2014 Olympics Mens Free Skate

[qwertyskates]

Part of the problem of skating and these threads we have people who judge more on cuteness of Hanyu or hotness of Javier -really folks isn't he jus the new Joubert who was the new Candelero. LOL We have too many Miss america princesses really no personlity or mugging for the cameras and sayign the right things love or hate them Plushy, Chan make it interesting. Not everyone is truly an American princess who spreads I want world peace and wish everyoen well - sure that is nice and we do hope for that but really...let's hear some truth.. do you really think Michelle was all that happy about Tara or Sarah's win? And is Mirai really not just disappointed about being left off the team Kovotun and Vornov said it was up to the Russian fed who went but really they had opinions but they just did the politcal kind thing. Where is Johnny Weir when you need him.

:agree: Posts that negatively comment on the skater's looks, scary eyes, big gaping mouth, no neck, etc. are to me, illegitimate reasons to diss skaters. Criticisms of costumes, music, choreography, posture, carriage, I understand, especially when they can be improved by skaters, but this extremely childish, personal dissing really ticks me off, especially on a figure skating forum!:disapp:

 

[CarneAsada]

What was the mistake that Chan did in the SP and why was he overscored again (so many points ahead of Fernandez)?

With so many mistakes in the long program and a mistake in the short, Chan still manages to place 2nd in both? Is the power of Canadian federation so strong that judges become completely blind?

Unbelievable, the most overscored skater ever.

I think we should come back to deductions for falls, the whole event left such a bitter taste in my mouth.

It was a step-out on his 3A. It was not as bad as his 3A mistake in the FS, and his SP was otherwise great. Fernandez's SP was hardly a stellar performance with his crappy 4S landing and the mistake on his 3-3. More than 50% of the gap between Fernandez and chan came from TES.

As for the FS, everybody sucked to some degree. Hanyu still had the highest TES despite his 3S not getting counted at all for some odd reason (free foot on the ice for too long?). Chan getting 2nd in the FS doesn't particularly bother me (and once again, he did not fall outright), and if he was propped up to 1st in the FS (but not overall) through PCS I wouldn't have minded that much either. This result is hardly an example of great Canadian politicking.

Deducting more severely for falls, by the way, would not have harmed Chan at this competition. It would affect Hanyu with his 2 falls in the FS so be careful what you wish for.

 

[qwertyskates]

However Chan has the best artistry and foot work of anyone who has ever skated that's why. I thought Yuzuru was overscored yesterday for his component marks. He had two falls and he still gets those marks???

Most of us who thought Chan skated better than Hanyu saw the same...I am biased towards an all-rounded skater, not only for the technicals. When a situation arises when both 1/2 skaters did not skate well, I'd lean towards the one with the more convincing program. Actually, other than Chan, Machida, more than Hanyu, deserved to win FS with his Firebird, though technically he was behind.

 

[Spinerette]

I thought Machida was better than Hanyu as well. With the IJS the emphasis is always on racking on more points with the difficult jumps. It's ridiculous. The only thing good about Hanyu are his jumps. His arms are always flailing everywhere. I much prefer the all around skater. The new system is insane you could probably land four quads and fall four times and still win. We don't need any more quads-they're giving everyone injuries after injuries.

 

[moviechick]

Chan was totally unconvincing in his FS though. He just looked totally defeated and had given up by the end of that program.

Really, this whole event should just be wiped from collective memory.

 

[sms2000]

The FS made me sick.
The old lion is dead, the young coyotes are yet to learn few tricks beyond just doing quads.

 

[Spinerette]

I wish they had more rest between the Sp and the Fs then maybe we would have had better results. Maybe they should do the short dance after the men's sp then have the men do the fs. Imagine how much better it would be with some rest.

 

[Interspectator]

The new system is insane you could probably land four quads and fall four times and still win.

Kevin Reynolds would disagree.

 

[figuristka]

I wish they had more rest between the Sp and the Fs then maybe we would have had better results. Maybe they should do the short dance after the men's sp then have the men do the fs. Imagine how much better it would be with some rest.

Sounds alot better.

 

[qwertyskates]

What if they change the rules such that athletes can do as many jumps as they are able to deliver in a competition, and only the highest 8 (non repeated) jumps are counted? Would this help the event to be less stressful and more just in awarding TES? No doubt Hanyu will still win the TES, but it'll allow skaters like Fernandez, Brown, etc. to be awarded fairer scoring?

