Pang and Tong Making a Comeback?!?

[Violet Bliss]

Ian Miller the 68 year old Canadian equestrian has been to the Olympics 10 times and is celebrated as "Captain Canada" instead of being urged to retire or called selfish for not doing so. Athletes train to do their best, not to benefit other competitors. More and more athletes are competing well into their thirties instead of retiring 10 years prior. Their longevity is often celebrated and admired as inspirational. S/Z is but an example.

Even if P&T don't medal at Shanghai Worlds, they and their fans can still enjoy their performances. Nobody is guaranteed a medal and they may or may not get one but who is to say they would have wasted a spot if ever they don't get on the podium?

 

[Sandpiper]

Sorry, I was not suggesting P and T were lucky per se with their world win - they are good and earned it but K and S could have won meals or things and ended up in the short end of the stick. NOt to mention they sort of got dumped constantly by the Russian Fed. I just like their skating and find they don't always get the pcs they deserve. I mean compared to a Carolina Kostner or Korpi they are kind of unlucky. But I would just like to see or rather remember P and T for their past wonderful skates. It's a preference. And I don't think it is fair they get a spot simply because they are Pang and Tong.

I agree with you that Kavaguti/Smirnov sometimes didn't pull the scores they deserved. And they were unlucky this year at GPF--their LP would've been enough to pull them up to a medal at some events, but everyone above them brought their A game (or at least B+ game ) and they weren't able to move up.

But K/S's scores are on the judges, not on P/T or any of their competitors. It's not P/T's duty to step aside to give K/S better chances (I mean, I'm not thrilled about the prospect of D/R winning, but I'd never suggest they should get out of the way and retire).

P/T's past wonderful skates remain for you to see. Whatever they do at Worlds doesn't erase what they did before.

 

[BlackPack]

He kneeled down on one knee but, without realizing that he was proposing, she kneeled down with him. But they had a "proper" one later though.

Please, will someone post a link to this? So romantic

 

[BounceAround]

Please, will someone post a link to this? So romantic

It actually doesn't look that romantic because, as others have mentioned, she didn't know what was happening and knelt down with him hahaha. http://youtu.be/feitj8ro6zM?t=5m14s

 

[BlackPack]

It actually doesn't look that romantic because, as others have mentioned, she didn't know what was happening and knelt down with him hahaha. http://youtu.be/feitj8ro6zM?t=5m14s

Thanks! A woman kneels down with you while you propose.... wow, that is true love, even if she didn't know what was going on. Imagine if Zhao proposed at the end of Nessum Dorma in 2003 Worlds LP. The crowd would be eternally cheering, no one would leave the stadium.

Back to P&T... hope this gives him ideas on how to propose :dance:

 

[Alba]

Because it's their lives and not ours? They want to end their careers in their home country. Why should we wish them ill for that? These athletes are people, not cups of yogurt with an expiration date.

But don't worry, I don't think P/T are going to spoil anyone's "make way for the young" party. I've resigned myself to watching Duhamel/Radford winning Worlds. *sigh*

I'm torn about their decision to compete tbh. I love P&T, for me they were the best chinese couple, but China has some great young pairs. I just don't want them to feel dissapointed. I'm curious to see them back in competition though. It will be really interesting.

p.s. So Trankov the gossiper was right, again.

Confirmed. P/T will be in 4CC in Feb and WC in Mar

SP -Tango
LP - Lo Ci Saro

Io ci sarò is that Andrea Bocelli's song?

 

[Skater Boy]

I think that's really sweet of them tbh. What better way to end your competitive career than on home ice? I wish them the very best both at WC and in their future together. arty:

It is kind of a romantic ending to their careera in their home country and maybe sweet for them but more bitter for others. I just don't like how they get to skate at worlds without skating internationally or nationals because they are Pang and Tong. This could have serious repercussions for other teams in China. Remember what happened to Emanuel Sandhu - he never was the same after being scorned by his Federation for the olympics. I mean their last competition though it was the olympics was still off the podium so how or why should that mean they deserve to go to world's?

 

[Skater Boy]

I agree with you that Kavaguti/Smirnov sometimes didn't pull the scores they deserved. And they were unlucky this year at GPF--their LP would've been enough to pull them up to a medal at some events, but everyone above them brought their A game (or at least B+ game ) and they weren't able to move up.

But K/S's scores are on the judges, not on P/T or any of their competitors. It's not P/T's duty to step aside to give K/S better chances (I mean, I'm not thrilled about the prospect of D/R winning, but I'd never suggest they should get out of the way and retire).

P/T's past wonderful skates remain for you to see. Whatever they do at Worlds doesn't erase what they did before.

I also think there is nothing wrong with Duhamel and Radford winning, though I doubt they will. I mean we have Ashley and Gracie as potential bland American princess world medallists. D and R are more interesting than all the Americans and they do some amazing tricks plus have a unique kind of look compared to everyone else. Besides there are a couple of Chinese teams and Russians who could easily beat them depending on how clean they are. There have been far more undeserving champions or medallists than D and R

 

[BlackPack]

It is kind of a romantic ending to their careera in their home country and maybe sweet for them but more bitter for others. I just don't like how they get to skate at worlds without skating internationally or nationals because they are Pang and Tong. This could have serious repercussions for other teams in China. Remember what happened to Emanuel Sandhu - he never was the same after being scorned by his Federation for the olympics. I mean their last competition though it was the olympics was still off the podium so how or why should that mean they deserve to go to world's?

Well, Dai was also chosen for Sochi over other Japanese Nationals medalists. Different countries, different rules.

Sandhu isn't the best example, because he is a mentally weak competitor. P&T have proven to rise to the occasion when it counts.

