- Joined
- Jun 3, 2009
Ah, but I wish to be able to see an interviewer tell Chan that he really needs a Biellmann to win And that won't happen if he is better than 6th. So he needs a lot of falls and every one else to skate great.
OTOH, it is perhaps a bit churlish of me...but he's young and has time. This is about it for Verner, Joubert, Dai & Ryan, so I definitely want them all to go out on their best efforts.
You wished on your list that Patrick Chan fell four times.... yeah, I think churlish covers it. Then again, my list is a little churlish too, so might as well post it.
Gold: Patrick Chan
WHY: Because I think his growth this season has been nothing short of phenomenal and maybe even unprecedented. Because I think to lose he would need an actively mediocre skate (or worse) and I don’t want to see that after all the hype. And here’s the thing: I still revisit the Nationals thread to relive the collective excitement of what he demonstrated in Victoria. I'll rewatch that program as long as I'm interested in the sport.
WHAT NEXT YEAR: SP to Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick” (I need to see footwork set to that monster drum solo); LP to “Jupiter: Bringer of Jollity”
Silver: Takahiko Kozuka
WHY: Because while the narrative this season has been the old vs the new (Verner vs. Brezina; Joubert vs Amodio), he’s often been the forgotten one from his nation. I love his range and even if I don’t love his programs this year, I’m noticing improvement in terms of his ice command and performance skills.
WHAT NEXT YEAR: SP to “George’s Waltz” from A Single Man; LP to music from “2046”
Bronze: Daisuke Takahashi
WHY: I entered this season wanting him to win, but he hasn’t quite brought it this year. Plus he doesn’t have a bronze medal from worlds, and I’m big on complete sets (seriously).
WHAT NEXT YEAR: Team up with Stephane Lambiel and create a skating spectacular. Choreograph for other skaters.
Fourth: Nobunari Oda
WHY: Despite his many lovely qualities, his LP is a bore. But he’s at home, so I want him to do well.
WHAT NEXT YEAR: ...learn how to count. A 4-3-3 in competition.
Fifth: Brian Joubert
WHY: Because there’s something really intriguing about his desire to reinvent himself ten years into his senior career. Because I want the passing of the baton to occur next year.
WHAT NEXT YEAR: Comfort zone. 2012 looks like it’ll be your retirement and doing what made you popular is a fine way to go out.
Sixth: Florent Amodio
WHY: He’s a superstar in the making, but I don’t particularly love the direction he went this season with the MJ program (even though it is an entertaining one). Sixth would be a good result and set him on his way to Nice.
WHAT NEXT YEAR: Something a little more lyrical (he can pull it off) and skating-skills-y.
Seventh: Tomas Verner
WHY: You know, he as an enjoyable short but I’m surprised at just how nonplussed I am regarding his LP. I don’t love him a lot either.
WHAT NEXT YEAR: Eh, either way. I don’t know how much longer he’s planning to skate for, but two GP medals and another Euros spot seems like as good a way to head out as any.
Eighth: Michel Brezina
WHY: The injury was such a huge set-back. I think he might be a more talented jumper than Amodio but it’s a shame he wasn’t really able to demonstrate that.
WHAT NEXT YEAR: A quad in both programs. More artistry in general
Ninth: Shawn Sawyer
WHY: I think “Assassin’s Tango” and “Alice in Wonderland” are wonderful programs that if he hits could/should place him in the top ten. It would be such a fantastic ending triumph for him to have a great Worlds experience to follow his stunning Nationals performance
WHAT NEXT YEAR: Join Dai and Takahashi in their Skating Spectacular. You could take over the world
Tenth: Javier Fernandez
WHY: Because it’ll assure Spain two spots for next season and one of the way figure skating grows in non-dominant nations is by having the opportunity to compete at the highest stage. Because he deserves a good result after being set back by injuries. Because I was hoping for the European next generation (Amodio, Brezina, Fernandez, Gachinsky) to have their epic battle royale.
WHAT NEXT YEAR: No Morozov choreography.
And....
- For the American Men to go down to one spot: This sounds mean and I don’t wish anyone ill will (though I really really don’t care for Bradley’s skating.) but I’m VERY curious if there would be a change in how the selection works. Going down to two isn’t good enough to check. And honestly, I’m not really impressed with Miner or Dornbush to not hope that you know, fifteen skaters don’t beat them. I would be totally fine with the aforementioned ten plus Russell, Contesti, D. Ten, KVDP, Gachinsky, Schlutheiss et al beat Bradley, Dornbush and Miner (presuming they deserved to, of course).
- For Kevin van der Perren to have a skate that makes his as happy as he was after his Euros SP. His excited expressions are really adorable. Plus I’m surprised he didn’t dislocate his shoulder.
- A happy Schlutheiss