2016-2017 State of Canadian Figure Skating

[chuckm]

Some of the reasons why Nam doesn't get high GOE/PCS is that he is a bit slow and his jumps don't have great amplitude. When he bulks up a bit, the jumps may get bigger, but he will have to work at building up more speed. Speed is one of the major factors for skating skills, and SS is the driver for the remaining components. More speed will in turn help with the jumps, as going into a jump without enough speed can cause a fall.

 

[TGee]

Some of the reasons why Nam doesn't get high GOE/PCS is that he is a bit slow and his jumps don't have great amplitude. When he bulks up a bit, the jumps may get bigger, but he will have to work at building up more speed. Speed is one of the major factors for skating skills, and SS is the driver for the remaining components. More speed will in turn help with the jumps, as going into a jump without enough speed can cause a fall.

Totally agree that skating skills are what are holding Nam back.

Frankly, I'm surprised at how slow he is this year. He surely worked on SS with Tracy Wilson while he was at Cricket as we hear reports that her speed and power training is integral for all the elite Cricket skaters. And it is surprising to me that he would decline in SS due to growth....It really is making the case to me that building strong SS early is really crucial.

Nam started out with coach Joanne MacLeod in the Vancouver area. I think that there is a consensus here on GS that her skaters are lagging in SS development compared to other high level Canadians coaches. Kevin Reynolds seems to have used his period of restrictions from jumps following surgery to address some of his weakness in SS, and to good effect. But we are seeing that MacLeod's up and coming skaters are getting judged harshly on PCS, especially SS. So, it sounds as though the system is sending a message that this needs to be addressed. Odd thing is that there are solid dance coaches there, so something must be getting in the way of the singles skaters benefiting from that in early training.

So, not knowing the strengths and balance of the coaching team in San Jose, am hoping that they take the judges' feedback in the GP season, and focus on the SS with Nam.

 

[4everchan]

^^yup...

also, i think it will help with his GOE... i mean his 4S is getting no +.... yet it has at least a couple bullets but he is so slow going into it that if it looks great in isolation, in the programs, and i guess that goes for other jumps, it doesn't look great. I feel that this was a bit better in 2015 or perhaps judges were not holding it so much against him... he would get low PCS but at least is TES would be higher... granted he wasn't perfect at NHK and left a lot of points on the table, he is far from his previous TES.

I also wonder if he is relearning the 4T and if he is following the path of Chen and Jin.... he says he is 5'10... which is very tall but isn't Nicolas Nadeau even taller?

Gosh, the future of figure skating in Canada is TALL

 

[chuckm]

Nadeau is taller, but then Nadeau was never the really small skater Nam was before his growth spurt. Both Nam and Sadovsky experienced major growth spurts over a very short period of time that drastically affected their skating, and they are both still adjusting to their new physical reality.

 

[topaz emerald]

Some of the reasons why Nam doesn't get high GOE/PCS is that he is a bit slow and his jumps don't have great amplitude. When he bulks up a bit, the jumps may get bigger, but he will have to work at building up more speed. Speed is one of the major factors for skating skills, and SS is the driver for the remaining components. More speed will in turn help with the jumps, as going into a jump without enough speed can cause a fall.

but he looks like he has speed. is he really that much slower than other male skaters? Also, his jumps are crispy clean when he lands them. For example, Boyang jin can jump really high, but his landings are wobbly. i just think judges are trying to find areas to dock points on him to prop up other skaters....

 

[TGee]

but he looks like he has speed. is he really that much slower than other male skaters? Also, his jumps are crispy clean when he lands them. For example, Boyang jin can jump really high, but his landings are wobbly. i just think judges are trying to find areas to dock points on him to prop up other skaters....

Always fairly challenging to gauge speed on video, but the impression of slowness and less ice coverage is confirmed by most in person observers.

Kurt Browning's comment on Nam at Skate America was that, while it was good to see Nam back to to landing his jumps and selling his program, he really wanted to see Nam come up to senior men speed. . .

 

[olayolay]

With Russian men, dance and potentially pairs struggling, I'd say Canada are a real good chance for winning gold in the team event at the Olympics. Let's hope Osmond keeps up her good form, and Chan doesn't headcase too much.

