Senior Pairs Long Program | Page 9 | Golden Skate

Senior Pairs Long Program

formersk8ter

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
It is pretty obvious that the fire at Natls is HOT. If a skater can't take it at Natls then the odds are they would get scorched at the Olympics.

A skater/team might still get burned badly at the Olympics but it makes sense to take the one who can survive the fire at Natls.

I can't imagine how a little GP event with NO real fire could ever, under any circumstances, be considered the equal of Natls. And results from a year ago are old and prove only that a year ago a skater did OK.

What matters most is who can take the fire of Natls right now, a few weeks before facing the fire of the Olympics.

My point exactly! Thank you!
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
After the pairs event and the men's SP, I'm wondering if Sasha doesn't have that ladies olympic spot bagged after all. I hope not, I really want to see fair judging.

...how is the pairs event proving it's rigged???? the right teams placed where they should have.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
we'll agree to disagree. One comp between fellow athletes does not tell me who is the strongest skater to go on to compete against international athletes. Who among the Americans will be good under-the-fire of the Olys?

It's not about wining a trip to vancouver. It's about winning a podium position, and not by luck.
 
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Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
My last note on this, I feel the USFSA has it in for the older skaters.......age discrimination.......just like in the work force (aka ageism).

If it's a close call, the younger one will get the nod, as seen here with I&B. And, of course, that's JMHO, take it as you will.;)

Also, if I'm remembering correctly, the pros returning back in 1994 weren't exactly received with open arms. In fact, the only one to win gold was, of course, G&G.:cool:

I'm hoping the USFSA's mindset doesn't translate to the Olympic mindset (crossing fingers).:)
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
To me, it is just better all the way around to have a clear-cut criterion for what you have to do to make the Olympic team.

The idea of a committee meeting behind closed doors, with only a nebulous charge to "take various things into account" -- that smells like politics, cronyism, who is buddies with which skater's coach, who has endorsement contracts that mean money for USFSA. To me, that represents everything that casts suspicion on the sport.

I like the cleanness of the USFSA's approach. If you want to go to the 2010 Olympics, get first or second at 2010 Nationals. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
 

FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
John Baldwin disses USFS (and Evora & Ladwig)...



http://www.ocregister.com/sports/-229525--.html


I don't like Baldwin or his attitude, but he has a point and is not afraid to speak up.... Take a look at Evora & Ladwig's personal best scores internationally and they aren't pretty.... a 51 in the SP and a 97 in the LP. I hate to pick on E/L here, but facts are facts... They've never medaled in a Grand Prix event (I'm not sure if they've even ever come close), they've never made a World team, and they've never scored well. Shouldn't an Olympic team selection be in part made based on who can actually score well there? If you skate well there and still score poorly, was that really a good selection?


I thought the selection includes last year results, the GP series, etc...
Since 2nd and 3rd are so close, and I/J medaled at the NHK, beating the national champions there, the committee would send them instead.

Oh wow, surprise.

If 2nd and 3rd are 10-15-20 points apart, sure, they have no merit.

That throw triple axel is amazing. How many team in the world does it? None.
I squealed louder than Scott and freaked out the dogs.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
My point exactly! Thank you!
I presume you think E/L will be on the podium at the Olys? or are you happy they got a free trip to Vancouver as a reward for their stunning :confused: performance at Nats? They did beat veterans I/B by less than 1/2 pt. :rolleye: so they must be the stronger team.

We should come back to this at the Olys and see how E/L do. I am not against them. Just skeptical.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I thought the selection includes last year results, the GP series, etc...

No, that was just propoganda. First and second go.

Joesitz said:
We should come back to this at the Olys and see how E/L do.

It doesn't matter how well they do. They won their spot fair and square.
 
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Joined
Jul 11, 2003
It doesn't matter how well they do. They won their spot fair and square.
Your not serious that the United States Nationals reward is a spot at the Olympics? It does show they were the 2nd best by l/2 point that afternoon and now will represent the US to get a medal at the Olys. Yeah.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Your not serious that the United States Nationals reward is a spot at the Olympics?

I am talking about reality, Joe. That is the reality.

It does show they were the 2nd best by l/2 point that afternoon and now will represent the US to get a medal at the Olys. Yeah.

Again, yes, that is the reality of the situation. Evora and Ladwig were second best by 1/2 point. They will represent the U.S. at the Olympics. That is reality. Everything else is just Internet talk.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I am talking about reality, Joe. That is the reality.



Again, yes, that is the reality of the situation. Evora and Ladwig were second best by 1/2 point. They will represent the U.S. at the Olympics. That is reality. Everything else is just Internet talk.
I understood what you said as a spot on the team was more important than competing. Kwan never got to the Nationals and she was put on the spot anyway by a secret skate. No?

By the way. I'm really ok with E/L. The Cttee ok'd them, and by the system, they should go.
 

kate

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
I think all that depends on the number of entries from one country.

No it doesn't. The IOC swimming rule is a two swimmer maximum per country for all individual events, no matter what. And I'm pretty sure in the US at least, they go just by the Olympic trials, even if Michael Phelps comes in third.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I understood what you said as a spot on the team was more important than competing. Kwan never got to the Nationals and she was put on the spot anyway by a secret skate. No?

What has been so frustrating to me throughout this whole season-long discussion is this, Joe. We have been clued in, over and over, by people who actually have contacts within the inner councils of the USFSA (Phil Hersh, Gsrossano, Sylvia), just how the Olympic selection committee works. This is what the committee does.

(a) It validates the results of nationals.

(b) It considers petitions from skaters requesting byes because of injuries (Kwan in 2006, Kerrigan in 1994, Eldredge in 1992)

What the committee does not do -- never has -- is consider results from past Grand Prix Finals, Worlds, last year's Nationals, etc. The document that says that they do consider such things is a patent fabrication, made necessary by some nit-picky rules of the USOC, but not to be taken seriously as a description of what actually happens.

So we know all these things, and have known them all season.

And yet we are still getting posts about, hey, what about the committee? What about M&B having a better international record than E&L? What about I&B being past Olympians? What about Caroline Zhang doing well at Four Continents last year? What about Sasha having a better chance to medal in Vancouver than Ashley?

So that just makes me :scratch:
 
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Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
I don't know about anybody else, but my understanding has always been that the Olympic Nationals (yeah, I know the PC talk is that it isn't Olympic Trials for all intents & purposes because of the IOC, but come on, we all know the truth, lol:biggrin:) is NOT like all the other Nationals wherein 1-2-3 means 1-2-3. Nope, Olympic Nationals is supposed to be different in that aspect. But whatever, no skin off my nose, I'm not the one competing.:cool:
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
So that just makes me :scratch:

because even brow beating a person, leading them to the answer, forcing them to look

does not make them less stubborn to continue to argue :rofl: it's true of every one of us, because we want to be right 110% of the time. even when we KNOW we're wrong, we're still right.

such is human nature.
 
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