Patrick Chan | Page 77 | Golden Skate

Patrick Chan

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
The last time Patrick had a coaching change, followed by a rise in his technical difficulties, he had the disastrous Olympics, followed by 8 falls in the first two GP events, coming in second at COR 2010. That was when I joined the forum, to go against the perceptions of the status of his abilities, talents, and future in figure skating. Tremendous success followed. It is now time for a different stage of his career.

An important difference is that the last time was during and immediately after the Olympics, when top skaters retired or took their rest. This time is pre-Olympics. when everybody, including rising youngsters, are tuning up to peak their skills and performances, for which Patrick himself has set an extremely high standard. As well, this time he is the one everybody is gunning for, with the biggest target on his back. The scrutiny and the pressure levels are intense and building. However, Patrick has now matured into a seasoned competitors, with experiences and better self knowledge to cope.

Patrick has got all the goods. The most important factor he must master is his mind, as it is for all skaters. With the next Olympics in mind, time is a consideration. He needs to know what he needs and get it now, not next season. If it's a new coach he needs, he should get him/her by mid season. Krall had a way to calm Patrick at competitions, well known for their playing Old Maid while he waited for his turn. Johnson may be a good coach with body and movement, which I think is much more valuable than people give credit for, but competition is not her expertise. She too needs to up her coaching know how.

Patrick has been jumping well at practices and warm-ups, so it's not a technical issue but the confidence level during performances at competition. He downgraded his quad at SC, something he had never done since including the quads at competitions. He always attacked and fully rotated them even if he fell. In a way he did what many other skaters do, and what some critics advocate - downgrading the difficulty to avoid falls. He needs to find his way back to the winner mindset, with fire in his eyes at the start of his programs. Johnson, if she really knows him well, must figure out how to settle his nerves and keep his confidence high at competition. Or Patrick has to find his own way and his winning self. Maybe all he needs is a little more time to be completely comfortable with the new programs. However, if something needs to be added, a coach, a training structure, or a superstitious ritual, whatever it is that he can have faith in, they need to find it soon. Make adjustments or even radical changes within the next couple of months, not later. From the later half of the season, it's about getting into the groove and rising with the new rhythm. All the way to Sochi.

I believe Patrick will find what he needs.
 
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Bluebonnet

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Johnson, if she really knows him well, must figure out how to settle his nerves and keep his confidence high at competition. Or Patrick has to find his own way and his winning self. Maybe all he needs is a little more time to be completely comfortable with the new programs. However, if something needs to be added, a coach, a training structure, or a superstitious ritual, whatever it is that he can have faith in, they need to find it soon. Make adjustments or even radical changes within the next couple of months, not later. From the later half of the season, it's about getting into the groove and rising with the new rhythm. All the way to Sochi.

I believe Patrick will find what he needs.

That was what Patrick has been doing, SF, to find his own way. He doesn't have a strong support from Johnson other than "all wonderful" attitude which is an empty confidence. That's the reason Patrick felt vulnerable, almost naked, on ice. Where could the confidence come from? Many many skaters have been having great quad jumps and 3A jumps in practices, but they couldn't deliver in the real competitions.
 

Aprilsnowy

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
I am very sure Patrick's jump techniques are intact and it's a mental issue that hinders him at competitions. He is going with his instincts and knowing as to what is right for himself to advance his skating, which I wrote about and has been verified by Patrick himself. However, all the criticism, 90% of the views according to him, does get to him and casts doubts and causes loss of confidence. Since the great majority of the opinions are about his need of a technical coach, particularly for the jumps, they are exactly what he cannot fully attack as necessary.

Patrick needs 100% confidence. If he goes by his instincts, he needs to trust them 100%, not 90% or 99%. Most of the things people do are actually permission slips to feel confident and entitled, be it hard work, discipline, diet regiment, whatever. If Patrick needs a technical coach to feel 100% confident, that's what he should get. But if he believes he is the doing right thing, then he is doing the right thing if he believes in it 100%.

So, Patrick, stop defending your decision and Kathy and trust 100% in your instincts and decisions. You and almost everybody know how right you are in the artistry development so have the same faith in your decisions, training, and the techniques of your jumps. Commit yourself fully.

