I always wonder if the American skaters are a little bummed out if they get invited to a GP event the week of Thanksgiving. Does anyone know if the USFS organizes some sort of traditional turkey dinner for the team when they’re overseas? Or if it’s ill advised to do that just before a major competition, maybe they plan something directly afterwards…?
I’m just strangely curious about stuff like that… “that” being anything having to do with copious amounts of food.
Anyway, there’s one more GP event to be thankful for this weekend, and one more set of predictions to be made… so here we go with the NHK guesses:
For PAIRS:
Gold- Dube/Davison (CAN)
Silver- Pang/Tong (CHN)
Bronze- Inoue/Baldwin (USA)
This might be risky; the idea that one of the top 2 Chinese teams might be upset by one of the top 2 Canadian teams. But I’m thinking of the strong silver medal work of D & D at their home event, and I’m thinking of the subpar bronze medal work of P & T at their home event… and that leaves me feeling it more for Canada. Besides, with the roll Canada’s top singles skaters have been on all season, a little of that goodness is bound to spill over to the pairs sooner or later. Why not sooner?
And yes, I’m guessing bronze for our veteran-of-veterans I & B, but that’s largely due to the fact that I haven’t heard of any of the others! (And that includes the other U.S. pair!)
For the MEN:
Gold: Johnny Weir (USA)
Silver: Nobunari Oda (JPN)
Bronze: Stephen Carriere (USA)
Aw, Dice-K. Way back in the spring, I believe I predicted the Takahashi/Oda showdown to be the highlight of this year’s NHK Trophy. And now, wonderful hip-hop skating man, you sit sidelined for the season with a knee injury… and the showdown instead becomes a Weir/Oda thing. Not that they won’t put on a great show—Weir with his dramatic, here’s-the-performance-I-meant-to-throw-down-at-Skate-America vibe, and Oda with his dramatic, here’s-what-I’ve-been-working-on-while-I-was-suspended-last-season comeback. But I expect Weir to take this one. His consistency has done nothing but solidify over the past 18 months, and as some people pointed out after SKAM, that particular competition came much earlier than he typically competes in GP events. His entire presentation has had time to simmer since then; I’m eager to see what he serves up. Oda, after all this time, is a bit of a wild card. But I think he’s got it in him to shine again—especially in front of the home crowd.
IF I happen to be right about these top two, the bronze could be between Carriere and France’s Yannick Pansero. But while Carriere held his own nicely at Cup of China (earining Silver), Pansero started strong but burned out quickly at Skate Canada… and it’s not the first time he’s done so. Advantage Carriere.
As usual—even on Thanksgiving night—part two of my predictions will come tomorrow, hopefully before the compulsory dances are in the books. Here is Oda in the Clip of the Day, in case you’re wondering what he’s looking like nowadays. I'll be back after I've eaten my weight in mashed potatoes...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Eight Is Enough: Cup of Russia Observations
(NOTE: If you want to see who's made the cut for the GP Final so far, scroll down and check out yesterday's post!)
Here in the States, Thanksgiving is just a few days away… and if we weren’t in the final stretches of the Grand Prix, I’d gladly devote a post or two to an A-thru-Z list of all the things I’m thankful for (both skating-related and otherwise). But there are observations from Cup of Russia to be made.
Come to think of it, there are pies to be made, too. So let’s get to it—8 observations:
+ ALMOST OVER .500: Dang! I was thisclose to being 7-for-12 on my podium predictions, but the Russian flip-flop upset in the FD sent me back to my typical 5-for-12. Oh well. At least I nailed one category (Pairs).
+ OH CHARLIE!: When I saw that Davis/White had placed 8th in the OD (dropping them down to 4th overall), I decided I had to check it out and see what happened. One bad stumble on a twizzle and two solid smackdowns to the ice later, I wished I hadn’t. Oy vey. If it happened to them here, that means something like that can NEVER happen to them at an even bigger competition… right??
+ FORGET THE “RISKY” QUADS; WHAT ABOUT “RISKY” FLYING SPINS?: First we saw Takahiko Kozuka come crashing down on a spin at TEB… then we saw Jeremy Abbott do the same thing at COR. Is nobody getting the memo to these guys that spins are given much more credence these days? It’s no time to break concentration.
