Your thoughts on Skate America

[nolangoh]

Skate America 2016 is now officially wrapped! How would you describe your feelings of each discipline? You can use a short phrase, a word, an expression, or even an emoticon!

That's how I felt


Men: Progressive

Ladies: Messy

Pairs:

Ice Dance: Zzzzzzzz.........

 

[Alex D]

Men: what happened?

Ladies: Backless Dresses :thumbsup:

Pairs: Why no catch the lady?!

Ice Dance: I love you!

 

[GF2445]

The crowd....where were they??

 

[Daniel1998]

Men:
Deserved win for Shoma although I must say I find the last minute of his free program almost unbearable... I find the possessed vocals so distracting and the music doesn't show off his fluidity. I appreciate that he's trying different styles, but I'm happy he's getting this program over with before the Olympic season.
Excellent showing from the Americans- Nationals is going to be a dogfight.
The concern now for Boyang is if he'll be able to get into the GPF... He needs to win in China and may need some help from others. I do like his programs though, and I see some improvements in his choreo and interpretation. He's spectacularly cheesy this season and I'm all for it.

Women:
Was there ever a doubt Ashley wasn't winning this competition? She's cemented herself as the top American woman and can only build on this. I'm not a Wag fan traditionally but I've converted into one this season upon seeing her beautiful free program. It's breathtaking.
Mariah Bell snuck in under my radar and stunned me with her speed, elegance, maturity, and confidence. The programs are excellent vehicles for her and I really want to see them again- I hope she earns a worlds spot this year.
Gracie needs to figure out why she's skating. I don't know if she loves the sport anymore, and whether it's by taking a few months off, getting a new team around her, or SOMETHING, she needs to find that passion again. I've never seen her jumps so crooked in the air and she's not selling the programs at all. Something's up.
Congrats to Mai on her first GP medal. Well deserved, and look forward to seeing her develop.
Gabby Daleman is, in my mind, the top Canadian lady at the moment. Huge jumps, improved PCS, and gaining more consistency.

Pairs:
My FAVOURITES Julianne and Charlie (#Jarlie #Biloguin #Beguin) with a rock solid free skate to win the competition. I actually feel they were underscored on PCS, and I expect it to rise as long as they keep delivering excellent programs. I hope they stay healthy and consistent.
Denney and Frazier were a huge surprise for me, because as a relatively new fan of figure skating, I wasn't familiar with them prior to this competition. I'm in love with their programs and chemistry, and hope they'll get a Worlds berth. Something about them is so appealing and charming.
Tarasova and Morozov still lack an identity to me. Their programs this year just seem awkward on so many fronts. It pains me because they have such potential. I hope they figure out what their style is quickly so they can build for Pyeongchang.

Dance:
Didn't watch, so I can't provide any thoughts. Thanks to the Italians for finishing ahead of I/Z to give me predictions points, though. :rofl2:

Misc:
Disappointed with the crowd. I expected a full house. I know we're getting a full house in Canada next week, though. And Canadian fans are very supportive. Should be a better atmosphere than what we saw this week.
Shoma's purple velvet pants: yay or nay? I still don't know.
Best dressed: D/F.
Mean move of the week: Cipres being an *** to James after their rough free.

Moment of the week: Mariah Bell's slayage.

 

[el henry]

The men brought their "A" game to the free, great competition!

Choreographer of the event: Rohene Ward, for doing the choreo for Mariah's and Jason's programs. And for not resting on his laurels, but continuing to tweak (and improve) Jason's stunning LP.

 

[karne]

Men

Brendan:
Kovtun: :noshake:
Hendrickx: :con3:
Timothy: :yay:
Nam: :clapper:
Voronov: :dance:
Adam: :shock2:
Jason:
Shoma: :dance2:
Boyang: :confused2:

 

[rosacotton]

Men: Quads! Pops! Awesome Top 3! Oh my!

Ladies: Rough beginning.

Pairs:

Ice Dance: My love! :luv17:

 

[Skatingcat]

I loved Mao's programs. I wasn't always her biggest fan, but in the last few years she has won me over completely. Her skating is breathtaking.

Poor Gracie (tm poor mirai).

So impressed with the men, and Ashley and Mariah. I don't like Mariah's music but her skating is great.

Still haven't watched the pairs/dancing, but looking forward to it.

 

[Blades of Passion]

For me the highlights of the competition were:

Jason Brown's LP
3.5 minutes of Shoma Uno's LP
Adam Rippon's programs
Ashley Wagner's SP
James/Cipres SP

I liked many aspects of Hubbell/Donohue's programs too. I think he has become one of the best ice dancers. Dmitri Soloviev is really good as well, but Bobrova has always been far below his level and their packaging is too often a mess.

 

[Nathan13]

My #1 highlight is Mariah Bell. To come as a substitute, a total underdog, behind the top 2 US Ladies, and to give it everything and skate lights out in the FS was so amazing. That performance is going to change a lot for her--recognition from USFS, for sure, and, if she wasn't already, she's put herself in the mix for the US National podium as a favorite.

 

[padme21]

The crowd....where were they??

That's what I was asking myself when I was watching the men live earlier today.

 

[GGFan]

Misc:
Disappointed with the crowd. I expected a full house. I know we're getting a full house in Canada next week, though. And Canadian fans are very supportive. Should be a better atmosphere than what we saw this week.

I wonder how much of this had to do with timing and location. The event was in the Chicago suburbs (past O'Hare). For example, I wouldn't want to spend my entire trip at a hotel in the suburbs. I would want to stay in the city. Unfortunately public transportation was not an option and the drive was difficult this weekend because the Cubs happened. I ultimately opted for that over skating.

