The truth behind Patrick Chan's China crisis

[skatinginbc]

You don't need to read posts like "gosh, I hate Chan" to feel that that poster's a hater. Some posters are very obvious. And you asked where are haterz threads? Haven't you read many Chan threads with tones of negatives, and some even tried to find article quotes and created threads about it? I even saw one which I think the Mod had deleted.

But those posts were not immune from contention. Should Doris create a "haterz" thread to protect them from the attack by other posters?

 

[Spun Silver]

The parents have to sacrifice one way or the other: financially or emotionally. Which way is better is in the beholders' eyes.

Gee, that's a tough call. Move to a smaller condo or give up your young child to the state, so that you only get to see them once a year.

Moral relativism - ya gotta love it. NOT.

ETA: Just noticed Doris changed the tone of the Chanfan thread. A huge improvement. Thanks! :thumbsup:

 

[jettasian]

But those posts were not immune from contention. Should Doris create a "haterz" thread to protect them from the attack by other posters?

I guess you can create a haterz thread if you feel like you have been attacked. Whether you are or not, nobody can accuse you, only you know.

 

[Boeing787]

Gee, that's a tough call. Move to a smaller condo or give up your young child to the state, so that you only get to see them once a year.

Moral relativism - ya gotta love it. NOT.

I forgot to clarify this - the parents do see their kids more than once a year. The coaches generally select the local kids to train so the kid are with their parents when they are young. They only move to another city (e.g. Beijing) when they reach the high level where the parents visit them often. Some moms even move with their kids - it's no different from the skating moms here.

 

[jettasian]

ETA: Just noticed Doris changed the tone of the Chanfan thread. A huge improvement. Thanks! :thumbsup:

I guess "non" haterz felt so offended that they were labelled as haterz. Whether they are haterz or not, only they know. I wonder why they were offended though if they didn't think they were.

 

[Dragonlady]

But why aren't the sponsors knocking down his door? They did in the 1980s for Browning (before the "golden age" of the 90s). They did for Buttle, IIRC, so why not Chan. Could it be because the economy is so poor? Or is it because his management hasn't secured the right endorsements. Why does it have to be the government? Where is Diet Coke (Browning's main sponsor)?

Where did they kick down Buttle's door? Most Canadians had never heard of Buttle after he had won Worlds. Other than Visa, I can't think of any major sponsorship contracts that Jeff had. Jeff had SOI, yes, but that's it. Jeff never had the high public profile that Elvis or Kurt had and didn't receive major sponsorship money like they did either.

Why is Patrick commenting on government assistance? Because Kurt, Elvis, Sandhu and possibly Jeff all received far more in funding from Skate Canada than Patrick has ever received. I remember being told that Nicole Watt was receiving $30K per year from Skate Canada. Today, the skaters get nothing from Skate Canada. There were bursaries given out by the Own The Podium program but that was a one-time payment of $10,000. The only money Canadian team members get is $800 per month from Sport Canada. I recall one skater saying that they had received $500 from Skate Canada after a top 6 finish at Worlds. The skater found the amount laughable.

 

[Bluebonnet]

No, but Patrick is partially responsible for the whole "my parents sacrificed so much, I wish I were in China so their government would pick up the tab."

leading to

his PR team doing damage control and writing articles saying simultaneously
"Patrick is rather dim and doesn't know what he's saying"
and
"See, his life is soooo hard. See how much he and his parents suffer?"

No, it's not. And no, they don't. But nice try, Chan PR team.

What do you want them to do or say about Patrick before you could satisfy with it?! Sheesh!!!:sheesh:

This is the first quote I've copied in the link of this article in the very first post of this thread:

“He does have a bit of a lack of filter,” said William Thompson, chief executive officer for Skate Canada. “We all know that. That is part of his charm, but sometimes his mouth gets a little bit ahead of his thoughts.”

Isn't that true and enough already?!

