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| Have some Level 4 twizzles (First set) |
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| Still higher than the Shibs. |
As usual the press acts as if it's poor form to question even an outcome like this. Let's look at the protocols to justify the protocols. What's on the ice may as well not take place.
****
Above is Virtue and Moir's show program, Good Kisser, which, although a show program, is embedded just for the complete control they have over their bodies, their absolute unison, how it's a lot of staccato, isolation movement but is still driven from their blades, and even a show program is a level above everybody currently competing, but they'll be told to stay retired, and this gif of the rotational move in the program
is what high GOE actually looks like, since in eligible ice dance high GOE looks like anything.
***
I'm putting together a new blog cover, which, while basic, has a lot of images to pull together.
Shibs robbed yet again. I thought I had become numb to the pain, but it still feels like a punch to the gut.
ReplyDeleteMe too. It's worse because they appeared to have momentum, and to be allowed to do well.
DeleteThey still came very close to C/B. I think they have a shot at being US#1 by the end of the year which would definitely improve their scores internationally.
DeleteThe scores are disappointing but they're in a much better place, reputation-wise, than they were last year at this time.
Best tweet I saw on TSL: "Igor must have called some judges."
DeleteYep.
Is the sham on hiatus? Tessa and Scott are looking awfully cozy these days.
ReplyDeleteThere's probably a new bf or gf in the wings, waiting to be revealed. Maybe Zach Donohue for Tessa? I honestly wouldn't put it past them.
DeleteI was hoping the HD sham would bring Jess Dube in for Zach, but why not Zach and Tessa.
Delete"I would trade places with my brother because that would mean I would have a beautiful daughter."
https://www.instagram.com/p/_aYPTaA5I2/
I guess at least Zach gets to post photos of his sekret puppy-daughter.
Tessa?! I cannot wait to see Zach with someone new. He's too hot to live like a monk and I'll enjoy living vicariously through the next girl he dates.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h12cWPAASYw&feature=youtu.be
ReplyDeleteI have a sinking feeling that V/M are coming back, but are going to train at Gadbois. Why else would they spout such ridiculous nonsense, unless to setup a narrative about how they're a brand new team training with MFD? I want to cry.
You hate the Gadbois team so much that you'd rather VM not come back than train with them? Really? It's been clear for the past year that VM were probably coming back and that if they did, it would be in Montreal. This is not a surprise to anyone paying attention.
DeleteThe Gadbois haters on here remind me of the Arctic Edge or Marina and Igor haters on FSU. Yes, both rinks have been overrated and gotten overly generous judging when they were the favoured ones. Yes, both rinks have had their share of uninspired choreography and a certain sameness to their teams. But to paint them as universally horrible and to act as if VM aren't worth supporting because you don't like their coaches - I don't get that. They are a tremendous talent no matter what and getting to watch them skate competitively is a treat.
Besides, fans can have their wishlists (mine would be Krylova) but if the skaters aren't comfortable in that environment, or it isn't the right fit, then it's best to go elsewhere. After a tough last few years with Marina it isn't surprising that VM would want to train with friends, with people who supported them when few others did. Is it the best decision in terms of being competitive or pushing themselves technically and artistically? Maybe not but a skater's personal happiness is important - it would be nice to remember that we're talking about human beings here.
Where did I say I would choose for V/M to not come back?
DeleteAnd what do we know about V/M's personal happiness? My opinion is that they'd be miserable being ~pushed creatively~ by Marie-France Dubreuil, whose choreography I can only describe as immature and lacking the slightest substance, but I don't know, and neither do the people who continue to insist Marina and V/M had some sort of falling out. It became clear after the reality show that nothing V/M can be taken as automatic truth, even when it comes to their skating. I do think it's plausible that they would find winning and working around Marie-France's obvious deficiencies more palatable than continuing to lose with better material.
