Thoughts on Vancouver's Figure Skating?

[treshot]

My favorite Olympics so far, hands down. I grew up admiring Michelle Kwan and Alexei Yagudin and never thought that Korea would have someone who would be mentioned in the same sentence with those great champions. Yuna - I am so proud of her and happy for her.

Yet there were so many more "Moments" in this Olympics, and unlike Yuna's gold, this was somewhat unexpected for me. Shen and Zhao finally realizing their dream. Pang and Tong delivering that wonderful FS. Virtue and Moir delivering the kind of performance that made me truly appreciate ice dancing for the first time. Johnny communicating with the crowd in a way that only he can do. Plushy coming back and delivering those magnificent jumps. Watching Stephane's spins and realizing that it's likely that I'll never see better spins from men as long as I live. Daisuke coming back from that horrendous ACL injury. Evan skating perfectly when he needed every single bit of perfection. And it was capped off by final group of ladies, as every one of them delivered. Rachael was the rock that we've come to count her to be. Mirai delivering that lovely and sparkling Carmen and giving us a glimpse of bright future. Miki giving her all after that heartbreak in Torino. Mao making history with three 3As after struggling with them all season. Joannie skating with exceptional courage and heart in the midst of such tragedy. And, of course, Yuna.

I just recounted so many great Moments as they came to my mind, and yet I am sure I missed some. Truly amazing. So many great things happened in such short period of time that it feels like it's almost too good to be true, yet they happened.

Every one of them was under immense amount of pressure and gave us something special to remember despite all of that. I've come to cherish and appreciate skaters who were never my favorite (Evan and Miki) for all they've done, rather than what they haven't done, and renewed my love for the sports. From now on, I think I'll try to remember Vancouver whenever I feel disappointed in figure skating. And I thank every skater who competed in this stage for that.

 

[jennylovskt]

Pairs, ice dance, and ladies went exactly what my best wishes would be. I am so happy for S/Z, P/T, V/M, D/W, Yu Na Kim, and have the most admiration and respect for Rochett. This Olympics was such an emotional journey for me too. I rarely cry for someone I have never seen. This time, I have shedded a lot of tears for men's event and for Joannie Rochett. The men was a disastrous let down.:disapp:

 

[SweetPea21307]

These were the best Olympics I have ever seen. The quality of skating blew me away! Met and exceeded all my expectations. I don't know if we will ever be blessed to witness such magic in a competition as we have these past two weeks.

My favorites include Shen/Zhao's happy ending, Evan and Johnny having the skates of their lives and delivering when it counted, Virtue/Moir and Davis/White pushing ice dance to a new level and their beautiful performances, Belbin/Agosto's and Johnny's handling of defeat graciously, Mirai and Rachel letting the world now they've arrived and are ready to take over, Yuna's four minutes of perfection and Joannie's unimaginable courage.

Also, one of my favorite moments was seeing Frank Carroll and Brian Orser finally getting their magical Olympic moments that had eluded them for so long--I bet it was worth the wait!! Bravo to everyone!!

 

[BlackAxel]

Overall, I was very pleased with the Olympics. I was ecstatic that Shen/Zhou won the gold for they were the most deserving pairs team to win. I am also happy at the podium choices for Dance. For some reason I knew tht V/M would edge out D/W for the gold and what better place for them to do it but in their home country, Canada! To be honest, the Men's competition was a little bit of a surprise. Actually a part of my nightmare podium came true with Evan winning, but now when I look back he was the most clean and was CLEARLY the better man THAT NIGHT.....Also, there was no big surprise of the podium for Ladies, all I am happy for is that is was a generally clean skate form the final group and Yu-na performed a relatively OGM lp.

Best Moments of Vancouver:

Takahiko Kozuka's sp and lp ---- (he is definitely someone to watch out for in the future)
Mao's unprecedented three 3A ----- (Mao was clearly disappointed with the silver, but she has nothing to be ashamed of.....she will get her gold in Sochi)
Pang/Tong sp and lp ------ (I thought their sp was underscored, but they came out and skated with such passion in their lp, definitely one of my fav skates in Vancouver)
Mirai's sp and lp ----- (clearly something is right between the match-up of her and Caroll; this is also a skater that we need to look out for in the future) :agree:
And last but not least, Joannie Rochette who is possibly the strongest skater out there. For her to skate with no inhibition after all the surmounting pressure and her mother's death, is a sign of pure strength.

