Patrick Chan

[Violet Bliss]

I think this season's roller coaster has humbled Patrick. Perhaps his deficiency in "common sense" is more due to overblown expectations rather than outright arrogance. He had always been the one with that special talent, and after winning Worlds and nearly winning the Olympics, he (and everyone else) probably expected that the comeback would be much easier than it's been. Besides, he's lived in the privileged, rarefied bubble of an elite athlete. I'm glad he has Kathy to keep him grounded. The challenges he's faced this year have hopefully made him listen more to her advice, as she has proven to have good foresight. She was the one who had advised him to put a 4S in his program before he thought he needed to, and now he intends to do it.

I don't knock Patrick for "his deficiency in common sense". Common sense keeps one safe and nice but safe and nice is not what makes success and super achievements. Great inventors like the Wright Brothers and Edison didn't listen to people of common sense, neither did great entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Walt Disney. Common sense says it is a waste of one's life and family resources to train for figure skating but passion keeps the talented youngsters and their family sacrificing for the extremely elusive glory and rewards. Call it arrogance or super confidence, the overachievers believe in themselves and feel entitled to success and to win. Common sense is for the common people. That's what I meant when I wrote about the special common sense of the successful and hope they let us in a little because I've been studying and digging for the special sense common to them.

I don't want Patrick to trade self confidence for limiting common sense. What he needs is to balance the desire, the confidence, and the passion with detachment of outcome, and enjoyment of the process. It is well said that the sooner one can be happy without the desired, the sooner one will have the desired. Or, in Patrick's case, if he can't be happy without the OGM, then he wouldn't be happy with the OGM. He wouldn't have the titles and the medals without the desire and the confidence but the titles and the medals are to add to his joy and gratitude rather than taking away his happiness if he doesn't have them. He courts misery if he attaches his happiness to the OGM, or the 2016 Worlds title. Attachments are the cause of suffering, said Budha. Acceptance precedes happiness and detachment precedes success. Ah, the secret of success is paradox, not common sense.

Of course, if all else fails, VB can just scold him.

I don't believe in scolding. I believe in mind power, in inspiration, in insights and in epiphanies, the Ah Ha moments, and Eureka. May Patrick have more of these, on his own or guided.

But in reply to your previous reply about paranoia, I prefer to call it preparedness, and it's only meant to apply to Patrick's work as an athlete, not his entire life. Since energy and time are finite, he could look at the top 3-5 factors that impacted his performances the most this season and prepare for those (including bad ice).

He can't afford to be prepared for all possibilities. He has to be positive and focus on his goals and doing his best. Rehearsing negative scenario will erode his energy and mental strength. Should he be prepared for all possible natural and man made disasters? Protocol and common sense, and I do believe he has common sense, take care of most unexpected situations. He will evacuate if the fire alarm goes off, he will duck if an over head camera is falling on him, he will stop if his skate breaks but preparedness means this should not happen, he will talk to the one in charge if he finds the ice condition inconsistent in practice, he will just have to wing it if a judge has a heart attack, or he can't hear his music due to load cheering, or someone streaks on ice while he skates ........... and there are millions of remotely possible crazy scenarios. As to asking for ice resurfacing just for him, I don't know the protocol but it would probably backfire on him in more ways than one. But speaking about it alerts event organizers and may be preventive in the future.

Anyway, for now I hope he enjoys his trip to Japan and his ice shows. I expect to see a lot of happy photos with fans.

Amen.

 

[nieves]

I was sitting front row for the men's Fs and I would say the opposite about the ice. That nice in Boston was unbelievably warm (60s F) and there was a wet spot right in front of the judges. A filled arena only added to that. You can see the wet spot in all the final group skating. I wished they had resurfaced the ice before the final group -- it was already choppy and by the time Yuzu got onto the ice it looked pretty bad -- when Patrick got onto the ice it looked awful.

I know that Javi uses Matrix's blades and wonder if the harder steel helped his skating in comparison to the other skaters?