 

[topaz emerald]

Always fairly challenging to gauge speed on video, but the impression of slowness and less ice coverage is confirmed by most in person observers.

Kurt Browning's comment on Nam at Skate America was that, while it was good to see Nam back to to landing his jumps and selling his program, he really wanted to see Nam come up to senior men speed. . .

well, maybe he can go take some pointers from men's speed skating on ice, lol i think if he works on his speed, it will come with time, he's not done growing yet.

 

[TGee]

For those of us who were feeling for Gabby Daleman after her disappointment with her 4th place Cup of France finish, here's an instagram showing she back in fighting form for Skate Canada Challenge qualifier this week.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNWtllqjQD8/?taken-by=gabby_daleman&hl=en

Don't forget that entries listed in the start orders also include

- Michelle Long in senior women

- Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier in senior ice dance

- Liam Firus, Nam Nguyen, and Bennet Toman in senior men

- Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau, Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro, Camille Ruest / Andrew Wolfe, Brittany Jones / Joshua Regan in senior pairs

 

[4everchan]

gabby is so pretty... why are skaters all so good looking... i was stunned by mallet's beauty when i bumped into her at ACI... oh and well... in one day... i also saw Nikolaj Sorensen and Morgan Ciprès very close... and Scott and Tessa and Eric... OH MY.... and Brian thank goodness Patrick wasn't there or i'd still have my jaw glued down to the floor....

I hope all these kids do well... I am regretting having to work this week or else I'd go to Challenge... especially now that Stars on Ice is NOT coming to Montreal... I will stop here before the red stars come in to replace what I'd say....

 

[Mango]

Hi guys sorry I'm late to the party. NHK time zone coversions, man.

So it was a golden weekend for some of our skaters. And for the first time Canada has qualified skaters in each discpline to the Grand Prix Final.

Elladj and Nam...well those SPs were better than those FSs. With plenty of time to prep for Nationals let's see if things improve. For those debating Nam's speed please rewatch his 2016 Nationals performances. He was a snail. It's one of the areas he will probably be working on with his coaches. Another being actually getting GOEs for his jumps.

First time this season that Alaine has been unable to recover in the FS. Tough to see her so disappointed. I hope she's not discouraged and does what's needed for her to do her best. Some changes (esp. coaching) would be good, but maybe just a break might help. We need to start seeing 2016 Nationals Alaine regularly on the international scene - the fierce girl who kept her nerve after Gabby's great skate, did her best, and won the national title. The politics of skating and our skaters' inconsistencies may cause issues in getting a third spot for the ladies for the Olympics, but I want Alaine to have no regrets regardless.

Meagan and Eric - well that FS was going ok until a certain point when it came undone. Reading interviews it seems that Eric was jetlagged or tired for some reason. Just seeing a mistake in the lift was enough to convince me that something was completely off because Eric is rock solid in lifting. One good thing was seeing them nail the lift in the reprise during the gala. Meagan at the end . It's ok girl, you'll get it together again. Doing poorly at NHK is nothing new. What's more important is fixing whatever can be fixed for the GPF. Their real aim isn't even GPF, it's Worlds (and maybe 4CC too), but it's good to get some extra $$ and accolades along the way. Meagan and Eric will also be performing in Madrid as part of Javier Ferandez's ice show on December 29, along with Shawn Sawyer. (Info: https://twitter.com/M1K1_ANDO/status/802593768880934912).

Tessa & Scott - whoa. Seriously. It's like they listened to me. But they didn't. They took one look at those protocols at SCI and were like, "Nope." I've come to realize something. Continuously losing to Davis/White in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 really seems to have hammered home the point to them that technical consistency is rewarded above all else. You can have little to no chemistry, but if you're hitting those level 4s then who cares. Bock beat them in the FD at SCI with levels. It likely brought back some memories. I'm glad they and their team were able to look at the situation and improve it, setting the SD and total ice dance score WR in the process. The modified FD lift works better. They appear to be in a good head space. I heard that one of Scott's good friends passed away on November 23. So for him to compete this way was really admirable. Tessa gave him a lot of support too, which was great to see. I was a bit concerned about the cut on Tessa's leg that happened during the FD warm up, but they were able to put it behind them. Regardless of the outcome of the rest of the events this season, they have this title that they can be proud of. And frankly I'm just going to enjoy watching them. I missed them the past two seasons and I like watching them create special moments on the ice. Well done this weekend.

