Canada takes Team gold | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Canada takes Team gold

Dr. Jenn

Medalist
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Congratulations to Team Canada! :) They were impressive throughout the team competition, with no placement below third. They strategized well, and the skaters delivered. It's especially a nice cap to Patrick, Tessa, Scott, Eric, and Meagan's careers. You can tell that there are true, lasting friendships in the group, which is lovely to see. I hope that they will have continued success in the individual events!
 

pearly

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 1, 2017
Happy that this generation of skaters from Canada finished their marvellous careers with an Olympic team gold medal.
 

SimplyLex

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 22, 2013
This team event is sooo unnecessary, every serious figure skating fan knows this. It's a joke, the countries don't approach it seriously, saving their best skaters for the individual events. Either put it as last on the schedule, or don't have it at the Olympics at all. It's just sad this way.

Also, am I the only one who's annoyed with how much the competition schedule is Americanized? I know it's all about money, but it just seems unfair.
 

ladyjane

Medalist
Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Country
Netherlands
I don't think the Team event is unnecessary, I like it very much that it exists. I don't think it's a joke at all. In fact that's kind of an insult to the skaters who took part in it. Like in many other individual sports (gymnastics was mentioned, but they even included a team event in long track skating. Different because it's a different sport) it's a way for individual athletes (or couples in the case of pairs and dance) to have another chance at getting an olympic medal besides in the individual events. You can discuss the timing (beginning or end of the Olympics), the feeling that not all countries take it seriously - though Canada obviously did and so did the Italians, Germans and Israeli even if they didn't win medals in the end - but certainly not the need for a team event. Btw, I didn't get the feeling the countries made their worst (if you can even say such a thing) skaters take part. You might disagree with the choices that were made regarding the programmes, but I saw Shoma taking part - albeit only in the Short, I saw Valentina and Ondrej have the skate of their lives (it really was very good) for their country, I saw Alexej Bichenko have a wonderful skate even though he realised the eventual medal chances for his country were small, Nathan took part in it, etc. etc. Who are we to tell the Skating Unions and/or the skaters from the various countries that they should have made different choices, that they should have forced certain skaters to take part or shouldn't have denied other skaters participating? Just because their choices were different from what we know-all fans think they should have been, doesn't make them "not taken seriously".

I suppose I'm not a serious figure skating fan then.
 

silverfoxes

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
I hope the weakest links enjoy their participation medals. Canada deserved to win since they were the only team without a truly weak link. The majority of the winners gave 100% and I'm happy for them, but the individual medals will always be worth so much more in my eyes.
 

SimplyLex

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 22, 2013
Like in many other individual sports (gymnastics was mentioned, but they even included a team event in long track skating. Different because it's a different sport) it's a way for individual athletes (or couples in the case of pairs and dance) to have another chance at getting an olympic medal besides in the individual events.

And in those other disciplines (that have actual championship traditions for team events, unlike figure skating), the federations always select the country's very best to ensure the highest possible chance for a medal. In every other winter discipline, athletes from the same country actually compete between each other for that team spot. THIS is Olympic attitude and spirit. The thing that happens in FS, the way it is currently happening, IS a sad joke. Sorry.

Just because their choices were different from what we know-all fans think they should have been, doesn't make them "not taken seriously".

Yes, it does. Which is especially apparent for countries that already knew they wouldn't have a chance for a medal (France, Japan).

I'm sorry, but until skating federations start treating this event seriously, it's not going to be a serious event. As simple as that.

Having said that, kudos to Canada, the one country that actually gave it 100%.
 

Anyasnake

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 28, 2016
Before this thread goes places : BravO Canada ! They really went for it, they switched only Ladies and it was for the best. Things I'm impressed with :

Tessa and Scott being such good leaders to their team.
Mental toughness of Meagan Duhamel, her joy is infection too and her support to every skaters in remarkable.
Gabrielle Daleman. Right up there with the big jumpers.

Truth is, top ID team, Men and Pair team are retiring and this is the best way to do so (Oh, Canadian media is going to be unbearable, but your team is awesome...).

In 4 years :

-Let's have it AFTER individual event. And make it more important, it's not new now.
-Let's hope for a Team China medal on home soil. (With Sui/Han being Team Captains) :hap10:
 

SimplyLex

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 22, 2013
None of the potential subs would have changed the standings. I think the feds care about Gold but don't care between silver and bronze unless they're a team like Italy... and I don't really have a problem with that.

I vote for changing the scoring system then. Instead of assigning points for 1st, 2nd and so on, let it be the combined total score of all performances. This way, every point of every performance matters, every substituted skater makes a difference.
 

Lester

Piper and Paul are made of magic dust and unicorns
Final Flight
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Let's have it AFTER individual event. And make it more important, it's not new now.

Many people propose this but I wonder where are athletes going to muster the motivation for a second performance after giving it all in the individual competition? Unless people imagine something more like an exhibition type team spirit of the nations or something.
 

Tigerlily87

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 12, 2018
Before this thread goes places : BravO Canada ! They really went for it, they switched only Ladies and it was for the best. Things I'm impressed with :

Tessa and Scott being such good leaders to their team.
Mental toughness of Meagan Duhamel, her joy is infection too and her support to every skaters in remarkable.
Gabrielle Daleman. Right up there with the big jumpers.