 

[calica]

David Wilson Talks to TSL about Hanyu, Fernandez and Chan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz79EdWQl7g

I don´t understand anything.... it´s so bad don´t know english...

 

[HanDomi]

I was sitting front row for the men's Fs and I would say the opposite about the ice. That nice in Boston was unbelievably warm (60s F) and there was a wet spot right in front of the judges. A filled arena only added to that. You can see the wet spot in all the final group skating. I wished they had resurfaced the ice before the final group -- it was already choppy and by the time Yuzu got onto the ice it looked pretty bad -- when Patrick got onto the ice it looked awful.

I know that Javi uses Matrix's blades and wonder if the harder steel helped his skating in comparison to the other skaters?

ye, the ice looked terrible, I find it highly unprofessional they can't bring great ice quality at this level, and I even suspect that for example it's ice quality that took Hanyu off on landing on first quad sal, because takeoff and in the air it was good, but on the landing ice screamed so much
I think this ice highly affeted Hanyu and Chan

 

[4everchan]

and shoma

 

[qwertyskates]

perhaps his crying after is sort of preparing the future... see at 4CC he complained after the SP and in an interview he said that he spoke a lot with the technician... ice was flawless for the LP....

maybe by speaking up NOW, he is preparing better conditions for 2018? I don't see it as whining or sour grapes simply because I am put in the same situation with bad pianos all the time... (and I often tell my colleagues... that piano was so that next time, maybe we don't have to play there or a better piano is used)...

I think that in the moment, it is tough to assess... I think that ideally, before the last flight of skaters, it should be evaluated.... but I cannot imagine having 20K people looking at Patrick, waiting for him to start, and then he says ; sorry... ice is garbage...


Like if i walked on stage and stormed out when noticing i am playing a bad piano

I think that there is a reason why we say " the show must go on" .... what worried me the most is that Patrick felt he didn't feel safe there.... that worried me.... i care that he didn't do better for sure, but if he had fallen because of a problem with the ice, and injured himself, I would have been very mad....

some people pointed out that Javi did much better because his jumps were in the middle of the ice rather than at the ends.... it's something that needs to be thought of too... Patrick goes way back to the boards for his two quads....

all of this being said, i get your point... about being assertive... at the same time, yuzu was very assertive about D10 being in his way... and look what happened to both of them... worlds are over now... they had bad FPs as well... and now they are shaking hands and posting on instagram assertion sometimes creates more pressure...

back to my piano example.... once I had the chance to choose the best piano possible.... and it was a big event... and I chose a beautiful Steinway.... and then, i was feeling the pressure of "you better do well now, this piano is perfect".... and I didn't do as well as I wanted to

of course, when i mess up, i just play wrong notes.... when patrick messes up, he falls.... but he didn't during the FP

We can't count on the future, we can only carpe diem, grab what's open for us today and now.

I understand if it's a gala or an ice show that Patrick should just grin and bear it, reduce the technical difficulty, etc., even if he were to fall on the ice because of ruts and debris. Just like you would suffer the bad piano that makes you look like a poor pianist.

But what if you trained for years to enter the Chopin Competition, one of the most prestigious in the world, and you only get that one chance?

You don't let a bad piano get in your way, you've got to ask for what's fair and just for you. Your audience deserves the best from you too, they waited patiently for this moment.

About Hanyu and Ten, I actually thought it was the opposite, I will get slaughtered by the Hanyu fans, but this is a Patrick thread, so...freedom of expression and all that...can't believe saying something sensible can get one slaughtered on a forum...Hanyu was creating and building the debris for himself and Ten (and perhaps even other skaters) by making a big deal out of something that he could easily solve and get over in 1 minute, Javier style.

