Yu/Jin & Peng/Zhang switch partners

[daylily]

Go read zhaojin's summery of events in the new thread and know that's how information should be presented.

I tried to separate out the allegations with no supporting facts and do analysis and deductions based only on real information available, instead of personal emotions, opinions, conjectures and baseless speculations presented as facts, especially to an audience without more direct sources to the information. I especially find it unnecessary and malicious to vilify and slander someone in the name of supporting another.

I do not need you to tell me to go and learn something. Thank you.

You are trying to glorify instead of vilifying them. But your claim is also based on personal emotions, opinions and conjectures. The only FACT is that we don't have any info about what their roles are in this whole show. To claim that they are forced into this is not any more valid than to claim otherwise.

 

[icekiwi]

I have only just learnt about this after being away from the forum for awhile after worlds.

Words just fail to describe how I am feeling right now. The irony was, I was digging up some pairs skates from last season to watch on you tube and the first pair that came to my mind was Yu/Jin's LP from last season, 'peace and harmony' - some of the intricate baletic moves in this program plus their connection with each other is just ethereal, picture perfect, out of this world. I thought this is the future pairs team for China. All through the GPs, the judges have liked them. Listen to the British euro guys, they love the connection and the softness of this pair. Yu/Jin reminded them of the traditional Russian pairs, the softness both in their skating, moves and connection.

I am just totally and utterly disgusted at this switch. Just totally cruel and criminal of the Chinese Federation to do this. Yu Xiaoyu is such a delicate baletic skater and to pair her with someone like Zhang who is biggish, throws hard and ungraceful in his moves is just all wrong. I am not going to apologize for my comments either, figure skating is an art, it is a sport unlike others, requires lyricism, grace and musicality, it is not totally about physical strength, thus, in my opinion , Zhang is too old and his physique is no longer graceful on the ice - full stop!! To think of him being paired up with Yu just makes me want to throw up.

The sad truth is, I can see Jin/Peng doing quite well (be paired with someone younger and handsomer and who is equally capable) but not Yu/Zhang. The federation is giving Zhang far too much credit. They forgot that his days are over and the judges have indicated that this past season.

I am just saddened beyond description. This just so upsetting !! How stupid!

Yu/Jin were my 2nd favorite pair from last season. My favorite pair of course was Sui/Han.

 

[Giselle]

So Xiaoyu YU/Hao ZHANG and Cheng PENG/Yang JIN will face each other at Cup of China.

In other news it seems that Cheng and Xiaoyu not only switched partners but also costumes (and possibly SP's :disapp: ).
Will it be Yang Jin's 3rd year skating to Yulunga Spirit Dance?

Videos:
Yu/Zhang
Peng/Jin

Picture of Yu in Peng's Come Together Tango costume.

 

[sarama]

So Xiaoyu YU/Hao ZHANG and Cheng PENG/Yang JIN will face each other at Cup of China.

In other news it seems that Cheng and Xiaoyu not only switched partners but also costumes (and possibly SP's :disapp: ).
Will it be Yang Jin's 3rd year skating to Yulunga Spirit Dance?

Videos:
Yu/Zhang
Peng/Jin

Picture of Yu in Peng's Come Together Tango costume.

What is this madness!!! I really hope they are not switching programs... Maybe they just neded costumes that matched and it was obviously easier for the girls to swap their dresses....still weird though

 

[solani]

So Xiaoyu YU/Hao ZHANG and Cheng PENG/Yang JIN will face each other at Cup of China.

In other news it seems that Cheng and Xiaoyu not only switched partners but also costumes (and possibly SP's :disapp: ).
Will it be Yang Jin's 3rd year skating to Yulunga Spirit Dance?

Videos:
Yu/Zhang
Peng/Jin

Picture of Yu in Peng's Come Together Tango costume.

The costume switch is looking a bit weird indeed. And both pairs training together ... I don't know. It must feel strange to them. But Peng/Jin's throw 3S is looking great and Yu/Zhang's twist isn't bad either, though it's hard to tell from that video angle. Thanks for the videos!

