Vincent Zhou

Found the Men Short Program Press Conference video
https://youtu.be/jy65fSPazFw

Good night!

Zenchio63 said:

Hello, I just finished watching 3 videos of Vincent's SP, 1 with Russian commentary (with Tatiana?), another with British Eurosport (very low sound but very good comments) https://youtu.be/p_NWgYW4lvQ, and lastly, the one uploaded by the wonderful Kutien, on Russian site, but no commentary.
It was certainly worth the wait! But my joy has been hampered by all the negative attacks on poor Vincent from Boyang fans and virtue-signaling trolls on the net. I am seriously so upset that everybody is using Vincent as a punching bag for their own insecurities and vindictiveness. It's not Vincent fault that Jin got UR calls and it's so sad to see all the venom spewed at both Vincent and Nathan, just because they got better scores and are American. :disapp: I should have avoided reading all the posts and hateful video comments :no:

But yes, despite the small stumble, Vincent did a wonderful job and had so much more spirit in this performance. Definitely his best and what a way to end the season! So proud of him :dance: for nailing the quad flip!
He got the highest TES and higher GOE scores on the jumps than Nathan :thumbsup: This will give him the confidence going into the FS to nail it!

So he did do a fist pump after the skate and a "woo" in the Kiss & Cry after the scores were announced :luv17:
Made a screenshot to commemorate the moment:
Vincent's SP Kiss & Cry Reactions
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c1/97/2a/c1972a30bf46f6b06f0aab5c0d50d7da.jpg
Did Tammy pinch Vincent's ear at the end?

BTW, Fool, (love your self-deprecating humor, shared by Vincent), I am really sorry about the break in at your place. Hope they didn't steal or damage anything important. Thank you for sharing your support of Vincent here. Sometimes, I feel like I am the only one rooting for him, when most people just dismiss or criticize him and fawn over other male skaters.

I don't have anything against Boyang, but his fans have really pissed me off, trampling all over Vincent. Here is a little something for good humor
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c8/91/a7/c891a7617c7cf185ea1c698d897b5ce4.jpg

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I can't believe people are hating on Vincent... Well, I can, but I don't want to. I immediately came here after seeing the SP because I'm not interested in the "the judging is rigged!!111" wankfest that the general thread always turns into - yes, there are issues with the judging but Vincent isn't some judges darling lol he's 17 and in his first WC and with a PB is in third after some of the favorites made mistakes... In the era of quads people shouldn't be shocked that one of two guys doing lutz and flip are getting big marks. What ev.

And thank you! Nothing important was stolen but I feel so shaken because I don't feel safe at home anymore. It happened when I was away but what if I had been home? Anyway, hopefully that's over now!

I'm sure the number of Vincent fans will grow, including during these WCs! I kind of think it's a good thing he's not the US media ~star (yet) because that juggernaut is overwhelming to the strongest of people, much less teenagers who are introverted and highly self-critical, however if the media also keeps ignoring him despite his success I will have an axe to grind:agree:

Kind of disturbing to me that I tried to venture to the Vincent ‘Age doesn’t matter’ thread and the haters were out in full force. I am fine with some criticism - but they were openly mocking him and Nathan too - guess they see them as a package deal or something. I guess these posters must seriously feel that their idols are being threatened. Seems that Vincent has gone from mostly under the radar to the Boyang crazies zooming in and making gifs of his landing foot to check rotation. I guess that’s a sign that he’s made it to the big leagues I don’t know lol.
Yeah I don’t know why people are so shocked that the two guys who came with the quad lutz and flip got highest tech. And I guess there’s a contingent that feels that Kolyada should be in first - smh.
Hope Vincent stays oblivious to all this nonsense lol.

oatmella said:

Kind of disturbing to me that I tried to venture to the Vincent ‘Age doesn’t matter’ thread and the haters were out in full force. I am fine with some criticism - but they were openly mocking him and Nathan too - guess they see them as a package deal or something. I guess these posters must seriously feel that their idols are being threatened. Seems that Vincent has gone from mostly under the radar to the Boyang crazies zooming in and making gifs of his landing foot to check rotation. I guess that’s a sign that he’s made it to the big leagues I don’t know lol.
Yeah I don’t know why people are so shocked that the two guys who came with the quad lutz and flip got highest tech. And I guess there’s a contingent that feels that Kolyada should be in first - smh.
Hope Vincent stays oblivious to all this nonsense lol.