Orser was right, as was Frank, every skater must REMEMBER why they were there in Boston, to give it their best shot at one of the most important international competitions, the one that is only less prestigious than the Olympics, with almost every FS fan glued to their performances and supporting them all the way. Everything else is debris. Hanyu didn't need that axel right there and then when he encountered Denis, he is a master of axels, he skated flawlessly his SP many times before, and he would go on to skate it almost flawlessly the next day. Why carry that burden of an altercation with Denis, making it public and increasing the debris? Punishing Denis in the court of Public Opinion does not help him win the WC2016, so that's debris in my book.

As for Denis, only he and his coach knew if that was intentional or unintentional, they both said unintentional, it is likely that at the Toyota Centre, they train like this, learning to cope and deal with other skaters who do not follow the same etiquette at the Cricket Club, so my philosophy in life is to give the benefit of the doubt, innocent until proven guilty, and the judge needs to be a 3rd party and impartial. It's not only for Denis but also for Hanyu not to carry that anger going into the SP and FS, to clear the psychological debris to ensure that the focus goes back to the prize.

In the end, it wasn't even on the Boston TD Garden rink, or on the day of competition, etc., it's an important practice, but it isn't a practice that would make or break a performance. Just get it out of the way asap and get back to preparedness.

Look at Kwan and Cohen, Yuna and Ando, etc., etc., in Kwan's case it was so obvious reporters were writing about it, but Kwan kept her focus on the Prize. I credit Frank for cultivating that mental toughness in Kwan and helping her become a legend.

All these elite skaters wish to become legends and make history, as well they should, I'm behind every one of them.

This is why my own philosophy dovetails with Frank's - ANYTHING that doesn't help you deliver your best at a competition is just debris. Clear them, whether it's a vendetta or a gutted rink.

The next skater who felt the sorry condition of the ice should immediately inform the authorities - as an audience, I believe that it is only fair that a skater gets the right condition and level playing field he deserves. I can't imagine any FS fan out there rolling their eyes when a skater reports on a problem with the ice - bad ice not only affects a performance, it can endanger a skater who is going for difficult jumps like quads, making him or her fall.

Perhaps Patrick should petition for such a provision in future competitions, he will be doing not only himself but other skaters a favour!

 

[Bonesfan]

querty - I thought this was Patrick's fan fest, which is why I came here to share my live experience at worlds on him??

There is a separate thread for the Ten and Hanyu incident - I don't understand why it was necessary to bring up this incident in PATRICK's fan thread.

I was hoping to share more of my Worlds experiences but as I've said previously (and are Goldenskate rules) - please do NOT bash other skaters in the fan tests. This feels very unfriendly. :sad21:

 

[qwertyskates]

querty - I thought this was Patrick's fan fest, which is why I came here to share my live experience at worlds on him??

There is a separate thread for the Ten and Hanyu incident - I don't understand why it was necessary to bring up this incident in PATRICK's fan thread.

I was hoping to share more of my Worlds experiences but as I've said previously (and are Goldenskate rules) - please do NOT bash other skaters in the fan tests. This feels very unfriendly. :sad21:

Sorry about that diversion...I was answering foreverchan's post where he was describing "assertiveness between yuzu and D10". I wanted to point out that there's a difference between being assertive in a way that further one's goal (to win) and in a way that doesn't, because I wish for all the athletes to deliver their best, be it Hanyu or Chan or Ten. It's not bashing, but about that "tunnel vision" like Gracie mentioned. Their moment is *that* moment on the ice. Carpe diem. Leave all other debris behind.

I honestly don't know any fans who would wish for the other skaters to flounder so that their favourites could win. I wish for all the skaters to bring their A game, and then that would be the best competition for me. I wanted to see the best from Javi, Shoma, Hanyu, Patrick and Denis, etc., at their most brilliant, skating in *the zone*, in the flow, nothing in their way.

I regretted as much that Hanyu didn't skate his best, as well as Patrick. The person I'm happy for is Javier, he did it!

