2018 Olympic Figure Skating Pairs FS

[Eclair]

Thankfully, for the last few winter & summer Olympics, CBC has streamed most (if not all) events online, LIVE! And, they often show complete, live coverage on their TSN (all-sports) channels too (for the more 'popular' sports - which includes figure skating). That means we are able to watch every single competitor! Heck, we even get to watch the warm-ups, and the Zamboni re-surfacing the ice! The best part is the online coverage is all commercial free (well, until this year; but thankfully, we are forced to only watch 2 ⨉ 30-second spots, and only when you initially open the video player). A fair trade I think: 1 minute of commercials in exchange for 3+ hours of live competition!!.

In addition to the amazing online coverage, we have many cable TV options that allow us to flip between coverage on:

• CBC main network;
• Radio-Canada (the French-CBC channel) — which shows different coverage from the English CBC broadcast;
• TSN ("The Sports Network") — at least 1 or 2 of the 6 TSN channels consistently shows Olympics coverage, again different from the main CBC broadcast; and
• NBC (most Canadians have access the big US networks — NBC, ABC, CBS & Fox — through standard cable TV)

I just cannot understand why NBC — which has access to ALL the feeds from ALL sports — doesn't throw them up online like the CBC?? NBC keeps getting horrible reviews for their lack of Olympic coverage; so why not try something different?? Why do they not have online coverage? Even show commercials if they have to justify the cost. Or, are they worried Americans who normally pay for NBC coverage via their cable subscriptions are going to "drop" NBC for the month if they find out they can access the Olympic coverage for free online? I just don't get it??




Although I'm OK with the occasional 'fluff' piece, it seems to me during the minimal coverage on NBC, there's more 'commercials' and 'fluff pieces' shown than actual, real, 'competition'. And, when they do show competition, it's more often taped than live?!

• Does NBC think Americans will get bored viewing the actual competition — from start-to-finish — as it unfolds?
  
• Do they think the average American's attention span is so short that the maximum number of skating programs they are able to sit through is somewhere between 5-8?
  ⨠ Or an equivalent 10-12 downhill ski runs; or ski-jumps?
• Even for the super-thrilling and exciting half-pipe, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding events, NBC rarely shows the full event (...even for the quarter- or semi-final rounds).
  ⨠ And, it seems they select from just a sub-set of these events: those with an American sitting in a top-3 (sometimes top-5) position from the preliminary rounds; or, in the case of taped (not-live) coverage, only when they know an American finishes on the podium.

Such a huge country with so many avid sports fans, and such paltry coverage. I wish you could all access the CBC online with us [although, for the first time in my experience, the online coverage (feed) at the start of the Pairs short program kept 'shuddering'!? Rumors are it was due to too many users accessing via proxies from outside the country!?]. ...So, maybe I don't wish it; at least not until CBC increases their broadcast bandwidth capabilities!

Thanks CBC! You're a super expensive drain on Canada's limited tax resources; but, every 4 years, during the 2 weeks of Olympics competition ... you almost seem worth it! :sarcasm:

Eurosport also shows whole competitions in their player online, live and with a lot less adverts than nbc. I don't understand why nbc coverage is so abysmally bad. They don't even have to offer the online streams for free, just do it like Eurosport. I bet they can manage a better stream than ice network ever could.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I haven't begun to look at what I'm sure will be a dramatic thread...

But wow, I am SO pleased with the result.

This was exactly my dream podium. So thrilled for the Germans - especially kween Aliona - gratifying and a wonderful story of perseverance. After so many years she gets the title she deserves. And after all their tribulations with the French fed they showed remarkable tenacity.

Congrats to the Chinese for a superb SP and making it a hair separation. Im betting some will be complaining about the Chinese team's levels but I think the best team won in the end. Their two errors nullified Bruno's error in the SP. The Germans were just so much sharper. Still one of my fave teams and could have gone either way.

Duhamel and Radford. What more can be said. All the hate, all the injury struggles... people constantly counting them out in spite of two World titles in the past quad. What a beautiful moment for them. They have an Olympic medal in every colour, laid down 4 awesome performances in these Olympics....and made the doubters eat. their. words. They are indeed one of the best pairs teams of all time with the difficulty they've done and compelled the competition to do to keep up with their tech improvements. A magnificent friendship too - so much respect and adoration for these two. Make me proud to be Canadian.