Later along the path you can always choose again and make new decisions.

I am looking forward to seeing the programs get more and more amazing.

ITA:clap:
Maybe all he needs is a little more time to be completely comfortable with the new programs. However, if something needs to be added, a coach, a training structure, or a superstitious ritual, whatever it is that he can have faith in, they need to find it soon. Make adjustments or even radical changes within the next couple of months, not later. From the later half of the season, it's about getting into the groove and rising with the new rhythm. All the way to Sochi.

I believe Patrick will find what he needs.

I'm sure he will as he's had done so until now. Let's hope it won't take much time!

I love both of his new programs so much, by the way. They seem to have been well spoken in Japan. Recently I was so surprised to see lots of favorable comments by those who were saying they'd never cared for his performance or programs before.
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
For Patrick:


IF.....


IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

- Rudyard Kipling
 

spikydurian

Medalist
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
:bow:
Oh Guru of long white hair and flowing robes atop icy mountain
Our young Patrick, you have not forsaken
What touching and meaningful verse from Kipling you gifted him
His candle of light brightly fiercely burning it will not dim
 

spikydurian

Medalist
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Thanks crosses9 and naan. Happy to see Patrick's signature smile too, naan. Patrick will need a partner to skate to Carmen! ;)
 

loreley

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 23, 2011
Maybe Alsu Kayumova is a figure skater?
She is so cute.
Yes, she is 13-years old skater :yes:

Adelina Sotnikova also twitted that she was training today with Patrick:
У него ГЕНИАЛЬНОЕ КАТАНИЕ!!!аж дух захватывает,когда он набирает скорость!хочу также кататься!
На одном льду сегодня каталась с Патриком Чаном!,а завтра увижу его в гостинице
"his SKATING IS GENIUS!!! it's breathtaking when he gains speed! want to skate like that!
was skating on the same ice with Patrick Chan today! and tomorrow I'll see him at hotel"
 
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Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Thank you loreley for all the info from Russia.

I think Patrick is on track with his programs, getting better each and every time, peaking at Worlds. Also I hope to see his new ex program from Chris Dean.

Welcome lea to the fest!
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
I’m new to Golden Skate, so hi everyone. Hallelujah! A place where I can unashamedly be a Patrick Chan fan!!! He is certainly one of those polarizing skaters that people have very strong opinions about (but maybe it’s that way with every top skater?) I have been hooked since I stumbled across his 2008 Nationals LP on YouTube, and I thought to myself, “This kid can SKATE!!!) He’s one of the few skaters that makes IJS look easy. All his movements flow into each other naturally, as opposed to most other skaters where it’s completely obvious they’re just cramming extra moves in for points. Skaters like Chan, Takahashi, and Kozuka, and Abbott are evidence that programs can still be beautiful under IJS (and there are more examples across the disciplines). From the moment Patrick’s Four Seasons music began, I was mesmerized. I could literally watch him skate all day, with or without jumps.

Some people say that he doesn’t emote well during his programs. I think his on-ice style is reserved by nature. He feels the music deeply in his soul (saw an interview posted in this thread where he talked about ballet and how important music is to him). Off the ice, he seems like a really outgoing person. His musicality on the ice is focused inward as opposed to outward but he is working on projecting more. I FEEL something each time he skates that is indescribable. He is the first skater I’ve felt this moved by since Michelle Kwan. His skating quality is top notch and I feel that he often doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

The haters love to talk about inflation. They criticize every flaw and seemingly blame Patrick for his high scores. Patrick can’t really control the judges’ marks. Figure skating is still a subjective sport, and Patrick’s job is done once he leaves the ice. Plus, I personally don’t comment much on skaters I don’t like (other than giving a brief opinion if it’s relevant), so I don’t understand why people spend so much time criticizing skaters they don’t like. YouTube is the best example of this I can think of: If you really don't like a particular skater, why watch videos of them and then post hateful comments on said videos? As I said, Patrick seems like a love/hate skater among fans.

