NBC Coverage of Grand Prix Final - December 8, 2013 | Page 2 | Golden Skate

NBC Coverage of Grand Prix Final - December 8, 2013

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
I suggest people go back and listen again to what Patrick said. He didn't say he LET Hanyu win this one - he said it was OKAY for Hanyu to win this one. BIG difference people. And yes I would agree that the dance competition is going to be fierce but don't think Schlanger was out of line....the last 2 times the teams have met, D&W have won. Doesn't matter if its a landslide or a tenth of a point. They won and certainly deserve to be considered the favorites going into the Olys. I think the Free Dance at the Olys is going to be the most exciting competition of the whole season.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
I suggest people go back and listen again to what Patrick said. He didn't say he LET Hanyu win this one - he said it was OKAY for Hanyu to win this one. BIG difference people. And yes I would agree that the dance competition is going to be fierce but don't think Schlanger was out of line....the last 2 times the teams have met, D&W have won. Doesn't matter if its a landslide or a tenth of a point. They won and certainly deserve to be considered the favorites going into the Olys. I think the Free Dance at the Olys is going to be the most exciting competition of the whole season.

Precise quote: "I'll let Yuzuru win this one and I'll win at the Olympics."

I guess you can take it as him accepting Yuzuru's win. However, many folks took it differently, including the NBC Olympic Reporters who were tweeting during the coverage:

https://twitter.com/NickMcCarvel/status/409744462701531136

Nick McCarvel
‏@NickMcCarvel
#Hanyu beats Chan in the free skate winning the #GPF13. "I'll let Yuzuru win this one and I'll win at the Olympics," Chan says #fightinwords
10:01 AM - 8 Dec 13

His colleague however didn't mind the comment:

Nick Zaccardi ‏@nzaccardi
@NickMcCarvel No way, say it to the media! Figure skating (all Olympic sports, really) need more candid stars!
 

HJJ

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
I suggest people go back and listen again to what Patrick said. He didn't say he LET Hanyu win this one - he said it was OKAY for Hanyu to win this one. BIG difference people. And yes I would agree that the dance competition is going to be fierce but don't think Schlanger was out of line....the last 2 times the teams have met, D&W have won. Doesn't matter if its a landslide or a tenth of a point. They won and certainly deserve to be considered the favorites going into the Olys. I think the Free Dance at the Olys is going to be the most exciting competition of the whole season.

I just went back and listened again. Yes! Chan said, "Let Yuzuru win this one and I'll win Olympics next."
 

katymay

Medalist
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Precise quote: "I'll let Yuzuru win this one and I'll win at the Olympics."

I guess you can take it as him accepting Yuzuru's win. However, many folks took it differently, including the NBC Olympic Reporters who were tweeting during the coverage:

https://twitter.com/NickMcCarvel/status/409744462701531136

Nick McCarvel
‏@NickMcCarvel
#Hanyu beats Chan in the free skate winning the #GPF13. "I'll let Yuzuru win this one and I'll win at the Olympics," Chan says #fightinwords
10:01 AM - 8 Dec 13

His colleague however didn't mind the comment:

Nick Zaccardi ‏@nzaccardi
@NickMcCarvel No way, say it to the media! Figure skating (all Olympic sports, really) need more candid stars!


This is what I heard as well...I looked up and ....like ***? Did he just say that? Certainly Patrick has an EGO as big as the Olympics.
 

Kalina

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 30, 2012
Yep, it's 'I let him'. He said the exact same thing in yesterday's CBC coverage.
 

Kitt

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Country
United-States
yes, did he miss the fact that Yuzuru beat him by 13 points? It wasn't exactly close, Patrick!
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Precise quote: "I'll let Yuzuru win this one and I'll win at the Olympics."

I guess you can take it as him accepting Yuzuru's win. However, many folks took it differently, including the NBC Olympic Reporters who were tweeting during the coverage:

https://twitter.com/NickMcCarvel/status/409744462701531136

Nick McCarvel
‏@NickMcCarvel
#Hanyu beats Chan in the free skate winning the #GPF13. "I'll let Yuzuru win this one and I'll win at the Olympics," Chan says #fightinwords
10:01 AM - 8 Dec 13

His colleague however didn't mind the comment:

Nick Zaccardi ‏@nzaccardi
@NickMcCarvel No way, say it to the media! Figure skating (all Olympic sports, really) need more candid stars!

In context, I did not find Chan's words to be egregious or offensive. In the NBC mini-interview, he was saying positive things about his own GP season overall. Then when he made the comments about Hanyu and the Olympics, I think it was Chan's way of acknowledging the reality that of course Hanyu won the Final while affirming Chan's own optimism going into Sochi.

Don't athletes in sports other than figure skating say this kind of stuff all the time -- without the perception of being dismissive of or condescending toward their rivals? :confused2: :think:
 

caitie

Medalist
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
I did find it to be an arrogant quote, but I think people underestimate the amount of mental toughness it takes to deliver medal worthy programs under this kind of pressure. I don't think a lot of these athletes could do what they do without really believing that they are the best. The attitude of okay, I let him have this one, but *I'm* winning the next one is possibly a necessary attitude for Chan to keep positive and stay confident. Maybe he shouldn't have said that to the media, but on some level censoring that kind of attitude to the media is an acknowledgement that it might be unfounded, so... I mean, yeah it's kind of an annoying way to phrase it but I think it's just an athlete in the zone gearing up for the most important competition of his life.

