- Joined
- Mar 28, 2016
There is no "state" of Canadian skating, IMO..
And speaking of Lubov and Dylan and incredible lifts, take a look at this!!!
Dylan demonstrates proper technique off-ice for a "hip hinge" ...note the voice in the back that comments that he does it better with Luba on top of him....
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLJ5wZZgBp9/
uhm, WOW :hap57:
And speaking of Lubov and Dylan and incredible lifts, take a look at this!!!
Dylan demonstrates proper technique off-ice for a "hip hinge" ...note the voice in the back that comments that he does it better with Luba on top of him....
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLJ5wZZgBp9/
uhm, WOW :hap57:
The State of Canadian Skating according to Skater Boy
1. Pairs Once again Canada has the defending world champion in Duhamel and RAdford and once again they appear to be the underdogs compared to the Germans, Chinese and S and K from Russia if they are healthy. They need the throw 3A for long and short and to regain the sbs. It seems like so many write them off but Canada has an up and coming teamin in Seguin and Bilodea who could make top 5 and then it is a dog fight between Dylan and Luba versus Mt M. All are capable of top ten if not 8 the key will beating the Americans which they all did last year at worlds. They are pretty solid in pairs right now.
2. Men well men is a huge question mark. Patrick seems to have lost it. He doesn't have the jumps to compete with the big boys and his consistency is still off. I think he has amazing pcs but he is not rewarded or differnetiated enough from the quad kings or Hanyu and Fernandez. He could be seen as fading but you never know. He is still Canada's best man and hope for a podium finish and is required for any chance at earning 3 men for 2018. Then you have two big question marks will Reynolds regain his jumps and continue growing artistically as we saw in 2014 before boot problems and injury destroyed him. And we will see if Nam can come back from a horrible year. Growth physically and maybe emotionally are huge issues including work ethic. We will see if the move to the US was wise or was this just a teenage boy following his heart or his lust.
3. Dance with Virtue and moir back it seems like even though Weapo have struggled in the last two worlds Canada has two very competent teams capable of medalling. I just don't think the judges will move PC over for the former Olympic champs and really V and M need to regain their tech skills and push the envelope really to become no. 1. Still with GP depending onhow things go they could compete with the Americans for dance domination. Or these two nations ironically could kill each other as they fight for podium and top 8 placings. Shib sibs and Chock and Bates versus weapo and V and M - following last year it is possible that one nation could have two medals with the third destined from PC.
4 Ladies again a big question mark but a good question mark. Daleman and Chartrand have carried the mantle the last two years at worlds but most would consider the Canadian hope being on a healthy Osmond and she appears healthy so D and C better watch out. These ladies have the ability to sneak into the top five or be out of the top 15 it is that crazy. Osmond needs to get the triple triple and Chartrand and Daleman need to peform stronger and interpret better. it is hard to break the top ten when you have 3 Japanese, 3 Russians, 3 Americans and Kostner kind of ranked for top ten then that leaves two Canadians, Korea and China to fight it out for the top 12.
overall it is kind of a crap shoot right now as the team is very dynamic but not all that stable - the most stable being in dance but then again we have no idea where the judges will put V and M though it appears at this point on the podium but not necessarily on top.
There is no "state" of Canadian skating, IMO..
There is no "state" of Canadian skating, IMO..
The State of Canadian Skating according to Skater Boy
I have seen all those whose skated. In general, Daleman and Chartrand don't have as much it factor imho as Osmond but they do have the jumps.i don't think you really contradicted me at all about the men. But Chan coming secondat Finlandia where onewould think his pcs would allow him to beat an up and comer is not a good sign he lost. And everyone is doing the big quads now. His pcs are lower as well. I am just saying V and M are still good but they never were convincing technically over D and W so I was hoping for improvement. I think they deserve the highests pcs but my guess is PC will get that but we shall see.Skatergal101 you are quite right. It's got to be province/territory of Canadian skating. I was remiss in naming this thread!
Skater Boy allow me address your concerns and debate with you a bit. I am not sure how much of the Canadian skaters you have been watching in the Challenger Series, but you seem a little bit out of touch with the goings on.
1. Duhamel/Radford scored about 6 points behind the Germans with their terrible skates in Finlandia. I wouldn't sweat about that, seeing as how just two weeks ago in Quebec they skated much better and scored 229.90 points. The Chinese are not competing until February. Stolbova/Klimov are a question mark currently. Meagan and Eric are competing with themselves, to improve their skating, while exploring new styles in the SP and FS. They had a tough time in Finlandia so they know they have to work out the kinks.
