- Joined
- Nov 11, 2013
If anyone here has access to NBC-SP, they're showing the final group of men's LP now.
On Site Reports:@ 4CC 2016
- Thread starter Interspectator
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- Joined
- Mar 9, 2013
Taiwan may be a province to China in the history. But personally, Taiwan in TAIWAN, and ISU 4CC 2016 event was held in Taiwan, not in China. As a native Taiwanese attending the 4CC event, I had no problem when Sui-Han won the pairs gold medal and the national anthem of China was played in the arena, and I stood up to honor the moment at an international event. But in terms of conceptualization I carry no identification that the anthem played is of my home country or that flag represents my country. They are just, of another country from part of this world. These are facts provided, periods. And this post is not intended for further involvement of any debate on the complicated politics behind this.
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HELP!!!!! For those who sat in the arena waiting for competition to start must have noticed there were 4 short flims of each discipline playing on the big screens on the left up side of the arena. Background music for these films were "Born to Be Wild" "You and I by Celine Dion", a song with a male rough voice kept repeating 'I love the way you ???', and last one sounded like Jess Glynn singing English and something like "auf wiedersehen". I didn't know why I didn't record that. Perhaps I was too tired or to confident. Is there anyone know the song that I'm talking about? It sounds like Jess Glynn, very 'pop' and very like her 'hold my hand' style.
Hey guys!
Sorry for the super slow update here - it's been one heck of a crazy schedule right after the event! I had to fly back home the day after, and then had a one day stop in KL in which I was unable to post anything because my local data plan is awfuuuul. I lost 3 long as heck drafts already it's so frustating rarghh.
Anyways, for the sake of finishing what I have already started, here's my report for the ladies and men FS.
Ladies FS
Group 1
Splatterfest for the first 3 girls. They seem to be skating to not fall (more than they already did), hence there is a sense of of them not really getting into their programs, and are just going through the motion.
Maisy messed up her first jumping pass and seems more tentative here than in her SP. She popped some more jumps after but came back fighting so at last, someone showing some fire in what I personally feel is a rather snooze-fest thus far.
Group 2
Amy Lin gets a warm cheer from the crowd during warmup, the purple/ lavender banners are all out in the stadium.
At this point I am just fuming at the fact that the 2nd level seats were NOT EVEN FULL WHY ARE PEOPLE FROM LEVEL 3 NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE THERE
I am eyeing you, whole empty rows, section 2C purple seats, whole section of level 2 blue seats! What a waste!
(Note to mmrice: I read your comment earlier regarding this, thanks for your feedback! I guess it's a matter of principles on their part to hold the seats that are already spoken for even if they don't turn up. But it does hurt to see the empty seats that could've been used by people who would appreciate them so much more)
Brooklee Han stands out quite a bit in her sleek black jumpsuit. When her program music starts to play, I cannot help but give an internal groan because it is very hard for me disassociate this music from Kim Yuna. To Brooklee's credit though, she does have a lovely lyrical quality if not much of Yuna's jumping prowess and consistency. She also seemed to have lost her timing due to the falls and mistakes as she finished her program after the music has ended. Rather unfortunate but she has potential and can go far with more training
Kailani Crane has a good start and is the only one to not fall so far. She has a lovely performing quality (as noted in the SP has charisma on the ice that's nice to see). Good to see someone start to stir things up.
Veronik Mallet has a huge 2A XD Solid skate from her.
Purple banners are all around the stadium again for homegirl Amy Lin. She goes absolutely clean and it's so good to see her ecstatic after that her skate. And the crowd goes absolutely bonkers.
I like this girl - thought she has potential
Has good speed, sticks her jumps, and a spark to her. Could be a top 15 contender in the future when she improves.
Group 3
warmup note - Alaine Chartrand and Gracie Gold looks like they could be sisters on the ice, with matching hairstyle + colour and dresses in varying shades of red
Gracie took some time at the boards with Frank and she looks grim as she takes to the ice. Solid skate but not without mistakes. Somehow I'm not feeling this skate so much - the tango SP was choreographically better for her style. This Firebird FS not so much. The music is huge and while it does its part to carry her and reach out to the audience, it also feels like it's more than what she can perform.
She is a solid athlete but it is quite evident here that she lacks a certain musicality to perform convincingly to this particular piece.
Alaine Chartrand has big jumps but gets iffy when it comes to landing them. She is also noticeably slower towards the 2nd half of her program (probably tired, hence the fall).
Little baby Da Bin Choi is a bit slow around the ice compared to the prev 2 girls in the group, but she is landing all her jumps! Slight under-rotation in the 4th pass, I think, but all systems go after that. She needs more power around the ice, as her current speed makes her seem one note and 'stagnant'.
But with more conditioning to improve her stamina in the future, more polish and fire in her presentation, and if her jumps stay/ survive growth spurt, she can go far.
She gets higher tech score than Gracie here.
And this is when I realize that having a view from the top (as much as I grumble at the beginning) has some good points. From the level 3 seats, you can see the entire pattern/ choreo of the skaters' program in one view. And this is important because you can actually see which skater have a good 'rhythm' and musicality in their performance, and vice versa. The rhythm i meant here is defined by different speeds on the ice utilized by the skater to create a certain 'tempo' to match the high and low points in their music. This actually do make a difference in their presentation. I think I understand now why fast skaters generally are regarded to have better skating skills, because they also usually the ones able to create this 'tempo' by utilizing different speeds on the ice to create contrasting moods within the program.