And when it comes to the Gadbois *criticism*... The similarity of Gadbois right now and Arctic Edge last quad is that they both have teams who are/were overrated and overscored doing uninspired choreography. The huge difference is that Arctic Edge was not overrated, or overscored, or uninspired when it came to V/M and the Shibs. What Gadbois is doing for the few very talented teams they have, and this exhibition for V/M from what I can see, is crap. That is why it sucks if V/M train there. Not just because it's Gadbois, but because Gadbois has given zero indication of being able to handle a team like V/M. Which is the only reason, that I've seen, why people here dislike it so much in the first place. For myself, as much as I was disgusted by the rise of their teams last season, my opinion of the camp would have changed if they had shown themselves capable with their new recruits.
"as much as I was disgusted by the rise of their teams last season, my opinion of the camp would have changed if they had shown themselves capable with their new recruits."
Delete^^This.
They have two very talented teams in PI and HD and from what I see so far, their potential is being wasted. In fact, I would go so far as to say they have regressed. Those teams deserve better.
As superior in every way as VM are at this moment, incredibly, they still have so much more potential. I have to agree with you, 8:05, DL's camp will not be able to handle a team of VM's depth and dimension.
8:05, I'm sorry if I put words in your mouth but I find it strange that your reaction to realising VM are coming back is wanting to cry. That to me says you're really more of a Marina fan and DL hater, not so much a VM fan. Which is fine, you can like what you like, but I'll admit I don't get it. VM could be coached by Morozov or Kathy Johnson and I'd still be thrilled to see them back.
DeleteAlso, VM were showing clear signs that they were only ever going to come back with DL very early on - before PC's miraculous rise up the ranks. I could be wrong but I see this move as being more about comfort than naked ambition or whatever. And who knows what their collaboration will look like, we'll have to wait and see.
There is a difference between being a "DL hater" and being sad that V/M's enormous talent would be completely and utterly wasted with Gadbois choreography, even though the pure quality of everything they do would still be there and worth watching. If you have a virtuoso singer, it's reasonable to be sad that they'd be stuck singing nursery rhymes.
Deletelmao vm's talent wont be wasted at gadbois stop overreacting all the exhibitions marie-france has choreographed for vm have been so much better than some of the crap marina has given them in recent years. just because the recent crop of programs coming from gadbois have been empty and boring doesn't mean vm's will be. none of the other teams at gadbois can skate as well as vm/are at vm's level nor can't they phrase choreography as well as vm so ofc they are gonna get juniorish, simple, empty programs like their coaches aint gonna give them something they cannot do. think of it as this: mf can choreograph anything she wants with vm because with vm the sky is the limit she can't do that with her other teams.
DeleteP/C unveiled their programs this weekend, and they are more empty and simplistic than their programs from last season, if that's even possible. Of course, that doesn't stop the ubers from proclaiming it as the best thing ever since Torvill & Dean.
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VJBBWyRq-Hk
Interesting points by everyone. If VM do indeed decide to return to competition - I don't think there is an ideal training center for a variety of reasons - whether its Artic Edge, DSC, Igor or Gadbois. At this point in their careers and their experience - I would have to agree with anon at 9:52 pm - that if they do go with Gadbois its because of their comfort level with the coaching staff. VM have been to two Olympics - they know what they need to do in terms of training etc. The choreography can be outsourced. They can't control the judging. But if they want to return - I say go for it. Will the skating community tear them down - sure. But then again - I think mentally - they have already hit rock bottom. You learn from the experience. And yes they might not win - but I think we tend to forget that Davis/White was just so predetermined. Although Papadakis/Cizeron seem to be the favorites for 2018 - I don't think they or the French federation have the same clout or $$$ as DW. However that being said it wouldn't shock me to see the USFSA support Papadakis/Cizeron just to stick it to VM. But overall minus the politics - I would love to see VM come back. It would force other teams to raise their game.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think it would force other teams to raise their game? D/W played the same game for years and only were more rewarded for it. V/M coming back in won't change anything. Politics controls, not skating.
DeleteYeah... the mediocre teams won't raise their game because they won't need to and/or are incapable of it, and the good teams... well, I think they're already doing what they can, except for P/I and H/D who would now get even less attention from Gadbois.
