2024 Grand Prix de France Women's Free Skate

[Joekaz]

Why not? I’ve seen Amber skate live and she skates with a ton of speed and her programs are loaded with transitions. Due to her attempted difficulty, she is also getting a boost in PCS because she was the only woman in this event to cleanly complete a 3Axel in the SP and she did rotate the 3Axel in the FS, albeit was not a clean landing. She stayed committed to the performance despite the 3 jump errors in the FS. She did not pop or under-rotate a single jump in either program and I have watched both her SP and FS multiple times now. Wakaba had 4 jumps in the event over both programs called for short rotations and she had two exclamations for edge on her 3flip, one in each program. I have also watched both of her programs multiple times. The judging was accurate in my eyes and I am a fan of both these skaters.

I basically disagree with just about everything you said. Why do you think she was stumbling all over the place? Because she rotated everything perfectly,but some ghost pushed her? Lol

 

[Joekaz]

So, you have nothing. You prefer Higuchi. Just admit and go from there.

I prefer talent and technique over propaganda.

 

[TallyT]

Sorry, but Scotland is a tiny piece of the world.

That's... a really unpleasant, insular and downright condescending line to take. The US seems (to a large part of the world, I am aware than many there don't mean to) to spend more than enough time already thinking it should impose its standards and tastes on the rest of us. And the skating fandom in the US, by the way, is a tiny piece of the whole and getting tinier all the time.

At first, I thought it was me, but I would ask my partner what was being said and she hadnt a clue.

Then it was a whole two of you.

I really dont care if someone "apes" a US accent (we have many after all) but if a broadcast is going to English speaking countries, then it should be in English.

Oh for the love of... it WAS in English! And probably better than yours (as @Flying Feijoa points out, Mark's pronunciation is more authentic) or mine. In case you have forgotten, Scots spoke and enriched the language a long long time before Americans or Australians (and the Scottish lilt, like the Irish, is considered far more attractive that NA, Australian, or most others). Most people who I've seen talking about it online and worldwide have had no problem with Mark, so may I suggest it's just people like you? And that said people go back and listen to Tara's nasal but apparently preferable whine?

I have had problems at times understanding people from areas of the US and Canada and I know from my reading I am not alone, so maybe Americans shouldn't be allowed to commentate for an international audience either. If you don't like non-acceptable-to-parochial-American-ears commentators, you have other options.

(Apologies mods, but this sort of intolerance towards other cultures gets my goat).

 

[el henry]

I am American.

I adore Mark’s accent.

So there is that.

 

[iluvtodd]

I love listening to Mark Hanretty & his Scottish pronunciation! .

 

[TallyT]

You dont say what country you are from but in the US, CBC and BBC, there is most definately a neutral accent.

It's not neutral, it is just designed to be acceptable to the Transatlantic ear.

I am American.

I adore Mark’s accent.

So there is that.

There have been studies done, and the Celtic voice has been found to be more widely liked than pretty much all others from 'English-speaking' countries.

 

[Jeanie19]

I am American.

I adore Mark’s accent.

So there is that.

Me, too.

 

[Idiote]

I'm French and I love Mark's commentary and accent. It's perfectly understandable. I spoke a little bit with Amber after the competition and her American accent felt much more weird to my hear than Mark's Scottish - but honestly, who cares ?

Some Americans really need to stop being so rude and understand their country is not the center of the freaking world. Jeez.

 

[museksk8r]

I basically disagree with just about everything you said. Why do you think she was stumbling all over the place? Because she rotated everything perfectly,but some ghost pushed her? Lol

I can’t help if your exposure to skating is so limited that you have never seen or heard of a skater who rotates jumps and still falls, but it has happened countless times in the history of the sport. Sometimes skaters don’t properly check the landing of a jump or they catch an edge coming out of the landing of a jump. Please educate yourself. Next!

 

[museksk8r]

Me, too.

Co-signed. Mark is a joy!

 

[museksk8r]

Don't you think they should get people with a fairly neutral accent for a worldwide feed? Especially since the British are irrelevant in skating today.

That is so insulting! Your comments come across so ignorant and closed minded.

