2023 GP France: Men's Thoughts?

[gsk8]

Fa edges out Malinin for Grand Prix gold in France

2023 Grand Prix de France: Men Adam Siao Him Fa of France edged out USA’s Ilia Malinin for the gold in the Men’s event in Angers, France, on Saturday. Yuma Kagiyama of […]

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Wow, this was an exciting event! So thrilled for Fa. I really enjoy this FS.

I also like Malinin's FS and it was good to see him challenged.

Britschgi was fantastic and he would have won Skate Canda with his score at this event

Kagiyama is looking stronger and that pleases me GREATLY!!

 

[Sai Bon]

Wow, this was an exciting event! So thrilled for Fa. I really enjoy this FS.

I also like Malinin's FS and it was good to see him challenged.

Britschgi was fantastic and he would have won Skate Canda with his score at this event

Kagiyama is looking stronger and that pleases me GREATLY!!

Woke up this morning to news that Adam beat Ilia. WOW!!!
So happy to hear my boy Yuma is getting stronger.
Sounds like it was an epic competition and more satisfying to watch after Skate Canada's splatfest.

 

[Princessroja]

It was a fabulous final 4. I felt bad for Lukas, honestly; in pretty much any other men's event he would have podiumed easily.

 

[icewhite]

Great event. I was very much looking forward to it, but I didn't expect all of the top skaters to go almost without any mistakes in short and free and being pretty much on top of their game regarding performance.
One of the most satisfying aspects to me is that they all look so secure in their jumps now, it didn't look hazardous, and they also have really nice technique, height etc...
Add at least Shoma and we have a great competition for the big titles in the near future as well as for the other medals.

One thing that bugs me are Yuma's PCS. He deserves better. And it bugs me even more that so many people are saying he still needs to work on his performance or even that he has no personality whatsoever. In my eyes he shines and he gave his all in both of his programs here. He has the "disadvantage" of having pretty short legs and arms - no doubt that helps with coordination, but also no doubt that makes it harder for him to show off great "lines", "posture", "extension" and such and he will always have to choose a bit whether he shows softness or extension, both at the same time is pretty tough with his stature. He also isn't the kind to distort his face in order to show emotion - and I'm very content with that! let their bodies speak!- but some people are always looking for that and I guess that's also a factor.

I would definitely change his programs though. I feel they are not chosen to show off his qualities best. They are also more or less warhorses. Unfortunately I don't have too much hope. He seems to like this kind of music and I don't see the team behind him changing things in that regard. But he has everything in regards to technique - amazing, fluent skating skills, precision, athleticism, bounce and he's a great dancer, very agile and precise. It has to be possible to show off these qualities more in your face so that people cannot miss them, and I think for a skater of his quality it's also adequate to come up with programs that are truely memorable. These are absolutely fine but in terms of choreo and music they will only be remembered as some good programs in a long row of Imagine Dragons and Rain programs.
I would like him to try something bold, like Pearl Jam's cover of "Love, Reign O'er Me" or something very swingy which requires dance abilities on the ice, either classical/ old lindy hop, or electro swing like Caravan Palace... I think he could also do a wonderful and memorable Uptown Funk...

 

[DancingCactus]

I actually liked Yumas performance better in the LP, so I guess you were right about it bring mostly a music issue @icewhite
Rain has been overused to the point where I expect every second skater to do it, but it's still better music than dreary Imagine Dragons. Yuma's skating skills really are to die for.

 

[Jeanie19]

Great event. I was very much looking forward to it, but I didn't expect all of the top skaters to go almost without any mistakes in short and free and being pretty much on top of their game regarding performance.
One of the most satisfying aspects to me is that they all look so secure in their jumps now, it didn't look hazardous, and they also have really nice technique, height etc...
Add at least Shoma and we have a great competition for the big titles in the near future as well as for the other medals.

