Another View of the Worlds Competition | Golden Skate

Another View of the Worlds Competition

Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I just got back from Moscow and here is a quick recap of my thoughts:

Men

We just don't know how Lambiel would have finished if Plush was in better health. They both have the quads and they have totally different styles. Pick your choice. I suspect Plush would have won but I think Lambiel would be close behind.

Buttle's second place was well deserved but he was somewhere in the vicinity of 17 points behind Lambiel. I believe the judges are opening up to lyrical men's skating. Like Buttle, Evan and Johnny too, are gaining on this sudden acceptance of this style of men's figure skating. However, Takahashi, Van DP and Li come on with strong more "masculine" style which requires high technical jumps and no faults - not easy. It's always amazing to watch Kevin spot his jumps in the air.

Brian, Tim, Stefan, Andrei G, and Emmanuel had poor skates. Unfortunately, this was an important pre-Olys Worlds. Will they be able to get back in the race?
The new Russian boy,Dobrin could have a lyrical style but I doubt the Federation will allow that.

The man to watch in the future: JAMAL OTHMUND (Switzerland)


LADIES

It was Irina all the way. Incredible!!! she even did a 3Loop/3Loop as an aside to Tara. Is she UNSINKABLE?

Sasha had a beautiful skate but looks to fragile when compared with Irina. However, she got good scores without 3/3's!! and at the moment I think she is the only one to take on Irina at the Olys.

Carolina finally did the program I have been waiting for since 2003 Worlds. She has a high degree of technical prowess but she looks so straggly that she gives the appearance of immaturity. Nevertheless, she beat out Kwan by .30 of a point, and I would agree with that.

Kwan skated beautifully, but she is no where near Irina in the technical. Did she get the message? or will be reading about her retirement in mid-July?

Fumie is back in form and may well hold on to a place at the Olys. That Pink Panther was fabulous. Hope they showed it on TV. Shizuka is not really at it and Miki has not yet found her place in the contests.

Only Susanna held up, and Joannie got hit with the nerves. Both are still competitive though. Sokolava was just a jumpin jact, imo, and not much else.

LADY to watch in the future: YON LIU (China) - so mature at such a young age. gorgeous!

Joe (back from Moscow)
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
good to have you back, Joe.

did you see the dance teams skate? What were your impressions of say Gregory & Petukhov? ;) Tanith & Ben?
 

Vash01

Medalist
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Joe,

Thanks for the report. Irina was incredible, as you said. However, (just a minor correction) she did a triple loop-double loop in her LP....or may be she did triple loop-triple loop in the QR? I doubt it though because I watched all 3 of her programs. Irina was really at the top of her game and it was nice to see her skate so well in her hometown. I got teary eyed when she cried after finishing her LP. I have never seen her cry with joy.

ESPN's coverage was pathetic. Too much fluff and not many programs. I always like to watch the lower level or younger skaters to make the kind of predictions you made. Still, we are fortunate to see all the top skaters.

Welcome back.

Vash
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Welcome back, Joe! I am writing down every name you pick as one to watch from now on. Either two or three years ago you predicted that Stephane Lambiel would challenge for a World title with some maturation--and he did! :clap: Joe! We both loved the way he moved and of course his spins (gotta be the chocolate), but he was just a puppy then and as much as I wanted his kind of skating on top, I couldn't see it happening without the quad and I feared he was too late to master it. I thought he'd be eaten alive by the Plushs, Jouberts, Goebels, and others.

But you called it way back when. So who do you like at the track, lol?

Seriously, I agree that with a healthy Plush the outcome would have been different. But if Lambiel can get consistent with his jumps, the Olympics could be a squeaker.

I think a few people have some questions to ask since you were there. Good thing you first posted while still on Moscow time. Rest up to post a lot of answers and opinions tomorrow.

Gosh, I hope you can post lots and LOTS of photos of Red Square. ESPN almost never showed it, except for every other commercial break. We could have seen the LPs of 10 more skaters or teams in the amount of time they took showing Red Square and Sasha driving in her convertable along the Pacific Coast Highway. Does that give you an idea of how ESPN did? I understand CBC was great and at least Doggygirl and a couple of others got the direct Russian TV feed. She said that between the Russian commentators and the Eurosport English commentary they talked less than Terry, Peter, and Peggy. And check out the "How Rude" thread.

I know I'm both envious and :biggrin: that you got to go and I'm sure everyone else here is too.

Rgirl.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Thanks for the report, Joe. I know you had a blast.

Yes, they showed Fumie's Pink Panther. I agree it was the best constructed program of the competition. Unfortunately, by missing her combination, Fumie was not able to score well in the short and dropped down in the standings.

I think Vash is right. Irina did a triple Lutz / triple loop, then later a triple loop / double loop, which she did not get full credit for because she did too many loops. The announcers were taken by surprize. They expected the first comination to be a 3Z/2Lo and the second a 3Lo/3LO. But Irina was on such an adrenaline high she couldn't stop herself from doing an extra revolution, LOL.

Mathman
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Hi Joe...AWESOME to hear your first hand reports!

And at some point, we want to hear other things about your trip to Moscow. Hopefully you had some fun outside of the rink too!

Like RGirl, I'm paying attention to your up and comer predictions!! I did get to see Othman on the Russian on-line feed. Since you are such a good predictor, I'm actually grinning ear to ear that even through an internet feed (worse than TV and definitely worse than being there!) I put a BIG star next to his name. I really enjoyed his performance.

Unfortunately I do not believe I saw Yon Liu. Either she was on before they started the live feed, or I missed it. I hope next season there are more opportunities to see competitions with lots of coverage through the net.

Next year should be very interesting.

Thanks!!!!