 

[readernick]

I'm French and I love Mark's commentary and accent. It's perfectly understandable. I spoke a little bit with Amber after the competition and her American accent felt much more weird to my hear than Mark's Scottish - but honestly, who cares ?

Some Americans really need to stop being so rude and understand their country is not the center of the freaking world. Jeez.

To be fair, it was just one American. I'm pretty sure the other individual complaining is pretty anti-American based on other xenophobic comments from him. ( Or maybe he just hates everyone)

I'm also American and as someone who has lived all over the world there is no such thing as a standard accent. I don't love or hate Mark's accent because I don't think accents are important. They just show where you were born, and in some places what social class you were born into. But, I do love the content of his commentary and that's what counts.

For the original poster, I understand that as we get older it can become harder to understand accents we are unfamiliar with. But, just turn on the subtitles. That's what my mom does. She also doesn't blame others because she's unfamiliar with their accent and has some hearing loss. She got hearing aids and uses subtitles.

 

[museksk8r]

JMTC. If a skater makes a fair number of mistakes, the PCSs should go down. Love Amber, but this was not her day.

Amber’s PCS did go down for her FS. If she had been pristine clean, they would have deservingly been the highest PCS in the event. She commits to the performance despite the jump mistakes and she skates with loads of speed and transitions into and out of her elements. Plus, she gets higher PCS in skating skills by going for the more difficult jump content with the 3Axels and by avoiding technical issues, like edge calls and under-rotations.

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

...okay, that's enough Internet for me today! I'll see you all at NHK!

 

[Joekaz]

I can’t help if your exposure to skating is so limited that you have never seen or heard of a skater who rotates jumps and still falls, but it has happened countless times in the history of the sport. Sometimes skaters don’t properly check the landing of a jump or they catch an edge coming out of the landing of a jump. Please educate yourself. Next!
[/QUOTE
It does happen sometimes, but 3 for 3 is very unlikely.I suggest you educate yourself on the use of slow motion replay and possibly get your vision checked.

 

[Joekaz]

That is so insulting! Your comments come across so ignorant and closed minded.

The truth hurts.

 

[elbkup]

Amber was on fire
The judging totally fair
Mark’s accent is charming, utterly delightful..
I second the suggestion to turn on subtitles if one is having difficulty… that is why they exist
Competition results are always debated; rather than second guess the judges just inhale, suck it up and move on..
We all have favorites who under perform and they all do from time to time
Cannot wait for NHK right?

 

[TallyT]

To be fair, it was just one American.

And I think I should apologise to the Americans on this forum, I probably sounded (though even with a head of steamy temper up, I did try to temper it) like I was lumping all or too many of you in there. I truly did not mean to, and it's wrong to do so, I am sorry.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Americans are some of the most conceited, arrogant, lazy selfish people I meet in my travels. Imagine verbally beating up on a Walmart Checker!!!! Their national and most local news stations act like the world stops at American shores. "The Ugly American " is more than a title of a book. Aggression is all but taught in the schools and media, as is racism. You can delete my post, but you cant delete the truth. Asian cruise ship employees are exactly the opposite. I cruise just so I can talk to them. The Indonesians alone have 5 major languages. And not one has said the work Looootz! (Sorry Mark) And i make an effort to say their names properly. And they are kind. And they talk to me. The officers tell me they dont have to train them to be this way....that is the way they really ARE. They sing while working 7 days a week , 10 hour days. And they cry when they have to leave their families at home for 8 months....

 

[TallyT]

Americans are some of the most conceited, arrogant, lazy selfish people I meet in my travels. Imagine verbally beating up on a Walmart Checker!!!! Their national and most local news stations act like the world stops at American shores. "The Ugly American " is more than a title of a book. Aggression is all but taught in the schools and media, as is racism. You can delete my post, but you cant delete the truth. Asian cruise ship employees are exactly the opposite. I cruise just so I can talk to them. The Indonesians alone have 5 major languages. And not one has said the work Looootz! (Sorry Mark) And i make an effort to say their names properly. And they are kind. And they talk to me. The officers tell me they dont have to train them to be this way....that is the way they really ARE. They sing while working 7 days a week , 10 hour days. And they cry when they have to leave their families at home for 8 months....

And yet you were the one stating an English-speaking commentator should be sacked for his accent?