And speaking of memos…
+ MEMO TO DOMBALIN (Domnina/Shabalin): I really liked the costume change you took on with the Spartacus FD. The deep scarlet was very flattering on Oksana, and as I mentioned in a column earlier this month, the idea of women needing to dress up like Xena the Warrior Princess for the sake of this music is kind of jarring anyway. I’m just afraid you won’t stick with it, as you were wearing it when you lost your “home” competition for the second year running. But in any case… can you send Ashley Wagner a photo of the new ensemble? Maybe it will inspire her to reinvent her own Spartacus ensemble.
+ MEMO TO BRIAN JOUBERT: I have to confess, I had my regrets shortly after I posted my picks last week—and a large number of the regrets centered on you. How could you possibly turn it around in the span of a few days and WIN an event? But you did. Sorry I doubted you! And welcome to the what-a-difference-a-week-makes club.
+ MEMO TO RACHAEL FLATT: On the one hand, I was wrong about you because I didn’t predict you to medal. On the other, I was right about you because I thought you’d be underscored… and you were! You should have won! So—sorry I doubted you too.
+ UNINTENTIONALLY AMUSING, PT.1: When it came to slips and falls for no apparent reason, there was no discrimination this week. Dan Zhang (of the #2 ranked Zhang/Zhang) did it mid-program in the pairs’ FS, and what’s more, unranked ladies’ competitor Elena Glebova did the same thing a mere 3 seconds into her SP! Did they oil up the ice, by chance?
+ UNINTENTIONALLY AMUSING, PT. 2: The overly enthusiastic (but well-meaning, I’m sure) kids cleaning up the ice after each performance were so determined to pass on their findings to each competitor, they seemed to be interrupting the bows just to hand over the loot. “Stop bowing—I have a stuffed dog for you! Here! Take it!! Here!! Please, you must notice me so I can go scoop up more doggies! STOP BOWING!! STOP!!!”
And on that note, I leave you with a Clip of the Day featuring the Kerr’s “Kilt” OD from last season’s NHK Trophy. I would have gladly included a clip from this year’s COR, like I did yesterday, but I see TPTB paid You Tube a visit and already rendered yesterday’s Clip obsolete. Sorry!
Here in the States, Thanksgiving is just a few days away… and if we weren’t in the final stretches of the Grand Prix, I’d gladly devote a post or two to an A-thru-Z list of all the things I’m thankful for (both skating-related and otherwise). But there are observations from Cup of Russia to be made.
Come to think of it, there are pies to be made, too. So let’s get to it—8 observations:
+ ALMOST OVER .500: Dang! I was thisclose to being 7-for-12 on my podium predictions, but the Russian flip-flop upset in the FD sent me back to my typical 5-for-12. Oh well. At least I nailed one category (Pairs).
+ OH CHARLIE!: When I saw that Davis/White had placed 8th in the OD (dropping them down to 4th overall), I decided I had to check it out and see what happened. One bad stumble on a twizzle and two solid smackdowns to the ice later, I wished I hadn’t. Oy vey. If it happened to them here, that means something like that can NEVER happen to them at an even bigger competition… right??
+ FORGET THE “RISKY” QUADS; WHAT ABOUT “RISKY” FLYING SPINS?: First we saw Takahiko Kozuka come crashing down on a spin at TEB… then we saw Jeremy Abbott do the same thing at COR. Is nobody getting the memo to these guys that spins are given much more credence these days? It’s no time to break concentration.
And speaking of memos…
+ MEMO TO DOMBALIN (Domnina/Shabalin): I really liked the costume change you took on with the Spartacus FD. The deep scarlet was very flattering on Oksana, and as I mentioned in a column earlier this month, the idea of women needing to dress up like Xena the Warrior Princess for the sake of this music is kind of jarring anyway. I’m just afraid you won’t stick with it, as you were wearing it when you lost your “home” competition for the second year running. But in any case… can you send Ashley Wagner a photo of the new ensemble? Maybe it will inspire her to reinvent her own Spartacus ensemble.
+ MEMO TO BRIAN JOUBERT: I have to confess, I had my regrets shortly after I posted my picks last week—and a large number of the regrets centered on you. How could you possibly turn it around in the span of a few days and WIN an event? But you did. Sorry I doubted you! And welcome to the what-a-difference-a-week-makes club.
+ MEMO TO RACHAEL FLATT: On the one hand, I was wrong about you because I didn’t predict you to medal. On the other, I was right about you because I thought you’d be underscored… and you were! You should have won! So—sorry I doubted you too.
