The men were so awesome they get their own post. Everything else that happened at the senior Grand Prix Final 2015 goes in here.
Let's do this twenty questions style:
20) Were the judges celebrating Christmas early in Barcelona with all those gifts?
19) Does anyone actually understand what Weaver/Poje's FD is about?
18) How many people's heads will explode when Evgenia Medvedeva breaks the ladies' world record at Europeans or Worlds this season? You know it will happen . . .
17) Does anyone else notice that Elena Radionova's LP choreography in no way reflects the Titanic music that's playing during her program? But given how ghastly Ms. Radionova's music is this season, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
16) How many skaters did the British Eurosport guys declare the greatest of all time this competition?
15) Should Seguin/Bilodeau win the award for being the most improved skaters this season?
14) Now that Stolbova/Klimov have proved themselves capable of posting giant scores, how will the Russian Skating Federation mark them versus Volosozhar/Trankov on the comeback trail?
13) Did anyone else feel all . . . emotional . . . while watching the Shibutanis' FD at the GPF? And I say this as a hardcore detractor of the Shibutanis' skating since 2010!
12) What was Meagan Duhamel texting on her phone when Stolbova/Klimov's (gold-winning) LP scores came up?
11) Does anyone else get the impression Gracie Gold loves her El Choclo SP significantly more than her Firebird LP?
10) Should Peter Tchernyshev win an award for being the best choreographer this season?
9) Am I the only one who doesn't give a fig as to how many tano arms Evgenia Medvedeva does in her program?
8) Does Ashley Wagner's "I skate better as an underdog!"/"I'm the almost girl!" shtick remind anyone of Jeremy Abbott's "pigs can fly!" thing? Talk about self-fulfilling prophesies . . .
7) Why are so many people calling on Mao Asada to back down from the 3F-3Lo and/or the 3Lz in her LP?
6) Does anyone else feel old when noticing that (formerly) little Elena Radionova is often the tallest skater now on senior ladies' podiums?
5) After the GPF and Golden Spin, does anyone doubt that the Russian ladies world team will be Evgenia Medvedeva, Elena Radionova, and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva anymore?
4) Why can't American pairs teams ever seem to nail their SBS jumps?
3) What will be more likely at Worlds in Boston: Madison Chock messing up on the twizzles, or at least one of Ashley Wagner and/or Gracie Gold bombing the SP at Worlds and missing the podium as a result?
2) Did anyone else notice that Satoko Miyahara's Firedance dress is practically the same as Michelle Kwan's Romanza dress, except with longer sleeves?
1) WHY WAS SOMEONE DRESSED AS A FROG SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE???
i read somewhere that Meagan was actually texting her husband the result of competition.
ReplyDeleteand i second to your opinion about tano jumps by Medvedeva...it got old veeeery quickly.
I think Morozombie's opinion was actually the opposite; they don't really care about the tano arms. (And neither do I; in fact, I think it's a smart move competitively as it gives her more points.)
DeleteI was in Barcelona in person and I also saw the person dressed as a frog ! In fact, there were a few people dressed interestingly in the audience (some Japanese ladies were wearing really gorgeous kimonos). Something interesting for the camera to pan to during zamboni time I guess.
Anon @ 9:55AM is indeed correct; I do not mind the tano arms at all.
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ReplyDelete20) Were the judges celebrating Christmas early in Barcelona with all those gifts?
ReplyDeleteMore like they were giving skaters early Christmas gifts with all the inflated scores.
19) Does anyone actually understand what Weaver/Poje's FD is about?
No, you tell me???
18) How many people's heads will explode when Evgenia Medvedeva breaks the ladies' world record at Europeans or Worlds this season? You know it will happen . . .
I WANT TO SEE THAT HAPPEN!!!
17) Does anyone else notice that Elena Radionova's LP choreography in no way reflects the Titanic music that's playing during her program? But given how ghastly Ms. Radionova's music is this season, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
I cry everytime I hear "JACK JACK JACK!!"
16) How many skaters did the British Eurosport guys declare the greatest of all time this competition?
I guess 30?
15) Should Seguin/Bilodeau win the award for being the most improved skaters this season?
They should win the awards for being the most adorable skaters of this season.
14) Now that Stolbova/Klimov have proved themselves capable of posting giant scores, how will the Russian Skating Federation mark them versus Volosozhar/Trankov on the comeback trail?
V/T will retire then?
13) Did anyone else feel all . . . emotional . . . while watching the Shibutanis' FD at the GPF? And I say this as a hardcore detractor of the Shibutanis' skating since 2010!
I feel they should have been on the podium, not Chock/Bates.
12) What was Meagan Duhamel texting on her phone when Stolbova/Klimov's (gold-winning) LP scores came up?
"Time for Quad lutz, honey!"
11) Does anyone else get the impression Gracie Gold loves her El Choclo SP significantly more than her Firebird LP?
At first I thought her FS was nicer but now I think her SP is nicer.
10) Should Peter Tchernyshev win an award for being the best choreographer this season?
He is already the best choreographer.
9) Am I the only one who doesn't give a fig as to how many tano arms Evgenia Medvedeva does in her program?
I have gotten used to it now.
8) Does Ashley Wagner's "I skate better as an underdog!"/"I'm the almost girl!" shtick remind anyone of Jeremy Abbott's "pigs can fly!" thing? Talk about self-fulfilling prophesies . . .
Wagner has more guts than Abbot, period.
7) Why are so many people calling on Mao Asada to back down from the 3F-3Lo and/or the 3Lz in her LP?
Because she will never hit those cleanly?
