Still Packing Records
You remember all those years when Pete Maravich was called the all-time leading NCAA Division I men’s or women’s scorer. Or you’re honest. Caitlin Clark has tallied more points than anyone in the category she doesn’t play against. And she’s gotten more than him numerically without passing. Of course, she’s at her group’s top. But it’s not like she can shoot to the other category. There’s no shame in failing to splash a jumper on a different court.
Particularly smug gloating on her behalf should not be attributed to the best woman’s scorer there is. Racking up points by the thousands is an accomplishment on its own that warpers of what constitutes equality want to distort by pretending she bested a bunch of dudes, too. An imaginary crossover is not exactly helping her gender’s sake in the way they claim.
Defenders of Maravich typically base their arguments in the context of rules at the time. His unfathomable scoring total is even more astounding considering he registered those points in three seasons with no three-point line. LSU’s greatest legend would’ve managed a bunch more without moving his feet and certainly would’ve stepped behind the arc if it existed.
Maravich also scored constantly when rules permitted leisurely pace. It sounds even more ancient than phones hung on walls, but every collegiate point he managed was without the restriction of a shot clock. Constant baskets were relatively more impressive during an era with theoretically two possessions per game.
The particular restrictions mean he would’ve undoubtedly scored more under present freewheeling conditions. Most importantly, Maravich played against fellow fellows. There are no co-ed records any more than they sub for each other.
Noting the inability to transfer points does not not claiming the men’s standard is superior, although a decent boys’ high school team could win the women’s college championship this and every year. Anyone who doesn’t want an obvious truth brought up should stop pretending the different brackets are comparable. The competitions are merely separate. Asking what M and W each stand for will mean being subjected to a struggle session.
Those truly interested in a fair result would suggest she play against men if she really wants the crown. But the preening on her behalf isn’t her fault. There’s no reason to include her in a figurative situation just because the deluded types who invented a race think they’re winning it.
An agenda by proxy tarnishes the tremendous feat set on courts. Using a successful student-athlete who set a record to allegedly empower just detracts from her relentless point rate. Sports journalism is almost as biased as the news kind. Claiming Clark holds the title in a parallel event shows why sports fans change ESPN as soon as games end and often mute them while they’re on.
Gender confusion is regrettably trendy in one area where the distinction illustrates the absurdity. A wholly theoretical contest is coincidentally popular amongst amateur mad scientists who think a man can declare he’s a woman. Swimming records are suddenly smashed when the full-torso suit side takes the pool. It’s uncanny how many females who were cursed to not be born as such transition to becoming dominant athletes once they choose what they assure us is their true form.
Today’s twisted endorsers of parity never called Pistol Pete the leading scorer of any gender. He remains the record-holder, namely against every man who ever played at the NCAA’s highest level. That undeniable actuality is controversial in these oh so enlightened times. Those who think everything’s equal except when it’s not would have palpitations about Pete’s nickname regarding his propensity for shooting.
Maravich will always be remembered as a singular player and unique person. Perusing the raw statistics of his relentless scoring pace doesn’t capture the unmatched artistry with which he made the ball obey his will. Just like his scoring proclivity, we may never see such athletic artistry again.
Life continues after games end. Maravich’s pursuit of scoring deeds came secondary to searching for purpose. The restless drive with which he sought spiritual enlightenment should remain an inspiration to everyone seeking meaning in existence. Today, he’s treated like some guy who’s been bested by a lady who played against other ladies.
Recognizing the men’s scoring king remains unchallenged is not taking away from Clark’s accumulation. A fundamentally different league can’t be measured concurrently. Apply the standard to the pros and see how reasonable it sounds. WNBA leading scorer Diana Taurasi is 392nd on the combined list with NBA players. If you think that’s an unfair comparison, I agree.
The effort to promote a fictional record diminishes her actual achievement. Sanctimoniously patronizing types who think females needed Title IX to play collegiate sports are remarkable in their ability to harm the causes they espouse. It’s enough of a triumph to outscore anyone who played the identical hoop-based diversion versus the same sex.
But fashioning a rogue championship belt does nothing to further the holder’s ranking. Noting biological reality is a revolutionary act that leads to banishment. The radical notion that men and women are different shocks observers in the way the sports they play don’t overlap even for the same game. It’s almost as if there’s a reason they don’t vie against each other. The numbers never line up.
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Why Yuuri (before 2017) should not be allowed to write an autobiography
Okay, to those who might not follow figure skating as closely, I just need to point out that Yuuri, despite what he insists (unreliable narrator), did not do badly in the Sochi GPF.
We know from the flashback in episode 5 that Yuuri during his free skate fell on at least two of his jumps and touched down on one and it can be assumed he didn't do too well on his others. He says in episode 4 that he falls on jumps and makes up the gap with Program Component Scores (how artistic it was) which can also be seen on the protocol from his short program where his PCS is higher than his Technical Element Score (how technically sound it was). This is not how those scores usually relate except in certain cases (see Jason Brown, also known for his high PCS and (relatively) low TES though this is by choice).
This is Yuuri's short program protocol. If you don't know how to read this then all you need to know is that his total score was 82.80, 40.42 of that being TES and 42.38 being PCS.