DeleteOC, could you explain your thoughts in this new header? I think a lot of is self-explanatory but I don't want to assume what you were thinking in creating it. I would like to hear from you about it. Thank you.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SitnRXT4iXY
ReplyDeletelmao cry me a river no one cares about your sensationalistic sob story you're still a spoiled privileged white girl. meanwhile there are still hundreds and thousands of disabled people on the streets of america because they weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth like meryl. will dw ever stop milking their corrupt win? and to use her disability to milk that "win"? holy shit how low have they sunk?
in addition, isnt it great how meryl can freely speak about her disability all the while benefiting from the very politics etc. behind her winning an OGM that practically tore tessa to shreds because she has CECS?? what a great spokesperson for the disabled/chronically ill community!! bravo!! �� �� �� ��
DeleteHer disability is not dyslexia, it is skating.
Delete6:32. That's correct.
DeleteI asked a special education specialist about this, who also happens to be a figure skater. She said dyslexia would not hinder anyone from learning or executing good skating technique.
I'm sorry Meryl has issues, whatever they may be. However, they are not an excuse for her own inability to skate on edges, develop a strong core, stretch her limbs, point her toes, etc.
Sport is rewarded based on execution, not pity for someone's issues. Meryl does not deserve any of her medals, I'm sorry to say. It's nothing against her personally. She simply did not earn them.
She thinks she is a great dancer now. She doesn't have the faintest clue that she is that bad. She did a show with Maks in Miami recently. There are some ugly poses of her basically begging the viewers to give her a pelvic exam. It is just amazing how she can make even a simple pose so horrendous looking.
Delete"Her disability is not dyslexia, it is skating." That is totally hilarious, and totally true. Thank you for the laugh.
DeleteI remember reading an article (I believe it was in the New York Times) where Meryl talked about her dyslexia right before the 2010 Olympics, and it totally smelled of a sympathy ploy to me. IMO, D/W was using this sob story to help ensure their "win."
Scott returned to Twitter. What agenda does this imply?
ReplyDeleteNo Agenda, he and Tessa will be working for Canadian television during nationals. They always make him tweet something.
Delete3:14. It's called Promotion. In this instance, of Canadians. No ulterior agenda.
DeleteWhen have we reached the point where everybody gets so paranoid over just a tweet ? Scott sucks at promotion but even he has tweeted before without trying to sham.
DeleteSomehow the Shibs were allowed to win. C/B were not happy.
ReplyDeletelmao how was judy allowed to judge back then like seriously ?? with her obvious biases etc. ice dance judges are so fucked up
ReplyDeletehttp://myfriendamy.tumblr.com/post/137886676290/judy-blumberg-meryl-davis-is-highly
Meryl compared Hawayek Baker to Tessa and Scott smdh.
ReplyDeleteAnd apparently she feels like she isn't given enough attention as an ice dancer. If it were somebody else who criticized the Lack of credit ice dancers get I would probably agree but Meryl has already gotten too much attention for her awful skating. The sooner she's forgotten the better.
meryl has a point but like the way she went about it defeated the purpose. her post was more like "pay attention to ME!!" instead of "pay attention to my sport" like one of the problems of ice dance coverage in the USA is that they rarely show the other teams, the ones that they end up showing are either the top three or won gold. so for her to exclude teams like h/b and h/d and instead post three pictures of herself with her "hardware" is just so NAGL,self-centred, snobby.
DeleteSo in good news, the Shibs finally win a national title, and convincingly, over the pathetic Chock/Bates (Shibs should have won every national title since 2011, but small mercies). Marina's reaction in the Kiss and Cry was priceless:
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhb323seOkM
In bad news, G/P were given a higher score than V/M's Carmen outing at 2013 Nationals, and P/I were dumped to make way for Skate Canada's pet team of P/O. H/B were also shat on at their own Nationals.
Skate Canada and USFSA suck balls.
