2026 Olympics Team Event: Women's Short Program

[TontoK]

I'm not commenting on natural looks, but how she presents herself. This is a sport all about how people present themselves to an audience, and they are judged on everything they do. There are loose strands hanging out everywhere all over her head. It's nothing to do with gender. I'd say the same thing if a male skater had such messy hair and bleached a ring in his hair.

I agree that you're not commenting on this in a sexist way. I simply think your concerns are irrelevant.

 

[pesto]

Alyssa's portraying a different aesthetic, to a song about emotional turmoil. The dress has a deliberately tattered appearance, and the intentional messy updo echoes it. It's not CBA, it's an artistic choice.

 

[Karoltyna]

I'm not commenting on natural looks, but how she presents herself. This is a sport all about how people present themselves to an audience, and they are judged on everything they do. There are loose strands hanging out everywhere all over her head. It's nothing to do with gender. I'd say the same thing if a male skater had such messy hair and bleached a ring in his hair.


I think it should contribute in a small way to PCS, in much the same way like Smart/Dieck knocked it out of the park with their Dune costumes, immaculate way they presented themselves, and that translated to suddenly receiving a boost from judges.

I never said her dress is ugly, although I don't like the loose pieces on it. I'm neutral to it. It's not ugly, but not one of the great ones. Ugly is a strong word for her hair I never said that. Sorry, but the bleached ring detracts from the program and distracts the audience .

A skater is looking for every edge they can get out there why sabotage themselves?

If Alyssa's hair distracts you form the program, you must have very short attention span. And what about people who aren't attractive? Should they undergo plastic surgery so that whatever they have that may be perceived as unattractive or distracting won't influence PCS? What are you even talking about?

TBH I find Alyssa's quirky hair much more appealing than Gubanova's fake bindi. If you prefer the polished look of sparkling ice pricess, that's fine, but you know, people have different styles and there is no need to put everyone in the same mold. This is the matter of personal preferences and they should not influence the score.

 

[TontoK]

I value authenticity in skating. I want to see the skaters express their true selves.

If we want to shove them into a box with their personal styling, just suit them all up in a team uniform and be done with it. To be honest, I wouldn't mind it in some ways.

 

[cocteautwin]

For reference, Kaori today got lower PCS score (including skating skills score) than Zagitova in 2018. I still can't believe that in Pyeongchang Medvedeva got 38.42 PCS score (9.54 skating skills - higher than Carolina Kostner) and Zagitova 37.62 (9.36 skating skills). I truly hope this bullsh*t level of gaslighting won't come back.

 

[Karoltyna]

I value authenticity in skating. I want to see the skaters express their true selves.

If we want to shove them into a box with their personal styling, just suit them all up in a team uniform and be done with it. To be honest, I wouldn't mind it in some ways.

Yup, let's make them all skate in Ilia's Lombardia style suits with 3-5 small spots of color of choice allowed and with hairstyle guidelines. That would be actually fine with me and probably would show who has the best stills and acting abilities

 

[norwegianfairytale]

Praying for a new meme a 'la Ashley Wagner

 

[yfan1]

Looks have nothing to do with presentation scores,

As much as I wish this were true, I find it doubtful.

A person with a more expressive face can inherently perform (most things) better, as one example.

as well as our personal tastes.

personal taste matters in a minimum of two scores, and yeah, I'd wager presentation at least is affected by costuming. And I expect many judges make value judgments based on whether a costume suited a program's choreography or not too.

You're not going to gift scores to someone wearing a clown costume for Madame Butterfly, I hope.

 

[Mathman]

Liu's hair seems a little disheveled with bits of hair messily hanging out everywhere...

You're showing your age. Hair sticking out every which way, that's cool. (I asked my great grandchildren just to make sure.)

Actually, it's all part of Alysa's master plan. She is trying to distract the judges from noticing that every jump deserves a <<<<<.

