Patrick Chan

[vivley]

May you be blissful too, Violet!

Here's a video of Patrick and the other guys backstage before the FS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE_e66xh-Dk

No interaction between the guys at all. Patrick walks into the room with Hanyu at 6:29 and they both do their exercises. Hanyu does a headstand? Interesting to see behind the scenes.

 

[Violet Bliss]

May you be blissful too, Violet!

Here's a video of Patrick and the other guys backstage before the FS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE_e66xh-Dk

No interaction between the guys at all. Patrick walks into the room with Hanyu at 6:29 and they both do their exercises. Hanyu does a headstand? Interesting to see behind the scenes.

Thanks for bringing the video. These skaters were doing intense mental preparation and even their coaches stayed quiet with them. Not time for interaction with each other!

They were all hoping get into that proverbial Zone, aka Alpha state of mind. We all emit brain waves of different frequencies with different states of mind. Most people awake are in Beta state (15 -40 cycles per second, or Hz) multitasking or monkey mind amok. Alpha state (9 -14 Hz) is when the mind is in total focus, it's when we get so immersed in what we are doing at the moment that we don't notice anything else, including time. Lots of productive work can be accomplished during Alpha. Theta (5 - 8 Hz)is the state of pre sleep, waking up, day dreaming, and meditation, with the conscious mind awake but quiet so it's time when the unconscious mind can reach us with creative ideas, solutions, inspirations and insights. And we can communicate with the unconscious for help, bypassing the usual gate keeper such as limiting beliefs. Delta (1.5 - 4Hz) is the sleep state. The unconscious mind is still functioning full force but we are not conscious to connect to it. The body is paralyzed so the soul can take a vacation from its confine. Many great inventions and creative works are dream inspired.

The complete shut down of the conscious mind is called satori, or God mind, associated with euphoria, complete peace and joy, intensified senses, and a feeling of connection to all. It can happen accidentally or after decades of meditation. It's unforgettable and sometimes life changing. Ask Jim Carey. Total focus on the moment is a high, which is why some people love and are addicted to extreme sports because it is sometimes.a matter of life and death requiring total focus shutting out everything else. Harmful ways to reach such a high include drugs and alcohol which render the mind non functioning.

So this is a more scientific, less zen like explanation of The Zone. I hope Patrick has learned to get into it at will. It's a great skill.

And, please, don't call me Violet! So girly that I cringed. Didn't think of that before.

 

[vivley]

Okay, can I call you TPFKASF (The Poster Formerly Known as SkateFiguring), then?

Here's another article that I missed (look at that photo of Patrick and Kathy, lol):

Despite stress of competing, Chan glad to be back

I didn't know that Hanyu was from Sendai and that his exhibition was dedicated to the tsunami victims (that explains his costume design). Well, he has my respect for doing that.

Here's a quote about Patrick's exhibition:

Chan skated to "Mess is Mine," music that he says echoes what he dealt with last year personally and in his skating life.

"The title says it all," he said.

 

[Violet Bliss]

So Mess Is Mine echoes what Patrick dealt with last year personally and in his skating life? So our favorite puppy messed up his personal relationship?

Remember Patrick, watch your words. "Mess Is Mine" day in and day out certainly went into your head and your real life. Now, don't worry, be happy. You can always quantum leap from your mess (SP) into a peak experience (LP).

Violet bliss = Happy life. I just bend around stealing Happylife's name. :

 

[mrrice]

May you be blissful too, Violet!

Here's a video of Patrick and the other guys backstage before the FS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE_e66xh-Dk

No interaction between the guys at all. Patrick walks into the room with Hanyu at 6:29 and they both do their exercises. Hanyu does a headstand? Interesting to see behind the scenes.

I love it!!!! How on EARTH can Patrick walk around in Shorts and a T-Shirt. We've all been in Rinks and even when they're full of people they are freezing. The rest of the skaters were all in sweats. Oh Wait, Adam was in shorts too. By the way. Is it a US thing that all of our skaters ham it up for the camera? Oh Adam.

 

[Violet Bliss]

I love it!!!! How on EARTH can Patrick walk around in Shorts and a T-Shirt. We've all been in Rinks and even when they're full of people they are freezing. The rest of the skaters were all in sweats. Oh Wait, Adam was in shorts too. By the way. Is it a US thing that all of our skaters ham it up for the camera? Oh Adam.