I don't have a problem with P&T going to Worlds. When they were up and coming, they too were passed over many times. They still have the best track record after S&Z.

 

[Sandpiper]

@Skater Boy
Regarding D/R: I'm not saying D/R would make undeserving champions. I respect their technical brilliance. But their performances do nothing for me. Actually, I'd much rather watch Ashley, actually.

Regarding P/T: Relax, missing one Worlds isn't going to ruin Yu/Jin for life. Plenty of athletes experience adversity: injury, judging, family problems unrelated to skating... a million things can go wrong. On the list of unfair things in life, P/T returning doesn't rank very high, to be honest. Ultimately, it's on the athlete to deliver. Emanuel Sandhu's problems were his own. It's, frankly, ridiculous to blame his problems throughout his career on one Olympics selection. Do you seriously believe he was still thinking about 1998 by the time 2006 rolled around? And if he did, doesn't that just prove he lacks the heart of a champion, and no amount of kind treatment from his Federation could've given him one?

Thanks! A woman kneels down with you while you propose.... wow, that is true love, even if she didn't know what was going on. Imagine if Zhao proposed at the end of Nessum Dorma in 2003 Worlds LP. The crowd would be eternally cheering, no one would leave the stadium.

That 2007 Worlds performance of Méditation might actually be my favourite of theirs. I know it's not going to get the cheers of Turandot, but there was something magical about it.

 

[Meoima]

p.s. So Trankov the gossiper was right, again.

In Trankov we trust!

 

[kologus]

It is so understandable that we should give more chances to the youngsters to compete, but how those youngsters in China now could compete at such high level so early in their career if it were not for those achievements done by S/Z, P/T and Z/Z in the last decade or so? Look at other three disciplines in figure skating in China, except for Lu Chen, no one really came close to the achievements brought by those three Chinese pairs, and we have to admit that young people choose pairs over other disciplines might largely be motivated by S/Z P/T and Z/Z. For skaters who have been competing for nearly two decades (P/T's first appearance was at world junior championship in 1997) and have competed in 15 world championships which were never once held in China, how would their wish to compete for the one last time on the home ice be thought as "selfish"? For them, their competing one more time, from my perspective, has nothing to do with prove themselves or prove anything, nor has any political intention (e.g they couldnt yet find a job); It is like when you are about to permanently leave a country that you been living for a decade and know you probably won't come back, you just wanna have one last cup of coffee at your fav coffee shop. Maybe your appearance in the coffee shop makes it packed so that other people can't sit in this time, it is never a right thing to do to ask you to leave.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I also think there is nothing wrong with Duhamel and Radford winning, though I doubt they will. I mean we have Ashley and Gracie as potential bland American princess world medallists. D and R are more interesting than all the Americans and they do some amazing tricks plus have a unique kind of look compared to everyone else. Besides there are a couple of Chinese teams and Russians who could easily beat them depending on how clean they are. There have been far more undeserving champions or medallists than D and R

I think while D/R don't have the classic elegance of P/T or S/Z, they bring it. They push the technical envelope doing the two hardest throws in the field, and the hardest SBS jumps. They also have interesting choreography and lifts. Yeah, they lack chemistry and refinement, but I personally don't really see a whole lot of chemistry in many of the other teams too. S/K have it to some extent (not in the SP, but yes in the FS), but they have far too easy technical content for a World Champion, even if they execute their content well.

I mean, both D/R and S/K do SBS 3T+2T+2T, and then D/R do SBS 3Z to S/K's SBS 2A. S/K's throws are 3F and 3S. D/R's throws are 3Z and 4S.

 

[Alba]

It is kind of a romantic ending to their careera in their home country and maybe sweet for them but more bitter for others. I just don't like how they get to skate at worlds without skating internationally or nationals because they are Pang and Tong. This could have serious repercussions for other teams in China.

The chinese couples are young. I don't think it will be a big deal if one of them miss one competition, although is world championship.

 

[anyanka]

In Trankov we trust!

Would Trankov be returning in time for worlds???

 

[BlackPack]

It is so understandable that we should give more chances to the youngsters to compete, but how those youngsters in China now could compete at such high level so early in their career if it were not for those achievements done by S/Z, P/T and Z/Z in the last decade or so? Look at other three disciplines in figure skating in China, except for Lu Chen, no one really came close to the achievements brought by those three Chinese pairs, and we have to admit that young people choose pairs over other disciplines might largely be motivated by S/Z P/T and Z/Z. For skaters who have been competing for nearly two decades (P/T's first appearance was at world junior championship in 1997) and have competed in 15 world championships which were never once held in China, how would their wish to compete for the one last time on the home ice be thought as "selfish"? For them, their competing one more time, from my perspective, has nothing to do with prove themselves or prove anything, nor has any political intention (e.g they couldnt yet find a job); It is like when you are about to permanently leave a country that you been living for a decade and know you probably won't come back, you just wanna have one last cup of coffee at your fav coffee shop. Maybe your appearance in the coffee shop makes it packed so that other people can't sit in this time, it is never a right thing to do to ask you to leave.

:agree:

 

[makaihime]

In Trankov we trust!

This is surprising news to me since I really thought they were done with competitive skating but I'm thrilled that they are back for one last season.

 

[age20]

The most reliable gossiper in FS world is a man.

 

[Sandpiper]

Would Trankov be returning in time for worlds???

If he does, someone should make a banner with Meoima's words, "In Trankov We Trust!"

 

[BlackPack]

Does he give stock tips too? Can someone please explain how Trankov ended up as the Perez Hilton of the fS world? I missed many posts during the summer.