Patrick Chan | Page 127 | Golden Skate

Patrick Chan

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
There are different kinds of jumpers depending on their body types. There are the power jumpers like Stojko and kVDP; there are the slim fast rotating type like Reynolds, Hanyu, and Plushenko who also has an unique ability to sense/know his body position in the air and somehow is able to adjust mid-air and land despite tilting or any poor air position. Patrick is not built either slim or stocky strong so technique is actually much more important with him. Being relaxed with entry of proper pacing - breathing and rhythm - determine his success. It is about precision. Lori Nichols knows his skills best and choreographed to his strength and style of skating. I always wished she would choreograph his Olympic programs. To me, losing her as his choreographer is a greater loss than Christi Krall who, though good for him at a time as the jump coach, was too rigid and micro-managing for a matured supremely talented skater.

Any way, Patrick still has all his jumps and other skills but it came down to the mental issue. Of all the skaters in all the disciplines, he was the only winning a silver medal would be a great disappointment and devastating. Silver would be very acceptable and celebrated by anybody else including Hanyu and Yuna. V/M were disappointed but not devastated. They might feel they let themselves down but no apology. When you want something (or someone) too badly, you either chase it/them away or you end up making a deal with the devil.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I was in the arena and I have to say his lp was really beautiful, the last minute was mesmerizing, I may have been bigger fan of Hanyu but after his performance I was wishing for a clean skate and a great Oly performance by Chan, despite the mistakes I thought this Lp was one of my favs of the night and gave a SO, i hope it doesnt feel like losing the gold, but winning the silver, it is an awesome accomplishment , actually two medals in one week!
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
In the heat of the moment following the FS, I thought, "Gosh, wouldn't it be great if Patrick went to Pyeongchang and surprised everyone by having a great skate and maybe even winning the OGM! That would be a comeback story for the ages!" The more I think about it, though, I'm not sure Patrick should do that. He's had a fabulous last four years and a wonderful figure skating journey to date. If he does compete more, I hope he can somehow free himself of others' expectations, just skate for the love of it, and not be too worried about results.

Regarding all this talk of Patrick's jump technique and his difficult type of skating, I definitely think it would be very hard to sustain over four more years, especially with all the young guns that will be on the scene. Plus, I don't know if my nerves could stand it if Patrick competed for another four years! :laugh: I get more nervous watching Patrick compete than any other skater on the planet! If Patrick turns pro, it's the best of both worlds - we can watch his glorious skating WITHOUT all the nerves or the restrictions of competitive programs! And in that scenario, Patrick gets to enjoy skating without all of this as well, which I would imagine would be quite liberating.

When I first looked at the FS starting order, I thought it would be perfect for Patrick. In hindsight, I think it may have worked out better if Patrick had skated before Hanyu. IIRC, Patrick told CBC that his mind started racing once he heard Hanyu's low score. It's one of those "what ifs" that can't be answered. Mentally it was such a tough night for Patrick and he was physically exhausted, having not slept the night before. I don't envy him one bit. I'm so proud of him for getting through the FS as well as he did under the circumstances.

Patrick seems like such a real, down-to-earth person. He's proud of his abilities and accomplishments, nothing more. He tends to project confidence and is very self-assured, which can be taken for arrogance if one is so inclined. I've never seen him as arrogant, not even when he has said controversial things. In fact, I love him precisely because of his honesty and frankness. Patrick wouldn't be Patrick without it.
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
I was in the arena and I have to say his lp was really beautiful, the last minute was mesmerizing, I may have been bigger fan of Hanyu but after his performance I was wishing for a clean skate and a great Oly performance by Chan, despite the mistakes I thought this Lp was one of my favs of the night and gave a SO, i hope it doesnt feel like losing the gold, but winning the silver, it is an awesome accomplishment , actually two medals in one week!
Thank you for this great post! I've said many times before that Patrick's skating is beautiful even when he doesn't land the jumps, such that I could watch it all day long. His Sochi Olympics FS has been too painful for me to rewatch yet, but after reading your post, I think I can watch it again. I'm glad you gave him him a SO. This shows that you can move an audience even without perfection.
 

yyyskate

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2013
I dont mean that Patrick is arrogant. I didnot follow Patrick as many fans on this thread did. just amazed by him since 2013. From my personal interaction with Patrick, he is nothing but down-to-earth and extremely nice to fans. Also, I don't know much of his previous interviews or comments. But recently, I saw him on TV. apparently heart-broken, but still has to put himself together, and show his fan/country that he is okay/confident.... which makes me feel for him...
Show programs will never be the same as competitions. In the competitions, you will see quads, especially, with the way Patrick skates, the speed, the amplitude, the projection, the power, the difficulty... is Man's power and classic grace in figure skating on full-display.
I agree, Patrick's skating itself is pure magic. You literally can hear a pin drop when he skates his 13worlds SP. although there is a 4T-3T and 3A in that program. but people didnot excited by the pure suspension of a jump because they were carried away by the spell of his skating. I did not recall any other program achieved that.
Patrick's skating at TEB, made guys (Brezina/Eric) tearing eyes, it speaks something...

