Watching Campbell's on TV

[RIskatingfan]

I see so many people making all kind of assumptions on Shizuka Arakawa's state of mind, I thought I should remind everyone who has forgetten (or didn't know) that she skated in Japan the week before Campbell's and she was brilliant. She came in second, less than 5 points away from behind Irina Slutskaya, but she had the highest PCS of the competition.

She worked in Simsbury all summer and reports from people who visited said she had her joy and confidence back and that she was in a totally different mindset going into this season. Last year there was the pressure of being the defending World Champion when she had planned to retire after Dortmund, this year she is competing because she WANTS to.

To each his own, but I think many of you are reading far too much from a not so stellar performance from her, that IMO wasn't even as bad as you're making it seem. I'm definitely not counting her out.

 

[millie]

You are all so FUNNY! Shizzzzzz, Bell Hop, Peter the Dink--LOVE IT!

What was up with that ridiculous warm-up that went on... and on... and on? Totally unnecessary. I would have loved to have seen Inoue & Baldwin instead. Instead we get Uncle Dick telling us that 27 jumps have been thrown so far in the warm-up.

Poor Shiz... She hates working with TT, you can just tell. And there is TT ragging on her for "not skating a clean program". Ouch! Like she did it on purpose. That whole "worked with TT for 2 weeks and already a World Champion" of a couple of years ago was such a load of crap. She was PUMPED and motivated by the change in coaching, that's all. When it got down to the actual work, you can see that this relationship is just not positive.

I agree with you about Poor Shiz. My heart went out to her today. It seemed like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders with TT looking over her shoulders. The comments TT was making to her and the way TT looked in the Kiss and Cry, I felt sorry for Shiz. Some fans that were sitting in the area of TT stated that she was shouting at Shiz everytime she skated past her.

 

[kyla2]

I Noticed It Too....

I noticed TT's comments to Shizuka and thought this was not the time or place for them (on t.v.). I suspect having TT as your coach is quite wonderful if you are skating well, and pure hell if you're not.

 

[julietvalcouer]

I have to say, Arakawa looked like she was phoning it in. Maybe it was jet lag or something, if she skated really well a week ago, but as it was I have to agree with people who said she looked like she didn't want to be there.

Rochette was robbed. One fall, yes, but I thought her program was much better than Arakawa's lackluster performance and I would actually have put her ahead of Meissner, too. Yeah, Kimmie can jump, but I'm honestly not impressed with her artistry at all. Sasha was the clear winner, though. I'm not as annoyed by her as I used to be--I think she's softening up her style a bit, and is losing some of those "I KEEL YOU!" facial expressions she used to have. But I still think the edge work on her spirals is only eh, especially after just watching some very old skating tapes of skaters who came up through figures. Yes, dear, you can really stick that leg in the air (and yeah, the more I see them the more I agree with some people here--some of those positions are just Not Flattering), but your edge changes are awkward.

They DIDN'T SHOW Weiss, Goebel, and Lysacek? WTF? I got home late, and came in just as Weir was finishing, so I assumed I'd just missed them. And they still showed the neverending ladies' warmup? I was ready to scream at that point. I *know* this is on tape, so get on with it!

Belbin and Agosto's exhibition, which I hadn't heard about in advance, was a nice bonus to have since I'm more interested in ice dance, and I have to say, I'm now somewhat underwhelmed. Honestly, they were slow, their unison was off (yes, it's an exhibition and early in the season, but still) and they were awfully far apart sometimes. Less time calling Congressmen, more time practicing.

 

[RealtorGal]

They DIDN'T SHOW Weiss, Goebel, and Lysacek? WTF?

They DID show Lysacek; it was dreadful. He came in last. But you are still correct about the "WTF" since they didn't bother to show the silver and bronze medal winners' performances (Weiss, Goebel)!!!

 

[R.D.]

Just a little note...

