2018 Skate America: Thoughts and Highlights?

[ancientpeas]

You are Canadian, please, tell me - on which channel will Ted Barton comment? (Ted is Canadian, right?) This is my favorite male commentator (female - Julia Lipnitskaya)

Ted is only doing commentary on the Practices for SC which apparently are Geoblocked so unless someone streams them on you tube you won't be able to see them. Ted will be doing the commentary for the JGPF and he might be back to do commentary for Canadian nationals like last time over daily motion. Usually SC is Tracy Wilson and Rod Black (who is not a figure skating person but rather more like america's Terry Gannon). Tracy is usually very good.. Rod is a bit much. He's overly excitable and a bit too Scott Hamilton like if Scott didn't know a lot of about skating. It will be interesting if the caller is as strict this time on UR because I can pretty much say that Rod won't see it or call it and Tracy will spend half her time explaining the scoring to him. "Remember Rod that just because a jump looks good does not mean it's fully rotated." Poor Tracy. I wouldn't have the patience. After the 3 time I'd be like "Rod..at this point is better for you to say less rather than more."

 

[Harriet]

Well something like that. The dude agrees with almost everything TAT says, well, in general, it is felt that he is little afraid of her and fawns over her.

I think the equivalent phrase in English would be 'organ-grinder's monkey'.

TAT has a powerful reputation; I'd be more than a little afraid of her too...

As to highlights of Skate America, mine are small and personal: Laurine's new programs, her improvements in jump axis and landing security, spins and confidence, and the return of her (imprived) 3-3 in the SP stand out, as does Hase and Seegert's very enjoyable SP. Time differences made it hard to keep up with everything, so I didn't pay much attention to men and dance this time around, but what I've seen has been enjoyable so far.

 

[skylark]

Agreed.
Figure skating has a reputation for being 100% subjective and 'not a real sport.' That perspective is emphasized with these new rules and how they're applied inconsistently.

True. The more the rules try to convert every aspect of figure skating to a number, the worse it gets. Every attempt to correct something usually ends in adding a new complication. Ad infinitum. As I heard Sandra Bezic say awhile back, in the 6.0 system the judges paid attention to all the aspects including the ones viewers didn't necessarily see; they did it holistically. (maybe SB didn't use that last word.) I would add that they didn't have to take their eyes off the skaters and out of the programs, in order to punch in numbers every little while.

That's why I feel like it could be better to get rid of GOE entirely and beef up the technology of the tech panel (more cameras, etc). The more fair the tech panel gets, the less it appears biased. Alternatively, maybe it's time to simply embrace the concept that scoring is subjective and stop trying to make the scoring appear to be about sport/athletics.

I wouldn't "sign on" to your first idea (not that I'd have any pull, anyway!). But I fully agree with your last sentence. The arguments around GS show that judging is far from objective and depends on perspective, preference and a range of things. May as well embrace that; it's one of the reasons people watch figure skating instead of a 50-yard dash.

PS. I miss Ice Network too. Don't miss Tania K., but I dearly miss John Coughlin's commentary. So balanced, so kind, while adding to the viewers' understanding of what happened on the ice. He knew when to shut up, too.
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[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I don't even know why "sloppy" is used to describe Kaori's skating. To me she's a skater who has incredible blade skills but somewhat awkward/tight upper body movement. "Sloppy" is simply not a very accurate term to describe her skating.

Agreed. There's something kinda rigid about her arm movement sometimes - like she is trying to be fluid and graceful but she's not quite there yet. The maturity is there but its not super refined. That's why I called it clunky but it's not sloppy in the sense that she's being lazy in her arm movement or not trying to complete her movements - if anything it looks as though she is *trying* to complete her movements... which isn't quite natural looking yet, even though the effort to improve is evident.

 

[iamchrislao]

hi everyone. I am so sad for Polina. I get, sorry for the term, "orgasm" whenever she cleanly lands her jumps!!!!! They're huge and just otherworldly. I never get tired of the size of the jumps and that delayed rotation! omg!!!!! I die every single time. Polina pls pls pls....keep fighting! I am really aghast at the PCS! he blade work is just !!!!! i love it!!!

 

[Globetrotter]

Agreed. There's something kinda rigid about her arm movement sometimes - like she is trying to be fluid and graceful but she's not quite there yet. The maturity is there but its not super refined. That's why I called it clunky but it's not sloppy in the sense that she's being lazy in her arm movement or not trying to complete her movements - if anything it looks as though she is *trying* to complete her movements... which isn't quite natural looking yet, even though the effort to improve is evident.

Yes, I think the word is clunky. Not everyone has Satoko's refineness. Even Kim Yuna in her earlier 2007-08 years was fairly clunky in her skating but smoothened things out over time. Kaori just may be somehow similar. That said, she does still have some ways to go in her basic footwork. She does struggle somehow to get the turns in her StSq but it is better than last season.

 

[RobinA]

I wouldn't "sign on" to your first idea (not that I'd have any pull, anyway!). But I fully agree with your last sentence. The arguments around GS show that judging is far from objective and depends on perspective, preference and a range of things. May as well embrace that; it's one of the reasons people watch figure skating instead of a 50-yard dash.


.

