A Kermit?Sounds delicious!
What about all greens though?
A Kermit?Sounds delicious!
What about all greens though?
Yes I agree. They have not been anywhere near their best all season! This year I actually thought S and B had the better freedance too. Really interesting and beautiful dance.I wish Russians invested in S/B more. Katzalapov is fighter to the last, but he is struggling with his injury… I feel bad for the guy.
haha, yes, that was a really good one! I know next to nothing about ice dance, yet I know you should always watch Katsalapov's twizzles, tooI love how Belinda was like “And these are the twizzles where one must always watch Katsalapov….”
I'm not surprised that Piper and Paul are in 4th place. I love them, I really do, but this Elton John program is not the best concept. Either have your music match the costumes or not at all. This rant is coming from someone who grew up watching 80s and early 90s videos on MTV, so that's my reference point.
[Rant alert}! First of all, the costumes do NOT go with the music (I got into an argument with someone on Youtube who insisted I was WRONG). Elton was super flashy in the 1970s, as it was the glam rock era and a bright orange jumpsuit would fit in with a song like Bennie and the Jets or Friday Night's All right etc.
He has carried some flashiness into the subsequent decades but the two songs that were chosen (I'm still standing/I guess that's why they call it the blues) were from his 1983 album Too Low for Zero. Elton also wore different colored suits with straw hats in his videos for these two songs. I think PnP could've had their costumes more in line with the suit look from those videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6KYAVn8ons - Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s - Standing
For a contrast, the #1 team, H/D lifted their military inspired costume design right out of JJ"s Rhythm Nation video. A tad too literal, but FS costumes work best when you recognize the theme right away before they start to skate. When I first saw PnP's costumes, I thought they were skating to ABBA!
I do not know. Do you have proof of that, please?Everyone knows there was a push by Rusfed and Zhulin for SinKats
????!!!!!Ice dance for some reason tends to draw straight men
Woman must eat, buy skates, ice time, costumes, etc. Loved seeing Madi and Evan in Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's "I Dare You" video for the opening ceremony.Madison C. Is doing commercials?
I am quoting your post but I could have quoted so many others who have mentioned the orange costumes. Nothing personal.I'm not surprised that Piper and Paul are in 4th place. I love them, I really do, but this Elton John program is not the best concept. Either have your music match the costumes or not at all. This rant is coming from someone who grew up watching 80s and early 90s videos on MTV, so that's my reference point.
[Rant alert}! First of all, the costumes do NOT go with the music (I got into an argument with someone on Youtube who insisted I was WRONG). Elton was super flashy in the 1970s, as it was the glam rock era and a bright orange jumpsuit would fit in with a song like Bennie and the Jets or Friday Night's All right etc.
He has carried some flashiness into the subsequent decades but the two songs that were chosen (I'm still standing/I guess that's why they call it the blues) were from his 1983 album Too Low for Zero. Elton also wore different colored suits with straw hats in his videos for these two songs. I think PnP could've had their costumes more in line with the suit look from those videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6KYAVn8ons - Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s - Standing
For a contrast, the #1 team, H/D lifted their military inspired costume design right out of JJ"s Rhythm Nation video. A tad too literal, but FS costumes work best when you recognize the theme right away before they start to skate. When I first saw PnP's costumes, I thought they were skating to ABBA!
Thanks for clarifying cause I didn't remember VM and HD ever colliding.
Both teams skate with an impressive amount of speed covering a lot of ice. This being the Olympics means that they were both concentrating on warming up their elements. In this case HD just completed an end-to-end step sequence and SK a choreography part. It is a matter of both teams ending up in the same place at the same time, not a deliberate run at one team. Both were probably very focused on being on the correct edges and got a bit too close. I did hear Zack give a warning shout as they got close and tapped Victoria to add some distance between them so both teams could continue safely. It is disruptive to have a close call on warmup and understandable that Nikita made a face afterward. Both teams, to their credit, shook it off and continued their warmup preparations. I saw nothing more than this.
The theme for RD is street dance, which included a wide range of dances including swing. Midnight Blues is one of the required dance patterns.Hip hop or the freaking Backstreet Boys some dance to also doesn't have anything to do with blues, so that's not really an argument, I think.
S/K are skilled skaters, except Nikita’s twizzles, but that RD is not medal worthy. It lacks originality compared to other top 6 teams and Nikita reminds me of a lecherous old man in that shirt, creepy. Their scores have been high even when they make mistakes. Check out their 2021 Grand Prix competitions compared to other to 6 teams.I do not know. Do you have proof of that, please?
It's an interesting point about whether costumes matter and whether they should. Makes me think of 2018 and Dutch gymnast Celine van Gerner wearing cat makeup for her floor routine. Not long after, "theatrical or character makeup" was banned, supported by pretty much the same argument you make but extended to its extreme. Gymnastics solved it by making it go away.I am quoting your post but I could have quoted so many others who have mentioned the orange costumes. Nothing personal.
I think the costumes are fun. I like them. Yes, they are not accurate but I am not sure we needed another fuchsia or suit costume... these were in your face, lighthearted and quirky !
My point though : figure skating while being entertaining, using music, themes and costumes, is a sport... not a fashion show. Skaters should not be judged differently because of what they wear... This is not just about Piper and Paul. It gets tiring that this is all people write about.
