2017 World Team Trophy - Day 1
- Thread starter cleo2070
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2012
god, just back from getting my haircut and re-watched some of performances - general thought is that Japanese audience makes me just so much closer to the whole event, there's just so much 'brightness' and true, natural excitement, joy of figure skating, not only as a sport, discipline, but as a 'way of living' of some sorts. It's just truly uplifting to see such engaged reactions, enthusiasm over discipline, skaters, their effort, somuch of appreciation and support in hard times. My kudos to that 
Men go first...
I am truly thrilled for Chafik - he surely developed his own brand of awesomeness, similar to Eladj Balde I feel. He put his best effort in both execution and performance - I felt it very loudly and that what matters the most for me: he stepped up on ice and not let himself down in any sense. A true spirit and determination shown. I appreciate his original style - there's something to be said that all Frech singles competitors have that 'French sophistication' embodied in them, the way they carry themselves on ice. He created a space for himself today and bulit it in a very solid way to allow audience enjoying it.
Over the moon for Mikhail - just purity of beng adorable and a bit corny/tacky in such extravagant/sophisticated way (as strange that sounds
). He surely shown today that he's got goods all right - that 3A and 3Lz were top notch and prime quality, will repeat myself, but just love his way of rotation in air and sharpness of landings/take-offs. What strikes me watching him is him being so natural and authentic, no ounce of being artificial/fake in his presence, way of moveent, way of expressing - just pure engagement and determination. Yes - he may have not as good packaging as e.g. Jason and has his highs/lows regarding execution,but I find him irresistible in terms of this pure joy and authenticity about his skating. He's very animated and 'stylish' in his own way performer I feel and that kind of quirky program channel those qualities perfectly; wish more of such vehicles for him next season: full of character and using his natural skills to shine, god forbid trying to make him into someone's else/someone's else convention!
Jason left me in awe, as usual. I'm really losing compliments and superlatives to describe not only his skating, his skills and abilities, but mostly his influence he causes with what he does. Today's SP is a bold proof that methodically paced development, right choices and decisions, taken very individually, against mainstream and voices around pays off. In a big way. There's simply an aura, an unique bond he creates while skating, for me he puts everyone at ease - knowing his way of skating and the way he treats it/understands it, I just let myself get lost in that comfortable feel of watching him, not expecting or demanding, just letting it flow through me, speaking to me, touching me in a way physical touch sometimes can't even reach. It's just power, a sheer force, strenght he gives by his performances, and I try to absorb it as much as I can. This SP embodied elegance, charm, moderation of moods, great build towards finale, fantastic spins, steps, solid jumps, musicality, amazing sense of drama and how to translate it in movement/expression. He once again showed that his whole body feels and express, not only his face. And his reaction, pure joy of it...Same as Mikhail - just natual, authentic feel, nothing fake about him. A gifted human, giving so much by just a few moves, creating magic.
Patrick - big kudos for going bld and unapologetic regarding layout, he sure know what he wants and is trying to find his own way to achieve it. If those kind of attempts makes him more sure, confident and commited - I'm all over that, regardless of the edn effect and amount of critic. In all honesty, I wouldn't mind him to keep this SP as I grew to adore it on par with immortal Elegy by Rachmaninoff, but I do think that Patrick's ambitious artist spirit, is strive for artistic growth and development won'tlet him keep it. My love for that program is due to its truly unique character and feel it got from Patrick himself - it presented him as a great, bold lyricist, maneuvring marvelously between classical/traditional and modern aesthetics, keeping his quality and personality still in process. Yes - today it was not as successful like at Worlds, but still it kept right 'momentum' and left an impression of perfectly captured and expressed moment/picture of nostalgy and melancholy of The Beatles music. For me, his edges, skill presented by Patrick overal, way he moved, with so much fluidity, consideration, yet freely and exuberant reminded me of carving a sculpture by artist - similarly to his edges, steps carved in the ice he built something out of his body and spirit that will last longer than cracks on ice made.
Shoma's SP is probably a program that grew the most in me this season, and it's mainly due to how Shoma molded it to himself and likewise - how he adjusted himself to the music, the feel it creates, the choreography which was just a starting point, a canvas to create such moving picture. Loved his expressiveness, whole body engagement into performance, the way it embodied music, its moods, highs and lows. And he truly can illustrate the longing an sadness of that piece I feel everytime hearing it. The whole performance comprises for me the beauty of contrasts/opposites working together so amazingly - the movement was flowy, continous, airy and fluid, yet his look was all about strenght and convicion over the message he wants to carry. Once again he proved that he can create a space for himself in performance and find an unique way of expression, a shade of his personality to show it.
