And as soon as I’m about to say “It’s time to get back to business,” there’s some skate-breaking news of the U.S. variety: Belbin & Agosto have withdrawn from Nationals. The back injury of Agosto’s that forced them to withdraw from GP Finals last month has prompted the withdrawal; they simply say it needs more time to heal.
And if that news isn’t telling enough of Davis & White’s chances to claim the title this year, check out this article from the L.A. Times about the Belbin/Agosto withdrawal… which, at least at the time I’m looking at it, clearly can’t tell B/A apart from D/W. (Come on, LA Times… I know skating isn’t getting the press it used to, but couldn’t a major newspaper like you do a tiny bit more research?)
Anyway…
Over in Cleveland, folks are getting ready to welcome the U.S. figure skating community to town as those 2009 U.S. Nationals take place later this month at the Quicken Loans Arena. For any of you that might be traveling to Cleveland for this event yourselves, take note of the Ought Nine Nationals blog, which is chock full of info to help get you in, out, and around the Cleveland area in as enjoyable a manner as possible. Recent entries include information about discounts for “locals”, copious restaurant information, and fun polls (such as voting for your favorite “beef” about attending Nationals, with categories from “Draconian camera policies” to “Arena food” to “Casual fans behaving badly”… heh heh).
Even if you have no plans to attend (yeah, me neither… sigh), you might want to check the site out. Especially if you’re jonesing to vote on who’s going to win—the polls are already open over there!
To get you in the mood for more Nationals stuff, here’s a clip of the day that features Mirai Nagasu’s gold-medal free skate from last year.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Skaters' Resolutions... The True, The False, and the Creepy
Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions yet? Have you broken any already?
I’m pushing the “dream headline” idea back a few days because I noticed that IceNetwork.com is featuring Skaters’ New Year’s Resolutions on its Inside Edge with Sarah and Drew page. Among the more amusing ones:
Jeremy Abbott: To stop swearing in the Kiss and Cry.
(Judging from the way he’s been skating of late, JeremEEE should have no problem keeping this!)
John Coughlin (U.S. pairs skater): To limit my chocolate-milk intake from the Olympic Training Center, as it cannot be good for my health.
(Mmmm… chocolate milk… think of the calcium John, not the calories…)
John Kerr: To 100 percent of the time remember to bring my music to exhibition performances (I forgot to bring it twice this year).
(I’m too busy laughing to come up with anything for this. Sounds like something I’d do.)
Stephanie Kuban (U.S. pairs skater): To start calling my partner by his real name, instead of "Creeps."
(Creeps?!?!)
OK, those are the REAL resolutions…
Which are not to be confused with the FAKE resolutions I’m about to make up for other skaters we know and love…!
Brian Joubert—no more spitting on the ice like he’s Rocky Balboa and it’s round 14. (See Joubert just before his disastrous TEB short program for more details.)
Mukhortova/Trankov—to get to some sort of couples counseling pronto to figure out how to work better together. Or, to beg the Russian Federation to just break them up already and put them out of their misery.
Domnina/Shabalin—to figure out what the point is of being miserable training in the U.S. alongside the top U.S. team when they’re starting to be overshadowed by fellow Russian teams.
Belbin/Agosto—strangely enough, the exact same thing (U.S. version).
Ashley Wagner—to ditch her borderline scandalous, leopard-print free skate dress so as not to distract from her otherwise awesome Spartacus program when Nationals roll around.
Savchenko/Szolkowy—to ditch their SP costumes because they look like they were designed by the Powerpuff Girls. Actually, didn’t I hear Savchenko herself created them? Just the same, COME ON… the only one I know who really appreciated them was my 5-year old daughter, who would have improved upon them with tiaras, fairy wings and sparkly rainbows… if only she knew how!
And speaking of which, the Clip of the Day showcases those pink and purple crimes of fashion as Savchenko and Szolkowy debuted them (I think?) this past summer at Nebelhorn Trophy. At least the skating is good...
I’m pushing the “dream headline” idea back a few days because I noticed that IceNetwork.com is featuring Skaters’ New Year’s Resolutions on its Inside Edge with Sarah and Drew page. Among the more amusing ones:
Jeremy Abbott: To stop swearing in the Kiss and Cry.
