Madison Chock & Evan Bates | Page 38 | Golden Skate

Madison Chock & Evan Bates

I loved the short dance costume! I think when they came out I gasped out loud in reverence, lol. Only Madi could pull it off!
 
Their glorious FD at the World Championship in Milan Italy https://youtu.be/zQ29IO-TgTw . This performance was totally underscored but that's expected. Judging in this competition is very subjective.

By far my favorite in the entire competition... it's a beautiful program, a crime it was so underscored.
Looking forward to their music program next year...
 
I was so happy to see them end this difficult season with two strong performances. They deserved SB scores for both of those programs. I don't think I've ever seen Evan skate with more heart and commitment than in that free dance, really making the most of each and every movement.

I'm glad that Madi will finally be able to get the foot injury fixed. Also, their fifth place finish means they will be seeded in next season's grand prixs.

Can't wait to see their tango.
 
Full-hearted, flowing performance in the FD. Is Evan going to continue for another four years?
 
Such a lovely performance of the Imagine FD, the best of the season and woefully underscored as seems to be the general consensus of the NBC and B Eurosport commentators. Very strong performance of the SD as well. I'm thrilled for them that they had such wonderful performances to end the season on, but heartbroken at the lack of appreciation by the judges.

I hope they enjoy their vacation in Europe, get Madi's surgery done asap, and come back strong for next season.
 
I am so glad they ended the season on a good note. :cheer:

So looking at the way the GP stacks up, it is hard to know who they will face. Are Anna and Luca retiring? Are Kaitlyn and Andrew? P&C will do France. Will USFS gives the Shibs the Skate America slot?.

The GP will be crazy for the US teams.
 
I am so glad they ended the season on a good note. :cheer:

So looking at the way the GP stacks up, it is hard to know who they will face. Are Anna and Luca retiring? Are Kaitlyn and Andrew? P&C will do France. Will USFS gives the Shibs the Skate America slot?.

The GP will be crazy for the US teams.

How does the GP seeding work in an Olympic year? C/B could potentially be the #3 seed depending on retirements/breaks, which would be great. I think Skate America will go to H/D regardless of if the Shibs retire or not, and I am just hoping Madi & Evan don't have to face the French twice again like last season.

Regarding scores at Worlds, I understand Nathalie Pechalat doing the Worlds broadcast for French Eurosport was quite vocal about the underscoring and made some sort of comment that the US federation had "dumped" Chock/Bates. This is pretty distressing and I'm wondering (if true) how that affects next season regarding support and assignments. Side note, I really hate how political these things are; C/B had perfectly respectable and excellent results this quad so a potential lack of support by USFSA is really upsetting.

Meanwhile, I hope they are enjoying their vacation in Italy and putting all this out of their minds for now.
 
It is quite interesting to hear someone who usually doesn't watch figue skating say what they think about the different skaters. i watched the free dance with a visiting friend who is not a skating fan at all and of all the free dances she particularly liked Chock and Bates.
 
USFSA has been trying to elevate H&D for some years; this is nothing new. The Shibs and C&B are tough :)

What is particularly promising is that Nathalie liked them. If they have international support, they have a shot.

Another wild card is that the rules are changing for levels and GOE. I have to pay some attention. But Maddy and Evan have the best, most musically choreographed lifts in the top group. The Shibs have the best twizzles. H&B are not about technical excellence, in general. It will be interesting to see how this works out. If teams have to add features to get a higher score, it generally affects other things.

I also like that they did not repeat something they had done before. W&P actually did repeat their FD. The other top teams chose music and programs very much in genres and styles they had done for years.

I have my fingers crossed for next season.
 
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This means they will stay for next quad, or just 1-2 seasons? I hope they will stay. It’s tough but they can make it.
 
It will be interesting to see how the GP assignments shake out next season. Madi and Evan could end up seeded third depending on which teams retire. Initially, the prospect of this worried me a bit. When C/B were seeded third in the 2016 GP season, it wound up being something of a booby prize. They got back to back GPs in Canada and Russia. In Canada, they had to face Virtue/Moir who got a host spot there as an unseeded returning team. C/B had something like five days between the Gala for Skate Canada and the short dance in Russia on the other side of the world.

If Madi and Evan end up seeded third this season, it's likely they will get the Russian and Canadian GPs again. But this coming season, those events are about a month apart. So I'm hoping no repeat of 2016.

