2024 Worlds: Men's thoughts and comments

[DancingCactus]

Now imagine skaters in an embroidered silk coat and gray wig. I would so watch this.

 

[4everchan]

Now imagine skaters in an embroidered silk coat and gray wig. I would so watch this.

I am here for the tights and the little shorts

 

[Anna K.]

It would be a great movie. It could be a story about lovers who secretly communicate sending messages to each other via elaborated figures they skate on the ice.
And (a byproduct) it would make figure skating popular again

 

[Sjs5572]

Well, this is probably my personal opinion, but I just don't like someone whose whole schtick is "look at me". Come to think of it, Plushenko also gave off these vibes sometimes, but at least he had more to be proud of than jumps. It might be cool to some degree, but it gets old soon. You can be proud of our acomplishments, but there should be something more to a program than showing off.

Yes, Pluschenko could be proud of his lack of transitions!

 

[4everchan]

I wish I could see the CBC videos of this event. Kurt Browning was commentator, wasn't he?

It would be interesting to hear his take.

I plan to rewatch it over the weekend in English... I did watch the French already. I am not so sure why you guys are so interested in commentators though. Maybe back then, they were less politically correct, but nowadays, they all have to be very mild and positive. Even Alain Goldberg who is well-known for his controversial statements didn't say anything special... He did say that Maddie and Evan could use a little more dancing in their free dance but that was the wildest he said, or at least from what I noticed. Also, Kurt is not necessarily known for making controversial comments. I bet he will just talk about the jumps and not address anything else. But in any case, I will let you know when I am done watching it.

 

[Mathman]

It would be a great movie. It could be a story about lovers who secretly communicate sending messages to each other via elaborated figures they skate on the ice.

Or two spies. The authorities could never figure out how the bad guys were pulling it off. But they sure enjoyed the skating of that sexy red-haired vamp who entertained at the pond every day all winter.

 

[el henry]

But we already have a Hamilton routine for the 18th century. And Jason didn't need a wig.

Granted working Americans then weren't dressing like European royalty.

 

[Mathman]

^ Jason's best-concieved short program ever.

 

[DancingCactus]

No coat? Unacceptable in polite society!

 

[Anna K.]

authorities could never figure out

Oh, yes

 

[el henry]

OK, although meant as a Prince costume. (and it was, full on Prince ruffles and coat in skating is rare, some do the ruffles, some do a sleek coat, have not seen the entire costume like this). Only Rohene could look elegant in a 3/4 length coat.

Would this work?

 

[Mathman]

No coat? Unacceptable in polite society!

Well, this was in The Room Where It Happened. The gentlemen rolled up their sleeves and set to work on the political wheeling and dealing. Here are Lin-Manuel Miranda from the musical and the real Alexander Hamilton.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/04/11/arts/11HAMHISTORY-COMBO/11HAMHISTORY-COMBO-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp

 

[Mathman]

OK, although meant as a Prince costume. (and it was, full on Prince ruffles and coat in skating is rare, some do the ruffles, some do a sleek coat, have not seen the entire costume like this). Only Rohene could look elegant in a 3/4 length coat.

Would this work?

The costume alone is a sumptous feast!

But hey, we survived all the MichaelJackson programs in a tight red jacket and one glove.

 

[gkelly]

Or two spies. The authorities could never figure out how the bad huys were pulling it off. But they sure enjoyed the skating of that sexy red-haired vamp who entertained at the pond every day all winter.

Well, there was this

I haven't seen it, but I believe the warning was carved into the ice

No coat? Unacceptable in polite society!

Or like this?

A. DENKOVA & M. STAVISKI - 2002 NATIONS CUP - OD

ALBENA DENKOVA & MAXIM STAVISKI - 2002 NATIONS CUP - ORIGINAL DANCE

www.youtube.com

Probably not a great idea for a skater doing triple and quad rotations in the air.

 

[Mathman]

Well, there was this.

What a find! The actress is none other than Charlotte Oelschagel (aka Charlotte Hayward), my all-time favorite. I wonder if she bowed off the ice with her famous Charlotte spiral exit after tracing the message..

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

To bring this thread back on topic...

I let it sit for a week but I can't shake the feeling that the men's competition was a lacklustre affair compared to last year's Worlds or Euros just a month ago. Still I'm sure all the skaters gave their best on the day so I won't criticise but rather focus on the positives.

First of all there is Yuma Kagiyama, the perfect symbiosis of technical prowess and beautiful skating. With the team he's got in his corner we will continue to see great things from him in the future.
Adam's comeback in the free skate was mesmerizing, his performance enchanted the audience and he really deserves the World's medal.
Kudos also to European small fed skaters Lukas, Deniss, and Sasha Selevko who delivered under pressure. I'm already very excited to find out what kind of programs they will have next season.
The Italian lads Nik Memola and Gabriele Frangipani also held on to their two spots, keeping the chance for three Itailan men at their home Olympics alive. Nik especially did incredibly well considering it was his first senior season and he was injured right before Worlds.
Romsky's SP was pure bliss and to be honest I prefer even a messy Romsky FS to some skaters' clean FS. Hope he can come back strong next season.

I'm curious how the return of the qualification round will impact the competition next season.

 

[Crowdproud]

I'm curious how the return of the qualification round will impact the competition next season.

The impact should not be that big. All those countries that did not make the free this year will have to participate in the qualification round, which would be akin to the add'l Olympic qualifying. The countries that made the free and/or those that earned add'l spots will be considered "direct qualified" and won't have to participate.