(Judging from the way he’s been skating of late, JeremEEE should have no problem keeping this!)
John Coughlin (U.S. pairs skater): To limit my chocolate-milk intake from the Olympic Training Center, as it cannot be good for my health.
(Mmmm… chocolate milk… think of the calcium John, not the calories…)
John Kerr: To 100 percent of the time remember to bring my music to exhibition performances (I forgot to bring it twice this year).
(I’m too busy laughing to come up with anything for this. Sounds like something I’d do.)
Stephanie Kuban (U.S. pairs skater): To start calling my partner by his real name, instead of "Creeps."
(Creeps?!?!)
OK, those are the REAL resolutions…
Which are not to be confused with the FAKE resolutions I’m about to make up for other skaters we know and love…!
Brian Joubert—no more spitting on the ice like he’s Rocky Balboa and it’s round 14. (See Joubert just before his disastrous TEB short program for more details.)
Mukhortova/Trankov—to get to some sort of couples counseling pronto to figure out how to work better together. Or, to beg the Russian Federation to just break them up already and put them out of their misery.
Domnina/Shabalin—to figure out what the point is of being miserable training in the U.S. alongside the top U.S. team when they’re starting to be overshadowed by fellow Russian teams.
Belbin/Agosto—strangely enough, the exact same thing (U.S. version).
Ashley Wagner—to ditch her borderline scandalous, leopard-print free skate dress so as not to distract from her otherwise awesome Spartacus program when Nationals roll around.
Savchenko/Szolkowy—to ditch their SP costumes because they look like they were designed by the Powerpuff Girls. Actually, didn’t I hear Savchenko herself created them? Just the same, COME ON… the only one I know who really appreciated them was my 5-year old daughter, who would have improved upon them with tiaras, fairy wings and sparkly rainbows… if only she knew how!
And speaking of which, the Clip of the Day showcases those pink and purple crimes of fashion as Savchenko and Szolkowy debuted them (I think?) this past summer at Nebelhorn Trophy. At least the skating is good...
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Yesterday's News...5 Signs of Skating's Times in 2008
When you start a new year, does the “old year” – you know, the one we left behind just 24 hours ago—become old news? That is, news too dated to still be discussed?
We’re about to find out. Below I’ve listed 5 headlines… or if they weren’t bona fide headlines, they should have been headlines in the mind’s eye of a skater or skating fan. In MY mind’s eye, these were 5 of the most unforgettable signs of skating’s times in 2008.
In Chronological Order (more or less):
1) Christopher Bowman Dies at Age 40 (January)
His death may not have directly affected the sport, but it was certainly an ominous way to start the year. And while his troubled life and much-too-soon demise was incredibly sad to those of us who remember him in his heyday, it’s the “post-mortem”, so to speak, that reverberates with me as well. Should Bowman receive a posthumous induction into the sport’s Hall of Fame, or does such an action send the wrong message? Shouldn’t NBC have spent some on-air time discussing him and his illustrious career when they covered Nationals a couple weeks later? And speaking of the media, what are we to read (if anything) into the fact that Bowman’s death barely registered in mainstream media? I might be comparing apples to oranges here, but I recall Sergei Grinkov’s premature death was covered to considerable extent when he passed away in late 1995… when skating happened to still be in a post-’94 Olympics groundswell of popularity. I hate to think of someone’s death as a barometer for those still living and breathing the sport, but in this case, I couldn’t seem to help it.
2) Doug Wilson Retires From ABC/ESPN After Worlds (March)
Of all three retirements I’m mentioning in this post, I think this one might be the saddest for me… even if it was the most expected. Doug Wilson was THE preeminent producer and director for all skating events covered by ABC/ESPN, and had been with the network for well over 45 years covering the sport. When the rights were not renewed with ABC this season, Wilson decided the time was as good as any to call it a day, so he ended his skating “career” with the 2008 World Championships.
I’ve personally interviewed Mr. Wilson at length, and he seems as kind and thoughtful as anyone you’d hope to meet in the TV industry. He played an enormous part in the way we all saw and heard the sport, literally speaking, from the 1970s on through to the 21st century. He earned his own spot in the Hall of Fame last year, and rightfully so. We can only hope his influence will still be felt, regardless of the forum in which skating continues to be shown.