Really proud of Nathan - his skate felt much lighter, relaxed today than three weeks ago and I feel like it allowed him to express more,to 'flirt' more intensely with the music and choreography. 'Le Corsaire' in one of my favourite ballet pieces due to its explosive, fiery and exuberant character, yet still having that flirty, seductive feel in it, too. Nathan really excelled today I feel in terms of transfering that spirit of the music and produced really quality performance in his own aesthetic.
Jin 'Spider' Boyang left nothing but a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. I really feel like this program is genius in its simple idea: to capitalize on Jin's excellent performer's spirit and show him off from that side. Watching him I felt like jumps, solid technical side were highlighting his performance, way he expressed and interpreted music/theme,not being a vital part of it. Of course, we could compare his skills, coverage, difficulty of transitions to other skater, but myself I don't see a necessity of such actions as this program is very different from others and capitalizes on different strenghts. Jin for me won big time with that program, in such difficult, 'transitional' season for him, I hope he'll only get encouraged more to develop himself and explore his performers' qualities.
And finally Yuzuru...I think that all and more have been already said, I just will post my personal impression of his whole performance. I do feel like it was just off - off-balance, off his usual harmony, off his usual attack and will, but what sadenned me the most was that he seemed off, too. I think that the main issue is that there is no separation between Yuzuru, his personaliy and his skating - he is his skating and his skating personifies him as a person, it's just an inseparable bond etched deeply at least inside my mind. When he's off - his skating is also off and whole unity suffers, same other way around - when his skating is not on point, he also seem disturbed by it, perfectionist he is. And this 'bond' between Yuzuru and his skating as a whole is so strongly felt by all his fans and admirers...And regarding potential 'triggers'to that not so successful performance - I do think that he does not treat WTT as a 'fluff/easy competition' at all, even if the idea of it is as such. It's deeply ingrained in his work ethic, dedication, competitive spirit, strive for perfection that if there is a stake, he has to go for it. I understand this by my own example, it's very hard to tell yourself (let alone such competitive athlete) that you can afford for mistakes, slips in less-important thing, your mind would subconsciously pump you from the inside to get you ready,motivated and strung out the most you could be, regardless of your body screaming from tiredness/exhaution. Been here, done that. Regardless of reason (if there's any of if there was just an influence of various things at one cumulated), I send only positivity to Yuzuru and trust in his spirit which cannot be broken by one off day r one off performance. If it was due to being tired/getting exhausted after Worlds - lots of rest, calm and relaxation; if it was due to self-imposed pressure - just don't get discouraged by yourself and too critical; if it was outside pressure getting too much out of him - balance is the key, especially from this 'outside' source.
Men go first...
I am truly thrilled for Chafik - he surely developed his own brand of awesomeness, similar to Eladj Balde I feel. He put his best effort in both execution and performance - I felt it very loudly and that what matters the most for me: he stepped up on ice and not let himself down in any sense. A true spirit and determination shown. I appreciate his original style - there's something to be said that all Frech singles competitors have that 'French sophistication' embodied in them, the way they carry themselves on ice. He created a space for himself today and bulit it in a very solid way to allow audience enjoying it.
Over the moon for Mikhail - just purity of beng adorable and a bit corny/tacky in such extravagant/sophisticated way (as strange that sounds
). He surely shown today that he's got goods all right - that 3A and 3Lz were top notch and prime quality, will repeat myself, but just love his way of rotation in air and sharpness of landings/take-offs. What strikes me watching him is him being so natural and authentic, no ounce of being artificial/fake in his presence, way of moveent, way of expressing - just pure engagement and determination. Yes - he may have not as good packaging as e.g. Jason and has his highs/lows regarding execution,but I find him irresistible in terms of this pure joy and authenticity about his skating. He's very animated and 'stylish' in his own way performer I feel and that kind of quirky program channel those qualities perfectly; wish more of such vehicles for him next season: full of character and using his natural skills to shine, god forbid trying to make him into someone's else/someone's else convention!Jason left me in awe, as usual. I'm really losing compliments and superlatives to describe not only his skating, his skills and abilities, but mostly his influence he causes with what he does. Today's SP is a bold proof that methodically paced development, right choices and decisions, taken very individually, against mainstream and voices around pays off. In a big way. There's simply an aura, an unique bond he creates while skating, for me he puts everyone at ease - knowing his way of skating and the way he treats it/understands it, I just let myself get lost in that comfortable feel of watching him, not expecting or demanding, just letting it flow through me, speaking to me, touching me in a way physical touch sometimes can't even reach. It's just power, a sheer force, strenght he gives by his performances, and I try to absorb it as much as I can. This SP embodied elegance, charm, moderation of moods, great build towards finale, fantastic spins, steps, solid jumps, musicality, amazing sense of drama and how to translate it in movement/expression. He once again showed that his whole body feels and express, not only his face. And his reaction, pure joy of it...Same as Mikhail - just natual, authentic feel, nothing fake about him. A gifted human, giving so much by just a few moves, creating magic.