 

[Dragonlady]

Perhaps if Patrick was a bit more circumspect in his statements to the media, he'd get more support and more sponsors. It seems that he manages to insert his foot firmly in his mouth at least once or twice every season. While ardent fans consider this 'refreshing', not everyone does---Patrick alienates some fans and potential sponsors with his careless remarks.

The latest China uproar and the complaints about lack of $$ support don't do much for Chan's public image, especially at a time when many people are out of work and/or are having their homes foreclosed.

That may be true in the US but NOT in Canada. Canadians have not had the levels of unemployment seen in the US, and the housing market in Canada is very healthy. There was no "real estate bubble" to burst here and there is no epidemic of foreclosures. Yes, there has been some economic hardship (our family was definitely hit hard there), but not to the levels or to the extent seen in the US.

If Jeff Buttle had been a media darling after he won Worlds, with sponsors lining up at the door for him, I would agree with you that Patrick's remarks may have turned off sponsors and that's why he had few contracts, but this wasn't the case. Or if Virtue and Moir were doing national campaigns for someone, ANYONE, I would again agree with you. The plain fact is that these skaters do one or two performances for the CBC each year, usually on a program headed up by Kurt Browning, and have few sponsorships or opportunities thereafter. Patrick just graduated from high school this spring so he couldn't even do the CSOI tour this past spring (or in previous years) because he took so much time off school during the competition season.

The one positive thing that Patrick's remarks have done is to get figure skating into the sports sections of Canadian newspapers again. At least people are noticing the guy.

 

[Boeing787]

Bravo, Dragonlady! Looks like only you can silence those Chan-critics in this matter.

By the way, why does SC stop funding skators? Because of the economy?

 

[Dragonlady]

When the big money TV contracts dried up, so did the funding but I don't know the exact date when they stopped giving skaters the big bucks. I remembered being astonished at how much Nicole Watt was receiving after she won the silver medal at Canadians in 2001. Nicole wouldn't have qualified for money from the Canadian government though because those $$$$ only go to athletes with world rankings and Nicole hadn't competed internationally at that point. Athletes from other sports who receive little, if anything, from their federations have complained that the amount they receive barely covers their rent, much less other training expenses.

 

[Boeing787]

Oh, poor Canadian skaters! If the situation doesn't improve, don't be surprised Patrick and V/M will be the last Canadian world champions.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Oh, poor Canadian skaters! If the situation doesn't improve, don't be surprised Patrick and V/M will be the last Canadian world champions.

Everything is relative. Notwithstanding some posters' effort to turn the Chans into a rich whinning family, the fact is Canadian skaters and many other athletes are not spoiled privileged brats at the public trough. They are desciplined young people dedicated to their sports despite the hard work and sacrifices required to excel.

Patrick is very blessed in many ways and he knows it, thus the guilty feelings towards his biggest supporters. However bad the situation in Canada is compared to the past, Canadian skaters are still better off than many small nations where figure skating is even less known or popular. This is a nation with a long proud history of figure skating, with community skating rinks everywhere and it is economically better off than most in the world, though the size of the economy is relatively small. As the saying goes, it is easy to make a living but very hard to be rich in Canada. It is still relatively easy for Canadian kids to pursue figure skating and excel in it but it is very unlikely to get rich off it. I believe Canada will always produce world champions.

 

[skateluvr]

No, but Patrick is partially responsible for the whole "my parents sacrificed so much, I wish I were in China so their government would pick up the tab."

leading to

his PR team doing damage control and writing articles saying simultaneously

I
"See, his life is soooo hard. See how much he and his parents suffer?"

No, it's not. And no, they don't. But nice try, Chan PR team.

I think damage control IS being done here and at fsu,

AS for me, I have nothing else to say about Patrick until he skates again. I hope he skate, keeps his mouth shut and thrills us with his very good, very expensive he tells us, skating "package."

And I hope he earns the scores. Personally, I think China gate has lost him corporate sponsors in Canada. I'm thankful for the great skaters from Canada of the past. Maybe Patrick can emulate them more and their attitude of gratitude. See; Canada's best thread.

