- Joined
- Nov 19, 2010
The downside of reading before watching.
I read, so I already knew this was to be an artistically different program with even energy throughout. What I didn't expect was how much this music moved me the way he skated it.
I never fell in love with Patrick's program at their first showings. The debut of POTO was especially painful. He came back from his injury and was simply not ready. 3 falls, and 6th place in Skate Canada. (Believers of judging conspiracy, SC's supreme power, home ice advantage, reputation PCS, and Chan's fall privileges please note, as he was skating as the Worlds Silver medalist on home ice.) It was his Canadian Nationals performance of POTO that won me over completely as a fan and I enjoyed repeated viewing of this performance with its couple of glitches. Then the POTO became a struggle in the rest of a very difficult Olympic season and I supported his keeping the program with hope to see it in its full glory. The struggles continued as he ambitiously upped the ante in the new season so it was not until the next Canadian National that I got the program I would watch again and again.
The Aranjuez is different. I never expected to love watching such a flawed debut. POTO awed me but Aranjuez sweeps and carries me emotionally, albeit with personal sentimental feelings for Spanish guitar and the story of Aranjuez. He skated so much with the music and made me hear and feel it. I guess such appreciation is impossible for those who are "sick" of this music and can't hear it any more. His falls didn't interrupt the choreography at all and I'm quite at ease with them as well. These falls were mainly due to insufficient training on a new program with extremely difficult entries for all the jumps. They were not a mental issue like last year, as can be seen from his beautiful 4T3T right after falling on the first 4T. I expect to see improvements in all aspects of this program. Then it will surly gain more fans.
Sometime in the near future, I'd probably want to marry this Aranjuez.