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sashas4t · 5 years ago

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Rostelecom Cup: Ladies

Not gonna lie, not the most interesting GP stage, and if anything the gold and silver medal were really kinda already determined, but the top 3 really had some wonderful skates!

1. Alexandra Trusova - RUS

MY FAV! The fall before the SP was really cute not gonna lie. Her face when she was starting the program was priceless, trying to hold back laughs at a silly mistake. I’m really worried for her 3Lz+3Lo combo though. This entire season its been rather inconsistent, and she didn’t have even one successful attempt in the competition this time. But her 4T+1Eu+3S is a godly combo, and the fact that its in the second half! I would say its her best quad, tied with her 4T+3T. A landed 4S still won’t peak its head in competition, but I tell you, I’ve seen her practice videos, and that quad is beautiful! In terms of SS, I kind of think she’s improved in the SP, she’s gotten more into character. The FS is still kind of empty, and in the choreo sequence you can see that she is only thinking about the jumping passes to come. But you cannot argue against her win here again.

2. Evgenia Medvedeva - RUS

Oh my god! Zhenya SLAYED here! Her SP is a thing of beauty, and she performs it with elegance and class. You can see her maturity and focus on artistry through her step sequence and the various uses of her arms throughout the program. I’ve got to say, this SP has to be her best one yet, its choreographed so well, and suited perfectly for Zhenya. I'm so glad that one, she changed the 3Lz in the SP to 3Lo, and that she actually got an “e” call for her 3Lz. Her FS is very good as well. I still feel like the second half of the step sequence could be performed with more speed and flow but the rest of the program is performed wonderfully. Zhenya stays in character and hits all her musical accents, performed all with grace. Her FS music is so beautiful though! I love the Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack. Her spins are getting better too! I’m so glad Zhenya could perform two programs she can be proud of. Her reactions to performing clean were so cute! I am excited to see her at RusNats! (I really wish she could make the final...)

3. Mariah Bell - USA

The short program just isn’t my thing. I am all for trying new styles and I think Mariah really performs the program well, but I just don’t like it. The choreography is kind of underwhelming for such overwhelming music honestly. But the FS... Oh I love that FS! Hallelujah is actually such a perfect piece for Mariah and honestly, Mariah has got to be one of the most versatile skaters out there. Hallelujah is touching, and performed with elegance and passion. The dress is beautiful, the music is emotional and the skating is just exceptional. Mariah’s spins have got to be some of the best out there honestly... they’re so fast and the positions are interesting and aesthetic.

4. Satoko Miyahara - JPN

Ugh. SATOKO! I really wanted you in the final! I really wanted to see a 20+ skater at the final, and I really wanted Satoko to keep her streak of qualifying for the final (this would’ve been her fifth year), but I guess not. That FS protocol was scary, almost every triple was called UR. Some of the calls were a little harsh, but I will say, she does need to fix those URs. It’s pulling back her scores and will prevent her from getting on podiums now. But performance wise, she is the TINY QUEEN. The SP is really growing on me not gonna lie, its so interesting, unique and different from her usual programs. And the FS, a masterpiece.

6. Yuhana Yokoi - JPN

I really like Yuhana’s SP this season, shame she’s more of a FS skater. The FS, I feel like, is lacking a little pizzazz, lacking something interesting, but it still works of course. The 2A on the music is 100% my favorite part, it gives me Hanyu circa 2015 vibes. I actually really like POTO programs, even though its such an overused piece of music, and while Yuhana’s FS is a little boring, not gonna lie, its definitely still a very good program. Her SP is fast, interesting and keeps my attention. It really caught my eye at Finlandia and now I like it even more.

10. Yuna Shiraiwa - JPN

Ugh. I really like both of Yuna’s programs this season, but it seems her jumps don’t really like to be landed. Yuna’s also a rather versatile skater and can perform various styles well, but I find her “princess” programs really pretty and elegant, and not boring at all. So, I really like her SP. Her FS dress is kind of creepy, but the program itself is slightly boring. Maybe if she lands her jumps it would be better. I love her jump landings and her SS.

11. Stanislava Konstantinova - RUS I actually kind of like Stasya. She has a very ladylike and mature way of skating (perhaps because she looks so tall) and her jumps look really pretty in the air. Shame she has forgotten how to land them. Again, both her programs this season are good, especially the SP, and yet, her jumps have decided they simply will not be landed (or rotated). There’s a lot of drama in her FS and she performs it quite well, but you can see that her mistakes can affect her performance. Hopefully Stasya can perform at least one of her programs clean this season, they really have a lot of potential.

Also Shoma getting 4th is actually good enough for me. From 8th to 4th, big improvement! Those GOEs for Samarin though...

#figure skating #competition review #rostelecom cup #alexandra trusova #evgenia medvedeva #mariah bell #Yuhana yokoi #yuna shiraiwa #Stanislava konstantinova

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the-real-xmonster · 6 years ago

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Hi Alice! What are your thoughts about Mai Mihara for this season? (It might be a recycled program and princess-y but her The Mission/Gabriel's Oboe step sequence always makes me tear up.)

Related asks:

How does the JSF select which skaters will compete on which events? Such a shame for Mihara when she's one of their most consistent (and she also gets notoriously underscored, may you please explain or share some insight why?)

In relation to the ask about best skating skills, what do u think of Mai Mihara? I know the jap ladies’ field is v deep (so many awesome skaters) but is her technical content somewhat lacking compared to the rest of them? I don’t think she’s medaled on the national podium for a while, and she always seems to just miss out on gpf… @akfanatic

First, about how JSF picks their teams. If it’s for Worlds/Olympics, they, like all other national feds, select skaters based on a combination of national championship results and results from other ISU-sanctioned events. You can read through this Twitter thread for more details.

As for whom to send to other international events such as the GPS, I only know, as a rule of thumb, that if JSF has seeded skaters, they’d want at least one of those (here’s a primer for those who don’t know what seeded mean) and/or the perceived “top Japanese skaters” at the NHK Trophy (which explains why Shoma and Satoko were at NHK 2018, and Yuzuru and Satoko the two years before). For other GPs / international competitions, your guess is as good as mine.

I mention my confusion about JSF’s wacky thought process here because Mai Mihara has been receiving the short end of this stick since she turned senior and it’s one of the reasons why she’s not been able to qualify for the GPF.

Take the 2017-2018 GPS for example, Mai narrowly missed out on the podium at Cup of China with a total score of 206.07. The scoring at that event was debatable in its own rights but for now I just want to draw your attention to the fact that that total score would have put Mai on the podium had she competed not at CoC that year but at either Skate Canada (where it would’ve got her a Silver medal) or Skate America (where it would’ve got her a Bronze). This season the situation was even more insane. Mai got a total of 204.20 at NHK and finished 4th, while such a score would’ve got her Bronze at Skate America, Gold at Skate Canada, Silver at GP Helsinki, or Silver at Rostelecom. Seeing that she did (deservedly so) medal in France, among the 5 other GPs, JSF literally sent her to the worst possible competition.

Before you guys start protesting about how it’s not fair to compare scores / placements across events, yes, I get it, it’s not an exact science, but on the other hand, Mai has been highly consistent - she scored 200+ in all of her last 4 GPs, to pick just one indicator - so I don’t think my tally above was completely outrageous.

As for Mai’s performance at Japan Nationals, as @akfanatic rightly said, the field in Japan is deep and since World/Olympic spots are usually on the line, most of the Japanese ladies have been bringing their A game to Nationals. When all the top ladies skate clean or close enough, (1) any small mistake can mean the gap between the podium and 4th-5th place and (2) more often than not the difference in PCS comes down to a matter of the girls’ reputation, which means international medals, which means, see the above.

Now I’m not saying that Mai is perfect. Her Lutz is still mostly flat / marginally outside, she would do well to add some more transitions to her content, and she does need some improvement in terms of packaging. Her programs so far have mostly been in the princessy mold and the one time her team tried to give her a different image (the Libertango SP last season), I don’t think it worked particularly well.

Her strength is, of course, her skating skills. Mai’s SS have always been good and have become even better in the last couple of years. She has this wonderfully, effortlessly natural way of moving on the ice that makes me think, she probably never has to think about how to move, she likely only needs to look at the spot she wants to be on the ice and her body would automatically deliver her there in the lightest and nicest manner possible. I’m so in love with Mai’s SS, despite my constant whining about how unfortunately one-dimensional her portfolio has been so far, I’d gladly buy a ticket just to watch her The Mission FS and I know I’d be glued to my seat even if it’s only Mai performing that program 6 times in a row. I mean, how could you not love her?

But in any case, I believe Mai is capable of much more than just being a gentle princess, maybe not the sexy alluring stuffs, but something more upbeat and exciting could suit her well. Chib has been saying Mai should consider skating to Schubert’s piano trio no.2 and I’m officially obsessed with that idea. We are legit planning to make her a mixtape of music recommendation, so if you guys happen to know how to get it properly sent to Mai, we’d appreciate any information!