Will there be another majestic skater like Patrick in the future?

EDIT, I was search on Youtube to watch Patrick's 13 worlds SP again, and I found this comments below:

"I have become fan after just seeing him in his short program in the Olympics. He came in second but I actually preferred his skating. So beautiful!"
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
I dont mean that Patrick is arrogant. I didnot follow Patrick as many fans on this thread did. just amazed by him since 2013. From my personal interaction with Patrick, he is nothing but down-to-earth and extremely nice to fans. Also, I don't know much of his previous interviews or comments. But recently, I saw him on TV. apparently heart-broken, but still has to put himself together, and show his fan/country that he is okay/confident.... which makes me feel for him...
Show programs will never be the same as competitions. In the competitions, you will see quads, especially, with the way Patrick skates, the speed, the amplitude, the projection, the power, the difficulty... is Man's power and classic grace in figure skating on full-display.
I agree, Patrick's skating itself is pure magic. You literally can hear a pin drop when he skates his 13worlds SP. although there is a 4T-3T and 3A in that program. but people didnot excited by the pure suspension of a jump because they were carried away by the spell of his skating. I did not recall any other program achieved that.
Patrick's skating at TEB, made guys (Brezina/Eric) tearing eyes, it speaks something...

Will there be another majestic skater like Patrick in the future?

EDIT, I was search on Youtube to watch Patrick's 13 worlds SP again, and I found this comments below:

"I have become fan after just seeing him in his short program in the Olympics. He came in second but I actually preferred his skating. So beautiful!"
Oh, I know you didn't say he was arrogant. Other people have in other threads in the past, so I was just venting a little. Thank you for your post. Other skaters know greatness when they see it and at TEB they saw it. You're right, show programs are never the same as competition ones. That's why I hope he will compete at least a little more, so he can leave competition with better memories than he has now. But he should definitely not do that if his heart is not in it. As far as your concluding question, I have no idea. Probably not for a long time. Coaches like Mr. Colson are exceedingly rare nowadays. Jason Brown's coach also emphasizes basics a lot. Anything is possible, but Patrick will always have a special place in my heart. Our favorite skaters are our favorites precisely because we consider them irreplaceable. However, our list of favorites can certainly get longer over time.

That YouTube comment is great and makes me very happy! :)
 

yyyskate

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2013
I watched his impromptu speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-zEx55rmwU and also this CBC promo about the history of Canadian male skaters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYmBMIX0PcU
I had to say that is a great speech, and I have my utter respect for Canadian legend male skaters, who just like Patrick said has pushed this sports forward and contributed tremendously, including Selflessly coaching skaters from other countries to OGM!
This is definitely not arrogant. This is a man who is proud of his country, passionate about his sports and can embrace win or lose graciously. Patrick is a gem!
I really cannot understand those haters say all those nasty words and attack Patrick personally on other threads.
I think this lose perhaps is a blessing in disguise. People get to know and appreciate Patrick more just like I did during these couple of days.
You go, Patrick!


I remembered Max Arron said that he respect Patrick, because he is the one work the hardest.
Is it true that Patrick has some eye problem, so that he has problems at spinning? If he did, he must have worked really hard to overcome the disability.
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
I watched his impromptu speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-zEx55rmwU and also this CBC promo about the history of Canadian male skaters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYmBMIX0PcU
I had to say that is a great speech, and I have my utter respect for Canadian legend male skaters, who just like Patrick said has pushed this sports forward and contributed tremendously, including Selflessly coaching skaters from other countries to OGM!
This is definitely not arrogant. This is a man who is proud of his country, passionate about his sports and can embrace win or lose graciously. Patrick is a gem!
I really cannot understand those haters say all those nasty words and attack Patrick personally on other threads.
I think this lose perhaps is a blessing in disguise. People get to know and appreciate Patrick more just like I did during these couple of days.
You go, Patrick!