Something as subtle as this can actually make a program seem exciting because of the shifting 'moods'. Kinda like making a movie, really XD
If a skater is rather slow/ sluggish - they will appear one note and 'stagnant' throughout - which in turn makes it less exciting and interesting.
(Also the view from the 3rd floor allows one to see who has large ice coverage, and who doesn't. The former generally creates a sweeping, fluid feel to their skating which, of course, looks so much better than the latter).
Tiny rocket Karen Chen, despite falls and step-outs on her jumps, has a good sense of rythmn and tempo that I mentioned above. It's obvious when you see the way she covers the ice - slow, sweeping moments, fast dramatic moves across the ice - contrasts that makes for a really good watch! She has an innate musicality and it shows in the way she skates. Her music is also big and emotional but I personally feel like she is able to ride along with it. And that killer spiral! Personally enjoyed this program the most so far.
Na Hyung Kim - She still looks like she wants to cry XDD I think it's the way her eyebrows always seem to furrow downwards, haaa XDD
Needs more 'oomph' in her presentation. She does have a nice lyrical quality, hears the music, but probably needs a better sense of rhythm so her skating won't seem 'one note'. But she sticks all her jumps (all the Korean tiny baby skaters do! what kind of jump training do they get over there? it's working out great for them XD) and goes clean!! And now she cries for real - out of happiness, of course So it's all good.
Katelyn Osmond's first jump is so huge, she pops the 2nd jump that comes with it.
2nd jumping pass also looks iffy (doubled? or is it popped?)
went clean after that. Killer step sequence, really can't deny her performance ability and musicality. This girl really gives it.
Also, she has a great rhythm on the ice.
Group 4
Crowd is really giving it to these ladies during warmup!
Cheers as every name is called out.
Satoko is doing jump after jump in the warm-up. She lands one right in our corner - whoever said her jumps look like a 'drag scratch spin' is lying big time Her jumps look fine to me!
If I remember right - she did a 3-2-2, a couple of her 2A-3T, some triples on its own.
Mirai's jumps in warm-up also looks good.
She goes first in this group and gave a clean performance (if a bit less engaging than her SP but I blame that on her awful LP music cuts ugh) Can't really see if anything is underotated from my POV (i think she didn't judging from her TES scores). I'm happy to see Mirai do well here - hope to see more of her next season with hopefully the old 2009/2010 Mirai spark and charm?
And here's the interesting thing - I don't like the music cuts from her program - I personally feel it is disjointed and takes you out from the performance itself as it doesn't feel connected.
But in this large rink?
People clap along and actually groove to it!! and when you get people doing that, the scary thing is that the awful music cuts don't seem that bad anymore, even though you know it's actually pretty bad? @__@
Kanako Murakami - why must you break my heart so! Underrotated, popped and tilted jumps aside, her 2A in the 2A-3T combo is huge. I love how her step sequence spans across the rink.. had everything else goes clean this program would've been epic. I also noticed that she became a little sloppy in terms of presentation as the mistakes piled on.
Rika Hongo - my favourite slouchy tomboy! This girl is fast across the ice but she really needs more attack and much more refinement in her presentation. Her footwork here also felt a little sloppier than I expected. Fell on her first jumping pass, but she fights it out and the crowd gets behind her (including me XD). She didn't manage to tack on the 3T in her first jumping pass, but she did a 2T at the end of her last 2A, and I totally let out a big whoop when that happened! Wish it could've been a 3T, but still, so exciting to see her think fast on her feet and try to squeeze out any possible tech points right at the very end.
Zijun Li - beautiful girl, lovely dress and a lovely program, but oh man she has poor conditioning - you can see her visibly getting more and more exhausted as the program goes on.
At one point, my brother commented that she seems to be not quite on her feet anymore - and he was right. When she fell it's not a surprise, she's obviously tired. It's unfortunate but her performance quality dropped right at the point in the program where she has to pick it up - and by the end it was like watching a balloon slowly deflate
Which is a pity because she has everything - i just kinda want her to show more life and attack (which could've been possible if she has more stamina)
Satoko Miyahara - is. super. good. Clean, precise, subtle, elegant, innate musicality, what can I say? My brother (who, I have to admit, got dragged to watch this competition with me against his will XD) didn't stand up for any of the standing ovations that had happened so far. But he actually stood up for the first time, willingly all on his own - for Satoko! I could have cried XD
I have always thought Un Sospiro program is a bit snoozy, but looking at it from where I am sitting - I realized it's really designed to showcase her skating skills to the best effect. It had her covering large areas of the ice in a short time, creating the impression of large sweeping movements to reach out to the audience. The step sequence is done all across the rink (instead of a small contained area as is the case with some skaters in previous groups) in large, graceful arcs ... it's hard to explain because it's something that's definitely there when you see it as a whole but so hard to put into words when I try to break it down into quantitative form XD. All I know is that it totally makes a difference in the overall presentation, and makes me appreciate this program a bit more (ok a whole lot more XD)
Her jumps - while they don't soar (not a lot of the ladies' jumps do), aren't as tiny as some make them out to be - as I mentioned before they are proportionate to her size.
So Youn Park - A step out and a fall otherwise all seems clean. Her overall performance is lovely but perhaps not enough to pip past the top 3 contender. I felt her energy here weren't quite up to what she gave in the SP, and the choreography in some areas of her program didn't quite play up to her strength. e.g the step sequence could've utilized a bit more ice coverage with more sweeping edges - she's an elegant skater she can totally pull it off!