#replies #mai mihara #figure skating #this ended up turning into a crazy rant #sorry y'all #but seriously my baby mai has been so unlucky #sob #Anonymous

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notebookfilledwithscrabbles · 5 years ago

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Worlds 2019 - 6 minutes warm-up before group 4 in Men's FS by J SPORTS

Translation post 21

Original language: Japanese

Translator’s note: This is not a word-for-word translation. I paraphrased some of the things said in the broadcast to clarify the main point.

Announcer: Chizuru Kobayashi. She is a freelancer who has been working for figure skating programs on J SPORTS for years.

Commentator: Makoto Okazaki. ISU Technical Specialist and a coach. He won a bronze medal at 2001 Winter Universiade as a singles skater and has been contributing figure skating columns titled "岡崎真の目 (Eyes of Makoto Okazaki)" to Sponichi.

(Skaters for the final group take the ice)

Kobayashi: Here comes the group 4, the final group. The arena is filled with loud cheers. First, they introduce each skater. Vincent Zhou of America, who finished 4th in the short program. Shoma Uno of Japan, who finished 6th in the short. Matteo Rizzo of Italy, who finished 5th in the short. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, the winner of two consecutive Olympic titles. He finished 3rd in the short. The defending champion, Nathan Chen of America, who finished 1st in the short. The last skater is Jason Brown of America, who finished 2nd in the short.

(Starting order is on the screen)

Kobayashi: These are the 6 skaters to skate in the final group. Now, we are showing the starting order on the screen. This group consists of 3 American skaters, 2 Japanese skaters, and an Italian skater.

Okazaki: Finally.

Kobayashi: Yes, finally. Our commentator today is Mr. Makoto Okazaki.

PA announcer: We are now introducing the skaters for group 4 in the order of skating. Skater No. 19, Mr. Vincent Zhou of America. After moving up to the senior level last season, he survived the fierce domestic competition and proceeded to PyeongChang Olympics. At PyeongChang, he fought bravely and finished 6th in total earning the second-best technical score in the free skating. This season, he finished 3rd in 4CC and won his first senior ISU championships medal.

Kobayashi: OK, we are going to introduce the skaters one by one. This is Vincent Zhou of America who finished 4th in the short program. He has many types of quads in his repertoire.

Okazaki: Yes, but this time, he is planning to do only 3 types of them, doing each of them once.

Kobayashi: Yes.

Okazaki: I guess his plan is to do what he can do and to do it properly. You know, his jumps often get called under-rotated, so he is going to stick to what he can do cleanly, I guess.

Kobayashi: Uh-huh.

(Vincent lands 4S)

Okazaki: His quad Salchow looks good today.

Kobayashi: Yes.

PA announcer: Skater No. 20, Mr. Shoma Uno of Japan. The silver medalist from PyeongChang Olympics. This season, he won at GP Canada and NHK Trophy and won a silver medal in GPF. At Japanese Nationals, he achieved a three-peat, and at 4CC, he came back from 4th after the short program and won the long-desired title of a major senior competition.

Kobayashi: Next up is Shoma Uno of Japan. He is planning to do three quads of four different... no, he is planning to do 4 quads.

Okazaki: Yes, he is going to do four quads of three types. I hope he will nail the quad Flip since he fell on it in the short program.

(Loud cheers in the arena)

Kobayashi: When you hear this kind of cheers, it means that someone has landed a good jump somewhere.

Okazaki: (Laughs) Right.

PA announcer: Skater No. 21, Mr. Matteo Rizzo of Italy. This season, he stood up on a GP podium at NHK Trophy as a first Italian men's singles skater and won a bronze medal at European Championships as well. At Universiade held recently, he won the title with his high-quality performances.

Kobayashi: Now, this is Matteo Rizzo of Italy. He is planning to do one type of quad once in the program as a solo jump. He finished 5th in the short with a clean program.

Okazaki: I figure that he is aiming to nail the quad securely and execute other elements cleanly.

Kobayashi: Uh-huh. He is the champion of Winter Universiade.

PA announcer: Skater No. 22, Mr. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. He won the Olympic titles consecutively in Sochi and PyeongChang. He also won the Worlds titles in 2014, here in Saitama, and in 2017. This season, he won gold medals in 2 GPs. After that, he got forced to sit out due to injury but has made a comeback here in this World Championships.

Kobayashi: And now, this is Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan.

(Hanyu lands a 4Lo)

Okazaki: Oh, a quad loop. Very nice.

Kobayashi: Yes, it was! Mr. Okazaki, how do you think about his jump layout?

Okazaki: He is planning to do four quads of three types. However, he has the potential to earn huge GOEs... (Hanyu lands a 4S) Ah, that was nice. A quad Salchow.

Kobayashi: That was very nice.

Okazaki: (Goes back to the previous subject) ...So his jumps can totally compete with more difficult quads such as Lutz and Flip. Let's hope for the best.

Kobayashi: Yes.

PA announcer: Skater No. 23, Mr. Nathan Chen of America. He is the defending World Champion. At PyeongChang, he skated strongly in the free skating and finished 5th. This season, he entered the prestigious Yale University and won two-consecutive GPF titles trying to balancing study and training.

Kobayashi: And now, this is the defending champion, Nathan Chen. He is the only one who scored over 100 points in the short program. His score was 107.40.

Okazaki: He is also planning to do four quads of three types.

Kobayashi: Right, including Lutz and Flip.

(Nathan lands a 4Lutz)

Okazaki: Hmmm... That was nice.

Kobayashi: He landed it.

Okazaki: Somehow.

PA announcer: Skater No. 24, Mr. Jason Brown of America. He is loved by the audience for his prowess to express the music delicately and for his cheerfulness. This season, he moved to Canada and has been training under coach Brian Orser. After winning a silver medal at GP France, he came back on the podium at U.S. Nationals for the first time in two years.

Kobayashi: There is 10.59 points difference between Nathan Chen and Jason Brown who was 2nd in the short program. The third-place finisher Yuzuru Hanyu is 12.53 points away from Nathan. Here is the last skater, Jason Brown. He is going to do only one quad.

Okazaki: Yes. Hope he will go for it.

Kobayashi: I hope so, too. Until last season, he has been incorporating a quad toe-loop, but this season, he has been tackling with quad Salchow. He has not landed it successfully yet, right?

Okazaki: Hmmm, I think so.

(Loud Cheers)

Okazaki: Ah, looking good. Uno has landed a quad Flip and then Hanyu landed a quad loop. Let's expect good performances from our skaters.

Kobayashi: Yes. ...You know, it is hard to decide who to focus on in these 6 skaters.

Okazaki: Indeed. It is kind of distracting in a good way...

Kobayashi: (Laughs) Yes.

Okazaki: This situation does not allow us to focus on a skater.

Kobayashi: Indeed. This men's free skating is the last event of this competition. We have already known who are the medalists in the other three disciplines.

Okazaki: Vincent Zhou has landed a quad-Lutz-triple-toe combination too. (t/n: Nathan Chen is on the screen and lands a combination when Okazaki says this, so there is a possibility that he confused Vincent with Nathan, or he thought he was saying "Nathan Chen" instead of "Vincent Zhou.")

Kobayashi: Yes. You know, every skater has been training hard for this season's last competition.

Okazaki: Hope everyone can show what they've got.

Kobayashi: Indeed.

(Hanyu falls on 4Lo)

Kobayashi: Oops...

(The standings after group 3 is on the screen)

Kobayashi: Now we are showing the current standings. Boyang Jin is currently in the 1st place.

(ISU President is on the screen)

Kobayashi: And this is ISU President Mr. Jan Dijkema.

(Nathan lands a 4Lz)

Okazaki: Quad Lutz.

(End of 6-minute warm-up)

Kobayashi: 6 minutes warm-up has ended.

(Hanyu goes back to the board doing shuuu-pa)

#Figure skating commentary #worlds 2019 #yuzuru hanyu

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shipwreckseemssweet · 6 years ago

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Figure skating: GP series 2018 Favourites

For a post-Olympic season, I have to say many figure skaters are looking really sharp. Not only is Yuzuru wildin'- new ground is being broken in Ladies'. In all disciplines, new and old rivals are stepping up to become contenders in the new quadrennial. It's great to see „older“ skaters not throwing in the towel, but still forging forward. (Vanessa and Morgan just won their first GPF. Dai is back at 32 – he burnt his suits and bleached his hair). We're so privileged to still have Yuzuru around; despite his injury he's the class of the field. Underlying this push for excellence is the revamped IJS scoring. Emphasizes quality over quantity, the system now aims to widen the creative aspects of FS, sanction errors more harshly and reward more complete skaters (at least in theory *shade*).

Below is my proudly biased list of some standout programs/performances from this season’s first half, mainly GP events. Also, ISU rights holders are looking to delete all YT FS fan channels and kill the sport once and for all. Fingers crossed the links are still working.

ICE DANCE (For the record: I miss GOATs Virtue/Moire tremendously.)

1. Tango Romantica Rhythm Dance

Victoria Sinitsina / Nikita Katsalapov „Verano Porteño“ by Astor Piazzolla

Perhaps the best RD this season. Beautiful composition and choreography: suits the skater's satiny skating skills and the sharp, sensual movements I expect from a tango.

Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri „Miedo a la Liberdad“ by Tanghetto

Their technique is like clockwork, smooth and precise; impressive body lines. A true classy tango. With an extra infusion of emotion, their GPF performance really shone. In fact, I could easily make a case for them winning the event outright. :-/

Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier „Angelica's Tango“ by Piernicola Di Muro

I just love how different, creative and straightforward these two are. Does Paul grow his mustache for the RD only to shave it off for the Free? :)

Special mention: Alex Stepanova / Ivan Bukin „Malagueña“ by Blast and “Carmen“ by Edith Piaf

Very modern and sizzling. (Sasha's dress is art.) The dance gives off a dramatic Paso Doble feel which then transitions into a Tango. This version still had their signature sit twizzles in it. *cries*

Shiyue Wang / Xinyu Liu „Pirates of the Caribbean“ OST by Hans Zimmer

Unorthodox, but fun and original. Their lifts are stunningly acrobatic. Great edges, too. (This is from Autumn Classic where they hit almost all pattern levels.)

2. Free Dance

Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier „Starry Starry Night“ original composition by Govardo

One of their best Dances. A story of the pain and struggle of Vincent Van Gogh and the starry night he famously drew. Poignant and full of beautiful, creative details.

Alex Stepanova / Ivan Bukin „Am I the One“ by Beth Hart

Hands down their best program. I love how they wear this rock and modern look. Even if they keep losing levels, their technical improvements finally feel merged with better projection and connection between them. Every second of it is exciting, sexy and hot.

Lilah Fear / Lewis Gibson „Bad Girls“ and „On the Radio“ by Donna Summer

Welcome to the disco! An unexpected favorite from the Brits. Their lifts pop out with the music and the sliding choreography is badass. (How refreshing to have a Gadbois team without MFL!)

Special mention: Avonley Nguyen / Vadim Kolesnik „Demons“ by Imagine Dragons & „Experience“ by Einaudi

A shout-out to this wonderful Junior pair. I'm blown away by their musicality and unapologetic emotional performances. Moreover, they already have superb skating skills and speed. The future of ID looks good.

SINGLES (What is consistent judging?)

3. Ladies Short Program

Satoko Miyahara “Song for the Little Sparrow“ by Abel Korneziowski

When you look up „elegance“, „musicality“ or „sophistication“ in the dictionary, you find there Satoko. Best skating skills and interpretation of the whole field, in the service of Edith Piaf.

Rika Kihira “Claire de Lune“ by Debussy

We waited a long time for her to skate it clean, but when she finally did, it was magical. The choreo is not exactly pioneering, but Rika's lightness and elegance give it a youthful, ethereal beauty that lights up the ice. Love how unexpected her versatility is. The effortless triple Axel is the cherry on top.

Alyona Kosternaya „Departure“ by Max Richter

The Superior Junior Lady. Alyona has the ability to interpret the music with her skating, body and eyes. A masterclass in how to hold positions and use arms. I don't like her programs this year. Still, she remains enchanting to watch.

Special mention: Yuna Shiraiwa „All Aboard“ by Club des Belugas

Quirky, dynamic and full of interesting details.

4. Ladies Free Skate

Kaori Sakamoto „The Piano“ OST by Michael Nyman

I love how it sneaks up on you. Kaori struck gold when she teamed up with young choreographer Benoit. He understands her gifts very well: this program gently accentuates her feather-light jumps and flow. The story follows a mute woman in a remote beach town trying to get back her piano, losing a finger along the way (eeks) and nearly drowning before resurfacing: it suits Kaori's quirky personality.

Satoko Miyahara “Invierno Porteño“ by Astor Piazzolla

Satoko and Tango are a dream team. She doesn't just skate to the music, she lives with it. It's nice to see she attempting to retool her jumping technique, which is no small feat.

Rika Kihira „Beautiful Storm“ by Jennifer Thomas

This disruptive masterpiece is hopefully just a first breath of what is to come from Rika. Her unique bland of dramatic and soft movements conveys a dramatic and awesome storm. It's as if the electrons are passing from the sky through her body in a beautiful interpretation. Her last jump is against silence. And then the thunder strikes... She is already such a well-rounded and charismatic skate. :)

5. Yuzuru Hanyu Short Program „Otoñal“ by Raul Di Blasio

Unfortunately I haven't been watching Men much, except for Yuzuru. I also ”discovered” Kevin Aymoz, a very creative and talented French skater, along the way.

In his short, Yuzu opted for the theme of Autumn as a nostalgic period for reflection and that shows throughout the performance, from the technical elements (his 4S is a tribute to Javi *tears up*) to the details in the choreo, to how he picks up every note. Everything is so genuine and purposeful.

Special mention: Deniss Vasiljevs SP „Papa Was a Rollin' Stone“ by Norman Whitfield

Those yellow pants are quite a choice. ;)

#figure skating #yuzuru hanyu #rika kihira #ice dance

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kittyprincessofcats · 6 years ago

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I’m back home! And caught up on sleep. Grenoble was an experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I’ll want to watch every figure skating competition in person from now on. It’s /so/ much better than just seeing it on TV!

I already made a post about my first day, so here’s my experiences/thoughts of saturday and sunday (aka the free skates and the gala):

- We didn’t watch the practices on saturday because it would have just been too much and we needed a break. So we arrived around midday for the Men’s free skate and there was already a HUGE line in front of the arena. Way longer than the day before. And at one point Vanessa James ran past the line and waved at everyone. The whole atmosphere was just amazing. So casual and yet so festive.

- The arena was way fuller for the free skate and everything was even more festive than the day before.

- You know those parts where they film the people in the audience? My dad and I ended up on camera twice. let’s hope that got cut out

- Watching the men’s free skate was an amazing experience. I’m happy that Nathan managed to redeem himself from the short and win the gold after all. Congrats on making the final! But I’m even more happy for Jason Brown. SO nice to see him finally do well this season! So nice to see him win a medal (and without quads!) He was absolutely amazing. I also love how even though he didn’t make the final, him winning silver here instead of Alexander Samarin is the reason Junhwan Cha got into the final. TCC teamwork!

- I don’t remember much about the Free Dance tbh, but the victory ceremony was fun! I don’t get why they were using those ugly, big plastic things instead of medals, though. The skaters already had to hold the flowers and watches and people usually only have two hands. Medals they can hang around their necks would have been more practical.

- And here was my biggest annoyance of the day: The organisation of the event was a bit of a chaos. For saturday, you had to buy a ticket for the afternoon (Men and Dance) and another for the evening (Ladies and Pairs). And instead of letting people stay inside and just checking their second ticket, they made everyone leave the arena and stand in line outside again. And if you wanted to watch the victory ceremonies until the end and quickly have dinner (since it was 6 pm), you had literally no time. We left the building after the men’s victory ceremony and the line was already huge again and they weren’t letting people back inside yet. So we ran to get some food before quickly getting back in line. At that point they seemed to realize they hadn’t thought this through and were letting people in quicker. Still, we barely made it back in time for the beginning of Stanislava’s performance. Some people behind us missed the first or first two ladies. There really should have been a way to organize that better. Either let people stay inside, or make the break between the two parts longer or something.

- The ladies. Oh god, I was nervous. I was /so/ nervous for the second group. Bradie was surprisingly cool to watch. I’m glad Marin finally managed two clean programs.

- Mai was absolutely beautiful and it only hit me after the whole thing was over how /close/ she came to making the final. I didn’t really expect her to qualify, but look at how close she came! Two points more and she would have been in. It’s a little frustrating now that I think about it. She’d have deserved it. But at least she still seemed super happy with her medal.

- Rika, my darling Rika <3. At first I was disappointed when she didn’t do the 3A3T, beacause I REALLY wanted to see it in person, but in retrospect, I understand. She knew she didn’t have to win to qualify for the final. She saw the others’ scores and knew she didn’t need another highscore. Making the final was more important than beating her personal best, so I understand why she played it safe. And it was enough to win, which I’m delighted about. Congrats on your second GP win and on making the final, darling, you deserve it.

- Zhenya </3. I was gutted about that one. I really wanted her in the final. But at the end of the day, the result was fair. There just happened to be many others in this GP series who were better. That being said, I still believe in her and wish her all the best. It’s not the end of the world. Ups and downs are a part of any athlete’s career, and as I said before, she’s going through a lot of changes right now, so the struggles are understandable. Maybe she’ll come back stronger for Russian Nationals and do well there. Or maybe she’ll struggle the whole season, and that’s okay, too. Give her time. Don’t jump to conclusions. And most importantly, be respectful and don’t hate on her.

- On a happier note, the Pairs’ Free was amazing and I’m SO happy for Vanessa and Morgan! And they’re such nice people, too. They look two victory laps after the VC and made sure to wave at all the fans and thank everyone. I really want them to win the GPF now.

- Speaking of nice people: Did you see Rika and Mai on the podium and after? alsjdflaksjdf CUTIES!!! That moment when they came back wrapped in flags because they were freezing... or when they hugged each other... my heart melted right then and there. The only thing I got annoyed about was the old photographer who made them stay for so long they couldn’t really do a victory lap. I was really thinking ‘come on, dude, you already have so many photos! just let them celebrate with their fans for a bit’. And they’re such sweethearts. Both of them were cold, but they still went over to the fans near the K&C, signed a buch of autographs and took selfies with fans. Unfortunately, I was sitting all the way on the other side of the rink. I considered running over there and asking for an autograph, but Rika and Mai already seemed they like they were cold, so I didn’t want to annoy them and make them stay even longer.