Patrick - big kudos for going bld and unapologetic regarding layout, he sure know what he wants and is trying to find his own way to achieve it. If those kind of attempts makes him more sure, confident and commited - I'm all over that, regardless of the edn effect and amount of critic. In all honesty, I wouldn't mind him to keep this SP as I grew to adore it on par with immortal Elegy by Rachmaninoff, but I do think that Patrick's ambitious artist spirit, is strive for artistic growth and development won'tlet him keep it
. My love for that program is due to its truly unique character and feel it got from Patrick himself - it presented him as a great, bold lyricist, maneuvring marvelously between classical/traditional and modern aesthetics, keeping his quality and personality still in process. Yes - today it was not as successful like at Worlds, but still it kept right 'momentum' and left an impression of perfectly captured and expressed moment/picture of nostalgy and melancholy of The Beatles music. For me, his edges, skill presented by Patrick overal, way he moved, with so much fluidity, consideration, yet freely and exuberant reminded me of carving a sculpture by artist - similarly to his edges, steps carved in the ice he built something out of his body and spirit that will last longer than cracks on ice made.Shoma's SP is probably a program that grew the most in me this season, and it's mainly due to how Shoma molded it to himself and likewise - how he adjusted himself to the music, the feel it creates, the choreography which was just a starting point, a canvas to create such moving picture. Loved his expressiveness, whole body engagement into performance, the way it embodied music, its moods, highs and lows. And he truly can illustrate the longing an sadness of that piece I feel everytime hearing it. The whole performance comprises for me the beauty of contrasts/opposites working together so amazingly - the movement was flowy, continous, airy and fluid, yet his look was all about strenght and convicion over the message he wants to carry. Once again he proved that he can create a space for himself in performance and find an unique way of expression, a shade of his personality to show it.
Really proud of Nathan - his skate felt much lighter, relaxed today than three weeks ago and I feel like it allowed him to express more,to 'flirt' more intensely with the music and choreography. 'Le Corsaire' in one of my favourite ballet pieces due to its explosive, fiery and exuberant character, yet still having that flirty, seductive feel in it, too. Nathan really excelled today I feel in terms of transfering that spirit of the music and produced really quality performance in his own aesthetic.
Jin 'Spider' Boyang left nothing but a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. I really feel like this program is genius in its simple idea: to capitalize on Jin's excellent performer's spirit and show him off from that side. Watching him I felt like jumps, solid technical side were highlighting his performance, way he expressed and interpreted music/theme,not being a vital part of it. Of course, we could compare his skills, coverage, difficulty of transitions to other skater, but myself I don't see a necessity of such actions as this program is very different from others and capitalizes on different strenghts. Jin for me won big time with that program, in such difficult, 'transitional' season for him, I hope he'll only get encouraged more to develop himself and explore his performers' qualities.
And finally Yuzuru...I think that all and more have been already said, I just will post my personal impression of his whole performance. I do feel like it was just off - off-balance, off his usual harmony, off his usual attack and will, but what sadenned me the most was that he seemed off, too. I think that the main issue is that there is no separation between Yuzuru, his personaliy and his skating - he is his skating and his skating personifies him as a person, it's just an inseparable bond etched deeply at least inside my mind. When he's off - his skating is also off and whole unity suffers, same other way around - when his skating is not on point, he also seem disturbed by it, perfectionist he is. And this 'bond' between Yuzuru and his skating as a whole is so strongly felt by all his fans and admirers...And regarding potential 'triggers'to that not so successful performance - I do think that he does not treat WTT as a 'fluff/easy competition' at all, even if the idea of it is as such. It's deeply ingrained in his work ethic, dedication, competitive spirit, strive for perfection that if there is a stake, he has to go for it. I understand this by my own example, it's very hard to tell yourself (let alone such competitive athlete) that you can afford for mistakes, slips in less-important thing, your mind would subconsciously pump you from the inside to get you ready,motivated and strung out the most you could be, regardless of your body screaming from tiredness/exhaution. Been here, done that. Regardless of reason (if there's any of if there was just an influence of various things at one cumulated), I send only positivity to Yuzuru and trust in his spirit which cannot be broken by one off day r one off performance. If it was due to being tired/getting exhausted after Worlds - lots of rest, calm and relaxation; if it was due to self-imposed pressure - just don't get discouraged by yourself and too critical; if it was outside pressure getting too much out of him - balance is the key, especially from this 'outside' source.
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2013
Hah, it's all good. There's a million competitions each season, and it's easy to lose track of what happened at each one (I certainly do!).
