Javier Fernandez Preparing for Olympics

[asp11]

Icenetwork article
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/04/10/223425270/fernandez-looking-ahead-to-olympic-campaign
Good read.

The Spaniard isn't yet decided on whether he'll try to up his technical content for next season, but he's already began mulling his options.

Interesting...

 

[narcissa]

Here is the link: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/04/10/223425270/fernandez-looking-ahead-to-olympic-campaign

 

[nekun]

sad, when skater now start to think working to improve skating skill is waste of time

 

[asp11]

All edited in the OP. Thanks for your help!

 

[quizas]

Now he wonders if he should have been spending more time on the technical side.
"The problem is, so many years that I've been in Toronto, I've been focusing more in my skating instead of being focused on my jumps," he said. "I've been spending all that time on my skating skills, and then somebody that is doing so many quads but doesn't have the skating (skills) is also receiving high marks. I'm like, 'Did I waste my time?' I should have maybe focused on the jumps instead of on the skating?"

:think:

 

[Sam L]

Yeah it's whack. Men's skating needs a rebalance and de-emphasis on jumps. I blame the current judging system but it's wider issue if where the focus of the sport should be. Amidst all the judging scandals the sport tried to be something it's not - a number-based, quantifiable and measurable sport. It's not that. It's an artistic sport and the performance and artistry should always be allowed to stand on its own.

 

[evasorange]

At worlds last year I was blow away by watching Javi skate irl. I was always a fan, but that free skate turned me into a FAN you know? He just has this sparkling charisma that no other man could touch. He's a really special athlete and I'm so hyped to see what he comes up with for the Olympic season!!

 

[GGFan]

Love me some Javi but it wasn't focusing skating skills that lost him the championship this year. The judges were ready to give him all of the marks.

 

[Interspectator]

Love me some Javi but it wasn't focusing skating skills that lost him the championship this year. The judges were ready to give him all of the marks.

Yes, I agree with the points he's making about the imballance between tech and pcs this last season, but if he had skated clean with his 3 quad LP, he'd have won. His PCS were not low at worlds, perhaps the young quadster's PCS were a bit high. I can't wait to see his new programs. Always a great entertainer. arty:

 

[asiacheetah]

I think the magic number is now 4 quads, done perfectly clean and with the skating skills and transitions to back it up. Nathan and his 6 quads (4 completed ones) only scored 84 PCS and Boyang got 86 PCS. If the jumps are with him, the PCS would take him over the top of everyone except Yuzuru and Patrick. Shomo is also a contender with the technical and artistic arsenal.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

It couldn't have been that bad Javi - after all, you got a short program PB at Worlds!

I understand the resentment for not adding quads but to be honest he's been doing the 4S and 4T for a while, before this season too, so upping his skating skills wasn't likely the thing holding him back from introducing new quads.

Are there any vid clips or info about any other quads Javier has his eyes on?

 

[DelRetiro]

I think the magic number is now 4 quads, done perfectly clean and with the skating skills and transitions to back it up. Nathan and his 6 quads (4 completed ones) only scored 84 PCS and Boyang got 86 PCS. If the jumps are with him, the PCS would take him over the top of everyone except Yuzuru and Patrick. Shomo is also a contender with the technical and artistic arsenal.

While the difference between a second 4T, to replace the second 3A, is only 1.8, I don't understand how it's too risky for Javi. Does he miss the 4T that much more often than the 3A such that it's a poor risk/reward proposition? I admit I haven't seen that many of Javi's free skates, but his 4T looked so rock-solid in Boston and in Helsinki. In any case, I agree with your take. If Yuzuru skates clean, Javi gets a silver medal at best. If Patrick skates clean ... well, that's a big "if," especially if he plans to add a 2nd quad to his SP and another one to his FS. But with the differences in PCS, a clean skate should get Javi past Nathan and Boyang. Shoma might edge past Javi for silver, but two clean programs by Javi should be good for bronze, at the very least.

 

[Interspectator]

It couldn't have been that bad Javi - after all, you got a short program PB at Worlds!