What about their blades? Their leg extension? Their deep knees? Their very impressive twizzles that covered so much ice and were so in synch (yet only scored level 3s?) I feel that a lot of people are happy to blast some skaters on their costumes because they cannot fault them for their skating. (not saying you did that at all)
Also, after having a second look at PCS : judges liked Piper and Paul. They didn't get their levels here... though Carol Lane said it was their best skate of that RD this year, they were perhaps a bit stiff or cautious.
I am not sure we will see Canada in the FD and if so, who knows if they will skate or be replaced to rest.. but I certainly hope that their skating will be appreciated and valued, no matter what they wear or what music they chose. They offer something very special and have not been rewarded easily like some other teams.
I am sure a lot of people would like the costumes to go away Ok.. easy joke... but yes. I agree with your comment. I am fine with costumes being used : i cannot imagine figure skaters just wearing speed skating like outfits like it's been attempted before I also don't think the ISU wants to add rules to the sport... all I am asking is that skaters do not get bashed because they have a daring orange fashion senseGymnastics solved it by making it go away.
Yes, NK ran into V/M, causing not only visible bruising but a cut on TV's leg at the NHK trophy. Not only did he not apologize at all, TV was asked about it multiple times afterwards because it was visible. She just kind of laughed it off and said she was sure it wasn't intentional, things happen.It seems that @SnowWhite is referring to SinKats running into teams in warmup before and being 'more in the wrong.' And that Sinkats once ran into V/M, causing a bruise on Tessa's leg. I did not see this incident, so I'm only repeating @SnowWhite's comments.
You are in the wrong thread. This is the ice dance team event thread.
Seriously? The proof stares you in the face, even during this latest team competition. Do you think if Madi/Zach had made the slightest misstep that they wouldn't have been dropped behind both the Italians and the Canadians? But Nikita can make a sloppy mistake and still be held up in second place. SinKats have never had the best material either, but somehow they are supposed to be on top? Obviously, SinKats have improved from where they were when they first partnered. But they are not overall better than P/C, H/D, C/B, and in some aspects not completely better than G/P and G/F. Certainly in this team event, SinKats' material was not as good as that of H/D, G/F or G/P, and Nikita made an obvious mistake while the other teams were visibly cleaner.I do not know. Do you have proof of that, please?
So many letters with zero proof of corruption. No court will hold it.Seriously? The proof stares you in the face, even during this latest team competition. Do you think if Madi/Zach had made the slightest misstep that they wouldn't have been dropped behind both the Italians and the Canadians? But Nikita can make a sloppy mistake and still be held up in second place. SinKats have never had the best material either, but somehow they are supposed to be on top? Obviously, SinKats have improved from where they were when they first partnered. But they are not overall better than P/C, H/D, C/B, and in some aspects not completely better than G/P and G/F. Certainly in this team event, SinKats' material was not as good as that of H/D, G/F or G/P, and Nikita made an obvious mistake while the other teams were visibly cleaner.
The push for both SinKats and Step/Buk started right after 2018 Olympics, if not before. But it certainly began in earnest once the Shibs retired and V/M left the scene after winning their second Olympic gold. It's not a mystery that Russia has chafed at not being on top in ice dance for a number of years. They simply didn't have a team who could compete well with what V/M, D/W, the Shibs, C/B and later H/D and P/C could do. Rusfed and Zhulin tried their best to push up Bobrova/Soloviev, but they could only push them so far, since they did not have the best skills, despite improving a bit over the years.
Had Nikita stayed partnered with Elena, they would have been highly competitive with the top NA and French teams during the 2014 - 2018 period, but that didn't happen. Nikita chose to start over with a partner who did not have the same talent Elena had. Vika also had to catch up with Nikita, and that process took time.
If you follow ice dance and you aren't ignoring or excusing the politics and public trash-talk from certain Russians, their stance and motivations are clear. It's been obvious by the bold-faced, offensive comments made in some quarters (by Russians) against NA ice dancers, that they have tried to push up the stock of S/K and S/B, while talking down NA teams.
Once again, this has nothing to do with any conspiracy. It doesn't rise to that level necessarily. Politicking, creating buzz, and influencing perceptions, as well as bloc judging, consensus judging, and the behind-the-scenes deal-making in the bad old, good old days, is simply part of the sport. The sport evolved from the very beginning with questionable judging practices, when there was sometimes only 2 to 3 skaters competing in those early disciplines, and only a handful of countries taking part. Problems with judging, especially in such a subjective sport have been endemic since forever. It's all part of the fabric of the sport, which is why it's so hard to change, and why everyone shrugs their shoulders in resignation, acceptance, or denial that questionable judging practices exist.
While the IJS/CoP scoring system changed things to bend more toward fairness, the pattern of political judging, rep-based judging and sometimes outright cheating certainly did not go away (e.g., notorious foot-tapping Russian judge who was suspended with a slap on the wrist, and later reinstated; a Chinese official was suspended recently and also later reinstated). And now, of course, there's the added issue of manipulated PCS, with range scoring utilized to manage desired placements. It's often laughable and head-shaking when looking closely at PCS scoring. This is not meant to condemn all of the judges, many of whom try to do their best. They simply don't have appropriate tools, resources, time, expertise and effective training available to them, so they have to do the best they are able with the current system as it stands.
And who reminds you Madison, may I ask?Nikita reminds me of a lecherous old man in that shirt