Placing behind P/O in the FD - which was clearly going to happen anyways without the error if you do the math and look at the GOE - was bad enough. But then SC already naming P/O to the Worlds team before they get the tech minimum at 4CC, that's the really special part of it. Oh, and O/H being in the gala instead of P/I. SC has reached a new level of Orwellian here.
DeleteI was at the gala practice. P/I weren't dumped from the gala. They were there practicing and they were listed on the program for the gala. Something must have happened that made them withdraw at the very end. I've been searching around trying to find out why but I haven't heard any info yet. The gala was supposed to be the top 5 teams from every discipline. MTM2 were out due to her obvious injury from the horrible fall and P/I were definitely there at practice. If anyone knows what made them pull out of the gala last minute I'd love to know.
DeleteThank you for the information, 10:20. SC still hit a new low here, but that did see the most bizarre of their actions.
DeleteThe inflated scores don't mean a thing vis a vis VM, everyone has been getting similarly inflated scores since last season. It's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, 3:58. IP just didn't get it done to overcome PO on the night of the FD. But in spite of IP at times being their own worst enemies, it's clear SC has no love for them and is not interested in helping them further their career.
GP, otoh, get far more attention than they deserve, notwithstanding Piper's improvement in her skating. They still don't skate to the level of IP but you would never know that by the placements. Corruption still reigns.
P/I certainly got it done enough to deserve to beat P/O. While it is frustrating as a fan that they continue to make errors, the bottom line is that they are much, much better than both P/O or G/P and clearly skated that way overall. Considering the way SC has showed its hand this past weekend, I find it very odd to see people turning the blame on P/I.
DeleteI don't know what happened behind the scenes to finally allow the Shibs to win after all this time, but surely their fierceness and consistency this season played a part. BUT... in P/I's case, we're talking a freaking bronze medal and even going to Worlds at all. It is ludicrous for P/I to be held to an error-free standard against a team as rough as P/O.
That Skate Canada went ahead and automatically named P/O to the 4CC and World teams when they haven't even gotten the minimum TES in their SD this season shows that Skate Canada couldn't wait to dump P/I. I'm sure theyre working hard behind the scenes to make sure P/O get the minimum TES at 4CC. It is disgusting and will come back and bite them in the ass.
DeleteSkate Canada is the worst.
Anon 6:42 pm, what improvements do you see in Piper's skating? I think she's regressed since the 2013-14 season. She's noticeably jerky on her feet, even when she's on two feet, which is pretty much the whole damn time. When she's not on two fee, Paul is pushing her; she has absolutely no glide or power in her stroking.
DeleteI completely disagree that "Paul/Islam didn't get it done to overcome P/O". Paul/Islam had a five point buffer going into the free, and everything the executed up until the point of the lift mistake (which they covered up really well) was much more difficult and executed better than anything P/O could even attempt. This was such a blatantly political outcome by Skate Canada to dump P/I. Why they have such a hate-on for P/I is anybody's guess.
"Considering the way SC has showed its hand this past weekend,"
ReplyDeleteLike when they gave P&I a 5.5 lead over P&O after the SD?
"That Skate Canada went ahead and automatically named P/O to the 4CC and World teams when they haven't even gotten the minimum TES in their SD this season shows that Skate Canada couldn't wait to dump P/I."
They have time to get it. A couple of years ago, a no-name girl (Nikol Gosviani, who now competes for Italy) beat Alena Leonova at Russian Nationals. Leonova was the reigning WORLD silver medalist at that time, but they assigned the other girl to Europeans even though she didn't have the minimums. She went to B comp and got it.
Maybe you should see the silver lining that P&I at least still have a chance to go to Worlds if P&O don't make it.
" Oh, and O/H being in the gala instead of P/I. SC has reached a new level of Orwellian here."
I'm sure it felt worse for Hill in 2012 when he was passed over for 4CC so P&I could go.
SC showed its hand in two ways. First, placing P/O ahead in the FD, unrelated to P/I's error, and second, naming P/O to the Worlds team outright. Combined those things speak volumes over the SD score.