If it's considered "bashing" then I must be bashing Patrick for saying that "crying afterwards is futile". I am being critical, but in a way that I hope will push him to fight for his chance to deliver his best. Not because he's "whining" like Weir suggested, but because he must decide if that "burden" he carried could crucially affect his performance. Better then to speak up there and then than to suffer the regrets...and the audience didn't get to see Patrick at his best, where his skills meet his ice, it's regretful.

If they need to bring attention to a problem, i.e. bring attention to bad ice condition that could cause many skaters to fall or deliver substandard performances, do it, I am behind them...whether it's a less known skater or one of the elite, but of course I speak for myself. I wouldn't mind that 10 minutes for the ice to get repaired so that all the skaters who skate after can deliver their best, what they have been training for years, they deserve it. This is the "assertiveness" that I feel is worth it, as opposed to futile ones, as it's the right thing to further the trajectory of awesome performances that move the audiences instead of regrets, the years of painful training, risking their bodies, culminating in those few minutes.

My question is, if the issue arises again, what should Patrick (or any skater) do?

Surely there must be some provision for these sort of unexpected negative conditions like poor ice? This is worth pursuing as "assertiveness", imho.

 

[Arriba627]

I was not sure if any Chan fans made it to Worlds but wanted to share a bit about my week. I'm not a skater. It was my first competition and I attended most of the men's practices and all of the events. I really enjoyed seeing Patrick skate live. Sometimes he had a bit of trouble with his jumps and other times he looked great. I was very close to the ice during practices and Patrick is very muscular (in a good way , compact and fast! It was nice that he received a lot of applause at practices (Mao and Yuzu did also). He looked good during the SP, and I had high hopes for him and the other men. My heart broke for for Patrick, Shoma, and Yuzuru with their rough free skates. Some people were commenting that these three use their edges more than the others and seemed affected more by the poor ice conditions. I felt like the crowd was quite partisan towards the Americans (standing O's for all of them, really?) and did my best to cheer loudly for the others, especially my guys. Was thrilled to see that Patrick was selected for the exhibition - his number really showed off his great skating. As I said I'm not a skater, nor a particularly knowledgeable fan but wanted to share some of of my impressions.

70% of the audience was American, 30% was from other countries. Maybe it depended on where you were, but where I was sitting people were wildly applauding and giving standing ovations to competitors from many countries - Latvia, Italy, Korea, Finland, Canada, etc. People were especially giving encouragement / love to Shoma after his hard fall in the FS. I knew in my heart that applause and maybe a standing ovation were the only rewards many of the Americans would receive, so it felt good to give them that encouragement.

 

[vivley]

Thought you all would like to take a break and look at some more photos:

Patrick, Yuzuru and Javier being playful together:

https://twitter.com/_nyaonyao299_/status/717366420372213761

Patrick during the finale parade (definitely happier):

https://twitter.com/kozukakazuko/status/717174853598519296

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Hi guys!

I've been lurking, not posting much after being shooed off by some name-calling on another thread, and of course doing this :dumb::hpull: for most of the Men's FS. So be kind, ok? I mean well, but I am not here to praise Patrick, but to offer some views about how and why he didn't deliver his best. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells sometimes on these forums.

I had a very bad feeling about the escalation of the...ahem..."practicegate"...but one good thing about that is I started to find out more about the Frank Carroll method, and I think Patrick can really take a leaf from his experience and expertise.

What I mean is that to Frank Carroll, anything that doesn't help a skater win is absolutely to be thrown outside, eg. tears, moods, etc. he'll kick you out of his rink for the day and call security on you.

It can seem heartless, which was why many skaters parted, eg. Mirai and even Kwan, but, but, but.....does it work? Looking at Gracie now compared to her pre-Carroll days, she is absolutely poised, grown up, tough-minded, no longer a skating princess and a precious snowflake. Yes, she fell, and couldn't capitalize on her SP, but she never skated better, and it's a matter of time for Gracie.

He is RIGHT - in the end, all that matters for the top tier athletes is that you put up one of the best performances like you did during a good practice on the day when it truly counts, no ifs or buts. It's psychological attrition, in his words.