(at the end of her program, I realized that it is realllly hard to throw things onto the rink in Taipei Arena XD Plushies that people throw on the ice mostly end up on the judges' tables LOL)
And Taipei Arena MRT station has a Mister Donut store right near the exit to the rink arena. If you don't know what Mister Donut is - they specialize in mochi donuts (the Pon de Rings) that are soft and chewy at the same time. These donuts are evil because they are so delicious. And because they are conveniently there everytime we commute back and forth to the arena, it was very hard to resist them. I think we ate more than we should
they're just so freaking good T__T
and that concludes my report for the ladies' FS! Men FS coming up soon
Sorry for the super slow update here - it's been one heck of a crazy schedule right after the event! I had to fly back home the day after, and then had a one day stop in KL in which I was unable to post anything because my local data plan is awfuuuul. I lost 3 long as heck drafts already it's so frustating rarghh.
Anyways, for the sake of finishing what I have already started, here's my report for the ladies and men FS.
Ladies FS
Group 1
Splatterfest for the first 3 girls. They seem to be skating to not fall (more than they already did), hence there is a sense of of them not really getting into their programs, and are just going through the motion.
Maisy messed up her first jumping pass and seems more tentative here than in her SP. She popped some more jumps after but came back fighting so at last, someone showing some fire in what I personally feel is a rather snooze-fest thus far.
Group 2
Amy Lin gets a warm cheer from the crowd during warmup, the purple/ lavender banners are all out in the stadium.
At this point I am just fuming at the fact that the 2nd level seats were NOT EVEN FULL WHY ARE PEOPLE FROM LEVEL 3 NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE THERE
I am eyeing you, whole empty rows, section 2C purple seats, whole section of level 2 blue seats! What a waste!
(Note to mmrice: I read your comment earlier regarding this, thanks for your feedback! I guess it's a matter of principles on their part to hold the seats that are already spoken for even if they don't turn up. But it does hurt to see the empty seats that could've been used by people who would appreciate them so much more)
Brooklee Han stands out quite a bit in her sleek black jumpsuit. When her program music starts to play, I cannot help but give an internal groan because it is very hard for me disassociate this music from Kim Yuna. To Brooklee's credit though, she does have a lovely lyrical quality if not much of Yuna's jumping prowess and consistency. She also seemed to have lost her timing due to the falls and mistakes as she finished her program after the music has ended. Rather unfortunate but she has potential and can go far with more training
Kailani Crane has a good start and is the only one to not fall so far. She has a lovely performing quality (as noted in the SP has charisma on the ice that's nice to see). Good to see someone start to stir things up.
Veronik Mallet has a huge 2A XD Solid skate from her.
Purple banners are all around the stadium again for homegirl Amy Lin. She goes absolutely clean and it's so good to see her ecstatic after that her skate. And the crowd goes absolutely bonkers.
I like this girl - thought she has potential
Has good speed, sticks her jumps, and a spark to her. Could be a top 15 contender in the future when she improves.Group 3
warmup note - Alaine Chartrand and Gracie Gold looks like they could be sisters on the ice, with matching hairstyle + colour and dresses in varying shades of red
Gracie took some time at the boards with Frank and she looks grim as she takes to the ice. Solid skate but not without mistakes. Somehow I'm not feeling this skate so much - the tango SP was choreographically better for her style. This Firebird FS not so much. The music is huge and while it does its part to carry her and reach out to the audience, it also feels like it's more than what she can perform.
She is a solid athlete but it is quite evident here that she lacks a certain musicality to perform convincingly to this particular piece.
Alaine Chartrand has big jumps but gets iffy when it comes to landing them. She is also noticeably slower towards the 2nd half of her program (probably tired, hence the fall).
Little baby Da Bin Choi is a bit slow around the ice compared to the prev 2 girls in the group, but she is landing all her jumps! Slight under-rotation in the 4th pass, I think, but all systems go after that. She needs more power around the ice, as her current speed makes her seem one note and 'stagnant'.
But with more conditioning to improve her stamina in the future, more polish and fire in her presentation, and if her jumps stay/ survive growth spurt, she can go far.
She gets higher tech score than Gracie here.
And this is when I realize that having a view from the top (as much as I grumble at the beginning) has some good points. From the level 3 seats, you can see the entire pattern/ choreo of the skaters' program in one view. And this is important because you can actually see which skater have a good 'rhythm' and musicality in their performance, and vice versa. The rhythm i meant here is defined by different speeds on the ice utilized by the skater to create a certain 'tempo' to match the high and low points in their music. This actually do make a difference in their presentation. I think I understand now why fast skaters generally are regarded to have better skating skills, because they also usually the ones able to create this 'tempo' by utilizing different speeds on the ice to create contrasting moods within the program.
Something as subtle as this can actually make a program seem exciting because of the shifting 'moods'. Kinda like making a movie, really XD
If a skater is rather slow/ sluggish - they will appear one note and 'stagnant' throughout - which in turn makes it less exciting and interesting.
(Also the view from the 3rd floor allows one to see who has large ice coverage, and who doesn't. The former generally creates a sweeping, fluid feel to their skating which, of course, looks so much better than the latter).
Tiny rocket Karen Chen, despite falls and step-outs on her jumps, has a good sense of rythmn and tempo that I mentioned above. It's obvious when you see the way she covers the ice - slow, sweeping moments, fast dramatic moves across the ice - contrasts that makes for a really good watch! She has an innate musicality and it shows in the way she skates. Her music is also big and emotional but I personally feel like she is able to ride along with it. And that killer spiral! Personally enjoyed this program the most so far.