Yes, it is a US thing. It's in their DNA. :yes:

 

[mrrice]

Yes, it is a US thing. It's in their DNA. :yes:

 

[happylife]

Violet Bliss, I think all of us just want Patrick to be happy and strong.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

I have many thoughts about the latest gift Patrick has given us, but first I have a question: Did Patrick Zayak by putting both 3Lz in combination? I've always assumed that if a skater does two of any triple or quad, by definition one of those has to be a solo jump. Am I mistaken? According to the protocol, Patrick didn't Zayak. Do you think he intended to do two 3Lz combos in order to get more points?

 

[Violet Bliss]

Violet Bliss, I think all of us just want Patrick to be happy and strong.

When asked the one word his friends would use to describe him, Patrick answered. "Happy." He is well liked for his sunny disposition, by other skaters such as Javi, and of course by many of his fans.

Strong? Look at those legs and arms and the humongous weights he lifts when training! And the mental strength in turning around from emotional mess to triumph in minutes!

Per my understanding, Patrick came back to be happy and strong. He missed the training, which fosters purpose, friendships and physical prowess. Welcome back, happy puppy!

 

[Krunchii]

I have many thoughts about the latest gift Patrick has given us, but first I have a question: Did Patrick Zayak by putting both 3Lz in combination? I've always assumed that if a skater does two of any triple or quad, by definition one of those has to be a solo jump. Am I mistaken? According to the protocol, Patrick didn't Zayak. Do you think he intended to do two 3Lz combos in order to get more points?

For the Zayak rules if you repeat a jump I believe it's that at least one must be in combination, so if both of his 3Lz's are in combination then it's ok. Maybe it's just a strong jump for him and it's easy for him to tack another jump on the end

 

[Violet Bliss]

For the Zayak rules if you repeat a jump I believe it's that at least one must be in combination, so if both of his 3Lz's are in combination then it's ok. Maybe it's just a strong jump for him and it's easy for him to tack another jump on the end

It's also the jump with the highest BV outside of 3A and quads. Patrick needs both Lz for his LP per current content and layout.

 

[vivley]

I love it!!!! How on EARTH can Patrick walk around in Shorts and a T-Shirt. We've all been in Rinks and even when they're full of people they are freezing. The rest of the skaters were all in sweats.

LOL, I thought the same thing, too. Because then he goes on the ice wearing a sweater, haha. He did smile for the camera at first as well.

 

[vivley]

Thanks for bringing the video. These skaters were doing intense mental preparation and even their coaches stayed quiet with them. Not time for interaction with each other!

Actually, I just rewatched the video and found two interactions between skaters:

At 1:32, Keegan Messing offers Hanyu a handshake, and Hanyu takes it.

At 8:12, Adam Rippon is hugging Patrick and vice versa. (This one was well-hidden behind Nam!)

On a side note, Patrick seems to carry a lot wherever he goes. At 0:34 I finally noticed that the big item he was carrying was his costume on a hanger!

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Thanks for the responses to my Zayaking question. Moving on…

OH MY GOSH, PATRICK'S LP WAS BREATHTAKING AND AMAZING!!!!! This thread has been an absolute joy to read over the last few days. When I started thinking about this post, I was going to multi-quote the posts I liked most, but then I discovered there were way too many and it would make my post super long. It is quite long as it is, so there's no need to make it worse!

One thing I love about Patrick's skating, and this LP in particular, is that it NEVER STOPS MOVING unless the musical moment dictates a pause (e.g. after the last step sequence where he then runs forward with the music into his combination spin). Some part of his body is always in motion. So few skaters actually do that. He's always doing something meaningful, in this program especially.

The jumps in this LP were the best I’ve seen from Patrick in a long time. There was no hesitation and there was such flow into and out of them. Like he said in the kiss and cry, he “just shut his brain off” and let his body do the work for him. It worked beautifully! :yes:

The crowd was awesome! They cheered after every jump. They clapped after his camel spin (which shows how invested they really were in the program as a whole). And to hear their ovation rise as Patrick did his combination spin (quite beautifully, I must say) was just so INCREDIBLY THRILLING!!!

And then there were THE TEARS!!! I’ve never seen Patrick in tears after a skate. Excited, yes. Smiling, yes. Relieved, yes. But actually in tears of joy? Never. It shows how much that skate truly meant to him, backstory and all. Looking back, from GPF onwards in the Olympic season, it’s as if Patrick was thinking, “I want to become Olympic Champion, but I’m terrified of competing,” and due to the intense stress of it all, he wasn’t able to overcome that. At SC he had those same demons, but this time, with Kathy’s help, he was able to conquer them. From the moment his LP music ended, his reaction said, “I’m so grateful that I had the privilege of skating in front of this audience and of being able to share this special experience with them.” So, within the span of about 10 minutes, he went from being terrified of competing to being grateful for it. As others have said here, what a turnaround! And it was such a joy for me to see his excitement and happiness at the medal ceremony, singing along to “O Canada” with tears in his eyes.