Everything else is mental and psychological debris, they just get in your way of delivering at the moment when it counts the most, like the ruts and puddles on the ice.

So why and how is it that the 4CC Patrick didn't show up at World's?

Yes, it could be true it was the ice, but WHY didn't Patrick or his coach prepare for such an eventuality? Didn't they encounter another difficult ice condition previously?

To me, telling it AFTER the competition will not make a difference, Patrick didn't deliver, didn't podium and his detractors cracked jokes about Patrick's wine.

Now, at the moment when he stepped on the ice, Patrick knew and felt the unevenness of the ice, why didn't he have the presence of mind to think of a way to remedy it?

Don't laugh, but this is what I would have done if I were Patrick - I would have stumbled a few times as I skated around before getting into position, the audience would gasp, I would then skate towards the judges and tell them the ice was full of ruts.

Mindful of the consequences or ignoring such a complaint, they might do a quick flooding and although the audience had to wait for 5-10 minutes, their reward would be one of the better performances of the famed Chopin FS, whether or not Patrick wins.

In the end, Patrick is entitled to skate on decent ice, like all the other skaters, the playing field must be even, ha, pardon the pun.

Unfortunately, what happened was Patrick felt the ruts in the ice, felt the fear/worry about the blades, and he carried that thought with him and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Frank would have told him to ABANDON any thought or mental/emotional debris other than the ones that run through your head during your best practices! These psychological debris are perhaps worse, because Patrick might have been capable of overcoming them with his excellent SS and pure physical power being the athlete that he is.

In the end, it was the carefree Javier, fresh from a foot massage away from all the drama, who jumped, skipped, hopped and smiled his way into the audience's heart and to historic gold.

Thank you for this thought-provoking post (and those that have followed) - no bashing of Patrick at all. You merely are asking thoughtful questions, which in turn have raised other questions in my mind. Referring specifically to the bolded part, if Patrick had done that, would the referee or whomever have done anything about it and, if so, what? According to the rules, is bad ice a valid reason for not starting your program? Are there any protections in place against bad ice, similar to how a mid-program injury or skate lace problem is handled? Perhaps this a good question for the "Stupid Questions Thread." Does anyone on GS have any insight about this? I have a sneaking suspicion that bad ice may not be a "legal" reason to not skate, because if it was, maybe Yuzu or another skater would have taken advantage of it? If there is a little-known rule/procedure about it somewhere, all skaters should be informed about it ASAP. I certainly haven't heard about any bad ice provisions, but I'm only a fan.

 

[4everchan]

querty - I thought this was Patrick's fan fest, which is why I came here to share my live experience at worlds on him??

There is a separate thread for the Ten and Hanyu incident - I don't understand why it was necessary to bring up this incident in PATRICK's fan thread.

I was hoping to share more of my Worlds experiences but as I've said previously (and are Goldenskate rules) - please do NOT bash other skaters in the fan tests. This feels very unfriendly. :sad21:

this is definitely Patrick's fan fest and yes qwerty was just trying to make the point that anything that doesn't help you to win is debris...

we all use different examples, for instance I talked about pianos... so let's take a moment to look at vivley's latest finds on twitter and reflect about all of this :

at the gala, all of them seemed very cheery and happy.... and that's the most important thing... in competition, pressure and nerves can get to anyone... some react better than others... some rise to the occasion, some have terrible luck, etc.. but when it's all said and done, these athletes enjoy the moment, the fun they have skating, the company of one another.

As fans, we all wish for the best conditions for all skaters. But life isn't like that. Every situation allows for new learning. I think that this is what qwerty's message was about : what can Patrick do to help him if such circumstances repeat.... and by extension, without getting into the topic, do you really think that what happened between Yuzu and D10 is something either one of them would try to avoid in future? I think this was the discussion here and I didn't read qwerty`s post as bashing anyone...

vivley do we have new pictures of Patrick in green ?

