2018 Canadian Nationals Senior Men - FS

[Sam L]

Damn it, I posted this in the wrong thread. Any chance of Patrick staying on and competing till the 2020 worlds in Montreal?

 

[shyne]

Damn it, I posted this in the wrong thread. Any chance of Patrick staying on and competing till the 2020 worlds in Montreal?

Patrick is so special.
but it's hard financially, physically and emotionally for someone at his level to continue competing.
I have not seen any press release stating he will continue to compete after 2018.
He will surely be missed.

 

[GGFan]

I'd forgotten but one of my favorite moments was Keegan congratulating Elladj and his team, knowing that he still had to go out there and deliver . After he said that he drew inspiration from Elladj's skate and was able to just be himself . As if I didn't love Keegan enough already

 

[xeyra]

I was catching up on the parts of the competition I missed and I was so glad to see Patrick skate again like that. Sure, 'triple axels, what are those?' but otherwise it was such a lovely skate. It is a bit of a depressing program, though, once you realize it might be his swan song. I'm hoping that he'll be able to skate a better version of it at the Olympics. Congratulations on your 10th Canadian title!

Elladj had the skate of his life and I loved it! The crowd too. The roaring was amazing and I only saw it on video; I imagine how loud it must have been in the arena.

 

[silverfoxes]

Lol Ashley complains about the scores for only herself, has nothing but positive things to say about her competitors, gets torn apart and gets called just about every variation of "spoiled brat" you can think of. Patrick, for years consistently hypes himself up(you only compare yourself to Michael freaking Jourdan for one reason only-to imply your the best) and then proceeds to, a lot of times by specific name, put down and demean his competitors-"he doesn't mean anything by it! He just doesn't know how to express himself well!" Oh to be a man in this world! Anyways I'm not surprised to see him on the team but i was very curious to see who got that second spot! Good for you Keegan! I actually kinda like his Charlie Chaplin lp, he pulls off the jaunty charm of it well. Man I wish the Olympic channel had found an hour or two to devote to this sounds like a lot of drama went down!

I've criticized Patrick plenty before, but what he said here was not anywhere near one of his worst foot-in-mouth episodes. And he spoke in a normal adult tone of voice without histrionics. There is a difference. I am not fond of any great displays of arrogance especially from those who cannot back it up, regardless of gender. But he did not demean anyone else here, today, by name. You want people to dig up old quotes and bash him for that just for the sake of equality?

Keegan was a great example of what a good sport looks like. We need more Keegans in this sport who don't think only about themselves and are genuinely supportive of their rivals.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Patrick, for years consistently hypes himself up(you only compare yourself to Michael freaking Jourdan for one reason only-to imply your the best) and then proceeds to, a lot of times by specific name, put down and demean his competitors-"he doesn't mean anything by it! He just doesn't know how to express himself well!" Oh to be a man in this world!

Patrick's has always been well loved and respected by those who know him, including his fellow skaters and his competitors with whom he has built strong friendships. They have nothing but good words for him, including "heart of gold" from Meryl Davis and unabashed declaration of love by his uber Han Yan.

As for Jordan mention, people motivate themselves by bringing up names of those they admire all the time. That's how big achievers become famous and their spirit lives on down history, as oft mentioned inspirational models and heroes. Patrick wasn't comparing/equating himself to Jordan but asides from the vast gaps in wealth and fame, it's not outrageous to compare them as achievers in their different sports. As obviously seen in this Canadian Nationals, the new generation of Men of Canada demonstrate wonderful skating skills and artistry in their performances, many with quads in programs already. Very Patrick like.

 

[waterblades]

Re: "very few" ordinary citizens knowing Patrick...

I unfortunately cannot find the article now, but I remember prior to Sochi, Patrick (along with V/M) was named one of the most well-known Canadian athletes at the Games. I think 80% of those polled in Canada knew him? Around that. He was either the most well known or one of the top couple most well known.

As Ladskater said, he is something of a household name in Canada. Same with V/M.

waterblades said:
Today 10:13 AM
While most Canadians don't watch figure skating often. They do once the Olympics come on and remember the big name Canadians in figure skating. Most hockey fans and players really appreciated how hard figure skating is, heck most of them took lessons if they were playing hockey so I think this makes them more a where of who the players are but mostly every four years. Also our sport news on the sports channel will talk about most skating events and placements of the Canadian Skaters.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Damn it, I posted this in the wrong thread. Any chance of Patrick staying on and competing till the 2020 worlds in Montreal?

I don't think so. I think his heart has moved on and competitions don't thrill him any more. It's been a long and glorious career.