Tough for the OARs but T/M will bounce back. Their FS even not considering the errors was so subpar in the final flight (it's a travesty their PCs was that high... higher than D/R but even that couldn't save them). Perhaps inexperience got to them, but they should still be proud - they have an Olympic silver at least! And not gonna lie. I'm thrilled that Candyman FS didn't win, lol!

And special mentions to the Italians, Marchei/Hotarek blowing the roof off (with amazing personality!) and awesome skates from Seguin and Bilodeau (who should have come 8th) and Moore-Towers and Marinaro. Very respectable finishes.

What a thrilling pairs competition. 230 was only enough for bronze! As Meagan said, that would have been the best 4th place in history but was good enough for Canadian bronze. Hope the ladies and ice dancers can add to that and hope Chan has lovely skates to complete his Olympic career.

 

[YagsFan]

there is a medals ceremony show every day at 5:00 am on the Olympic Channel. They did indeed show the entire ceremony for the team event, complete with all 3 winning teams getting their medals, and then the Canadian anthem. If you missed it, I'd look for a repeat, since they do show events over and over on that channel especially.

 

[farornaskonung]

Why didn't they get their medals on the podium?

Edit: saw the answer above right after I posted

 

[da96103]

As a casual once every 4-year Olympic viewer as far as pairs are concerned, please help me to understand this.

I get this passage from Bruno Massot's wiki.

On August 31, 2015, the FFSG (French Figure Skating People) reportedly demanded a release fee of 70,000 euros from Massot, later agreeing to 30,000 euros. He was released to skate for Germany on October 26, 2015.

Wow, I didn't know that this is actually a thing in pairs. Does Bruno need to pay that amount himself or the German would pay this release fee? Why is there a release fee anyway?

(I could buy a lifetime supply of Laduree macarons with that money.)

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

That makes my heart ache knowing how many people were probably clapping and cheering that they failed.

I hope the haters are very proud of themselves, the shades of pairs skating aren't polluted by a fun-filled program with pep.

There is room for a fun-filled program with pep.... it was just that Marchei/Hotarek were the ones to deliver it this time.

While I was over the moon at D/R medaling, I was devastated for Tarasova in the kiss and cry when the placement came up. I'm also glad the camera cut away. She definitely took it hard on herself but even though she made the errors, I also think she still stayed committed to selling the program whereas he just went through the motions for most of the rest of it.

I also don't think the crowd were cheering that the Russians failed so much as the Canadians medaling and Aliona getting her gold. It's a primarily South Korean crowd - they aren't ones to cheer for non-home skaters' misfortunes.

 

[ainrg]

Actually, NBC showed the pairs FS LIVE online last night. It was not free (you have to sign in with your cable provider account), but it was available online. NBC online stream has different commentators than the ones on tv.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

As a casual once every 4-year Olympic viewer as far as pairs are concerned, please help me to understand this.

I get this passage from Bruno Massot's wiki.



Wow, I didn't know that this is actually a thing in pairs. Does Bruno need to pay that amount himself or the German would pay this release fee? Why is there a release fee anyway?

(I could buy a lifetime supply of Laduree macarons with that money.)

The French fed felt they had invested in him and weren't willing to let him go without paying up. It cost them some competition time and it makes their meteoric rise that much more impressive.

I hope the French fed is enjoying their Bruno buy-out Euros.

 

[Fool]

True, we should not compare all skaters to Aliona, who is an exception. But most Chinese pairs (especially the more successful ones) have/had very long careers. Sui is so young that she can take a break to focus on health if they want. And still come back very strong, because they are that good. I know they did mistakes but remember they lack the experience the other medalists have. Considering the pressure, they delivered extremely strong performances. As time will pass, I am sure they will come to realize their performances as an achievement rather than disappointments. This will also serve them well in preparation of 2022. If they kept it together so well here despite the pressure and lack of experience, I am sure they will be much more prepared mentally in 2022.

You have the right attitude I will get there, the heartbreak it just so fresh lol. But I know this was the correct result and that their future is full of great potential.

 

[Raatkirani]

This could foreshadow ice dance and France and Canada. Many think Moulin Rouge is not good enough for Virtue and Moir?

Moulin Rouge is not my first choice for them, however, V/M are so versatile and have successfully shown great variety in their past programs that I buy whatever they sell. They sell that program very skillfully—perhaps a result of their experience and maturity? When I first heard they were going to do a Prince program last year, I was incredulous at first. But they did such a fantastic job with it, it is one of my favorite programs ever. They have that ability.