+ UNINTENTIONALLY AMUSING, PT.1: When it came to slips and falls for no apparent reason, there was no discrimination this week. Dan Zhang (of the #2 ranked Zhang/Zhang) did it mid-program in the pairs’ FS, and what’s more, unranked ladies’ competitor Elena Glebova did the same thing a mere 3 seconds into her SP! Did they oil up the ice, by chance?
+ UNINTENTIONALLY AMUSING, PT. 2: The overly enthusiastic (but well-meaning, I’m sure) kids cleaning up the ice after each performance were so determined to pass on their findings to each competitor, they seemed to be interrupting the bows just to hand over the loot. “Stop bowing—I have a stuffed dog for you! Here! Take it!! Here!! Please, you must notice me so I can go scoop up more doggies! STOP BOWING!! STOP!!!”
And on that note, I leave you with a Clip of the Day featuring the Kerr’s “Kilt” OD from last season’s NHK Trophy. I would have gladly included a clip from this year’s COR, like I did yesterday, but I see TPTB paid You Tube a visit and already rendered yesterday’s Clip obsolete. Sorry!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Who's in the ISU GP Final So Far? Find Out Here...
It’s not very often that I attempt to be newsworthy—you might have noticed that if you’re a regular of any kind.
But with Cup of Russia having wrapped up today (observations coming tomorrow) and NHK on the radar screen (predictions coming later this week), I was curious as to who’d made the Grand Prix final already… and who might still have a shot. After all, I’m an American fan spoiled by the ESPN/ABC coverage of years gone by. They kept track of this stuff for us every week. Where can the likes of me go when Terry Gannon (who I miss so dearly) is now back to doing play-by-plays for college football?
Apparently, you can go to Wikipedia. Not always the most reliable source of information, that’s true… but I’ve found it to have a pretty solid track record when it comes to figure skating. And in looking at their current entry for the ISU Grand Prix—and I DO mean current; they have all the medal-winners from this past weekend’s COR included—their point totals sound accurate to me.
In short (with none of my babbling commentary, for once), here’s what I found:
MEN
Already qualified: Patrick Chan (30 points), Takahiko Kozuka (28), Brian Joubert (26), Jeremy Abbott (26)
Could still qualify after competing next weekend: Johnny Weir (13 points), Stephen Carriere (13), Yannick Pansero (9), Kevin Reynolds (9)
On the bubble: Tomas Verner (24), Alban Preaubert (22)
LADIES
Already qualified: Yu-Na Kim (30 points), Joannie Rochette (30), Carolina Kostner (24)
Could still qualify after competing next weekend: Yukari Nakano (13 points), Mao Asada (13), Laura Lepisto (11), Ashley Wagner (9), Mirai Nagasu (7)
On the bubble: Miki Ando (24), Fumie Suguri (24), Rachael Flatt (22)
PAIRS
Already qualified: Savchenko/Szolkowy (30 points), Zhang/Zhang (30), Kawaguchi/Smirnov (28), Volosohzar/Morozov (24)
Could still qualify after competing next weekend: Dube/Davison (13 points), Pang/Tong (11)
On the bubble: Mukhortova/Trankov (24), McLaughlin/Brubaker (24)
DANCE
Already qualified: Delobel/Schoenfelder (30 points), Domnina/Shabalin (28), Khoklova/Novitski (26), Davis/White (26)
Could still qualify after competing next weekend: Faiella/Scali (13 points), Pechalat/Bourzat (11), Samuelson/Bates (9), Gorshkova/Butikov (9). Navarro/Bommentre (7)
On the bubble: Belbin/Agosto (26), Crone/Poirier (22)
If you’re wondering about point tie-breakers (or need a refresher course), check out the whole entry here.
For the Clip of the Day I’ve got Joubert’s electrifying SP from this past weekend… that is, unless the clip gets snatched off of You Tube by The Powers That Be. Catch it while you can!
But with Cup of Russia having wrapped up today (observations coming tomorrow) and NHK on the radar screen (predictions coming later this week), I was curious as to who’d made the Grand Prix final already… and who might still have a shot. After all, I’m an American fan spoiled by the ESPN/ABC coverage of years gone by. They kept track of this stuff for us every week. Where can the likes of me go when Terry Gannon (who I miss so dearly) is now back to doing play-by-plays for college football?
