If i could give an OGM to someone without one

oatmella said:

whole post

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Although I am very happy Patrick did get an OGM, I am certain that if you ask any Olympian whether they would prefer to earn a team medal or individual medal, they would all prefer an individual medal. :confused2:

Michelle Kwan!!

Mao and Brian Orser!!

And if they by some insane chance they don’t win in 2022, Papadakis and Ciezeron

satine said:

Although I am very happy Patrick did get an OGM, I am certain that if you ask any Olympian whether they would prefer to earn a team medal or individual medal, they would all prefer an individual medal. :confused2:

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Seconded. The team event is good and honorable, but it is also in its way an artificial construct (or an rather nice excuse to give out more medals, I don't begrudge that at all). They don't compete together, it's a 'team' event for a fiercely non-team sport.

Does anyone think that if any of the skaters at the start of Sochi or PC were offered the choice of a medal as either team or the corresponding individual, they would take more than three seconds to decide? I am pretty confident that even without the OP's qualifier, everyone naming names on this list was really thinking of the big shiny mineallmine (okay, or mineandmypartner'sallmineandmypartner's)

Anyway.... I thought about it and my answer is... no one. I'd give an OGM to no one, not even people I kind of wish had won one. Part of the OGM's draw power is that only one person/pair can have it, and only once every four years (in the recent Japanese special, Plushy said - and he would know - that there was absolutely no greater joy than becoming an Olympic champion.) Only five in each discipline have been given out this century, this millenium. That's a big part of what makes them the ultimate prize.

Which means you either have to reduce its rarity by handing them out as consolation coulda/woulda prize candies (which no athlete would thank you for, and which would definitely cheapen the currency) or take one away from the actual winner (which I wouldn't do - and would look squint-eyed at anyone who would - even if I doubt said winner really deserved it on the day).

I mean, look at this picture, taken at PC. Six men, all of them with fans convinced they could and should be OGM...
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3a/3c/bc/3a3cbcd37809259f6e4a25ce1463f33e.jpg
(...and it occurs to me that if Boyang and Nathan make it to the 2022 podium, three long years away I know, but still... that will make this picture even more special) How many extra OGMs would you need in just that one day?

That photo wasn’t taken at PC. From Nathan’s instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTNqLiyghrD/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=d07egdcqvfpj

Mao and Michelle

Michelle Kwan, Mao Asada, and Evgenia Medvedeva. All three are queens who don’t need a gold medal to prove their worth as skaters, but I still wish they had them!

the OP wrote Individual medal... that's how I responded... not sure if others took that same lead.. but I certainly ruled out team medals based on that.

I value the team medal the same way I value artistic gymnastics team medals... and so many of the newer medals available like luge relay... etc. Once the IOC decides an event worthy enough to declare a champion for it, it is taken seriously by the athletes. Some teams are made of all stars... like Canada was this time around... some countries have other strategies as for them, the better chance may be in a separate event... It is the same in some relays where a skater or a swimmer competing in another heat that day, may be pulled out from the team to pursue another medal... but in the end, being an Olympic Champion is not something anyone can take away from someone who has won it part of the team event... try taking it away from lipnitskaya... just try... she will tell you : i am an olympic champion.

oatmella said:

That photo wasn’t taken at PC. From Nathan’s instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTNqLiyghrD/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=d07egdcqvfpj

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Ooops. My bad, thanks for letting me know. But the point does remain, it could in three years end up as the picture of the six Olympians that made right now so good...

4everchan said:

but in the end, being an Olympic Champion is not something anyone can take away from someone who has won it part of the team event... try taking it away from lipnitskaya... just try... she will tell you : i am an olympic champion.

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But she is not the 2014 OGM, and any attempt to claim as such would look rather... sad.

No one is taking it away, just maybe putting it in its place. If either Yulia, Patrick or Gabby were offered the chance to keep their team gold or swap it for Adelina's, Yuzu's (either but especially Sochi) or Alina's, could they honestly say they would hesitate? The individual is simply more prestigious (we could ask Plushenko, who has one of each, which is the one that matters more).

I agree with the earlier poster that Tai & Randy and Kurt Browning are the ones I'd like to see with Olympic medals.

Skater Boy said:

It was about a year ago we were all enamoured with the winter Olympics. I know many of us love skaters and have favoruites and strong opinions. I was wondering if you the ability to give Olympic Gold Medals to skaters without one who would you give one and why? I am saying awarding OGM to someone without one because then I think we get into a mess if we give OGMs to skaters who already have it because then we get well if we give Hanyu a third OGM then Yuna deserves three or Patrick so keeping it simple (let' see if we can stick to the rules lol) OGM's to those without an individual OGM.

