2016 Four Continents Mens Free Skate

[Mrs. P]

Am I the only person who is a Jason uber, who adores Misha, who really enjoys Javi's FS, *and* loved that skate of Patrick's?

Before 4CCs, I didn't understand the love, but now I do; he seemed so perfectly in tune with the music, the movements, and the Revolutionary Etude and the B Minor are scarcely "introverted" pieces of music. Patrick's meshing with that music actually seemed the height of performing to me.

Maybe some day I will "get" Boyang, sigh. The kid is trying to sell it, I'll give him that, but I just can't buy what he's selling. Maybe after a year with Rohene? Now *that* would be interesting!

For me, what warmed me up to Patrick was actually his wonderful TEB SP from 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCkICx4L-yI (And Jason and Yuzuru did fab SPs there too!). I'd recommend watching it, el henry, if you haven't already.

I think the fact Patrick was so flawed in his programs in the past and won competitions is what irritated me for a while but when he's ON like he was in this FS, I can't help but cheer for the guy. And I think he sincerely was excited about his win, which was touching as well.

 

[Puchi]

At last I could finally see Chan's LP. Man, that's the kind of skating you want to see winning an Olympic Gold Medal.

 

[melmel]

Wow, thank you for sharing your insight! Do you feel this tension when watching him on TV, or in person or both? Patrick has admitted to being very hard on himself this season, and he is a perfectionist. What a shame if this perfectionism creates stress that keeps him from connecting with the audience, even turning some of them off to him forever; because he has said that he wanted to skate to please people. But he is learning and I think that's why he did so well at 4CC. Hopefully he will also learn to have more self-compassion when he makes mistakes. The upside of this is that he's not such a good actor to where he can put on an act and hide his emotions from everyone.

Can I link to your post?

I wasn't able to pinpoint or put words on how I felt about it before seeing him live, and in this particular practice where I could witness that "mind switch" happening so I'd say it's more prominent when I see him in person but after rewatching other performance, I could say "ah yes, that's why it's not clicking with me" so I can feel it too (but probably less than in person) on tv too. In a way it did endeared him to me because he does have a fantastic presence and I think if he was able to channel this "let the audience in" vibe he would feel less cold (at least to me). Honestly after the GPF and getting to see the skaters upclose on practice and competition, I was absolutely certain that Chan's struggles were in majority mental and that he had all the technical and components goods in his pocket. He keeps getting better with his free, and I think nailing his elements helps him through the program to make everything look seamless and connected (meaning he doesn't "panic" or has to close himself off from the audience to refocus on the pure technical aspect of his elements and choreo). If he can manage his tension to do his elements correctly and "let the dogs out" for his SP at Worlds, maybe letting himself look/act a bit "silly" in the mood of the choreo, I think it will be a great moment. And nailing his SP will probably help him feeling more relaxed and focus on his LP. It's a sort of "lâcher-prise" (i don't know how to translate that aside maybe "letting it go"?) that Patrick needs to achieve imo to fully engage me. In a skater it also shows a confidence they have on their techniques that allows them to really go for the artistic expression of their programs. Patrick's free at 4CC reminds me of Yuzu's NHK's free where it was extremely good but also "yessss I'm nailing this i'm landing everything good!" which is a natural step to me before getting to the performance where you can rely on yourself to land everything so that you can allow a bit of your mind to focus on the expression of your program.

So yeah, all this ramble (it's late i should be in bed i hope i made sense) to say I'm really hoping for Patrick to nail it again at Worlds so he can show us (and me ) the emotional side of his programs.

(And I don' tmind you linking my post, but where ?)

 

[YagsFan]

el henry: I absolutely could not agree more with you!! I especially love Jason and Javi, and sort of could always take or leave Patrick. BUT, this free skate was just as you said---it was the total melding of the skating with the piano notes---just perfection. Actually, I've never thought of his skating as introverted, or cold, just didn't always "grab me". No more! Now I can't wait to see this at Worlds again!
Also, I am with you about Boyang too. Jumps, great, but where's the skating and the heart of a program?? Sigh . . . I would have had Yan Han in Silver position myself.
Question for you----what are your thoughts on Yuzaru? I'm just lately starting to come around, but still can't quite think he's "all that". (Love his boyish enthusiasm though

 

[neostra]

el henry: I absolutely could not agree more with you!! I especially love Jason and Javi, and sort of could always take or leave Patrick. BUT, this free skate was just as you said---it was the total melding of the skating with the piano notes---just perfection. Actually, I've never thought of his skating as introverted, or cold, just didn't always "grab me". No more! Now I can't wait to see this at Worlds again!
Also, I am with you about Boyang too. Jumps, great, but where's the skating and the heart of a program?? Sigh . . . I would have had Yan Han in Silver position myself.
Question for you----what are your thoughts on Yuzaru? I'm just lately starting to come around, but still can't quite think he's "all that". (Love his boyish enthusiasm though

I wish Jason could've compete in 2016 4CC because he's my favorite current American male figure skater. His fs program this season always brought me tears so when he said he had to withdrawn my heart was broken into pieces (the first news about 4CC that broke my heart).