So, THIS is where it all started for me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d9LSJIzuQU

His exhibition that year was FABULOUS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQfSjgbRu7w

And now there’s THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka1KF4Y1HVM

I could go on, but I’ll stop there. Suffice it to say, I will forever be a fan of Patrick Chan’s skating. I hope he wins the OGM in Sochi! :)
 

lea

Rinkside
Joined
May 14, 2012
Adelina Sotnikova also twitted that she was training today with Patrick:

"his SKATING IS GENIUS!!! it's breathtaking when he gains speed! want to skate like that!
was skating on the same ice with Patrick Chan today! and tomorrow I'll see him at hotel"

:clap:
Adelina is one of my favorite skater from last season.
I like her skating style and maturity on the ice. So I am glad to read this tweet.

Welcome lea to the fest!
I have been visiting this place and want to post something about Patrick.
But my poor english makes it difficult. Anyway thanks !
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Welcome to the fest, skatingfan4ever, where unabashed fans of Patrick Chan celebrate the man and his genius.

Like his skating skills, Patrick's artistry is sublime, best examplified by his Aranjuez program. La Boheme, while not hitting people over the head with emoting, is easier to experience. The choreography and the skating tell a story with different stages and emotions that Patrick brought to life on ice. Aranjuez, OTOH, is a program in which Patrick soared with the music and the evolving feelings. It is grand, it is refined, it is sophisticated, it is sublime. It takes the skills nobody else has to bring it to such level of performance.

Can you tell I love Patrick's Aranjuez? :) I find each of his programs quite distinct but all require both the skating skills and artistry of the highest levels to perform. The passion of POTO was overwhelming for me when he performed at the Canadian Nationals and at Worlds.

Still looking forward to the evolution and progress of his new programs to the ultimately amazing peak.

eta. lea, your English is as good as any of us. Don't be shy. We have read about similar comments from elite skaters on Patrick's skating as from Adelina, because he is the skaters' skater, highly appreciated and admired by those who really know skating.
 
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lea

Rinkside
Joined
May 14, 2012
haha I like your posting skatingfan4ever. Agreed! :agree:
Sometimes It's really tough to be a fan of Patrick. So many haters and bashing things.
Honestly at first I didn't get Patrick's skating too.(on tv)
But I fell in love with Patrick's skating at the ice show where I went to see other skaters.
Many people say Chan's skating doesn't have a soul. But That day, His skating was full of soul! really.
It was a magic.
I found he is a lyrical skater.


About inflation and bashing..
mob psychology,mostly irrational,double standard etc.
They should be ashamed
 
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emdee

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Welcome Lea and SF4ever.
I feel really bad for those who have not seen him live. Its a totally different experience. December 14 I will be seeing him live again and look forward to it very much.

I hope he has a good outing in COR.At any rate I want him to make the GPF so he can skate in the Sochi arena.
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
SkateFiguring - Thanks for the welcome. Oh yes, I love Patrick's Aranjuez as well. I have loved each of his programs and they're never boring no matter how many times I watch them. I think La Boheme will grow on me, but I don't love it yet. I fell in love with Aranjuez right away. I look forward to seeing him grow into La Boheme.

lea - The tweet from Sotnikova is so sweet. I love it! Patrick is a skater's skater, that's for sure.

emdee - I hope to see Patrick live one day. I have my fingers crossed for a good COR result, although I sort of hope he's not perfect so he can be even more amazing at Nationals and Worlds. I will be so sad if he doesn't make the GPF.

On a side note, I think it's interesting that fans can sometimes be more mean to skaters when talking with other fans than skaters are to each other. Yes, they're all very competitive and want to win, but they also seem to respect one another and realize the talents of their competitors. In the small medal ceremony at Worlds last year, both Daisuke and Yuzuru said Patrick was one of their favorite skaters.
 

SGrand

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
Yes, she is 13-years old skater :yes:

Adelina Sotnikova also twitted that she was training today with Patrick:

"his SKATING IS GENIUS!!! it's breathtaking when he gains speed! want to skate like that!
was skating on the same ice with Patrick Chan today! and tomorrow I'll see him at hotel"

That is the cutest, I love that most other skaters really appreciate him and are kind of 'in awe' of him. I just recently read an old interview where Ryan Bradley was talking about PC's amazing skills and how he wished he could skate like that.
 
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