 

[jennylovskt]

...Evan and Johnny having the skates of their lives and delivering when it counted, ...

I think Evan's skate of his life was his Carmen LP in 2006 Olympics. This time, it was hardly his best skate. He skated reserved and cautious, not much passion, no big mistakes - to be honest.

Johnny's skate of his life was his Otonal LP at 2005 Nationals. This time, he has satisfied people's low expectations and skated relatively strong and relatively clean. JMO.

 

[merrywidow]

I go back to the days of Peggy Fleming & John Curry winning Olympic gold & I have to say the 2010 games were up there high on my list as the best in figure skating. I loved all the results & found the judging very fair. How great that 4 different countries won gold medals?

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

All right, since I opened the discussion, I’ll write my list of great moments/people/programs etc

Joannie Rochette: For her grace and passion, for her strength and courage. I spontaneously teared up the day after her short program several times just thinking about it (crying on the bus for no apparent reason doesn’t make people want to sit beside you). But she put so much of herself into her skate. And my heart melted when she smiled after her long program. Love the “Samson and Delilah” long program and I’m glad she skated it well.

Quad vs Quality: What a ridiculous debate this became. Fans of complete skating were forced to root for Lysacek (egads) over Plushenko (egads) not because Lysacek exemplifies what we want to see (outside of competitive readiness and work ethic), but because he actually makes an attempt to improve all areas and has had some success. Seeing great skaters like Jeremy Abbott and Tomas Verner flame out was devastating (Verner will go down as the biggest, most talented headcase ever, I think), and seeing flawed performances from my favourites (Lambiel, Takahashi, Chan) just made this debate all the worse. The instant demonization of Plushenko was irritating (though I disagree with people who argue it’s a return of cold war rhetoric – I think that’s too reductive and is particularly dismissive of the reasonably complicated relationships between nations, like Canada and the USA), but the retaliatory knee-jerk lionization bugged me just as much. That said, COP reminds us that it’s not one element. Its things like quality. There’s no denying that Lysacek laid it down when it counted, and for that he has my respect.

Pang/Tong: Oh goodness, this was unexpected. The pairs night was filled with great programs (The Way We Were, Out of Africa, Grand Canyon Suite) skated poorly, so when Pang and Tong came out there and nailed element after element, I was elated. Amazing program, skated to the best of their abilities. The Olympics crystallize things so perfectly, and seeing P/T, who’d been ignored in Torino, who’s World Champion title isn’t held up, who’ve improved their skating skills (no URs!!!) and performance/emotional connection and just delivering when it mattered… thrilling. I cheered

Ladwig/Evora: I hate John Baldwin. I don’t care for the team of Inoue/Baldwin, and his comments and poor attitude really pissed me off. So I was inclined to root for this team based solely on that. But those beautiful lifts made me a fan regardless, and that breathtaking smile from Evora… Goodness me, I think I have a little crush. A top ten at their first major international competition? Hell yes, I’ll take that.

Akiko Suzuki: If they could bottle and sell the joy she shares on the ice, there would be no more depression. And appealing performances from Flatt, Lepisto, Korpi, with some nice short programs from Gedevanishivili made it one of the best ladies nights I’ve seen.

The conclusion of many narratives: The pairs narrative gets a kick in the with the return of Shen/Zhao. Ice dancing is North American and European now, and it’ll be that way for a while. I look forward to the inclusion of Asian ice dancers in the medal ranks in the future. Four golds to four countries (Canada, USA, South Korea, China). The one narrative that collapsed was Joubert – medaling at every worlds preceding the Olympics, than a disappointing result. And the future narratives? That of Nagasu and Brezina, Amodio and D. Ten, Samuelson/Bates and Crone/Poirier, of Dube/Davison and Bobroba/Soloviev, of those that didn’t make the Olympics (Murakami, Gao, Rippon)…. Well – I can’t wait for those to get underway either (and let’s not neglect that some more skaters will very likely be around in 2014, like Chan, Asada etc)

Davis/White: Their original dance remains the OD of the season – perfectly constructed, wonderfully executed. And while I won’t ever love their FD the way I love their OD, it was so thrilling to watch. Dazzling, challenging execution. A great performance.

Mao Asada: History made. New heights to scale, new worlds to conquer, and I cannot wait.

