US and Eurosport commentators disagree on Mao and Yu-Na

[Mathman]

Welcome to Golden Skate, Champs. Post often, post long!

 

[morninglight]

I think she already resumed it - in her latest performances one can see a very strong influence of ballet in the moves she executes. Also, I heard that in her newest commercial she plays a ballerina.

Did you mean this one? Her moves are very beautiful I was impressed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJFg4E7xE5Q

 

[mirai_asada]

I prefer the US commentary as it's much more interesting to listen to than British ones, but it can be too critical.

 

[dollee]

I like British commentators. They see many positive aspects of skaters rather than weak points. I think all skaters deserve to be respected for their hard working.
And I think British guys have a comfortable voice like common people, so I feel like being with my friends.

 

[Fossi]

I think mistakes shoudl be pointed out, so that the general public understands. For example: if you saw Sasha's programs they are pleasing to see. However, she has flaws and that should be noted. Why pretend a skater/program is perfect when it obviously isn't to the trained eye?

Dick and Eurosport both do good, but I don't understand why some prefer to watch teh ones that mask mistakes? That is how competitors learn and get better.

 

[oleada]

The Eurosport commentators DO point out mistakes - for example, in the Worlds SP, they commented on Miki's lip - but they also tend to focus on what the skater does well, which makes listening to them a lot more positive and enjoyable, while Dick and co. tend to focus on what the skater is missing or doing wrong, and, in my own personal opinion, it's not usually as fun to listen to someone complain and nitpick about every little thing. I do like hearing both, but I tend to prefer Eurosport.

 

[feraina]

I'm all for giving interesting, informative comments about a skater's program, including both the strong and weak points. But I find it a LOT more pleasant to be able to watch the program itself with minimal comments, and then afterwards hear the comments during the replays. There's a time and place for everything.

 

[slutskayafan21]

Dick Button, the most stupid commentator in FS history. He kept on ranting how poorly Lambiel skated his long program, and how he could not understand why Lambiel pumped his fist for such a 'poor' performance. Even Kurt Browning had to politely remind him it's 'not such a bad performance'. When the scores came up, it just made poor Dick look even more silly.

Lambiel had 3 major mistakes in his free skate. So yes it was a poor performance for him, and Dick was absolutely right. He should not have been excited for such an error-strewn skate. As for the score, all it means is he could have scored much higher if he had not skated poorly.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

All of the above rationale is the main reason I try to go to competions LIVE.

I am a card carrying admirerer of Stephane, I thought that Flamenco was one of the best eligible routines I have ever seen in CoP competitions. It was, for me, BRILLIANT to combine and sustain throughout the skate, the 'gitano' dance with the requisite skating tricks.

However, I could see a few errors in the skate, and if I were judging, I would have given the nod to Daisuke. That's exactly what the judges did. Joubert, except for his 007, was way off here in the LP.

At home, after a repeat show of the Worlds on TV, I did hear the comments by the commentator and they seemed correct. They didn't say anyone was washed up and should stop skating. Just said it like it happened that one and only night.

I have no problem with that. Tell it like it is.

Joe

 

[gio]

I am a card carrying admirerer of Stephane, I thought that Flamenco was one of the best eligible routines I have ever seen in CoP competitions. It was, for me, BRILLIANT to combine and sustain throughout the skate, the 'gitano' dance with the requisite skating tricks.

It was a very inspired performance! He worked a lot on it and he really tried to understand the essence of flamenco! So artstically speaking certainly it was the first LP!

Lambiel speaking to a newspaper

"... Esattamente. Questo flamenco - il libero, con coreografia di Antonio Najarro - è una sfida sacrosanta. Un ballo di sala su ghiaccio con dei salti (in particolare due quadrupli). È una danza con molto carattere, esige un grandissimo temperamento, degli atteggiamenti, dei gesti. Bisogna impregnarsene, mettersi nei panni dell'andaluso. Questo flamenco mi ha regalato vita, desideri, energia. Mi ha aiutato a ottenere una marcia in più nel momento in cui mi mancava."
"Questo programma indroduce delle novità. Io amo rinnovarmi, sono sempre in cerca di innovazioni. Il flamenco faceva parte di un progetto sul quale mi sono concentrato. Mi ha aperto una strada piena di belle cose. A Tokyo, gli spettatori hanno capito che cosa era successo sul ghiaccio. Ho avuto una standing ovation. Non è poco. Ho anche capito quel che avevo realizzato, che le mie attese personali si erano appena compiute. Per me, è stato enorme. Il risultato di un grande lavoro. Da qui le mie parole."

Translation
"Exactly. This flamenco - the LP coreographed by Antonio Najarro - it's a great challenge. It's a room dance on the ice with jumps (in particular two quads). It's a dance that implies a lot of personality, it exiges a great temperament, with attitudes, gestures. You need to understand it (lit. to become impregnated with it), to be in the shoes of an Andalucian. This flamenco gave me life, desires, energy. It helped me to overcome the bad moment!
"This program introduces some innovations. I love to innovate myself, I'm always trying to find innovations. The flamenco was part of a project, on whom I concentrated. It opened me a way full of beautiful things. At the Tokyo arena people understood what has happened on ice. I had a standing ovation, it isn't something little. I understood what I have achieved, that my personal desires were acomplished. For me it was big. The result of a big work. From here my words!"

Sorry for the English, but I'm not a translator. If you hadn't understand some points, feel free to ask!
That's a small part of an interview Lambiel gave to "Le Matin", I've found on an Italian site. So it is a translation of a translation (from French to Italian to English).
I wanted to demonstrate how much Lambiel worked to understand the essence, the spirit of flamenco and to sell it to the public!