One thing that bugs me are Yuma's PCS. He deserves better. And it bugs me even more that so many people are saying he still needs to work on his performance or even that he has no personality whatsoever. In my eyes he shines and he gave his all in both of his programs here. He has the "disadvantage" of having pretty short legs and arms - no doubt that helps with coordination, but also no doubt that makes it harder for him to show off great "lines", "posture", "extension" and such and he will always have to choose a bit whether he shows softness or extension, both at the same time is pretty tough with his stature. He also isn't the kind to distort his face in order to show emotion - and I'm very content with that! let their bodies speak!- but some people are always looking for that and I guess that's also a factor.

I would definitely change his programs though. I feel they are not chosen to show off his qualities best. They are also more or less warhorses. Unfortunately I don't have too much hope. He seems to like this kind of music and I don't see the team behind him changing things in that regard. But he has everything in regards to technique - amazing, fluent skating skills, precision, athleticism, bounce and he's a great dancer, very agile and precise. It has to be possible to show off these qualities more in your face so that people cannot miss them, and I think for a skater of his quality it's also adequate to come up with programs that are truely memorable. These are absolutely fine but in terms of choreo and music they will only be remembered as some good programs in a long row of Imagine Dragons and Rain programs.
I would like him to try something bold, like Pearl Jam's cover of "Love, Reign O'er Me" or something very swingy which requires dance abilities on the ice, either classical/ old lindy hop, or electro swing like Caravan Palace... I think he could also do a wonderful and memorable Uptown Funk...

I think Yuma was underscored in pc's. He feels his programs and his skating is sublime.

 

[ElSoteroLoco]

Ahead of time, I knew this was gonna be a great competition. I've always liked Adam, and so happy for him. Both him and Ilia are gonna be the ones up to the next olympics. And i'm gonna love every moment of them competing with each other! They are both my favorites!

 

[TontoK]

The podium battle was amazing. Best of the year, no doubt about it. I haven't done the math, but I think the 4th place finisher here might have won in Canada. But after the top four???

The rest of the event was ho-hum, and even for a fan like me, not worth the time it took to watch. Where are the really exciting young skaters? When will the long-held expectations of some prospects pan out?

And to be fair, it's not just here in France. This is the third GP of the year, and outside of this event, there has been exactly one competitor who delivered programs worth watching.

 

[icewhite]

The podium battle was amazing. Best of the year, no doubt about it. I haven't done the math, but I think the 4th place finisher here might have won in Canada. But after the top four???

The rest of the event was ho-hum, and even for a fan like me, not worth the time it took to watch. Where are the really exciting young skaters? When will the long-held expectations of some prospects pan out?

And to be fair, it's not just here in France. This is the third GP of the year, and outside of this event, there has been exactly one competitor who delivered programs worth watching.

What do you expect?

 

[Skating91]

Adam has gone from European contender to legitimate world contender. It will be interesting to see what he does with this new expectation on his shoulders now next time he's up against Ilia.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

The rest of the event was ho-hum, and even for a fan like me, not worth the time it took to watch. Where are the really exciting young skaters?

For a fan like me it was time well spent. In fact, I can hardly imagine getting more excited for a young skater than I am every time Nik Memola steps onto the ice.

 

[TontoK]

What do you expect?

I expect skaters below the very top tier to show signs that they're working hard to improve and fight. And, in fairness, I did see that in Lukas, but I acknowledged that in my post (talking about the top 4).

And, also to be fair, that group may in fact be working incredibly hard, but there certainly hasn't been a lot of evidence of higher ambitions this season.

Honest question, because maybe I'm just being a pessimist today... Outside of Kevin at Skate America, what other skater has made you excited? Or even interested? We're not in the midst of summer comps, where sloppy skating can be excused with nods to "it's early." The GP season is half over.

 

[TontoK]

For a fan like me it was time well spent. In fact, I can hardly imagine getting more excited for a young skater than I am every time Nik Memola steps onto the ice.

And I'm happy you've found a skater you like. I agree he has some excellent qualities.

But he is exactly the type of skater I'm talking about. Talented with loads of promise. A skater who should be coming into his own, clawing his way to the upper echelon. Instead, dead last in the SP and 9th in the free. 11th overall and 60 points from challenging for a podium spot.