 

[Icey]

Are you perhaps thinking of Nathan Chen? He is definitely an American. Whereas, Patrick Chan was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada which makes Patrick Canadian. His parents did immigrate here from Hong Kong, but Patrick is a Canadian citizen. As for his skating coaches he's trained with some of the best Canadian coaches. In fact he started out with Osborne Colson, who was a Canadian champion himself in 1933 and 1936 and 1937 and was the silver medalist in 1931 and 1932. As for Patrick not being known in Canada, all I have to say is, he is a house hold name in the Figure Skating and Sports world in Canada, pretty much every one across Canada has heard the name Patrick Chan and men's figure skating champion.

check this info out on Patrick.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Chan

He's had 12 coaches . Maybe that's part of the problem.

 

[Violet Bliss]

He's had 12 coaches . Maybe that's part of the problem.

That's not so many in over 20 years, including transitional stand-ins. These days the elite skaters have coaching teams.

And, what problem?

 

[Icey]

That's not so many in over 20 years, including transitional stand-ins. These days the elite skaters have coaching teams.

And, what problem?

He left Don Laws a month before the Vancouver Olympics, even though he had been training for a month at Law's new facility in Florida. Laws wouldn't/ couldn't really coach him with there being a distance of thousands of miles between them. He's had two resign. In any case, you can goggle and find the full stories behind these if you wish. After Colson's death, he really seems to have had trouble of one kind or another with the coaching aspect of his training imo.
training imo. Kathy Johnson was a mystery to many.

 

[Violet Bliss]

He left Don Laws a month before the Vancouver Olympics, even though he had been training for a month at Law's new facility in Florida. Laws wouldn't/ couldn't really coach him with there being a distance of thousands of miles between them. He's had two resign. In any case, you can goggle and find the full stories behind these if you wish. After Colson's death, he really seems to have had trouble of one kind or another with the coaching aspect of his training imo.
training imo. Kathy Johnson was a mystery to many.

Still, what problem? He is one of the most successful figure skaters ever.

Actually, 3 coaches resigned, Law and Krall for the same ego based reason. They each had introduced additional coaches (Krall and Johnson) to help him and became unhappy as the new coaching team member took on more important role. Their resignations, Law merely 5 weeks before Patrick's first Olympics at 19 years old, led Patrick to continue with the new coach as the main coach. Johnson's resignation is a bit of a mystery and Patrick has continued to express his gratitude and refer to her plan for him. Of course, he keeps Mr. Colson close to his heart and pays tributes to him in various ways.

I expressed my thoughts on Patrick's relationships with the main coaches on his fanfest thread:

Patrick and Don Laws met at Mr. Colson's funeral and Patrick felt a closeness with Laws as both were Colson's students.

Patrick's training with Laws in Florida was very hard on him, sharing a motel room with his mom and eating microwaved food in bed. He was isolated with no friends. But theirs seemed to be a good relationship from the interactions that we could see. Laws introduced Patrick to Kristy Krall, a Dartfish software specialist for jump training. Laws became unhappy that Patrick started spending more time with Krall in Colorado Springs. He explained his resignation at the time that he could not train someone from so far away and he considered Patrick as leaving him first.

I think they were civil and respectful of each other about and after the event but I thought Laws' action and timing selfish and egotistical. I don't necessarily think that was his personality but this particular action/reaction was not considerate or professional.

There was turmoil within Team Chan in Colorado Springs when Johnson's role increased in importance but Krall waited till the end of the season after the World Championships to resign. I appreciate the professionalism.

Patrick's love for Mr. Colson continues after his death. He went to talk to him at his grave before going to Moscow Worlds 2011 as he often did. At Worlds 2012, he blew a kiss skyward when he finished his winning LP because it was Colson's birthday. Of course as his fans we are grateful for the foundation he laid down for Patrick and his belief in him as motivation for Patrick to go on to become one of the greatest skaters ever.

Skaters change coaches as their needs change at different stages of their careers and lives. It's part of the progression.

eta. I remember there was a later mention about Johnson resigning because of her own personal life reason.

 

[topaz emerald]

how many spots are there for the Canadian men to go to Olympics? three?

 

[Mrs. P]

how many spots are there for the Canadian men to go to Olympics? three?

Two. Patrick and Keegan were named to the team.

 

[Violet Bliss]

how many spots are there for the Canadian men to go to Olympics? three?

Two. And too many heartbreaks last nights, not because of poor performances but because many of them stepped up and gave us those excellent and totally memorable performances. I'm very proud of them.

 

[topaz emerald]

congrats to Keegan and Patrick...I am sad for Nam :sad21:, but he's still only 19, I hope his skating only gets stronger.

 

[Mathman]

One of Michael Jordan's most famous quotes is

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

The relevant thing here is that, as far as I know, it is not actually known who wrote that famous quote for Michael Jordan. It was featured in the 1998 book Nike Culture: The Sign of the Swoosh by Robert Goldman and Steven Papson, in the chapter, "Nike and the Construction of Celebrity Democracy (The Ambivalence of Hero Worship). All carefully crafted for maximum effect in advertising a brand.