Na Hyung Kim - She still looks like she wants to cry XDD I think it's the way her eyebrows always seem to furrow downwards, haaa XDD
Needs more 'oomph' in her presentation. She does have a nice lyrical quality, hears the music, but probably needs a better sense of rhythm so her skating won't seem 'one note'. But she sticks all her jumps (all the Korean tiny baby skaters do! what kind of jump training do they get over there? it's working out great for them XD) and goes clean!! And now she cries for real - out of happiness, of course
So it's all good.Katelyn Osmond's first jump is so huge, she pops the 2nd jump that comes with it.
2nd jumping pass also looks iffy (doubled? or is it popped?)
went clean after that. Killer step sequence, really can't deny her performance ability and musicality. This girl really gives it.
Also, she has a great rhythm on the ice.
Group 4
Crowd is really giving it to these ladies during warmup!
Cheers as every name is called out.
Satoko is doing jump after jump in the warm-up. She lands one right in our corner - whoever said her jumps look like a 'drag scratch spin' is lying big time
Her jumps look fine to me!If I remember right - she did a 3-2-2, a couple of her 2A-3T, some triples on its own.
Mirai's jumps in warm-up also looks good.
She goes first in this group and gave a clean performance (if a bit less engaging than her SP but I blame that on her awful LP music cuts ugh) Can't really see if anything is underotated from my POV (i think she didn't judging from her TES scores). I'm happy to see Mirai do well here - hope to see more of her next season with hopefully the old 2009/2010 Mirai spark and charm?
And here's the interesting thing - I don't like the music cuts from her program - I personally feel it is disjointed and takes you out from the performance itself as it doesn't feel connected.
But in this large rink?
People clap along and actually groove to it!! and when you get people doing that, the scary thing is that the awful music cuts don't seem that bad anymore, even though you know it's actually pretty bad? @__@
Kanako Murakami - why must you break my heart so! Underrotated, popped and tilted jumps aside, her 2A in the 2A-3T combo is huge. I love how her step sequence spans across the rink.. had everything else goes clean this program would've been epic. I also noticed that she became a little sloppy in terms of presentation as the mistakes piled on.
Rika Hongo - my favourite slouchy tomboy! This girl is fast across the ice but she really needs more attack and much more refinement in her presentation. Her footwork here also felt a little sloppier than I expected. Fell on her first jumping pass, but she fights it out and the crowd gets behind her (including me XD). She didn't manage to tack on the 3T in her first jumping pass, but she did a 2T at the end of her last 2A, and I totally let out a big whoop when that happened! Wish it could've been a 3T, but still, so exciting to see her think fast on her feet and try to squeeze out any possible tech points right at the very end.
Zijun Li - beautiful girl, lovely dress and a lovely program, but oh man she has poor conditioning - you can see her visibly getting more and more exhausted as the program goes on.
At one point, my brother commented that she seems to be not quite on her feet anymore - and he was right. When she fell it's not a surprise, she's obviously tired. It's unfortunate but her performance quality dropped right at the point in the program where she has to pick it up - and by the end it was like watching a balloon slowly deflate
Which is a pity because she has everything - i just kinda want her to show more life and attack (which could've been possible if she has more stamina)
Satoko Miyahara - is. super. good. Clean, precise, subtle, elegant, innate musicality, what can I say? My brother (who, I have to admit, got dragged to watch this competition with me against his will XD) didn't stand up for any of the standing ovations that had happened so far. But he actually stood up for the first time, willingly all on his own - for Satoko! I could have cried XD
I have always thought Un Sospiro program is a bit snoozy, but looking at it from where I am sitting - I realized it's really designed to showcase her skating skills to the best effect. It had her covering large areas of the ice in a short time, creating the impression of large sweeping movements to reach out to the audience. The step sequence is done all across the rink (instead of a small contained area as is the case with some skaters in previous groups) in large, graceful arcs ... it's hard to explain because it's something that's definitely there when you see it as a whole but so hard to put into words when I try to break it down into quantitative form XD. All I know is that it totally makes a difference in the overall presentation, and makes me appreciate this program a bit more
(ok a whole lot more XD)Her jumps - while they don't soar (not a lot of the ladies' jumps do), aren't as tiny as some make them out to be - as I mentioned before they are proportionate to her size.
So Youn Park - A step out and a fall otherwise all seems clean. Her overall performance is lovely but perhaps not enough to pip past the top 3 contender. I felt her energy here weren't quite up to what she gave in the SP, and the choreography in some areas of her program didn't quite play up to her strength. e.g the step sequence could've utilized a bit more ice coverage with more sweeping edges - she's an elegant skater she can totally pull it off!
(at the end of her program, I realized that it is realllly hard to throw things onto the rink in Taipei Arena XD Plushies that people throw on the ice mostly end up on the judges' tables LOL)
And Taipei Arena MRT station has a Mister Donut store right near the exit to the rink arena. If you don't know what Mister Donut is - they specialize in mochi donuts (the Pon de Rings) that are soft and chewy at the same time. These donuts are evil because they are so delicious. And because they are conveniently there everytime we commute back and forth to the arena, it was very hard to resist them. I think we ate more than we should
they're just so freaking good T__Tand that concludes my report for the ladies' FS! Men FS coming up soon
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Looking forward to the men's report, OniBan, but I wanted to be sure to tell you:
I was so impressed with Julian Yee! I had never seen him skate before. He has personality and charm and he really fought to land those jumps, and he did
I will be sure to look for him in future competitions.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2012
Thanks so much for your report Oniban, post more if you can!
