What Olympic Pressure Will There Be for......

[brad640]

Michelle: The pressure will certainly be there. She is Michelle Kwan, the most successful figure skater of her era, and these are the Olympic Games. But, I do not think it will be quite as intense as Nagano or SLC. She isn't the frontrunner and she hasn't proven herself definitively under COP. I believe it will be more about how Michelle deals with the pressure. It will be there, but will she thrive off of it as she has in so many other competitions? Or, will her brilliance be diminished once again by the pressure those Olympic rings seem to create? Who knows! I just hope she comes with a program tailor made for COP and gives it her best shot. She is more than capable of bouncing back and coming on strong. She has proven it time and time again.

I think the pressure on Michelle is far less at these Olympics than at the last two. In the mainstream press articles posted by Lucy25, they mentioned Michelle's quest to win a third medal, not her quest to win gold. In Nagano and SLC she was favored for gold, and was upstaged by a teenager. Now the press wants to identify the next teenage upstart, so they are looking at Kimmie, and Michelle is not getting the amount of hype she had in the past.

 

[Kasey]

Goebel – pressure to keep from burning microwave popcorn while watching Olympics from his apartment.

Okay, Goebel MAYsurprise this year with Tarasova's choreography...but this still cracks me up!

 

[R.D.]

Sasha: She doesn't handle pressure or high expectations well, and that really hasn't changed. She was a co-favorite for the World title in 2003 and 2004. The pressure seemed too much. This year the pressure was not squarely on her. She missed most of the GP season and came to Moscow as one of many medal contenders. She performed a bit better that way, but still, it wasn't a superlative competition for her. I think the pressure will be immense for Sasha. She is generally known as COP's most favored skater, and that should be widely touted during these Games. She is just such a question mark. She could be brilliant and I hope that she is, but her past record clearly indicates that intense pressure and Sasha don't mix.

Actually I think Irina is Cop's most favored skater, but that's a whole 'nother thing. ITA that Cohen will have tons of pressure on her, and IMO she will fold. I'm sick and tired of everyone saying she has the "potential" to be so good, the best ever, etc. Bottom line is that she isn't, and chances are it's NOT going to happen. This girl will be hyped quite a bit (because of her 2nd place standing in the world) and she will blow it- mark my words. She will make at least two mistakes.

Michelle: The pressure will certainly be there. She is Michelle Kwan, the most successful figure skater of her era, and these are the Olympic Games. But, I do not think it will be quite as intense as Nagano or SLC. She isn't the frontrunner and she hasn't proven herself definitively under COP. I believe it will be more about how Michelle deals with the pressure. It will be there, but will she thrive off of it as she has in so many other competitions? Or, will her brilliance be diminished once again by the pressure those Olympic rings seem to create? Who knows! I just hope she comes with a program tailor made for COP and gives it her best shot. She is more than capable of bouncing back and coming on strong. She has proven it time and time again.

MK's pressure this time around will IMO come from mostly within her. As I said before, we really have to wait until after '06 Nationals to see who the pressure really will be on. Kwan could re-establish herself and Cohen could go under for all we know. Another thing working against her (which is her fault) is the scoring system. Can she prepare herself for it in just one year, considering that she might skip the GP's again?

Carolina: She will be the hometown favorite, but I don't see there being far too much pressure on her. I do worry about her consistency, though. She has been up and down these past few seasons. Hopefully, her World bronze was a sign of better times to come.

You don't see far too much pressure on her? wow. The Olympics, in your home country (how often does that happen?), and you are a reigning World medallist. Sounds fairly steep to me- IMO.

ITA also that the (American) press will turn to the little ones (i.e. Kimmie) in search for this year's upset. Just maybe if everyone expects a teenager to win it all this time, and one of the veterans pulls off an "upset". We could go on and on here.

 

[attyfan]

"MK's pressure this time around will IMO come from mostly within her. As I said before, we really have to wait until after '06 Nationals to see who the pressure really will be on. Kwan could re-establish herself and Cohen could go under for all we know. Another thing working against her (which is her fault) is the scoring system. Can she prepare herself for it in just one year, considering that she might skip the GP's again?"

I think a lot of Michelle's pressure will be centered on winning Nats. I dom''t think that preparing for the CoP will be that big a problem, even if she skips the GP; I think the real problem with skipping the GP is the signal she is sending to the judges. I think that she can prepare for the CoP, without the GP, the same way Sasha did -- skate the same, CoP friendly program at every event, even if only cheesefests, so the CoP program at Olys is second nature. In analyzing Michelle's chances for "catching up" to the other ladies, I think it is significant that she came in third in the final FS, with a non-CoP friendly program, wherein she at least did the spins and spirals as planned. even though she only landed four clean triples; IMO, it was her failure to execute the elements she planned in the QR that killed her -- and I think that was due to her lack of familiarlity with the program, which in turn, was due the massive choreographic changes at each event.