 

[vivley]

vivley do we have new pictures of Patrick in green ?

Not yet. I'll post if I see any.

Sorry about that diversion...I was answering foreverchan's post where he was describing "assertiveness between yuzu and D10". I wanted to point out that there's a difference between being assertive in a way that further one's goal (to win) and in a way that doesn't, because I wish for all the athletes to deliver their best, be it Hanyu or Chan or Ten. It's not bashing, but about that "tunnel vision" like Gracie mentioned. Their moment is *that* moment on the ice. Carpe diem. Leave all other debris behind.

You'll be happy to see this nice photo of Yuzu and Denis shaking hands. May all debris (and memory of it) be swept away by the winds of time.

https://twitter.com/6562_d/status/717392096248733696

As to what Patrick could do about situations like the bad ice, my reply to VB's last post and to you all is:

Yes, and my point was for him to take preventative action for the future - not for every crazy scenario - but the most common issues he faced this season that prevented him from giving his best performances. It doesn't need to be a laborious or constant process. Just like we do fire drills in the event of trouble, he should have a plan B performance-wise in case he encounters bad ice again. The purpose of this exercise is so he will be unfazed when he sees the ice. E.g., "the ice doesn't look good, so I'm going to do A, B, and C instead." Then afterwards during interviews he can tell us why he did things differently without being apologetic.

I think this method would work better for Patrick, because I may be wrong, but he doesn't seem to be the type of skater who could easily wing it when faced with adverse performance conditions. He's gained some experience with impromptu changes to choreography doing shows, but IMHO that's still easier than facing bad ice alone before a competitive performance. Unfortunately it is not uncommon during performances for the performer to be saddled with extra burdens such as poor conditions, etc. Once when I performed in an opera, the prop wall on stage even fell on the lead tenor! He kept going, even if he complained afterwards.

So while I agree that Patrick should be positive and focus on his goals and doing his best, at the same time, I want to see him to have the attitude of "expect the unexpected". I think this will prepare him be a better performer, artist and athlete.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

I'm so proud of him! And I don't think he was using the ice as an excuse, it seemed like frustration that he couldn't deliver his finest in those conditions. Such a letdown for him, but overall an amazing season for him too!

People complaining have to realize he is a different type of skater and I loved reading in the other thread how even with the jump mistakes that they still see him as superior in skating to most others. He is special!

:agree: From this article (emphasis mine):

Said he felt stupid talking about the ice, making it sound like an excuse, but it really was a significant factor — skating last after to final flights of men, two six minute warm-ups, a puddle right in front of the judges.

“There were a lot of ruts. I couldn’t be confident when I stepped forward and set my edge. It would skip and jump over bumps or go right or left. It’s very personal to me. I like to use the flex of the ice. It rebounds me and gives me speed into my jumps, the way I breathe into my edges.

“But it is what it is. You’re given situations and I make the best out of them. That was obviously the best I could do today.”

People making excuses don't usually admit publicly that they feel stupid about making those excuses. If Patrick truly wanted to "make excuses" for his performance, he would have been less apologetic about it, IMO. He just stated what he experienced on the ice and he didn't presume to speak for other skaters or anything like that.

And, in the same article, I absolutely LOVE the positive stuff he said (emphasis mine):

Did it change how he was feeling about the season, about the decision to come back with an eye on the 2018 Olympics?

“Maybe immediately, yes, at the moment. But I think tomorrow I’ll look back at the entire year and there’s really nothing to be upset about. As much as we all want to win and be on the podium, and yeah it stinks to be in fifth, after third in the short, it’s good to be here. And feeling that pressure.’’

Stepping on the ice for his warm-up, looking up at the crowd.

“It’s just so great to be alive, to feel the energy. Just couldn’t use it to my advantage today, unfortunately.”

Patrick said the ice wasn't great but he also said something like "I didn't skate well" I don't have the exact quote but he did say that he didn't perform well and he is not making excuses, he is saying why ice conditions matter to him.