3) Jeffrey Buttle Retires (September)/Stephane Lambiel Retires (October)
The double whammy! At a time when more and more skaters seem to shy away from Big Announcements and Bigger Decisions, the respective retirements of both the current World champion and a past World champion hit especially hard. Both came mere weeks before the new season began. Both wreaked havoc with the GP schedules. And both were rather unexpected anyway—Buttle at arguably the pinnacle of his career; Lambiel perhaps past the pinnacle, but seemingly with several more good years in him. Throw in the endless commentary about how, in Buttle’s choice, skating is losing one of its “true artists” at a time they are needed the most… and how Lambiel’s injury-related decision speaks volumes for how the CoP is tearing athletes’ bodies to shreds… and you end up with quite a one-two punch. Unfortunately.
4) Judging Panels to Shrink at Major Championships (October)
It’s too soon to tell just what sort of long-term impact this unpopular decision is going to have… but when a headline (and this one was an actual headline) essentially discusses judging and figure skating in the same breath, I’m not sure if there’s anyone who comes away with a good feeling about the news being delivered. Know what I mean?
5) Mao Asada Lands Two Triple Axels Within One Free Skate… the First Lady to Do So in International Competition (December)
I’m not at all sure if this was a headline, but it should have been. Asada’s accomplishment at the GPF was incredible and historic, as many have noted… but again, mainstream media has barely blinked thus far. Please, won’t someone tell me they saw a clip of her on ESPN or something? Again I must say I’d have a hard time believing coverage would have been the same had Asada (or anyone else) accomplished this in the mid-late 1990s. The sad truth is, stories can’t be written about things the story writers don’t care about. And if the majority of TV viewers don’t bother with Ice Network, and consequentially don’t even see much skating anymore… how can they care about it?
OK, so there goes last year’s news… on the next post, maybe I should think up some “dream headlines” for 2009. What do you think? :-)
For the Clip of the Day I’m going all the way back to Torvill and Dean’s definitive Bolero Olympic free dance— as directed by the aforementioned Doug Wilson. Happy new year everyone!
We’re about to find out. Below I’ve listed 5 headlines… or if they weren’t bona fide headlines, they should have been headlines in the mind’s eye of a skater or skating fan. In MY mind’s eye, these were 5 of the most unforgettable signs of skating’s times in 2008.
In Chronological Order (more or less):
1) Christopher Bowman Dies at Age 40 (January)
His death may not have directly affected the sport, but it was certainly an ominous way to start the year. And while his troubled life and much-too-soon demise was incredibly sad to those of us who remember him in his heyday, it’s the “post-mortem”, so to speak, that reverberates with me as well. Should Bowman receive a posthumous induction into the sport’s Hall of Fame, or does such an action send the wrong message? Shouldn’t NBC have spent some on-air time discussing him and his illustrious career when they covered Nationals a couple weeks later? And speaking of the media, what are we to read (if anything) into the fact that Bowman’s death barely registered in mainstream media? I might be comparing apples to oranges here, but I recall Sergei Grinkov’s premature death was covered to considerable extent when he passed away in late 1995… when skating happened to still be in a post-’94 Olympics groundswell of popularity. I hate to think of someone’s death as a barometer for those still living and breathing the sport, but in this case, I couldn’t seem to help it.
2) Doug Wilson Retires From ABC/ESPN After Worlds (March)
Of all three retirements I’m mentioning in this post, I think this one might be the saddest for me… even if it was the most expected. Doug Wilson was THE preeminent producer and director for all skating events covered by ABC/ESPN, and had been with the network for well over 45 years covering the sport. When the rights were not renewed with ABC this season, Wilson decided the time was as good as any to call it a day, so he ended his skating “career” with the 2008 World Championships.
I’ve personally interviewed Mr. Wilson at length, and he seems as kind and thoughtful as anyone you’d hope to meet in the TV industry. He played an enormous part in the way we all saw and heard the sport, literally speaking, from the 1970s on through to the 21st century. He earned his own spot in the Hall of Fame last year, and rightfully so. We can only hope his influence will still be felt, regardless of the forum in which skating continues to be shown.
