The truth behind Patrick Chan's China crisis

[Violet Bliss]

The article in this thread tells the Chan family situation in nurturing and supporting a young world champion, which is very different from what the public assumes. Why do the anti-Chan members have to turn it into the family crying poor and do all kinds of comparisons to show that the Chans are whining and undeserving of any understanding?

Many accomplished young skaters have strong support and even sacrifices from their families, contributing to their success. Yuna and Mao both had devoted mothers. Christna Gao's father moved to live with her in Toronto. Kozuka spent two weeks in Canada at age 22 as the first time living on his own, regarded as a first step in his independence. It's extremely hard, if not impossible, to achieve so much on one's own at a tender young age. High level training in itself is more demanding than most people of any age can handle.

 

[Poodlepal]

If the article was "A Day in the Life of Patrick Chan" and it was written in a neutral tone, focusing positively on his training and family life, people would take it neutrally. Instead, it seemed to be written to make people feel sorry for him, and in this economy, a lot of people don't have much sympathy for famous professional athletes who "only" have one famous sponsor and have fundraisers for "only" 140 dollars a head, and supposedly can't afford the $150 for a television even after winning all that prize money. Beverley Smith made him sound like a major whiner. Whether he is or isn't, IDK, but that article didn't help him at all.

Mean Spirited and Ugly

 

[Violet Bliss]

If the article was "A Day in the Life of Patrick Chan" and it was written in a neutral tone, focusing positively on his training and family life, people would take it neutrally. Instead, it seemed to be written to make people feel sorry for him, and in this economy, a lot of people don't have much sympathy for famous professional athletes who "only" have one famous sponsor and have fundraisers for "only" 140 dollars a head, and supposedly can't afford the $150 for a television even after winning all that prize money. Beverley Smith made him sound like a major whiner. Whether he is or isn't, IDK, but that article didn't help him at all.

You read what you read from the article,

Mean Spirited and Ugly

and others read what they read from your posts.

 

[Poodlepal]

Actually, now that I think about it, what happened to the original Chan family home? Did young Patrick always sleep in the den?

Anyway, to show that I am nice-spirited and beautiful, I have rewritten the article. I made up the part about selling the house, but I'm assuming that's what they did.

The Making of A Champion by Poodlepal

Patrick Chan is the hardest working skater! But he couldn't do it without a lot of support. Besides Lori Nichol and other famous coaches, his #1 supporters are, of course, his parents.

The Chans are very devoted. They raised their son to be multicultural and taught him three languages. When the bills mounted for Patrick's training, they sold their home in Canada and bought two smaller condominiums, one in Toronto and one in Colorado. "There's nothing they won't do for their son, and their Chinese friends are also supportive, said one of Patrick's friends. "They had such a wonderful Chinese banquet. The food was delicious, and everyone had fun. A lot of money was raised. Everyone is grateful for their support."

Besides the funds raised at Chinese banquets, Patrick also has a corporate sponsor in McDonald's and receives money from Skate Canada and other benefactors. The Chans hope to get more sponsors in the future, but recognize it isn't easy in this economy.

But even if he never gets rich, Canada is proud of their champion and his family.

See? Same facts, different spin.

 

[skatinginbc]

My problem with the article is that it mainly talked about money. If it weren't about money, what was "the truth behind Patrick Chan's China crisis" that the author intended to conclude?
His lack of professionalism? “He does have a bit of a lack of filter", "his mouth gets a little bit ahead of his thoughts"
His weakness in English? "With English, I sometimes add more drama to it.”
What else did the author say about "the truth behind Chan's China crisis"?
Not very good article, in my opinion. I actually thought the overwhelming psychological support from the Chinese fans was one of the main reasons behind Chan's China comment. The author never elaborated on that.

 

[chuckm]

Very true. Here in San Diego, a friend of mine purchased a condo in an upscale neighborhood for $300,000. Several miles east (away from the ocean), $300,00 will buy you a four-bedroom home.

