2014 Winter Olympics

canear wrote:

33?      That is not his best picture obviously!

Here is a great interview with him and there are some good comments from Jeremy Abbott in it as well.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sochi/after-olympic-heartbreak-patrick-chan-unsure-of-future-in-figure-skating-1.1687988

Great interview canear! Thanks for bringing that over.

Whatever Patrick decides to do I just hope he'll be happy.

HA I loved the remarks from Jeremy. He's always been unique and gone by his own feelings and thoughts. He's colorful in his own special way. I like that about him.

Yes indeed figure skating has lost much of it's artistry. We've talked about that a lot on here over the years.

Hathor, it would be nice if the programs were judged on how well they were skated overall with or without any special tricks. What matters is that it's clean and skated beautifully.

Jason didn't have a clean long program. He had some small bobbles of his own and although he didn't have any pressure put upon him to medal like with Patrick he did have the bronze medal in his grasp due to all the mistakes many others made. Unfortunately, he couldn't rein himself in enough to capture it. For all I have seen and can tell though he's not bothered by it. He's just simply overjoyed to be there at all.

I do wish I could have gotten to see some of the other skaters I've grown to know over the last four years and even before that that were there competing. If I had complete access to the darn NBC extra app that makes all the competitions available to watch I'd do that but since I don't I'm tough out of luck. Oh well.


YAY for USA HOCKEY WINNING TODAY!!!!!!

AngelWings wrote:

canuckadamfan4eva wrote:

Most on twitter like this international style of shoot out.
Good game but I thought that goal was good.

Canear Brad Jones won also but Jennifer has no losses. Now watching her and the team play Russia.

I love jumps in figure skating. I like a well rounded program. Jumps have always been one of the most important parts of scoring and mow everyone needs quads to make the finals.

Toller Cranston loathed the figure portion of the completion lol. Thank god they took that part out of competition.

Jumps are fine but the program should not be all about the jumps.  It should be a well rounded performance with a mix of artistry and technical and there is far too many skaters going for the big technical stuff cause they lack in the artistry department.  Many many coaches have said this so it is not just my opinion.  Many coaches are upset that some coaches aren't making there students work harder on their artistry and they are tired of some choreographers making some of the most beautiful elements in skating just throw away things that you would miss if you blinked.  I think the skaters and all the jumping is killing their bodies.  Tara as a teen had to have hip surgery, Michelle had to have surgery on her hip and that injury is the reason she had to pull out of the 2006 Olympics, Plushenko 12 freaking surgeries on his back.   I can name others who have had really bad injuries from the jumps that have cost them their careers or made them have so many surgeries.  Having the Quad be the big thing right now is going to end many a male skaters career early.

A lot of skaters loathed the figures but they helped a skater in a lot of ways.  Frank Carrol makes all his skaters skate school figures daily and he has done that his whole coaching career.  He does that cause that is what his coach had her skaters do at practice all the time and of course he was doing school figures at competitions himself.  

Shannon    

But to have figures count for marks and world's was Toller was against. Even if you had great short any long programs the figures could hurt your chances to make the podium. Plus it was a bore to watch on TV!

  

Two more medals!! A silver in women's snowboard cross for Dominique Maltais and a bronze for Jan Hudec in men's Super G downhill........Canada's first Olympic alpine medal in 20 years!!!

Two Silvers for the USA in Alpine Skiing Super G
They tied. Yeah for Andrew Weibrecht & Bode Miller.

  

Hurray for Phil Kessel's hatrick today!!   I love Phil.      He is my favourite Leaf player. I just wish he was Canadian.   

A good looking bunch waiting to get their medals!  Denny Morrison, Dominique Maltais, and Jan Hudec

Not a big ice Dancing fan but i truly love that program from Meryl and Charlie.  Love the song they used.

Love this tweet!

********
USFigureSkating U.S. Figure Skating
A huge WORLD RECORD score of 78.89 points puts @Meryl_Davis and @CharlieaWhite into first after the short dance! #Olympics2014
********
So happy for Meryl and Charlie.

congrats to Tessa and Scott on being second   

Oh how did the brother and sister US team do?  They are so cute.

Eta? Just found out that they are in 9th place.  the other USA team is in the top 9 also.  So freaking exciting   

The draw for skating order is done and here it is for the free dance:

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USFigureSkating U.S. Figure Skating
BREAKING: @Meryl_Davis and @CharlieaWhite will skate LAST (20th) tomorrow night. Virtue and Moir, in second, will skate 17.
*****************

Go USA and Canada           

Hey can anybody tell me what happened with the 4 routines that the Ice Dancers used to do?  Now they only do two????  I am confused.

Shannon   

Congrats to the Canadian Hockey team for pulling out a win in OT.

Teddy some are judges very harshly for bobbles while out and out falls are not?

US and Russia are tied for the most medals.   

Hathor, any kind of bobble or hiccup lowers the grade of execution on all elements. Jason had a few of them. While he might not have had an out and out fall his miss steps cost him points. I don't know how they grade everything or what gets more points but I know mistakes are mistakes regardless of how big or small they are. In the end they all matter. As I've said I still very much struggle to understand the system and how everything is worked out.

