Bitter/sweet memories

[rugbyfan]

Bitter: Kurt falling in 1994 - his dream gone for a second time; torvill and Dean coming third in 1994. Bourne and Kraatz not getting a medal in Nagano; Virtue and Moir SD in Sochi
Bittersweet Joanie Vancouver; Mao fd Sochi

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I add to my list

heartbreak:

Jeremy Abbott's SP in Sochi

I have a few, some are recent.

Gracie Gold, 2016 worlds. It wasn't that long ago but thinking about it is painful. Her short program was the best shr had ever done and I thought that she really could win this. The free program was painful and the aftermath has been chaotic.

Yuna Kim not winning a second gold was hard for me too, as was pretty much everytime I actually believed Sasha might skate a clean long this time!

Yulia Lipitniskaya at this seasons Rosteleton cup. I have been hoping for her comeback for so long that it was very hard for me to watch her at this competition.

Jeremy Abott's short program at the Sochi olympics, that fall looked so painful and I was worried for him.

Max Aaron 2016 nationals. The gold medal postion should have neen his,

I noticed you both mentioned Jeremy and I was waiting to see if someone did. While it started as heartbreak, it turned into bittersweet. He was hurt badly and rose above and skated the rest of his program clean.

Just realised that I have another deeply bitter Sochi memory:

Watching Jeremy Abbott be a complete waste of an Olympic spot, while sitting at home was someone who would never have disrespected his teammates in such a way and would never have given up.

And that memory will only get more bitter if the next year goes as I fear it will.

Max didn't outskate Jeremy at Nationals and he earned his spot on that Olympic team fair and square. Unfortunate things happen and he never disrespected his teammates like you love to claim and never gave up. Had Jeremy given up he would have laid there on the ice the whole time his SP music played or gotten up and went over to the Ref's table and quit. Instead he got up and skated like the 4 time national champ, GPF champ and so on that he is. So I don't want to hear it about Max and you saying you know what he would have done in that same situation. Max doesn't have bitterness towards Jeremy so you might want to take a page out of his book. How embarrassing for you.

 

[synesthesia]

Going through this thread I've become increasingly emotional - competitive sports really isn't for the faint of heart. And so very often one athlete's joy is another one's sorrow. I'll add these to the list:


Bittersweet

Japanese Nationals 2013 - the whole men's event was awfully gut-wrenching. Still wish Japan could have sent a team of 5 male competitors to the Olys. I was overjoyed for Dai that he got chosen to go (after he thought it was over for him), but at the same time incredibly heartbroken for Taka and especially Nobu, who was blatantly robbed of a higher placement (which would've made his case for the inclusion on the team very strong). He was better than ever that season.


Sweet

- Akiko's triumph at those very same Nationals, becoming national champion for the first time at the age of 28 in her last competitive season. What a glorious feat!

- Sarah Meier winning Europeans with her swan song performances on home soil after a rough final season!

 

[karne]

Unfortunate things happen and he never disrespected his teammates like you love to claim and never gave up. Had Jeremy given up he would have laid there on the ice the whole time his SP music played or gotten up and went over to the Ref's table and quit.

"It's a positive step. It's just a warmup!"

Whether you like it or not that is exactly what Abbott said after he completely gave up on his SP during the TEAM EVENT. It was total disrespect to his teammates and disrespect to those sitting at home who would have given anything and everything just to be there and skate that SP.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

"It's a positive step. It's just a warmup!"

Whether you like it or not that is exactly what Abbott said after he completely gave up on his SP during the TEAM EVENT. It was total disrespect to his teammates and disrespect to those sitting at home who would have given anything and everything just to be there and skate that SP.

:whack:
You can try to twist what he said any way you wish, but that doesn't make you right.

 

[Rissa]

"It's a positive step. It's just a warmup!"

Whether you like it or not that is exactly what Abbott said after he completely gave up on his SP during the TEAM EVENT. It was total disrespect to his teammates and disrespect to those sitting at home who would have given anything and everything just to be there and skate that SP.

Jesus Christ. I couldn't care less about Abbot and even I can/could see it was trying to make lemonade out of lemons, putting on a smiley face to a bad situation, trying to pump himself up after a failure, whatever you call it, there was nothing disrespectful towards his teammates. Stop looking through those extremely skewered poor!Max glasses, they're making you see only what you want to see, and not what's actually there.

 

[Skater Boy]

Bittersweet - \Hanyu winning over Chan at the 2014 Olympics and he Canadian curse continuing. Elvis Stoijko's two silvers something different and something denied, Sotnikova winning told at Sochi and silver for Yuna; Joannie's bronze at the Vancouver Olympics - so sad and sweet at the same time as she dealt with the loss of her m om, Michelle Kwan so many great skates but no olympic gold, Liz Manley's silver at the 1988 olympics was also bittersweet as she should have won gold. Bittersweet was Yamaguchi's win - not her best performance and at the cost of Midori Ito. Yuna Kim's gold at Vancouver was also bittersweet - sweet for her but bitter for Mao and her fans. Bittersweet was sending Ashley to the 2014 olympics over Mirai and sending Jennifer Robinson to worlds over josee chouinard in 1996. One just hoped Josee would win a world medal.