With T/M, I find them to be so elegant that a song about cherries popping and panties dropping is way beneath them.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Robbery. Again. And again. Now it happened with the Chinese.

You're entitled to think so. But the Chinese made key errors and gave up the gold. Had he done a double toe instead of a single or had she not stepped out with a hand down, or had they hit their levels, or a cleaner twist, they would have won.

I know Massot made a significant SP error... But there is something more satisfying in the clean skate of S/M winning over S/H'a FS with 2 errors. Essentially both teams were tied. Bruno's SP doubling was balanced by S/H's FS errors.

 

[Fool]

Another (unsolicited) thought: This was very much a Women As Highlights FS for me. Obviously Aliona was the star in her team (nothing new but at this stage!) and Meagan was the First to land that quad cleanly (yes it's a pair's element but who was looking at Eric as she landed THAT).

Maybe it's just my preferences, but I just really enjoyed watching Valentina and Vanessa as well. And Evgenia is spectacular, even with mistakes. I think T/M are evenly matched, but for some reason she is so memorable to me.

 

[yoloaxel]

This competition was absolutely incredible. Gutted for Sui/Han and for Tarasova/Morozov, happy for Aliona. Also congratulations to Valentina and Ondra!!! They were absolutely STELLAR at the games. Kudos to them!

 

[reneerose]

Thankfully, for the last few winter & summer Olympics, CBC has streamed most (if not all) events online, LIVE! And, they often show complete, live coverage on their TSN (all-sports) channels too (for the more 'popular' sports - which includes figure skating). That means we are able to watch every single competitor! Heck, we even get to watch the warm-ups, and the Zamboni re-surfacing the ice! The best part is the online coverage is all commercial free (well, until this year; but thankfully, we are forced to only watch 2 ⨉ 30-second spots, and only when you initially open the video player). A fair trade I think: 1 minute of commercials in exchange for 3+ hours of live competition!!.

In addition to the amazing online coverage, we have many cable TV options that allow us to flip between coverage on:

• CBC main network;
• Radio-Canada (the French-CBC channel) — which shows different coverage from the English CBC broadcast;
• TSN ("The Sports Network") — at least 1 or 2 of the 6 TSN channels consistently shows Olympics coverage, again different from the main CBC broadcast; and
• NBC (most Canadians have access the big US networks — NBC, ABC, CBS & Fox — through standard cable TV)

I just cannot understand why NBC — which has access to ALL the feeds from ALL sports — doesn't throw them up online like the CBC?? NBC keeps getting horrible reviews for their lack of Olympic coverage; so why not try something different?? Why do they not have online coverage? Even show commercials if they have to justify the cost. Or, are they worried Americans who normally pay for NBC coverage via their cable subscriptions are going to "drop" NBC for the month if they find out they can access the Olympic coverage for free online? I just don't get it??




Although I'm OK with the occasional 'fluff' piece, it seems to me during the minimal coverage on NBC, there's more 'commercials' and 'fluff pieces' shown than actual, real, 'competition'. And, when they do show competition, it's more often taped than live?!

• Does NBC think Americans will get bored viewing the actual competition — from start-to-finish — as it unfolds?
  
• Do they think the average American's attention span is so short that the maximum number of skating programs they are able to sit through is somewhere between 5-8?
  ⨠ Or an equivalent 10-12 downhill ski runs; or ski-jumps?
• Even for the super-thrilling and exciting half-pipe, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding events, NBC rarely shows the full event (...even for the quarter- or semi-final rounds).
  ⨠ And, it seems they select from just a sub-set of these events: those with an American sitting in a top-3 (sometimes top-5) position from the preliminary rounds; or, in the case of taped (not-live) coverage, only when they know an American finishes on the podium.

Such a huge country with so many avid sports fans, and such paltry coverage. I wish you could all access the CBC online with us [although, for the first time in my experience, the online coverage (feed) at the start of the Pairs short program kept 'shuddering'!? Rumors are it was due to too many users accessing via proxies from outside the country!?]. ...So, maybe I don't wish it; at least not until CBC increases their broadcast bandwidth capabilities!

Thanks CBC! You're a super expensive drain on Canada's limited tax resources; but, every 4 years, during the 2 weeks of Olympics competition ... you almost seem worth it! :sarcasm:

Actually, NBC showed the pairs FS LIVE online last night. It was not free (you have to sign in with your cable provider account), but it was available online. NBC online stream has different commentators than the ones on tv.