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So, some of us have proved that we can read.

And some of us have proved that we can't or don't want to.

Mao Asada

TallyT said:

Ooops. My bad, thanks for letting me know. But the point does remain, it could in three years end up as the picture of the six Olympians that made right now so good...



But she is not the 2014 OGM, and any attempt to claim as such would look rather... sad.

No one is taking it away, just maybe putting it in its place. If either Yulia, Patrick or Gabby were offered the chance to keep their team gold or swap it for Adelina's, Yuzu's (either but especially Sochi) or Alina's, could they honestly say they would hesitate? The individual is simply more prestigious (we could ask Plushenko, who has one of each, which is the one that matters more).

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You cannot put it in its place as you say... as you are not inside the athletes head.... I can do the same exercise within a different angle... for instance:

Well.. some of the Canadian athletes have already mentioned how special the team event medal is for them, as they all grew up together, had their individual successes at various times and then, came in and put it together when it counted so they could all leave with the glory of being olympic champions together... so the team medal may be very sentimental for some of them... for instance, Scott and Tessa who are the most decorated figure skaters of all-time have mentioned how they wanted chiddy to get his gold... so getting it together must feel so special... do not forget that these guys are friends... sharing joy and achievement with friends is very special...

BTW : in gymnastics, i would think that the all -around individual event is the most prestigious but then, the team event is huge too... and much more prestigious than who will ever win on the horse or the parallel bars...


I am convinced that the issue for certain people here comes from two spots

1) the team event is new and its format is not flawless... i.e it will take time to make it accepted as just as valid as singles which have been part of the games for so long.

2) countries have only had to make teams for two games and outside of the top 3 countries, who naturally have enough depth in at least 3 of the 4 disciplines, there is a gap.... when China and Japan, to name only 2 countries manage to solve their lack of depth in ladies/dance/pairs respectively, the competition will be much tougher and much more prestigious. Having the big stars from some countries skip the team event because they had no chance to win a medal, doesn't help the event but I am pretty sure that China will send its top athletes in Beijing, unlike what they did in PC.

I don't see the team medal as a huge achievement. You probably need solid performances across the board for gold, but for a medal your team can have complete bomb performances (see: Abbott, 2014).

largeman said:

Yuna Kim was without an OGM in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. I would give her one.

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Yuna won a second gold at Vancouver 2014 olympics. Sochi never happened.

Ic3Rabbit said:

is this a joke? She is the 98 OGM.

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Oh I thought it was Michelle Kwan who won 98. Sorry my fault.

CanadianSkaterGuy said:

Well, Patrick does have an Olympic Gold medal. He doesn't have it in the individual event, but he has one all the same and is an Olympic champion. If I could give him an individual one, I would but I'd reserve it for someone who literally hasn't worn Olympic gold like Browning/Stojko/Orser - and those are just the Canadian options!

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Patrick is one of the all time best in my opinion, he peaked at the wrong time. If only he had peaked a year later for the sochi games, he would have been battling it in the decimal points with Hanyu for the gold.

I was going to say Evgenia Medvedeva and Brian Orser but honestly, after thinking about it, maybe some things happen for a reason. Would Brian be the kind of legendary coach he is now had he won Olympic Gold? I don‘t know.

I can‘t deny that I‘m still sad for Zhenya sometimes but maybe, in the end, it will turn out to be the best for her. I don‘t know either. But I strongly hope so.

Evgenia and Mao for ladies
Elvis for men

4everchan said:

so the team medal may be very sentimental for some of them... for instance, Scott and Tessa who are the most decorated figure skaters of all-time have mentioned how they wanted chiddy to get his gold... so getting it together must feel so special...

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Absolutely agree on this.

But sentiment /= prestige.

NymphyNymphy said:

Patrick is one of the all time best in my opinion, he peaked at the wrong time. If only he had peaked a year later for the sochi games, he would have been battling it in the decimal points with Hanyu for the gold.

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I also really agree with this, though... he could (not should, not would, but definitely could) have won anyway. And when I watch the flower ceremony and my heart is cheering for Yuzu, it also hurts for Patrick.

drivingmissdaisy said:

If they don't earn one in 2022, I'd also give Sui/Han one. They were heartbreakingly close last year.

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They were close, but Aliona and Bruno's FS was a masterpiece and 100% worthy of gold.