3) Jeffrey Buttle Retires (September)/Stephane Lambiel Retires (October)
The double whammy! At a time when more and more skaters seem to shy away from Big Announcements and Bigger Decisions, the respective retirements of both the current World champion and a past World champion hit especially hard. Both came mere weeks before the new season began. Both wreaked havoc with the GP schedules. And both were rather unexpected anyway—Buttle at arguably the pinnacle of his career; Lambiel perhaps past the pinnacle, but seemingly with several more good years in him. Throw in the endless commentary about how, in Buttle’s choice, skating is losing one of its “true artists” at a time they are needed the most… and how Lambiel’s injury-related decision speaks volumes for how the CoP is tearing athletes’ bodies to shreds… and you end up with quite a one-two punch. Unfortunately.
4) Judging Panels to Shrink at Major Championships (October)
It’s too soon to tell just what sort of long-term impact this unpopular decision is going to have… but when a headline (and this one was an actual headline) essentially discusses judging and figure skating in the same breath, I’m not sure if there’s anyone who comes away with a good feeling about the news being delivered. Know what I mean?
5) Mao Asada Lands Two Triple Axels Within One Free Skate… the First Lady to Do So in International Competition (December)
I’m not at all sure if this was a headline, but it should have been. Asada’s accomplishment at the GPF was incredible and historic, as many have noted… but again, mainstream media has barely blinked thus far. Please, won’t someone tell me they saw a clip of her on ESPN or something? Again I must say I’d have a hard time believing coverage would have been the same had Asada (or anyone else) accomplished this in the mid-late 1990s. The sad truth is, stories can’t be written about things the story writers don’t care about. And if the majority of TV viewers don’t bother with Ice Network, and consequentially don’t even see much skating anymore… how can they care about it?
OK, so there goes last year’s news… on the next post, maybe I should think up some “dream headlines” for 2009. What do you think? :-)
For the Clip of the Day I’m going all the way back to Torvill and Dean’s definitive Bolero Olympic free dance— as directed by the aforementioned Doug Wilson. Happy new year everyone!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
A Quick Correction...
I hate inaccuracies, especially when I'm making them... so I need to correct something from my Monday post. I said Mao Asada did not win Japanese Nationals... when what I meant to say was that she did not win the FREE SKATE portion. In fact, she didn't "win" either part of the competition-- Yukuri Nakano won the SP, where Fumie Suguri got the LP-- but Asada was 2nd in both, which in this event added up to 1st overall.
My original idea was to "scoop" that she had not won the FS so that you'd wonder "Really? Then who did?" and go to one of the other blogs I mentioned. But I was having a brain freeze by the time I actually posted. My bad! And my apologies.
Somewhere out at a college in Iowa, my Reporting Techniques professor from 20 years ago is shaking his head...
My original idea was to "scoop" that she had not won the FS so that you'd wonder "Really? Then who did?" and go to one of the other blogs I mentioned. But I was having a brain freeze by the time I actually posted. My bad! And my apologies.
Somewhere out at a college in Iowa, my Reporting Techniques professor from 20 years ago is shaking his head...
Monday, December 29, 2008
Pass the Catch-up (End of Year Edition)
So! While elite U.S. figure skaters were snug in their beds last week with visions of national titles dancing in their heads, they could at least do so knowing the competition was still several weeks away… unlike their Japanese counterparts, Russian counterparts, French, Finnish…
Yes, national competitions have been a-blazing around the world this holiday season, so I suggest you go take a peek at Aaron’s Blog or Laura’s Blog to get everything that’s scoopalicious, and that I did not locate in time :-(
A mini-spoiler to share... Mao Asada did NOT win Japanese Nats. See? Scoopalicious indeed.
Anyway, since the year is coming to a close I thought I’d attempt to update you on a few of the open-ended bits of “news” I’ve posted since State of the Skate launched in April:
Scott Hamilton’s book (“Here Comes Self-Help Scotty” 7/26)… has a January 6 release date; you can find out more in recent articles such as this one. I’ll be keeping close tabs on sales once it’s out.