Figure skaters, of course, do not have such resources. They are on their own.

 

[TontoK]

congrats to Keegan and Patrick...I am sad for Nam :sad21:, but he's still only 19, I hope his skating only gets stronger.

He had been a favorite of mine a few years ago... someone really on my radar. After that commendable performance at World's, I don't know what happened.

I keep very few skaters in my fandom stable who don't deliver, and he didn't. So he has been put out to pasture for a few years.

He's starting to work himself back into my good graces - and I look forward to seeing him do that.

19 is a good age. He's got a couple of quads - they may be inconsistent, but he has them. He skated at Nats with some flair and emotion. It's an excellent foundation from which to improve.

 

[Off My Rocker]

LOL, just learned it's max 10 images in a message on this board...dang, can't emoji my way through this!

Much fun reading through this thread, even the next day. Lots of wit and laughs!

Not one perfect program, but I can’t believe how many performances I enjoyed SO MUCH.

Some quick thoughts on my biggest highlights (not that there weren’t some fine moments by those not included!)

Stephen Gogolov – very talented with wonderful skating skills/body line and moments of brilliance but heck, he’s a kid who has just turned 13 so I’d like to think of the popped jumps as loss-of-concentration brain puffs. I hope he manages through growth spurts and stays healthy. I will definitely be following Stephen’s skating in the JGP this year. Well done for his first senior Canadians!

Liam Firus – the absolute best solo dancer…please find yourself a partner now and start a rivalry with your brother in the next quad! I could watch Liam’s skating without jumps for hours. :luv17:

Joseph Phan – what talent! :hap57:I loved this program which I realized when he finished how fast it went – I was rapt. And he’s still skating Junior internationally. He has solid jump landings (2[SUP]nd[/SUP] 4T the exception today) and I see his PCS as well within the realm of many senior skaters. I think he’s got a shot at a podium finish at Jr. Worlds and hope to see him as a significant player in the senior ranks in the upcoming years.

Roman Sadovsky – I really enjoyed his emotional interpretation – he’s a very elegant skater. Some hiccups in the jumps which although have good height I believe with a bit more flow on landings he’d be able to tag on triple jumps for point-getting combinations. Wonderful job overall Roman.

Nicolas Nadeau – brilliant Elvis interpretation! :dance2:Unfortunately, too many jump errors that affected the overall performance. That is one rocking final step sequence! Sadly, score appears to point Nic as off the national team.

Nam Nguyen – a very good skate for Nam although even on TV it appeared slow across the ice; many fine jumps which looked mostly fully rotated. The La Strada theme, even though a resurrected repeat, I think was well-presented (I too believe no one can match Daisuke’s rendition) and I was surprisingly relaxed watching him perform. Well done, Nam! Loving your comeback! :thumbsup:

Elladj Balde – Choreo by Elladj!! Performance by Elladj!! Magic by Elladj!! I was a-blubbering mess with tears of joy. :happysappycry: What a skate to have at his final nationals. Not without a couple of jump issues, but oh can this man bring it on. And a backflip exit, to boot. I only wish he could have made the podium...maybe Skate Canada could create a pewter medal just for Elladj! This was my PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT.

Keegan Messing – I so enjoy this Charlie Chaplin program – charming, entertaining and SO MUCH FUN, my Happy Feet! :hap85:I had a smile on my face throughout and joined the standing O at the end. After a bit of an iffy start with the 4T fall, the program got better and better as it progressed. Keegan’s spins are special (anyone remember Ronnie Robertson’s spin speed)? I wish he had one more quad type, but I’ll take this. I’m ecstatic he finished 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] and is off to Olys!

Kevin Reynolds – not the finish to his career he would have wanted. I see elegance in his style, and ability to bringing out meaningful choreography, but definitely slow across the ice. Sadly, he needs the jumps to score well and they just weren’t here today. I can say I’ve enjoyed many of his programs over the years…I’ll have to make a playlist of youtube videos. Thanks, Kevin!

Patrick Chan – Hallelujah!!!! Not perfect, 3A was AWOL, but such a moving performance! 4’30” of marvelous and unparalleled blade work and edges. Technically, this wouldn’t put Patrick in medal contention for the individual event at Olympics, but it's a 1000% better than SC and that important step in confidence to achieve HIS goal in Korea. I would still contend he’ll justify high PCS marks and be a solid contributor to the team event. 10 national titles, a new record number. I’ll miss you…thanks for so many wonderful memories.

Passing of the Torch – that was one moving vignette. So, one final Thank You to acknowledge...to Patrick, Tessa and Scott and Meagan and Eric.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Pretty disappointed by Chan's Hallezayak program. Maybe at the Olympics it will be more magical.

So awesome for Keegan Messing to make the Olympics though! Ever since his 2011 AMERICAN Nationals showing, I've hoped for something good to happen for him.

Also happy for Elladj Balde doing a very good performance.