First of all, big congratulations to all of the medalists -- very deserving on all counts. Congratulations to Shoma for holding himself together after that horrible fall in the SP. There was no stamina issue in the SP. He has been skating that program in ice shows since June, starting out with triples and gradually changing some of the triples to quads. I would say that slamming his back and shoulder into the boards and getting the wind knocked out of him was more a factor than stamina. It took some of the "oomph" out of the fiery part of the program that comes towards the end. I'm sure we'll never know how much his back hurt him in the FS, but he was definitely grimacing towards the end. That's a lot of jump content to get in in 4 minutes (especially if you're hurting), so he'll have to work on that. He knows what to do and in the past has been known for his stamina.
Other choreographers? He has already used Stephane Lambiel, David Wilson, and Shae Lynne for his Exs. Stephane is also listed as co-choreographer on several of his competition programs. There is a huge advantage to having an in-house choreographer, so I'm not sure what direction they'll go with that. I think Benoit could do some good things with him. Comments about his repetitiveness make me laugh, especially when they come from people whose favorites are no stranger to repetition. Loco, Legends, and Ladies in Lavender -- all totally different in style.
I was in the arena -- his energy felt good to me...There's so much to look forward to during this GP season.
Other choreographers? He has already used Stephane Lambiel, David Wilson, and Shae Lynne for his Exs. Stephane is also listed as co-choreographer on several of his competition programs. There is a huge advantage to having an in-house choreographer, so I'm not sure what direction they'll go with that. I think Benoit could do some good things with him. Comments about his repetitiveness make me laugh, especially when they come from people whose favorites are no stranger to repetition. Loco, Legends, and Ladies in Lavender -- all totally different in style.
I was in the arena -- his energy felt good to me...There's so much to look forward to during this GP season.