 

[Layback11]

What is this madness!!! I really hope they are not switching programs... Maybe they just neded costumes that matched and it was obviously easier for the girls to swap their dresses....still weird though

They appear to have switched costumes and music.

That is loooooow.

 

[Weathergal]

They appear to have switched costumes and music.

That is loooooow.

Yes and kind of...creepy. :shocked: I guess I shouldn't be shocked, but I am. That is just bizarre.

 

[Crossover]

I feel weird watching the switched pair teams adapt the new partners pretty well to be honest. But reusing their previous programs with the previous partners in the same costumes is really not a wise move.

 

[Pamigena]

Yes and kind of...creepy. :shocked: I guess I shouldn't be shocked, but I am. That is just bizarre.

it kind of makes it look like they didn't switch partners but just put a new moving thing into an old costume :roll9: that is kinda creepy

 

[charmblade]

I really hope this is not what it looks like. I'm sorry, but reusing each other's old programs is ridiculous, but to not even change costumes? Geez, if you can't afford new programs surely you can at least afford new costumes. (Maybe this is just temporary and they'll get new costumes for the competitive season, but it's still super weird to be wearing them at all) Everything about this situation just keeps getting worse....

 

[skylark]

The clips of the switched pairs do look okay, apart from the creepy making the girls wear each other's old dresses and skating the programs. (If I understand correctly, it's of course the girls who had to learn new programs.) As much as I resist this idea, I imagine viewers will come to terms with the new pairings eventually, as the skaters already seem to have done. But the thing that's disturbing is the implication that these human beings are interchangeable, to be moved around like chess pieces.

For lovers of pairs skating, it's also the idea that what makes pairs skating special is losing value. If you look at the scoring system, it's almost predictable that someone who wants above all to win (Yao Bin) would focus on the technical and devalue all the other things like connection between the partners, softness, lyricism, grace and musicality. (Shen/Zhao over the years developed these things with Lori Nichol's help). It's also clear, from the domination of Duhamel/Radford over 2 years, that the Chinese aren't the only ones who've decided the technical is the important thing. Singles skating also takes a big hit from the valuing of technical over the ability to communicate emotion through movement and music.

... first pair that came to my mind was Yu/Jin's LP from last season, 'peace and harmony' - some of the intricate baletic moves in this program plus their connection with each other is just ethereal, picture perfect, out of this world. I thought this is the future pairs team for China. All through the GPs, the judges have liked them. Listen to the British euro guys, they love the connection and the softness of this pair. Yu/Jin reminded them of the traditional Russian pairs, the softness both in their skating, moves and connection.

I am just totally and utterly disgusted at this switch. Just totally cruel and criminal of the Chinese Federation to do this. Yu Xiaoyu is such a delicate baletic skater and to pair her with someone like Zhang who is biggish, throws hard and ungraceful in his moves is just all wrong. I am not going to apologize for my comments either, figure skating is an art, it is a sport unlike others, requires lyricism, grace and musicality,

 

[Skye]

This so unbelievable it's not even funny. After all CSA has forced upon its skaters so far, this hits a new low.

 

[Krunchii]

Honestly I'm so angry at how poorly CSA has handled this that I hope they only get one pairs spot for Sui/Han for the Olympics (but we all know that won't happen).

I never came to terms with Peng/Zhang due to their age difference and I don't think I'll ever come to terms with Yu/Zhang, especially with all this context over how they were formed and how these teams are being handled. This is shameful, cheap and embarrassing.

 

[snowflake]

Honestly I'm so angry at how poorly CSA has handled this that I hope they only get one pairs spot for Sui/Han for the Olympics (but we all know that won't happen).

I never came to terms with Peng/Zhang due to their age difference and I don't think I'll ever come to terms with Yu/Zhang, especially with all this context over how they were formed and how these teams are being handled. This is shameful, cheap and embarrassing.