- A thing I forgot earlier: After the Ladies’ FS, I walked past Mie Hamada on my way to the toilet and she seemed super happy. I wonder why

- And finally, there was the gala on sunday, which was really nice. I’m glad we decided to stay for that after all. The minute of silence for Denis Ten was really moving. I’m glad Zhenya seemed to be in a good mood at the gala. I still love Rika’s dress. Jason’s EX was the best. I was disappointed they didn’t invite the Russian Power Rangers (Popova/ Mozgov) to the gala, though. That would have been cool to see.

- All in all, I had an amazing time in France, and I definitely want to go to a competition again next year. It’s an amazing experience and I highly recommend it.

#Figure skating #IDF 2018 #Internationaux de France 2018 #Internationaux de France #personal #Vanessa James #Nathan Chen #Jason Brown #Junhwan Cha #Alexander Samarin #Bradie Tennell #Marin Honda #Mai Mihara #Rika Kihira #Evgenia Medvedeva #Morgan Cipres #Mie Hamada #Denis Ten

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scatteredfangirling · 7 years ago

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Worlds 2018 Podium Prediction: Mens

We’re roughly a week away from the end of the 2017-2018 season, and a lot has changed since Pyeongchang ended.

Podium Predictions: Men’s | Ladies | Pairs | Ice Dance

Both Javier and Yuzuru, the top two men who have held this title for the past four seasons (2014 - 2017), will be absent, meaning that the door is wide open for a new champion.

(this GIF is just making me think “choose your fighter” with these two idiots placing their bets on who will become the king of 2018 - in my head they’re both pointing at Shoma)

Like many here, I’m hoping for a sQuad podium. Ideally:

Shoma Uno

Nathan Chen

Boyang Jin

Any of the 6 possible permutations of the sQuad is acceptable, but this one seems the most realistic/likely.

More rambling/analysis of each skater is under the cut. (It’s reallyyyyy long.)

Just as a heads up:

All of the season averages are calculated using all the scores made available on their Wikipedia pages, unless otherwise stated.

Medals that are noted are all international championships of sorts, and do not include things like qualifier GP events or CS events, because those events don’t necessarily have a critical mass of top skaters.

100/200/300 Club appearance counts are based only on GP qualifiers, GPF, Four Continents, Worlds, and Olympics (individual-only)

There is a chance some of these stats may be off by a tad because I am human and prone to mistakes - it is possible that I may have pressed a wrong calculator button or misread/missed a number. (I don’t want to think about how much time I’ve spent making this post instead of doing homework, but if you find something PM me and I will fix it ASAP)

GOLD: Shoma Uno (JPN)

my smol sleepy relatable son (he’s only like two years younger than me but he’s just so precious especially in this gif asdkfshhhsh)

Shoma is pretty much always associated with being Japan’s #2 man. Yuzuru may cast a big shadow, but Shoma uses this gap as a positive motivation to continue improving. If he had been anyone else, I think he would have seen Yuzuru as an obstacle, rather than a goal. (Honestly the friendship between these two is just tooth-achingly pure)

Shoma’s #2 position is not to be taken lightly - out of the sQuad, he has probably been the most consistent in competition. He has finished on the podium at every singles competition he’s been in during the 2016-2017 season and the 2017-2018 season so far.

Medals of Note:

2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, silver

2018 Four Continents, silver

2017-2018 Grand Prix Final, silver

2017 Worlds, silver

2017 Asian Winter Games, gold

Analysis:

2017-2018 SP Average: 101.0825 2017-2018 FS Average: 192.30625 (189.0685 if you remove the 214 SB outlier from Lombardia) 2017-2018 Total Average: 295.48714

# Times in the 100 Club: 6 # Times in the 200 Club: 2 # Times in the 300 Club: 3

I personally think that Shoma is the most well-rounded out of the sQuad members. Take this with a grain of salt, because I have a tendency to fall deeply in love with skaters that are more artistically inclined. (My inner dancer is unapologetic.)

Shoma’s jumps have improved drastically since he was a junior, but I’ve read and also have seen that his jump technique is not the best. He has a tendency to flutz (honey you were the first to land the quad flip...just stick with it and own the GOE), and his triple axels can sometimes give us anxiety.

What really attracts me to his skating is the command he has on the ice that goes hand-in-hand with the music. He has a lot of awareness and control of his upper body, from his core all the way to the top of his head and to the ends of his fingers. It makes every movement of his skates feel very deliberate, but in a very organic manner, rather than a mechanical one. Once he gets into the swing of things in a season, he becomes one with the music and the choreography, which is a very beautiful thing to watch.

He seems to be the guy who is able to handle his nerves the most consistently, which generally leads to pretty reliable results. One thing that really helps is his below-freezing chill personality - if he falls on that first jump, he’s really good at compartmentalizing that (sometimes he just laughs it off internally, like who is this kid) and moving on with the rest of the program.

I honestly think that Worlds 2018 is the time for Shoma to peak for real. (I didn’t watch Lombardia this season so I don’t know if his personal bests there are actually PBs and not just weirdly inflated scores from weird judging all around) He has a lot of potential to do it.

SILVER: Nathan Chen (USA)

slaythan chen of the united states of america/the quad king

Nathan is the next up-and-coming star for mens figure skating in the USA. This is an undeniable fact. It’s been such a long time since the US has had a singles skater that had Olympic medal potential, and NBC basically made him shoulder the expectations of a nation in a figure skating medal drought during Pyeongchang.

The youngest of the sQuad and the last of them to enter the senior ranks, Nathan still has a ways to go before he can be deemed a reliable and consistent top contender.

Medals of Note:

2017-2018 Grand Prix Final, gold

2017 Four Continents, gold

2016-2017 Grand Prix Final, silver

Analysis:

2017-2018 SP Average: 95.30142 (100.846 if we remove the two Pyeongchang SP bombs) 2017-2018 FS Average: 190.822857 2017-2018 Total Average: 290.6333

# Times in the 100 Club: 4 # Times in the 200 Club: 2 # Times in the 300 Club: 1

Nathan’s pretty solid on all his jumps, except for the triple axel. I cringe every time I see a triple axel. That’s his Achilles heel, and also the fact that he keeps...changing...his program layout. He’s dubbed the Quad King because he can land the 5 types of quads, but this title doesn’t imply consistency. It’s only natural that his landing accuracy will be lower because he’s practicing all these different takeoff techniques and not necessarily repping them as much as the men four years ago used to rep the 4T and 4S when those were the only two quads used in competition.

When I heard that Nathan did ballet and gymnastics as a kid, I was really excited. But his choreography doesn’t highlight this background as much as it should. His program component score would be improved in the interpretation, composition, and performance aspects if he had better choreo. I feel that his programs this season involve a lot of swinging arms that seem to be there more for keeping balance than for artistic intent. Nemesis is easily one of my favorite programs of his, but there’s a bit of a disrupt between the character/story being presented and how the choreography is just falling short of melding with the music.

I have yet to see a competitive program where Nathan really comes alive (like in the EX above)

We’ve seen in Pyeongchang that Nathan can fall victim to his nerves big time. He generally emanates a very cool and collected vibe, but in the few times that the nerves do kick in, pretty much the worst can happen. I feel that once something goes a bit wrong, he just goes off into the deep end. It’s the downside of wanting something a bit too much - it throws your emotional and mental preparation out of whack. Watching his short program in the Olympic team event was rough, because he landed the quad flip (albeit shakily), and then he seemed to mentally clock out and everything else derailed...accordingly. Hopefully he does his best and gets the results he deserves.

BRONZE: Boyang Jin (CHN)

prince of china, memes, and questionable off-ice fashion decisions

I love Boyang as a person. He’s just so quirky and hilarious. China’s ray of sunshine. When he brings it, he can reap medals like no other - his jumps are what have powered him to the position that he is today.

Like just look at that lutz - it’s just so ridiculously technically clean

Medals of Note:

2018 Four Continents, gold

2017 Worlds, bronze

2016 Worlds, bronze

2016 Four Continents, silver

Analysis:

2017-2018 SP Average: 92.5 (96.1325 if we remove whatever disaster Skate America was) 2017-2018 FS Average: 179.866 (182.8175 if we remove whatever disaster Skate America was) 2017-2018 Total Average: 272.366 (278.95 if we remove whatever disaster Skate America was)

(TLDR “Boyang Jin and the very bad not good day at Skate America”)

# Times in the 100 Club: 2 # Times in the 200 Club: 2 # Times in the 300 Club: 2

There isn’t much score data for Boyang this season. But looking at this scores for the past two seasons, they can be inconsistent. He can knock it out of the park one week and then just bomb a few weeks after. (His SP score this season ranges from a 77.97 to his SB of a 103.32, whereas Nathan’s worst in Pyeongchang was 80.61 and his best was 104.12 - the difference being all of Nathan’s SPs have been over 90 except for the disaster of Pyeongchang)

As mentioned earlier, Boyang is in the top tier of mens skaters for his jumps and technical element score. His program components have not improved as much as I would have liked in the past few seasons since he broke into the senior ranks. As a result, his programs sometimes feel quite emotionally flat to me until there’s some highlight moment (cue the Cantina music in this season’s FS). Part of this is a direct result of the choreography he’s given and the flow of how all the technical elements connect, and the other part of this stems from his base level of skating skills. He doesn’t use edges as deeply as the other two, which further contributes to this flat impression that I have of his skating.