 

[R.D.]

But in the end, it's the judges who decide who's going to win. In this case, she cannot afford to lose whatever "rapport" she might have with them. She can't seem to do it all by herself. IMO it's imperative she do at least one event if she's serious about this season.

Preparing for the Cop is one thing, but it probably won't mean much in a close race if she doesn't have that so-called "rapport" with the judges. JMO.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Michelle's pressure will be a the Nats. I believe she wants to set the record and not just tie it. JMO

As for the Oyls, it will be the order of skate. She's at her best when skating after the front runner. Somehow, she gets the attitude, 'I can do better than that'. JMO.

Sasha has been an enigma for me since Cleveland. She came on strong and never really lived up to the potential except in certain competitions. She has trouble with the top ladies around. Maybe the volcano will explode in Torino. JMO.

Irina, like in SLC, is the front runner and that could be pressure like it was in SLC.

Back to the boys: I can't help but see a European sweep. They will use their pressure to skate better.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

To me, all pressure is internal. Whatever the media say, whatever the expectations of the fans may be, a skater can always just blow it all off if that is within the compass of his or her personality. Johnnie Weir, for instance, gives the impression that he feels no pain no matter what anyone says about him. (Maybe it's a defense mechanism -- I don't know.)

Objectively, both Michelle and Irina are in the position of having nothing to prove. As Michelle puts it, her career has been the perfect ice cream sundae. If anything else happens, that would just be the cherry on top.

Still, Michelle may feel pressure not to go down in the history books with that asterisk beside her name: one of the all-time greats, but no Olympic gold medal. Irina, too, may feel that that Olympic gold would be some sort of vindication for her.

Like Joe says, the pressure is always there. The great champions are those rare competitors who can make that adrenaline surge work for them instead of against them.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

Plushenko - Now where is I fell last Olympics, I can't do that in this one.

Dee

I disagree. A fall in the SP is not nearly the disaster it was in 2002. Also, erm, Evgeni skates better after he makes a mistake, imo. He sold that SP in SLC, and at GPF, after falling in the SP, well, that was the only time I liked that program. I realize I'm weird...

Anyhoo, must at Brad's assessment of where Tim's pressure will come from. I want Weir, Savoie and Lysacek in Turin.

 

[Mathman]

Hey, Princess L,. glad to see you back. We missed you!

 

[chipso1]

Irina will definitely be feeling the pressure at these Games. She's coming off an undeafeated season, and has been the most successful skater of this past quadrennium (2002-2005: 2/4 world titles, 2/4 European titles, many GP's, GPF champ). Combine that with her "must win" mindset, and that's a lot to handle. She is the favorite going in - the question is will the favored skater falter again?

Cohen, IMO, will feel immense pressure as well, but as she showed at Worlds, she can still make two minor mistakes and medal. If her mistakes are major in Torino and she starts to get sloppy (a la Worlds 2003) or tense up (Worlds 2004) while others have decent to great skates, she might find herself in a bit of a hole, and her chances for gold or a medal of any color become slim.

And Joe, I disagree with you that the European men will sweep. Plushenko is a lock for medal (probably gold) and Lambiel is *nearly* assured one, but the challenge from the North Americans will be strong. Buttle should be a factor if he doesn't implode, and if Weir can stay injury free, then he should be near the top too. And don't forget about Lysacek. While some may have not agreed with his World medal, the fact of the matter is is that he did score higher than Weir in all rounds at Worlds, and he did medal. You can bet that we'll see his PCS scores a bit higher this year due to that fact.

I'm not really sure who could complete the men's sweep for Europe. Joubert's recent inconsistency has made him a wild card, along with Dambier and van der Perren. Klimkin and Lindemann might factor in, but we'll have to see how well they can recover from their injuries and problems.

 

[chuckm]

I don't see a European men's sweep as a strong possibility. Lambiel landed quads but few triples while winning Worlds 2005, and he has never been a consistent skater anyway. Joubert seems to have lost both his flair and his confidence, as his poor performances last year attest. Klimkin is coming off a long absence and surgery, and he is also another skater known for his inconsistency. Lindemann struggled all last season as well. Plushenko is the only European shoo-in.

The most consistent skater last season was Johnny Weir, and it was his extremely painful foot injury that kept him off the podium at Worlds. He has said that his foot is completely healed, perhaps due to an orthotic he is wearing in his skate. If he adds a quad to his programs, he will be an extremely strong contender.