Patrick Chan's fs that night was amazing, super silky smooth so I was one of the standing ovation. Even though I still don't like him and that performance didn't bring me tears but it didn't change the fact that his fs was the most complete and the smoothest 'in that competition.'

The WC is going to be very exciting and I bet my money on Yuzuru because his Seimei is sheer perfection. I was blown away every time watching that program. Javi is good but I just don't like his fs program (love his sp program a lot though).

 

[Interspectator]

World Championships, I hope the title will go to the one who does the best programs on the night...it could go to Patrick, Yuzu, or Javi or, if the top guys really mess it up, Boyang or Shoma will take it and heads will explode!

 

[MaiKatze]

World Championships, I hope the title will go to the one who does the best programs on the night...it could go to Patrick, Yuzu, or Javi or, if the top guys really mess it up, Boyang or Shoma will take it and heads will explode!

There aren't simply enough medals this year. I mean, only three? If all the top man bring their A-Game this will be WC to remember and a much harder achievement than say, getting a medal at Sochi 2014. The Olympic competition is so overhyped because it only comes once every 4 years, when I think that there are so many more exciting competitions in between, like GPF and Worlds or even just GP events.

There are certain skaters I do not fancy as much as others. For some I don't see the appeal, or I have shallow reasons like I don't like the way the look, or the way they skate or conduct. (Let's face it, we all have our preferences) But when they skate their best I would never begrudge them a win or a medal. It's when wins are getting controversial that my dislikes grows but I am also aware that this is no way the skaters fault. They are not judging themselves.

 

[hamster428]

Aww I was rooting for Shoma to do well, but I was so.so.glad to see Patrick show up in his program so that I didn't have to have someone with subpar skating be champion.

Nothing personal against Jin, he's adorable, jumps insanely well, and has great presence on the ice. But it's still a long way before I'd crown him. His stiff long limbs always look to me like they're swinging pendulums with no bends or flows, and he's just not a pretty skater, period.

Not exactly a fan of Patrick either. Like how I think of Yuna Kim's emoting on ice, I also think Patrick's skating tends to be overly "staged," as in they try too hard and I see "acting" all over their faces and movements instead of feeling as if they're actually and truly lost in their music. But that's just personal opinion. With that said, he brought it. The jumps were there, the nuances in his movements and the music were wow. I have to say his choreography is even more sophisticated than Yuzuru's Ballade #1 (even if I do prefer watching Yuzuru).

Anyway, shan't comment on the math game and politics. That never goes anywhere.

 

[fallingsk8er]

At last I could finally see Chan's LP. Man, that's the kind of skating you want to see winning an Olympic Gold Medal.

Beautiful and Perfect skating.

 

[vivley]

I wasn't able to pinpoint or put words on how I felt about it before seeing him live, and in this particular practice where I could witness that "mind switch" happening so I'd say it's more prominent when I see him in person but after rewatching other performance, I could say "ah yes, that's why it's not clicking with me" so I can feel it too (but probably less than in person) on tv too. In a way it did endeared him to me because he does have a fantastic presence and I think if he was able to channel this "let the audience in" vibe he would feel less cold (at least to me). Honestly after the GPF and getting to see the skaters upclose on practice and competition, I was absolutely certain that Chan's struggles were in majority mental and that he had all the technical and components goods in his pocket. He keeps getting better with his free, and I think nailing his elements helps him through the program to make everything look seamless and connected (meaning he doesn't "panic" or has to close himself off from the audience to refocus on the pure technical aspect of his elements and choreo). If he can manage his tension to do his elements correctly and "let the dogs out" for his SP at Worlds, maybe letting himself look/act a bit "silly" in the mood of the choreo, I think it will be a great moment. And nailing his SP will probably help him feeling more relaxed and focus on his LP. It's a sort of "lâcher-prise" (i don't know how to translate that aside maybe "letting it go"?) that Patrick needs to achieve imo to fully engage me. In a skater it also shows a confidence they have on their techniques that allows them to really go for the artistic expression of their programs. Patrick's free at 4CC reminds me of Yuzu's NHK's free where it was extremely good but also "yessss I'm nailing this i'm landing everything good!" which is a natural step to me before getting to the performance where you can rely on yourself to land everything so that you can allow a bit of your mind to focus on the expression of your program.

