Random Figure Skating Questions | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Random Figure Skating Questions

Robeye

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Question!

Why does the British Eurosport pronounce Yuzuru's name wrong most of the time? For example Yazunori. And why do they sometimes mess up the skaters countries? For example Patrick Chan of China and Mirai Nagasu of Japan.
:laugh: This is not just a few figure skating announcers. The Brits as a nation have been doing this for at least a couple of centuries. Churchill stubbornly stuck to pronouncing "Nazis" as "Nartzees". Butchering French words has a hoary tradition there and was an infallible test of ethnicity long before DNA was discovered. Younger Brits have moved away from the linguistic mayhem of their forefathers, but I believe Prince Philip is still among the most instrumental in keeping alive the grand British tradition of the Cultural Gaffe.

A list of the Duke of Edinburgh's 65 greatest hits: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-philip-quotes-relive-65-1445185

Some gems:

9 To President of Nigeria, who was in national dress, 2003: “You look like you’re ready for bed!”

14 To a British trekker in Papua New Guinea, 1998: “You managed not to get eaten then?”

25 To a woman solicitor, 1987: “I thought it was against the law for a woman to solicit.”

36 To Scottish driving instructor, 1995: “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?”

65 “People think there’s a rigid class system here, but dukes have even been known to marry chorus girls. Some have even married Americans.”


If there is one thing that can be said for him, he seems to be an equal opportunity offender. :p



Americans were never quite as bad, if only because a longer history of immigration provided more frequent opportunities for bringing a broader range of names and nationalities to the attention of the public at large.

(I kid, of course ;))
 

cheerio2

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Cheerio......I think it's body language which may be hard to explain. Shoulders come up a little, the skater is shaking his hands/arms and legs coming on to the ice and just looks like the weight of the world is on him or her.

I see. Thanks!
 

aftertherain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Just re-watched some programs from Nationals.

What do Scott and Sandra mean when they say that Polina's technique is "pure?" As a casual figure skating fan, I could not for the life of me, figure it out.
 

MoonlightSkater

On the Ice
Joined
May 17, 2011
Just re-watched some programs from Nationals.

What do Scott and Sandra mean when they say that Polina's technique is "pure?" As a casual figure skating fan, I could not for the life of me, figure it out.

I think they meant that she has really solid technique, proper jump entrance edges, and so forth, that allows her skating to flow smoothly. Pure technique = pure skating, or something like that
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
My stupid question: if the lutz is the hardest non-axel jump, how come people have attempted a quad lutz but not a quad loop or flip? (to the best of my knowledge among the "elites")

Different skaters like different jumps. Takahashi attempted 4flip in competition, IIRC.

I also found it weird that one Canadian pair does side-by-side lutzes but no one seems to do side-by-side loops or flips. Maybe that's just easier to time together? Does anyone do sbs loops or flips among the elites?

Duhamel/Radford do all sbs triples (sans axel) in practice.

Stupid question: What do commentators mean when they say a skater "looks tight"? Sometimes they also say a jump looks tight...which I guess means underrotated or not much height/flow?

Lack of flow on the landing and/or rotation just about completed, probably.

What do Scott and Sandra mean when they say that Polina's technique is "pure?" As a casual figure skating fan, I could not for the life of me, figure it out.

I don't think they know themselves what they mean by it. They just seem to throw out random words. They are just shockingly ineloquent. :bang:

What they probably referred to was the fact she was landing solid jumps?
 

MoonlightSkater

On the Ice
Joined
May 17, 2011
Stupid question: What do commentators mean when they say a skater "looks tight"? Sometimes they also say a jump looks tight...which I guess means underrotated or not much height/flow?

Often skaters who are nervous come up in their knees a bit, and can't relax into a program and let it flow.
 

