Patrick finished 5th at the Vancouver Olympics and he performed at the Gala. (He would have been invited as a rep of the host nation regardless of his placement but pushing Weir to 6th deprived the latter of a gala performance, angering Weir and his fans who wanted the world to see Johnny's Poker Face.) As Patrick was performing his Yesterday, a white balloon with the word "Believe" on it, as there were many such Olympic balloons in the building, started drifting down to the rink, quite dramatic in the dark as caught by the camera. As the commentators exclaimed they had never seen anything like this, it floated slowly toward Patrick. He finished the program, turned around and the the balloon was right in front of him at waist level. He took it with both hands and saluted the audience with a big smile. (There are photos that captured this scene. Somebody or myself may bring it here later.)
I've always thought Mr.Colson and the Universe conspired the coolest way to deliver the message to Patrick.
I dug around in this thread and found VB's explanation of the balloon and a picture, in case those new to our Fest don't know the significance of what I bolded. (I didn't know about the balloon until VB explained it so wonderfully). Thanks for the reminder VB!I hope Patrick has found his peace and perspective. One competition does not define his skating career and every champion has some unfortunate competitions. He has recovered from bitter disappointments before and he will again. I hope tomorrow he will show us the fierce competitor that he is. I hope he will stay calm and fully focus on every present moment of the program. I hope he will amaze us all again.
I hope Patrick remembers the message sent to him via a special balloon at the Vancouver Olympic and BELIEVE.
Wishing Patrick a great performance tonight. I adore his skating!!!
hi guys its my first time to post here to be honest cos i was never really a fan of pchan before not until he gave us a superb work of art. his chopin lp this season is a masterpiece. i appreciate so much that despite how this sport especially in men turned out to become like a circus with all the jumps that he continues to focus on creating an art in a landscape of figure skating. he may not be technically superior against the others bv wise but with his lp now he had put himself in a league of his own.
Welcome iceberg! You and your new found appreciation for Patrick's skating are exactly what he has been skating for. After blazing a trail with superb skating skills and pioneering the new quad era, he changed his focus to artistry under the much snickered choice of a coach while others are riding the tidal wave of quad filled programs.
He is back and it may take some time to ease back into the competitive mind and body, but he is on track with his long term plan. I believe he will get back the TES advantage again by next season. The road back is little bumpy but he has proven to be worthy of our faith in him.
This thread is more than a retreat from the often unpleasant bias and even hostility, it is a fest, a celebration of Patrick Chan.
So happy to see patrick skate like that. I love yuzu, he is my favourite, but really, there is no one like patrick. Just for pure skating skills he is unmatched. If he does a clean short, adds a 2nd quad, he is on the podium, no question.
Seems like he has the free under control, now he just has to tame that short!
I hope when he retires he eventually takes up coaching because no one else seems to be able to teach edges like his...
His LP this season is my everything!
Chan: The World: Completeness and intricacy of design. A great work. Achievement, reward, and well-earned recognition. A time of success, prosperity, security and joy. May also indicate travel or a change in residence.