AngelWings wrote:

Not a big ice Dancing fan but i truly love that program from Meryl and Charlie.  Love the song they used.

Love this tweet!

********
USFigureSkating U.S. Figure Skating
A huge WORLD RECORD score of 78.89 points puts @Meryl_Davis and @CharlieaWhite into first after the short dance! #Olympics2014
********
So happy for Meryl and Charlie.

congrats to Tessa and Scott on being second   

Oh how did the brother and sister US team do?  They are so cute.

Eta? Just found out that they are in 9th place.  the other USA team is in the top 9 also.  So freaking exciting   

The draw for skating order is done and here it is for the free dance:

****************
USFigureSkating U.S. Figure Skating
BREAKING: @Meryl_Davis and @CharlieaWhite will skate LAST (20th) tomorrow night. Virtue and Moir, in second, will skate 17.
*****************

Go USA and Canada           

Hey can anybody tell me what happened with the 4 routines that the Ice Dancers used to do?  Now they only do two????  I am confused.

Shannon   

The USA hockey team won today also!!

Not a big ice dancing fan anymore.  I was only a fan when Torvill and Dean competed.  They were amazing.

I will watch the ice dancing tonight though because there just isn't anything else on.

Well I'm not thrilled with Charlie and Meryl skating last in both events.  Like seriously?   Scott and Tessa got stuck back a ways and were vastly underscored in my books.  I'm sorry there is not a 2.5 point difference between them and the Americans.  There just isn't.  Don't know what more they have to do for the judges to give them their due this year.  I almost believe there was something to that report in the French newspaper about collusion with the judges.  Wouldn't shock me if they move Scott and Tessa down to 3rd tomorrow.  Yes, I'm a po'd Canadian today.  I'm sorry I know some of you are staunch Charlie and Meryl fans.......I guess I just don't get the 'magic'.  

I'm glad that the men's hockey team pulled that one out.......it was way too close for comfort.

I have to reserve comment until I watch the programs tonight Canear.

I do love Charlie and Meryl.  They always impress me and move me.  I also very much like
and respect Scott and Tessa.  

It was nerve wracking the Canadian Hockey game.  Yep way to close for comfort.

I really wasn't expecting a close game.

canear wrote:

Well I'm not thrilled with Charlie and Meryl skating last in both events.  Like seriously?   Scott and Tessa got stuck back a ways and were vastly underscored in my books.  I'm sorry there is not a 2.5 point difference between them and the Americans.  There just isn't.  Don't know what more they have to do for the judges to give them their due this year.  I almost believe there was something to that report in the French newspaper about collusion with the judges.  Wouldn't shock me if they move Scott and Tessa down to 3rd tomorrow.  Yes, I'm a po'd Canadian today.  I'm sorry I know some of you are staunch Charlie and Meryl fans.......I guess I just don't get the 'magic'.  

I'm glad that the men's hockey team pulled that one out.......it was way too close for comfort.

They do the drawing out of box or hat just like all other Olympics they don't know what they will get so It isn't their fault.  Scott and Tessa are skating 17 so that is only three before Meryl and Charlie.

You really don't like Meryl and Charlie do you canear?

Canear the US would not cheat.  Many a US skater has been screwed out of a medal and for no other reason than they were US skaters.

In the yeam event both Meryl/Charlie and Tessa/Scott were underscored.  In these shorts Most people I have seen comments for believe the standing are correct.

Eta: Just for the record I do not like Ice Dancing for the most part and do not usually watch it but Meryl and charlie really have impressed me with that amazing short dance.  It is mesmerizing.  Tessa and Scott have impressed me to.  I just want to see the US finally get a Ice dance Gold for once in Olympic history.  Tessa and Scott got a Ice dancing gold for Canada.

Shannon   

I just watched a special segment on Meryl and Charlie and I saw the magic for sure!!! Boy are they darling!!!!!!!  And so excellent at ice dancing.  Not Torvill and Dean exciting, but really wonderful!!

Ice Dancing

What is especially interesting are the comments of the gentleman who created the Finnstep.

Quote :

That step is named for its inventors, Finn ice dancers Petri Kokko and Susanna Rahkamo. This is what Kokko tweeted Sunday night, and he oughta know. “I don’t understand the judging in #icedancing. @Virtue_Moir should be leading in my honest opinion.”


He also opined that the Americans’ timing was off in the Finnstep. Yet they set a world record?

....and sorry Angel, I am not a fan and unfortunately I'm not as gracious as Scott and Tessa.   

canear wrote:

Ice Dancing

What is especially interesting are the comments of the gentleman who created the Finnstep.

Quote :

That step is named for its inventors, Finn ice dancers Petri Kokko and Susanna Rahkamo. This is what Kokko tweeted Sunday night, and he oughta know. “I don’t understand the judging in #icedancing. @Virtue_Moir should be leading in my honest opinion.”