Looking forward to the men's report, OniBan, but I wanted to be sure to tell you:
I was so impressed with Julian Yee! I had never seen him skate before. He has personality and charm and he really fought to land those jumps, and he did
I will be sure to look for him in future competitions.
oh i'm so glad that you like him! Yes, he did way better in the free - i like that he was able to play up to the audience more too, it was really fun to watch
Thank Oniban, was waiting for your report, all week! I hope that lost 3 drafts won't frustrate you so much (in future, dont forget to backup), and still can log down such amazing report as you already posted here.
Thanks you guys
I've edited the post of Ladies' FS to include the final group ladies, will be posting up the men FS report hopefully by tomorrow!(and omg the lost draft - i was this close to tossing my phone out of the window T_T)
Thank you Oniban for such a detailed report!!
Couldn't wait for the Men's FS report................
I have never been so excited about the Men's events before........the arrival of Shoma, Boyang, Han Yan (last year) has simply made the men's event the highlight of competitions!!!
Couldn't wait for the Men's FS report................
I have never been so excited about the Men's events before........the arrival of Shoma, Boyang, Han Yan (last year) has simply made the men's event the highlight of competitions!!!
and finally, here's some notes I managed to take from the Men's FS. I didn't jot down everyone's performances, only those that stood out to me (also I was trying to concentrate on actually enjoying the show as it happens)
My seats this time around is on the 2nd level, red section, opposite the judges' tables. It's just at the spot where skaters wait by the boards before taking to the ice :3
Group 1
Kevin Reynolds has a lot of Japanese fans. I mean really a lot. Ladies around me were proclaiming 'Kawaii!!' as he comes out on ice.
For my part, I cannot help thinking that if he wore an sleeveless orange jumpsuit with a blue belt, he would look like Goku in Super Saiya mode from Dragonball Z.
This thought may have also been prompted by someone behind me remarking that he looks like an anime character XDD
Anyways, he did much better in the FS than he did in the SP, even though he seems visibly tired towards the end. Perhaps with better conditiong and training in the future, he will be much better.
I was looking forward to that spark from Aussie boy Brendan Kerry - but he is having an off day. His jumps are not with him today, and it affected his overall performance imo.
Group 2
at this point I have made up my own affectionate nicknames for the Korean skaters. Jin Seo Kim is 'Rock Lee' (from Naruto anime, because they have the same mushroom hairstyle lol). In fact it's this mushroom haircut that allowed me to easily identify where the Korean skaters are congregrating in the stands XDD
Ross Miner is STILL not having a good day
The same goes for Liam Firus, though I do note that he has a lovely performance quality even his jumps aren't there.
Andrew Dodds -Lovely style and lyrical quality, pity about the botched jumping passes that messes up the impression of the program as a whole. He is also visibly slower here than in the SP.
I met him later during intermission (the skaters + team all sit in the 2A yellow section) and he is a very sweet, friendly guy!
His autograph comes with a cute smiley :3
Se Jong Byun stood out to me because he skated to LOTR soundtrack, YES! Epic music to movie + book that I like XD He also had 2 pretty epic crash into the boards. Pretty decent outing in comparison to the previous skaters, but I think he'd probably need to improve his stamina and sense of timing.
My home boy Julian Yee is next and I am so happy because he totally redeemed himself with the freeskate! He managed to stick all the jumps, no falls, and went relatively clean. Loved his performance and how he played up to the audience - there were people standing up for him at the end of his skate and I could not feel prouder holding up my country's flag
Group 3
During intermission - managed to sneak over to the yellow section to snap some photos with skaters and get their autograph!
Michael C. Martinez skated very well, he has lovely lines and is very flexible. It is always amazing to see male skaters do I-spin (or was it a Y-spin, but I think he def did one I-spin in the SP) and Bielmanns. This guy is a fan favourite, a recipient of many excited 'kawaii!!' cries among the crowd as he took to the ice and at the K&C
Keiji Tanaka seems a bit off today. Not really feeling his performance - he truly came alive only towards the end.
Max Aaron's warm-up doesn't look so good, and sure enough he stepped out on his first jumping pass. Less than stellar jumping passes aside - he is a fast one on ice. His jumps are also powerful, but he doesn't seem able to stick the landings here.
June Hyoung Lee (yyyskate - this is your Muse boy, yes?) has an opening jump so huge, he almost didn't land it XDD
A pretty decent skate from him - the choreography for his program is lovely. (I keep getting flashbacks of Hanyu circa 2011 XDD) What I do notice from these youngs Korean skaters is that they need to find that 'tempo' and rhythm in their performance to take it up a notch.
Could do with more polish and musicality - but as he is young - there is still time for improvement.
(p/s he was actually lining up in the same immigration/ customs hall on the day I was flying back home. My brother pointed him out to me but I didn't believe it was him because he was wearing glasses. But later we both saw him join Rock Lee/Mushroom Hair and a bunch of other people after getting past the immigration, and we realized we were, essentially, looking at the entire Korean skating team from 4CC.)
Rock Lee (J. Seo Kim) is fast and has impressive looking jumps, but not always able to stick the landings. What I find interesting though are his deep bendy landing knees. He'd land the jumps real low and are prone to step outs, but at the same time those knees kinda saved some of the jumps.
Nan Song kept holding his hips after doing jumps in warmup which makes me think if he is injured/ or had old recurring injury. He did the same during his SP warmup.