Shen/Zhao: Anything more to be said? Nope. Ending the Russian domination was good enough. Giving us the climax of Yao Bin’s story? A beautiful moment. Xue Shen’s absolutey joy at discovering that she and her husband are the Olympic Gold Medalists? A fist pumping moment for me.

Belbin/Agosto, Domnina/Shabalin, Delobel/Schoenfelder: I wish they were at their best. They weren’t, but I admire DelSchoes for coming and changing the ending to their story, even though they didn’t get the ending they deserved. I appreciate B/A’s class in recognizing the achievements they’ve made over the past five years, even if I hate the conclusion. Four world championship medals and an Olympic silver medal is nothing to sneeze at, and great teams have done worse (Drobiazko/Vanagas, Dubreuil/Lauzon are just two that come to mind). And DomShabs…. Whatever we want to say, let’s recognize the greatness this team once had, and the struggles they’ve been through. Ignore the weird programs and whatever you feel about Linichuk.

Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, and Yu Na Kim (WARNING: I enter gush mode here): These guys won world juniors in 2006. They made the leap to seniors the same year and their rises have been damn near legendary. How many ladies medal their first senior year? How many programs are as deeply memorable as “El Tango de Roxanne” or “Lark Ascending?” How many ice dance teams come sixth in their first senior season? With expression and lightness as beautifully displayed in “Valse Triste” and “Assassination Waltz.” It was clear that the next four years would be theirs for the taking, with rivalries and growth.

And oh, what growth. Watching Kim from crappy you-tube videos, it was clear she was something special. Watching her on TV simply magnifies that. I can’t imagine the power you get live. “Dance Macabre” and “Bond” will likely be the greatest one-two short program punch COP will ever see, and her domination this season climaxed beautifully despite early chinks in the armor. As amazing an Olympic Champion as the sport will see. She laid it down when it counted.

Ever since I saw a mediocre cellphone cam recording of Mahler Symphony No 5 on youtube, I knew Virtue and Moir were gonna deliver something special. I felt it in my bones. I had an entire fantasy constructed around it (seriously: it involved a tie between V/M and D/W after the OD and V/M skating last and making everyone cry. I even have point totals somewhere in this rat-trap I call a brain). I’m a fanbot when it comes to these two, unfortunately. Whenever I see criticism, I have to remember not to get angry). So to see it fulfilled was glorious.

Virtue and Moir are the reason I adore COP. They’re the reason I started learning about figure skating again. I watched them on youtube, and their youth and beauty, their artistry and athleticism appealed to me in ways that make language seem trite. If you asked me to list my favourite COP FDs, at least three of theirs would be on the list. I was worried with the OD, honestly. I didn’t think the flamenco suited them, and I didn’t quite buy it, especially not in comparison to Anissina/Peizarat’s legendary interpretation. I was wrong. Scott Moir was so in character that it blew my mind away. The control of the blade was staggering. When he let out that full throttled yell at the end, I was agog with delight and exhilaration. So full bodied and electrifying. It was then I knew they’d win the gold, not because of politicking or hometown bonuses, but because they were in the zone and they were delivering. And Mahler? There’s a reason people are mentioning Torvil and Dean. Regardless of whether or not they’ve earned that, those four minutes remain in my mind as the pinnacle of what this sport can and will achieve. I’ve been giddy ever since they won (also, I love Scott for joking with Tessa that they got silver. NBC footage gave me that, so I don’t entirely hate NBC) and that alone makes this Olympics one of my favourites.

 

[Jaana]

Awesome Olympics for a skating fan... Personally I loved that in every discipline my biggest favourite won the gold medal: Shen/Zhao, Lysacek, Virtue/Moir and Kim. This has happened never before!

 

[Ravyn Rant]

Hey there! Haven't posted in a while, but you bet I was checking in constantly over the last couple of weeks. I was very happy with the skating, mostly happy with the judging, and not happy AT ALL with NBC's broadcasts. I finally gave up trying to watch the first broadcast and have been catching the broadcasts On Demand, where it's commercial-free and I don't have to stay up till midnight.

Such an emotional games, even for the viewers. The only event that didn't move me to tears was the men's event, which is usually my favorite. No arguments with the podium, and after watching Lambiel's free skate again I can't even jump on the "Johnnywuzrobbed!" bandwagon. I was so proud of him for skating two clean programs, though! I wish Takahashi had landed that quad...and while I'm happy enough for Evan, I'm tickled pink for Frank. It's about time, sir...I still think you wuzrobbed in '98!