In NJ, a one-bedroom condo in a moderate neighborhood would cost about $350,000 and the real estate taxes would be about $5000 a year. A larger one-bedroom condo in an upscale community could easily top $700,000 and would have taxes over $7500 a year.

 

[skatinginbc]

A cheap 492 sqft studio in downtown Vancouver costs $298,000, a cheap 902 sqft costs $528,800, and an 899 sqft 1 bedroom condo in a better building costs $848,000. In this part of the world, condo-dwellers are not necessarily poor.

 

[skateluvr]

Actually, now that I think about it, what happened to the original Chan family home? Did young Patrick always sleep in the den?

Anyway, to show that I am nice-spirited and beautiful, I have rewritten the article. I made up the part about selling the house, but I'm assuming that's what they did.

The Making of A Champion by Poodlepal

Patrick Chan is the hardest working skater! But he couldn't do it without a lot of support. Besides Lori Nichol and other famous coaches, his #1 supporters are, of course, his parents.

The Chans are very devoted. They raised their son to be multicultural and taught him three languages. When the bills mounted for Patrick's training, they sold their home in Canada and bought two smaller condominiums, one in Toronto and one in Colorado. "There's nothing they won't do for their son, and their Chinese friends are also supportive, said one of Patrick's friends. "They had such a wonderful Chinese banquet. The food was delicious, and everyone had fun. A lot of money was raised. Everyone is grateful for their support."

Besides the funds raised at Chinese banquets, Patrick also has a corporate sponsor in McDonald's and receives money from Skate Canada and other benefactors. The Chans hope to get more sponsors in the future, but recognize it isn't easy in this economy.

But even if he never gets rich, Canada is proud of their champion and his family.

See? Same facts, different spin.

Some people are obviously very young, ubers, well off and do not have perspective. Whenever one says anything about Yuna not being the. best. ever. forever. perfect. one gets slammed I noticed. Same with Patrick. I suspect the community throwing the banquets are here to support Pat in every way. Ubers/fanatical people lack perspective. They see hatred, instead of real justified criticism. Just wanted to point out it is the same few posters who never feel Chan is overscored, defend every dumb remark he has made, and likely see him as the best.ever.now.future.the end. With youth, there is little perspective.

I love his skating when not falling. I definitely felt Dai won the LP like so many did. PAT IS ONE BLESSED LUCKY GUY. Maybe many people (many Asians) have parents like this, but most people don't have Patrick's huge advantages. He endears himself to no one with these self-centered, ignorant comments even suggesting racism (implied). Now they have to write articles for damage control as so many Canadians (not his uber ubers) are offended and annoyed. Way to go Patrick. I have never met him, so I can't say what he is like, but referring to the sports biggest star currently still skating (Evgeni) as an "old man" in Vancover with that look makes him seem a twit. He fell all over while old Plush won silver. Arrogance much?

Patrick has great skating skills, he was great at last years WC. Some were disappointed by his skates this year. While maybe 1 or 2 are Dai ubers, most just want to see the WC skate like a WC and earn the titles. Please, no discussion of big PCS scores or the IJS. We all get it.

Patrick would not need all these people doing DC if he were more humble and thought about others' feelings. May he skate up to his potential at nationals and Worlds. Amen.



I suspect those who see any criticism, or just a funny bit of sarcasm, have no idea what tragedy/adversity is.

And most elite skaters have been through so much. I am a little amazed at a mature moderator starting a thread for the non-haterz. Please people, you are showing your elitism on this board. I am beginning to think I am too poor to be here based on all the years of travelling and folks who can afford to follow skater xyz around the world.

I can't get a sponsor for a motorized wheelchair. I can't afford to buy skating channels so must watch after on youtube. I am the 99%.

This discussion sounds like the 2% defending the tragic choices of a very happy, healthy skating family of 3.

I want to point out that Patrick has said so many dumb things, he leaves us admiring his skating, but not him.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

As someone who pm'ed doris about starting a Patrick thread, let me be clear. Part of the reason I wanted it done was because there were several threads in which Patrick Chan was the topic of discussion. Yu-Na Kim has one thread that is constantly updated with news and thoughts, and I thought that would be fine for Chan. While I did say I wanted a Patrick "fan" thread, my goal was more to have one space instead of five.