He also looks quite pained during his routine that it's hard to enjoy the performance because you kinda want to wrap him up in a blanket and send him to a doctor.
My short baby Grant Hochstein (I totally forgot what group he was in sobs) is not having a very good day. That lovely quality he had in the SP was missing the LP, and it doesn't help that the music is so big it appeared that he had to catch up to it. I found out later that he wasn't well at the time, so that pretty much affected his performance. Get well soon Grant! Hope to see him in fighting form at Worlds.
Group 4
Warm up time - there's that tangible buzz in the air again for what is to come. Saw the skaters coming out and stood by the boards before taking to the ice (our seats were just behind them!) and all the handphones around us were out and recording ha XD
I have to admit - when Patrick takes off his jacket/ vest before getting on the ice, I had to fight off a sudden onslaught of giddy giggles. I mean - physique-wise - that guy is fine. Super fine. It's very hard for a girl to NOT notice that XDD
I'm really most excited to see Shoma Uno, because I absolutely love his LP (and he is also such a cutie XDD). Before taking to the ice he was off at one side in the corner doing some steps/ warm-up exercises - totally serious expression on his face. During warm-up on ice he was doing some quad attempts, I think, but didn't quite land them. When he finally landed one, a smile finally cracked over his face and he went over to have a talk with his coach. My brother leant over to whisper to me that Shoma only smiles when he lands his jumps LOL This kid means business.
I do remember feel a bit anxious for his quads though - his first jumping pass wasn't solid in the SP (later I found the quad was actually OVER-ROTATED there XDD) and I wonder if it's been too soon for him to compete after nationals.
Not sure if this is the performance he was after technically (as both quad jumps were iffy), but I am very happy to have seen his deep flowing edges, the gorgeous 2A-1/2L-3F sequence and the cantilever made of total win live - because they were just awesome!
(and how cute is he sitting on K. Tanaka's lap in the waiting room??)
Han Yan is...real handsome IRL, much more so than on screen :3
I remember first seeing him at Sochi Olympics and thinking that 'this guy has nice quality but not very memorable, and he makes a funny face when he jumps'. But look at him now! A total package.
Not sure about the music cuts of his LP (a bit disjointed imo), but I do love the way he skates - smooth, very easy to the eyes, relaxed and polished. Great rhythm and musicality.
And when his jumps are on, they are ON and very impressive to see.
Takahito Mura has a good skate. The only thing is it is super hard for me to not associate a segment of his music from the most excellent Akiko Suzuki's O program XD, so at the last soaring moments in the program I kinda expected him to fly across the ice to match the mood of the music. He kinda slowed down a bit towards the end - but his jumps are solid (except for one slightly iffy jumping pass - the 3A i think), so all in all a very good effort.
Boyang Jin - is. EXCITING!! I don't even know how to explain it - between the exuberant music and his monster jumps, the crowd totally went bonkers and admittedly, so did I. How can you not? It's like seeing someone shooting for the stars and succeeding. You're literally watching someone going beyond the limits of a human's endeavor. I know his SS are lacking and even more glaring so compared to the skater coming after him - but this is what I find out watching a competition live: It's like capturing lightning in a bottle. Everything happens in a large space in front of your eyes. You don't have the luxury of replaying parts you like best on the screen - moments are coming and going even as you breath so you have to stop thinking about you're watching and just revel in the moment you are in.
So if judges end up giving him exuberant PCS score, as strange and inexplicable as that may be - I can, to a certain degree - understand WHY it happened because here you are - capturing fleeting moments in a program, catching that lightning in a bottle and trying to quantify each elements all in spans of minutes, seconds even, to numbers and scores. It's almost maddeningly impossible.
How do you quantify something that's so tied in with emotions, which for all intents and purposes, un-quantifiable?
Maybe that's why we are in eternal conflict with how judges judge things, with how inexplicable some scoring can be. This is a sport, in its essence, maddeningly difficult to score considering its nature and I for one, after this experience, don't envy the job the judges have to do.
That said, I can't wait to see what happens when he starts improving on his SS and artistry - he's going to be unstoppable! You can see how confident he is with his jumps, and rightly so - his technical prowess are just unlike anything I have seen before.
Patrick Chan - let's just say I am possibly a CHANged person now. I mean, yes, I get it now. If I was not already convinced during his SP, I totally am now. It is like he is on a whole different level - moments simultaneously hang in the air and yet goes by so fast that you wish it could go on forever. He makes you SEE the silent moments in the music, appreciate the soft glide of blade over ice as he goes around in smooth, graceful arcs, gentle tinkling of the piano keys hanging around your senses. I don't even care about the jumps at this point. Just skate like that forever!
When his skate ended, my brother (whom I had mentioned before was dragged here against his will and had never known anything about skating ever beyond watching Blades of Glory =_=), turned to me and said: 'This guy is an artist'.
His win is totally deserved here, I think.
and so that concludes my report for the 4CC Taipei! I did attend the Free Dance event, but my knowledge of ice dancing is so lacking I'm not sure I should be reporting on that XD (honestly, I went mainly for the Shibutanis, though I ended up being genuinely surprised and impressed with Gilles/Poirier).
But all in all, a really great experience and I am so happy and grateful that my first foray into a live competition went better than I dared hope
My seats this time around is on the 2nd level, red section, opposite the judges' tables. It's just at the spot where skaters wait by the boards before taking to the ice :3
Group 1
Kevin Reynolds has a lot of Japanese fans. I mean really a lot. Ladies around me were proclaiming 'Kawaii!!' as he comes out on ice.