First things first though, and Madi needs to get that ankle taken care of. The problem she has can sometimes be treated arthroscopically, depending on the size, location, and other characteristics of the injury. I hope that's a possibility for Madi, as if would probably mean an easier recovery.

BTW, they seem to have had a wonderful time on their mini-vacation in Italy. Based on their instagram posts, they must have eaten their way through Tuscany, scarfing down enough gelato to sink the Queen Mary. A grand way to celebrate the end of the season, and they deserved every morsel. :)

If you're a Chock/Bates fan, do be sure to check out their Instagram accounts and the various tumblr fan pages. Madi and Evan have never been darlings of the forums, but they have a healthy fan base on other platforms. It's been wonderful this season to see all the love and support from their instagram fans, who hail from all over the world.
 
Their skate at Olympics, fall and all, touched many fans, and they got a great response which meant a lot to them. Tanith thought their FD was underscored. As did I.
 
I need to study the rules as well once they are approved in early June. I think making it harder to achieve L4 in spins and lifts, particularly, will benefit the sport tremendously. It's always been a puzzler to me that one lift that doesn't look terribly difficult and another that's very acrobatic and intricate can both be L4 with similar GOEs. Making some distinction in quality and difficulty of elements will move the sport further along. One thing I do appreciate about C/B is that they rarely repeat their lifts; this year's SD lift, in particular, was a standout.

I really do hope Madi & Evan stay in. I don't know if they'll want to go the whole quad, but I sincerely hope they stay around for at least a couple more seasons. They seem to love skating and competing together, especially now that they are a couple off and on the ice. I agree their popularity has really increased since the Olympics and I'd like to see them assert themselves next year. It's hard to defend a national title and much easier to chase the title; Madi & Evan learned the pressures of defending very well and I think they have the determination to keep fighting.
 
USFSA has been trying to elevate H&D for some years; this is nothing new. The Shibs and C&B are tough :)

What is particularly promising is that Nathalie liked them. If they have international support, they have a shot.

Another wild card is that the rules are changing for levels and GOE. I have to pay some attention. But Maddy and Evan have the best, most musically choreographed lifts in the top group. The Shibs have the best twizzles. H&B are not about technical excellence, in general. It will be interesting to see how this works out. If teams have to add features to get a higher score, it generally affects other things.

I also like that they did not repeat something they had done before. W&P actually did repeat their FD. The other top teams chose music and programs very much in genres and styles they had done for years.

I have my fingers crossed for next season.

The Shibs have stayed the darlings for USFSA for the past quad. Not sure about them promoting H/D since they've mostly posted good results on the strength of their TES, and that's something that the Montreal teams generally are very good at: maxing out levels and GOEs.

C/B need a fresh artistic eye if they are continuing. And Madison might want to add a little strength training. Her foot placement on the ice feels a little weak now.
 
I was browsing through the protocol at Worlds yesterday and I noticed that Chock and Bates got a 10 from one judge (Ukranian one I think) for interpretation in the freedance! How nice! I too hope they continue and I hope Madison gets back to 100%. Speaking of their instagram - Madi is gorgeous in their vacation photos!!
 
The Shibs have stayed the darlings for USFSA for the past quad. Not sure about them promoting H/D since they've mostly posted good results on the strength of their TES, and that's something that the Montreal teams generally are very good at: maxing out levels and GOEs.

C/B need a fresh artistic eye if they are continuing. And Madison might want to add a little strength training. Her foot placement on the ice feels a little weak now.

It's kinda hard to have a proper foot placement if you have a broken foot.
 
I think changing coaches would not help but getting the right choreographer and choosing the right musical vehicle would boost their performance. They should choose music that would allow expressions highlighting their strengths and temperament _ particularly Madis' as she is the more expressive of the two. I love their First FD to Chopin's 'Prelude in E minor' and the 2014 Gershwin FD _ both pieces played so well to their strengths as artists/skaters. I love their Imagine FD but I thought it wasn't the right musical piece for the competition. It's true the sentiments suit the Olympic spirit but the way the concept evolved and constructed in the dance was a tad 'hackneyed' ... tritely sentimental. What I like about P/G is their musical choices _ always classy ... subtle and, yet somehow outwardly contemporary. C/B are beautiful skaters but they should stay away from choices like 'Under Pressure, 'Les Misérables', 'Bad to the Bone' ....
 
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