I think that in a non-Olympic year the coverage would have been half-and-half (like it normally is). I was surprised to see the ladies starting so early. (I think almost an hour and a half of the coverage was dedicated to the ladies.) I reason that since this is an Olympic year ABC shifted the coverage to fit the Olympic hype more. Since ladies skating is far more popular than mens they chose to show all the ladies and only three men. Also, I don't ever remember them showing the exhibitions. That's new.

This is only my theory...I don't know this for sure.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

They showed Evan. They didn't show Goebel, Weiss and Sandhu.

 

[dancindiva03]

My own thoughts after seeing the competition on TV.

The men... what can I say but OUCH? Grease is just sooooo wrong for Evan, the music is terrible, the choreography is even worse, the whole thing just seemed slow and uninspired, I don't even think it would have been a good program even if he did land the jumps. Big step back from last season, but I do applaud his quad attempt. Johnny... he's just not my cup of tea. And I want him to cut his hair. Choreography is typical Johnny, pretty good but just not anything I care for. I don't particularly like Tosca for Takeshi, but the program isn't bad. He needs to get into the performance a little more.

Tanith and Ben. I like their choreography, but I don't think its as good as last season's FD. The looked really slow, I don't know if it was just the TV or if they really were that slow. Seems like a bit of a step back from last season. I haven't seen too many other dance teams yet this year but I don't see Tanith and Ben on the podium at Worlds this year with that program. But, it is early in the season and I'm sure the program will look different by Worlds.

STILL not impressed by Sasha's program. Too much arm flinging and "generic pretty arm movements" in place of real expression of the music, she didn't fall but had some definite jump issues, I absolutely cannot tell the difference between her flip and her lutz, her spins were unusually slow and the Biellman attempt was just bad, and I don't think her footwork was as dazzling as Mr. Nicks said it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it was disasterous, but I just don't get what everyone is raving about. Don't care too much for the costume, but its better than a lot of the plunging neckline creations she's worn in the past.
Alissa, she's a beautiful skater and just adorable, too bad about the jumps. Fabulous spins, nice spirals, good choreography. If she could have just stayed on her feet, I would have had her ahead of Sasha. Don't like the costume, though.
Kimmie, decent choreography, solid jumps, I don't remember too much except that I liked her better here than i did last year. Her costume looked cute on her, but didn't really make her look older as I suspect was the intention.
Shizuka, too bad about the doubled jumps. And she just wasn't into the performance. I think its a great program, she skated it much better the week before in Japan. If she can get her jumps consistant again and find whatever it was that inspired her in 2004, I could see her back on the podium at worlds with this program.
Joannie, nice choreo, not my favorite music, liked the dress. She has some beautiful jumps. I haven't seen too much of her before, but I liked what I saw at Campbells.
Emily, I think the music suits her and the choreography is nice. She lost some speed and energy at the end, but thats understandable with her being ill and losing training time. She's not quite matured and polished yet, but a pleasant skater, and I think she'll do very well in the future. This may not be her year, but in time she will be a fine skater.

 

[Bijoux]

Crazy men's coverage...

bad production, lackluster ladies. Despite Sasha's jumps, my little pal looked lacking in muscles, fat etc. Rochette deserved a medal for most enjoyable to watch. I think Fizzle needs to leave TT. Sad, really.

 

[Ogre Mage]

Brief thoughts on Campbell's

Sasha: Her program is a strong vehicle for her and she skated it well. I hope she can keep it up. I liked the arm positions in her final layback spin, which looked like Juliet holding the dagger and then plunging it into her heart.

Alyssa: Lovely interpetation and spins, very bad jumping.

Shizuka: A lifeless performance and I wasn't too impressed with the overall program. She reportedly skated great at an earlier event, so its hard to say what's going on.

Kimmie: Her overall skating still is lacking in speed, power and polish but she clearly has the potential to go far. Doesn't seem comfortable with her new "mature" look yet.

Joannie: I go back and forth on Rochette. She has strong basics, strong jumps and a nice sense of the music, but lacks extension, line and refinement. I liked her skating, but thought her "Firebird" program was better than this one.