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2012
I just watched Wakaba and here, at 11 pm in Poland I'm crying because of sheer beauty her performance represented...To have such completion, understanding of various components of FS, feeling of music at such young age is beyond remarkable for me. There is a force, strenght and conviction it her performance, yet it is never forced, muscled or too physical in reception.
There's an unique way she connects with the music through her whole body, expressing even the smallest accents, nuances. And her artistry (already quite developed) has so much maturity, composure and spohistication in it. I'm beyond happiness that she regained that confidence at the end of the season - confidence in her performance, to not let the pressure get to her, but instead to let it all flow together with the music. She's jus spectacular when she's on. And that program - pure, unforced movement, great building the momentum, such harmony and balance...
There's an unique way she connects with the music through her whole body, expressing even the smallest accents, nuances. And her artistry (already quite developed) has so much maturity, composure and spohistication in it. I'm beyond happiness that she regained that confidence at the end of the season - confidence in her performance, to not let the pressure get to her, but instead to let it all flow together with the music. She's jus spectacular when she's on. And that program - pure, unforced movement, great building the momentum, such harmony and balance...
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- Joined
- Feb 4, 2012
It's not a pop. A pop is when you plan to do a jump and abort it mid-air. Shoma has more than once jumped a simple 4-2 combination. He said he it didn't work that morning at practice so he jumped 4-2 instead of 4-3.
She didn't switch, they are her coaches. Both of them. Yamada is head coach in Nagoya. Kanako and Yura Matsuda went for the same GP's as Shoma this season, Skate America and CoR, probably because that's easier for Higuchi (no relation to Wakaba, pretty common last time) By the way, did you know that Coach Fluffy is 47? I want her genes.....
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2014
Didn't know it was planned.
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2012
Even if it wasn't planned, it's still not a pop. Even if he decided it just a second before he jumped, or after the quad when he felt he couldn't add the triple, but did the double instead. Shoma doesn't pop many jumps. When he isn't clean that's usually because he falls or stumbles.
Popping happens with quads or triples with the ladies, and then it usually becomes a double or a one turn jump. But maybe you're right, it's just semantics. Still, I don't think you can say this was a 'mistake' Shoma did.
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2017
I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to handle day two LOL.
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2014
What?! Mihoko Higuchi is 47?!?!?! I want her genes too!
Maybe her secret is her joyful personality.... (In that case I'm doomed)
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
Indeed, and seems to me a lot of skaters actually are rather childish and innocent (I mean that in a good way) - because they spend all their time training, often during unsociable hours, most of their lives. Many of them don't get to "grow up" like regular people, experience "life" like we do... or become cold, jaded and cynical internet forum posters...
Nothing wrong with a little good, clean fun. These same skaters are up for an intense year of training for the Olympics. I say, let them put on some silly hats and enjoy themselves.
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2012
Yep, she's old enough to be Shoma's mother. The ice keeps her fresh-faced...*lol*
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- Feb 22, 2016
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I don't think there's anyone who would like those costumes from Grishuk / Platov Rhumba CD in 1997, unless you mean clowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=midCCuqXgTc
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- Oct 31, 2014
Neither do I. On the other hand, doubling a planned solo triple/quad in SP gets zero point just like popping it. Pointwise, they are same.
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- Feb 22, 2016
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Japanese ladies look roughly the same in time between 30 years old and 60 years old someone told me
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- Apr 14, 2014
I'll channel my inner Dick Button and say, "He elected to do a double."
Pleased with how Shoma skated. Bless him, I hope he skates well in the FS and then has a nice holiday.
Well done especially to Misha, Jason and Chafik too. And a shout out to my little French artist M. Aymoz. Can someone please stabilise his jumps... He is so good in other ways!
Pleased with how Shoma skated. Bless him, I hope he skates well in the FS and then has a nice holiday.
Well done especially to Misha, Jason and Chafik too. And a shout out to my little French artist M. Aymoz. Can someone please stabilise his jumps... He is so good in other ways!
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- Feb 22, 2016
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Kovtun returning to his old Kovtun ways
Yes, arguably I'd put Kevin ahead of Kotvun. Kevin had a disastrous program, still did a 3A (UR), and didn't pop any jump. It is true he had a fall...but overall it's better than 2 double jumps and a step out 4T. Artistically, they are in the same boat, in a different way (style).
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2014
Sorry, I didn't mean to imply it was a mistake. It looked like a solid quad-double. My comment was only in reference to what I thought was a SB (thus beating his flawless skate at Worlds with a quad-triple) at the time. Since it's not a SB, I don't have any other complaints.
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2015
Thank you for the report. And of course judges don't care. Nothing new.
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