Adam Rippon Out of Nationals

[Moxiejan]

I don't know what "that" is, but I don't think so. It means that adult journalists, which presumably Phil is, will know the difference between a 16 year old child and a 27 year old adult and ask appropriate questions. Otherwise they risk looking like the horse's patootie that Phil did with this question ETA: to Adam (for entirely different reasons than the child/adult dynamic).

My "that" referred to everything that was said in the preceding post. And I am confused: If your point is that interviewers should act differently with a 16-year-old and a 27-year-old, why are we complaining about the treatment of the 27-year-old?

 

[Mathman]

My "that" referred to everything that was said in the preceding post. And I am confused: If your point is that interviewers should act differently with a 16-year-old and a 27-year-old, why are we complaining about the treatment of the 27-year-old?

Somehow the other topic came up. "We" are of two types. Those who thought that Hersh was mean to Adam and (separately) those who think that reporters should be extra nice to the youngsters.

 

[el henry]

My "that" referred to everything that was said in the preceding post. And I am confused: If your point is that interviewers should act differently with a 16-year-old and a 27-year-old, why are we complaining about the treatment of the 27-year-old?

Thanks for clarifying.

That's why I added "ETA" for entirely different reasons. Thread drift is a wonderful thing.

My problem with Phil's question to Adam is that is was stupid, and rude, in the context of this presser. Wanna write "85 reasons why I loooove Nathan Chen and you should too". Fine and dandy. Call up all the skaters, you're Phil Hersh after all, say I'm writing on Nathan and like to know your thoughts. Ask more than one question. Ask a bunch. Ask Jason or Adam why they should even skate on the same ice with Nathan, my God, he has four quads. Get your quote. No prob.

Not only does he look stupid asking this question in a press call where Adam just announced his withdrawal, as I think you mentioned, he didn't even get a quote. Get off your duff and make some calls, Phil.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[mrrice]

Asking a tough question is not at all the same as bullying. And if a 15-year-old skates well enough to make a senior podium (and the press conference that follows), he/she should have gotten training in answering questions by coach/parents. Really, anyone at high school level should be able to answer a few questions; helps with college/job interviews down the line. As for the kind of rudeness shown by Phil, it likely hurt his chances of getting a "good" answer more than it hurt Adam.

I really haven't followed this sub-thread. However, It would surprise me if these skaters haven't had interview training. The problems arise when they're not in their home Country. We were often interviewed in foreign countries but, we always had an interpreter to translate. One of my favorite answers was..."Wow, that's a really good question." "I'll have to give that some thought and get back to you." That way, you answer the question, without actually giving an answer. Maria Butyrskaya, would either answer the question in Russian, or say, "I'm sorry, I don't understand the question." She was the best in an interview.

Here's an interview (In Russian, translated into English) followed by Maria's Swan Lake LP from NHK 1999. Look at all the flowers she has in her Arms. Those are NOT from the flower girls. She took each one of those flowers from a fan and kissed them on the cheek. If they're anything like I was, she created a lifelong fan by doing so. Swan Lake 1999:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjg5mgk7onY

 

[FlattFan]

So phil's questions are a bit untimely but ok considered the subject is a 27yo man who's been around the block for almost a decade? So funny with all the outrage. I guess people are still being coddled at home?

 

[ice coverage]

Hersh did NOT ask Ashley about Nathan

It seems that Phil asked Ashley about Nathan as well

https://twitter.com/SkatingLesson/status/818978685390909441 ...

For the record:

Hersh did NOT ask Ashley about Nathan in her teleconference, per the audio of her call.

http://www.icenetwork.com/video/topic/213147480/v1219205083​

It was Nick Zaccardi who asked Ashley about Nathan.
(The TSL tweet did not mention Phil's name, and there was a good reason that it did not.)​

I have listened to Ashley's call.
There is a lot of extraneous noise, and so it is hard to hear the Q and A.

- But the first reporter (prob. based in KC) asked a lot of questions about Ashley's return to KC (she had lived and trained there as a child).
- Phil's turn came next. He asked something else about KC. Also asked about missing the GPF as a blessing in disguise. Not one word from Phil about Nathan. Not one word.
- Zaccardi's turn was next. He asked a two-part question. Both parts were about Nathan.​

[To my friend Stitch: I know that the audio for Ashley was not available at the time of your post. And you were careful to say only "seems" that Phil asked. Please know that this post is not about pointing a finger at you. It is about clearing up a misconception for everyone.]

 

[andromache]

Had he regretted it, he wouldn't have been snarky in his tweet re: Ashley's being professional" when asked about Nathan. Phil can get get nasty, Skate America 2001, anyone?