I understand the resentment for not adding quads but to be honest he's been doing the 4S and 4T for a while, before this season too, so upping his skating skills wasn't likely the thing holding him back from introducing new quads.

Are there any vid clips or info about any other quads Javier has his eyes on?

I've seen a clip of Javi landing a very good 4Lo so if he wants to he can add that.

 

[shyne]

sad, when skater now start to think working to improve skating skill is waste of time

It's not a waste of time if judges do their job and award PCSs/GOEs according to the rulebook.

 

[QuadThrow]

sad, when skater now start to think working to improve skating skill is waste of time

He would not have said it if Chen had not received these high PCS. This is the problem.

 

[Crossover]

Thanks, this is indeed a good article and I'm glad that he stays positive despite the outcome at Worlds and tries to keep focusing on his next moves for Olympics. Though I haven't had a chance to watch the men's FS yet because well..I was not prepared for it. I really hope to see Javi on the podium at PeyongChang.

 

[DiamondDust]

He would not have said it if Chen had not received these high PCS. This is the problem.

But he is still young let's just hope he can improve and the judging too. Back to Javier, he too has shown growth throughout the years and yielded results by becoming 2x world champ. I hope he'll get it off his mind that what he's done is a waste. Should he decide to add another quad to his repertoire then it's good, but if not it's still good. If he skates clean / clean-ish, he's still up for massive scores. I also hope he can podium at the Olys.

 

[GGFan]

He would not have said it if Chen had not received these high PCS. This is the problem.

I guess I'm super skeptical about any statements made within sniffing distance of the Olympics. I think about this three ways to interpret his statement and since we're complex animals I do not see them as mutually exclusive: (1) he was just expressing his disappointment like all human beings do, (2) he sees general PCS creep happening (some unjustified) and he wants to put the judges on notice before it gets worse, and (3) the youngsters have started go get in his head.

(1) is the most natural explanation. (3) seems like the most implausible since his clean short put him in first and he still has a cushion, but figure skating careers are fragile, and he probably sees the future. All of this might be for naught in the end because we all remember all the endless triple-triple talk going into the 2006 Olympics (and whether Michelle, even if healthy could keep up with the technical content), and Arakawa won with 5 triples. All of that to say that Javi needs to be a wise champion and continue to maximize the things he does well and not worry about the up and comers.

 

[xeyra]

I guess I'm super skeptical about any statements made within sniffing distance of the Olympics. I think about this three ways to interpret his statement and since we're complex animals I do not see them as mutually exclusive: (1) he was just expressing his disappointment like all human beings do, (2) he sees general PCS creep happening (some unjustified) and he wants to put the judges on notice before it gets worse, and (3) the youngsters have started go get in his head.

(1) is the most natural explanation. (3) seems like the most implausible since his clean short put him in first and he still has a cushion, but figure skating careers are fragile, and he probably sees the future. All of this might be for naught in the end because we all remember all the endless triple-triple talk going into the 2006 Olympics (and whether Michelle, even if healthy could keep up with the technical content), and Arakawa won with 5 triples. All of that to say that Javi needs to be a wise champion and continue to maximize the things he does well and not worry about the up and comers.

It's also possible he is just thinking of how limited PCS are compared to TES. You can see it with more and more people reaching 110+ TES. No matter how much you work on your skating skills and your performance and everything else, there'll come a time when someone with a TES 10-20 points higher than yours will make up any kind of difference in PCS you might have with them by sheer numbers because of the PCS ceiling. You can't go beyond 100 PCS (nor will anyone ever have 100 PCS) but TES's limit is the sky.

 

[GGFan]

It's also possible he is just thinking of how limited PCS are compared to TES. You can see it with more and more people reaching 110+ TES. No matter how much you work on your skating skills and your performance and everything else, there'll come a time when someone with a TES 10-20 points higher than yours will make up any kind of difference in PCS you might have with them by sheer numbers because of the PCS ceiling. You can't go beyond 100 PCS (nor will anyone ever have 100 PCS) but TES's limit is the sky.

Yes, you're probably right. I hope they're considering a thorough readjustment of values following the Olympics, as they do in gymnastics every four years.