Leanna Caron did double duty. She was also judging ice dance. Tough as ever. I guess she was tough on everyone so maybe it's not so bad. We'll call her the Canadian Shin Amano. NHK did appear to have quite astute judging.

Qualified to 2016/17 Grand Prix Final
Patrick Chan, Kaetlyn Osmond, Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir, Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford, Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau

GP skaters appearing at 2017 Skate Canada Challenge
Gabrielle Daleman, Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier, Camille Ruest / Drew Wolfe, Julianne/Charlie (?), Liam Firus

Medals count
14 gold, 10 silvers, 10 bronze = 34 medals in total :thumbsup:

 

[lyndichee]

Yikes this SOI 2017 cast list announced so far seems small.

http://www.starsonice.ca/the-skater... SKATERS&utm_campaign=20161128 canada presale

No Joannie Rochette confirmed yet? I love seeing her skate so much!

V/M I guess are taking time to focus on the Olympics and will just be special guests. No Kaitlyn and Andrew confirmed this year either

 

[olayolay]

Joannie Rochette is in medical school. Maybe she has exams?

I expect W/P to be confirmed soon, although they might be taking an Olympic leave of absence like V/M. Especially if they do WTT.

 

[TGee]

Reminder that Skate Canada Challenge starts tomorrow am, with Pre-novice Women, Novice Women, and Novice Men's SPs running simultaneously on 3 rinks. Novice pattern dances in the afternoon.

Mango's got a thread on the go for this under National Figure Skating events in the Competitions and Events folder. Hope some of you can join in.

 

[4everchan]

i will be lurking but I have to get away a bit from GS after the crazy Asian swing weekend... I think I overdosed on competitions

I wish all the best to our future champions !!!!!

 

[gravy]

Joannie Rochette is in medical school.

Thanks for that! I knew she wanted to go to medical school as per an interview she did early last year, but I didn't know if she had been admitted much less already began. I found a short excerpt in this article that gives some background on Joannie:

“Medical school is something I always wanted to do,” says Joannie Rochette, six-time Canadian national champion figure skater who, in 2010, earned the bronze medal at the Vancouver winter Olympics, we well as being named the Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year. “When I finished Cegep in 2010 I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and there was a lot of opportunities with sport to do some shows and skating and I wanted to take them because I had worked all my life for that. But it was also bittersweet because I was putting my studies aside and I didn’t know if I could ever come back, and I was so happy when I applied [to medical school] that I was given that chance.” Rochette spent a valuable year in Med-P, which she says, “was a bit intimidating at first because I had never been at university and I’m French so I never studied in English. I was a bit nervous but things went really well and the science background from Cegep came back and after two weeks I was feeling much better and up to date with the other students and ready to take that challenge. I think if you’re used to putting in the time and effort you will do well but it definitely was a year to just get used to it and I’m looking forward to this year.”

Super happy for her! :luv17:

 

[TGee]

Dropping a line to note that the National rankings have not yet been updated post sectionals...

Was hoping to be able to recommend it as a resource for folks who would like to drop in to watch Challenge, but as it is it's fairly misleading. :noshake:

Last year's sectionals, Challenge and nationals still form the basis of ranking for some junior and novice competitors.....

 

[Mango]

I haven't been on here much lately but can someone explain to me what Patrick fans are insecure about? Did I miss a memo? :scratch3:

Judging by some recent posts on this forum, some of Patrick's fans are feeling so insecure right now that they've resorted to attacking Hanyu and his fans. Not good.

 

[syl20c]

Go to icexel.ca and rank the skaters. Then go to ontime.icexel.ca and generate your own schedule based on who you want to watch.

 

[syl20c]

Novice ladies times:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-0wD8A8UoUbQ3l3REhwMWw3dl82WlQ0bW5zZjhVWEE5OFRB