And… Hamilton vs. Trump (“But Will He Make Lemonade Out of These Celebrity Lemons?” 9/9): while there hasn’t been much reported on the actual cast for Season 2 of The Celebrity Apprentice since my post first went out, TVGuide.com reports that the show will return to the airwaves on Sunday March 1st… apparently with several 2-hour episodes in store. I haven’t followed Apprentice in several seasons, so forgive me if I say I’m not sure yet whether I’m rooting for him to win or lose (as a “loss” means I won’t feel compelled to watch anymore).
Sasha Cohen’s possible comeback ("Is She, or Isn’t She, or… Whatever, Sasha" 10/5): The bad news is she’s still making it into the headlines every 6 weeks or so with her fence-sitting. The good news, according to this article from a couple weeks back, is that she’s now set a deadline for making that big decision: next summer. Which is to say the wavering could go on through June. Or July. Or even August. And technically, summer stretches on into September… so, as usual—way to commit, Ms. Cohen! We’ll look to hear from you again around mid-February.
And finally...New skating reality show taping in December (“Just How This is This ‘Thin Ice’?” 9/19): Does anyone know if this thing actually took place Dec. 18-23 at the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods as advertised? I can’t find a single new article about it or that it took place at all, let alone that it will make it to the airwaves… which, unfortunately, makes me think the “ice” in this scenario was very thin indeed.
The Clip of the Day features a short program from Russian Nationals that led to an overall victory. (OK, no big surprise for Kawaguchi and Smirnov.)
Yes, national competitions have been a-blazing around the world this holiday season, so I suggest you go take a peek at Aaron’s Blog or Laura’s Blog to get everything that’s scoopalicious, and that I did not locate in time :-(
A mini-spoiler to share... Mao Asada did NOT win Japanese Nats. See? Scoopalicious indeed.
Anyway, since the year is coming to a close I thought I’d attempt to update you on a few of the open-ended bits of “news” I’ve posted since State of the Skate launched in April:
Scott Hamilton’s book (“Here Comes Self-Help Scotty” 7/26)… has a January 6 release date; you can find out more in recent articles such as this one. I’ll be keeping close tabs on sales once it’s out.
And… Hamilton vs. Trump (“But Will He Make Lemonade Out of These Celebrity Lemons?” 9/9): while there hasn’t been much reported on the actual cast for Season 2 of The Celebrity Apprentice since my post first went out, TVGuide.com reports that the show will return to the airwaves on Sunday March 1st… apparently with several 2-hour episodes in store. I haven’t followed Apprentice in several seasons, so forgive me if I say I’m not sure yet whether I’m rooting for him to win or lose (as a “loss” means I won’t feel compelled to watch anymore).
Sasha Cohen’s possible comeback ("Is She, or Isn’t She, or… Whatever, Sasha" 10/5): The bad news is she’s still making it into the headlines every 6 weeks or so with her fence-sitting. The good news, according to this article from a couple weeks back, is that she’s now set a deadline for making that big decision: next summer. Which is to say the wavering could go on through June. Or July. Or even August. And technically, summer stretches on into September… so, as usual—way to commit, Ms. Cohen! We’ll look to hear from you again around mid-February.
And finally...New skating reality show taping in December (“Just How This is This ‘Thin Ice’?” 9/19): Does anyone know if this thing actually took place Dec. 18-23 at the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods as advertised? I can’t find a single new article about it or that it took place at all, let alone that it will make it to the airwaves… which, unfortunately, makes me think the “ice” in this scenario was very thin indeed.
The Clip of the Day features a short program from Russian Nationals that led to an overall victory. (OK, no big surprise for Kawaguchi and Smirnov.)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
A Gift Fitting All Sizes of Skating Fans...
