Lysacek and COI | Golden Skate

Lysacek and COI

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
There is an interesting mention of Evan Lysacek in International Figure Skating magazine this month. After his remarkable and unexpected bronze medal at Worlds, he was invited to do one show (in Chicago) with COI. He hoped and expected that he would be invited to join the tour, but they told him, they "had enough skaters already." (Frank Caroll said he was actually glad, because this would give Evan a chance to rest and to start on his new programs in the summer.)

COI still has oldies but goodies Viktor Petrenko, Rudi Galindo and Elvis Stojko in the show. Do you think it's time for a new broom?

Mathman

PS. Jeff Buttle was invited to do the full Canadian SOI tour, after his silver medal finish at Dortmund.
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Collins probably already had contracts with a lot of the other skaters; the ones like Petrenko, Stojko, and Galindo are probably long term agreements. He can add new skaters as the older ones retire, or their contracts expire and are not renewed (such as with Bobek and Candeloro) I think Evan will probably be on the show next year, unless he really tanks.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Mathman said:
COI still has oldies but goodies Viktor Petrenko, Rudi Galindo and Elvis Stojko in the show. Do you think it's time for a new broom?

Mathman

PS. Jeff Buttle was invited to do the full Canadian SOI tour, after his silver medal finish at Dortmund.
It seems we think skaters of a certain age "should go pro" and when they do and reach another certain age they "should go coach". :sheesh:

PS. I think you mean silver medal finish at Moscow.

Joe
 

brad640

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
It was pathetic that Evan was not asked to join COI after he won the bronze medal. He would have been perfect for them because of his entertaining style. I guess if he wore a nun costume or something else ridiculous Tom Collins might be interested. And why was Lambiel only invited to a few shows? COI and SOI are boring and they will not get any more of my money as long as they have the same old people based only on their resume and not on their present abilities. I wish Averbukh’s show had toured in the US this season because I would have gone to see that.
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
brad640 said:
... . And why was Lambiel only invited to a few shows? ... .

As I understand it, Lambiel had other commitments. For example, he wasn't with COI in Anaheim because he was skating with "Ice Chips" in Boston on the same date.
 

Linny

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
Boring?

I didn't find SOI boring at all... 'cept perhaps for some of the pretty vanilla music selections. I prefer to see the skaters who have retired from eligible competition at these exhibition type events, and I'm also pleased that Evan isn't going to be there because I think that eligible skaters who concentrate on their eligible skating reach higher levels of athletic performance. That's just my opinion - don't have statistics to back it up.

So, at SOI, you though that S&P and B&S were boring? I thought they were marvelous.

Linny
 

waxel

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
We don't get COI in my hometown anymore so I haven't seen it in a few seasons. I might agree that SOI was somewhat boring--- but I also agree with Linny that S&P and B&S were marvelous. They seem to have a "one-up" relationship going on between them that keeps pushing both teams. My biggest overall SOI complaint would be poor music (lots of tepid "rock" selections) and hokey gimmicks (what was that tacky carnival theme all about??). And although I know Kurt's lame toolbox number has been thoroughly lampooned on this board- it warrants another mention in the "hokey gimmick" category.
 
Joined
Jan 30, 2004
I never find SOI boring. I prefer it over COI, but wouldn't give up either show.
The theme of SOI this past season was Imagination.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Tom Collins and Co. have made weird decisions and reasonings for why someone is in when others are not for years...

Evan should be in SOI... cuz it's cooler lol


and SOI should come to Alaska... like today.


that or Cambells Tour of Champions should come back... :scratch:

ALASKA NEEDS A SKATING SHOW! *sobs*
 

Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Not a big fan of SOI.

As for the "oldies" of COI - I wouldn't lump them all together. I think Elvis is great asset to the tour; Victor a decent one but not a "must keep"; Rudy doesn't do anything for me.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Victor has always been a favorite of mine (and Mrs. MM thinks he's a hottie). But IMHO he has gone downhill in the imagination department lately. I thought his Mambo #5 was very entertaining, where he danced with a big doll and still managed to get off a clean triple Lutz with the doll tied around his waist :clap: :laugh: But last year's Who Let the Dogs Out was just silly, and this year, to me, his choice of music was totally inappropriate to an audience of families and young children. :frown:

Rudi is one of my all-time faves. For my money, he could do YMCA over and over every year. In fact, two year's ago he develpoed a new routine that he wanted to try out, but Tom Collins made him do YMCA all season because of audience demand.

About "going pro," I think that is the supposed distinction between SOI and COI. SOI is definitely a professional touring entertainment show, so they rely on group numbers, interesting choreography, theme pieces, Alexei Y descending from the rafters, etc.

COI instead tries to bring us the current eligible champions doing exhibition skating that is not too far from a competitive program.

Anyway, I'll definitely be going to COI every year as long as they have the hula hoop girl, Irina Grigorian . :rock: :love:

Mathman
 

jesslily

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 4, 2004
COI needs pay attention to the custome design and color of the group numbers. The colors are too strong, and the designs look like we have seen the same thing every year.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
jesslily said:
COI needs pay attention to the custome design and color of the group numbers. The colors are too strong, and the designs look like we have seen the same thing every year.
Again, I think this is because COI is not an ensemble show. They don't really have choreographed group numbers, they just send all the performers out at the begining and end to skate around helter-skelter for a big hurrah.