Apparently, you can go to Wikipedia. Not always the most reliable source of information, that’s true… but I’ve found it to have a pretty solid track record when it comes to figure skating. And in looking at their current entry for the ISU Grand Prix—and I DO mean current; they have all the medal-winners from this past weekend’s COR included—their point totals sound accurate to me.
In short (with none of my babbling commentary, for once), here’s what I found:
MEN
Already qualified: Patrick Chan (30 points), Takahiko Kozuka (28), Brian Joubert (26), Jeremy Abbott (26)
Could still qualify after competing next weekend: Johnny Weir (13 points), Stephen Carriere (13), Yannick Pansero (9), Kevin Reynolds (9)
On the bubble: Tomas Verner (24), Alban Preaubert (22)
LADIES
Already qualified: Yu-Na Kim (30 points), Joannie Rochette (30), Carolina Kostner (24)
Could still qualify after competing next weekend: Yukari Nakano (13 points), Mao Asada (13), Laura Lepisto (11), Ashley Wagner (9), Mirai Nagasu (7)
On the bubble: Miki Ando (24), Fumie Suguri (24), Rachael Flatt (22)
PAIRS
Already qualified: Savchenko/Szolkowy (30 points), Zhang/Zhang (30), Kawaguchi/Smirnov (28), Volosohzar/Morozov (24)
Could still qualify after competing next weekend: Dube/Davison (13 points), Pang/Tong (11)
On the bubble: Mukhortova/Trankov (24), McLaughlin/Brubaker (24)
DANCE
Already qualified: Delobel/Schoenfelder (30 points), Domnina/Shabalin (28), Khoklova/Novitski (26), Davis/White (26)
Could still qualify after competing next weekend: Faiella/Scali (13 points), Pechalat/Bourzat (11), Samuelson/Bates (9), Gorshkova/Butikov (9). Navarro/Bommentre (7)
On the bubble: Belbin/Agosto (26), Crone/Poirier (22)
If you’re wondering about point tie-breakers (or need a refresher course), check out the whole entry here.
For the Clip of the Day I’ve got Joubert’s electrifying SP from this past weekend… that is, unless the clip gets snatched off of You Tube by The Powers That Be. Catch it while you can!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
To Cup of Russia WIth Love: Pairs/Mens Picks
Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski are out again? Nooo!
And we did so well keeping most of the original competitors last week. I suppose it’d be too much to ask for two weeks in a row? Oh, well. As long as I get to see Daisuke Takahashi at next week’s NHK Trophy then all is well…
What? Out for the season?? Noooooo!
While I ponder how much that sucks, read over my picks for PAIRS at COR:
Gold- Zhang/Zhang (CHN)
Silver- Kawaguchi/Smirnov (RUS)
Bronze- Volosozhar/Morozov (UKR)
The Zhangs and V/M already competed together at Cup of China; the news there is not that the Zhangs won gold—it was expected they would—but that V/M edged Pang/Tong for silver. Still, there were 7 points between 1st and 2nd… which leaves plenty of room for Skate Canada winners K/S to sneak in there. Especially if they decide to unleash their throw quad in front of the home crowd.
The aforementioned Castile/Okolski were set to be the only other contenders for a medal; as it stands now, I can’t imagine any other names will truly challenge the three names I listed above.
Finally, for MEN:
Gold- Brian Joubert (FRA)
Silver- Jeremy Abbott (USA)
Bronze- Tomas Verner (CZE)
Wow! Welcome to last week’s disappointment vs. last week’s surprise vs. COC’s disappointment vs. COC’s surprise vs…well… Kevin Van der Perren. This was exceedingly difficult, but in spite of myself I went with Joubert for the second week in a row… the hope being that Joubert is angry enough at himself for last week to fight very hard for gold this week. I may be kicking myself in a few days for not going with Abbott, who was quite riveting at COC, but I simply haven’t seen him compete long enough to feel confident he can turn back-to-back great performances. Preaubert may well claim another medal, but I think Abbott and Verner are both more likely to outscore him artistically. Van der Perren is a definite dark horse, but I’m leaving him out of the medals because he’s the only one of these 5 that has yet to compete on the circuit this season.
With that in mind, here’s Van der Perren’s current SP (as seen at the Findlandia Trophy earlier in the season) as the Clip of the Day . Or with this costume, maybe it’s from Halloween on Ice. You be the judge.