RABID

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
It seems to me a pattern is emerging since the Japanese Nationals that the "old guard" skaters like Mao, Ashley and Carolina are not being "gifted" anymore. It seems all of a sudden nothing can be taken for granted in Sochi. Now YuNa, due to her near absence this season seems not to have been touched by this trend, yet. I am thinking the judges in Sochi might actually be harsher on the veterans and more forgiving of the newbies. The Europeans aren't over so perhaps I am jumping the gun but here is my question; is it possible a clean Adelina beats a clean YuNa? :slink:
Note; this is a "stupid question" thread.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
"They are shockingly ineloquent" made me laugh out loud. So true! I think Scott and Sandra have been doing this for so long that they sort of use the same catch phrases and buzz words and think they sound knowledgeable.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
:laugh: This is not just a few figure skating announcers. The Brits as a nation have been doing this for at least a couple of centuries. Churchill stubbornly stuck to pronouncing "Nazis" as "Nartzees". Butchering French words has a hoary tradition there and was an infallible test of ethnicity long before DNA was discovered. Younger Brits have moved away from the linguistic mayhem of their forefathers, but I believe Prince Philip is still among the most instrumental in keeping alive the grand British tradition of the Cultural Gaffe.

I think the way Churchill pronounced it was NAH-zeez, without the "t" sound that should properly end the first syllable, but you make an apt point about him; he was, after all, the member of an aristocratic family, and he came of age in the 1890s. A true son of the British Empire. When I was over there long ago, announcers on BBC 3, the classical music station, used to pronounce Don Juan as "Don Juu-an," with the "j" sound as in "jump." And Don Quixote was pronounced just the way it was spelled, "kwix-ote." The car the Jaguar was always "Jag-you-are." How we Americans can say that we speak English is sometimes beyond me.
 

Robeye

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
I think the way Churchill pronounced it was NAH-zeez, without the "t" sound that should properly end the first syllable, but you make an apt point about him; he was, after all, the member of an aristocratic family, and he came of age in the 1890s. A true son of the British Empire. When I was over there long ago, announcers on BBC 3, the classical music station, used to pronounce Don Juan as "Don Juu-an," with the "j" sound as in "jump." And Don Quixote was pronounced just the way it was spelled, "kwix-ote." The car the Jaguar was always "Jag-you-are." How we Americans can say that we speak English is sometimes beyond me.
But you forgot the "r". :biggrin:

"There is one word he did mutilate, to his great advantage, by talking about the “Narzees” rather than the “Nazis”."

http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/myths/myths/he-stuttered

I guess we can safely conclude that two wrongs do, indeed, make a right. ;)
 

Matilda

Medalist
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
I don't think they know themselves what they mean by it. They just seem to throw out random words. They are just shockingly ineloquent. :bang:

Quote of the day! Their commentary is mostly inane and at times absolutely intolerable. I showed Jason's FS to a friend who rarely watches skating; she loved the performance but asked me who the "guy making awful grunts throughout the skate" was...
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
is it possible a clean Adelina beats a clean YuNa? :slink:

After the marks she got at Euros, yes.

"They are shockingly ineloquent" made me laugh out loud. So true! I think Scott and Sandra have been doing this for so long that they sort of use the same catch phrases and buzz words and think they sound knowledgeable.

Or they don't even use words. During Jason Brown's FS, Hamilton does some unintelligible grunting. :rolleye:

(I also love how the underrotated and double-footed 3axel is the point where Hamilton says how Brown is hitting all of his 3axels or something like that. Very apt. :D Bezic quickly points out that 'it was a little double-footed' sounding a little embarassed)
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
Oh, my, now we've shifted the discussion to my very favorite skating commentator in the whole wide world, Scott Hamilton. NOT

Another of his catch-phrases is "He/She NAILS it!" He uses this whenever a skater manages to complete a jump without falling. It does not matter if the skater barely hangs on or if the landing is so scratchy you can hear the grind and see the snow on television... they NAIL it!

I know he wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I miss Dick Button. I learned so much about figure skating and its history from him.
 

Dr. Jenn

Medalist
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Hi everyone!

Long time lurker, first time poster... I was just curious as to why the U.S. awards a pewter medal at their national championships. As far as I know, no other country follows this practice. I did a quick search online and could not find an answer to my question, so I was hoping someone on this board would know.