 

[icewhite]

I expect skaters below the very top tier to show signs that they're working hard to improve and fight. And, in fairness, I did see that in Lukas, but I acknowledged that in my post (talking about the top 4).

And, also to be fair, that group may in fact be working incredibly hard, but there certainly hasn't been a lot of evidence of higher ambitions this season.

Honest question, because maybe I'm just being a pessimist today... Outside of Kevin at Skate America, what other skater has made you excited? Or even interested? We're not in the midst of summer comps, where sloppy skating can be excused with nods to "it's early." The GP season is half over.

I am very impressed with the French men no3 and 4 (and actually all of them).
I liked them before, especially Economides' Cardi B program but I didn't see the level they now showed in France (and already to a degree at that earlier France patinage event) before.
I think they are all great performers, very committed, very entertaining, have great step sequences and sometimes very interesting programs and they also have a rather high technical level, at least for coming from a country where there are not too many rinks, most of those are closed over the summer etc. Like most European skaters I think they don't have the training volumes earlier that others sometimes have, so they have their real peak a bit later. They are not world beaters - but since they already have Adam and Kevin I think being good quality skaters, entertaining and nice to watch is good enough.

We have 18 year old Ilia, the first person ever to jump a 4A, Yuma, a most wonderful 20 year old, Britschgi, a very entertaining, bold young Swiss with good quad combinations, a young Frenchman who's now really coming off age and even able to challenge the supposed to be next superstar in addition to 2 time world champion Shoma - but you don't count them and say "okay, apart from those", and then people like Economides or Le May or Levandi or Torgashev are not good enough for you to be interesting either and that's even without the Russians who also have some very nice programs and high technical level the past two seasons.
I really don't get it and think you have very high standards. I also think there could be more interesting, modern music and choreo, but... it could be a lot, lot worse. How many skaters even jumped several quads in a program a few years ago? Did skaters overall pick more interesting music at other times? I don't think so. These skaters are supposed to do it all now, and some of them even do! and then we dismiss them as just being the top and expect the others to do it all as well?

I think men's is the discipline I have the least to complain about.

 

[el henry]

I may be the wrong one to say anything (and my friend @TontoK may simply be frustrated by skaters of quality not reaching their potential, although I do not want to speak for him) since I have never been a "counting the medals" type fan.

but I also enjoyed some of the lower level skaters. In my skating fandom, I know that not everyone I love will medal. Heck, some may not make the final flight. I take them for where they are and hope they do better.

I do enjoy Landry LeMay, and seeing him so happy with a PB that would place him nowhere near the podium made me as happy as seeing Adam's joy at his win.

Luc, on the other hand, although I appreciate his odd SP music choices (certainly out of the box)< Chaplin programs will always send me scurrying for the mute and possibly even switching screens. No matter the cuts. I. Can't. Stand. Chaplin. Programs. signed, cranky El.

 

[4everchan]

Honest question, because maybe I'm just being a pessimist today... Outside of Kevin at Skate America, what other skater has made you excited? Or even interested? We're not in the midst of summer comps, where sloppy skating can be excused with nods to "it's early." The GP season is half over.

Adam. Yuma is still on his way back but I am excited about his return. I cannot wait to see Shoma too. Jason Brown is supposed to be competing at Warsaw cup (with on road to recovery Roman). I also enjoy Lukas but i would indeed put him in the second category, like Sota.

The point I am making is that there are plenty of fabulous skaters to watch this year, with good performance potential.

As you may have noticed, I didn't include Malinin in my list. I saw him live at ACI. He is always improving. His jumps are stellar and he is super consistent. However, though I recognize his fire power and believe he has the best odd of being on the worlds' podium, I am not a convinced fan... But you know, I never was a convinced fan of some of the past champions we have had. This is the beauty of the sport

 

[Sai Bon]

Great event. I was very much looking forward to it, but I didn't expect all of the top skaters to go almost without any mistakes in short and free and being pretty much on top of their game regarding performance.
One of the most satisfying aspects to me is that they all look so secure in their jumps now, it didn't look hazardous, and they also have really nice technique, height etc...
Add at least Shoma and we have a great competition for the big titles in the near future as well as for the other medals.

