2025 Skate Canada Men's Free Skate

[Greengemmonster]

But Ilia is much older and more experienced then Nathan was. Heck he should be going to his 2nd Olympics to be honest with how he skated at Nationals in 2022.

You know I’m still salty about that. My opinion back then (and now) is that they should have sent Ilia. Even if he was going to splat all over the ice it would have been worth it to get it out of his system, let him have the experience!

 

[Greengemmonster]

Ilia winning the PCS by almost 9 points was definitely a choice by the judges.

My theory is that the judges got sick of the splatting so they were like: Have an extra 9 points my child who did not fall all over the place whilst doing hard jumps

 

[reader3]

Congrats to the Medalists. Special congrats and kudos to the fantastic Ilia!

Happened to catch the some of the FS on NBC and did enjoy Tara and Johnny's commentary.

 

[Janice4th]

Ugghh... these voiceovers are terrible. Did someone ask chat GPT to come up with short phrases and statements that sound poignant upon first listening - before you realize how vacuous and meaningless they are upon second thought?

That’s Ilia’s voice, and he is expressing his journey.

 

[Janice4th]

Yeah, 90 is ridiculous. However, he certainly does sell his programs

Which is where those other two elements come in for the second part of the score.

 

[Kris135]

You know I’m still salty about that. My opinion back then (and now) is that they should have sent Ilia. Even if he was going to splat all over the ice it would have been worth it to get it out of his system, let him have the experience!

I agree I would sent Ilia in heartbeat. He earned his spot in 2022 he should be allowed to use it instead they sent Vincent Zhou who the year before failed to the free skate so please tell me why he should be sent over especially after that Nationals where he again imploded. The USFS needs to stop holding kids back so if they preforming send them out please.

 

[discodisco]

That’s Ilia’s voice, and he is expressing his journey.

I know. I just think that a 20 year old offering vacuous existential advice is incredibly cringy and pretentious

 

[discodisco]

Which is where those other two elements come in for the second part of the score.

I understand that. And I very much believe he should have been first, and I agree he is a once in a generation talent, who continues to blow my mind and stretch what we think is possible when it comes to what we think is possible.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Well, I got Peacocked! I tired to watch Peacock re play of the Mens free and it was Johnny and Tara and not all the skaters and commercials. So after I saw the skaters I wanted, I exited out of "My Stuff" and scrolled down through sports till I saw there was really two tiles, which looked to be to be identical, no world feed, and chose the other one and IT worked.....

 

[jenaj]

Yes, I don't know what the US Fed was thinking back then. Ilia took silver at nationals, Jason was 4th and never had a change at an olympic medal anyway. And Vincent ended up wd.

Without Nathan, Ilia was 9th at Worlds in 2022. I don't think he was ready for the Olympics. Jason had paid his dues and helped the US get 3 spots. Vincent had a stronger record.

 

[lariko]

I found that I like voice overs more and more because Ilia skates like he is inviting people into his world. Watching him practice, interact with fellow competitors and compete is impressive, given he is 20. The level of professionalism, level of control and capability is outstanding. I like listening to him while he skates. There is a sense of warmth/building connection about it, while in the beginning I thought it was more about self-expression and getting a bit of a stimulus as he skates to keep going. After watching a competition with basically no clean skating in any discipline, it was just so powerful to see jumps fully integrated into choreo and music and narrative. There was simplicity and sincerity about it that appealed to me, and all the explanation for his continuing success that one needs.

 

[Jammers]

Without Nathan, Ilia was 9th at Worlds in 2022. I don't think he was ready for the Olympics. Jason had paid his dues and helped the US get 3 spots. Vincent had a stronger record.

9th at your first World Championships as a 17 year old is more then respectable of course he was ready for the Olympics no one would have expected Ilia to medal it would have been for the experience he could have gotten.

 

[viennaskater]

Without Nathan, Ilia was 9th at Worlds in 2022. I don't think he was ready for the Olympics. Jason had paid his dues and helped the US get 3 spots. Vincent had a stronger record.