Emily: is recovering from illness and it showed.

 

[attyfan]

... Won't comment on Emily Hughes. Skating a competition after having meningitis is an act of sheer will.

Peter Carruthers: You're a dink, you've always been a dink, and that "message to Michelle" while Michelle's injured question to Sasha proves you continue in your pursuit of dinkness. High-five to Sasha for showing what to do with a dink.

Rgirl

I will comment on Emily Hughes -- skating after meningitis shows she has guts!

As far as your description of Peter goes

 

[show 42]

I was unimpressed by the whole production, especially since they chose to not show Michael Weiss and his preformance. That said, the only shining star of the competition was Sasha. Has she gotten taller? What a class act , especially her comments to Peter Carruthers after the competition. What a treat to have Kurt Browning commentating along with Dick Buttons.......the rest of the skaters were a bit underwhelming (I know it's early in the season).............42

 

[dlkksk8fan]

Vash-
Maybe I was half asleep watching Johnny's program, but I was watching it!

I was hoping for more, perhaps a little change in his style of skating-a different look. I thought his costume look similar to all the others he has worn. And yes I think his hair looks awful.

 

[Rgirl]

I'm wondering if its a result of the hinged boots. I don't remember her wearing them last year, and I"m willing to bet that's what's throwing her jumps off.

Alyssa Czisny was wearing hinged figure skating boots and I didn't notice?! Be still my beating biomechanical heart! As a couple of GSers know, waiting for someone to wear the hinged figure skating boots has been sort of a holy grail of mine for about three years. Starting my tape of Alyssa's skate immediately. To BraveSkateFan I say, as I bow repeatedly, "I'M NOT WORTHY! I'M NOT WORTHY!"

I see so many people making all kind of assumptions on Shizuka Arakawa's state of mind, I thought I should remind everyone who has forgetten (or didn't know) that she skated in Japan the week before Campbell's and she was brilliant. She came in second, less than 5 points away from behind Irina Slutskaya, but she had the highest PCS of the competition.

RIsF--thanks for the info about Shizza, plus about the reports of her summer training. Was very glad to hear she's been skating great and with clear joy. The technical problems she had in this performance didn't bother me; even without the jet lag, it's early in the season. What bothered me was the "bubble of sadness" I perceived around her. Having both toured as a dancer and travelled a lot for business, I know I certainly must have looked like I was inside a bubble of something much worse than sadness. My whole body probably looked like it was saying "I KEEL YOU!" sooooo many times.

I really hope that in Turino, the ladies' OGM is the best from a group of great or even just good performances rather than the way '02 went for them, not taking anything away from Sarah.

Rgirl

 

[Vash01]

I wrote in my 'live' report of Campbells that I Rochette skated well but I did not like her choreography that much. I will stick by that statement, because although the program was pleasant to watch it was lacking in difficulty compared to Shizuka's.

After watching the show on TV I would add that although she did some things very well, she did not do some other things that well.

Since it was close between Shizuka and Joannie, I will only compare her performance with Shizuka's.

First, the positives- She skated with more 'life' than Shizuka. Nice smile, great costume, and a good choice of music. I think she has a great physique for getting power in her jumps. The choreography and performance suited the music. Except for the fall, she had a relatively clean performance.

On the negative side, the entrances into her jumps were way too simple. She had MIF but they were not great and they did not actually connect with the jumps. IMO that's where Shizuka had an advantage. Joannie's footwork sequence did not cover the ice well. The Ina Bauer was so so, and the starting and ending positions in the spiral sequence were not good. She is not someone with a balletic body, so some of those short comings can be forgiven. She finished way behind the music, which did not create a good impression. However, the overall impression of her skate was positive, while Shizuka's impression was 'disappointing'.

Shizuka has a complete package. Although she did not skate well, there were numerous highlights in her program. Her major mistakes were the step out of the 3f and the very poorly executed 2A. She still seems to be working on the footwork sequence but she covered the entire length of the rink. Her 3salchow-3toe combination was light and very good, although the commentators chose not to point that out.