And if we're really talking about champagne problems, may I suggest that complaining about figure skating scores on the internet with strangers somehow suggests that one's current situation is neither tragic nor full of adversity.

 

[Spun Silver]

As someone who pm'ed doris about starting a Patrick thread, let me be clear. Part of the reason I wanted it done was because there were several threads in which Patrick Chan was the topic of discussion. Yu-Na Kim has one thread that is constantly updated with news and thoughts, and I thought that would be fine for Chan. While I did say I wanted a Patrick "fan" thread, my goal was more to have one space instead of five.

And if we're really talking about champagne problems, may I suggest that complaining about figure skating scores on the internet with strangers somehow suggests that one's current situation is neither tragic nor full of adversity.

Really? I don't see any reason to assume that posters on a skating board are immune from tragedy or great adversity. And why would you say that right after another poster mentioned needing a motorized wheelchair? This kind of forum can provide distraction and relief from any number of problems, great and small. Never assume you know all about a person by their posts on a skating board!

I too was puzzled by the creation of a criticism-free zone for Patrick. I'll never forget the constant rain of insults on Sasha Cohen a few years ago, who I'm pretty sure never received a criticism-free zone. Why is Patrick being thus privileged? And why the implication that criticism equals hate? I strongly disagree! Patrick happens to be a quite controversial skater for several reasons which I don't need to recite again. Of course there will be criticism, sometimes excessive ... but that happens to a lot of skaters... as Evan Lysacek could tell you... and, I would think, could be dealt with on a post-by-post basis. JMO, obviously, as I'm not a mod.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Lewis Chan is a lawyer. If he didn't spend his income on Patrick, he would probably exchange it all into cash, dump it into an Olympic sized swimming pool, jump in, throw some paper in the air and shout, "money! money!"

How much money do you think a lawyer makes?

Depending on what type of law they are practicing, also depending on whether they are a good lawyer or not. A lawyer could make as little as $40,000 - $50,000 a year, or as much as millions.

But it's not doing this "Chan family has rich people problems" article any favors.

Patrick's family is far from being called rich. The article told what it is without suger-coating, merely to set the fact straight. Whether it is helping or not, it is the truth. Unlike many have been mistaken what a world champion's life should be.

I'm surprised that so many have taken the article into the negative light, and also added many negative words from their imagination into the article, such as "poor", "whining"... That was not the article's meaning, especially it was not the Chans' meaning.

The article in this thread tells the Chan family situation in nurturing and supporting a young world champion, which is very different from what the public assumes. Why do the anti-Chan members have to turn it into the family crying poor and do all kinds of comparisons to show that the Chans are whining and undeserving of any understanding?

Exactly!

The Chan family's effort and devotion are admirable. It's sad that it has again turned into a bashing ground.

 

[skatinginbc]

I'm surprised that so many have taken the article into the negative light, and also added many negative words from their imagination into the article, such as "poor", "whining"... That was not the article's meaning, especially it was not the Chans' meaning.

Blame the author. Don't blame us, Bluebonnet. Since the title of the article is "the truth behind Patrick Chan's China crisis" and what was given was basically a laundry list of assets and liabilities, the readers of course would do their little accounting in their head, roughly estimate the equity and see if it could justify Chan's "unpatriotic" remarks. As Poodlepal stated, had the title been "A Day in the Life of Patrick Chan", people would have read it from a different perspective.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

Really? I don't see any reason to assume that posters on a skating board are immune from tragedy or great adversity. And why would you say that right after another poster mentioned needing a motorized wheelchair? This kind of forum can provide distraction and relief from any number of problems, great and small. Never assume you know all about a person by their posts on a skating board!

I doubt anyone here is starving in Africa, though.

 

[Spun Silver]

Probably not. But there are likely quite a few who are as familiar with adversity or tragedy as Patrick and his family, possibly more, which is more to the point, n'est-ce pas?