 

[skylark]

The Sweet: Triumphant skates having as much to do with fulfilling promise and delivering, as to placement or score:

Ashley's Silver Medal ... Moulin Rouge and Hip Chin
Adam's Beatles ... at Worlds. Rock Star!
Javier's Re-peat Worlds Gold ... Sinatra
Grant's Les Miz 2016 Worlds, emotion welling
Ashley's 3rd US championship in 2015, performance perfection
Julia's Elvis at Russian nationals, pure feeling talent
Jason's Riverdance: music fuses skating fuses personality

The bitter? Eh, who needs to hang onto such feelings and
carry bitterness around like rocks in a backpack.
The thread convinces me doubly.
Marvel: the skaters make lemonade.

 

[musicfan80]

Bittersweet: that last group of men at US Nationals in 2014. Oh my god.

Joshua and the heartbreaking Schindler's List. Max and Lori Nichol's Lazy Carmen that he still made exciting. And then Riverdance, that wonderful Riverdance, leaving me in floods of tears of joy, which turned to tears of heartbreak only a few moments later when the camera cut to Max's broken but trying to hide it face. I was so happy for Jason, but so devastated for Max, and even now I have to cut off my rewatches of Riverdance before it gets to the kiss and cry.

There was also the letdown that was Ricky's LP. That Sons of Italy SP he did was amazing and he had 2nd place by respectable amount. Sigh.

---------------------

Sweetest moments:
Lu Chen's 1998 Olympics LP
Shen & Zhao's 2006 Olympics LP

Bittersweet moment:
I don't even want to think about what performance in the future would ever ever come close to Kurt Browning's 1994 Olympics LP.

Yes, Mao Asada's 2014 Olympics LP was bittersweet, but she at least has an Olympic Silver medal from 2010. Kurt Browning in 1994 was almost physically painful to watch.

 

[largeman]

Sweet:

Carolina Kostner Sochi FS. Lori to Caro: Now do you believe in yourself? Now? Finally? https://youtu.be/qbyZAEjFlU0?t=5m51s

A triumphant and emotional moment, and the culmination of years of hardwork, brilliance, disappointments, and determination.

 

[Sugarpova]

Bitter
yep Mao in Sochi. Incredible LP!


also bitter obv as for all the russians I suppose Plushy in 2010 & Lena/Anton in 2002.


Sweet- IK winning bronze also in 2014:luv17:
Shen & Zhao 2006

 

[Alex D]

Sweetest:

Adelina winning gold at the Olympics and I don´t say that because I predicted it! She is one of those very special athletes on ice, who can combine technique and grace beautifully and for me there was no other skater who deserved gold more, after all what she had been going through, with the Russian Fed, not letting her compete at the team, or the big issues at Europeans a few weeks before, where she was crying so badly

Bitterest:

Of course Katarina Witt, not winning gold in 1994. I was crying and fed up with FS! A young boy, who did barricade himself in the kitchen, I was so furious of Nancy that day!

 

[Skater Boy]

Going through this thread I've become increasingly emotional - competitive sports really isn't for the faint of heart. And so very often one athlete's joy is another one's sorrow. I'll add these to the list:


Bittersweet

Japanese Nationals 2013 - the whole men's event was awfully gut-wrenching. Still wish Japan could have sent a team of 5 male competitors to the Olys. I was overjoyed for Dai that he got chosen to go (after he thought it was over for him), but at the same time incredibly heartbroken for Taka and especially Nobu, who was blatantly robbed of a higher placement (which would've made his case for the inclusion on the team very strong). He was better than ever that season.


Sweet

- Akiko's triumph at those very same Nationals, becoming national champion for the first time at the age of 28 in her last competitive season. What a glorious feat!

- Sarah Meier winning Europeans with her swan song performances on home soil after a rough final season!

That was so sweet in some ways and bitter in other. For as nice fairytale ending for Sarah it was also perhaps the weakest performance skater ever to win europeans.

 

[Ladskater]

Has to be Brian Orser at 88 Olympics in Calgary just losing to Brian Boitano - .10 of a point. especially after Brian Orser skated lights out in his short program. Also Kurt Browning never winning an Olympic medal but being so humble about it and apologizing to his Canadian fans. Sweetest moments - Elizabeth Manley skating after recovering from the flu - no one was counting on Liz to have the skate of the night and win the silver medal. Of course, Joannie Rochette at the 2010 Olympics, bravely skating after the death of he mom and winning the bronze. Also Scott and Tessa at the 2010 Olympics, winning the Gold, and now in their come back winning the 4 continents. One of my proudest moments, watching Elvis Stojko tough it out through his free skate in pain at the 1998 Olympics and winning the silver medal.

 

[medvedevasocks]

Sweet:

-Todd Eldredge finally winning the gold medal in 1996 in Edmonton. Never was a fan of his, and always found him boring compared to contemporary rivals such as Stojko, Urmanov, Kulik, and even Candelero, but it had been a long time coming and he deserved it. It was also great to see him place the medal around his mothers neck afterwords.