When they points were added up, Joannie came out slightly ahead, but because of the 1 point deduction she fell behind Shizuka- only slightly. Her performance was more pleasant to watch, as clean programs always are. However, that does not always translate into a higher score.

Vash

 

[sarahmistral]

I see so many people making all kind of assumptions on Shizuka Arakawa's state of mind, I thought I should remind everyone who has forgetten (or didn't know) that she skated in Japan the week before Campbell's and she was brilliant. She came in second, less than 5 points away from behind Irina Slutskaya, but she had the highest PCS of the competition.

She worked in Simsbury all summer and reports from people who visited said she had her joy and confidence back and that she was in a totally different mindset going into this season. Last year there was the pressure of being the defending World Champion when she had planned to retire after Dortmund, this year she is competing because she WANTS to.

To each his own, but I think many of you are reading far too much from a not so stellar performance from her, that IMO wasn't even as bad as you're making it seem. I'm definitely not counting her out.

I'm with you, RIskatingFan; I fully expect Shizza to bring her A-game to the actual competitions this season. I don't think NHK Trophy, Grand Prix Final, Japanese Nats or the Olympics are quite the places to work out the kinks or to have a momentary lapse. Campbell's? That sounds more like it:yes: :agree:
Sarah
p.s to Mathman--sent you an e-mail...will clear my PM Inbox very soon and send you a PM when I've done that.

 

[Vash01]

I have to admit that I never have confidence in Shizuka to skate great, even though she has so many great qualities as a skater. Before the 2004 worlds she seemed to make just enough mistakes to keep herself off the podium. That seemed to change after she went to TT. However, all of last year she struggled and I am afraid she may not have the ability to handle pressure. At the 2004 worlds she was not a contender for the gold, so there was not much pressure on her. She skated great. That created high expectations of her, and I don't think she ever rose to that level. I would love to see me proven wrong on this because I would really like to see her skate to her potential.

BTW her choice of music this year- fantasie Impromptu (Chopin)- is a bit challenging. This is one of my favorites, but it is difficult to skate to. It is not an emotionally high/low music (compared to Turandot or Romeo & Juliet) but it requires great and quick footwork. I am not saying she cannot do it, but that it is challenging.

Vash

 

[IDLERACER]

Just saw the show today. This is the first time I've ever seen Sasha Cohen do a Bielmann spin. It isn't quite up to the standard of Irina Slutskaya's, but that'll improve as the season continues. It was a nice change of pace from her usual headless spin closer.​

 

[iluvtodd]

IMHO, the TV coverage of this event was horrible! I realize it was not a stellar competition for many of the competitors, but I am outraged that ABC only showed threee of the men's performances. Mike and Timmy finished 2nd & 3rd, respectively. Their performances should have been shown!

I do not understand why Joanie Rochette finshed 4th. I thought & hoped she would finish 2nd (or third at the very least), but I guess that's because I still don't "get" CoP.

One bright note to all of this mess - I was glad to see Kurt doing commentary (although I'll certainly miss him on the ice).

I have e-mailed ABC about the broadcast. I'm tired of seeing the men get "short shrift," & this is not the first time it's happened.

 

[antmanb]

Well, I'm not an expert but usually I look for depth of edge, how much lean there is on the blade, the length that each stroke is held, the security of it (no wobbles), and I always try to listen (even on TV sometimes you can hear scratching) you shouldn't hear the stroking.

Your description of good stroking is absolutely spot on but stroking is not normally quiet - a good solid fast edge will usually "growl" for lack of a better word as it runs along the ice what you should not here is a scraping sound which is the sound of catching a toe pick or edge as you stroke. Also look for how much effort the skater to putting in - if they are making a whole lot of effor and not going very fast they are not stroking efficiently or on good edges. If they put very little effort yet move quickly (eg Kwan) then they are very good at using the blade and edge to generate power.

Ant