100 times THIS. There are plenty of sports out there if you want numbers and exact results. When I was a kid I gravitated to diving, gymnastics, and above all figure skating. There was a reason for that. Give me my sport back! I will watch figure skating every year waiting patiently for the next Bolero, the next Boitano Olympic SP, but now i feel under the current system there is no next Bolero. Just programs crammed with the most difficult components possible to run up the scores (not blaming the skaters for this, they want to win, of course). Programs that make no artistic sense. I was especially disappointed to hear that the Pairs program had been shortened. Pairs, formerly my fave discipline, is already a disaster area and this surely won't help.

All that said, I think the results of the current changes won't really show up until next year or the next. If it results in people skating what they can do well instead of throwing in moves/jumps that they might eek out but will probably splat on just to gain points, I am for it.

 

[kwanatic]

That said, she does still have some ways to go in her basic footwork. She does struggle somehow to get the turns in her StSq but it is better than last season.

I don't know if I agree with that. I think Kaori has some of the best basics/skating skills in the field...better than both top Russians for sure. Her edges are deep and clean, she's fast and covers the ice amazingly, and her stsq look pretty effortless to me (light, easy, maintains speed & flow). She might not be hitting the requirements for the higher level but it seems more like a lack of concentration/focus rather than lack of ability.

IMO the Japanese women in general are the strongest when it comes to basics and SS even though they never get the recognition from the judges.

 

[Varlesca]

I just saw dances. 3 top couples and. well... Not super impressed with Hubbell/Donohue. To me, they're like the B version of Virtue/Moir. (We'll do a Baz Luhrmann song, too!) Same attempt at "sexy" chemistry. Just like V/M, they skate to the music...it doesn't go through them. Both teams are performers...but they're not artists. They rely on the emotion of the music to give their program meaning.

H/D are performing Romeo & Juliet. And we know they're supposedly playing them because she dies in the end. (Just like Tessa!) How are we supposed to know that without the music? There was no drama...no arc...no character. All I saw was two skaters doing a bunch of moves on the ice. If P/C were skating this exact program, we would know they were Romeo & Juliet and in a passionate, but doomed, love affair. Hubbell/Donohue made me feel nothing. It was as beige as her dress.

 

[jenaj]

Are you seriously blaming Johnny for correctly pronouncing Russian names????

No--for ostentatiously trying to correctly pronounce Russian names. It's like Alex Trebek on Jeopardy with his exaggerated French accent.

 

[moonvine]

I have to agree about Tara and Johnny. When they started commentating I was pleasantly surprised that Tara didn't drive me crazy because I am not a fan. I liked Johnny a lot because he seemed to know a lot about skating, including the music. Johnny ultimately dumbed his commentary down last year. This year Tara is just super irritating and Johnny isn't saying as much. They can get rid of Tara and bring back Smart Johnny. And please, no Ryan Bradley.

The worst is that NBC Gold has Tara and Johnny for men's and ladies short and long. I will take Ryan Bradley, would prefer Tonia Kwiatkowski or my favorite John Coughlin (I know he took time off from commentating but hopefully he'll be back). So I'm PAYING for Tara and Johnny. UGH.

 

[moonvine]

If I have to have a commentator I choose Ted Barton. I watched the ISU feed and there was no commentary and I like it that way best. I then read the pbps written by the good folks of GS and worship the TES box.

Next week, for us Canadians, it's TSN and Tracy Wilson (yay!) and Rod Black (put down the news paper overly excited Rod is back..).

How does one get the ISU feed?

 

[skatesofgold]

How does one get the ISU feed?

I don't know why I wasn't geoblocked, but I was getting the ISU feed even though I live in the United States.

 

[ElSoteroLoco]

I guess I am a minority of one, but I actually like Tara's commentating just fine.

I do agree with the criticism of the whole NBC crew, though, on the issue of, "oh the scoring system is so complicated, even the skaters can't figure it out."

I am with you in the minority. I actually enjoy the chemistry and the talking between Terry, Tara, and Johnny. I can understand how the majority of people don't like the constant gabbing but truthfully without it, I (in my sole opinion) a lot of competitions can be straight up BORING! I also find they can tell me things about a skater i would not have ordinarily cared or been interested to know.

 

[lesnar001]

No--for ostentatiously trying to correctly pronounce Russian names. It's like Alex Trebek on Jeopardy with his exaggerated French accent.

I haven't watched Jeopardy in a long time. I forgot how "toolish" Alex Trebek could be!
Even worse is his "know it all" attitude - pretty easy when you have the answers (or "questions" in this case) in front of you.

Johnny has been channeling his "Inner Russian" for many years.
Didn't he have a Russian coach at one time that didn't speak English?

 

[Mathman]

Wait.

Kaori Sakamoto is "clunky"? I don't think so. I am clunky when I take my wife out dancing. But Kaori?

 

[Manitou]

Didn't he have a Russian coach at one time that didn't speak English?

Tarasova. But I think she speaks English. She had a number of American students other than Johnny, including Lyzacek and Cohen. Plus Arakawa and Asada. I can assume almost for certain they do not speak Russian.

 

[Manitou]

No--for ostentatiously trying to correctly pronounce Russian names. It's like Alex Trebek on Jeopardy with his exaggerated French accent.

What's wrong with it?

 

[Penny]

Can anyone explain why Hubbell/Donahue got a -1 deduction for their costumes?

 

[Koatterce]

Can anyone explain why Hubbell/Donahue got a -1 deduction for their costumes?

a piece of fringe fell off onto the ice (almost at the end of the dance)