock for her, even if she is healthy and trained. I think our networks will advertise this as a battle between the balletic Sasha and the athletic Irina. Michelle has a great chance to be the spoiler, but will she do it? Shizuka, Carolina, Miki, Kimmie (I think she will be there in Torino) will have that opportunity too. It is hard to predict what will happen when it counts.
Vash
I wouldn't start crowning Sasha National champ yet. One just can't follow one's guts on a skater like her.
She is (supposedly) changing things up so it sounds like she will also be testing things out at Nats. I don't know about MK. It's boom or bust for her. But I think she has a history of building up, so MK will probably have a lackluster/average skate at Nats. But I don't know if Cohen will be psyched out by the fact that this could be her biggest chance at that US title she's always wanted, and therefore bomb the competition (or make enough mistakes to take herself out of the running).
P.S.- if cohen IS psyched out- there's no way she's winning the Olympics. No way.
JMO.
She is (supposedly) changing things up so it sounds like she will also be testing things out at Nats. I don't know about MK. It's boom or bust for her. But I think she has a history of building up, so MK will probably have a lackluster/average skate at Nats. But I don't know if Cohen will be psyched out by the fact that this could be her biggest chance at that US title she's always wanted, and therefore bomb the competition (or make enough mistakes to take herself out of the running).
P.S.- if cohen IS psyched out- there's no way she's winning the Olympics. No way.
JMO.