All this is weird and disgusting indeed Hard working women so wrongly treated

I still wish for Peng and Yu to have success though... so if olympics is what they want I still hope their dreams will come true some day(one way or another).

 

[Seren]

Maybe they thought it would be easier for the new teams to adapt and work with each other the first year reusing their old programs. I can live with that even if I think it's in poor taste. But for the love of god give these athletes their own costumes.

 

[tulosai]

Honestly this is literally so awful it's become funny.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

And just when I thought this story couldn't get worse. :shocked:

I honestly don't know what to say!

Yes, I can understand the attractions of re-using the old programmes. It might help both new partnerships get up to speed quicker if only one member from each is having to learn something new.

But, re-using the costumes?! I know figure skating costumes aren't cheap, but that is going too far.

it kind of makes it look like they didn't switch partners but just put a new moving thing into an old costume :roll9: that is kinda creepy

The worst of it is, you're right. The girls are being not treated as people with feelings; they are just being treated as "moving things" that can be replaced at will.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Spiral]

But the thing that's disturbing is the implication that these human beings are interchangeable, to be moved around like chess pieces.

This!

As much as I resist this idea, I imagine viewers will come to terms with the new pairings eventually, as the skaters already seem to have done.

Well, the skaters have no choice, unfortunately, but the viewers do. Disturbing is not a feeling I look for when watching fs. I do feel very sorry for Yu, Jin, their coach and Peng, but since I can’t do anything to help them anyway, why subject myself to watching such a farce?

This so unbelievable it's not even funny. After all CSA has forced upon its skaters so far, this hits a new low.

Yes. If I’d read something like this in a novel, I’d have thought it totally unrealistic. First CSA forced Yu/Jin to split (most fs federations I know about have done things I consider unethical over the years, but I don’t know of any other fs federation that forced partners to split). Then they’ve made the ladies exchange dresses and programs too. And to top it all off, Yu/Jin was the most promising Chinese pair team after Sui/Han. They managed to get into GPF during their first season in seniors, and then did it again the next season, despite not getting any new programs. I simply have no words.

:furious: :hopelessness:

 

[solani]

The girls are being not treated as people with feelings; they are just being treated as "moving things" that can be replaced at will.

This is true, but I doubt that the guys are treated any better. Zhang seems to be important to the Chinese fed, but we don't know if this is what he truly wanted. And we shouldn't forget that Yu/Jin and Peng/Zhang were paired up by those coaches in the first place. So it was never about free will to begin with. So I guess Chinese pair skaters have to be malleable. And it seems to be easier to develop a very good female pair skater than a male pair skater. Also because China uses those tiny 12 year olds to begin with and partners them with much older skaters. I don't like that system at all. I don't like it when girls with no visible muscles are expected to land those quads. Guys slightly older than those girls would never be able to do all this hard stuff anyway. And it does take it's toll, we only have to look at the problems Sui already has. I doubt she can have a long lasting career like Savchenko f.e.. What I want to say is that we shouldn't be so outraged about what is happening to those pairs right now, because this is only the tip of the iceberg after all.

 

[Lota]

I just can't help but wonder about the practice sessions. I understand wanting to achieve the best results possible, and that sport is sport, but you cannot take the human element out of it. What does it feel like, training beside your ex-partner? I'm sure noone here (or there, probably) likes this decision of changing partners, but, at least if they didn't train together... Honestly, it's a bit sickening for me, seeing all of them together like that. Like, how do you go about your day? Do you completely ignore each other? Are you allowed to still be on friendly terms and communicate as friends or ice? Or does this count as a hindrance to your current partnership?

I'm talking mostly about Yu/Jin here. While Peng/Zhang were on friendly terms, and I'm sure it's pretty awkward for them as well, from what I understand Yu/Jin were quite close and attached to each other. I just... :angry1: Seriously, do they interact? How does it feel to the men, seeing the same constumes, yet a different person wearing them? Is this even real life? Wth is happening?