As long as my Chinese son ends up on the podium, I will be very happy.

This sums up my prediction for the men’s podium, and all we have to do is wait and see. Whatever the results are, I hope that all of them can feel proud of how they skate in Milan.

Here, enjoy some happy gifs of their shenanigans and wholesome rivalry before the chaos begins:

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kateua · 7 years ago

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do you have any advice for someone who wants to get into the skating fandom? any particular routines or skaters i should watch?

making programs recommendations is my favourite thing! =D first of all, i think the best thing to start with is watching competitions live. that’s how i got into fandom and really felt the atmosphere of it all. it was 2010 Europeans right before the Olympics for me. and you’ve come just in time for the Grand Prix Final! it’s the first major comp of the season where the best skaters (top 6 in each event) compete head to head. it starts on Thursday, and you can find all the info about where and when to watch it here. btw it’s a very useful blog. you can find a lot about the rules, elements and other important stuff there. if you can’t watch it live you can just find videos later. the next important competitions will be various National Championships, where most Olympic teams will be decided during December and January. and then Europeans and Four Continents in January, the last big comps before the Olympics.

sooo, considering recommendations… there’ve been so many great programs that it’s hard to choose only a few! i think it would be better to get to know current skaters at first and then learn more about the former stars of figure skating. so, i’ll just show you the favourites of the season and some other interesting skaters, plus my fave programs of theirs from this season (one of the two for each lol). i honestly thought i would finish this in one sit, but i realised i could only manage one discipline before falling asleep on my keyboard lmao. so let’s start with men, and i’ll do ladies the other day, and then ice dance and pairs. you need the time to watch all these anyway =D

here we go. i did a long list once again, i’m hopeless. but you can just bookmark it and watch little by little when you have time =)

men

Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan), 2014 Olympic champion - FS (free skate, it’s from two years ago, but he’s brought this program back for the Olympic season and just hasn’t performed it as perfectly as then yet) - the one and only, the lord of Winnie the Poohs and the guy with the biggest figure skating fandom behind him. when he skates clean, he’s rightfully on top and seemingly unbeatable. but it hasn’t been this way lately. plus he got injured at the NHK Trophy. so his second Olympic gold is not a given yet, even though he’s the no. 1 contender;

Javier Fernandez (Spain), two-time World champion - SP (short program) - i just love him, okay? when he’s on he can do sooo good. he’s not an example of a full packaged skater, but with the way his programs are choreographed, he knows how to hide it and show his best qualities. he hasn’t qualified for the GPF, because he fucked up his first Grand Prix event, Cup of China *sigh*. also i melt every time he smiles, so i’m probably extremely biased towards him lol;

Shoma Uno (Japan), 2017 World silver medalist - SP - he has expressive and soft skating, but mostly relies on his big technical content this season. he’s also shy and lovable off ice. hates vegetables. is adorable;

Patrick Chan (Canada), 2014 Olympic silver medalist - SP - the best skating skills of the field. period. he just can’t keep up with the jumping layouts the other podium favourites have =( i’m really worried about him and i hope he can get it together and not be let down by this and just skate for himself and not the scores. because when he does, it’s magical;

Nathan Chen (USA), 2017 Four Continents champion - SP (my fave men’s SP of the season!!!) - proving he’s not just a jumping machine this season. so much progress in terms of expression! and that program is littt;

Jin Boyang (China), two-time World bronze medalist - SP - still needs to polish his skating, but the jumps are on point. he’s missing the GPF because of an injury;

Mikhail Kolyada (Russia), 2017 European bronze medalist - SP (i chose it just because it’s shorter and because the first jump, the quad lutz, is a thing of beauty) - a very talented guy, but i wish he had better choreography so it would be more noticable =/ ;

Adam Rippon (USA), 2010 Four Continents champion - FS (not from this season, but he left this program, and imo this was his best performance of it so far) - he’s not a fan of quadraple jumps that you need today to win stuff, but he’s a gorgeous performer and just a sassy and fabulous guy. and a fan favourite;

Misha Ge (Uzbekistan), 6th at the 2015 Worlds - SP - honestly, who needs quads when you can skate like this?? we’re so blessed he decided to stay for another season (he planned to retire this year, but changed his mind). you just feeel how invested he is! and he won his first ever GP medal in France this year!;

Yan Han (China), three-time Four Continents bronze medalist - SP - struggling with jumps all the time, but his skating is so pleasant to watch ughhh. super inconsistent. the only thing he’s consistent with is messing with my feels;

Denis Ten (Kazakhstan), 2014 Olympic bronze medalist - SP - the guy i, personally, keep forgetting about all the time (and i’m embarrassed of it, honestly, because he deserves more). he’s far from his best atm because of numerous injuries, but you can just appreciate the quality of his skating;

Jason Brown (USA), 2014 Olympic bronze medalist (team), 4th at the 2015 Worlds - SP - he’s always fun to watch. it feels like he’s enjoying himself on the ice;

Deniss Vasiljevs (Latvia), 7th at the 2017 Europeans - FS - a little rough here and there, but definitely a guy to watch in the future. much potential. love his final trademark spin.

#gothquartet #asks #figure skating #ahhh no i won't tag anyone #too many people

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shadowetienne · 7 years ago

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Not So Quick Predictions: Grand Prix Final (Ladies)

Like the men’s field, the ladies’ field has already had one withdrawl from the Grand Prix Final (Evegenia Medvedeva (RUS)), and it’s shifted up the landscape some. Unlike with the men though, this has potentially shaken up the podium order more than just about anything else could have because it brought in Satoko Miyahara (JPN) who is looking pretty much back in form after last season’s injuries.

The competitors in the ladies’ field are: Alina Zagitova (RUS), Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN), Carolina Kostner (ITA), Maria Sotskova (RUS), Wakaba Higuchi (JPN), and Satoko Miyahara (JPN). All of them except Maria Sotskova have personal bests within about a point of each other’s, so this should be interesting!

Ladies’ Field:

Alina Zagitova (RUS) has had an impressive first season score wise and winning things wise, but I’m not really sold on her skating. The judges clearly like it though. She’s got more than enough in the technical department to take the gold, but not enough to make herself the standout run away winner against anyone else in the field.

To watch: I’ve not really got a recommendation, but she skated well at both of her events (Cup of China and Internationaux de France). Her free skate at Internationaux de France was a personal best (151.34)

Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN) came off her her second at Worlds last season with a strong season on the Grand Prix circuit. She’s the second qualifier with a 1st and 3rd place going in. She’s another one of the skaters with a really close personal best, but she’s got a very good chance at the podium if she strings two good programs together.

To watch: GP Skate Canada 2017 SP (personal best of 76.06)

Carolina Kostner (ITA) has made an impressive return to competition these past few seasons as one of the oldest ladies in the field these days at 30 years of age. Just like most of the rest of the field, her personal bests are within a few points, but unlike many of the other skaters, it’s been a few years since she earned them. That being said, she’s been keeping up pretty well with new tech content especially because her PCS is impressively high. It’s really going to end up depending on how clean she skates if she can make the podium this time.

To watch: GP NHK Trophy 2017 FS (she got the highest components score she’s ever gotten, and a total score of 137.67)

Maria Sotskova (RUS) has by far the lowest personal bests of anyone in this field, but she skated very well twice in a row to get here. Even so, she’s going to need some help from other competitors to get her on the podium. She’s put herself in the running for the Russian Olympic team by getting here though, and a good performance here could strengthen her bid for that.

To watch: GP Internationaux de France 2017 FS (she set a personal best of 140.99)

Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) has had an excellent season so far, qualifying for the GPF above all of the ladies with the possibility of it in the final event of the GP circuit. She’s skated beautifully, and I really love her programs this season. After a slightly lackluster finish last season, she’s put herself in very strong contention for one of team Japan’s two ladies slots for the Olympics. If she places here, that will even further cement that possibility (just depending on how she does at Nationals). She’s right up in that top bracket of high personal best scores, so she’s going to have to skate clean and better than the rest to get on the podium. Working in her favor: she’s got a pair of strong, well balanced programs that suit her speed and power wonderfully. She’s clearly loving skating them, and the judges are rewarding that more and more in her PCS (which is well deserved).

To watch: GP Cup of China SP (70.53, which is about 4 points off her personal best) and GP Cup of China FS (141.99, which is also about 4 points off her personal best)

Satoko Miyahara (JPN) is at the GPF as a replacement for Evgenia. She didn’t skate as well as hoped because she was still coming back into training from an injury that took her out of the end of last season, but by the time Skate America rolled around, she was ready to show that the Satoko that we were hoping for was back. She’s a good shot for the podium despite being here as the alternate, and after coming back from an injury, she’s looking to do well here to shoot for one of the two spots on the Japanese Olympic team (2 spots that could conceivably got to any of 7 ladies, though there are 3 that have made the best case for themselves so far this season). Satoko would have been pretty much a lock for one of those spots if she’d not hurt herself, but if she’d not been hurt, there’s a good chance that team Japan would have had three spots for the Olympics. I hope that she can prove that she’s really back at the GPF!