After Worlds 2004, many were predicting a Japanese ladies' sweep for Worlds 2005. Remember how that one turned out.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Chuck - Your points are well taken. However, I don't judge skaters on their last performance or their season in the slump. In fact, I still have hopes for Michael Weiss.

The 3 European Men have consistent quads and, imo, that's what this contest will be all about. The PCS scores will follow through with the quads. They do have to skate clean, and given their popularity in Europe, they will.

If the N.American boys attempt their quads then, ok, there may be a spoiler among them if he completes the quad and skates clean. Not easy.

Klimkin, Sandhu, Lindeman all have quads but will they skate them??? I think Klimkin's style of skating is so much above everyone else but the poor guy is plagued with injuries and other worries.

Li will make his quad(s), show improvement in his presentation but will the judges mark him thusly?

Let's check out those GPs. I think Joubert is in Skate America and Lambiel is in Skate Canada. It's the new season. forget last year.

Joe

 

[brad640]

I can't help but see a European sweep. They will use their pressure to skate better.

Joe, I agree with you that it is likely that the Europeans will sweep the men's podium.

I think Plushenko will win gold, even though I am confused about the status of his recovery right now since he is reportedly skating in US and Japanese cheesefests but skipping the GP. I imagine he will win cup of Russia and maybe skip the final even if he qualifies. I can't wait to see how he battles his compulsion to seize every opportunity to skate this season, in both comps and shows. I anticipate more scandal about him turning up at non-prestigious events and risking injury, while making the ISU angry by declining the GP. Even though there will probably be speculation that skipping the GP could hurt his scores, I see no proof of that because Kwan, Sasha and Lambiel all received great scores without the GP.

I think Lambiel will win silver because he will be thrilling but will not top Plushenko when it comes to raw determination.

I think Joubert will win bronze because he did very well at worlds until the LP. Even though fans groan about his music choice, the judges love lots of music that fans hate, so that will have no negative impact on his scores.

I think Johnny will be the top North American man, and will finish in the top 5 with solid performances that fall short with a step out here and a double there. I agree with chuck that Johnny is the most consistent male skater - no disasters in the last 2 seasons, which is more than you can say for anyone else. I think the Canadians will disappoint yet again and I have no faith in them.

Judging by last season, I do not think the GP will be a great indicator of who will win the Olympics. I think some of the top contenders will withdraw out of an abundance of caution, and those who compete will give some sloppy performances (Kulik) that will cause them to be written off before they win Olympic medals.

That's what I forsee right now, but I might change my mind.

 

[R.D.]

Judging by last season, I do not think the GP will be a great indicator of who will win the Olympics. I think some of the top contenders will withdraw out of an abundance of caution, and those who compete will give some sloppy performances (Kulik) that will cause them to be written off before they win Olympic medals.

Well said. ITA- it will certainly tell us who is hot (and who is not), but nothing will be a better indicator of who will win than the Olympics themselves.

 

[antmanb]

Chuck - Your points are well taken. However, I don't judge skaters on their last performance or their season in the slump. In fact, I still have hopes for Michael Weiss.

The 3 European Men have consistent quads and, imo, that's what this contest will be all about. The PCS scores will follow through with the quads. They do have to skate clean, and given their popularity in Europe, they will.

If the N.American boys attempt their quads then, ok, there may be a spoiler among them if he completes the quad and skates clean. Not easy.

Klimkin, Sandhu, Lindeman all have quads but will they skate them??? I think Klimkin's style of skating is so much above everyone else but the poor guy is plagued with injuries and other worries.

Does anyone have any reports on how klimkin is doing? Pre surgery his quad was pretty hit and miss, certainly not as consistent and Pluschenko and i wouldn't say even as conssitent as it has been for Lambiel this past season. I'd put it more along the same consistency as LIndemann (ie not quite there in competition). Has he even gotten back all of his triples post surgery let alone the quad?

Ant

 

[antmanb]

nothing will be a better indicator of who will win than the Olympics themselves.

The only possible response to this???

Well duh!!!

Ant

 

[slutskayafan21]

I agree with those of you who say a European mens sweep is a strong possability. Plushenko and Lambiel are the two best male skaters in the world today, and will probably finish 1-2, and Joubert and Lindemann both should have no problem shutting quadless Weir and Buttle off the podium if they have a decent jumping competition.

 

[slutskayafan21]

And don't forget about Lysacek. While some may have not agreed with his World medal, the fact of the matter is is that he did score higher than Weir in all rounds at Worlds, and he did medal. You can bet that we'll see his PCS scores a bit higher this year due to that fact.