So yeah, all this ramble (it's late i should be in bed i hope i made sense) to say I'm really hoping for Patrick to nail it again at Worlds so he can show us (and me ) the emotional side of his programs.

(And I don' tmind you linking my post, but where ?)

Thank you Melmel for staying up and posting more of your insights. You seem to be able to read skaters' minds as they go through their routines! So what I'm taking away from your comments is that during competition Patrick takes himself too seriously and that keeps his performances from being as engaging as they could be. It also keeps him from connecting emotionally with the audience.

With FS competitions being as difficult as they are nowadays, that's a tall order - to be able to get all of the elements perfect and engage the audience with a lâcher-prise attitude. This is probably the final frontier for Patrick to conquer as he continues to grow as an athlete. I also hope he can nail his programs at worlds in a more engaging way for your sake.

Thanks for letting me link to your posts (I think this one should be included as well) - they will be on Twitter.

 

[Skater Boy]

Bingo. You succinctly expressed in one post what I attempted to say in several.

It is fair to say that extroverted skaters tend to be more popular to the general public. I hear that. Not to insult people I tend to prefer the extroverts for lack of words. Chan is almost what we call high brow skating (like classical music)- it is so sophisticated. It is like the woman who wears a single strand of pearls with a simple but well cut black evening gown versus the the lady with all the satin and taffeta, bows, sparkly beading, brooches and such. It is easy to look fancy with all that ritz and glitz but it takes a wonderful body, wonderful cut of cloth and elegance to carry off the less is more. But dealing with people we tend to like the outgoing rather the introvert who may be seen as brooding. But we will never change people's opinions. IMHO Hanyu and Chan are extraordinary and both deserve to be in the hall of fame of skating in the heavens. Jin, Javi et all have their strengths but are not special, unique - which is fine because in history there should be very few who make that heavenly top level.

 

[el henry]

For me, what warmed me up to Patrick was actually his wonderful TEB SP from 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCkICx4L-yI (And Jason and Yuzuru did fab SPs there too!). I'd recommend watching it, el henry, if you haven't already.

I think the fact Patrick was so flawed in his programs in the past and won competitions is what irritated me for a while but when he's ON like he was in this FS, I can't help but cheer for the guy. And I think he sincerely was excited about his win, which was touching as well.

Thank you, Mrs. P., that was also spellbinding. Not just because of his age, but there is something about the flow of Patrick's skating, when he is on, it is like he is a man skating among the boys. (I also liked this clip in particular because it caught the skates/ice/whoosh; I love when skating vids caption that). The Chopin is more forceful than the Rach, but they are both lovely.

el henry: I absolutely could not agree more with you!! I especially love Jason and Javi, and sort of could always take or leave Patrick. BUT, this free skate was just as you said---it was the total melding of the skating with the piano notes---just perfection. Actually, I've never thought of his skating as introverted, or cold, just didn't always "grab me". No more! Now I can't wait to see this at Worlds again!
Also, I am with you about Boyang too. Jumps, great, but where's the skating and the heart of a program?? Sigh . . . I would have had Yan Han in Silver position myself.
Question for you----what are your thoughts on Yuzaru? I'm just lately starting to come around, but still can't quite think he's "all that". (Love his boyish enthusiasm though

Well, while we are on total thread drift, and I hope I am hiding from the Yuzu fans, but when all three are *on*, I think I like Patrick better. Yuzu has amazing skills, it seems as though he is personally adorable, and I think the FS this year is perfectly tailored for him, but I do not think he is the greatest of all time, and sometimes I feel I am watching a distant star.

Anyway, I hope they all bring their A game to Worlds! (and I will still be sad that Jason is not there.....)

 

[melmel]

Thank you Melmel for staying up and posting more of your insights. You seem to be able to read skaters' minds as they go through their routines! So what I'm taking away from your comments is that during competition Patrick takes himself too seriously and that keeps his performances from being as engaging as they could be. It also keeps him from connecting emotionally with the audience.

With FS competitions being as difficult as they are nowadays, that's a tall order - to be able to get all of the elements perfect and engage the audience with a lâcher-prise attitude. This is probably the final frontier for Patrick to conquer as he continues to grow as an athlete. I also hope he can nail his programs at worlds in a more engaging way for your sake.

Thanks for letting me link to your posts (I think this one should be included as well) - they will be on Twitter.

Aww you're welcome
Reading the skaters mind might be a bit too much (althought that would be probably super fun ) but I tend to be sensitive to people's moods.