 

[cocteautwin]

Liu's combo the 3Lz looks on the q to me, but certainly not deserved of any GOE, then the loop is massively prerotated and then massively underrotated and just a q.

Some of the skaters put so much preparation into creating an elegant appearance especially Shin and Gubanova, and Liu's hair seems a little disheveled with bits of hair messily hanging out everywhere and I don't understand this homemade bleached ring around her head it's totally incongruous with the costume and program, it should be reflected in the presentation mark. Otherwise why would any skater spend an hour preparing themselves to go on the ice. It's the Olympics, and it's a sport all about appearance.

I love that Alysa has guts to break all of those outdated norms how female figure skater "should" look. Those norms has made more then enough damage to many people in this sport and we heard so many stories about it, every few weeks comes a new one. Sometime people are brave enough to break norms as an act of subversion to create a room for reflection and growth and I believe that's why so many fans love Alysa and see their representation in her. I think it;s great.
Also, taste is subjective, you may not like her hair and I may do like it. Anyway, her hair is neither yours nor mine nor judges' business.

 

[cocteautwin]

You're not going to gift scores to someone wearing a clown costume for Madame Butterfly, I hope.

Savchenko/Szolkowy wore clown costumes and it didn't hurt them. Got olympic medal.

 

[yfan1]

Savchenko/Szolkowy wore clown costumes and it didn't hurt them. Got olympic medal.

For Madame Butterfly? I must have missed it.

 

[TontoK]

Yup, let's make them all skate in Ilia's Lombardia style suits with 3-5 small spots of color of choice allowed and with hairstyle guidelines. That would be actually fine with me and probably would show who has the best stills and acting abilities

Yes, military regulation haircuts.

Actually, I'm in favor of this in all aspects of life.

 

[cocteautwin]

For Madame Butterfly? I must have missed it.

For a song "Send in the clowns" - if you read a lyrics and check the context for this song, to portay clowns to this music was quite ridiculous choice (similary as they would do it to madame butterfly, truly hard case of misconception) yet it didn't affect the score they were given cause this is not a rule in this sport.

 

[yfan1]

if you read a lyrics and check the context for this song, to portay clowns to this music was quite ridiculous choice

It is not at all unexpected or ridiculous for a song called "Send in the Clowns". They were portraying the very clowns being spoken about in the song - the actors, the stooges of life.

 

[Karoltyna]

It is not at all unexpected or ridiculous for a song called "Send in the Clowns". They were portraying the very clowns being spoken about in the song - the actors, the stooges of life.

when you listen to the lyrics, it's almost as ridiculous as wearing them for Madame Butterfly

 

[yfan1]

when you listen to the lyrics, it's almost as ridiculous as wearing them for Madame Butterfly

Here's a dance routine based on a similar concept:



I am pretty sure I'm listening to the lyrics, and coming up with an interpretation that validates literal clown costumes being worn in both cases (although the 2010 S/S program is very generic).

 

[cocteautwin]

Here's a dance routine based on a similar concept:



I am pretty sure I'm listening to the lyrics, and coming up with an interpretation that validates literal clown costumes being worn in both cases (although the 2010 S/S program is very generic).

Last post, as I don't thing this thread needs to be continued: even in this dance routine the main character in not a clown at all.

 

[yfan1]

Last post, as I don't thing this thread needs to be continued: even in this dance routine the main character in not a clown at all.

And quite literally all the others are and I wouldn't exactly be calling them backup dancers in that routine. She even ends up wearing clown make-up at the end - because THAT'S the interpretation of the song there.

So what is your point? Costumes don't matter? Don't effect anything? People can wear whatever the heck they want in a performance and make it make sense to the audience?

Looks don't matter in performance - according to the consumers of an entire billion dollar industry based around performance by good-looking people?

 

[Mathman]

...just suit them all up in a team uniform and be done with it.

Plus, that would simplify the judging. The winner would be the team with the catchiest corporate logo on their jackets.