To watch: GP Skate America SP (70.72, about 4 points off her personal best) and GP Skate America FS (143.31, less than half a point off her personal best)

Predicted Podium:

1 - Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN) 2 - Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) 3 - Satoko Miyahara (JPN)

Honestly, this prediction is going to be pretty based on personal preference because the top scores for five of these ladies are so close together. I’m trying to also base it on how they’ve been doing this season and consistency levels in past seasons (and who was in the hardest fields). Honestly, I think that my only real prediction is that Maria Sotskova of Russia probably won’t be on the podium.

Dream Podium:

1 - Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) 2 - Satoko Miyahara (JPN) 3 - Carolina Kostner (ITA)

My biggest hope is that both Wakaba and Satoko make the podium. Other than that, I’d love to see Carolina skate well because she’s one of the older skaters in the field, and I want them to skate well while they still can and have good resolutions to their careers.

#figure skating #gpf #gpf predictions

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wakabahiguchi · 7 years ago

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Okay. So I’m feeling all the feelings right now and despite me being incredibly tired I just have to write them all out (shocker).

EDIT: So this was only supposed to be a reaction to Sui/Han’s olympic silver, and instead it turned into some emotional essay about my thoughts on their entire evolution since I started following them. Me, writing an insanely long essay about Sui/Han professing my love for them and their story? What a shocker. I didn’t think this would happen at all. And the best part? There will still probably be more emo thoughts to come.

I think people don’t realize how much 4 years means in skating. Dynamics shift, skaters rise, skaters fall, there are injuries, setback, and power shifts that occur even within seasons. Right after the Olympics of 2014, D/R were the pair to beat. C/B and W/P were toe to toe in ice dancing, seemingly swapping titles. Elizaveta and Elena were unstoppable, swapping titles and landing triples like they were nothing. The beginning of this Olympic season, all events are so different. The fight for pairs shifted to S/H vs S/M each with different rises and falls throughout the season. The men’s event is lead by 6 equally capable competitors. Ice dance is in a fight between V/M and P/C with the Shibs trailing behind. And neither Elizaveta nor Elena even made their Olympic team. 4 years is a long time. Nothing is guaranteed in 4 years.

So that long intro was basically in regards to the Olympic Pairs FS of 2018. I’m still processing the results because it’s not unexpected, but still devastating. Sui/Han’s silver medal is an extraordinary achievement. So much has happened in 4 years for them. In 2014, when they officially won me over, they were placing 6th at worlds, scoring ~65 in the SP and barely cracking 140 points in the FS. They were considered China’s #2 team, not even getting the host pick for Cup of China. They had found success as juniors, but seemed to be struggling as seniors. I remember watching their terrible NHK 2013 program before I was a fan, and knowing they had lost the shot to go to the Olympics. They were underdogs. No figure skating coverage mentioned them, they were never taken seriously as podium threats. At the time, it was a fight between D/R and S/K. Sui/Han weren’t even considered a guaranteed third in respect. I distinctly remember their bronze medal at the 2014 GPF. At the time, it was a shock to me. Out of the top 6 present, I knew they had a shot at medaling, but it was beyond my expectations when they did. I was so proud of them, as I viewed them as underdogs despite how seasoned they were. When Sui/Han won their first Worlds Silver Medal in 2016, I was almost crying with joy. Just read my posts. At the time, I was sharing my love between all Chinese pairs, and my love for the return of Pang/Tong almost eclipsed Sui/Han’s silver medal, but I was ecstatic for them. To me, that silver worlds medal was a sign that they had finally eclipsed all the times they were overlooked. This was their statement the world that they were transforming into true contenders. While skaters were peaking in the post-olympic season, Sui/Han seemed to still be developing and growing. When they scored the 71+ (personal best) in the SP at WTT2015, I was so proud of them. Finally, for the entire season, they had placed first in a segment, short or long. I still remember I was in Hawaii when I saw that they had scored first, and I couldn’t believe it. That season was transformative for me, in terms of my respect for pairs in general. Looking back, it was such a growing period. I still remember the time S/H botched their spin and got left off the podium in 2015 4CC. At the time, I was waxing poetic about how stress-free following my favorite pairs was. Because nobody expected anything from them. It was stress free because I knew they wouldn’t win, but that they were improving. And any improvement was a win as a fan. That Worlds silver medal in 2015 was the true turning point, in my opinion. That’s when they started to develop into their own individual style. In 2014, Sui/Han had a history of having the most bizzare exhibitions. In 2014, Sui/Han were still skating to ‘fun’ programs, and their Stray Cat Strut SP that won me over with them will always stay in my heart as a favorite. One year into the quad and Sui/Han were hardly where they are now. That’s how fast a single skating season can change things.

2015 was the ultimate season of growing pains for Sui/Han, as things were not upwardly climbing and improving like in 2014. It was this year that S/H lost COC gold in their OWN country. It was this year that S/H were still falling on their pairs spin. It was this year that S/H lost the SP at SA when they botched something, probably a spin (lol). It was this year when S/H dropped out of the GPF because of Wenjing’s injury, one of many to come. This season was when I heard stories and stories of injuries, starting from the ongoing ligament problems, to the one time Sui hit her head when practicing the 4S and said she partially lost vision (!!). It was this season S/H were gambling with the 4S, seeming to have mastered it at the beginning of the season and at 4CC. It was this season where, on Chinese New Years, an article was posted about their journey thus far as skaters and the sheer amount of injuries and setbacks they’ve endured. That was when I truly admired them the most out of all pairs despite my vow to love all Chinese pairs equally. It was this season, where they started to win things. Starting with 4CC 2016 when they completed 2 clean quads in competition. It was this season where expectations were raised, and they were entering conversations about medal contenders. It was this season, where their PCS were finally, finally going above D/R. It was this season where they were scoring more than 70 points in the SP with ease, and more than 140 in the FS. And most importantly, it was this season where I went to Boston to witness Worlds 2016. It was this season where I saw them in person for the first and only time (so far hopefully). This season was the season where I would wake up as early as 7AM to watch the pairs practice. This season, Sui landed her 4S right before my very eyes as I sat in the first row of the rink and I felt the ground shake as she landed. I watched their glorious SP with my own eyes, watched as the crowd, who had given them pretty tepid applause in the beginning, rise to their feet in meteoric applause before S/H had even finished their step sequence. I watched, with my very own eyes, as Sui/Han scored an 80 point SP, the only pair to do so the entire season despite performing in the second-to-last group in the SP, sealing first place with ease. I, who had originally planned to only watch the SP, begged my mom to buy us tickets for the FS. I wanted to watch Sui/Han win Worlds with my own eyes, improving upon their Silver medal. We got tickets for the FS, and I watched, with my own eyes, as Wenjing fell on the 4S. I watched, as Sui/Han performed in the worst possible FS skate order, get second place for the second time at Worlds. I watched their exhibition, knowing that two silvers must be hard for them. But also knowing that maybe 2016 wasn’t their time. It was a year of development, ups and downs, high scores and low, and multiple injuries. But it was the season of finally watching their magical skating in real life, knowing that the magic they emitted from the television translated well across in the arena.