And yes it's quite a tall order what I'm demanding of Patrick ^^", I'm conscious it's a very hard level to reach but I do think him (and other skaters) can achieve it I think there's still a lot that Patrick can offer if he gives himself the chance.
I mean from the moment I saw him the first time I had the deep certitude that Yuzu was capable of doing what he did in Barcelona and NHK. I wasn't sure if he would be able to do it one day, but I was certain he was capable of it. Getting to watch Patrick in person, I think he has the same kind of potential (and I think Javi does too, to me it's not a matter of style so all different style can reach that "dream" level I have in my head sorta XD) and it's all I wish him. Because there's nothing more magical than an extremely difficult program done with the ease and the intensity of an impeccable ballet/dance performance. But it's also extremely demanding because it's during competition so it's even more difficult.

 

[jersey1302]

First off I am going to say for my self that it was AMAZING to see Patrick skate like that again. I wasn't entirely sure about what he was going to do but it was fantastic.

Secondly I have to make a few comments about Boyang. Un deniably his jumps are phenomenal and every point he gets for them he deserves. However I really have to question his PCS scores..7s I get..not the 8s and even some 9s though.. What?! I'm sorry but there is no way in my mind that he should be getting that high of scores. He was less than a point away from Chan in some of the scores and again..sorry.. but the skating wasn't even comparable. high 7s , even 8.75 for transitions... k.. for real? He hardly has any transitions.. with that many quads and energy taken from them you can't possible have the skating that requires that kind of mark. He scored higher in PCS scores than Max Aaron, Kevin Reynolds (altho that might of been justified) Liam Firus, Nan Song, only 5 points from Han Yan.. Can anyone really believably justify those PCS marks?

 

[julie17]

It didn't take long for people to completely ruin the results of this competition for me. Honestly! What's a competition without the bashers of the winner - no matter who it is. Yes we all have favorites but wouldn't it be nice if just for a day we could appreciate what happened instead of twisting it every which way, blaming judges, the point system, etc. On this day Patrick Chan was the best skater out there. It doesn't matter if he won by 1 point or 100 points - HE WON! And all the arguments about "if (fill in the blank) skates clean" etc. etc. are moot because generally (fill in the blank) doesn't skate clean.....and hasn't for quite awhile. So, it all comes down to who actually DOES skate clean in Boston. May the best man win.....and then wait an hour and he will be bashed, too.

I wonder why I come here sometimes too. I felt so happy watching everyone in this competition. I came here and kind of got depressed. Came back a few days later and still can't believe the negative comments.

 

[sabinfire]

I wonder why I come here sometimes too. I felt so happy watching everyone in this competition. I came here and kind of got depressed.

I used to think I had seasonal affective disorder. Turns out, it's just the figure skating season reading the skating forums!

 

[Interspectator]

I used to think I had seasonal affective disorder. Turns out, it's just the figure skating season reading the skating forums!

:yes:
It was a really good event. -Why rain on the victory parade?

 

[vivley]

Aww you're welcome
Reading the skaters mind might be a bit too much (althought that would be probably super fun ) but I tend to be sensitive to people's moods.

And yes it's quite a tall order what I'm demanding of Patrick ^^", I'm conscious it's a very hard level to reach but I do think him (and other skaters) can achieve it I think there's still a lot that Patrick can offer if he gives himself the chance.
I mean from the moment I saw him the first time I had the deep certitude that Yuzu was capable of doing what he did in Barcelona and NHK. I wasn't sure if he would be able to do it one day, but I was certain he was capable of it. Getting to watch Patrick in person, I think he has the same kind of potential (and I think Javi does too, to me it's not a matter of style so all different style can reach that "dream" level I have in my head sorta XD) and it's all I wish him. Because there's nothing more magical than an extremely difficult program done with the ease and the intensity of an impeccable ballet/dance performance. But it's also extremely demanding because it's during competition so it's even more difficult.

Awesome! I hope Patrick and the others are able to achieve that dream level!

I wonder why I come here sometimes too. I felt so happy watching everyone in this competition. I came here and kind of got depressed. Came back a few days later and still can't believe the negative comments.

To keep up the happiness, I went back to the bottom of page 45 of this thread and started reading all the wonderful, ecstatic comments that were posted at the end of the competition. Suggest you try it.

 

[julie17]

Awesome! I hope Patrick and the others are able to achieve that dream level!



To keep up the happiness, I went back to the bottom of page 45 of this thread and started reading all the wonderful, ecstatic comments that were posted at the end of the competition. Suggest you try it.

Great point... Feel better now.

 

[julie17]

What is this "xxx left me cold" thing ??? Is that some inside joke here? Or just just some prententious artsy fartsy stuff that I should ignore? The Men's event in Boston should be great, wish I could see it in person.