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I hope they stay oblivious too. It's also funny because Vincent and Boyang and very friendly with each other (see the Cup of China gala for instance:yay so as always it's a fanwar while the skaters themselves are chillin':cool14:

I really can't stand the package deal thing but you're right, that's how people treat skaters so frequently (another frequent being "Russian girls" and I hate it), but it's kind of "funny" (again) that Nathan and Vincent are suddenly blocked in together, when it used to be Adam the ~personality, Nathan the ~quad king, and that other junior guy :noshake: but like you said, more exposure and entrance into the big leagues comes with... more stuff (but let's hope more fans and sponsors instead).

Fool said:

I can't believe people are hating on Vincent... Well, I can, but I don't want to. I immediately came here after seeing the SP because I'm not interested in the "the judging is rigged!!111" wankfest that the general thread always turns into - yes, there are issues with the judging but Vincent isn't some judges darling lol he's 17 and in his first WC and with a PB is in third after some of the favorites made mistakes... In the era of quads people shouldn't be shocked that one of two guys doing lutz and flip are getting big marks. What ev.

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I can’t with some people thinking Vincent is some kind of “USFS fave” all of a sudden. It’s so obvious that USFed wanted Jason to be on the team but it would have been a PR disaster for them to pass over Vincent again for him (similar to Mirai/Ashley) after a bad Nationals. Vincent’s PCS hasn’t exactly rocketed up a la Alina (and Alina totally deserves that OGM in my book, btw), and using his fall competition performances against him makes it seem like a teenager couldn’t have possibly worked really hard, learned, matured and actually improved over time. He is still on the accelerating upward part of the learning curve. Every “political” point he might be benefiting from now has actually been earned by his improving performances over the season.

I said in the Edge thread that that I believe Vincent is going to be world leader in tech value soon given he is practicing Rippon 4lz and 4lz-3loop, if gets those in his program next year, it’s going to get really crazy, fan war wise.

lyrichord said:

He is still on the accelerating upward part of the learning curve....I said in the Edge thread that that I believe Vincent is going to be world leader in tech value soon given he is practicing Rippon 4lz and 4lz-3loop, if gets those in his program next year, it’s going to get really crazy, fan war wise.

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Welcome to the club! I am glad you can spot real talent and potential. I have already seen the vitriol and hate thrown at Nathan, Alina and Shoma but wasn't expecting such strong backlash against Vincent last night. But I am prepared and will be here faithfully rooting and cheering for him when he gets on the podium tomorrow. I won't join you with the popcorn munching, but will be drinking my aromatic green tea and savouring the victory along with Vincent . The naysayers can go :handw:

Wow, just finished watching Wakaba's magnificent FS performance and so happy for her! Of course, Tiny Queen is my favorite but Wakaba deserved that silver medal! Poor Alina, I hope this will give her the impetus to come back strong next season instead of disappearing like her predecessors. What a surprising and exciting ladies event.

I look forward to the same thing happening tomorrow at the men's FS. What wonderful synchronicity for Vincent to have the same triumphant skate tomorrow as Wakaba, ending in tears of joy! Both over-looked 17 year olds skating their lights out to win Silver. And having 2 American men on the podium to match the 2 Japanese ladies would be so lovely. There wasn't that much hate in the ladies FS thread, but many are hoping 6th and 7th place skaters to take over Vincent's and Nathan's spots. Nobody laughs at their wishful thinking, but there will be a ton of backlash and whining tomorrow when they see who's got the talent and technical prowess to deliver! I won't stoop to their level and make snarky remarks.
Go Vincent, channel your inner Wakaba and show the naysayers who is podium worthy!

Zenchio63 said:

Found the Men Short Program Press Conference video
https://youtu.be/jy65fSPazFw

Good night!