DG
 

brad640

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Joe, I agree about Jamal. Both of his programs were very enjoyable. Even without a quad or 3a the judges were very receptive to his skating.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Vash and Mathman - You guys are probably right about the 3r2r. It just seemed to me that Irina would not do anything less than a triple except for a 2A. You also should save that tape as I think it will be a benchmark for future 'high level perfect performances' used for comparisons. I'm afraid to check my tapes right now as I have the fear of 9 hours of basketball.

Toni - Just my opinion but somehow both American teams seemed less than sparkling but they were very good anyway. I really don't know enough about judging dance to argue any sort of discussion on Dance. There are teams I enjoy and teams that are less enjoyable for me.

There was a conspiracy theory going around at the arena that the Bulgarians are being pushed aside because they are N&K's only threat. This will give the Bulgarians a low profile for the Olys. IMO, I got to like the African Bach and they did a very good job with it. Still that French team gets to me. They are like silk.

rGirl and Doggygirl - There are many talented kids coming up the ranks as one sees in the Qualis and SPs, but among them there are also one or two who are really special. Those lower tier skaters, I find very interesting. It's fun to follow them for the next few years as I did with Johnny, Stephane, Joannie, and Susanna who are now major top tier skaters. I'm hoping and praying for Klimkin to get his injuries settled and some nice sponsor to pay for his family bills.

The two I saw this year are Yon Liu of China with extraordinary lyrical style and Jamal Orthmund of Switzerland with stroking flow and posture second to none.

I have not seen what ESPN covered. I spoke with one of the guys there who really wan't interested in skating. The EuroSport did cover the competitions in their entirety. What's with the Americans? The cameras are there as is the personnel to handle it.

Joe
 

Dee4707

Ice Is Slippery - Alexie Yagudin
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Country
United-States
Welcome back Joe. Glad you got to go. Tell us more.

Dee
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Joesitz said:
Toni - Just my opinion but somehow both American teams seemed less than sparkling but they were very good anyway. I really don't know enough about judging dance to argue any sort of discussion on Dance. There are teams I enjoy and teams that are less enjoyable for me.

There was a conspiracy theory going around at the arena that the Bulgarians are being pushed aside because they are N&K's only threat. This will give the Bulgarians a low profile for the Olys. IMO, I got to like the African Bach and they did a very good job with it. Still that French team gets to me. They are like silk.

thanks, Joe. No arguement or discussion from me as I'm with you, no real clue how to judge ice dance. (and from talks with others, it seems no one really does LOL) thanks for the run down! ;)
 

MarieM

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Jamal Othman ;)
and he is the kid of the future I hope because his programs were just plain beautifull despite the mistakes. :clap:
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Welcome back, Joe. Thanks for your take on the competition. Do you think Tanith and Ben are contenders for the Oly Gold next season........can they overtake the Russian team? 42
 

dfj

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
show 42 said:
Do you think Tanith and Ben are contenders for the Oly Gold next season

They won't be contenders because it is unlikely they will be there.
 

Jill

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Thanks, Joe, for the reports. Include me among those who would've enjoyed Fumie's skate more than the fluff, AND more than the Jenni Kirk splat fest.

Now, on to the Bulgarian dance conspiracy. The judges just aren't into Ubangi Stomp. Just ask Surya Bonaly, and the Duchesnays. If you want to win, you've got to play their game.
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Oh shoot, dfj.........I forgot about Tanith's Canadian citizenship............42
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Mathman said:
Thanks for the report, Joe. I know you had a blast.

Yes, they showed Fumie's Pink Panther. I agree it was the best constructed program of the competition. Unfortunately, by missing her combination, Fumie was not able to score well in the short and dropped down in the standings....
Just to be clear, CBC showed Fumie, so those in Canada (obviously) and those in the US near the Canadian border got to see her, but ESPN did not, much to the loss for the rest of us.

I just don't get the Americans either. As you know, living in NYC is not living in America, lol. But ESPN did the stupidest things, like showing a repeat of "Brian Boitano's Holiday Special" the first night after the World's coverage and then repeating the coverage they showed from 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM, but of course choosing to chack skaters, not fluff. Plus ESPN is advertising the he!! out of "women's sports," but except for women's basketball and golf, they're not following through. And now to hear from you that ESPN has all the equipment and personnel to beef up the coverage...what's wrong with these people?

Thanks for all the first-hand reports, Joe.

Rgirl
 

LegalGirl82

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 29, 2004
Rgirl said:
I just don't get the Americans either. As you know, living in NYC is not living in America, lol. But ESPN did the stupidest things, like showing a repeat of "Brian Boitano's Holiday Special" the first night after the World's coverage and then repeating the coverage they showed from 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM, but of course choosing to chack skaters, not fluff. Plus ESPN is advertising the he!! out of "women's sports," but except for women's basketball and golf, they're not following through. And now to hear from you that ESPN has all the equipment and personnel to beef up the coverage...what's wrong with these people?
Rgirl

ITA, Rgirl. Plus, I had to make sure to add a half hour or more to each tape in case they started late due to prior live coverage going overtime. I'm going to have a lot of wasted tape.

Joe, welcome back, and thanks for your reports. I always appreciate your take on things.
 

Vash01

Medalist
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
To be honest, I don't like D&S's FD at all. Their skating does not appeal to me as much as some other dance teams. They have the difficulty in the lifts but those lifts are quite ugly at times. They are one of the top ice dancers, but there are at least 4 or 5 dance teams I like better. I have no problem with their 4ht place, conspiracy or not.

Vash
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Vash - I just put that conspiracy theory in because it was a hot verbal topic at Worlds. I don't follow Dance that closely to even argue the point. For me, it is the undermarking of the French team that I feel badly about. They give a very sinuous performance without the sturm and drang.

Joe
 
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