Phil is sassy and he isn't always nice. But you can bet that he's always honest with his opinion. This is why I like him, even if I disagree with him more than half of the time. He covers figure skating like a sport rather than simply a collection of human interest stories (though of course sports can double as human interest stories, too). There are winners and losers and Phil is more than willing to point out why that is (i.e., praise some and criticize others) instead of giving everyone a pat on the back for participating.

Plus, he's been covering the sport for longer than I've been alive (I think? he covered it before the 1994 explosion, right?). He's covered it for longer than at least half of the people on GS have been fans. Sometimes he has smart things to say and interesting insights.

I'm not going to get on a hate bandwagon for a journalist who is, overall, respectful and professional and passionate in his work. I don't always agree with him and I found his question to Adam to be a little tasteless given the timing, but that doesn't make him a bad journalist or a bad person.

 

[Mrs. P]

Phil is sassy and he isn't always nice. But you can bet that he's always honest with his opinion. This is why I like him, even if I disagree with him more than half of the time. He covers figure skating like a sport rather than simply a collection of human interest stories (though of course sports can double as human interest stories, too). There are winners and losers and Phil is more than willing to point out why that is (i.e., praise some and criticize others) instead of giving everyone a pat on the back for participating.

Plus, he's been covering the sport for longer than I've been alive (I think? he covered it before the 1994 explosion, right?). He's covered it for longer than at least half of the people on GS have been fans. Sometimes he has smart things to say and interesting insights.

I'm not going to get on a hate bandwagon for a journalist who is, overall, respectful and professional and passionate in his work. I don't always agree with him and I found his question to Adam to be a little tasteless given the timing, but that doesn't make him a bad journalist or a bad person.

His first Olympics was Lake Placid in 1980. He's been at it for nearly four decades or so. Rio was his 18th Olympics.

I feel the same way about Phil. I don't agree with him all the time, but he has the same approach with all Olympic sports, so it's not like he's picking on figure skaters or something.

 

[el henry]

I will give Phil this (and I sincerely mean it): nobody can start a thread going like our man Phil.

I tend not to have respect for folks just cause they old, cause, well....

Me, I think Lynn Rutherford captured it perfectly, so I need say no more on the subject:

Media's questions on #USChamps17 calls: "Enough about Nathan Chen, let's talk about you . . . What do you think about Nathan Chen?"

And even better her direct reply to @olyphil's comments about Gracie's honesty on the Gracie Gold interview:

@Olyphil. They did. Reporters were so impressed they didn't even ask about Nathan Chen.

So it ain't just us mollycoddled, crowd-following, piling-on, "you can't *handle* the truth", random posters.

 

[ice coverage]

I will give Phil this (and I sincerely mean it): nobody can start a thread going like our man Phil.

I tend not to have respect for folks just cause they old, cause, well....

Me, I think Lynn Rutherford captured it perfectly, so I need say no more on the subject:

Media's questions on #USChamps17 calls: "Enough about Nathan Chen, let's talk about you . . . What do you think about Nathan Chen?"

And even better her direct reply to @olyphil's comments about Gracie's honesty on the Gracie Gold interview:

@Olyphil. They did. Reporters were so impressed they didn't even ask about Nathan Chen.

So it ain't just us mollycoddled, crowd-following, piling-on, "you can't *handle* the truth", random posters.

Question / reality check for those who "can't *handle* the truth" :

Other than Adam, who else do you believe has received a pre-KC teleconference question from Phil regarding Nathan???

Ashley did not.
It was Zaccardi who asked her two questions about Nathan. Not Phil -- as I posted above (after listening to the audio of her call).
And Zaccardi was the third reporter who was called on during Ashley's teleconference.
Phil was the third reporter who was called on during Adam's teleconference.
(Phil was the second reporter who was called on during Ashley's teleconference, and he did not say one word about Nathan. Phil's questions were about KC and about Ashley not qualifying for the GPF.)

Lynn R tweeted about a ShibSibs comment about Nathan -- but we do not know which reporter asked the Shibs about Nathan.
Phil did not tweet anything at all about the teleconference with the Shibs, so I think it is a good bet that he was not even on the call with the Shibs.
I listened to the calls with Hubbell/Donohue and Denney/Frazier, and Phil was not on those calls.​

Yes, skating reporters are interested in Nathan. But ... no, Phil is not the only reporter interested in Nathan.

 

[karne]

Yes, skating reporters are interested in Nathan. But ... no, Phil is not the only reporter interested in Nathan.

But Hersh is the only reporter acting like a douche about it.

Classic exchange between Lynn Rutherford and Jackie Wong on twitter:

@olyphil She did. Reporters were so impressed they didn't even ask about Nathan Chen.