 

[clairecloutier]

You see, when you make an article listing -

* all the stuff you buy
* admitting it's a lot of stuff and probably unnecessary but you don't want to "leave any snowflake unturned" and “it's a lot of expense, but that's what it takes to be a thoroughbred.”
* with a lawyer's income
* with a McDonald's sponsorship
* with an anonymous sponsor, an individual who gives “not a ton of money, but it's definitely not insignificant.”
* Patrick Chan's $$$ from prizes and shows
* only one parent works, but it's okay, just how it is, ya know, skating moms
* then saying you can afford to buy all that stuff but wouldn't it be nice if the government footed the bill so that
* the Chan family could buy a better house
* and then buy a second better house
* in the olden days, skaters could have mansions too, now they have to live in normal people houses
* in the olden days, Patrick would drive a Ferrari. Now he has to drive a Honda Civic like the rest of the peasants.
* and he has no TV!

- that's a rich people problem article.

Agreed.

The article does bring up an interesting point, however: How difficult is it for North American figure skaters to stay motivated when winning a World Championship leads only to sleeping on your parents' couch? Is this part of the reason why Japanese and Russian skaters now seem to have the momentum, at least in singles?

It's interesting to consider as well that the flourishing group of ice dancers in Detroit/Ann Arbor/Canton are training in an area with probably much lower living expenses than skaters face in, say, Toronto, Boston, New York, or California. Is this a factor in their success?

 

[Mathman]

I don't see anything wrong with having a "Go Patrick safe house" on the board. There are several other threads (this one, for instance) where criticism is welcome -- or a critic could start his own thread. If enthusiastic gushes merely annoy you, just pass that thread by.

 

[Spun Silver]

^ Or turn it into an MK thread. : )

Maybe there should be a safe house for those who want to discuss Chan in a more balanced way without having his ubers accuse them of bloody murder?

I detest the whole idea of "safety" for posters. No one on GS is in any danger whatsoever from any other poster. That's ridiculously overheated language.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

Probably not. But there are likely quite a few who are as familiar with adversity or tragedy as Patrick and his family, possibly more, which is more to the point, n'est-ce pas?

Maybe, but if we're criticizing Patrick for complaining about his problems in the press, it makes equal sense to point out that complaining about not being able to afford the channels that air figure skating is not in fact a sign of tragedy.

^ Or turn it into an MK thread. : )

Maybe there should be a safe house for those who want to discuss Chan in a more balanced way without having his ubers accuse them of bloody murder?

I detest the whole idea of "safety" for posters. No one on GS is in any danger whatsoever from any other poster. That's ridiculously overheated language.

That stated, as you've mentioned that ubers need to recognize the difference between hate and criticism, I'd mention that not all negative comments can be justified as criticism and that there is a lot of mean-spirited mocking which doesn't qualify.

 

[Spun Silver]

ITA that not being able to pay for skating channels is less than tragic. You seem to be dodging the motorized wheelchair, however. That could come from any number of causes about which I won't speculate ... and to make an uninformed judgment that a poster's situation does not reflect adversity (the other term you used) is pretty mean-spirited in itself IMO, to adopt another term you use.

Do you think Patrick is the only skater who needs protection from mean-spirited mocking? Why would Mirai not get a safe house? She's had some pretty nasty posts directed her way this season. (Rhetorical question! I don't like the whole safe house concept.)

And who decides what's funny and what's mean-spirited mocking, versus a take on someone/something that makes you personally uncomfortable? Do you think the general rules of the forum are inadequate? ETA: How about the "report evil posts" function?

Personally, I find a fair amount of mean-spiritedness on this forum - but infinitely less than in that other forum that cannot be named, and Patrick is only one of many targets. It comes with anonymity and probably quite a few of us are guilty of it from time to time. In general though, I think free speech is vital to the quest for truth. I won't say JMO on that one.

 

[demarinis5]

I know I said I was thru with this thread but I understand your point of view Spun Silver, you make some good points. How about Evan, if anyone needed a safe thread it was him.

I thought it was a good idea so that Patrick's fans could uber about him in peace.