And we did so well keeping most of the original competitors last week. I suppose it’d be too much to ask for two weeks in a row? Oh, well. As long as I get to see Daisuke Takahashi at next week’s NHK Trophy then all is well…
What? Out for the season?? Noooooo!
While I ponder how much that sucks, read over my picks for PAIRS at COR:
Gold- Zhang/Zhang (CHN)
Silver- Kawaguchi/Smirnov (RUS)
Bronze- Volosozhar/Morozov (UKR)
The Zhangs and V/M already competed together at Cup of China; the news there is not that the Zhangs won gold—it was expected they would—but that V/M edged Pang/Tong for silver. Still, there were 7 points between 1st and 2nd… which leaves plenty of room for Skate Canada winners K/S to sneak in there. Especially if they decide to unleash their throw quad in front of the home crowd.
The aforementioned Castile/Okolski were set to be the only other contenders for a medal; as it stands now, I can’t imagine any other names will truly challenge the three names I listed above.
Finally, for MEN:
Gold- Brian Joubert (FRA)
Silver- Jeremy Abbott (USA)
Bronze- Tomas Verner (CZE)
Wow! Welcome to last week’s disappointment vs. last week’s surprise vs. COC’s disappointment vs. COC’s surprise vs…well… Kevin Van der Perren. This was exceedingly difficult, but in spite of myself I went with Joubert for the second week in a row… the hope being that Joubert is angry enough at himself for last week to fight very hard for gold this week. I may be kicking myself in a few days for not going with Abbott, who was quite riveting at COC, but I simply haven’t seen him compete long enough to feel confident he can turn back-to-back great performances. Preaubert may well claim another medal, but I think Abbott and Verner are both more likely to outscore him artistically. Van der Perren is a definite dark horse, but I’m leaving him out of the medals because he’s the only one of these 5 that has yet to compete on the circuit this season.
With that in mind, here’s Van der Perren’s current SP (as seen at the Findlandia Trophy earlier in the season) as the Clip of the Day . Or with this costume, maybe it’s from Halloween on Ice. You be the judge.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Another Weekend, Another "Cup"
I just got off the phone with my brother Michael. When I told him what I was doing—working on my predictions for this weekend’s Cup of Russia—he told me I MUST base my decisions entirely on the skater’s haircuts.
This, from a guy who works for USA Swimming. A sport where they try to be as hairless as possible while competing.
Uh-huh.
So sorry Michael sweetie, but I will disregard any hair judgments… as well as any jokes that could have been made about haircuts back when Plushenko was still in the competitive mix… and take some guesses anyway.
For DANCE:
Gold- Domnina/Shabalin (RUS)
Silver- Davis/White (USA)
Bronze- Khokhlova/Novitski (RUS)
I said back at Cup of China that Dombalin would be sure to shine in Russia, even if they had to settle for silver in Beijing. Since they ultimately settled for nothing less than GOLD, I can’t imagine they’ll have trouble doing the same at COR.
As for the other two slots—my temptation was to guess silver for Khokitski (aka the other Russian couple), if only because they’re the other “home” team. But I underestimated Davis/White last time, and I don’t want to make that mistake twice! Cappelini/Lanotte (ITA) stand the best chance of upsetting my picks, but Khokitski beat them by 6 points 2 weeks ago…
As for LADIES:
Gold: Carolina Kostner (ITA)
Silver: Fumie Suguri (JPN)
Bronze: Alissa Czisny (USA)
This is a very tough category, though not quite as tough as the men (coming tomorrow). I must say I’m giving this one to Kostner by process of elimination—her performance at Skate Canada was troubling; I’m not sure if it’ll give her confidence a sucker punch or if it’ll inspire her to do better. But of the top names at this event, she’s perhaps the most consistent of several inconsistent competitors. If that makes any sense.
One of those “inconsistents” is Suguri… but she managed a silver at SkCan, so I’m hopeful she’s riding a good wave.
Czisny is another “inconsistent”, but she managed bronze at SkCan (and I hear it was that success that got her invited to COR to replace Finland’s Jenni Vahamaa), so I’m hopeful she’s riding a good wave.
See a pattern here?