Now, to relate that to the real world, in the 2015 Grand Prix Final, Daisuke Murakami scored a total of 235.49, scoring 83.47 in his short program and 152.02 in his free skate and placing 6th. As we can see, that's pretty darn close to Yuuri's score (82.80 in the short, 149.79 in the free, 232.59 total) and I would not be surprised if they were inspired by his scores since they're also PCS centric.
Sidenote: Looking at Yuuri's PCS here and comparing them to Murakami's, Yuuri's are higher, not having anything lower than 8.00. Based on the fact that he was likely very off-kilter, I'd say this is still a very respectable score (duh, Yuuri just can't accept that he's good). Boyang Jin who took 3rd in the short, 5th overall in the 2015 GPF had way lower PCS scores.
Anyway, here's Murakami's free skate protocol.
Murakami has 8 jumping passes in his free, 7 of which he lands with a two-footed landing on one and a stepout on another. He only falls ass on ice like Yuuri does once on his second quadruple salchow (which was supposed to be a combination. The << and REP are explained at the bottom of the protocol). He does not touch down at any point. Otherwise his jumps look fine to me, most of them barely having any ice spray and only his 3Lz+1Lo+2S combination getting a warning for an unclear edge.
If you don't know, falling is (kind of) the worst mistake you can make on a jump and the judges are required to both give a certain negative GEO (grade of execution) and a deduction of 1 point. Other mess-ups just give negative GEOs.
Murakami's FS score is 73.26 TES and 79.76 PCS which would mean Yuuri's scores are likely very similar. But he fell on two jumps, not one meaning his PCS would likely have been higher to make up the difference.
And if Yuuri's insinuation that he flubbed all his jumps in some manner is true (which I find highly unlikely, have some confidence) and he missed elements by either popping (opening too early which costs rotations but saves you from a fall) or just not doing them, his PCS would have needed to be even higher to make up for that.
Missing elements, like popping a double, triple or quadruple axel into a single (at least one double is required), results in that element not being counted at all. Zero. Zip. Nada. You get nothing for it if you can't make up for it later in the program. Even falling on a jump is better because that's at least a few points. So if that happened, he'd have a big gap to make up with his PCS.
To sum up: with everything that could have gone wrong for Yuuri, this is still a very good score, even on the international scene. And to highlight that, Murakami is happy when he finishes, even fist pumping.
And yes, there was still that 103.17 point gap between Yuuri and Viktor which is the same (okay, 94.95) for Murakami and Yuzuru Hanyu who took gold in the 2015 GPF. But, and I cannot stress this enough, Hanyu broke 3 world records with that score meaning Viktor likely did as well. No wait, scratch that, I know he did because Hanyu's score was 330.43 which Viktor beat by 5.33 points. Of course it's not going to be even close, are you kidding me?
Looking at the World Championships in 2016, Yuuri would, with that 232.59 score, still have taken 11th place. He'd have taken 16th in 2023 and that's with a single quad (I don't trust his quad salchow yet) in the age of quads (and that quad being the one with the lowest base value). I'm positive he'd have been able to do a Jason Brown whose PC scores are so good that he in 2023 placed 5th without a single quad and would have placed 3rd in 2016. Now, take that and throw Yuuri's quad toe loop and some confidence in there and you've got a Worlds podium finish before the series even starts.
And then in the season the show is in, he has his quad toe loop, quad salchow and quad flip. He might even have gotten the quad loop down in the 3.5 months between the Barcelona GFP and Worlds. I definitely see a world champion on the next level (if they'd give us it >:[ )
And scores always get higher over time, the world record having gone from Hanyu's 330.46 in 2015 to Nathan Chen's 335.30 in 2019 still standing in 2023 which is still less than Viktor's Sochi GFP score (335.76) (yes, the system has changed since 2015 but it's close enough that it doesn't really matter in this context. Viktor is OP no matter what).
Really, the fact that Yuuri's in the GFP at all should be all we need to know that he's insanely good. It might not technically be Worlds but my stars, Yuuri, it does basically make you 6th in the world.
BE. PROUD.
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cap and havers are sooooo because it's almost nothing. and in that nothing is everything. and it is so enticing precisely because the lack of content is literal, they only had two months together, havers barely has a handful of lines, there's about 8 minutes of screen time total, etc. and figurative, there is heavy meaning in every line they don't speak, there is infinite intimacy in every frame we do get, there is a second layer to every word and a missing piece that is palpable throughout their story.
because they couldn't be anything more than that. the subtleties of their interactions are all they have, and it is gripping in its intensity specifically because of that. every line spoken feels like its trying to convey at least three other things. the double entendre and the tiny shifts in facial expressions and the missed opportunities and the moments of held breath waiting for the other person to make their move. it's all heart breaking and beautiful and perfectly paced. they were living under such strict scrutiny, certainty had such dire consequences, that all they could afford were the tender seconds between sentences. the gaze held for a breath longer than necessary. the pause before you open the door. guiding his hand away from your face because you can't be soft here. not in the open. take the crop, warm from my touch, and pretend it is my hand. "I- I-" "I know." yknow??!?!
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