Jackie Wong homage/profile by Phil Hersh | Golden Skate

Jackie Wong homage/profile by Phil Hersh

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Wong builds second career as figure skating analyst
Multitasker extraordinaire uses website, Twitter account to provide info

Posted 12/5/17 by Philip Hersh, special to icenetwork
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/12/05/262870912 (Dec 5)​

A must-read for fans of Jackie :bow:.

(I haven't started a thread in ages, but Phil's tribute to Jackie deserves one :yes:.)
 

Mrs. P

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It was a great read! I hope he can make enough money to make this a full time thing given all the work he does for it!
 

Tavi...

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That was a really nice article. I met Jackie a couple of years ago so I knew he had skated and was a management consultant. Didn’t realize he had also been an architect. I really like that Phil highlighted Jackie’s ability to accurately tweet sbout jumps and < in real time, in a way that makes the reader realize how difficult that is.
 

lappo

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It was a great read, I didn't know much about him and I'm glad to have learned about his outside FS career and interests.
On the other hand, it makes you wonder why Jackie is able to spot < and other mistakes in real time AND tweet about them in real time and some of the judges are apparently unable to do this, not even when they can review the jumps....should we maybe put Jackie in every tech panel (along with Shin Amano)?
 

karne

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Jackie is god. An absolute legend. The skating world would be so much poorer without him in it - and I think Phil Hersh absolutely recognises that. A prime example of the "old dog" recognising that the "young dog"s new tricks are necessary.

And he's a real nice guy. I buy something from the Rocker Gear range every time he brings it out because I would truly struggle without him. (I have a hoodie, a tank and soon, a t-shirt!). His dedication is incredible.

And I love that he doesn't just get up for the last group, or focus on the big-name skaters. Unlike certain particular persons who claim to be skating journalists, Jackie not only knows the name of, but information about, many of the newer or lower-ranked skaters from smaller skating countries and never treats them dismissively or derisively.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
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A great subject for a new thread!:agree:

I think PH did a great job highlighting Jackie’s work and letting us know some of his background. (see I can say nice things about PH;))

Jackie is the gold standard of skating tweeting like Ted Barton is for skating commentary. :yes:
 

Seruleane

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Thanks for sharing! I had no idea Jackie had such amazing accomplishments prior to his rockerskating twitter, which I follow obsessively during competitive season. I'm so glad he takes the time to do what he does. :thumbsup:
 

Pouncer

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When my cable provider eliminated the NBC sports channel that aired figure skating a few years back, Jackie Wong is the only reason I was able to see any of it. He does a fantastic job finding videos, and Rocker Skating is the first place I turn if I have a question about results. I also appreciate his commentary on IJS judging, which has caused my eyebrows to skyrocket more than once over the past couple of years.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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... The skating world would be so much poorer without him in it - and I think Phil Hersh absolutely recognises that. A prime example of the "old dog" recognising that the "young dog"s new tricks are necessary. ...

Thank, God. For a moment I thought he had died.

The reason expressed by karne :agree: is why I wanted to include "homage" in the thread title.

My general sense of Hersh is that he readily shows appreciation for fellow journalists :ghug:.
In this particular case, I like that Phil, who spent decades as a newspaper reporter, wanted to showcase Jackie, who has built such a following on social media platforms.

(Sorry to Icey and penguin, but "profile" alone would not suffice in the thread title, IMO.)
 

temadd

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So glad that Hersh has publicly given the praise and recognition that Jackie so deserves. What he does is a herculean task and I can't imagine following figure skating without his "real, level headed analysis."
 

silverfoxes

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Jackie is the gold standard of skating tweeting like Ted Barton is for skating commentary. :yes:

Yes, they are really 2 shining beacons of light in a sport that desperately could use some these days. Respectful to everyone, educational, and unpretentious.
 

apgold

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I saw Jackie hard at work in the press area at SA, he rarely left his laptop except when he went on IN for a segment.

It's nice to see him appreciated and learn a bit more about him.

I was lucky to meet him after 2016 Worlds coming back to NYC and thank him for his devotion to his work. He mentioned to me at the time that he does this all volunteer and usually sacrifices sleep to bring the play by plays, which is all the more impressive.

I'm a proud owner of a rocker hoodie, lol.
 

Seren

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I did not know much about Jackie before reading this, besides that I admired all the work he does for the sport. I definitely admire him more after learning more about him. What a wonderfully passionate person.
 
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I really look forward to researching all his efforts. Like a lot of dreams and of skaters planned element sheets, I hope he is in life greater than the written word. My only problem is that he has the ear of Hersh. May he find a way to separate himself from the ego driven, inaccurate, biased, self serving, incongruous and jolting writing of Hersh. Can Jackie smell the ice, does he know the sound and FEEL of exquisite skating and report with pure in depth knowledge ? I hope so. Skating profoundly and desperately needs a champion of the art of skating.
 
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And yea, fascinating Hersh chose TODAY to feature Jackie. Why do you guys think he did that?
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
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And yea, fascinating Hersh chose TODAY to feature Jackie. Why do you guys think he did that?

Fascinating? I would think Ice Network, who “published” the article, (and not PH on his own website) did so because of the GPF, during which presumably Jackie will also be doing yeoman’s work keeping us up to date with tweets.

I have no idea why you have TODAY in caps or what TODAY has to do with Jackie.:confused:
 

gsk8

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I'd like to take the time out to thank all the members of this forum who have selflessly posted live play-by-plays in our competition threads over the years. Running a site on your own is a thankless job, but when you have a community of folks that participate and/or take the time to put out good reports and other content, it makes it worth it!
 
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karne

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And yea, fascinating Hersh chose TODAY to feature Jackie. Why do you guys think he did that?

I don't know. He could have chosen last week or the week before and then everyone could have bought Rocker Gear after reading the article.
 
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