The dark horses here are many; they include Kimmie Meissner (who seems capable of a comeback at any time), Rachael Flatt (who I fear will be underscored; hope I’m wrong), and Na-Young Kim—the lesser-known South Korean skater who still seemed impressive when I saw her (at 4CC) last year. So, in short, I’m crossing my fingers here and hoping for the best.
I must admit—the way my guesses have been going this season, maybe my brother Michael was on to something…
So, I’m off to study a copy of Celebrity Hairstyles! Your Clip of the Day is that 4CC performance from Kim that I just mentioned… so I won’t have overlooked her completely if/when she medals this weekend. :-)
This, from a guy who works for USA Swimming. A sport where they try to be as hairless as possible while competing.
Uh-huh.
So sorry Michael sweetie, but I will disregard any hair judgments… as well as any jokes that could have been made about haircuts back when Plushenko was still in the competitive mix… and take some guesses anyway.
For DANCE:
Gold- Domnina/Shabalin (RUS)
Silver- Davis/White (USA)
Bronze- Khokhlova/Novitski (RUS)
I said back at Cup of China that Dombalin would be sure to shine in Russia, even if they had to settle for silver in Beijing. Since they ultimately settled for nothing less than GOLD, I can’t imagine they’ll have trouble doing the same at COR.
As for the other two slots—my temptation was to guess silver for Khokitski (aka the other Russian couple), if only because they’re the other “home” team. But I underestimated Davis/White last time, and I don’t want to make that mistake twice! Cappelini/Lanotte (ITA) stand the best chance of upsetting my picks, but Khokitski beat them by 6 points 2 weeks ago…
As for LADIES:
Gold: Carolina Kostner (ITA)
Silver: Fumie Suguri (JPN)
Bronze: Alissa Czisny (USA)
This is a very tough category, though not quite as tough as the men (coming tomorrow). I must say I’m giving this one to Kostner by process of elimination—her performance at Skate Canada was troubling; I’m not sure if it’ll give her confidence a sucker punch or if it’ll inspire her to do better. But of the top names at this event, she’s perhaps the most consistent of several inconsistent competitors. If that makes any sense.
One of those “inconsistents” is Suguri… but she managed a silver at SkCan, so I’m hopeful she’s riding a good wave.
Czisny is another “inconsistent”, but she managed bronze at SkCan (and I hear it was that success that got her invited to COR to replace Finland’s Jenni Vahamaa), so I’m hopeful she’s riding a good wave.
See a pattern here?
The dark horses here are many; they include Kimmie Meissner (who seems capable of a comeback at any time), Rachael Flatt (who I fear will be underscored; hope I’m wrong), and Na-Young Kim—the lesser-known South Korean skater who still seemed impressive when I saw her (at 4CC) last year. So, in short, I’m crossing my fingers here and hoping for the best.
I must admit—the way my guesses have been going this season, maybe my brother Michael was on to something…
So, I’m off to study a copy of Celebrity Hairstyles! Your Clip of the Day is that 4CC performance from Kim that I just mentioned… so I won’t have overlooked her completely if/when she medals this weekend. :-)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Spitting? Bleeding? Welcome to TKOs at the TEB!
When I was growing up near Chicago, and the White Sox (baseball team) made it to the playoffs—a most unusual happening in those days—someone coined the catch phrase White Sox: Winning UGLY.
I don’t know if “winning ugly” was a term used prior to that, but I know I’ve heard it many times since: football, soccer, basketball… the occasional political race…
But not for figure skating. Not literally, anyway.
This past weekend at GP Paris was a different story, though. Let me relay two separate events (one you probably witnessed, one you might not have) through the mindful eyes of my family members…
ME (to my 7 year old son): Hey, I’ve got something to show you from yesterday’s competition…
SON: Why? What happened? Did someone get hurt?
ME: You’ll see.
SON: (excitedly) Is there blood?
ME: Well, remember when you asked me how sharp skate blades are..?
SON (as the camera zooms in on Craig Buntin’s hand) Yuck!
ME: See, they’ve got to wrap his hand up because they haven’t finished yet—
SON: (panics) I don’t want to see it!
ME: He’s okay, really… they even got a bronze medal…
SON: (leaves room) I don’t want to see it!
ME: He got blood all over his partner’s dress, too…
SON: YUCK!
ME: (more to myself) Well, it’s not like he had a choice.