For my part, I cannot help thinking that if he wore an sleeveless orange jumpsuit with a blue belt, he would look like Goku in Super Saiya mode from Dragonball Z.
This thought may have also been prompted by someone behind me remarking that he looks like an anime character XDD
Anyways, he did much better in the FS than he did in the SP, even though he seems visibly tired towards the end. Perhaps with better conditiong and training in the future, he will be much better.
I was looking forward to that spark from Aussie boy Brendan Kerry - but he is having an off day. His jumps are not with him today, and it affected his overall performance imo.
Group 2
at this point I have made up my own affectionate nicknames for the Korean skaters. Jin Seo Kim is 'Rock Lee' (from Naruto anime, because they have the same mushroom hairstyle lol). In fact it's this mushroom haircut that allowed me to easily identify where the Korean skaters are congregrating in the stands XDD
Ross Miner is STILL not having a good day
The same goes for Liam Firus, though I do note that he has a lovely performance quality even his jumps aren't there.
Andrew Dodds -Lovely style and lyrical quality, pity about the botched jumping passes that messes up the impression of the program as a whole. He is also visibly slower here than in the SP.
I met him later during intermission (the skaters + team all sit in the 2A yellow section) and he is a very sweet, friendly guy!
His autograph comes with a cute smiley :3
Se Jong Byun stood out to me because he skated to LOTR soundtrack, YES! Epic music to movie + book that I like XD He also had 2 pretty epic crash into the boards. Pretty decent outing in comparison to the previous skaters, but I think he'd probably need to improve his stamina and sense of timing.
My home boy Julian Yee is next and I am so happy because he totally redeemed himself with the freeskate! He managed to stick all the jumps, no falls, and went relatively clean. Loved his performance and how he played up to the audience - there were people standing up for him at the end of his skate and I could not feel prouder holding up my country's flag
Group 3
During intermission - managed to sneak over to the yellow section to snap some photos with skaters and get their autograph!
Michael C. Martinez skated very well, he has lovely lines and is very flexible. It is always amazing to see male skaters do I-spin (or was it a Y-spin, but I think he def did one I-spin in the SP) and Bielmanns. This guy is a fan favourite, a recipient of many excited 'kawaii!!' cries among the crowd as he took to the ice and at the K&C
Keiji Tanaka seems a bit off today. Not really feeling his performance - he truly came alive only towards the end.
Max Aaron's warm-up doesn't look so good, and sure enough he stepped out on his first jumping pass. Less than stellar jumping passes aside - he is a fast one on ice. His jumps are also powerful, but he doesn't seem able to stick the landings here.
June Hyoung Lee (yyyskate - this is your Muse boy, yes?) has an opening jump so huge, he almost didn't land it XDD
A pretty decent skate from him - the choreography for his program is lovely. (I keep getting flashbacks of Hanyu circa 2011 XDD) What I do notice from these youngs Korean skaters is that they need to find that 'tempo' and rhythm in their performance to take it up a notch.
Could do with more polish and musicality - but as he is young - there is still time for improvement.
(p/s he was actually lining up in the same immigration/ customs hall on the day I was flying back home. My brother pointed him out to me but I didn't believe it was him because he was wearing glasses. But later we both saw him join Rock Lee/Mushroom Hair and a bunch of other people after getting past the immigration, and we realized we were, essentially, looking at the entire Korean skating team from 4CC.)
Rock Lee (J. Seo Kim) is fast and has impressive looking jumps, but not always able to stick the landings. What I find interesting though are his deep bendy landing knees. He'd land the jumps real low and are prone to step outs, but at the same time those knees kinda saved some of the jumps.
Nan Song kept holding his hips after doing jumps in warmup which makes me think if he is injured/ or had old recurring injury. He did the same during his SP warmup.
He also looks quite pained during his routine that it's hard to enjoy the performance because you kinda want to wrap him up in a blanket and send him to a doctor.
My short baby Grant Hochstein (I totally forgot what group he was in sobs) is not having a very good day. That lovely quality he had in the SP was missing the LP, and it doesn't help that the music is so big it appeared that he had to catch up to it. I found out later that he wasn't well at the time, so that pretty much affected his performance. Get well soon Grant! Hope to see him in fighting form at Worlds.
Group 4
Warm up time - there's that tangible buzz in the air again for what is to come. Saw the skaters coming out and stood by the boards before taking to the ice (our seats were just behind them!) and all the handphones around us were out and recording ha XD
I have to admit - when Patrick takes off his jacket/ vest before getting on the ice, I had to fight off a sudden onslaught of giddy giggles. I mean - physique-wise - that guy is fine. Super fine. It's very hard for a girl to NOT notice that XDD
I'm really most excited to see Shoma Uno, because I absolutely love his LP (and he is also such a cutie XDD). Before taking to the ice he was off at one side in the corner doing some steps/ warm-up exercises - totally serious expression on his face. During warm-up on ice he was doing some quad attempts, I think, but didn't quite land them. When he finally landed one, a smile finally cracked over his face and he went over to have a talk with his coach. My brother leant over to whisper to me that Shoma only smiles when he lands his jumps LOL This kid means business.
I do remember feel a bit anxious for his quads though - his first jumping pass wasn't solid in the SP (later I found the quad was actually OVER-ROTATED there XDD) and I wonder if it's been too soon for him to compete after nationals.
Not sure if this is the performance he was after technically (as both quad jumps were iffy), but I am very happy to have seen his deep flowing edges, the gorgeous 2A-1/2L-3F sequence and the cantilever made of total win live - because they were just awesome!
