2007 Season Without Kwan/Cohen | Page 3 | Golden Skate

2007 Season Without Kwan/Cohen

Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I'm not overzealous about spirals. A standard good spiral is good enough for me. If the spiral is really so important, then in two years, you will have Caoline Zhang to win all the competitions.

Joe
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
JonnyCoop said:
I hope so, too, tho IMO it doesn't seem to be as much a technique thing (tho that could certainly be improved) as a MENTAL thing, and Kulik is no psychologist.....

Years ago a short time with Ilia Kulik was really benefitial for a young skater and besides the matter here might have been a bit mental also:

< ......at the Snapple Skate with the Stars a few years ago, Illia Kulik spent about 20 minutes with my granddaughter working on entrance to spins and got her over the hump. Before this, she couldn't spin for anything. She used the off ice spinning gadget, her coach was working with her and nothing seemed to click with her. Then Illia worked with her and managed to pull it all together in that 20 minute session. It made the cost of the whole weekend worth it. At the time, she was not an advanced skater. She was fairly low-level. I don't know if it was his teaching technique or her awe of having an Olympic Gold medal winner showing her how to skate but whatever it was, it worked. >

http://groups.google.com/group/rec....g/34e02c5e1e8cde18?dmode=source&output=gplain
 
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Kathy

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Skating without Michelle? well it will never be the same for me. I miss her terribly. I'll watch as a casually interested fan, and be open to another skater snatching my interest, but it was Michelle who elevated my interest in skating from casual observer to someone immersed in the sport, and in her absence my enthusiasm will definitely wane. I think the difference is that there are many fans that are or were fans of figure skating period, and for those skating goes on its way as skaters age and the young ones take over - and I think that is great. But there are many like me who were drawn into figure skating by Michelle, and though I have gained a fondness of the sport through her that will never die, it was her presence that defined my rather obsessive enthusiam over the last several years, and it just won't be there without her. If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be such a fan that I would spend thousands of dollars to fly cross country to watch figure skating events I would have thought you were crazy, but that is what I did to watch Michelle compete. Now I'll watch on TV, it will take someone amazing to raise my interest to that level. That said, there are interesting skaters on the horizon and it will be interesting to see what develops.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I am looking forward as always to a new season and to new talent as well as the seasoned vets who are still hanging in there. Of coures, I am really looking forward to seeing the Canadian team as it is building new champions. It always takes awhile for the new team to gel. We are spoiled here in Canada - some great skaters have come and gone, but there is always the new kids on the block waiting their turn! Can't wait!!!

Oh yea, your question - no I will not miss Kwan or Cohen - they are only two skaters of a miriad of skaters.
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Kwan and Cohen will be missed, not merely because of what they bring to the ice, but also for their personalities. I don't think any other skater will be able to duplicate that aspect of their popularity, as there is so much less interest in skating than there used to be that there isn't the same sense of "getting to know them".

What I really am curious about next season is whether the Kwan/Cohen mentions can be restricted to the "fluff", or if Dick (for Michelle) and Peggy (for Sasha) will be comparing all other skaters to their "fave" (unfavorably, of course). I will settle, though, if Peggy stops jinxing skaters.
 
Joined
Dec 30, 2005
Wolfgang said:
Kimmie and the Russian girl Dick Button doesn't like ( name escapes me at the moment, Elena something) will have no trouble keeping me interested.....

As long as Dick is commentating, I'll always be interested. His commentary is more fun watching the skating sometimes. :chorus:
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
jesslily said:
Spiral is one of most important elements for ladies' skating. Without a good spiral in ladies' skating is similar to without jumps in man's skating.

Hm? Not sure where this came from! To me, spirals are like any other part of the program-if it's done well, with fully extended, interesting and held out positions, and if the sequence is placed to the music right, then it serves to enhnace the program. But it's only one piece of the whole program being worth "the sum of all the parts" with COP. I don't think the best spiral can even get as many points as a triple lutz! A skater won't win/lose based on spirals. If that was the case, Fleur Maxwell would be doing SO much better and Kimmie wouldn't be World Champion.
 

nymkfan51

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
c_e_ahlen said:
I have never really liked Michelle (please don't kill me), so I'm quite glad to be rid of her. Sasha, I will miss. But I think it's nice that they're gone, so that new talents can have a chance.

Well, now is their chance. We've heard a lot of whining from folks over the last several years about how skaters should "move on" and give the younger skaters a chance. We'll just see where U.S ladies skating is in 4 years without Michelle and Sasha. Those are huge skates to fill.

Let's hope it's not a case of being careful what you wish for.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
MKFSfan said:
...But (a beautiful spiral) is only one piece of the whole program being worth "the sum of all the parts" with COP. I don't think the best spiral can even get as many points as a triple lutz!
I think Jesslily was speaking not so much in terms of CoP points, but rather about the soul and essense of figure skating. If you were going to make a big sculpture titled "figure skater" and put it in the Louvre to be discovered by Martians a million years from now after the earth is distroyed, what would it be?