I must say, the slice’n’dice with Canada’s Duhamel/Buntin was about as grisly an accident as I’ve seen in this sport for quite a while—even if it was, for the most part, a superficial flesh wound. Did you see how bloody the dressings were by the end of the performance? And how his poor paw was re-wrapped, post-performance, in enough bandages to resemble a boxing glove?
And speaking of boxing, here’s the other “event” I mentioned (with the help of another family member) from the men’s short program:
ME: (Talking to computer screen) Don’t do it, Joubert… don’t do it… AAUGH!
HUSBAND: Was there a fall on a quad?
ME: No… Brian Joubert just took a swig of water, swished it around in his mouth, then spit it out right on the ice!
HUSBAND: (unfazed) Uh-huh…
ME: Disgusting!
HUSBAND: Maybe he thinks he’s a hockey player.
ME: He’s not a hockey player!
HUSBAND: So… it’ll just freeze up, right?
ME: Not the point!! (Then, as I keep watching) Oh, WOW.
HUSBAND: Now was there a fall on a quad?
ME: Impossible. He was supposed to do it just then, and he missed it completely. Didn’t even try a double.
HUSBAND: Probably because he’s a hockey player now.
ME: I prefer to think of it as SPIT KARMA.
--
And so it went, at least around these parts.
Till I start making some stabs at Cup of Russia in a couple of days, I leave you with this Clip of the Day of Joubert’s current SP. Can’t find the TEB skate on You Tube right now, so this is taken from the French Masters earlier in the season. Don’t worry—this one is totally spit-free.
I don’t know if “winning ugly” was a term used prior to that, but I know I’ve heard it many times since: football, soccer, basketball… the occasional political race…
But not for figure skating. Not literally, anyway.
This past weekend at GP Paris was a different story, though. Let me relay two separate events (one you probably witnessed, one you might not have) through the mindful eyes of my family members…
ME (to my 7 year old son): Hey, I’ve got something to show you from yesterday’s competition…
SON: Why? What happened? Did someone get hurt?
ME: You’ll see.
SON: (excitedly) Is there blood?
ME: Well, remember when you asked me how sharp skate blades are..?
SON (as the camera zooms in on Craig Buntin’s hand) Yuck!
ME: See, they’ve got to wrap his hand up because they haven’t finished yet—
SON: (panics) I don’t want to see it!
ME: He’s okay, really… they even got a bronze medal…
SON: (leaves room) I don’t want to see it!
ME: He got blood all over his partner’s dress, too…
SON: YUCK!
ME: (more to myself) Well, it’s not like he had a choice.
I must say, the slice’n’dice with Canada’s Duhamel/Buntin was about as grisly an accident as I’ve seen in this sport for quite a while—even if it was, for the most part, a superficial flesh wound. Did you see how bloody the dressings were by the end of the performance? And how his poor paw was re-wrapped, post-performance, in enough bandages to resemble a boxing glove?
And speaking of boxing, here’s the other “event” I mentioned (with the help of another family member) from the men’s short program:
ME: (Talking to computer screen) Don’t do it, Joubert… don’t do it… AAUGH!
HUSBAND: Was there a fall on a quad?
ME: No… Brian Joubert just took a swig of water, swished it around in his mouth, then spit it out right on the ice!
HUSBAND: (unfazed) Uh-huh…
ME: Disgusting!
HUSBAND: Maybe he thinks he’s a hockey player.
ME: He’s not a hockey player!
HUSBAND: So… it’ll just freeze up, right?
ME: Not the point!! (Then, as I keep watching) Oh, WOW.
HUSBAND: Now was there a fall on a quad?
ME: Impossible. He was supposed to do it just then, and he missed it completely. Didn’t even try a double.
HUSBAND: Probably because he’s a hockey player now.
ME: I prefer to think of it as SPIT KARMA.
--
And so it went, at least around these parts.
Till I start making some stabs at Cup of Russia in a couple of days, I leave you with this Clip of the Day of Joubert’s current SP. Can’t find the TEB skate on You Tube right now, so this is taken from the French Masters earlier in the season. Don’t worry—this one is totally spit-free.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Who Put the "Bomp" in Trophee Eric Bompard, Anyway?
Bonjour mes amis! Avez-vous apprécié Trophée Eric Bompard le week-end dernier?
