After a full night of watching figure skating, with highs mostly from pairs and dance, I was literally exhausted when the men started.
Kevin was apparently tired as his normal 4 quad program became a 3 quad one.... however, he fought and I was happy to see that. After yesterday's performance, it put me in a good mood. I thought that perhaps skating first after the warm up would also be good for Patrick.
Patrick looked in the right kind of mood. Serious but calm eyes. That's what I like from him. His 4t-3t was so much better than in the SP. It got me dreaming. I was like OMG he is ON! The 4S wasn't his best of all season but it was landed with + GOE so we will take it

After the 4S, Patrick didn't appear to have the same look for a little while. I thought : oh oh... the infamous 3a-1/2loop-3s combo is next. He is thinking about it.. Get back in the zone Patrick... don't be a sillybilly

Ok fine.. hand down. and this time, I was happy because he didn't try to tag an impossible combo on a hand down axel... that's what really killed his chances at worlds... Patrick here was more patient and that's great. He had a bit of time to refocus and he did so I would say. The 4T was pretty good. Only a minor hand down, very small mistake for a 3rd quad, especially considering how beautiful all 3 of them looked in the air. I think though, that Patrick was starting to be exhausted. Japan is not next door and a lot of the NA skaters just look exhausted.... (even some of the Japanese). The axel pop is simple. He just probably thought, I don't have the juice for the half loop combo, i will do the 2t one... and then pops... sigh... think a bit faster Patrick

nice 3loop... nice 3ltz but we could tell from there on how tired he was because honestly, Patrick even dropped the 2loop an easy combo he has been including here and there throughout all his career... the flip : thank god, he is done jumping ....he looks really really tired...
Ok...I am focusing on his level of fatigue how I perceived it however, I think that perhaps others wouldn't have felt it. Keep in mid that I was exhausted myself for staying up all night !!! LOL
Patrick still was able throughout his entire performance to keep beautiful connection to the music and his interpretation was stellar tonight. Fine, some jumps were tight or tired but he will learn better and better now how it feels to have 3 quads in a program. Some people get excited when skaters YOLO jumps in at the last minute to make up for lost points. I don't. It usually means that the work of a choreographer has been dumped into the TES garbage chute to allow for more TES... and the judges do not refelct that in PCS usually.... so I command Patrick for not coming up with some weird new jumping passes in his programs. He plays with the combos from time to time but even there, it's never weird... and I think it shows what Patrick thinks about his programs :
they are not vehicles to allow for 8 jumping passes to gather as many TES points as possible. They are PROGRAMS. Every movement is as meaningful to him, whether it is a step or a spin, a turn or a jump. This is why so many people are starting to realize how great Patrick is. Why? Simply because nobody yesterday had a stellar clean quadfest program. Some made a bit more points than Patrick's but all programs had mistakes in them... Patrick singled a 3A and had two of his landing checked but nevertheless, his program really was a PROGRAM!!!! I am not here to complain at the skaters who reorganize their layouts : they do what they need to do to get the points they need to win and that's the name of the game.... But I am here to appreciate and share how I feel more and more about Patrick's programs....and it is because Patrick commits to every step and turn just as much as he does to the jumps that no matter if he has good legs that night or not, there will always be some SUBSTANCE in the STYLE

in the end, no matter how he does, I am always happy to see him skate. This is something that is new this year for me. I have always loved Patrick's skating but when he had a bad performance, I would be sad or nervous when he was skating. Now, I am just there, watching a movie for instance, and sometimes in the movie, I may not be happy with details in the plot but I am still watching because overall it's a great movie.... and I know that when it's over, I will have watched a movie I would even want to rewatch!!!
So, thank you Patrick, for sticking to your storyline, to always delivering a performance that overall remains magical whether or not it has some small mistakes. I find that he turned around quite nicely from his tough outing at GPF and what did it? His first landed 4S.... Patrick realized there, that even in the worst moments, something beautiful, like landing his first ever 4S, could emerge. Focusing on the process, on the positive mindset is a wonderful tool Patrick. You have heard me say it many times
I will miss Journey if indeed it's the last time it is performed. I feel privileged to have seen the cleanest version of it at Nationals. I am looking forward to next year. I like throwing things in the universe just in case they bounced back
I have mentioned Esqualo... I think most of all here in the fan fest are on this wagon, even from the first time it was done in shows...
I have mentioned ACi.... because most likely I will be there and if he goes, for sure I am going...
I am going to mention something completely crazy : Patrick, don't retire after 2018

keep going... if you feel healthy and happy to skate... do it... you don't have to go for 4 years... you can just see how it feels

you will be 27... fair enough... but it's so good to see mature skating done by a mature skater. I'd be happy to watch him skate for a few more years now that he has returned and followed his own goals, keeping healthy and improving little by little at each competition. Such a wonderful journey