The ladies' event was emotional for obvious reasons...Joannie showed such amazing strength. I'm just blown away that she was able to skate at all, much less skate so well.

Pairs was an embarrassment of riches - on the one hand, I was ecstatic that S&Z had finally received the right color medal but really frustrated that P&T were underscored in the short program. S&Z made me cry in the short, P&T in the long - can they BOTH get a gold medal, please?

Dance was most emotional for me. No arguments with any placements, but once DelScho took the ice for the free skate and I realized that I'd probably never see them skate again, the Olympics stopped while I took the time to raise a toast and think back on a wonderful career. I'm so glad they came back for one last dance...and I'm starting to think that just playing "The Impossible Dream" in my vicinity is enough to bring on tears. Now for the not so nice. Belgosto was robbed, and so were DomShabs. Not by the judges, but by their coaches. Bad music, bad costuming, lame choreography...watching both teams trying to sell their ODs was painful. They went through a lot to get to the Olympics, and both teams were given steaming piles of dookie with which to represent themselves. If it were me, my representatives would be in Linachuk's office demanding a refund!

Other than that, what a ride! Hope the new bunch stays healthy for Sochi and continues to develop - looks like we have a lot to look forward to!

 

[ae9177]

Watching Evan skate so well and winning Gold was one of the best highlights, period.

Best moment for me too!!! I can't be more proud of him!!! This is my favorite Olympics!!! Thank you Skate God!!!

 

[nastasi1212]

SO here are my thoughts for these olympics:

1) Pairs: Sorry for S/Z fans, I am glad they won their long dued gold medal, but theirs was not a gold medal performance. P/T were beautiful, but not breathtaking. S/S had a lovely program but many mistakes too, so they were rightfully in 3rd place. I think S/Z won fairly BUT this was by far the weakest pair competition in since 1998 at least. I thought there was something missing, in technique and artistry. S/Z have had much much better performances.

2) Men: I am still trying to accept that Evan Lysacek is the olympic champion. Whatever you say, transition stuff, complete package and all, for my part he is an ungraceful low-jumper, with average technique and a completely forgetabble presence on ice. I think his LP was mediocre. I ve watched it twice, but I still don't remember anything except his terrble 3 axels. Evgeni PLushenko deserved to be the winner, and Takahashi had he landed the quad. Lysacek for me 3rd place.

3) ICE Dance: This competition was the ultimum OLympic Experience. Mark my words, Tessa and Scott, will, if they continue competing, BE legends in ICE dance and I can picture them winning a bunch of gold medals from now on. Artistry and technique in the highest levels. I watch their LP twice every day and every time I observe a new move, a new step, something I hadn't noticed before. They are COMPLETELY a league of their own. Their FD was a masterpiece and will go down in history.

4) Women: Didn't watch

 

[treshot]

Quad vs Quality: What a ridiculous debate this became. Fans of complete skating were forced to root for Lysacek (egads) over Plushenko (egads) not because Lysacek exemplifies what we want to see (outside of competitive readiness and work ethic), but because he actually makes an attempt to improve all areas and has had some success. Seeing great skaters like Jeremy Abbott and Tomas Verner flame out was devastating (Verner will go down as the biggest, most talented headcase ever, I think), and seeing flawed performances from my favourites (Lambiel, Takahashi, Chan) just made this debate all the worse. The instant demonization of Plushenko was irritating (though I disagree with people who argue it’s a return of cold war rhetoric – I think that’s too reductive and is particularly dismissive of the reasonably complicated relationships between nations, like Canada and the USA), but the retaliatory knee-jerk lionization bugged me just as much. That said, COP reminds us that it’s not one element. Its things like quality. There’s no denying that Lysacek laid it down when it counted, and for that he has my respect.

ITA. It's totally reasonable to argue about whether quad should be more valued under the current COP system, but that's totally different from saying that Evan doesn't deserve to be a champion because he doesn't have a quad. It's not his fault that everyone who has quad other than Plushy didn't deliver, and Plushy, as much as I admire him, gave us two programs that were completely devoid of anything except for his jumps (which weren't even that good in FS) and his charisma. I think this Olympics proved that COP, above all, demands absolute dedication and determination to be as prepared as possible and to improve on all areas of skating. It's a tough system, for sure, but a fairer one than 6.0 system IMO.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

I too was quite impressed with the quality of skating at this Olympics. Some did better than others, some scores left me scratching my head (esp. Johnny's - BOO!!!) and some favorites didn't medal (Tanith & Ben, Miki Ando) but overall - a great, great Olympics.