 

[Daniel1998]

I wonder how much of this had to do with timing and location. The event was in the Chicago suburbs (past O'Hare). For example, I wouldn't want to spend my entire trip at a hotel in the suburbs. I would want to stay in the city. Unfortunately public transportation was not an option and the drive was difficult this weekend because the Cubs happened. I ultimately opted for that over skating.

The Cubs may be one reason.
But Skate Canada is held in Mississauga this year, which is a considerable distance from downtown Toronto and a pain to get to via transit.
It's still expected to be packed. And I expect it would be even if the Toronto Blue Jays had made the World Series. The tickets were sold out early this month.
Maybe skating isn't as big in Chicago?

 

[TGee]

I wonder how much of this had to do with timing and location. The event was in the Chicago suburbs (past O'Hare). For example, I wouldn't want to spend my entire trip at a hotel in the suburbs. I would want to stay in the city. Unfortunately public transportation was not an option and the drive was difficult this weekend because the Cubs happened. I ultimately opted for that over skating.

It was a very large venue from what it appeared on TV... not sure that the total attendance was that low compared to other GP events outside Japan.

Skate Canada has been using moderate sized ones for SCI...this year's is in the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, not in a major NHL arena. And they are using it to bring international competition to smaller and medium sized cities in Canada which helps build the fan base for skating beyond the major metropolitan areas.

 

[GGFan]

The Cubs may be one reason.
But Skate Canada is held in Mississauga this year, which is a considerable distance from downtown Toronto and a pain to get to via transit.
It's still expected to be packed. And I expect it would be even if the Toronto Blue Jays had made the World Series. The tickets were sold out early this month.
Maybe skating isn't as big in Chicago?

Good points. I wonder if in the US we're down to just a couple venues (e.g. Boston, San Jose) we can consistently fill. It's sad to see.

 

[GGFan]

It was a very large venue from what it appeared on TV... not sure that the total attendance was that low compared to other GP events outside Japan.

Skate Canada has been using moderate sized ones for SCI...this year's is in the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, not in a major NHL arena. And they are using it to bring international competition to smaller and medium sized cities in Canada which helps build the fan base for skating beyond the major metropolitan areas.

Oh that would make sense as well. Empty seats never look good on TV.

 

[TangoTraumatica]

The Cubs may be one reason.
But Skate Canada is held in Mississauga this year, which is a considerable distance from downtown Toronto and a pain to get to via transit.
It's still expected to be packed. And I expect it would be even if the Toronto Blue Jays had made the World Series. The tickets were sold out early this month.
Maybe skating isn't as big in Chicago?

Central/Southern Ontario holds the biggest figure skating population in the country. Every other section is made up of one or more provinces, but Ontario has so many skaters that it holds four different sectional events. People attending Skate Canada will be coming from across the entire GTA for sure.

As for my thoughts on SkAm:

Highlights:
- Boyang's SP. My favorite men's program of all time. THE BEST
- Mariah Bell coming out of nowhere for the silver
- Ashley and Adam giving zero f***s about propriety and performing their hearts out

Disappointments:
- Gracie. I feel so bad for her. This was a rough event for her and I hope to see her come back swinging
- Gabby's underscoring in the PCs. Subjective, of course, but I think they should have been much higher
- Pairs?????????? I'm thrilled that Julianne and Charlie won but everyone else was a hot mess.

 

[Daniel1998]

Oh that would make sense as well. Empty seats never look good on TV.

Yup, Sears Center for Skate America was 11000 seats, and the Skate Canada venue this year is 5000.
I wonder why they hold it in such a big arena when they can't fill all the seats...
I agree that a smaller but packed venue looks better than a half empty large venue.

 

[TGee]

Oh that would make sense as well. Empty seats never look good on TV.

Agreed about the bad signals empty seats send....

But it's more than that....

A few years back when SCI 2014 was in Kelowna, British Columbia [pop. 107,000], the place was not only packed, it was the big sporting event for the interior of British Columbia of the year.

It's the home of the original iron man triathalons, lake sailing and alpine skiing. It's also a major tourist area with a great deal of infrastructure to support a world class event.

But for most folks there, international skating competition at this level is something that they would never otherwise see. So, the logic seems to be that by not sending the event to the three major metro areas of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal and using smaller venues, excitement and a sustainable audience is built nationally.

Perhaps the issue is, would NBC be willing to strongly promote SA if it were in Raleigh NC, or Phoenix AZ in a smaller venue?

 

[Princessroja]

This may sound counterintuitive, but I wonder if having it in smaller areas would actually sell more seats than having it in a major metro area. For one, the smaller the city, the faster news travels. For another, the smaller the city, the less there is to do, and a major event coming to town is a BIG DEAL and it probably won't be competing with anything else for attention. It'll get a ton of newspaper coverage, and if the city only has one newspaper and everyone reads it, or it starts traveling via facebook event among locals, those seats will sell out a lot faster than in a large city where it gets buried under the myriads of arts and sporting events that are just always there. You know, as a local in a large city, it's kind of like--eh, well, these things come along all the time, and I could save the money, and that weekend's kind of busy, so maybe I won't go... but if you're in a small city, it's more like--oooooh this amazing thing is coming to town, I have to seize the opportunity, I'll save up my money because I don't know when I'll get another chance, and I'll take the kiddos because it'll be a great opportunity for them too... and so on and on.