Absolutely no one is writing off Seguin/Bilodeau. No one has since Grand Prix Final 2015, really. And with their win at Autumn Classic International they have the highest score for any pair in the Challenger Series this year. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro have not competed at all yet so there is no way to say if they will be fighting with Lubov and Dylan for 3rd. The real fight IMO will be for fifth, amongst Camille Ruest/Drew Wolfe and Brittany Jones/Joshua Reagan.
2. Men are always a question mark in Canada. Patrick's approach is slow and steady so most of his fans know better than to expect a big jump in his TES quickly. He has not lost anything except Kathy Johnson. Actually, he's gaining a quad soon. And he appears to have more consistency on his 3A with no falls at Finlandia. He won't be jumping quad loops, flips, or Lutzes as far as we know but he's still in it, putting out soulful performances. Mike Slipchuk and Skate Canada have realized that there will likely not be 3 men representing Canada at the Olympics because no second man is ready yet. The goal now is to keep the 2 spots they have.
Nam is not as disastrous as he was last season, but he still has a ways to go for the PCS. Reynolds (at Nepela) and Messing (at Skate Detroit) have scored higher than him this season. Reynolds has an ambitious FS with four quads. He's already doing better this season than he was last as he got his TES minimums for Worlds.
3. Have you watched Virtue/Moir's performances from Autumn Classic? They scored a PB in the SD with all level four elements. They almost scored all level fours in the FD as well. I can't say if they will score better than the reigning world champions but they haven't exactly fallen to 2nd tier status or lost their technical skills. They never stopped performing while on hiatus, so they didn't go rusty. They've got the highest total score on the Challenger Series so far. Without seeing the Shibs one can't say anything about World placements. As for Chock/Bates, they have already been beaten by Cappellini/Lanotte and Bobrova/Soloviev. What does destiny have to do with ice dancing? It's all levels, GOEs, and PCS. And maybe some Didier Gailhaguet.
4. I would argue that Chartrand and Daleman do a fine job interpreting. Once again, have you been watching them this season? Performing...well, it comes down to the jumps. All due respect to Carolina Kostner but she hasn't competed in over 2 years except at Medal Winners Open where she did only double jumps and was beaten by Joannie Rochette. So if you expect V/M have lost their tech then you can't expect a top ten finish from Carolina. Nor can you assume all three ladies from Japan, Russia, and America will finish top ten. It's highly likely, but then you think maybe something like Finlandia may happen. Ice is slippery. I recall after Europeans there were people who didn't want Anna Pogorilaya to be on the Russian team for Worlds. :disapp:
So cheer up and give those Canadian skaters a chance. Even the ones you aren't a big fan of. They may surprise you. If they don't, well you can always say, "I was right!"
I have seen all those whose skated. In general, Daleman and Chartrand don't have as much it factor imho as Osmond but they do have the jumps.i don't think you really contradicted me at all about the men. But Chan coming secondat Finlandia where onewould think his pcs would allow him to beat an up and comer is not a good sign he lost. And everyone is doing the big quads now. His pcs are lower as well. I am just saying V and M are still good but they never were convincing technically over D and W so I was hoping for improvement. I think they deserve the highests pcs but my guess is PC will get that but we shall see.
TGee I am just a moderator in name and have no control over any thread. But I appreciate you sharing this news. Misha does indeed seem to have come to the GTA ahead of Skate Canada. Joshi Helgesson did the same last year. He was with David Wilson the evening of the 11th and went to visit High Park earlier. I am wondering, did all The Cricket kids go to Hershey Centre for a practice? Or was that just Alaine?
On the Hershey Centre practice, I'd just assumed that it had been just her with Michelle Leigh given it was out in Mississauga. Alaine's usually in Mississauga with Michelle on Fridays according to the weekly schedule that has been reported.
BTW Alaine also checked out Pierrefonds a couple of weeks before AIC, so it may be part of her preparation routine when possible.
On the question of "what is 'it' factor", while there may be some kinds of charisma that transcends cultures, other kinds may really have impact only on particular age group or region. Kaetlyn, Alaine, and Gabby seem to be very different in temperament and style. All three have gained fan support or appreciation in places I wouldn't have expected. (e.g. American posters who argue that Alaine expressed Gone with the Wind in her FS last year better than her US counterpart.). It's really to early to tell which would have the broadest global appeal.
I have been following ladies since Liz... and I have to say that this is a special time for Canadian figure skating.. Never did we have 3 girls that competitive not only nationally but internationally. On any given day, any of these 3 girls can be top ten in the world when skating like we have seen them skate.
I think they all have broad appeal potential. I am usually very at ease choosing a favourite but I cannot with these 3. I like all of them. And, well, I think it's all fine
Re Joannie : I never understood why she was so undervalued. I mean, she was strong, pretty, and giving good interviews... ???