 

[Meoima]

What if they change the rules such that athletes can do as many jumps as they are able to deliver in a competition, and only the highest 8 (non repeated) jumps are counted? Would this help the event to be less stressful and more just in awarding TES? No doubt Hanyu will still win the TES, but it'll allow skaters like Fernandez, Brown, etc. to be awarded fairer scoring?

I am afraid that would be more like jump-oriented competition than the current, you know when they are trying to be competitive, they choose all the jumps.

 

[Meoima]

I wish they had more rest between the Sp and the Fs then maybe we would have had better results. Maybe they should do the short dance after the men's sp then have the men do the fs. Imagine how much better it would be with some rest.

Yeah, especially when the competition is favoring jumping now. Skaters need more time to rest and calm dowb.

 

[qwertyskates]

I am afraid that would be more like jump-oriented competition than the current, you know when they are trying to be competitive, they choose all the jumps.

They can also raise the BV scores for the other non-jumping technical elements or expand the PCS scope?

Actually, athletes like Hanyu, Han, are great jumpers, and I don't mind watching a jumps-packed program from them. Others more rounded ones like Chan can do a balanced combination of both, and the types like Brown, Amodio can just focus more on a less jumps-oriented (but with a minimum of say, 5 jumps) program. Athletes should deliver what they're best at achieving.

If athletes know that they get a couple more jumping passes/opportunities, then they might not go to pieces when they failed on the first 2 tries, when they haven't got "into" the programs yet, especially for the FS.

 

[Ryan O]

Overall, I can't come up with a definitive argument for Hanyu or Patrick Chan deserving the gold, or for Ten or Javier deserving the bronze. That's a reflection of how terrible this competition was.

Fair point.

And as I said here last night, the fact that this competition was pretty bad was evident in the shocked reactions of veterans like Kurt Browning and Scott Hamilton. They've seen more men's skating than most of us ever have and even they were visibly shaken by how badly all the men skated last night, particularly Chan & Hanyu.

 

[peg]

:agree: Posts that negatively comment on the skater's looks, scary eyes, big gaping mouth, no neck, etc. are to me, illegitimate reasons to diss skaters. Criticisms of costumes, music, choreography, posture, carriage, I understand, especially when they can be improved by skaters, but this extremely childish, personal dissing really ticks me off, especially on a figure skating forum!:disapp:

 

[yude]

I thought he already said that in 2010...? But I'm really not sure ^^

Plush tweeted he was proud and happy for Yuzuru too, and I think already before the competition there was this "He says I'm his hero, but now he is mine" quote... Yuzuru could probably burst with joy

Yuzuru was asked about that quote of Plushenko in the interview, and he said, "I don't cry here but I will when I'm alone (laughs). I'm so happy, but he is THE hero to me."

 

[Silvia451]

Yuzuru was asked about that quote of Plushenko in the interview, and he said, "I don't cry here but I will when I'm alone (laughs). I'm so happy, but he is THE hero to me."

Of course he didn't cry there, he didn't have Winnie the Pooh with him.

 

[sgsmozart]

I think the problem with the men's competition and why it was so tedious an event to watch, is not with the men themselves, but with the nature of men's skating today. It's become almost preternaturally difficult with so many requirements that whoever invented this new point system, should be sent to a Siberian Gulag. How can you have beautiful artistic programs when you have to do this or that movement or spin at this or that time to garner points. With only a few exceptions, the men's programs all resembled each other, were cookie- cutter replications of each other. No wonder we admired skaters performances of the past; they didn't have to cope with the new point system and could concentrate on having a more balanced program. The more I think about it, I like Dick Button's suggestion ( in his book, "Push Dick's Button"), of having the short program demonstrate the skater's technical ability and the long, a focus on the artistic side and creative side where skating skills are given the edge. Right now, the short is like he long, the main difference being the extra time and more jumps. It's certainly not "free."

You absolutely defined the problem with men's figure skating. This Code of Points has ruined skating in general. There is no beauty of line, presence, stillness,or reflection on the ice. It is all weird contorted moves that are just plain ugly. I long for the old days.

 

[Interspectator]

You absolutely defined the problem with men's figure skating. This Code of Points has ruined skating in general. There is no beauty of line, presence, stillness,or reflection on the ice. It is all weird contorted moves that are just plain ugly. I long for the old days.

There are a lot of standout performances from the 'old days' that I love, that are timeless, but a lot of it was pretty boring for me.
I think there is definite room for improvement in the judging system, but a return to old methods would put me to sleep. Plushenko-style 'stillness' on the ice nearly had me throwing popcorn at the TV. I'm interested to see if points and deductions will change in the future though.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

It seems Daisuke was invited to the Gala!! :yay:

It would have been such a shame if he wouldn't have been there!