2020 U.S. Nationals: Men's Free Skate

I am afraid I need to disagree, ever so gently, that the judges know more than we do.

Besides, without wuzrobbing, we wouldn’t have a figure skating board.

I cannot see any universe where Nathan’s PCS scores should have been above Jason’s for the men’s free. That is *not* saying Nathan has no transitions, please. That is *not* saying Nathan is just a jumper, please. And it certainly is not saying that Nathan should not have gotten a higher score total or not won the gold, please. I’m talking about the PCS scores for these programs as performed at the competition by these skaters.

I firmly believe there is a quad PCS boost. I don’t cede to the judges on this. It shouldn’t exist. It wouldn’t change the outcomes, but it would more accurately reflect what happened on the ice.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it

Bwahahah - yes, without "hewuzrobbed" what would we talk about. And I agree that there is as quad bump - which quite frankly irritates me. It's a jump with one more revolution, is hard to learn, harder to land consistently, but it's just a jump. Maybe it's my 6.0 mentality but I still think skating like Jason's, Camden Pulkinen's, Nathan's to a certain extent, and others should be better rewarded. As JOhnny kept saying, "what Jason does is very hard" and I think it should have equal import with that quad jump. But.....El, until they ask you or me to sit on the judges panel I think we're stuck with "what is!" In the meantime, it makes for loverly conversations, bi-partisanship, overly aggressive opinions, hurt feelings, etc. Awwww - a message board!

I came to this thread a day or so after the men's skates, because I was still in such a celebratory mood for such a great competition with diverse styles of skating. It was very sad and deflating to see what the conversation had turned to.

I actually don't agree that we wouldn't have a forum if not for "wuzrobbed" and other heated arguments. We could have had five or six pages, or many more, just with everyone posting what they loved about their two or three favorite skates of the afternoon, and being gentle with their remarks about other skaters. Think Charlie and Tanith.

karne said:

Anyone who thinks he is a better PCS skater than Jason has rocks in their head and for eyes.

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That is a very mean and hurtful statement. And I'm reading it the morning after I read your words laying into another poster, quite viciously, for giving his opinions of Jason's skating, and how those opinions have progressed to present-day admiration, in the "Riverdance to Schindler's List" thread (which wasn't at the time in the Fan Fest).

jenaj said:

I think the people who complain about PCS consider it a subjective "artistry" score, as it was under 6.0. Rightly or wrongly, PCS doesn't even judge "artistry." There is "performance." Can anyone deny that Nathan performed his long program very well? It is a much different type of program than Jason's and so the performances are different. But Nathan had the crowd going wild with his step sequence. That was an excellent performance. And interpretation--note how his triple axel was timed right to the change in the music. He also interpreted the various changes in tempo very well. As shown by others, he had transitions. Maybe his skating skills are not as good as Jason's but they are still very good. Composition was very good too. And I know some will not accept it but the reigning and two-time World Champion is going to get a bump in PCS. It is not unknown in other sports. They used to say Michael Jordan was known as Air Jordan because if the air around him moved, a foul was called.

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:agree:

Nathan is a brilliant skater, and he stays true to his vision of skating.

Who cares about the scores? Nationals scoring has always been a joke (except maybe Japanese nationals?). Forget about scores, enjoy the performances. The right person won, and at the end if that happens who cares - specifically at nationals!

kolyadafan2002 said:

Who cares about the scores? Nationals scoring has always been a joke (except maybe Japanese nationals?). Forget about scores, enjoy the performances. The right person won, and at the end if that happens who cares - specifically at nationals!

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I care about the scores. These are athletes who work hard, who train all year, who put themselves out there on the ice for us to enjoy. I care that they are accurately rewarded (one of the sweetest parts of US Nats, to me, was that the crowd booed Sean Rabbitt’s scores as too low. The audience knows someone putting their heart and soul on the ice when they see it.)

And Nats inflation is irrelevant when comparing competitors at Nats, no one is talking about finite numbers here, but comparative numbers. Whether the right skater won (of course he did) is irrelevant to whether the right skater at that comp for what they put on the ice got the highest PCS scores (my opinion is no).

But of course in one regard the score is unimportant. Jason Brown is, in the words of Johnny Weir and Tracy Wilson, just special. Schindler’s List at US Nats, the more I watch it, was a skate for the ages. The skate itself, the audience reaction, Jason’s reaction. ,And the score won’t change that