Truth is, top ID team, Men and Pair team are retiring and this is the best way to do so (Oh, Canadian media is going to be unbearable, but your team is awesome...).

In 4 years :

-Let's have it AFTER individual event. And make it more important, it's not new now.
-Let's hope for a Team China medal on home soil. (With Sui/Han being Team Captains) :hap10:

I like the idea of having it afterwards, however I just wonder how it coincides with the rest of the Olympic schedule and venue needs
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Osmond 4 Gold!!!

You had the last laugh after all :thumbsup:. Although .. after Gabby's performance last night, maybe you will want to change your name to Daleman4Gold. :rock:

The best part about Canada's victory is that everyone earned their medals. There was no one on the team that was just carried along.

Patrick Chan was not perfect but he won the long program and contributed 18 points. Duhamel and Radford put it all on the line with 19. The ladies combined for 16, despite competing in a field with the untouchable Russian ladies. And of course Virtue and Moir did not disappoint with 20. Congratulations one and all.
 
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TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
Thankfully you are here to tell skaters what they should be happy to do and not do, how people do it in other unrelated sports and under what circumstances you would mercifully give people a bye for not doing as you say they should.

To be fair, aren't the people claiming they know how much the athletes are capable of.. what their training will allow... how non-important the event is to them... aren't they doing the exact same thing? I mean projecting their own feelings about the event to the athlete?

I disagree with those who think it will hurt the athletes in the long run.

I'm rooting for S/H in pairs. But there is no denying the Russians delivered an AMAZING pairs SP. On competitive Olympic ice. Less than a week before the pairs event. Will the judges remember? I don't know... but I will.

Same with V/M vs P/C. Same with Shoma vs Hanyu.

Will the judges remember Mirai's 3A? Will they remember that she fairly beat a couple of skaters in the medal chatter?

Even with skaters who underdelivered... I think getting the nerves out will help a skater like Nathan Chen and Kaori and Osmond.

As for the comments about "pre-ordained", my recollection is that most GS'ers thought the Russians would win gold in team.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I don't go along with the suggestion to hold the team event after the individuals. What if the individual competitions are so grueling that the competitors are all tuckered out for the all-important team comp? Mark my words, in four years China will take the team thing seriously enough. The rest of the world better be ready. :yes:

You can all live to tell your grandchildren, I was there when the Olympic Team Event was just starting up. And look at it now!

(You can also tell them that you had to trudge 10 miles through the snow to go see it. ;) )
 

Tutto

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Congrats to Team Canada - they put their hearts & souls into this and got their reward! Though I found myself torn between two of my favourites Kaetlyn & Kolyada who were at 'opposite sides of barricades' :laugh:
 

ancientpeas

The Notorious SEW
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
The person I am most happy for this morning is Mr. Patrick Chan. Not because I'm a huge Chan fan but because I'm hoping this helps him to skate well in the men's event. He has stated that all he wants is to have clean LP at the Olympics. He's not trying to win medal in the men's event, he just hopes he gets that clean long he wants and I hope he gets it. I hope this medal lifts the burden from his shoulders. Now he can skate with no pressure in the men's event. He's a 4 time Olympic medalist now. Fly high Patrick. Give us the most beautiful skate you have in you and walk away feeling happy with your career in competitive skating.
 

draqq

FigureSkatingPhenom
Record Breaker
Joined
May 10, 2010
Congrats to Team Canada! Every skater on the team had strong placements that earned them the gold.

As for how the ISU could improve the team event, I would like to see the free skate revamped and be more significant. Right now, the emphasis is on the short program as far as team points are concerned and so the free skates don't seem to matter all that much when they should be ostensibly twice as important.

Either let all ten nations compete in the long program (so there's no qualification part) or have the placements of the five skaters in the free have more weight; i.e. instead of having the team points in the free be awarded from first to fifth by 10-9-8-7-6, have it be 10-8-6-4-2. This would be bring much more needed tension and force federations to be more competitive in the team selection.
 

TerpsichoreFS

Marin Honda's skating skills
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 10, 2016
OMG Stop everything! French tv was recapping the team event and they were speaking about Virtue and Moir "skating together for 20 years, husband and wife in real life..." secret Voir shippers?
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
Congrats to Team Canada - they put their hearts & souls into this and got their reward! Though I found myself torn between two of my favourites Kaetlyn & Kolyada who were at 'opposite sides of barricades' :laugh:

I hadn't thought of this, but it does present a new dynamic in terms of rooting interests.

For example, here was my range of thoughts:

I'm an unashamed American, rooting for my team. But I also like Kolyada more than Adam, although I thought Adam wuzrobbed. I really appreciate Patrick's skating, too. Shoma is a favorite, and I was glad to see him do well... but it hurt my team...

I don't particularly enjoy SK/K, but I was so proud they did well... the Russian pair, who I'm neutral about, did amazing, but my favorite pair (S/H) didn't even compete, and I'm a bit bent out of shape about it.

My favorite ice dancers were left off the American team, but I can't dislike the Shibs nor resent their success... I liked the Italians better than the Russian dancers, but it was better for Team USA that the Russians beat the Italians...

My heart sank when Satoko beat Bradie by .01, because I knew that was a whole point lost, when in an individual event it wouldn't matter.

All in all, I thought it was exciting and engaging.
 
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