@lariko I have watched Ted a lot too. I personally took his praise of the junior Russian skaters with a grain of salt. Ted has positive words for everyone, so when the Russian juniors, usually the better prepared skaters on the circuit would skate, he would be all praise. However, that doesn't mean that these skaters were well-rounded skaters. Most of them had the jumps and spins mastered, would get the points where they need to get the points. Once in a while, a full-package skater would come to the circuit of course. However, it wasn't always the case but while listening to Ted, one would assume that they are all flawless and stellar. It's just his way of commentating. I think it's appropriate too as these athletes are young. However, it's an editorial choice made and the reality is that nope, most of these skaters are far from being complete skaters.
Also, when you mention watching only since 2018, we have been through this before, but I am sorry, but some of the long time fans on this board will tell you : watch skating from earlier. This is what some of us are talking about when it comes to complete skaters and edge work, soft knees etc. When you see the beauty of that skating, and even more so live at the rink, it's another sport altogether.
This is why I am sad with the current move towards acrobatics in ice dance : dance was the last discipline where we could still see good skating. The code of points has given jumps so much weight. On top of that, a bad spinner will still score some points on their awful spins, but a bad jumper will not on a failed jump. So the gap is even wider.
I thought your description of Samarin was on point and exactly why we disagree so much on what is exciting and good skating. I find very little to be excited about Samarin's skating. Perhaps one of my least favourite Russian skaters. The reality is that a jump gets completed in less than a second... 8 jumping passes, not even 20 seconds when including combos and telegraphing... yet the program is 4 minutes long. It gets long to watch someone who doesn't have amazing skating skills for that long.
I agree with @icewhite 's long post about what pays is what is the focus... It's exactly the same in music competition. The artistic side of the musician is not the focus when it comes to competitions. A musician needs to select appropriate repertoire showcasing their virtuosity. They need to look and sound impressive. A more intimate, deep and refined performance with extreme care for each detail will probably not win against some bombastic playing.
Also, when you mention watching only since 2018, we have been through this before, but I am sorry, but some of the long time fans on this board will tell you : watch skating from earlier. This is what some of us are talking about when it comes to complete skaters and edge work, soft knees etc. When you see the beauty of that skating, and even more so live at the rink, it's another sport altogether.
This is why I am sad with the current move towards acrobatics in ice dance : dance was the last discipline where we could still see good skating. The code of points has given jumps so much weight. On top of that, a bad spinner will still score some points on their awful spins, but a bad jumper will not on a failed jump. So the gap is even wider.
I thought your description of Samarin was on point and exactly why we disagree so much on what is exciting and good skating. I find very little to be excited about Samarin's skating. Perhaps one of my least favourite Russian skaters. The reality is that a jump gets completed in less than a second... 8 jumping passes, not even 20 seconds when including combos and telegraphing... yet the program is 4 minutes long. It gets long to watch someone who doesn't have amazing skating skills for that long.
I agree with @icewhite 's long post about what pays is what is the focus... It's exactly the same in music competition. The artistic side of the musician is not the focus when it comes to competitions. A musician needs to select appropriate repertoire showcasing their virtuosity. They need to look and sound impressive. A more intimate, deep and refined performance with extreme care for each detail will probably not win against some bombastic playing.