Jason got the nod. I believe older skaters should be given the chances rather than young 'uns who have years ahead of them.

I felt sorry for Vincent, who, due to COVID, could not do the LP at the 2022 Olympics. I was pleased that he got a bronze medal at the Worlds.

 

[TontoK]

I found that I like voice overs more and more because Ilia skates like he is inviting people into his world. Watching him practice, interact with fellow competitors and compete is impressive, given he is 20. The level of professionalism, level of control and capability is outstanding. I like listening to him while he skates. There is a sense of warmth/building connection about it, while in the beginning I thought it was more about self-expression and getting a bit of a stimulus as he skates to keep going. After watching a competition with basically no clean skating in any discipline, it was just so powerful to see jumps fully integrated into choreo and music and narrative. There was simplicity and sincerity about it that appealed to me, and all the explanation for his continuing success that one needs.

I don't like the voiceovers, but I don't like any voiceovers, so that's my preference.

And as I've said before, neither of these programs this year are to my taste. And that's OK, because you know who DOES like these programs? Ilia Malinin likes these programs. He's skating to true to himself. He's himself when he skates.

If you look at his earliest Instagrams, it features him doing athletic and acrobat moves in his bedroom as a child. It's boundless energy and freedom and joy that has carried over to his skating today. He's authentic, and I'll take that anyday to skaters who perform robotically as though they don't even like their music.

 

[Mathman]

I would like voiceovers better if I could understand what is being said. Ditto for songs with lyrics.

 

[lariko]

I don't like the voiceovers, but I don't like any voiceovers, so that's my preference.

And as I've said before, neither of these programs this year are to my taste. And that's OK, because you know who DOES like these programs? Ilia Malinin likes these programs. He's skating to true to himself. He's himself when he skates.

If you look at his earliest Instagrams, it features him doing athletic and acrobat moves in his bedroom as a child. It's boundless energy and freedom and joy that has carried over to his skating today. He's authentic, and I'll take that anyday to skaters who perform robotically as though they don't even like their music.

Yup! He certainly put a lot of thought, energy and creativity into that program. He has means to do it, and chose to do it, personalizing the VOs. Kudos to him. And at the very least, if peeps don't like his lyrics, they don't have to listen to it dozens of times a year, every year, till the end of times like I have to listen to 'You don't have to wear this dress tonight' or 'but you don't like the music, do you?' or 'Il est venu le temps des cathédrales'...

 

[Mathman]

He's skating to true to himself. He's himself when he skates.

This is, in fact, my favorite kind of program. This is me, skating.

My least favorite is, "Look, look, I'm pretending to be Cinderella or Prince Igor."

 

[TontoK]

This is, in fact, my favorite kind of program. This is me, skating.

Mt least favorite is, "Look, look, I'm pretending to be Cinderella or Prince Igor."

Exactly. I recall a skater who retired a few years ago, and reflecting on his career, I thought, "I don't even know who he is, what he likes, what aspect of skating he values." What a sad retrospective. Years on the senior circuit. Some ups, some downs. And for what legacy?

"Why isn't Ilia more balletic?" Well, maybe he doesn't like ballet. That seems a reasonable answer to that question. My favorite all-time skater is John Curry - probably because he was my first Olympic Champ of my fandom.. Now, he obviously liked ballet, and he had a very defined point of view that he brought to the ice. But not every skater is John Curry, and I wouldn't want them to be. I want them to be themselves, not some inauthentic version of someone else.

 

[lariko]

This is, in fact, my favorite kind of program. This is me, skating.

My least favorite is, "Look, look, I'm pretending to be Cinderella or Prince Igor."

Or worse, Prince Calaf. Imagine the mud-storm if Malinin decided to skate as that. Ouch. I'll take 'You're not nothing, but you're something' affirmations over 'doesn't-take-no-for-an-answer' guy any day.

 

[jenaj]

9th at your first World Championships as a 17 year old is more then respectable of course he was ready for the Olympics no one would have expected Ilia to medal it would have been for the experience he could have gotten.

But in the end, it appears he won't need the experience.