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Wow, thanks for putting together so many instagram photos and other links about Vincent. Kind of an aside, but I'm wondering how Jackie Wong gets to do all the behind the scenes reporting and has such access. He made a skating fan website and has a twitter account, but has a real day job in NYC, right? Well either way it's cool that he is enhancing the availability of skating news. Nice to see him palling around with Misha Ge at the press conference, and the 3 top SP finishers getting their medals wearing regular clothes. They are so young and talented! Time to sleep a bit before waking up at the crack of dawn to watch the men!

livetoskate said:

Wow, thanks for putting together so many instagram photos and other links about Vincent. Kind of an aside, but I'm wondering how Jackie Wong gets to do all the behind the scenes reporting and has such access. He made a skating fan website and has a twitter account, but has a real day job in NYC, right? Well either way it's cool that he is enhancing the availability of skating news. Nice to see him palling around with Misha Ge at the press conference, and the 3 top SP finishers getting their medals wearing regular clothes. They are so young and talented! Time to sleep a bit before waking up at the crack of dawn to watch the men!

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He works as a Management Consultant at McKinsey - apparently he uses all his PTO/vacation and airmiles to do this. He seems very friendly with all the skaters.

oatmella said:

He works as a Management Consultant at McKinsey - apparently he uses all his PTO/vacation and airmiles to do this. He seems very friendly with all the skaters.

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Ahh yes, I recall that article about Jackie a couple of months ago. I'm jealous b/c I used to do some figure skating reporting for a now defunct website, and now I have no time to travel to most competitions anymore (family and work obligations). Last I heard, USFS was making it a little harder for people to get media credentials; you had to have more proof that your site or whatever you were reporting for had x numbers of views and other criteria, so not anyone with a website could get a media pass.

Being a skating reporter paid nothing other than the thrill of being in the moment with the skaters and being able to share the love of the sport; it was exhausting, but also exhilarating to be behind the scenes, trying to get the latest news to the masses as quickly as possible. That was also in the days before everyone had cellphones, youtube and icenetwork, back when people had to rely on second hand reports online if they couldn't watch live. It's so different now with all the skaters and their social media accounts, live streaming options, etc.

Back to Vincent: his Chinese name is literally "the knowledge place." How fitting that he is so intelligent and bookish. No matter what happens with his skating or whether he pursues a different career later, I'm confident he will have a great life and mission.

livetoskate said:

Wow, thanks for putting together so many instagram photos and other links about Vincent. Kind of an aside, but I'm wondering how Jackie Wong gets to do all the behind the scenes reporting and has such access. He made a skating fan website and has a twitter account, but has a real day job in NYC, right? Well either way it's cool that he is enhancing the availability of skating news. Nice to see him palling around with Misha Ge at the press conference, and the 3 top SP finishers getting their medals wearing regular clothes. They are so young and talented! Time to sleep a bit before waking up at the crack of dawn to watch the men!

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You are very welcome! Found some more nice pics from those marvelous Japanese fans, from the Kiss & Cry cute moments to Vincent's fist pump and waving after getting off the ice. The translations are really funny, too:
https://twitter.com/yrn_tknk/status/976862869160693766
https://twitter.com/yrn_tknk/status/976861900540661761

I remember seeing somewhere that Misha had to buy lunch for Jackie since he couldn't afford it, not sure if it's true or not. He is a treasure for the figure skating fans. Some people don't realize how valuable his reports and tweets/pictures are, but he knows he is appreciated. In case anyone hasn't checked out the latest episode (#67) of Ice Talk with Jackie, before he left for Milan - He spoke with Ben Agosto about the men's competition. BTW, Vincent sounds like a baby in the group of intros, LOL

Short snippet of Vincent's thoughts on his successful SP via ISU channel:
https://youtu.be/wAswCBO0Ry0

Come on, Vincent, I know you are trying to be but act a little more excited! Channel your inner Wakaba!

I watched the press conference and know that he was probably tired, excited, overwhelmed but trying to remain centered and act composed, etc., but I wish both him and Nathan would sound a little more upbeat and positive instead of being so serious. That's one thing I like about Kolyada, he always has that little wry smile on his face. I know, I know, both of them were tired of the stupid questions. Nathan about his Olympic experience and Vincent about him being ONLY 17. Not to mention the still ongoing pressure to perform well in the FS. But still, hope they will learn from Jason or even Max on how to put on a "friendler" vibe in the future. I don't expect them to be like Yuzu and Shoma, but it would be nice if people are not getting the vibe that they are indifferent to each other, as someone commented in the press conference video.