Knowing the backstory makes this LP and the win very precious to me indeed. Thank you, Patrick, for sharing so much of yourself with us, and congratulations on this wonderful gift that you have given us!
 

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Also, to keep the SC party going for at least a little bit longer, here are my favorite bits of commentary from NBC, during the Mens LP, related to Patrick (Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski, Terry Gannon):

Tara said that in Patrick’s 4.5-minute program “you never see the choreography suffer.”

Johnny said that Daisuke Murakami was “just walking around the ice waiting for the crescendos to happen, whereas almost Patrick Chan makes the crescendos happen.” What a great way to put it!

After Daisuke Murakami’s LP, Johnny said, “For a normal citizens’ event, this would be first place by a mile, just given the technical aspects of the program, but he’s competing with gods of figure skating.” Glad to know Johnny doesn’t consider Patrick a “normal citizen” in figure skating.

Tara described Patrick’s skating as “smooth and effortless” and said that finding someone who hits the quads, skates with this much passion, and has incredible skating skills “is like searching for a unicorn.” We’ve referred to Patrick as a king before, but I guess now we have another title for him.

After Patrick’s LP, Tara said, “He’s back and boy have I missed him. A season without him - this is the type of skating that you’re in awe of.” Me too, Tara! Me too! :agree:

And lastly, here are two videos that I don’t believe have been linked here yet. Enjoy hitting the Replay button a zillion times!!!

Patrick’s 2015 SC FS – No Commentary (It includes the hug with Kathy, the walk to the kiss and cry, and everything in the kiss and cry; in other words, all the comments, all the smiles, all the tears).

2015 SC Mens Medal Ceremony – No Commentary (You can truly soak in more of Patrick’s joy, including an adorable hug with Yuzuru).

 

[Khoai]

After CoC today, I think I'd rather see Mr. Chan staying with us for the next ten years or men FS will go into crisis with hideous interpretation getting on the top.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Thank you skatingfan4ever for your joyful posts and the video links.

Re-watching his LP skate, especially without commentary, is always an opportunity for new discoveries for deeper appreciation. The whole program just flows as one, including all the elements and the nuances of his beautiful movements. There is no hesitation, as skatingfan4ever noted, and there is no rush. As Patrick's jump techniques and successes are all about the breathing, the speed, and the rhythm into the jump, you can see how he takes just the right amount of time at the right moment to make every move throughout the program. No rush. No hesitation. Just perfect flow. He is one with the music and the choreography. Breathtaking.

His relief and joy are evident as soon as he finishes. At K&C, after the relief and the emotional release with Johnson, he is happy and at peace. He is not anxious about the marks at all. He already did his job. He is happy with it. The good marks will come and he will accept what they are. And they please him.

On the podium, he again shows pure joy especially when the anthem is about to begin and through its playing. To bring and hear the anthem must be a meaningful and definitive representation of his goal attainment.

I hope Patrick keeps all he has learned this time and apply them whenever he needs to.

Patrick, skating for yourself is skating for us. Know this and just feel good and do more that feels good.

 

[m0001]

Thank you both skatingfan4ever and violet Bliss for your posts! Skatingfan4ever, is there a video for this FS from NBC available? I would appreciate it so much if you could post the link here. BTW, I can't find the CBC one either. Perhaps it's never made public?

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Thank you both skatingfan4ever and violet Bliss for your posts! Skatingfan4ever, is there a video for this FS from NBC available? I would appreciate it so much if you could post the link here. BTW, I can't find the CBC one either. Perhaps it's never made public?

Actually, someone did upload the NBC version, but I didn't think to check for it until just now. I watched the NBC coverage on my DVR. I found the TSN stuff as well, and to be thorough, I also threw in British Eurosport. Enjoy!

I could not find Daisuke Murakami's FS from NBC online. A few things I posted above were said during his skate. Following Patrick's skate, Murakami's felt very empty in comparison, and Johnny and Tara definitely picked up on that.

Patrick's FS (NBC)

Patrick's FS (TSN) (Does CBC not have the rights for SC anymore?)

Medal Ceremony/Analysis (TSN)

Fluff/Post-FS Interview (TSN)

Patrick's FS (British Eurosport)