-Sale & Pelletier receiving their well deserved belated gold medals in Salt Lake City. After being deprived of their rightful golden medals by sinful judging, politics, and the fixing of the event courtesy of Marie Reine Le Gougne, the wrong was soon righted and they were presented with the gold medals they had rightfully earned on the night of the actual competition anyway.

-Bourne & Kraatz finally winning worlds soon after splitting up as a pair in 2003. This had been long overdue and a long time coming also.

-Volosozhar & Trankov winning gold in Sochi. Not a huge fan of them, but you could tell how much it meant to them to do this, especialy on home ice. Especialy for him, as he shared stories of people doubting his talent for years, doubting his ambitions, downplaying him because of the history of his father who was a drunk and being told by some including ex coaches he would grow up to be a drunk like his father.

-Yagudin winning gold in Salt Lake City. Truly one of the best and most special skaters in history, and it was wonderful to see him triumph with an incredible performance on the biggest stage. It would be made even more special when you realize his career would end early through a tragic injury less than a year later.

Bitter:

-Nancy Kerrigan (who I am not a fan of in the least but fair is fair) being deprived an Olympic Gold to a much inferior performance by Oksana Baiul, who btw normally I liked alot more, due to her personality, people being annoying at hearing about Harding/Kerrigan so much, Baiul's sob story getting hurt in practice that day, or any combination of mostly non skating related factors. Clearly an emotional verdict for the most part.

-The horrible judging of the ladies event in Sochi which saw Adelina Sotnikova win gold and even win the LP phase despite only the 4th best LP (behind Asada, Kim, and Kostner) for nothing other than having a Russian passport, and skating better than her teammate on the night. To her credit she did skate very well, and she isnt responsible for the scores she is given, but she certainly did not earn an Olympic Gold medal on the ice that night.

-Asada's LP not getting a 155 or higher was almost as bad though, truly the best ladies performane ever, 8 triples combined with top not artistry, top notch spins, and top notch footwork and steps. Instead getting a paltry and downright insulting score that was obscured by the overall fixing of the ladies event in Sochi. I know it would not have affected the overall medals, but that is aside the point.

-The whole Harding/Kerrigan fiasco which was a major black eye to the sport we all love and remains so to this day. And for those who were so excited about the so called pro boom or skating boom in the aftermath, that may have seemed nice for a few years, but in the long it was what killed pro skating entirely which all but evaporated entirely starting in 99 or 2000.

 

[anonymoose_au]

Well, I never had much luck catching skating events live until the last few years (shakes fist and Australia's poor interent)

But Heartbreaking

Poor Sergei at Russian Nats in December, he did so amazingly well in the Short! I wasn't able to watch the Free Program and when I found out he ended up off the podium and no chance of going to Europeans I was so bummed!

Bitter

He wasn't actually skating, but the British Eurosports commentators Chris and Simon's comments about Plushy during Maxim Kovtun's skate at Europeans this year shocked me! I still haven't quite forgiven them for it (they pretty much accused him point blank of "stealing" the Olympic spot from Maxim just for laughs)...they were once so supportive of Plushy! It's one thing if they'd always disliked his skating or whatever, but they suddenly turned on the guy and I have no idea why. WTH guys?

Sweet

Plushy's Vancouver Exhibition skate - because after all that talk about how he was just a jump-machine and had no artistic skills - he went out and threw down that amazing skate to Je Suis Malade. Scott Hamilton said it best (for once): He's sick all right, sick with talent!"

 

[Silvia451]

Some sweet memories/magic moments:
Tessa and Scott olympic original dance. It was one of the most mesmerizing skating moments for me.
Daisuke winning the world title
Davis and White performing Samson and Delilah at worlds
Yuna winning the worlds with superb Les miserables
Yuzu's Parisienne walkways in Sochi
V/T redemption with Black swan at worlds. I cried so much at that moment
Every Mao's good 3A

Bitter
Plushenko losing the second olympic gold to Lysacek
Slutskaya's fall in FS in Torino, when I knew the olympic gold was gone
Denis Ten not winning the world title in 2013
Anna Pogo not getting the world bronze in 2014 because of Kostner...
Machida's Beethoven FS in grand prix final. It was one of the saddest skating disasters for me.

Really heartbreaking
Mao's SP in Sochi. It was...another level of bitterness

 

[RoundedBackCamel]

Heartbreak: Yagudin's career-ending hip injury/discovery of defect and his withdraw from Skate America after short program and competitive skating. We were all robbed of the continuation of the greatest rivalry in the history of men's skating when both men were young and still in their prime.

Bitter: Lipinski's little-girl shriek when she won gold over much more deserving Kwan (career wise, but she was tentative in performance even though no mistakes). Then Lipinski immediately withdrawing from competive skating and going pro. Now we get to hear all her commentary praising every tiny "spitfire" 15-year-old whenever they take the ice and the requisite comments from Johnny and Terry about how "the skater reminds them of someone, ha, ha."
Re. "bitter" refers to me. I'm still bitter, obviously, lol.