(and how cute is he sitting on K. Tanaka's lap in the waiting room??)
Han Yan is...real handsome IRL, much more so than on screen :3
I remember first seeing him at Sochi Olympics and thinking that 'this guy has nice quality but not very memorable, and he makes a funny face when he jumps'. But look at him now! A total package.
Not sure about the music cuts of his LP (a bit disjointed imo), but I do love the way he skates - smooth, very easy to the eyes, relaxed and polished. Great rhythm and musicality.
And when his jumps are on, they are ON and very impressive to see.
Takahito Mura has a good skate. The only thing is it is super hard for me to not associate a segment of his music from the most excellent Akiko Suzuki's O program XD, so at the last soaring moments in the program I kinda expected him to fly across the ice to match the mood of the music. He kinda slowed down a bit towards the end - but his jumps are solid (except for one slightly iffy jumping pass - the 3A i think), so all in all a very good effort.
Boyang Jin - is. EXCITING!! I don't even know how to explain it - between the exuberant music and his monster jumps, the crowd totally went bonkers and admittedly, so did I. How can you not? It's like seeing someone shooting for the stars and succeeding. You're literally watching someone going beyond the limits of a human's endeavor. I know his SS are lacking and even more glaring so compared to the skater coming after him - but this is what I find out watching a competition live: It's like capturing lightning in a bottle. Everything happens in a large space in front of your eyes. You don't have the luxury of replaying parts you like best on the screen - moments are coming and going even as you breath so you have to stop thinking about you're watching and just revel in the moment you are in.
So if judges end up giving him exuberant PCS score, as strange and inexplicable as that may be - I can, to a certain degree - understand WHY it happened because here you are - capturing fleeting moments in a program, catching that lightning in a bottle and trying to quantify each elements all in spans of minutes, seconds even, to numbers and scores. It's almost maddeningly impossible.
How do you quantify something that's so tied in with emotions, which for all intents and purposes, un-quantifiable?
Maybe that's why we are in eternal conflict with how judges judge things, with how inexplicable some scoring can be. This is a sport, in its essence, maddeningly difficult to score considering its nature and I for one, after this experience, don't envy the job the judges have to do.
That said, I can't wait to see what happens when he starts improving on his SS and artistry - he's going to be unstoppable! You can see how confident he is with his jumps, and rightly so - his technical prowess are just unlike anything I have seen before.
Patrick Chan - let's just say I am possibly a CHANged person now. I mean, yes, I get it now. If I was not already convinced during his SP, I totally am now. It is like he is on a whole different level - moments simultaneously hang in the air and yet goes by so fast that you wish it could go on forever. He makes you SEE the silent moments in the music, appreciate the soft glide of blade over ice as he goes around in smooth, graceful arcs, gentle tinkling of the piano keys hanging around your senses. I don't even care about the jumps at this point. Just skate like that forever!
When his skate ended, my brother (whom I had mentioned before was dragged here against his will and had never known anything about skating ever beyond watching Blades of Glory =_=), turned to me and said: 'This guy is an artist'.
His win is totally deserved here, I think.
and so that concludes my report for the 4CC Taipei! I did attend the Free Dance event, but my knowledge of ice dancing is so lacking I'm not sure I should be reporting on that XD (honestly, I went mainly for the Shibutanis, though I ended up being genuinely surprised and impressed with Gilles/Poirier).
But all in all, a really great experience and I am so happy and grateful that my first foray into a live competition went better than I dared hope
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- Nov 19, 2010
Oh so I'm going to follow matmuh's move and bring your comments about Patrick to his thread. Thanks so much for your reports, OniBan. I've enjoyed them greatly and really appreciate your writing effort. 
thanks a lot OniBan for your amazing report, really enjoyed it!!!
I don't mind at all, no worries
And no, I didn't watch pairs. I did meet Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea though!
Oh so I'm going to follow matmuh's move and bring your comments about Patrick to his thread. Thanks so much for your reports, OniBan. I've enjoyed them greatly and really appreciate your writing effort.
You're welcome! Please excuse any missing words, spelling mistakes and excessive fangirling - it's 5 am and I may not have much control over my brain anymore XD
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2014
Thanks so much for your insightful and eloquent on site reports OniBan! :luv17: I appreciate your effort specially after learning of your troubles with your fone. I will also follow matmuh and Violet Bliss and repost your report on Michael on his fanfest thread.
I think next year Malaysia will host the Southeast Asian Games where hopefully Julian and Michael will both be there to compete since ice skating is now included.
Thanks again and more power.
I think next year Malaysia will host the Southeast Asian Games where hopefully Julian and Michael will both be there to compete since ice skating is now included.
Thanks again and more power.
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2015
Thank you, OniBan! I loved "seeing" these skates through your eyes - you have such a lyrical way of describing these performances that they almost sound like poetry!
Hope you don't mind me quoting your brother on Twitter.
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- Jan 1, 2013
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He is very nice, isn't he? I'm glad you liked him!
You're welcome! I saw Michael sometime just before the small medal ceremony for the ladies in the hall just outside the rink - and he was mobbed by the ladies! XDD
Such a good looking fellow :3
And yes, Malaysia is hosting the SEA Games 2017, and Julian will be there if all goes well! I will be so looking forward to seeing both him and Michael at the event - I got my photo with Julian, I now need a photo with Michael! XD
And now next on my bucket list - hopefully a competition with Yuzuru Hanyu, Javi and Mao in attendance one day? (Mao please don't retire next season)
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