2020-21 U.S. Men's Figure Skating

[el henry]

Unfortunately, you'd be wrong there, there are people who literally hate his guts and probably wouldn't bother to brake if they saw him crossing the street.

Someone streaming the US Nats outright refused to show his skate, although they were perfectly fine with people in the comments hurling abuse at him.

It was really charming.

I know, the streamer was what led to the OT discussion in the Nats thread, IIRC.

of course some folks are going to care about such things and draw conclusions (I think in particular of Twitter, land of 1000 hot takes. Why I only hang there to find videos and latest news)

but the majority of folks, AFAIK, feel passionately about the skaters they like. So if they criticize scores, performance or jumps of another skater, it may be in comparison to their fav. But not because of some deep personal animus toward the skater criticized.

my story and I’m sticking to it.

 

[1111bm]

And if we were to say there are two "kinds" of fans (I'm not crazy about that simplification, but let's say there are) fans of big jumps, more jumps, wow me with jumps and consistent winning will favor one of those men, and fans that say I don't care about jumps, wow me with spins and performance and transitions will favor another. And Vincent is not either of those two

Or maybe, Nathan's fans like him not for the jumps but actually for his skating...

Most people I know, myself included, dislike Vincent's body language and presentation style on the ice. The way he moves looks awkward and floppy, plus he doesn't have nice lines. And the way he performs his choreo looks very over the top cheesy and doesn't feel authentic. It's as simple as that.

 

[el henry]

Or maybe, Nathan's fans like him not for the jumps but actually for his skating...

Most people I know, myself included, dislike Vincent's body language and presentation style on the ice. The way he moves looks awkward and floppy, plus he doesn't have nice lines. And the way he performs his choreo looks very over the top cheesy and doesn't feel authentic. It's as simple as that.

Which is why I said
"And if we were to say there are two "kinds" of fans (I'm not crazy about that simplification, but let's say there are)" I was actually trying to be inclusive. I think Nathan has improved immensely, I think going to Yale was the best thing that ever happened to his skating, and I admire him personally.

should I insert the rolling eyes emoji here

 

[elbkup]

Vincent Zhou seems to approach each performance with a certain amount of trepidation which can be off-putting to me as a fan. His programs and skill are top notch - I loved his Crouching Tiger FS - but to me his delivery lacks a abandonment, his attack is mixed with a certain amount of reserve..
Belief in oneself is more than half the battle; most skaters struggle with it from time to time but Vincent is one skater who has made great strides, has become top in the field and deserves to enjoy his achievements fully and reap his reward.
Worlds 2021: RESPECT!!! I am gutted but Vincent skated like the pro he is.. Starry Night is a beautiful program and I hope we see it again before too long.

 

[TontoK]

Here is Malinin doing a 4T-3T combo in practice, and it looks fine.

My screen is not large, and my eyes can't follow the quick rotation, but I *think* the back half the combo is Rippon.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKrczxIHlR8/

He seems to be in that stage of development where he's getting new tricks routinely... but I'm not seeing any video of his spins, which were not good at Skate America.

 

[Tahuu]

Susan Russell's article on Yaroslav Paniot. He will be released by Ukraine federation on May 21, 2021 and he expects to get US citizenship in late 2021.

 

[TontoK]

Susan Russell's article on Yaroslav Paniot. He will be released by Ukraine federation on May 21, 2021 and he expects to get US citizenship in late 2021.

That is very interesting.

If this article is accurate, he would be eligible to represent USA at Beijing. This is a contender who wasn't on my radar three months ago.

 

[ice coverage]

Susan Russell's article on Yaroslav Paniot. He will be released by Ukraine federation on May 21, 2021 and he expects to get US citizenship in late 2021.

Thanks -- the citizenship timeline sheds light on why Todd Eldredge's hashtags had implied that Yaro would be a Team USA hopeful for 2022 OWG.

On Yaro's thank-you post (on Jan 20, after 2021 Nats), Todd had responded with this comment looking to the future:

" We’ve only just begun! #2022 #2026 "​

Big year ahead for Yaro and Todd!