DeleteP/O were going to win that FD no matter what, you can tell by the protocols. When P/I are so much stronger - and they are for heaven's sake - placing P/O ahead in either segment is a huge statement and completely effed up. The teams are not close in skill. P/O are scratchy and messy and their Gadbois programs are even more facile, they lack the refinement and pureness of P/I's technique. Even if you are the poster who thinks the P/I praise here is hyperbolic, to overrate P/O's skill level to something comparable is delusional. If P/I hadn't made the error, they still would have placed 3rd overall, but P/O winning the FD and surely getting 4CC would have been a political statement because those things wouldn't have reflected reality.
It's not P/O being sent to 4CC to try for the minimum, in this case, or the theoretical of P/O being sent to 4CC if they had placed 4th, that are raising eyebrows. Although they shouldn't have placed high enough or close enough for that to be feasible, after they did, it wouldn't have been odd for SC to make those decisions. What is bizarre is the fact that SC and others like PJ Kwong appear to be completely sure P/O will be able to do make the minimum, even though they haven't after SEVERAL opportunities already to get it. SC seized this opportunity with both hands to push P/I out of the picture if possible.
As touched on above, it is very common for a close 3-4 (or 4-5 in the case of 2012) to split the assignments. For P/I to go over R/H was not a slight, especially when P/I were generally the stronger team then as well, although the gap was not as big as it is now between P/I and P/O and therefore the relative ranking of the two teams at Nats was not outrageous.
I just... what incredible hypocrisy to be a V/M fan and then turn around and say a team as gifted as P/I and their fans should be grateful that they might maybe get a chance to go to Worlds. The way people delight in spitting on P/I as if they were trash when in truth they are such an excellent team ... For those who claimed moral high ground when it came to V/M to not actually prioritize technique at all in rooting for the teams that are left... it's nothing short of depressing.
Thank you, Anon 12:08, for your entire post. Scrutinizing P/I misses the point; it's not about what more they should be doing, it's what did P/O do on the ice to suddenly "vault" past P/I.
DeleteIt's like when fans fretted over V/M vs D/W. The problem wasn't V/M's marks, programs, mistakes, training, Marina, whatever; the problem was D/W getting ridiculous marks and medals for garbage on ice. That was the fucking problem.
Now P/O are not an offensive team like D/W or G/P, but they are not a podium worthy team. They are at best, a team that should be fighting to get into the top 10 in Canada. P/I are a better team by every measure, despite the whining about their programs and mistakes.
This as a ham-fisted outcome by Skate Canada, and the only reason I can think of is because Mitch's father didn't kiss SC's ass enough.
And like all political and forced outcomes, it will come back and bite SC in the ass, because it always does.
"And like all political and forced outcomes, it will come back and bite SC in the ass, because it always does."
DeleteSuch as the way the corruption that vaulted DW into the elite ranks has come back to bite all the parties involved in the ass?
It would be fabulous if all this mafia control came back to bite SC, ISU, the US Fed, etc., in the ass. I'm not sure we'll see it happen. Ever.
I think the DW corruption already came back to bite them in the ass when Canada went home from Sochi without a single gold in figure skating. They were so desperate for Patrick to Win the gold that they gladly threw VM under the bus and look how that played out for them.
DeleteGood point, 10:00.
DeleteAnd yes 4:40. It's not like P/O are next in line, and should be getting bronze if not for G/P taking up a spot. I would have placed around 7th.
*placed them
DeleteI keep waiting for that inevitable "come back to bite them in the ass" of tptb who gifted DW and screwed over VM.
DeletePerhaps SC supposedly paid by losing men's gold in Sochi. It's paltry "biting in the ass" considering all the people and organizations that had to be involved.
I think the ISU and USA skating fed think they got away with it. We shall see.
And the overscoring of PC continues... I bet their FD score will be ridiculous enough to place them ahead of the Italians.
ReplyDeleteAnyone here know anything more about the rumours about vm returning to competition?
ReplyDeleteI've wondered about that too. seems to be rumors floating around.
Delete3 kids??? You really are a nut case.
ReplyDelete