@LynnRutherford @olyphil oh man, I should've been on the call to ask about Nathan Chen

@rockerskating The Chen call is coming up now. I'm going to ask him how he feels about reporters asking other skaters about him.

 

[el henry]

Thank you @ice coverage, because I was wondering, and did not check, and I should have, to see if others had fallen into the all-Nathan all-the-time zone and if the tweets could have broader reference. My bad:

Despite all this, it is not as though I don't have any respect for the aforesaid Phil. Being old does have its advantages, despite my earlier comment and he is initiating discussion, and discussion is always a good thing. ETA: But boy, do I have issues with some of his specific comments and questions, which I reserve my right to have.

Even if we end up discussing him instead of the skater

Now I truly * will* stop....:scard7:

 

[mcq]

Adam get well soon! I just caught up to this news.

Anyway, I don't get this reaction to Phil's question, looked like a normal question to me. Am I missing something?
Hanyu and Fernandez get asked about each other gazillion times in interviews, even when they just lost to the other one or is injured. I don't see the big deal. I can't even recall how many times Asada was asked about her younger competitors by Japanese media too. I am not fond of Phil at all, but I don't see this as anything huge to be upset about?

 

[ice coverage]

But Hersh is the only reporter acting like a douche about it.

Classic exchange between Lynn Rutherford and Jackie Wong on twitter:

My take on the Twitter conversation is that it is good-natured collegial joking among three reporters who have worked and bonded "in the trenches" together both in real life in the press box at skating events and electronically for teleconferences and such.
(Very common for reporters from different news organizations to form strong personal bonds with each other. And very common for them to make endless jokes amongst themselves.)

No one is being a d*uche, and no one is implying that anyone else is a d*uche.

For those not super-familiar with Twitter, a clearer (IMO) representation of the full conversation:

From Hersh @olyphil:

Feels like Gracie Gold decided media conference call would be chance to unburden herself - and boy did she.​

From @LynnRutherford:

@olyphil She did. Reporters were so impressed they didn't even ask about Nathan Chen.
​

From Jackie @rockerskating:

@LynnRutherford @olyphil oh man, I should've been on the call to ask about Nathan Chen
​

From ‏@LynnRutherford:

@rockerskating The Chen call is coming up now. I'm going to ask him how he feels about reporters asking other skaters about him.​

 

[ice coverage]

Update re the Shibs teleconference:

I am just starting to listen to it.

First reporter: Rutherford -- with questions about going into Nats as defending champions with World Silver and about their recent visit to LA.

Second reporter: Zaccardi -- asking about Nathan.​

ETA:

I finished listening. Hersh was not on the Shibs call at all.​

 

[Weathergal]

So phil's questions are a bit untimely but ok considered the subject is a 27yo man who's been around the block for almost a decade? So funny with all the outrage. I guess people are still being coddled at home?

I can't speak for others here, but my response to your earlier post wasn't outrage--more like bewilderment and disagreement. And it was in reference to your suggestion that children who happen to be skating as seniors should be treated like adults during interviews. I had just been reading the thread and hadn't planned on commenting because, as I mentioned, I wasn't fond of the timing of Phil's question but didn't think he intended harm.

Not sure who you're implying is being coddled--the skaters? Other posters who disagree with you? You'll notice others here took issue with your opinion but didn't make derisive comments about you personally.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

My take on the Twitter conversation is that it is good-natured collegial joking among three reporters who have worked and bonded "in the trenches" together both in real life in the press box at skating events and electronically for teleconferences and such.
(Very common for reporters from different news organizations to form strong personal bonds with each other. And very common for them to make endless jokes amongst themselves.)

No one is being a d*uche, and no one is implying that anyone else is a d*uche.

For those not super-familiar with Twitter, a clearer (IMO) representation of the full conversation:

From Hersh @olyphil:

Feels like Gracie Gold decided media conference call would be chance to unburden herself - and boy did she.​

From @LynnRutherford:

@olyphil She did. Reporters were so impressed they didn't even ask about Nathan Chen.
​

From Jackie @rockerskating:

@LynnRutherford @olyphil oh man, I should've been on the call to ask about Nathan Chen
​

From ‏@LynnRutherford:

@rockerskating The Chen call is coming up now. I'm going to ask him how he feels about reporters asking other skaters about him.​

I love that Phil's question is kind of the joke of the week being thrown around twitterverse. I guess a lot of people thought the question was rude and out of place.

 

[ice coverage]

I love that Phil's question is kind of the joke of the week being thrown around twitterverse.

You're missing the exact joke -- at least the joke that Phil, Lynn, and Jackie are sharing in the conversation above.

Their joke is that reporters (plural -- not limited to Hersh) are asking questions about Nathan this week.