---

A belated mention that I loved Max Naumov's video from a week ago:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKzVd8lgVqZ/ (Feb 2)​

It was great to see his 4S, and then his happy (but relatively restrained) reaction .

But almost the best part was the off-camera sounds of full-blown celebratory excitement -- probably from his proud coach/father Vadim ?

 

[sheetz]

Haven't had a chance to watch it yet but here's a long interview Yaro did very recently.

ENTREVISTA CON YAROSLAV PANIOT

Yaroslav Paniot, originario de Ucrania, está en proceso de competir representando a Estados Unidos. Conoce el camino que lo llevó a ganar 4º lugar en el Camp...

youtu.be

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Don't know where else to post this, but CONGRATULATIONS Adam Rippon on your engagement. You are very lucky to love someone and have someone love u back.
Who is PJ? A skater from Finland?

 

[rollerblade]

I don't think he's a skater or did competitive sports. They met on Tinder haha.

 

[alexaa]

Will Annis landed 4 loop in practices

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLVEBJNgeVG/?igshid=4cc0zadas3aj

 

[TontoK]

Will Annis landed 4 loop in practices

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLVEBJNgeVG/?igshid=4cc0zadas3aj

Dang. This kid is 16? Where is all this talent coming from suddenly?

I know it's one clip from one jump at a practice session, but that looks smooth as silk.

And there's a matter-of-fact quality that indicates he wasn't surprised at how well that turned out. He expected it.

 

[el henry]

@moonvine, did you see this article on Rohene Ward where he says he was impressed by our new junior fave, Jacob Sanchez
" 'He looks just like me when I was his age,' Ward thought."

The Tapestry That is Rohene Ward - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

He glides to center ice, a ponytail pinning his curly, jet-black hair. It's January 2006.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Can you imagine Jacob skating a program with Rohene choreo?

 

[Jeanie19]

@moonvine, did you see this article on Rohene Ward where he says he was impressed by our new junior fave, Jacob Sanchez
" 'He looks just like me when I was his age,' Ward thought."

The Tapestry That is Rohene Ward - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

He glides to center ice, a ponytail pinning his curly, jet-black hair. It's January 2006.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Can you imagine Jacob skating a program with Rohene choreo?

That would be amazing. Jacob is a true entertainer.

 

[el henry]

Grant Hochstein and Caroline Zhang are expecting a baby girl. Mama and Papa to be look great:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLko0F7LUTT/

 

[spiralsnowflake]

Jason Brown was on Polina's podcast this week! Really interesting perspective being on the Olympic team so young, with the expectations of making future teams. His talk about bad headspace for the quad in 2017/2018 is heart breaking -- he was and always will be an amazing skater with or without the jumps!

Bleav in Figure Skating: 2024 World Championships Recap

I recap all four disciplines in the 2024 World Championships in Montreal Canada.

wavve.link

and youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g92UTfDCRdU&feature=youtu.be

 

[el henry]

Jason Brown was on Polina's podcast this week! Really interesting perspective being on the Olympic team so young, with the expectations of making future teams. His talk about bad headspace for the quad in 2017/2018 is heart breaking -- he was and always will be an amazing skater with or without the jumps!

Bleav in Figure Skating: 2024 World Championships Recap

I recap all four disciplines in the 2024 World Championships in Montreal Canada.

wavve.link

and youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g92UTfDCRdU&feature=youtu.be

The podcast should really put a stop the annoying "oh Jason just skates around and doesn't even care to do a quad, how unsporting" train of thought. (but it won't ) Overthinking about the quad put him in such a bad headspace in 2018, we almost lost his gifts for skating for the next few years. Thank heavens he was strong enough to overcome it and now we benefit

I could do without the 20 minutes on Sochi at the beginning, but happy for any and all Jason content.

 

[TontoK]

My favorite young skater to watch, showing off again.

Malinin. 3A-3A-3A sequence. Obviously not a competition pass, just a boy having fun.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLsw9DtHtO2/

 

[TontoK]

Ilia Malinin Instagram page strikes again.

4A in harness. Crazy. From the comments section, I learned that his Dad is holding the harness. He's clearly helping a good bit, but it's still impressive.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLuy9ZyHfgS/