One thing that bugs me are Yuma's PCS. He deserves better. And it bugs me even more that so many people are saying he still needs to work on his performance or even that he has no personality whatsoever. In my eyes he shines and he gave his all in both of his programs here. He has the "disadvantage" of having pretty short legs and arms - no doubt that helps with coordination, but also no doubt that makes it harder for him to show off great "lines", "posture", "extension" and such and he will always have to choose a bit whether he shows softness or extension, both at the same time is pretty tough with his stature. He also isn't the kind to distort his face in order to show emotion - and I'm very content with that! let their bodies speak!- but some people are always looking for that and I guess that's also a factor.

I would definitely change his programs though. I feel they are not chosen to show off his qualities best. They are also more or less warhorses. Unfortunately I don't have too much hope. He seems to like this kind of music and I don't see the team behind him changing things in that regard. But he has everything in regards to technique - amazing, fluent skating skills, precision, athleticism, bounce and he's a great dancer, very agile and precise. It has to be possible to show off these qualities more in your face so that people cannot miss them, and I think for a skater of his quality it's also adequate to come up with programs that are truely memorable. These are absolutely fine but in terms of choreo and music they will only be remembered as some good programs in a long row of Imagine Dragons and Rain programs.
I would like him to try something bold, like Pearl Jam's cover of "Love, Reign O'er Me" or something very swingy which requires dance abilities on the ice, either classical/ old lindy hop, or electro swing like Caravan Palace... I think he could also do a wonderful and memorable Uptown Funk...

Yuma doing Uptown Funk? Ooh, yes please!!! (A girl can only dream...)

 

[SmileHappy34]

Beautiful .

Adam congratulations on winning. Power .

Ilia great job. Wow ur elegance skating .
With this program I see flow and elegance along with technique.

Yuma fantastic start on ur return. The minor bobbles nothing. U power, and flow

Lukas great skating and interpretation. Congrats on Sb.

Nice to see great skating.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

And I'm happy you've found a skater you like. I agree he has some excellent qualities.

But he is exactly the type of skater I'm talking about. Talented with loads of promise. A skater who should be coming into his own, clawing his way to the upper echelon. Instead, dead last in the SP and 9th in the free. 11th overall and 60 points from challenging for a podium spot.

And he is coming into his own and clawing his way to the top! He's been learning a bunch of quads, successfully landing them in his programs and he even won a Challenger in this, his first senior, season. Everyone has bad skates now and then, Nik had them at this event, so what?
I'm even more excited for his next GP assignment now. How will he deal with this setback? Will he go back to a safer layout, or, on the contrary, will he add more quads? I enjoy following his development, but he is just out of juniors, naturally he won't skate perfectly every time.

 

[niks]

The podium battle was amazing. Best of the year, no doubt about it. I haven't done the math, but I think the 4th place finisher here might have won in Canada. But after the top four???

The rest of the event was ho-hum, and even for a fan like me, not worth the time it took to watch. Where are the really exciting young skaters? When will the long-held expectations of some prospects pan out?

And to be fair, it's not just here in France. This is the third GP of the year, and outside of this event, there has been exactly one competitor who delivered programs worth watching.

I'm sorry but I really can't help saying this. If you thought the men event was uninspiring (out of top 4 as you say), well then you probably didn't watch the women

In all honesty, men was the best part of this GP by a long way. At least you got some powerful skates. I was also hoping for some truly outstanding performance such as Kevin's FS, but well, those are hard to come by on a regular basis. Performances here were quite enjoyable anyway and most programs were well skated and felt lively and powerful.

And just to answer you latter post, yes, in fact, Kevin's is the only performance so far at the GPs that has truly moved me and that I would (and have) rewatch. I'm doubting we'll get anything else like that this season, they are not so many new programs that still remain to be seen.