That said, Hanyu completely deserved the win and I was so happy for him. I also think Mao deserved the win over Julia. Julia placed 4th in the short program, and Mao's skate was exquisite there. Julia's jumps seem very small to me, too. That said, I am glad to see her PCS rising because I think she interprets the piece of music beautifully, and I was happy NBC chose on one of her amazing spins as the gold medal moment or whatever that little moment of zen-esque clip at the end of these recaps is called.

And ah, I can't believe they mentioned pairs! It's nice to see them actually show Meryl and Charlie's FD too, since they didn't even mention their results (or the Shib's!) at NHK.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Sorry - I guess I heard what I wanted to. But I think people are overreacting. If you aren't proud of yourself, if you don't have self-assurance, if you don't lay down a gauntlet, if you don't have a winning attitude, then you end up like Jeremy Abbott. All talent but doesn't compete very well. (and I do like Jeremy, don't get me wrong) It seems like some hang on every word out of Patrick's mouth and turn it into a negative. But other skaters can crow about themselves and they're given a pass....a younger Plushenko comes to mind! He got beat today. He wasn't blaming it on anybody or making any excuses. And in a way he did "let" Hanyu win by not skating his best. I seriously doubt it was purposeful. I'm still picking him to win the OGM - and I'm not even Canadian.

The best man is going to win regardless of what they say prior to the competition....it's going to be a good competition.
 

pitterpatter

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
If you aren't proud of yourself, if you don't have self-assurance, if you don't lay down a gauntlet, if you don't have a winning attitude, then you end up like Jeremy Abbott. All talent but doesn't compete very well.

Nonsense, you can have a winning attitude and still be respectful and gracious to your competitors. Yuzuru here and the likes of Daisuke Takahashi, who's beloved not only for his skating but his humble personality, come to mind.

Anyway, this was an unfortunate thing to say but I think Patrick just had another foot in mouth moment here, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. Still, he has to be more careful of his words from this point on - in the runup to the Olympics, people are going to be analyzing his every word and he needs to expect that. Hoping he gets through the Olympics with minimal controversy, so the attention can be solely on his skating.
 

skatingfan4ever

"Our blade takes us in the most amazing places."
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Joined
Nov 3, 2012
Country
United-States
Sorry - I guess I heard what I wanted to. But I think people are overreacting. If you aren't proud of yourself, if you don't have self-assurance, if you don't lay down a gauntlet, if you don't have a winning attitude, then you end up like Jeremy Abbott. All talent but doesn't compete very well. (and I do like Jeremy, don't get me wrong) It seems like some hang on every word out of Patrick's mouth and turn it into a negative. But other skaters can crow about themselves and they're given a pass....a younger Plushenko comes to mind! He got beat today. He wasn't blaming it on anybody or making any excuses. And in a way he did "let" Hanyu win by not skating his best. I seriously doubt it was purposeful. I'm still picking him to win the OGM - and I'm not even Canadian.

The best man is going to win regardless of what they say prior to the competition....it's going to be a good competition.
:agree: Chan, Takahashi, and Hanyu all seem to have a lot of respect for one another in their interactions. They all want to win though. It wasn't a good choice of words, but hardly worth getting upset over IMO. At the Olympics, the skating and scores are what will matter, not what any skater says or doesn't say to the media beforehand. :slink: May the best man win in Sochi! I hope everyone skates well so we can enjoy a lot of fabulous skating!

ETA: Just watched the broadcast. Seems like it was something Patrick may have been thinking but SHOULD NOT have said out loud. I stand by what I said above - that it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Let's hope that the skating will do ALL of the talking at the Olympics. No controversies for any figure skaters in Sochi please. ;)
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
I'm still disgusted with NBC for showing very little pairs skating & ice dancing!
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
He got beat today......And in a way he did "let" Hanyu win by not skating his best.

Chan didn't skate his best in the SP---he doubled the lutz. But he DID skate his best in the FS. He landed two quads and the 3a, no falls; he got L4 on footwork and 2 spins and L3 on his final spin.

Hanyu fell on his first quad, got L3 on his footwork, l4 on 2 spins and L1 on his final spin, yet he won the FS by .08.

Doesn't look to me as if Chan 'let' Hanyu do anything. Chan tried to win and failed. The same thing could happen in Sochi.

Hanyu has the capability to land two quads and two 3as in combination in the FS, and that makes him a threat.
 

lcd

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
I'm still disgusted with NBC for showing very little pairs skating & ice dancing!

Could not agree with you more. What it is, is EMBARRASSING and SHAMEFUL. All of the disciplines have fans and especially given the consistent strength of the US in Ice Dance, it actually borders on malpractice from a journalism standpoint, in my opinion.

Also, I love Johhny and Tara - but I really wish the two of them would talk LESS during the performance. They can chatter away all they want before and after, but DURING the performance, it's about 50% too much and 100% annoying.
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I'm with Johnny...Chan skated clean but he did not skate his best. A lot was missing from his skating today imo. He was just getting through it. His presentation, footwork, edges wasn't as on point. That natural quality he brings was missing and the height of his jumps wasn't there. Now I'm not a fan of Chan the person but he is an awesome skater. He just was not himself out there.
 

Ven

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Figure skating commentary should be sparse during performances, and when something is said, it should be concise. Just the right comments at the right time can really add to the pleasure of watching the performance, so it need not be all silence, but definitely the tendency by broadcasters seems to be to run their mouths.
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Mao Asada was in a class by herself.

I agree. She is just classy and elegant. Her ss across the whole ice is on another level. Minus Mao, Adelina and Ash everyone looks junior to me. I like them and can't wait til they grow.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
It's clockwork for Chan to bomb yet another interview. I love all the reactions and drama :laugh::clap:
 
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