Joe, if you don't care if COI and SOI fold, and you think the remaining pro competitions are silly, what advice would you have for a skater after his/her eligible days are over?

Mathman :)
 

76olympics

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 4, 2004
Neither show comes to my town (or hasn't in years)--but I echo Mathman. I am glad that they exist . They even televise SOI most years which increases my skating viewing (which seems to be shrinking yearly).
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Mathman said:
Joe, if you don't care if COI and SOI fold, and you think the remaining pro competitions are silly, what advice would you have for a skater after his/her eligible days are over?Mathman :)
I'm not trying to be a smart a$$. I am lucky that I get so much of my artistic wants living in the Big Apple and those wants are quite satisfactory. Figure Skating shows just don't do it for me. I feel like I'm seeing the same things over and over again. After the first intermission, I'm ready to go home. I do enjoy the TV versions though. They pass the time without the schlep to a theatre.

I do love figure skating competition and I go live whenever I can, then having taped it, I check it out again at home for the closeups.

Joe
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
MM - I really didn't answer your question. Just ranted on about my artistic preferences. Silly me.

Any kind of endeavour by a serious student carries the danger of failure, unfortunately. The goals can be and usually are problematic in academia as well as in sports. What to do if I don't succeed at what I want to do?

In sports it's even tougher for the athlete who was successful but at some point age creeps in and retirement at an early age has to be faced. What to do now?

No easy answers. retiring figure skaters can think about coaching,choreogaphing,writing,designing, or like the Kwans, go into the business. Others finish schooling and become something totally different from skating stars. (Albright, Thomas, etc.)

There is in the Dance World an organization which helps retiring dancers to find other fields of endeavour. There are lots of fund raisers to support this organization. Maybe there should be something like that for figure skating.

Joe
 

merrywidow

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
I'm wondering Joe how you would feel about show skating if you lived in Montana or Nebraska or any other state that doesn't have elite amateur competitions close at hand or on a regular basis? I did attend a regional comp. several years ago in Great Falls, Mt., & have been to Spokane several times for COI & SOI. Aside from that there are a lot of dyed in the wool fans of individual skaters who continue to buy tickets to see their favorites even after they turn professional. You aren't one of those. That's ok. You don't have to buy a ticket or watch pro skating on TV. But I happen to be a longtime fan of skating (late '60's) & I enjoy all of it...the intensity of amateur skating, watching skaters develop & reach for their goals/dreams as well as the fun & sheer enjoyment of watching the pros whether they are lightheartedly competing with one another or developing the interesting & highly polished routines they do in shows. Amateur & professional skating are 2 sides of the same coin. I'm sorry that you & a lot of others are unable to understand & appreciate both sides.
 

mememe

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 20, 2004
merrywidow said:
I'm wondering Joe how you would feel about show skating if you lived in Montana or Nebraska or any other state that doesn't have elite amateur competitions close at hand or on a regular basis? I did attend a regional comp. several years ago in Great Falls, Mt., & have been to Spokane several times for COI & SOI. Aside from that there are a lot of dyed in the wool fans of individual skaters who continue to buy tickets to see their favorites even after they turn professional. You aren't one of those. That's ok. You don't have to buy a ticket or watch pro skating on TV. But I happen to be a longtime fan of skating (late '60's) & I enjoy all of it...the intensity of amateur skating, watching skaters develop & reach for their goals/dreams as well as the fun & sheer enjoyment of watching the pros whether they are lightheartedly competing with one another or developing the interesting & highly polished routines they do in shows. Amateur & professional skating are 2 sides of the same coin. I'm sorry that you & a lot of others are unable to understand & appreciate both sides.

merrywidow -- very well said. I'm one of those who has watched and enjoyed skating for better than 20 years, having had 2-3 "favorites" who I've enjoyed follownig from their "amateur" days right through their pro and retirement years, plus enjoying the overall sport. I still buy tickets to see my favorites, and I watch most of the TV skating. The now "eligible" competitions are great for the edge-of-the-seat now-or-never feeling (tho' must admit that the GP series doesn't generate that type of feeling for me, so I skip quite a few of those) -- and I attend local/regional junior/novice etc., competitions whenever possible because I like seeing the youngsters (and sometimes oldsters) try to do their best. But I also love and appreciate the professional skaters, whether, as they say, they are lightheardedly competing or doing routines in shows.

Thanks for saying what I have wanted to say, only much better than I did!
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Hi merrywidow (and triple me :) - For me there is a big big big difference between sport and show skating. I'm not trying to convince people to think or feel like me. I am just letting people know that there are people like me that do not gush over show skating.

Within the sport of figure skating there is an element of artistic skating which I accept and consider more important than quads or Bielman spins. This artistic element satisfies me within the sport. I do not need to watch show skating which for me does not offer any suspense even when the skaters throw in an extra triple jump.

I lived overseas a lot before retiring and like you, I would be glad to see any kind of an ice show not to mention a ballet/dance troupe passing through the bush. :biggrin:
I understand how you feel and I am certainly not putting you down for your wishes since I was there for quite a while during my own life. At present I live in a town that is overloaded with 'cultural things'. I get to see about 10% of them.

As for TV, I watch the COIs and SOIs when they are on. the holiday shows are a bit too coy for me, but I will watch if I am home. competitions, I try to see LIVE and pretape for when I get home. I really love figure skating competitions.

Joe
 
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