The goal seems to be to limit the number of entries into the SP to 36 in the singles disciplines; 30 in dance; and 24 in pairs. Taking this year's entries as a guide, the qualification round will possibly be needed for men and dance, but not for women and pairs.

 

[cailuj365]

Heading into next year...

Ilia, my goodness. After 2 years, he's already a supernova and one of the most exciting stars that FS has had. Potentially peak too soon? Judging by his current career trajectory, he could potentially just rise further, but other teenage superstars have also had letdown seasons after their first wave of success. I read something about how he's still looking for his own artistry that he enjoys and he doesn't even like watching himself, so that's honestly the last step for him. I pray he does not burn out or get injured before Milan.

Yuma is every skating fan's favorite and yet seems constantly overshadowed in terms of results. But he'll continue to score extremely well next year and build the tech content each year. I think he'll go into Milan as at least a co-favorite for the OGM. He'll have his time. He's way too good not to. Maybe it'll be in Milan.

Adam had a stunning FS, but I wonder if he would have skated like that had he actually felt like he had more on the line. No matter though. He'll go into next year with great confidence.

Shoma will forever be one of my favorites. I think he'll be back next year but with different goals, and he'll end his career eventually on his own terms.

I owe Jason Brown and his fans an apology. I've always loved him as a skater, but I wanted one of the other US guys to be given a chance on the Worlds team. You can't argue with his results though. Amazing mental toughness and competitive attitude. These programs are getting a bit stale, even his Backstreet Boys gala number, so I'm glad he's going to get new ones next year.

2024 was the breakout year of Selevko and Brittchgi. Fun to watch. Tough year for Jun. He'll needs to stay healthy heading into 2026. Aymoz and Jin at a crossroads.

 

[TontoK]

To bring this thread back on topic...

I let it sit for a week but I can't shake the feeling that the men's competition was a lacklustre affair compared to last year's Worlds or Euros just a month ago. Still I'm sure all the skaters gave their best on the day so I won't criticise but rather focus on the positives.

First of all there is Yuma Kagiyama, the perfect symbiosis of technical prowess and beautiful skating. With the team he's got in his corner we will continue to see great things from him in the future.
Adam's comeback in the free skate was mesmerizing, his performance enchanted the audience and he really deserves the World's medal.
Kudos also to European small fed skaters Lukas, Deniss, and Sasha Selevko who delivered under pressure. I'm already very excited to find out what kind of programs they will have next season.
The Italian lads Nik Memola and Gabriele Frangipani also held on to their two spots, keeping the chance for three Itailan men at their home Olympics alive. Nik especially did incredibly well considering it was his first senior season and he was injured right before Worlds.
Romsky's SP was pure bliss and to be honest I prefer even a messy Romsky FS to some skaters' clean FS. Hope he can come back strong next season.

I'm curious how the return of the qualification round will impact the competition next season.

I didn't see it as lackluster.

The short programs, at least at the top end, were pretty danged good. The programs that weren't at the very top end were probably no worse than they usually are. It's pretty rare to see a ton of sparkling clean SPs in any competition.

Ilya's LP was an iconic technical masterpiece. Even if you don't like his style of skating, you have to give him his due on that.

Adam's comeback was historic, and it was exciting to see his long rise to the podium in real time.

Yuma skated brilliantly. One non-disruptive mistake over the course of two programs. On a different weekend, he'd have won and would have been wildly celebrated. Fans may be disappointed that his achievement was overshadowed, but it wasn't lackluster.

Jason defied expectations, yet again, and thrilled by delivering his skating his way, and he did it really well.

New (for me anyway) skaters revealed themselves. As you point out, the small fed skaters held their own nicely, and I'm really proud of that.

Some old favorites didn't perform to our fondest hopes, but heartbreak is also a non-lackluster emotion.

And all this played out on the World stage in front of a very supportive arena that was generous in their acknowledgement and appreciation of all the skaters.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

I didn't see it as lackluster.

The short programs, at least at the top end, were pretty danged good. The programs that weren't at the very top end were probably no worse than they usually are. It's pretty rare to see a ton of sparkling clean SPs in any competition.

Ilya's LP was an iconic technical masterpiece. Even if you don't like his style of skating, you have to give him his due on that.

Adam's comeback was historic, and it was exciting to see his long rise to the podium in real time.

Yuma skated brilliantly. One non-disruptive mistake over the course of two programs. On a different weekend, he'd have won and would have been wildly celebrated. Fans may be disappointed that his achievement was overshadowed, but it wasn't lackluster.

Jason defied expectations, yet again, and thrilled by delivering his skating his way, and he did it really well.

New (for me anyway) skaters revealed themselves. As you point out, the small fed skaters held their own nicely, and I'm really proud of that.

Some old favorites didn't perform to our fondest hopes, but heartbreak is also a non-lackluster emotion.

And all this played out on the World stage in front of a very supportive arena that was generous in their acknowledgement and appreciation of all the skaters.

It wasn't about the mistakes for me. I actually don't mind mistakes in men's skating that much. When you skate with multiple quads it comes with the business.
And no ISU Championship these days can cause me any figure skating heartbreak.

Something else was off for me. But that's ok, if you follow a lot of figure skating, you can't get equally excited about every competition. Maybe last season when I really enjoyed the big ISU Championships was an outlier for me, and now my expectations were just too high. Maybe it was the time zone which made it impossible to watch the FS live, and watching after the fact all the emotions were kind of dulled.

Anyway, I'm glad you found the event exciting!