I remembered Max Arron said that he respect Patrick, because he is the one work the hardest.
Is it true that Patrick has some eye problem, so that he has problems at spinning? If he did, he must have worked really hard to overcome the disability.
Thank you for this lovely post and also the two videos. Even knowing what happened to Patrick in Sochi, the CBC video is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS! It seems to me that Canadians really have a great sense of humor about most situations (well, at least THESE Canadians do!:)). The funniest thing is watching Brian Orser try to stay neutral because of coaching Yuzuru. :laugh: The best line of the video is when Kurt says simply, "The Olympics are weird." Truer words were never spoken, as the Sochi Men's event proved.

Patrick's speech is SO GOOD and makes me love him even more. He loves Canada and he loves to skate. It's so great to see his smile back and hear his wonderful laugh. For being an impromptu thing, he was extremely articulate. Is it just me or is Patrick getting more and more articulate as time goes by? I really think he is.

Here's another quote from Patrick about "The Curse." In this article, he says:

“I find it funny that Canadian skaters have been labelled as cursed just because we can’t achieve gold at this one event,” he said. “I think we tend to forget about all of the great athletes that Canada has. This is only one event. There are several successful Canadian men, myself included, that changed the sport of figure skating.”
I am more proud of him for this quote than I can even express. Here he is, the latest "victim" of the so-called "curse" and yet he doesn't believe in it and doesn't make excuses. He put so much pressure on himself to bring home Olympic gold, but it need not define his whole figure skating career. He's staying so positive and focusing on how amazing Canadian skaters have been and expressing gratitude for being part of that legacy. He's disappointed, of course, but still laughing and smiling and enjoying himself! :love:
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
Apparently, Patrick is deeply in love with THIS and THAT.

There is talk Patrick is the long lost brother of Suho.:p.

I think Patrick can become a Hong Kong movie star with his charming good looks and athletic abilities.. the male version of Michelle Yeoh. :love:
Patrick Chan, movie star - I like it! Those pictures are so adorable! Whose child is he holding?
 

emdee

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Patrick is really enjoying the Olympics. I see him everywhere with Tessa and Scott. Curling, hockey etc.
 

mmcdermott

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
I just caught a little montage on CBC of the women's hockey final, and Patrick and the rest of the Canadian skating team were shown several times cheering from the stands (I can't seem to find it on the CBC site - maybe it'll show up later). He looked to be having a great time. I'm glad to see him enjoying the rest of his Olympic experience, and to see the team continuing to spend time together.
 

SGrand

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
I just caught a little montage on CBC of the women's hockey final, and Patrick and the rest of the Canadian skating team were shown several times cheering from the stands (I can't seem to find it on the CBC site - maybe it'll show up later). He looked to be having a great time. I'm glad to see him enjoying the rest of his Olympic experience, and to see the team continuing to spend time together.

Was just going to post this!
http://olympics.cbc.ca/videos/video/the-sheepdogs-women-hockey-final-musical.html

Him and Scott are at 1:07 and 1:31 :)
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Patrick seemed very preoccupied during the Team Event and I didn't think it boded well for the Gold medal hope. It is great to see him enjoying the Games now. I'm so glad that he is able to have the perspective and choose to cherish his Olympic experience. :agree: At least now he is in the moment. Have fun, Patrick.

I remember a very playful and goofy funny younger Patrick. Well, he is grown up now but I do like to see that part of him now and then. If he stays to compete, I hope he is over this OGM burden so he may adopt a relaxed attitude and have loads of fun and enjoy his passion of figure skating.
 

SGrand

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
Patrick seemed very preoccupied during the Team Event and I didn't think it boded well for the Gold medal hope. It is great to see him enjoying the Games now. I'm so glad that he is able to have the perspective and choose to cherish his Olympic experience. :agree: At least now he is in the moment. Have fun, Patrick.

I remember a very playful and goofy funny younger Patrick. Well, he is grown up now but I do like to see that part of him now and then. If he stays to compete, I hope he is over this OGM burden so he may adopt a relaxed attitude and have loads of fun and enjoy his passion of figure skating.

I hope so as well. I feel he still has so much to give to skating and he could really enjoy it now, the 'monkey' is off his back, who cares about this damn curse! Go out and skate how you want and have fun. So happy to see him having a blast at the Olympics!

There is another CBC video montage of the Oly's to The Tragically Hip that shows Patrick and FS team cheering. Will try to find it on the site.

It's up now, see them at 1:45
http://olympics.cbc.ca/videos/video/the-tragically-hip-day-musical-montage.html
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
A tweet from Patrick's friend Kurt that I thought was worth posting:

@Pchiddy
Patrick, great speech @ CDN House
My pride has made me colour blind because I only see 2 Olympic Medals! pic.twitter.com/OIWZZlm8Lz
 
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