There was one thing though that marred this event for me: Sandra Bezic. She is simply an awful, awful person. The comments she made during Miki's skate were unacceptable. I've never heard such dismissive and even disrespectful commentating in my life and she is on my list.

 

[seniorita]

Seniorita, you are so cute I have enjoyed your posts during these Olympics and I found myself hoping Plush would win just for you!

wow..thank you, that was a very nice thing to say, thank you so very much for these words

 

[UM84]

The only real shocker to me was the Ice Dance. I thought Evan could win if Plushenko missed up (which he did), we knew Yuna would win and we new the Pair on won would win. I think the biggest thing I learned this Olympics is how arrogant Plushenko is, and that there is hope in the US skating world (Miari)

 

[prettykeys]

whole post

+Johnny's moment.

There was one thing though that marred this event for me: Sandra Bezic. She is simply an awful, awful person. The comments she made during Miki's skate were unacceptable. I've never heard such dismissive and even disrespectful commentating in my life and she is on my list.

 

[colleen o'neill]

I second Sk8nMama's sentiments , Seniorita. I think you should get a gold fan medal ..it's rare that someone who is such a BIG fan of a particular skater still tries to be fair (and as kind as possible to other people's favourites) at all times.:thumbsup:

I had thought , before the games , that the Men's and Dance competitions would be the most exciting. Dance satisfied every expectation,and then some. I'm still floating.. Men's was a bit of a let down because of the splats, burn-outs , etc. But the Women's was so much more than I had been expecting, and not just because of Joannie , but her incredible performance was definitely part of it.
The results in the pairs were satisfying , but not very satisfying in the way the competition played out.
Overall, a wonderful Olympics ! Someone mentioned earlier ( I forget who)..Who would have thought dance would ever have the least controversial outcome ?. ..So true! I would never have predicted it.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

+Johnny's moment.

don't laugh - I've already sent a strongly worded letter to NBC... I can't stand her. Andit wasn't just Miki - in JoRo's short program: what was up with "Another gift she's given us..." you moron - she was skating for her MAMA not you - you nasely, weasily snotty snit. Grrr... She's so awful - she makes me miss Peter C.

 

[seniorita]

I think you should get a gold fan medal ..

I do? But I m not so good, I just tried to shut up until I calmed down, but thank you, I ll take it with modesty but then I will give myself the platinum (ah I kid please.. I had a really hard week)

you nasely, weasily snotty snit. Grrr... She's so awful - she makes me miss Peter C.

this is the lady in NBC? hmmm..
Bring back Terry Gannon

 

[Big Deal]

Like most of you mentioned that it seems to be the best ever Olympic in Figure Skating (I'm watching since 1968)!
The most fair judging ( if you mention the outcome of each discipline), I think the hated COP grown up and gave its benefit for this sport ( Can you imagine to win Virtue/Moir under 6,0 system before waiting for their time??)

The best ever Ladies event ! All of the top 5 should win in any previous Olympic with their present performance!

3 out of my 4 favourites won the Gold!

A lots of emotions, tears and joy during the competitions , that is why we love this sport!

Shen/Zhao: my long time dream came true.

Virtue/ Moir: my not so long time but evenly strong dream came true.

Pang/Tong : magic

Yu-Na Kim: the perfect beauty in every way.

Mao Asada: a real sportman got her selfconfidence back and still beautiful and elegant.

Joannie Rochette: my hat down in front of her.


The highlight of the quality for me was:
1. Yu-Na Kim breathtaking clean, airy, elegant , technically perfect and emotional performance in the FS.

2. Virtue-Moir's Flamenco. It was unexpected to me. The ice was melting underneath ! Truly one of the best Ice dance Olympic moment in the history ( besides Torvil-Dean's Bolero, Klimova-Ponomarenko's FD in 1992., and Anissina-Peizerat's OD, Flamenco 2002.)


Thank you athletes and judges !!!!


It seems judges are also understood that, if they make the experts angry with the unfair results, the sport will die.
This sport will live forever. That is the best news!!