He also opined that the Americans’ timing was off in the Finnstep. Yet they set a world record?

....and sorry Angel, I am not a fan and unfortunately I'm not as gracious as Scott and Tessa.      

Ugh that link has made the page crazy long.  FC can you fix it.

Everybody is going to have opinions.  And comments I have read from skaters is many believe things are how they should b, there are some that think that Tessa and Scott should be in the lead and there are some who feel both the top two should be lower in the standings and believe that their coach has something to do with them both being the top two teams.  Won't believe that cause Marina Zueva,(sp?), is an amazing coach who would also never cheat.

Shannon  

Skating is simply very subjective.  That is why some can love one skater and others can find such skater totally uninteresting.

I don't believe there is collusion to get the American team to win.

Angel, to me when people say things like collusion etc. it just seems like sour grapes to me.

It's not sour grapes FC, the original report came from a French newspaper.  Not a Canadian.  If someone can explain to me why Tessa and Scott skate what everyone (except the judges) seem to be saying is their best routine of the season, then why are their scores lower than their previous season best?  Why are the commentators not explaining the point difference?  They aren't because they can't.  If Tessa had made the same mistake she made during the team competition, the 3 points are explainable.  It's not here because there is no difference yet they're 3 points back.

canear wrote:

It's not sour grapes FC, the original report came from a French newspaper.  Not a Canadian.  If someone can explain to me why Tessa and Scott skate what everyone (except the judges) seem to be saying is their best routine of the season, then why are their scores lower than their previous season best?  Why are the commentators not explaining the point difference?  They aren't because they can't.  If Tessa had made the same mistake she made during the team competition, the 3 points are explainable.  It's not here because there is no difference yet they're 3 points back.

i wouldn't trust a French newspaper reporter when it come to figure skating.  I wouldn't for the reason a french judge did cheat in the pairs competition in 2002.  Sale and Pelltier and the russians.

Not everyone is saying this is the best routine for Tessa and Scott though.  Many have seen errors just like you are saying that you and others have found errors in Meryl and Charlies routine.

Shannon   

AND the French hate Americans!

Sorry, not buying into an collusion story.  People just don't like it when their faves don't win or their team doesn't win and they start laying blame all over the place.  Refs, judges etc.  We see it all the time.ta

Not talking about you Canear, just in general.

Yep the French hate America!

Oh just so it is known this is another reason I do not like the new scoring system.  so many still don't understand it and many wonder how they get the numbers they do and so on.  i say bring the 6.0 system back but make it better.  i have heard it was the Canadians that came up with this scoring system so I would like to smack the person or person's for it upside the head.  It is a stupid scoring sysyem.  Yes I am half Canadian but that is one move they made that is a mistake and all the countries who agreed to go with it I would slap you all to.

oh before I forget Tanith Belbin who is is a Canadian and US citizen see's no problem in the standings.  She thought all the short dances were awesome and feels this is one of the strongest set of Dance teams the Olympics have ever had.  She said all the teams worked so hard out there.

Shannon   

Just watched the young American Couple and they were flawless. So adorable.

How skating is so subjective and how the judges score has always pissed me off.

Hopefully, I am awake for Charlie and Meryl and Tessa and Scott.

Saw American Lyndsey who was leading in the Snowboard Cross wipe out right before the finish.
So sad as she had such a huge lead.

Now another American Pair.

To be fair, Tanith is Charlie White's girlfriend so she could be a wee bit biased.

GO MERYL AND CHARLIE!!!!

Badger wrote:

To be fair, Tanith is Charlie White's girlfriend so she could be a wee bit biased.

GO MERYL AND CHARLIE!!!!

But she is also a Canadian Citizen,(US citizen also), If she felt Tessa and Scott should be in first she would honestly admit it.   Tanith has never been dishonest in her opinions.

Did people know this about Derek Hough?

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Derek Hough: “It Was an Honor” to Work on Meryl Davis and Charlie White’s Olympic Routine – Derek Hough is going from Dancing with the Stars to ice dancing with Olympians. The five-time Dancing champ won’t be at the Winter Olympics, but his presence will be felt when Meryl Davis and Charlie White take to the ice Sunday. Along with the two-time world champs and six-time U.S. champs’ coach Marina Zoueva, Hough worked on the pair’s quickstep and foxtrot in their My Fair Lady-themed short dance that has helped them remain undefeated this season (they haven’t lost in 22 months). – Read more at TV Guide

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Derek-Hough-Meryl-Davis-Charlie-White-Olympics-Ice-Dancing-1077814.aspx
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No wonder the Dance is so magical.  Seriously other that Bourne and Kratz's Irish routine,(Shaelyn wore all green in the performance), Meryl and Charlie's short dance is breathtaking and beautiful and magical and it just makes you want it to go on and on and never end.  Good job Derek!

News is on and Derek Hough was just shown working with Meryl and Charlie,(it was a special profile about them so of course what was shown was when the team and Derek were choreographing the number. They said the whole Ice Dance thing is betwwen two teams. US and Canadians.

Shannon