“Not perfect. He was missing his Triple Axel. But what he did was he found his joy on competition ice, smiling in the program, bringing this audience to its feet.” ~Tracy Wilson
First, a funny note: I knew Patrick must not have skated perfectly clean when I opened up the competition thread and people were discussing whether or not he was arrogant in his post-LP interview and/or arrogant in general.
Then, I watched the program and I was SO pleasantly surprised. I was ready for it to be much worse from the general vibe I was getting about it. The article headlines seem a lot more negative than the program actually was. Sure, I wish he had done the 3As and most of the landings weren’t ideal. But, he didn’t double anything except the axels and he FOUGHT for those triples. I love how he maintains a lot of speed during his 1Lo combo. The 3Lz+3T was very nice indeed and the 3F at the end was a BEAUTY!!! In the 4T+2T, it looked like Patrick almost forgot to do a combination and then he thought, “Oh, wait, yeah I need to do a combination.” Hence the first appearance of the smile in the program. Possibly the BEST moment of the entire program for me was the big smile after the camel spin in that sequence where he turns around slowly, stepping with the music. The camera was at the PERFECT angle to catch it in all its glory!!!
At SC, he skated with so much tension, but here he was more relaxed even when he made mistakes and he seemed so much more at ease and happy. And he kept fighting to land and rotate those jumps. Jumping-wise, this was a big step in the right direction.
I was curious about how the jumps went and excited when they were landed beautifully, but as always with Patrick, there was so much else to see. Not only did I crave multiple viewings of the program, but I kept rewinding the video at various points to absorb the little details. Like the tiny steps backward on “I’ve walked this floor.” And the hands on both knees after the 3A (a 2A this time), matching the tone of Jeff Buckley’s voice at that moment. And on “a God above” where Patrick goes on one knee with one arm out and slightly raised. There’s even a hop to one knee on “the major lift” – talk about matching the lyrics! I already mentioned the subtle sequence after the camel spin. Seriously, every edge and every little position is so meaningful and purposeful. It looks like Patrick is floating over the ice.
After commenting about both quads, Rod and Tracy said NOTHING during the rest of the program. I think it was because they were as mesmerized as we were. I was so thrilled to see Patrick’s big smile back after a competitive skate, even though he knew the program wasn’t perfect. He seemed happy to be on the ice regardless of how it went. Many of the YouTube comments (yes, I read some) focused on his lack of jumps or where he would finish at the Olympics with a skate like that. Honestly, I do not care what jumps he does or where he places. I am happy that he is still out there and choosing to skate his way. I am most happy that he is happy. Knowing what a struggle this season has been for Patrick makes this skate extra special to me. Patrick owes us nothing, not even clean programs, but he came out and showed us what he loves about skating. Congrats on #10, Patrick!!!
Hold on to that happiness when you skate at the Olympics, Patrick, because no one can take that away from you!!! It comes from inside, not outside. Thank you for sharing your skating with us for all these years. Ten years of National titles is hard to comprehend. I had no idea ten years ago that Patrick would still be competing now. What a ride it has been. Since this is not a “goodbye, Patrick” post, I’ll stop myself right there.
:hap93: 
Yes, me too. I'm lucky.
I wish he'd take part in Worlds too, and see him live one last time, but dunno...:sad14:
We could have been left with SC as the last “Hallelujah,” but thankfully that didn’t happen. Hearing him admit that out loud, it hit home again for me that literally every performance we get to see from him is a gift, because nothing is guaranteed. I am one thankful fan right now. :yes: (I’m sorry that this summary is incomplete and in random order.) Also, he confirms being kicked out of the liquor store, although it wasn't as dramatic as the stories suggested! 