Here you go. From this article:

Chan also seemed sheepish for complaining about the ice, trying not to let it take away from the positives of a solid comeback year after taking an 18-month hiatus from the sport.

“My skate was not good, that’s pretty obvious,” said Chan, who stumbled on a number of jumps and once collided with the boards as if on the end of a body check from Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara. “It could be a lot better.”

when i saw him on cbc, i saw a human being... a real one... a deep artist... we are so privileged that patrick opens up to us... not every skater is willing to do so.

:yes: :agree:

 

[qwertyskates]

Thanks for the trust, guys!

I think for all the skaters, knowing what they know, they must develop a sort of contingency protocol with their coaches and Feds about how they can "clear the debris" to enable them to put up their best performances, be it to get the peace of mind offered by an uninterrupted run-through, or to deal with the problem of bad ice as one of the final flight.

I supported Hanyu's right to a good run-through, as the interrupted one had bothered him and I can understand why. You need to rewire/psyche yourself quickly back to the zone, so go ahead and do what you need to get yourself back to preparedness again, if it means stopping the run-through and restarting again, etc.

If it were Shoma or Kolyada who raises a question about the ice, I would cheer him on too, not to mention my beloved Patrick and his out of this world edges....We are all there because we love our skaters, and we know they are only making extraordinary requests because of extraordinary circumstances.

I can't even imagine what it's like to attempt a flying quad on gutted ice....or the best stsq and most insane spins. They are doing the most difficult skates in the world, they suffer horrendous pain and injury for this moment, I would let them have their extra 5-10 minutes, what say you?

 

[skatingfan4ever]

And, qwertyskates, come back anytime! One of the reasons I love this thread is that not only do we celebrate Patrick but we have meaningful discussions as well. Rather than jumping to quick judgments, we tend to make observations and have good discussions (most of the time). We also talk about various life lessons. I find this thread very stimulating. I think your posts have been written in the same spirit and have added much to the discussion. I've enjoyed reading them!

 

[qwertyskates]

And, qwertyskates, come back anytime! One of the reasons I love this thread is that not only do we celebrate Patrick but we have meaningful discussions as well. Rather than jumping to quick judgments, we tend to make observations and have good discussions (most of the time). We also talk about various life lessons. I find this thread very stimulating. I think your posts have been written in the same spirit and have added much to the discussion. I've enjoyed reading them!

Thank you so much skatingfan4ever... I'm so touched. This means alot to me.

I want them to win more and hurt less, hope we all get to find solutions for our skaters, every one of them with problems unique to each.

Edit to add that I am so happy that Yuzuru and Denis shook hands and cleared the air. I hope they return to their old ways of being friendly rivals and clear up all misunderstanding, and both put up their best skates the next time they compete together.

 

[Mango]

Hello guys.

I wanted to say thanks to Patrick for some sublime performances this season. He still has the beautiful, artistic skating that he became famous for and I am happy about that. I hope to see some more technically advanced programs in that beautiful style next season and beyond.

 

[vivley]

Hello guys.

I wanted to say thanks to Patrick for some sublime performances this season. He still has the beautiful, artistic skating that he became famous for and I am happy about that. I hope to see some more technically advanced programs in that beautiful style next season and beyond.

Welcome, Mango! Thank you for visiting and contributing your sweet words about Patrick!

I want them to win more and hurt less, hope we all get to find solutions for our skaters, every one of them with problems unique to each.

Most definitely, especially the "hurt less" part for the "older" skaters like Patrick. I want them to keep healthy even after they leave competitive skating.

------------------

Here's the Worlds 2016 Canon photo gallery:

http://worlds2016.com/canon/photo-gallery_05.html

Picture of Patrick smiling!

http://worlds2016.com/canon/images/10_PatrickCHAN.jpg

 

[4everchan]

Picture of Patrick smiling!

http://worlds2016.com/canon/images/10_PatrickCHAN.jpg