Everyone deserves a gift in this season of giving. You “gift” me every time you come visit this blog, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. Here is my gift to you… sorry I didn’t wrap it:
THE ISU FEEDBACK PAGE
This is the link recently recommended by IFS Magazine as a sort of antidote to the misery being felt by figure skating fans this season… particularly those who, for one reason or another, have little or no access to all the great skating that is NOT finding its way to mainstream television. There’s a lot of different opinions out there with regards to the CoP system, the ongoing judging controversies, the quality of skating being produced by today’s athletes… but one thing I think all fans of the sport can agree on is that skating is as deserving to be seen on TV as any other sport—more so, I think, because of the huge ratings (and dollars) it rakes in every 4 years. It’s repeatedly earned the right to be seen for free more than 2 or 3 times a year. Why, then, must fans quite literally pay the price (to IceNetwork) because the ISU and the networks can’t find a way to work a deal?
So if you’d like to sound off in your own fashion, click on the link above.
The Clip of the Day goes a little off the beaten path… all the way back to 1967, when Andy Williams still did annual Christmas specials. Check out this 2-minute group skating number, which reportedly features a young JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley. And for all who celebrate at this time of year… enjoy your holiday! I’ll be back to posting sometime over the weekend.
THE ISU FEEDBACK PAGE
This is the link recently recommended by IFS Magazine as a sort of antidote to the misery being felt by figure skating fans this season… particularly those who, for one reason or another, have little or no access to all the great skating that is NOT finding its way to mainstream television. There’s a lot of different opinions out there with regards to the CoP system, the ongoing judging controversies, the quality of skating being produced by today’s athletes… but one thing I think all fans of the sport can agree on is that skating is as deserving to be seen on TV as any other sport—more so, I think, because of the huge ratings (and dollars) it rakes in every 4 years. It’s repeatedly earned the right to be seen for free more than 2 or 3 times a year. Why, then, must fans quite literally pay the price (to IceNetwork) because the ISU and the networks can’t find a way to work a deal?
So if you’d like to sound off in your own fashion, click on the link above.
The Clip of the Day goes a little off the beaten path… all the way back to 1967, when Andy Williams still did annual Christmas specials. Check out this 2-minute group skating number, which reportedly features a young JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley. And for all who celebrate at this time of year… enjoy your holiday! I’ll be back to posting sometime over the weekend.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
The Other Half: Ladies/Dance, GP FInal Notes
Wow is time getting away from me… a typical lament from an overextended American with kids at Christmastime, perhaps, but the only excuse I can scrape together when it comes to being late on a post about an event that took place a whole week ago!
I got my DSL speeds back up to snuff a few days back, so I finally got my turn at watching the ladies and dance GP Finals. In the interest of consistency, I’ll frame my smattering of notes with the theme “HAD I REALIZED…”
--Had I realized 1/3 of the dance teams would pull out of the event before it was over, I might have given Davis & White a shot at the podium in my predictions. As it stands, the medal was well-deserved… they were spot-on with their sparkling Samson & Delilah free dance.
--Had I realized Domnina and Shabalin’s free dance seems more and more to be built entirely around 2 giant, soaring lifts… as if all the other elements are merely filler… I would have prayed that somehow Ashley Wagner be the only ranked skater to use Spartacus this season.
--And had I realized how much I appreciate the wildly different themes Delobel and Schoenfelder have chosen over the past few years (Bonnie & Clyde, The Piano)… I might have found myself appreciating their current program (to Pink Floyd) a little sooner. As it stands, it’s growing on me. I still don’t like the random female vocal that crops up every now and again, but that’s probably more about my aversion to Pink Floyd than any aversion to DelSchoen.
-- Had Miki Ando realized she was going to cheat so many jumps (including her newly-returned quad salchow), maybe she wouldn’t have used a program different than she’s used all season. My guess is that she didn’t want to continue drawing unfavorable comparisons to Yukari Nakano’s version of Giselle. And my guess is as good as yours as to whether or not she’ll stay with the Saint-Saens piece for Japanese Nationals.
--Had I realized Mao Asada was going to succeed this time with the back-to-back triple axels in her free skate, maybe I would have predicted her for the top spot.
But I would have winced doing it.
Because, especially in watching them in the same competition, I simply like Yu-Na Kim’s free skate much better. Asada looks like she’s putting every last ounce of energy and concentration in those first two jump passes (the triple axels, one in combination) and, terrific as they are, the intricacies of the program’s remainder seem to fall away as a result. Maybe that’s why Kim could still, at this point, have beaten Asada with a clean skate. Too bad it didn’t happen here. But with less than 3 points separating them in the end, IT is definitely ON (as young people and reality show contestants tend to say).