 

[dutchherder]

As for commentators, I do not want cheerleaders. I want someone with a trained eye help me see things I might not catch because I'm not a skater. I've learned loads from Dick Button over the years, and, for that matter, so have the skaters.

If you were to look at layback spins 15 years ago, you would see that, in general, the positions are dreadful. Dick began harping on the poor quality of the the positions, particularly the free leg, and lo and behold-- they began improving. Also 15 years ago, spirals were a throwaway move, something skaters seemed to do to rest between jump passes. In fact, I recall Kristi Yamaguchi doing a program in which the choreography called for her to look at her watch during her spiral sequence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYzzIwcIvgE

Be sure to listen to Scott Hamilton's feelings about spirals in the replays at the end. Dick began criticizing the stretch and positions in spiral sequences, and the next thing you know, we have Kwan and Cohen making spirals the showcase of their programs. AND Dick Button isn't all gloom and doom-- his compliments are frequent as well-- and if a skater receives them, he or she can be sure they're well-earned. Now all we can hope is that Dick's complaining about the overuse of the Biellmann position will result in some changes. Susie Wynne is very similar in that respect, which is why she's another of my favorite commentators. The commentary I find most annoying is gush, gush, gush with no substance. If gushing is all a commentator is going to do, I could do without!

 

[carolinefan177]

As for commentators, I do not want cheerleaders. I want someone with a trained eye help me see things I might not catch because I'm not a skater. I've learned loads from Dick Button over the years, and, for that matter, so have the skaters.

If you were to look at layback spins 15 years ago, you would see that, in general, the positions are dreadful. Dick began harping on the poor quality of the the positions, particularly the free leg, and lo and behold-- they began improving. Also 15 years ago, spirals were a throwaway move, something skaters seemed to do to rest between jump passes. In fact, I recall Kristi Yamaguchi doing a program in which the choreography called for her to look at her watch during her spiral sequence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYzzIwcIvgE

Be sure to listen to Scott Hamilton's feelings about spirals in the replays at the end. Dick began criticizing the stretch and positions in spiral sequences, and the next thing you know, we have Kwan and Cohen making spirals the showcase of their programs. AND Dick Button isn't all gloom and doom-- his compliments are frequent as well-- and if a skater receives them, he or she can be sure they're well-earned. Now all we can hope is that Dick's complaining about the overuse of the Biellmann position will result in some changes. Susie Wynne is very similar in that respect, which is why she's another of my favorite commentators. The commentary I find most annoying is gush, gush, gush with no substance. If gushing is all a commentator is going to do, I could do without!

Wow...I love you.

 

[Zuranthium]

Yes, and that's fine, but it doesn't mean he has to talk over the performances SO much.

Also, he contradicts himself too much. One time he said "Serpentine footwork is much harder than Straight line or Circular" (during Sasha Cohen's 2004 GPF program). Then, this past year, he commented that "Circular footwork is much harder than either Serpentine or Straight line in my book" (I hope I come upon that video on Youtube again). He changes his words based upon the situation so that the skater he favors looks better.

~Z

 

[feraina]

Then, this past year, he commented that "Circular footwork is much harder than either Serpentine or Straight line in my book" (I hope I come upon that video on Youtube again). He changes his words based upon the situation so that the skater he favors looks better.

I clearly recall him stating this. Maybe it was during Carolina Kostner's skate?

 

[Spun Silver]

I love Uncle Dick, but I can't get over his praising Kimmie's fan spiral and even inventing a principle to explain why hers is so great (shouldn't be more than 90 degrees, or something like that) - after all his denigration of far better ones. I think Z. is correct that he can be inconsistent.

And he often seems too nationalistic to be credible. E.g., the overpraise of Emily and the underpraise of Miki this season. (N.B. I am going by another poster's citing of the latter - I don't remember it myself.)

His knowledge, passion, wit, and experience... to say nothing of the bow tie ... are all very endearing, but on the whole I prefer the impartiality and equal knowledge and enthusiasm of the two Brits.

 

[Mathman]

I love Uncle Dick, but I can't get over his praising Kimmie's fan spiral and even inventing a principle to explain why hers is so great (shouldn't be more than 90 degrees, or something like that) - after all his denigration of far better ones.

Actually, I agree with Button on that. Kimmie's is the only fan spiral that I am not embarrassed to watch.

 

[Wrlmy]

I clearly recall him stating this. Maybe it was during Carolina Kostner's skate?

I think it was during Bebe's short at National

 

[Kypma]

Actually, I agree with Button on that. Kimmie's is the only fan spiral that I am not embarrassed to watch.

Hm... I also like Sasha's, but in general, most skaters make them look horrible...


Kypma

 

[Wrlmy]

Actually, I agree with Button on that. Kimmie's is the only fan spiral that I am not embarrassed to watch.

I somewhat agree. When I watch most other ladies' fan spirals, I feel like i'm invading their comfort zones. NEVERTHELESS, I wouldn't call Kimmie's fan spiral the best just because she fails to create an embarassing situation.

 

[Spun Silver]

I really don't get this obsession w. the fan spiral being "embarrassing." Maybe it's from watching ballet and gymnastics, but I really don't focus on the female crotch in this move, but the whole body, which is, or should be, making a remarkable and difficult set of angles and arches, making it a worthy member of the "spiral canon." If I did want to focus on the female crotch, there are other spirals and split jumps I could get all bothered about as well which for some reason don't garner all the negative attention. Last, if I wanted to call attention to crotches, I would give equal time to male crotches. But for some reason one never hears a peep of concern or embarrassment about the male crotch, even in an extreme case like Plushenko's Sex Bomb. Oh well... I guess there's something I'm missing. Carry on.