I better not go any further than that… it’s been about 22 years since my last French class. Cut to the random notes…
+ Sorry to say I took a step backwards with my guesses and finished 4-for-12 (got one right in each discipline). And the margins for victory all around were HUGE, so even the upsets were clear-cut. However…
+ In Dance, while I got silver and bronze flip-flopped, I’d like to point out that the 2 ½ point spread between silver medalists Faiella/Scali and Kerr/Kerr was anything but huge.
+ Ditto for silver and bronze in Pairs (Mukhortova/Trankov and Duhamel/Buntin), where they were separated by only about 4 points. And after what happened to D/M in the free skate, I found their Tosca routine all the more inspiring… but I’ll talk more about that tomorrow.
+ A special American shout-out is due for bronze medalist Caroline Zhang, who skated one of only two clean free skates among the singles on the podium (Alban Preaubert being the other).
+ Another American shout-out goes to 5th place finishers Vise/Trent, who turned in a great free skate even without the throw quad salchow. And with all due respect to Inoue/Baldwin, THIS is the kind of team that makes me wish certain veterans would retire and get out of the way. Quickly.
+ For the men, what an interesting (if only temporary) fall from grace for 4th place finisher Brian Joubert. From beginning to end, he looked like he had something to prove but left key pieces of evidence back at the hotel… or maybe on the practice ice. I am glad to hear he held himself accountable, though. And nice for the cameras to catch him being very sportsmanlike backstage with fellow Frenchman Preaubert (who edged him for bronze).
+ As for winner Patrick Chan, two things to note: a) Skate Canada? Not a fluke. And b) Flawed programs? Not a problem. Neither of his free skates in this season’s GP have been the show-stiopper du jour, yet his overall technique and style seem to hold him up quite nicely. All the elite male skaters in the world who hope to be in Vancouver 15 months from now should be taking note of such a competitor… one who is “on” even when he is “off”.
+ And one final thing…was it just me, or did the Kiss & Cry look like everyone was sitting in front of a giant wall of jeans on display at Old Navy?
More to come tomorrow, as we take a closer look at the ways this weekend’s events compared to another sport people get passionate about…
For now, I leave you Kozuka’s SP to Take Five (I have yet to find a program set to this music that I dislike)…a super-classy Clip of the Day.
I better not go any further than that… it’s been about 22 years since my last French class. Cut to the random notes…
+ Sorry to say I took a step backwards with my guesses and finished 4-for-12 (got one right in each discipline). And the margins for victory all around were HUGE, so even the upsets were clear-cut. However…
+ In Dance, while I got silver and bronze flip-flopped, I’d like to point out that the 2 ½ point spread between silver medalists Faiella/Scali and Kerr/Kerr was anything but huge.
+ Ditto for silver and bronze in Pairs (Mukhortova/Trankov and Duhamel/Buntin), where they were separated by only about 4 points. And after what happened to D/M in the free skate, I found their Tosca routine all the more inspiring… but I’ll talk more about that tomorrow.
+ A special American shout-out is due for bronze medalist Caroline Zhang, who skated one of only two clean free skates among the singles on the podium (Alban Preaubert being the other).
+ Another American shout-out goes to 5th place finishers Vise/Trent, who turned in a great free skate even without the throw quad salchow. And with all due respect to Inoue/Baldwin, THIS is the kind of team that makes me wish certain veterans would retire and get out of the way. Quickly.
+ For the men, what an interesting (if only temporary) fall from grace for 4th place finisher Brian Joubert. From beginning to end, he looked like he had something to prove but left key pieces of evidence back at the hotel… or maybe on the practice ice. I am glad to hear he held himself accountable, though. And nice for the cameras to catch him being very sportsmanlike backstage with fellow Frenchman Preaubert (who edged him for bronze).
+ As for winner Patrick Chan, two things to note: a) Skate Canada? Not a fluke. And b) Flawed programs? Not a problem. Neither of his free skates in this season’s GP have been the show-stiopper du jour, yet his overall technique and style seem to hold him up quite nicely. All the elite male skaters in the world who hope to be in Vancouver 15 months from now should be taking note of such a competitor… one who is “on” even when he is “off”.
+ And one final thing…was it just me, or did the Kiss & Cry look like everyone was sitting in front of a giant wall of jeans on display at Old Navy?
More to come tomorrow, as we take a closer look at the ways this weekend’s events compared to another sport people get passionate about…
For now, I leave you Kozuka’s SP to Take Five (I have yet to find a program set to this music that I dislike)…a super-classy Clip of the Day.
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