Men's Short Program, Sat. Nov. 12 at 2:30 am

[prettykeys]

Daisuke

 

[Tinymavy15]

Daisuke

That SP is divine. I think it may be his best yet, and is certainly the best program of the men's event this season. He looks like a new skater.

 

[Kitt]

Daisuke

I am in awe of Daisuke! Everything...so seamless...those edges. I MUST watch again.

 

[skateflower]

Daisuke's SP was great but it was definitely inflated due to host country advantage.

 

[prettykeys]

I fell in love with Dai's SP when I saw the clips from Skate Canada (which doesn't have the wobble at the end) . I love that it isn't a cool cyber-electronica or showy number but rather fiery, solemn abstractness, which suits my tastes more. One of my favourite Men's SP's.

 

[Mrs. P]

I watched Daisuke's program again this morning and I believe the super +GOE was warranted. Those jumps were crisp, fast, clean and definitely covered a ton of ice! You couldn't ask for better jumps from Daisuke today.

 

[colleen o'neill]

That was an exquisite skate by Dai ... I've watched it 3 times over. What a skater ! What an artist !
I can't understand how anyone could begrudge his marks , here.

 

[emma]

I watched Daisuke's program again this morning and I believe the super +GOE was warranted. Those jumps were crisp, fast, clean and definitely covered a ton of ice! You couldn't ask for better jumps from Daisuke today.

I admit to not really having a clue how to score; that said, I totally agree with you!!! I just rewatched (again, third time now) and I couldn't get over this and the word "crisp and clean" with the jumps is spot on. I was particularly stunned by his Triple Axel - is that like the highest and furthest and cleanest edge take off he has ever had on that jump? It just looked like someone else to me. Love the whole program. still saying wow, wow, wow.

 

[periperi]

I'm bummed over Tomas. I really wanted the guy to skate well, but you just never know with him. I'm not a fan of the program itself either. I just hope he can redeem himself in the long.

On the other hand... Dai!!! Wow! I'm not gonna lie, I really wanted Taka to win this short going into the long, but Dai was just great and deserves the lead. I couldn't stop looking at his feet. They were expressing all the nuances in the music while his upper body took care of the more obvious beats, so to speak. I agree with emma that out of the well executed jumps he put out there, the 3A in particular really stood out to me. He usually gets a lot of height on that jump, but this time it really flew distance-wise.

I enjoyed Taka as well, although I'm curious as to why he didn't do the quad toe-triple toe(?) he was planning. That death drop of his is just amazing! And it came right out of a spread eagle!

Can't wait for the long. It has the potential to be quite exciting.

 

[Jammers]

And this is why all those people griping about the quad should just shut it. I'd rather watch a performance like Dai without the quad then someone who can land one but has no other skating skills. Plushenko only wished he could skate like this.

 

[seniorita]

Invalid generalisation. If ALL quadless guys were skating like Takahashi we really wouldnt have ANY but ANY problem. But they dont actually. There is only one Daisuke. And if you think Plushenko didnt have very good ss in his prime, then you must be 13.

I have managed to watch only Dai through a small small screen and I m stunned.
My only objection, I loved the SC costume more, but in any costume this season he really skates like the king, like the ice rink is his and we are preveleged he let us watch his program and everyone who skates like this is in my top of the top list

Why Kozuka is so low behind, I havent seen the program yet.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Takahashi again had the advantage of skating last, firming the decision not to attempt a quad. Instead he focused on the quality of his skating and the integrity of the program. It seems his quest for improved artistry from the French masters paid off. As well, being the homeland hero always brings out the best in Dai. This is the kind of skate when scores don't matter.

The only way to top this skate competitively is to skate as well but with a quad and there are only a couple of skaters who could possibly do that. LP will be more challenging for him and Kozuka will have to skate his best to have any hope of overcoming the 10 point lead.

 

[lavender]

Wow Tomas....what in the world was that. I just watch and he just wasn't steady on the ice. Messed up that spin and that footwork so badly it was weird. Like he was just slipping everywhere.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Wow! Takahashi! Look at the details he put into the program! It was like he's carved every inch of it to the perfection. I haven't found any truly enjoyable men's SP this season yet. This is the best one I've seen so far. Well done! Presure on Kozuka. Will Kozuka have a clean quad and overcome the over 10 points deficit? Big question mark. Quad has become Kozuka's problem. So he took it out of SP. Takahashi will win PCS in LP as well. If he doesn't falter too much in TES, the gold will be his.

I didn't really like Kozuka's SP, much less his SP costume. Hanyu could definitely beat him in SP.

Brandon!:thumbsup: You made it! Now I think 4Lz will be solidly into his SP. But the rest of the program was so slow! It's time for Brandon to leave Tom Z and find a new coach and up his presentation now!

Verner:disapp: That nasty fall!

 

[Kunstrijdster]

^ Yes, what a shame. He seemed really off balance. I wonder if he might have had some problems with his edges or boots. The moment after the second spin when he nearly fell backwards and then when he actually fell, and that spin, it was all on the right foot. Who knows. Let's see what the LP brings.

 

[lavender]

^ Yes, what a shame. He seemed really off balance. I wonder if he might have had some problems with his edges or boots. The moment after the second spin when he nearly fell backwards and then when he actually fell, and that spin, it was all on the right foot. Who knows. Let's see what the LP brings.

I hope it's better. I watched Taka and he had a couple of minor slips but nothing like Tomas. I start to wonder if there's something with the ice though I doubt it.

 

[Spun Silver]

I'm in awe of Daisuke. His feet are so light and expressive it's hard to believe he's lugging 6 pounds of skates on them. This is the answer to that whole thread on the perfect combo of art and sport!

 

[hikki]

I couldn't stop looking at his feet. They were expressing all the nuances in the music while his upper body took care of the more obvious beats, so to speak. I agree with emma that out of the well executed jumps he put out there, the 3A in particular really stood out to me. He usually gets a lot of height on that jump, but this time it really flew distance-wise.

ITA about the exquisite tools of expression that his feet and upper body are. Nicely put! Post CoP I have not seen a singles skater who can do that- showing transitions not just for the sake of it. All the difficult stuff is there, but it all happens to be part of whatever beautiful thing he's expressing. Just amazing!

As for his jumps, this interview with coach Ms Nagamitsu (in Japanese) reveals that Daisuke has new boots for this season which are much lighter, affecting his jumping techniques significantly. His 3axel does look like a totally different jump, less height (to me it looks) but more distance, resulting in the beautifully smooth and crisp landing.

While we're at uber Daisuke fest, I'm also impressed how he held together after the audience went crazy with Kozuka who skated wonderfully. It mustn't have been easy. Reminded me a little of how Kim went out after Mao at Olympics SP (two comps of totally different scales I know).

 

[Kunstrijdster]

I hope it's better. I watched Taka and he had a couple of minor slips but nothing like Tomas. I start to wonder if there's something with the ice though I doubt it.

I've only seen Tomas and Daisuke so far, but it would be interesting to hear something from the skaters about the ice conditions.

 

[seniorita]

Watched the rest; only Armin was enjoyable;

Why kozu only 79 ? looking forward to nausicaa again tommorow

Not to take away from Mroz quad lutz but I saw the replay from eurosport and thought he was setting up for a loop!