If you really believe Lysacek's PCS scores will go up next year, you can continue dreaming that, they wont, they were already generous as they were.

 

[slutskayafan21]

Pressure on the following skaters is:

Men
------------------
Plushenko-to finally win the elusive prize for him, and erase the demons of 2002.

Lambiel-to try to live up to his World title, and the pressure from his small country.

Weir-to live up to the expectations and finally medal in a big event, something he has not yet done.

Lysacek-to prove his World bronze was not a fluke.

Lindemann-to prove last years World bronze was not a fluke.

Joubert-to regain his form of 2004 and silence the critics in the French federation.

Buttle-to win a medal for Canada, enduring the pressure of being Canada's only real medal hope next year.

Chengiang Li-to try to finish a fine career, devoid of one momentual breakthrough however, with a top 5 finish, or even a medal in likely his last year of amateur skating.


Ladies
--------------
Slutskaya-to win the gold medal, she, her federation, and her fans back home in Russia, want so desperately for her, and to complete a great career with the one elusive prize.

Kwan-ditto except for the U.S not Russia.

Kostner-to live up to what will likely be exaggerated expectations from her home country, who will be hoping for an unlikely gold, and deeply dissapointed if she does not win atleast a medal of some color.

Arakawa-to finish her career on a high note, and to end it as more than a one-hit wonder, to put her career in a whole different light, by adding a second shining moment in a premier event, next to her 2004 World gold.

Suguri-to come out from the shadows now cast by other Japanese woman, to emphaticaly regain her place as Japan's top female skater again, and add an Oly medal to 2 World medals.

Ando-to live up to the hype and expectations heaved on her from the Japanese federation from her arrival on the senior scene a couple years ago, and to gain the major medal to possability give herself a chance to withhold some of the pressure coming up when Asada turns senior.

Cohen-to finally convert her momentual talent into a major event win, in what might also be her last amateur season, and to win the medal she missed in 2004.

Rochette-to justify the faith Canadians have in her after a dissapointing Worlds.
Her performance at Nationals last year show potential to be on a major podium, but have yet to translate in World level competition.


Pairs
---------------
Shen/Zhou-to come back from injury, and end an extraordinary career, and have their momentual huge tricks and maturity-induced beauty and chemistry on ice fulfilled with a well-due Olympic Gold medal.

Totmianina/Marinin-to put a stamp on their careers with an Olympic Gold medal, after a gradual but quiet ascent to the top of their sport, eventually going from 2 World silvers, to 2 World Golds. To win the medal they just missed in 2002, and to prove they can win vs Shen/Zhou when healthy and when not error-ridden.

Petrova/Tikhonov-to realize the one thing missing from their great careers, an Olympic medal in what is almost certainly their last chance. To perhaps come out of the shadows of Totmiana/Marinin one last time, and to end their fine careers based alot on hard work, perserverance, and commitment overcoming lack of special qualities or natural talent on a satisfying note.

Zhang/Zhang-to continue their specatacular ascent up the sport, and to set themselves up as the team to beat for the next quadrennial, with a medal.

Pang/Tong-to come out of the shadows long cast by Shen/Zhou, but now also cast by the younger Zhang/Zhang. To return to the podium they had a taste for at the 2004 Worlds, to prove their best is not behind them already after a dissapointing last year, and to also set themselves up well to fight for gold in the next quadrennial should they choose to stay in.

Obertas/Sokolov-to live up to the hype this partnership created when it was first formed. To prove that their decision to include work two shoe sizes too big to start, was worth it in the two-year Olympic podium plan. Winning a medal or not, might decide whether this parternship continues I believe.


Dance
----------------------
Navka/Kostomarov-no pressure, unless Belbin/Agosto get late citizenship, almost no chance of that happening. They have this in the bag, it will be a wonderful day for Zhulin, who in his magnificent career missed out only on winning the Oly Gold medal.

Delobel/Schoenfelder-To capatilize on the talk that they were the ripped-off kids last year. To validate their improvents in the last year, to finally reach the medal podium at the global level following in the footsteps of the great Anissina/
Peizerat.

Grushina/Goncharov-after waiting so long for first World medal, winning Oly medal in what is likely their final year as amateurs.

Denkova/Stayvinski-to reverse their slide in the last year, and for the team once considered heir apparents to the Oly Gold, to salvage a medal, and in what is also likely their final amateur year, end a wonderful career for the small country of Bulgaria, in the desired way with an Oly medal.

 

[chipso1]

If you really believe Lysacek's PCS scores will go up next year, you can continue dreaming that, they wont, they were already generous as they were.

If YOU really believe that Lindemann can win bronze, then I'd say YOU'RE the one who's dreaming!