6) Does anyone else feel old when noticing that (formerly) little Elena Radionova is often the tallest skater now on senior ladies' podiums?
I am so old....
5) After the GPF and Golden Spin, does anyone doubt that the Russian ladies world team will be Evgenia Medvedeva, Elena Radionova, and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva anymore?
I bet no one.
4) Why can't American pairs teams ever seem to nail their SBS jumps?
Because they suck.
3) What will be more likely at Worlds in Boston: Madison Chock messing up on the twizzles, or at least one of Ashley Wagner and/or Gracie Gold bombing the SP at Worlds and missing the podium as a result?
More like Wagner and/or Gold missing the podium. I sense it. Chock will not.
2) Did anyone else notice that Satoko Miyahara's Firedance dress is practically the same as Michelle Kwan's Romanza dress, except with longer sleeves?
I think Miyahara's dress is nicer.
1) WHY WAS SOMEONE DRESSED AS A FROG SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE???
Don't complain, lol! She is our savior! She has uploade tones of fancams on her youtube account. It's her: https://youtu.be/MI1PHanRiGU
I cannot in good conscience declare Peter Tchernyshev as the best choreographer as long as Tom Dickson is still around! However, Mr. Tchernyshev should win an award for making me reconsider skaters I never thought I would ever consider in a positive light. I definitely think that is a sign of a very talented choreographer.
DeleteAlso, I can't help but disagree about Mao Asada. I think she's in it for the long game and following the same strategy she used in the past Olympic cycle: keep the jumps in competition until they stabilize and become second nature. Remember when Ms. Asada added the 3S back in her LP in the fall of 2010 and kept popping it for ages until she has it pretty much consistent now? I think this is what she is doing with the 3F-3Lo and the 3Lz in the SP. I'd wager that Ms. Asada wants to win the Olympics in 2018, and she knows she can't stay competitive by resting on her laurels and just doing a 3A, 3F-2Lo, and 3Lo in the SP. She has a little over 2 years to nail down her crazy ambitious jump layout, and if the last Olympic cycle is any indication, I definitely think it's within the realm of possibility for her to do so (barring debilitating injury, etc.).
I meant Tchernyshev is the best choreographer of his generation.
DeleteAbout Asada, I have to say I don't have faith in her anymore. At GPF she looked like a ghost of her old self. Her skating is still lovely and light, soft, ethereal. But there was no power and no confident. After all, how long it has been since the last time I see Asada skated with confidence? I don't even remember. She is talented and very hard working but at once point I find her not aggressive enough on the ice. Greatest competitors have to be aggressive and they have to attack. Asada, to me, just does not have that attack anymore.
What do you mean aggressive?
DeleteIf you mean one's present on ice then I completely disagree. Each skater has their own style. Being aggressive or not have nothing to do with greatness.
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DeleteA competitor has to be aggressive, in my book, when you go out there and do not attack every element how can you win? There was hesitation from Mao not just at GPF but in CoC LP, NHK both programs and GPF both programs too. She did not look joyful on the ice, there was no joy and no will to win. She looked lost.
DeleteOh, so your 'aggressive' means hitting technical elements perfectly? I do not see any hesitation in Mao's performance. They were sub-par because she has not still ready for those elements (and still prone to UR). But there WAS a development: 3A surprisingly has become more consistent than those previous seasons. And FYI, Mao was sick during GPF (not sure about NHK), that's why she skipped the exhibition. Thing is Mao's strategy has always been like that: adding inconsistent jumps into her programs until they get better. Her strategy may work or it may not. But I'm sure Mao and her team know what is better for her than us skating fan.
Delete@Hakkai, the reason Mao looked pale at GPF is because she has been under the weather since NHK. She withdrew from the GPF gala due to a stomach virus that started ailing her during her LP, hence why she looked pale as a ghost.
Delete"After all, how long it has been since the last time I see Asada skated with confidence? "
ReplyDeleteUh...Sochi 2014 LP, Worlds 2014, and most recently, Japan Open this year.
She is inconsistent, but has managed to put a great performances, some of the best in her career, fairly recently. Mao has been doing okay in her SP's this season, it's the LP that has given her problems, and she hasn't changed her LP layout. I believe it could be a stamina issue, and she also wasn't feeling that well at GPF. I'm not sure increasing the difficulty is a great strategy to be honest, because Mao will be in her late 20s by the next Olympics. Skaters usually decrease their difficulty as they age. I do think mental confidence plays a part, but it could also be physical constraints as well, which is just the process of aging sadly.
Well Japan open she skated without pressure. And it's not a true competition, more like an ice shows. Asada always does well in ice shows where she feels much less pressure.
DeleteI think she is a very beautiful skater and very hard working, she is one of the greatest. But she needs to be much much tougher than before to survive in the current crowded field when many ladies are getting consistency. By the time she won medals left and right (with only Kim being consistent and Kostner on and off), ladies were not as consistent as today. Asada has less chance than Kostner because in this quad, many younger ladies with consistency and hunger are more crowded than ever.
Yea, but it's rare for younger skaters to maintain that level for a long time. Just look at Julia or Liza last year. They have a great season or so, and then struggle afterwards. Evgenia and Satoko are consistent now, but Olympics are two years from now, which is a long time. I'm not sure about Mao's chances at the next Olympics but to her credit, she has been able to last much longer in the sport than so many other rising stars that were hyped in the past.
DeleteThe older she is, the less chance she will get. Kostner had her chance because of her time, those wonder babies were not as crowded. Now each year you see new wonder babies and even they're just consistent for one or two seasons it's enough for them if their timing is right. And not to mention inside Japan there have been some very good juniors as well.
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