So much happens in a single season of skating. When it was reported that Wenjing was to immediately get surgery after 2016 Worlds, I held my breath for months. She was to get ligament surgery on both feet. There was no guarantee that she would be able to skate again. They were assigned to GP assignments, but they were rehabilitating for months. The 2016 season was lonely. As I waited patiently for updates on Sui/Han’s conditions, I watched as newer pairs began to enter the contenders conversation. I watched as D/R faltered, and S/M and T/M began to take their place. I watched the pairs field shift. I watched as news outlets once again left S/H out of the conversation. I watched as Chinese news outlets updated us on Sui’s conditions, showing us the magnitude of her injuries and interviewing her terrifying time in surgery. I remember the Chinese’s pairs swap fiasco that happened, and how my whole outlook on the Chinese pairs teams had shifted just over two seasons. I watched as Han performed his Art on Ice exhibition completely alone, until he wheeled Wenjing out onto the ice. I watched as they cried. I remember slowly exhaling as each new update came through: at one point she was learning how to walk, then at one point she put on skates for the first time. At one point she could do minor partner skating, but no jumps. At one point she began performing jumps again. At one point she could do run-throughs, but needed to take many breaks. Then at one point, they were back on the ice. The GP season was a lonely one. In 2017, they were a question mark. There was no guarantee they would be anywhere near their original form. There was no idea how they would stack up. As a fan and a follower of their journey, I lowered my expectations. I knew they didn’t have to win, and that just by getting up again after surgery was a win again. And then they won. With possibly my favorite 2 sets of programs they’ve ever performed, Wenjing and Cong performed a perfect SP at 4CC 2017 and scored 80+ points, becoming the highest scoring pairs SP and the only pair to score 80+ points the entire season, just like 2016. And in the FS, Wenjing and Cong stole my heart as they poured their souls into Bridge Over Troubled Water and took a commanding first place at 4CC. They debuted programs that were the best showcases of their artistic ability. These were programs leap years ahead in maturity and artistry. In seasons where their artistic vision seemed a little lost or still in question, these two programs perfectly encapsulated their flair, dynamism, elegance, and power. Their evolution into a top pairs team began once they grasped who they were artistically. And this competition was monumental. This was their first competition back in almost a year, and they had surpassed so many expectations. The victory was already there in their ability to stand up. It was this moment, where I was 100% sold, no going back, all in and emotionally invested. This moment was when I decided that I wanted everything for them, all the victories competition related or not. I wanted no more injuries, no more hardships; they had faced them all. They had come out stronger, but it was a wild ride and I wanted them to get a break. But the fight was not over. Sui/Han had won 4CC but they had yet to face the rest of the world all season. When they were gone, the pairs field kept changing. Scores rose, PCS inflated, teams changed… It was a question mark whether or not Sui/Han would stack up to the rest of the field. If 4CC 2017 was monumental, Worlds 2017 was colossal. Once again being the only pair to cross 80+ points in the SP and doing so with an 81 nonetheless despite once again, being in the second to last group, Sui/Han proved that they were back and better than ever physically and artistically after surgery. When they drew last in the skate order, my heart jumped. Sui/Han performed last in 2015 and performed the best they had that season. This time, they did the same. When S/M skated right before them and posted a 150 score, I couldn’t help but fear that the gold was once again out of reach, and Sui/Han would once again, have to settle for a Silver. I was in CMS class when I was following the pairs FS. I was anxiously refreshing twitter for updates, no doubt ignoring whatever lecture was going on. I first heard that Sui fell on her 3S, and my heart sank, feeling the gold was out of reach. But once I saw their final score of 151 and saw that they had won, I had never felt more happy in my entire life of following skating (besides maybe Mao’s Olympic FS). It seemed like in Worlds 2017, it was the culmination of everything. 2014 was the year of development, of Sui/Han emerging from their second-rate status and slowly climbing. 2015 was their growing pains season, full of setbacks, mistakes, but rewards. 2017 was something else. It was as if going through the surgery and rehabilitation changed them personally, and gave them that extra push and strength they needed. It was this time when Cong insisted that if Sui were forced to retire due to injury, he would not replace her with another partner and would just retire alongside her. It was this time when Sui confessed that the surgery gave her a new love for skating, and made her realize how much she truly loves and dedicates herself to the sport. It was the year where they said that once they finished their FS, they knew that they had won - not the competition, but the fights against their own hardships. 2014 was development, 2015 was growing pains, but 2017 was a transformation. Finally, World Champions after being bridesmaids for so long, finally being considered in the top echelon of pairs. Finally, seeming to peak right at the perfect time, in amazing position to be coming towards the Olympics. It had only been three years, but so much had changed. And despite it all, Sui/Han had overcome everything life had thrown at them.

Coming into 2017-2018, I was worried. Their FS received mixed audience reviews, but they continued to show success in the GP series. Their SP received 80 right away in the COC SP, and in the FS for the first time in a long time, Sui stood upright on her fully rotated 3S (despite a step-out). They were getting small World Champion score bonuses and were on the perfect trajectory. NHK was incredible, and a poetic parallel to 2013 when, right before the Olympics, they had the worst FS of their entire careers and missed the Olympic team for 2014. While slightly stumbling in the SP and scoring 79, their first score below 80 in 2 seasons(!!), they met that with a WORLD RECORD scoring free skate, scoring 155 points. I was in the car on the way to a frisbee tournament when this happened, almost shouting with delight as I read that Wenjing had landed a clean 3S for the first time since Worlds 2015. It was this competition where they shattered the world record, and were officially top seeded heading into the Grand Prix Final. The Grand Prix Final of 2017 didn’t happen so I won’t talk about it. But it was nice to see them appear in a GPF for the first time since 2015. They won silver, which was the first time they had lost in a year. That’s all that happened.

And now it’s 2018. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to where we are now, but I truly wanted to emphasize how much things can change in 4 years. These 4 years have flown by like crazy, a funny thing to think about considering how close I was to quitting following skating after 2014 because most of my favorite skaters were retiring. Being a Sui/Han fan is emotionally taxing, but I found that as a fan, there is simply no choice but to be emotionally invested. In their story, their journey, their progression from an eccentric Chinese children pairs team to sophisticated gold medal contenders. It was because of this that I was dying for an OGM to fully culminate their journey from 2014 until now. I wanted that OGM for everything they’ve faced, for everything they’ve overcome, for all the times they were ignored, to all the times they were underscored. To all the times they have proven to be the most sophisticated, balanced, and incredibly matched pairs team. It seemed so possible after the SP yesterday. It was all within reach, everything was falling into place. Once again, S/H skated in the second to last group, posting the highest SP score of the season, and placing first. It was like clockwork. I first got worried when they did not draw last in the FS. And then as I checked my social media tonight, I saw that they had won the silver medal but missed out on gold by 0.47 points.

And now I’m here, having been typing this essay for over an hour and a half. Now I’m here, processing my emotions. I must preface by admitting that I'm not as upset as I thought I would be, mainly because I can understand how Sui/Han could win silver instead of gold this evening. Unfortunately, mistakes were made and the lead in the SP wasn’t enough. Unfortunately, the tech caller gave them a level 3 lift for the first time in YEARS. Cong unfortunately messed up on the jump combo in the FS for the first time since I can even remember. Any of these little mistakes or calls against them could’ve made the difference. And everywhere I look there seem to be lots of 'they lost from ___" or "if only they had done ___". Everywhere I look, there are theories on how they lost, what they could’ve done, or how there was another judging scandal. And in all honesty, there are countless scenarios and elements to scrutinize, but honestly, I don't want to focus on that because what has happened has happened already. No point in agonizing over what could've happened. When you lose out on such a small amount, it’s devastating. There’s so many things you can point towards for the reason why. The small point gap is heartbreaking, I'm sure more so for them than any of us watching. Seeing their sad faces during the K&C and medal ceremony wasn't what I wanted to see from them at the end of the Olympics. This is not how I wanted the culmination of their incredible journey to go.

Despite all, I'm still proud for them and all they've overcome, and I was always a little reassured with the fact that Sui/Han vowed to continue until Beijing. However, as much as I love them, I'm always cautious and tentative to immediately proclaim that they will have the same chance in 4 years. As I’ve spent page now documenting, 4 years is a lifetime in skating, especially after following how the pairs field has evolved since 2014. I don't doubt they can be just as successful, but it does feel like a long time to wait for them to have this chance again. I know the power shifts in skating constantly, and right now S/H are in a great spot as contenders and favorites. As a fan, I can only hope that they just hold on a little longer and don't beat themselves up over their silver medal. It's in insane accomplishment; Wenjing wasn't even walking about a year ago. I'll admit that I'm still disappointed, and I'm honestly not in the mood to feel optimistic or assured that they'll still be successful in 4 years. However, I do know that as a fan, I could not be happier with their evolution, journey, and success during this quad, and I only wish for the same and more in the coming seasons.

It almost seems poetic, the pairing between Sui/Han and winning silver medals. And this somehow feels oddly parallel to when I saw them win Silver in 2016. They truly had a shot, and the door was open. But it just wasn’t their time. I knew that it just wasn’t the right time. And despite disappointment, I had some odd feeling of reassurance. Somehow I knew that it wasn’t their time, but their time would soon come. And all I had to do was wait one year to watch the most rewarding performance by Wenjing and Cong, one that almost moved me to tears during Worlds 2017. That all the time after getting second, they finally got their victory. That those two silvers were worth the disappointment to see where they were at that moment. This is almost how I feel now. I never admitted this even to myself, but a part of me after the GPF was questioning if it was Sui/Han’s time to actually win. Whether they had peaked too early, or whether something was off about the timing. They were unbeatable for one year, but in the back of my mind I knew that given one mistake, the judges would be merciless. And while this isn’t there time, I am cautiously optimistic that perhaps history will repeat it self as it did during Worlds 2017. When I think of Sui/Han’s silver medal at the Olympics today, I don’t think of heartbreak. I don’t think of devastation or judging scandals like I did with Yuna Kim’s silver in 2014. I think of disappointment. The same disappointment of when Sui/Han were left off the 2014 Olympic team. The same disappointment when Sui/Han won the silver in 2016 Worlds by a failed 4S attempt. The same disappointment when Sui/Han were sidelined by surgery and rehabilitation. The same disappointment when Sui/Han faced setback after setback, injury after injury. But the thing is, they have always come back from those setbacks. There was always something better, something more rewarding at the end of every disappointment. I’m allowing myself to be disappointed by Wenjing and Cong’s silver. In time, it will fade. And I’m not invalidating or ignoring the monumental achievement an Olympic silver medal is, especially among this pairs field today. The situation is, I understand why they won silver. I also understand that they could’ve just as easily won gold. I don’t want to waste time thinking about what could’ve happened. But I’m not making the effort to turn this into something optimistic. I’m not wasting my energy trying to see the bright side in this situation. I’m not jumping ahead to claim that they will have their time in Beijing. Who knows what can happen in a quad. It’s taken me six pages single spaced to even explain everything that’s happened to just one team over 4 years. I can’t find the energy to think of the future, about what could happen. It seems just as exhausting as analyzing how they could’ve won the Gold tonight. What I guess I hoped to achieve in this post/essay is how much Wenjing and Cong have inspired me this whole season. How their journey has catapulted them into the least divisive and most universally liked and respected team amongst the general public during the entire quad. How, no matter what happens in the future, what they’ve achieved that has inspired me in the past will never change.