 

[Boeing787]

Everything is relative. Notwithstanding some posters' effort to turn the Chans into a rich whinning family, the fact is Canadian skaters and many other athletes are not spoiled privileged brats at the public trough. They are desciplined young people dedicated to their sports despite the hard work and sacrifices required to excel.

Patrick is very blessed in many ways and he knows it, thus the guilty feelings towards his biggest supporters. However bad the situation in Canada is compared to the past, Canadian skaters are still better off than many small nations where figure skating is even less known or popular. This is a nation with a long proud history of figure skating, with community skating rinks everywhere and it is economically better off than most in the world, though the size of the economy is relatively small. As the saying goes, it is easy to make a living but very hard to be rich in Canada. It is still relatively easy for Canadian kids to pursue figure skating and excel in it but it is very unlikely to get rich off it. I believe Canada will always produce world champions.

Large figure skating population doesn't mean the generation of a world champion. If the parents cannot afford the training expenses after their kids reach the elite level (or even before that), these talents are bound to be wasted. Do you see any potential figure skating world champions in Canada? I don't see any.

 

[dorispulaski]

Definitely Weaver & Poje after V&M and D&W retire!

And Beharry & Bobak in pairs, perhaps!

 

[katia]

Do you see any potential figure skating world champions in Canada? I don't see any.
I have seen a lot of women skaters in novice (and some in juniors). There are many dance pairs in juniors training in BC. They all have potential and some are very talented.
I have noticed that because before I did not pay much attention to young (novice/junior) skaters.

 

[Dragonlady]

Do you see any potential figure skating world champions in Canada? I don't see any.

You need to look harder. Check out the novices and pre-novices and the Juniors. A Canadian Pairs team just won the silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final. Andrei Rogozine just won Jr. Worlds. There are a lot of talented kids skating in Canada.

I think that if fans saw the way many of their world class athletes live to support their training, they’d be shocked. I remember seeing Marie-France Dubreuill and Patrice Lauzon one summer leaving Thornhill to go home in an old Honda Civic that looked like it might not make it back to Quebec it was so decrepit. At the time they were silver medalists in Canada and top 10 at Worlds. I know of coaches who help their National Team member skaters get guest appearances at club skating shows around their Section to assist in their training. Every $500 helps.

 

[Boeing787]

You need to look harder. Check out the novices and pre-novices and the Juniors. A Canadian Pairs team just won the silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final. Andrei Rogozine just won Jr. Worlds. There are a lot of talented kids skating in Canada.

I think that if fans saw the way many of their world class athletes live to support their training, they’d be shocked. I remember seeing Marie-France Dubreuill and Patrice Lauzon one summer leaving Thornhill to go home in an old Honda Civic that looked like it might not make it back to Quebec it was so decrepit. At the time they were silver medalists in Canada and top 10 at Worlds. I know of coaches who help their National Team member skaters get guest appearances at club skating shows around their Section to assist in their training. Every $500 helps.

I don't think Andrei Rogozine will become a world champion. Nam Nguyen is too young to tell, who knows, he might quit skating seeing what happens to Patrick Chan. Didn't pay much attention to the pairs though.

 

[chuckm]

The biggest hurdle for Nam Nguyen is having Joanne McLeod as a coach.

 

[jettasian]

I think damage control IS being done here and at fsu,

AS for me, I have nothing else to say about Patrick until he skates again. I hope he skate, keeps his mouth shut and thrills us with his very good, very expensive he tells us, skating "package."

And I hope he earns the scores. Personally, I think China gate has lost him corporate sponsors in Canada. I'm thankful for the great skaters from Canada of the past. Maybe Patrick can emulate them more and their attitude of gratitude. See; Canada's best thread.

Chan doesn't need to shut his mouth. He can say whatever he wants. Just because some people disagree or turn off by what he said that doesn't mean what he said was untrue. I like his directness and says what's in his mind, intead of telling what the public likes to hear. That is just fake.

And I don't even know where you get this "China gate has lost him corporate sponsors" thing coming from.