Seconded, NBC has had all the figure skating on their website (though not free), they just require you sign in with an Internet TV (eg. Sling TV or any on the dropdown list) or TV/DISH subscriber ID (showing that you pay someone somewhere to watch TV or Internet TV) and view one of two feedstyles...standard feed and enhanced feed. They even have the full replays with minimal commercials. They had it for the Rio Olympics too. It may be that it's just hard to figure out how to access the content. The replays are listed under each winter sport's event. I've been quite enjoying the livestream feed (with NO fluffy interruptions) and replay (the one that has the Australian lady-Belinda Noonan and American guy who reminds me of a poor man's Verne Lundquist in his days with Tracy Wilson on CBS Sports) and not even bothering with the primetime feed (too much chatter from T&J). And the Olympic Ice show post competitions has been really fun to watch. I wish it were entirely free, but then NBC isn't generous and it doesn't get tax dollars, like the BBC or CBC.

 

[Raatkirani]

I just cannot understand why NBC — which has access to ALL the feeds from ALL sports — doesn't throw them up online like the CBC?? NBC keeps getting horrible reviews for their lack of Olympic coverage; so why not try something different?? Why do they not have online coverage? Even show commercials if they have to justify the cost. Or, are they worried Americans who normally pay for NBC coverage via their cable subscriptions are going to "drop" NBC for the month if they find out they can access the Olympic coverage for free online? I just don't get it??

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Thanks CBC! You're a super expensive drain on Canada's limited tax resources; but, every 4 years, during the 2 weeks of Olympics competition ... you almost seem worth it! :sarcasm:

NBC’s sports app is showing the whole competition online and even with “enhancements” like elements listed out with scores, however they have a different set of commentators(!), and I’m getting a little tired of the unknown Australian lady, plus the amount of ads is maddening. Why not have the main team of Tara, Johnny and Tara call the whole thing, or Tanith and Scott for online? I’m just peeved that on primetime, they couldn’t be bothered to show the top 8 plus the Americans...would that have been so hard?

But thank you for the list! I will check it out

 

[Florian]

Can't believe I missed it.

 

[MarieM]

As a casual once every 4-year Olympic viewer as far as pairs are concerned, please help me to understand this.

I get this passage from Bruno Massot's wiki.



Wow, I didn't know that this is actually a thing in pairs. Does Bruno need to pay that amount himself or the German would pay this release fee? Why is there a release fee anyway?

(I could buy a lifetime supply of Laduree macarons with that money.)

The german fed payed and never asked Aljona&Bruno to pay them back. They do deserve so much praise for how they handled the FFSG antics.

 

[Latremu]

https://twitter.com/figure_tsukune/status/963995430706020352

Ah, such a wonderful sight. I can only hope all the fans were as genuinely happy for the winners and as gracious as the skaters themselves.

Congratulations to the medalists Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, and Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford!

Looking forward to the next quad. I think Sui/Han can still make the next Olympics. Aliona is around 10 years older than Sui, and now she just won her Olympic Gold medal in her 30s.

 

[anonymoose_au]

There is room for a fun-filled program with pep.... it was just that Marchei/Hotarek were the ones to deliver it this time.

While I was over the moon at D/R medaling, I was devastated for Tarasova in the kiss and cry when the placement came up. I'm also glad the camera cut away. She definitely took it hard on herself but even though she made the errors, I also think she still stayed committed to selling the program whereas he just went through the motions for most of the rest of it.

I also don't think the crowd were cheering that the Russians failed so much as the Canadians medaling and Aliona getting her gold. It's a primarily South Korean crowd - they aren't ones to cheer for non-home skaters' misfortunes.

I meant the people on the message board, they know who they are.

And people seem to forget that nothing is certain in life, who knows with the upcoming crop of Russian pairs if T/M can keep up?

This could have been their only shot and to say they deserved better music if they were going to win will be neither here nor there.

They'll be 27 and 29 in 2022, that's old for figure skaters even pairs skaters

 

[karne]

Well, I'm thoroughly unhappy with this result. I wanted Sui/Han to win and Tarasova/Morozov and Duhamel/Radford on the podium alongside them.

I'm sure all those people who were happily spewing such venomous hatred at Tarasova/Morozov last night are busily glorying in their misfortune...