I never expected to fall in love with a pairs team who skated to cliche Russian folk dance music in ridiculous costumes who proceeded to fall on all their jumps and throws in 2013 NHK Trophy. I never expected another skater/team to match the emotional investment I felt when following Mao and Yuna’s competitions. I never expected pairs to eclipse all other events in terms of emotional attachment. When I was on the verge of quitting watching skating, Sui/Han were a factor of me staying. And I’m so grateful that I was able to witness their incredible journey this entire quad. Following their journey has been such a blessing for me as a fan of skating. They encompass everything I love about skating so much, and I have so much respect for them as athletes and as people. I love how they emote so much personality and spunk on and off the ice. I love how they’re willing to talk candidly about their struggles and feelings of vulnerability. And I am so inspired by their dedication and love for this sport and to each other. For 11 years, they have skated together and never left each other’s side. It was their love for skating that powered Wenjing’s ability to walk in the cold for hours just to get to her rink when she was younger. It’s that love that powered their ability to make it through rehabilitation together. It’s this love that inspired them to evolve into artists who express balanced and honest emotions on the ice. It’s this true love, dedication, and respect for their craft that inspires me. I can go on and on about how much I respect and admire them. In fact, I basically have. Despite my disappointment today, the only thing I can say as some sort of conclusion to this piece is that I will always be a fan of Sui/Han until my dying days. I’m officially with them 100%, and after this quad I can honestly say that they’re up there with Mao and Yuna. Rare is it when a skater makes me feel all the emotions all at once and truly express how much they love the sport they are in. So to Wenjing Sui and Cong Han, thank you for honestly being the highlight of this quad. Thank you for taking me on an emotional rollercoaster, because it made the victories that much sweeter. I wish nothing but peace and rest in the months to come. A silver for your first Olympics is no laughing matter, and it doesn’t even begin to encapsulate the many, many victories you’ve had over the years. I wish for nothing but good health in the future, and 2022 and beyond awaits. There will always be power shifts and things do change rapidly over the course of 4 years. But I can say confidently that Sui/Han’s dedication to their sport, themselves, will never waver. And thus, neither will my admiration, respect and love for them.

#this might set the record for my longest 'my thoughts'#got a little more personal than I wanted it to be but these thoughts have been brewing for 4 years #this reminds me so much of when I wrote emo letters to Mao and Yuna after Sochi ahyes I do miss this feeling of emotional heartbreak #sometimes I feel like my love for this team cannot be put into words; but at least I tried #my thoughts #the olympics #2018 #sui/han

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shslshortie · 7 years ago

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I'm not gonna say a lot about the NHK trophy...

Because holy fucking hell I have had a crazy week and weekend and I am just now watching my fave skaters, team USA and the medallists because I don't have time for anything else.

I knew from Yuzu's first Comp that something was wrong, and I am glad he is making the decision to take Cate of himself rather than to force himself to do better when it would just hurt himself and even his chances further on in the season. However, this also gives other skaters who are often over looked from 5th-7th place a chance to prove themselves in these grand Prix competitions for their own nation's teams.

Wow, this US team race is such a nail bitter. Obviously, Chen is going to be making the team (unless he gets injured)... but now Adam Rippon, Jason Brown and Max Aaron all have GP medals. Jason *probably* will not be making the GPF (however as Ashley Wagner once said in an interview, the GPF is the difference between 2 months of prep for the Olympics and 3), but wow this will be a tight race that will be decided at nationals.

I love Jason so much, especially as someone who values performance and facials over jumps in terms of personal enjoyment, but I was so sad at his performances. He obviously got the goal of the GPF drilled into his head and the pressure was too great. He doesn't have all of the jumps that other skaters do, so his small mistakes on the short and the long are what cost him a medal. However all of the comments that have been posted on his NHK videos are completely uncalled for. Somebody even wrote: "He's always so annoyingly happy. You popped your triple lutz, why are you smiling? You should be dissapointed". Like what is wrong with people? He is obviously a performer who wants to go on with the show and prove that he is 1) more than just a mistake, and 2) better than a single jumping pass because he is a performer. (Sorry I just got so angry reading that)

Omg I was so happy to see Adam Rippon back on the ice at full strength. His short program is so different than anyone else and I absolutely love it. Plus that was the absolute BEST I have ever seen him skate that free program. Honestly it was very underscored though. Did he deserve the gold over Voronov? Probably not. But did it deserve to be a 4-5 point margin rather than a 10 point? Oh yes.

God I am just hoping that ISU judges have gotten over the history of underscoring openly gay athletes. I know this used to be a huge problem 5-10 years ago, but please please please please don't go back to these old ways. (I'm not saying they are, I'm just hoping and praying that they aren't.)

A lot of people have strong feelings on Evgenia, and I am personally a big fan because she is a performer even with more difficult programs such as Anna Karenina, and she always has great presentation (ie: looks well put together with makeup, hair, costume and how she holds herself. [Very minor thing, but it always bugs me when ladies skaters don't wear lipstick or don't do their hair if they have it in a pony tail or something]) But as the Eurosport announcers were saying, her programs at NHK did prove that she is human. I also personally think her Long was over scored. Not by a lot, but even disregarding her technical issues, it was not a normal Evgenia performance worthy of such a high program component score. Is she still the best? Yes, but it will be interesting with at least 4 different Russian women fighting HARD and closely for those Olympic spots.

Mirai Nagasu is such a strong skater. Her triple Axel still needs some work, and I would honestly prefer her to workshop it a bit more before it becomes her signature and staple of her programs, but what a way to make her case for the US team. However, I am not a fan of these music choices. They aren't her style and don't match her as well as they should have, and sadly I don't think they are Olympic programs. She is really going to need to make use of the time between now and nationals to fight for her spot.

God damn I love Alexei Bychenko's SP music and choreography. Personally, I wish his shirt and vest fit a little better to show off his movements, but it is so good. Also, he is adorable off of the ice, and has amazing music for his programs. He will definitely be one to watch.

What. A. Job. By Sergei Voronov. He has broken any preconceived notions about old skaters. 30 years old with a GP Gold. Technically beautiful. Him and Mikhail Kolyada will definitely be duking it out at nationals. While he definitely lost a bit of energy towards the end, he kept pushing through and didn't let it effect him. Great job.

I am constantly surprised and impressed by Carolina Kostner. After coming back, she is stronger than ever before and such a nimble skater. Not always perfect, but definitely up there especially with her PC.

Honestly, Polina Tsurskaya's EX impressed me more than either of her programs. What a cool concept, and if only props were allowed in actual SP/FSs that would be such a cool program for next year.

Omg Deniss Vasiljevs' Lion King EX was so good. I would also love to see this as a FS in the future, and I wish he had another year or two to hone his skills before the Olympic season because he could be a real contender in a few years.

I know I've already cried over Jason Brown's EX before, but especially after his performance at NHK this was such a necessary and telling performance for him as a skater. Especially with this song proving he has so much more to prove. Just hear that amazing applause and standing ovation from all of his fans in Japan. I'm crying.

Holy Fuck I love Adam Rippon. What a fucking guy. Skating and singing for his EX. I cannot fucking believe this. He's actually good too. Holy fuck. I can't fucking believe him.

Also Jesus Christ Mirai Nagasu's EX to Body Language by Queen was SO GOOD. Don't get me wrong, she is a great skater, but I think that is the best ive ever seen her "perform" a piece.

Technically, I think Alena Leonova's FS was very clean. But in terms of PS, if you are going to do a cultural program especially with a culture that you are not from, it has to be perfect. and I can't help comparing it to Davis/White's Free Dance from the 2014 Olympics, and honestly... I'm not a fan. I hope that if she show makes the Olympics (even if it's very unlikely) that she works more on the accuracy and performance of this skate. (However I am glad she is not wearing a bindi, and I do like the idea of her sari inspired costume, however I wish it was in a brighter color).

What an improvement Rika Hongo has had since Skate Canada. Still has a way to go, but she is still a great performer and very unique.

Oooooo I love Dmitri Aliev's SP and costume. it's so clean and I love how the choreography makes it look like he is dancing with a partner. Very cool. However his spins and jumps are very hit or miss from competition to competition, which is why came in 8th. But this is his first senior season so this is a great learning process for him.

The ice dancers have been very it or miss for me this season. Like at Rostelecom and CoC I was blown away. But at NHK it was just kinda eh for me. Don't get me wrong, Virtue/Moir and Hubbell/Donohue were great, but I've seen both do way better in competition. And I have been super into the ice dancers this season, so I was very excited to watch them, but :/

However I absolutely love Virtue/Moir's free dance. Such an amazing interpretation of the Tango of Roxanne (sorry Karen Chen).

#long post #shut up dani

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