Anyway… just a couple more thoughts:
-- Had the ISU realized tickets for this GP Final (held this time in Korea) would sell out so quickly—about 45 minutes, I think I heard commentator P.J. Kwong say—perhaps they would have made Goyang City the home of international figure skating events for the past 5 years. (Heck, if U.S. Nationals has any attendance issues when it comes to Cleveland next month… maybe the USFS should consider moving the whole event over to South Korea.)
--And finally… had I not been treated to the low-key, helpful commentary by P.J. Kwong in the early phases of last week’s event, I wouldn’t have missed her as much when her voice was absent from the free skates. Really, IceNetwork or ISU or whoever hired her, you might want to consider doing whatever it takes to keep her on board next time!
The Clip of the Day goes back to Davis & White’s Skate Canada performance, where they won their first gold on the senior GP circuit. Since I can’t locate last week’s similar skate on You Tube, this seemed like the next best thing to show.
I got my DSL speeds back up to snuff a few days back, so I finally got my turn at watching the ladies and dance GP Finals. In the interest of consistency, I’ll frame my smattering of notes with the theme “HAD I REALIZED…”
--Had I realized 1/3 of the dance teams would pull out of the event before it was over, I might have given Davis & White a shot at the podium in my predictions. As it stands, the medal was well-deserved… they were spot-on with their sparkling Samson & Delilah free dance.
--Had I realized Domnina and Shabalin’s free dance seems more and more to be built entirely around 2 giant, soaring lifts… as if all the other elements are merely filler… I would have prayed that somehow Ashley Wagner be the only ranked skater to use Spartacus this season.
--And had I realized how much I appreciate the wildly different themes Delobel and Schoenfelder have chosen over the past few years (Bonnie & Clyde, The Piano)… I might have found myself appreciating their current program (to Pink Floyd) a little sooner. As it stands, it’s growing on me. I still don’t like the random female vocal that crops up every now and again, but that’s probably more about my aversion to Pink Floyd than any aversion to DelSchoen.
-- Had Miki Ando realized she was going to cheat so many jumps (including her newly-returned quad salchow), maybe she wouldn’t have used a program different than she’s used all season. My guess is that she didn’t want to continue drawing unfavorable comparisons to Yukari Nakano’s version of Giselle. And my guess is as good as yours as to whether or not she’ll stay with the Saint-Saens piece for Japanese Nationals.
--Had I realized Mao Asada was going to succeed this time with the back-to-back triple axels in her free skate, maybe I would have predicted her for the top spot.
But I would have winced doing it.
Because, especially in watching them in the same competition, I simply like Yu-Na Kim’s free skate much better. Asada looks like she’s putting every last ounce of energy and concentration in those first two jump passes (the triple axels, one in combination) and, terrific as they are, the intricacies of the program’s remainder seem to fall away as a result. Maybe that’s why Kim could still, at this point, have beaten Asada with a clean skate. Too bad it didn’t happen here. But with less than 3 points separating them in the end, IT is definitely ON (as young people and reality show contestants tend to say).
Anyway… just a couple more thoughts:
-- Had the ISU realized tickets for this GP Final (held this time in Korea) would sell out so quickly—about 45 minutes, I think I heard commentator P.J. Kwong say—perhaps they would have made Goyang City the home of international figure skating events for the past 5 years. (Heck, if U.S. Nationals has any attendance issues when it comes to Cleveland next month… maybe the USFS should consider moving the whole event over to South Korea.)
--And finally… had I not been treated to the low-key, helpful commentary by P.J. Kwong in the early phases of last week’s event, I wouldn’t have missed her as much when her voice was absent from the free skates. Really, IceNetwork or ISU or whoever hired her, you might want to consider doing whatever it takes to keep her on board next time!
The Clip of the Day goes back to Davis & White’s Skate Canada performance, where they won their first gold on the senior GP circuit. Since I can’t locate last week’s similar skate on You Tube, this seemed like the next best thing to show.
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