Thanks! :)
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
Hi everyone!

Long time lurker, first time poster... I was just curious as to why the U.S. awards a pewter medal at their national championships. As far as I know, no other country follows this practice. I did a quick search online and could not find an answer to my question, so I was hoping someone on this board would know.

Thanks! :)

Firstly, welcome to the forum, Dr. Jenn! I hope you enjoy your time here! ;) :biggrin:

Very good question!

When I saw the photo of Ashley on the podium with Gracie, Polina E and Mirai, I was wondering "hang on, what's going on here? Have they brought Ashley up because they're taking her to Sochi?"

It was only when I went onto Wikipedia a few days later to look up a result from a previous year, that I saw that the 4th position was coloured in. And I realised "ah, they must award something to 4th position!"

To answer your question, I have no idea! The only explanation I can think of is because they're American, and Americans like to do things BIGGER and (in their eyes) better!

Why have just three on the podium when you can have four?! :cool:

Sorry for going with the stereotype, but it is the only logical explanation I can think of!


There is something I have often wondered, and since it is kinda related to this question, I will ask it now.

Now, I don't know if they do this in America, but they do it at ISU events (it was last night's Ice Dance podium ceremony at Europeans that put the question in my head again).

Why is it that in figure skating that the podium presentations are done in the order 1-2-3?

In every other sport I have ever seen a podium ceremony for, the presentations are done in the order 3-2-1.

So, does anybody know the reason for this?

Thank you

CaroLiza_fan
 

Becki

Medalist
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Firstly, welcome to the forum, Dr. Jenn! I hope you enjoy your time here! ;) :biggrin:

Very good question!

When I saw the photo of Ashley on the podium with Gracie, Polina E and Mirai, I was wondering "hang on, what's going on here? Have they brought Ashley up because they're taking her to Sochi?"

It was only when I went onto Wikipedia a few days later to look up a result from a previous year, that I saw that the 4th position was coloured in. And I realised "ah, they must award something to 4th position!"

To answer your question, I have no idea! The only explanation I can think of is because they're American, and Americans like to do things BIGGER and (in their eyes) better!

Why have just three on the podium when you can have four?! :cool:

Sorry for going with the stereotype, but it is the only logical explanation I can think of!


There is something I have often wondered, and since it is kinda related to this question, I will ask it now.

Now, I don't know if they do this in America, but they do it at ISU events (it was last night's Ice Dance podium ceremony at Europeans that put the question in my head again).

Why is it that in figure skating that the podium presentations are done in the order 1-2-3?

In every other sport I have ever seen a podium ceremony for, the presentations are done in the order 3-2-1.

So, does anybody know the reason for this?

Thank you

CaroLiza_fan

I think it's because it's harder to step onto the top of the podium in skates, so if the order was 3-2-1, the the gold medalist would have the hardest time getting on the podium. S/he would literally have to step on either the silver or bronze medalist's platform in order to get onto their own. Therefore, to make the medal ceremony a lot smoother, it makes more sense to have it 1-2-3. Just my two cents 'cause I've wondered that too.
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
I think it's because it's harder to step onto the top of the podium in skates, so if the order was 3-2-1, the the gold medalist would have the hardest time getting on the podium. S/he would literally have to step on either the silver or bronze medalist's platform in order to get onto their own. Therefore, to make the medal ceremony a lot smoother, it makes more sense to have it 1-2-3. Just my two cents 'cause I've wondered that too.

Yes, Becki!!! :agree: That totally makes sense!!! :biggrin:

Thank you so much for finally putting me out of my misery!

CaroLiza_fan
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
After the marks she got at Euros, yes.

Give me some of what you are smoking. Kim in her only international this year scored several points higher than that in the short with a fall and Sotnikova with the LP of her life at her own Nationals scored almost 10 points lower than what Yu Na scored at a World Championships.


Now my turn. Can Jeremy Abbott score over 100 if he does a short program at the Games like his Nationals one that almost got 100 (crazy question as the thread requested but atleast it is more likely than the above).
 
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