Answer: http://blog.nikonians.org/archives/MichelleKwan.jpg

MM :)
 
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MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Mathman said:
I think Jesslily was speaking not so much in terms of CoP points, but rather about the soul and essense of figure skating. If you were going to make a big sculpture titled "figure skater" and put it in the Louvre to be discovered by Martians a million years from now after the earth is distroyed, what would it be?

Answer: http://blog.nikonians.org/archives/MichelleKwan.jpg

MM :)

Ahhh...perfection!

I've never seen that picture before, thanks!
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I just don't think spirals are all that they are cracked up to be. It's basically a strong edge together with a leg in the air with a pointed toe attached. At the senior level that should not be difficult. Skaters at 3 y.o. start spirals and by 14 with enough training in flexibility should have a good standard spiral. If not, well....

It can be a pretty move, no doubt about it. But the way it is called for in competition it more like tricksy stuff, but then what isn't.

Give me a beatiful camel spin any day.

Joe
 

hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Mathman said:
If you were going to make a big sculpture titled "figure skater" and put it in the Louvre to be discovered by Martians a million years from now after the earth is distroyed, what would it be?
Only if it got past the curators for the Louvre, or else this could be one of those "be careful what you wish for"s.

There's a huge, gaudy partial sculpture marble tombstone for ballerina Galina Ulanova in the Novodevichy Convent cemetery in Moscow. It is something out of Disney. (I prefer the black rocks with simple white lettering for that are Brecht and Weigel's tombstones in the Berlin cemetery.)
 

hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
But imagine it in a cemetery with simple tombstones of the likes of Chekhov and Shostakovich. And it doesn't begin to convey the magic of her art. (Raisa Gorbachev's is an altar of sorts, with various bouquets -- even in the March aftermath of the Moscow winter -- and icons and candles strewn about it).
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
That IS very pretty. I suppose whether or not it fits into a cemetery with more basic simple tombstones would depend on your attitude towards minimalism....
 

sk8addict

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 22, 2004
Pairs

NNNTL will have my attention this year. I love this pair. Also following Jennifer Don in defending her championship & competeing internationally.
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
I'm actually really excited about skating this year. I'll miss Michelle a lot. But there are still so many great skaters competing.

It's definitely a "passing of the guard" moment in ladies' skating. Irina, Michelle, Sasha, and Shizuka have dominated for so long now (especially Michelle and Irina). To have them all leave at once is definitely a huge change. But I am so excited about the new ladies coming up. I personally think Kimmie is great. It was such a thrill watching her at Worlds last year, and it will be exciting to see her defend her title. And then there's Mao Asada. It's too soon to know, but I feel like she has the potential to be that amazing, once-in-a-generation champion that we haven't seen emerge in ladies' skating since, well, Michelle burst onto the scene in 1995/1996. And in addition to Kimmie and Mao--which could become one of the all-time great rivalries in ladies' skating--there's also Yu-Na Kim, Yukari Nakano, Alissa Czisny, Kira Korpii, Elene Gedevashvili, Katy Taylor, Joannie Rochette, and (hopefully?) Cynthia Phaneuf in the mix. An exciting group of ladies in my opinion.

There will be less change in the other divisions, but still a lot of interest, I think. On the men's side, the depth of talent is incredible. And if Johnny can start to really focus, well . . . I'll be on the edge of my seat. In dance, there are also so many great teams, especially Tanith & Ben and Dubreuil & Lauzon. I can't wait to see more of them, and also the young American dance teams coming up, especially Matthews & Zavozin. And finally, in pairs, my hopes are high that Shen & Zhao will come back and have one final amazing season. I would so love to see them win Worlds again.

I think it's going to be a good year!
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
People always say that the season won't be the same but when they get a load of the new ladies it will be like , Sasha who? Michelle who? In with the old, out with the new. In the old days of amateur skating, every four year cycle yielded new favorites. The last 8 years have been an aberration with Michelle staying in for so long, however once she leaves, the fans will find someone new. Same with Sasha. There are a lot of talented skaters out there and someone always rises to the occasion.
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
soogar said:
People always say that the season won't be the same but when they get a load of the new ladies it will be like , Sasha who? Michelle who? In with the old, out with the new. In the old days of amateur skating, every four year cycle yielded new favorites. The last 8 years have been an aberration with Michelle staying in for so long, however once she leaves, the fans will find someone new. Same with Sasha. There are a lot of talented skaters out there and someone always rises to the occasion.

Of course. There will be many new fans who haven't watched FS much until now, or this upcoming season. Michelle, IMO, will become an icon who we see flashbacks of for years, much like Janet Lyn or Kat or Maribel V. Owen, etc. for her amazing run at Nationals and Worlds. I'm sure any consistent, artistic skater who skates from the heart, connects with the audience and becomes a constant face at the top of podiums, Dick will start saying,"Shades of Michelle Kwan." I imagine also that when skaters like Caroline Zhang, come up to Seniors with supreme flexibility and wonderful spins, we'll get,"Shades of Sasha Cohen."
 
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