Before the press conference, everybody wanted a picture with the boys:
https://twitter.com/nwcgold2018/status/976860069370515459

More Twitter Pics

Found some more pics via Twitter and came up with captions for each:

https://twitter.com/diodio0013tw/status/976809370003501058
Tammy: Vincent, stop twisting your stuffed animal’s tail and think positive!
Christy: Oh, Tammy, let the boy be!

https://twitter.com/toshikon/status/976843353085145088
Pic 1 - Vincent: I know, I know, I look like a baby but wait till you see my killer 4Lz 3T combo!
Pic 2 - Kolyada: See how the bottle is half empty? That’s how I feel right now against the 2 quad kings.

https://twitter.com/xxNORINORIxx/status/976840377964654593
Don’t underestimate me simply because of my age. You don’t know the hours and years I have trained to get to this point.

https://twitter.com/diodio0013tw/status/976840183747436551
Yes, it’s pronounced “Joe”, like “Not your average joe”.

https://twitter.com/rockerskating/status/976839946152669185
Jeopardy music playing. Guess who is the first person who can add up all their TES scores throughout the season and calculate the average?

Good luck with the FS performance tomorrow! Time to get some sleep.

Vincent at practice today:
https://twitter.com/michlmint/status/977464821137465345

Poor Shoma, valiantly skating through pain and injury and still getting attacked. Poor Boyang, falling so many times but what a good sport. Kolyada just fell! Cannot wait for Vincent and Nathan!

Poor baby! You are only 17, you will bounce back next year.

Zenchio63 said:

Poor baby! You are only 17, you will bounce back next year.

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So heartbroken for Vincent, but the ice has been slippery today, except for Nathan, who learned from his Olympic experience. Glad that Shoma still got the silver and Kolyada looking so happy. Tearing up for Nathan now. Vincent, you will have your come back next year like Wakaba did so please don't be so hard on yourself. I know you will learn from this experience! Peace out.

Chin up, kiddo. Your time will come.

:sad21: First Alina, now Vincent, two bad days for two of my favorites. First world championships not that easy for anyone, especially after a long Olympic season. The door was so wide open for Vincent to grab a medal, it just didn’t happen. He is such an ambitious person though, I’m sure he will use this as motivation for next season. At least Nathan and Max saved the three spots for USA.

Aww I haven’t had the chance to watch anything today but I did see the results. Oh Vincent my guy, I wish you nothing but the best for the future and I’m mighty proud and happy with what’s he’s achieved this season:clapper: His message on instagram was also gracious reflective beautiful.

Vincent's Heartfelt Message on Instagram

I just had to copy the message here, for those who don't have the time or inclination to click and read it on his Instagram:

"It’s been such an incredible season. As a first year international Senior, I competed at Two Grand Prixs, made the US Olympic Team, and won a small medal for the Worlds SP. Today wasn’t the skate I dreamed of, but given the very difficult week I had leading up to my performances, I’m proud of my refusal to give in. This performance doesn’t define me as a skater. I am still young and ambitious, and I will be a champion in the future, because I’m not giving myself any other choice.

On the flip side, I can’t even begin to describe how angry I am at myself for letting such an important FS get away from me. I’ve trained clean longs with 5 and 6 quads and I am so capable of being among the best.

While saying all this, one wonders at the difficulty of being completely truthful, especially in a turbulent sea of opinion. That being said – I injured my back just before leaving for Milan, and I’ve struggled through practices this whole week. I did an incredible job of pushing through and not giving myself any excuse to back down from the challenge.

I hope everyone reading this appreciates my honesty. I’ve never had it easy my whole life; things were never just handed to me on a silver platter. That’s what has shaped me into the fighter and truth seeker I am, and nobody can tell me otherwise.

And who can forget, a massive congrats to my teammates Nathan for his incredible achievement and Max on his wonderful skate!

By the way, I find it difficult to hold back from articulating my emotion and perception, so I hope all of you don’t mind reading this. I’m just 17 and have so much ahead of me. I know I can’t let one bad skate consume me, and I know that my health is my #1 priority.

And with that, I bid all of you adieu. See you soon, somewhere from the top of a podium in a place known as my dreams."

Sending Vincent lots of love and hugs! So proud of him for everything that he has achieved this season. He will always be a star and champ in my book. Speaking of Stars, I will see him at the "Stars on Ice" show in May. Can't afford the Meet & Greet so hope I can see him in the parking lot and give him a big hug.