It wasn't a boob day that day. Not to mention, Tessa's photoshop genie decided to slice off the entire left side of her face except for her left eye. Interesting aesthetic choice. The left of her neck also doesn't work with the right side of her neck (image left and image right).
Whoever does these "right half of the image is differently aspected than the left" jobs for Tessa got sloppy with the skirt of the dress. Follow the skirt line on the left of the image up to her hand (the heel of her right hand). That line isn't going to bend behind her, but continue up. They cut it out above her hand/wrist (well, obviously, and as well as liquifying her waist and disappearing the boobs). Not to mention, if her hand is resting on her right hip, that is some set of wide hips compared to that waist and tiny boned upper body - guess Tessa is now an extreme hour glass shape when she's not a hipless wraith.
They also messed up the skirt line in the lower right. I recognize that bend at the bottom (bottom right of the image), because, when experimenting with photoshop/liquify myself, and also on freeware, that weird bend happens all the time when I'm hasty with the radius setting. Also, obviously the edge of the wall on the right is curving inward like nobody's business, but her arm and shoulder conceal the full exent of its inward trajectory. But good job with the extremely low resolution and matching Tessa's skin tone exactly to the wood tone.
Finally, besides the obvious differences between Tessa foreground and Tessa in the mirror, it's just interesting that Tessa in the foreground has skin that's practically synthetic, while the Tessa in the mirror has a back with more realistic skin texture despite being much further away.
This is going to be a very video heavy post with canadablue's annotated ice dance comparisons, but including canadablue's "feet only" videos. I LOVE feet only.
I will add gifs, I THINK, but want to get the post out first and see if having this many video embeds creates any issues.
Before getting started, and thinking that Tanith Belbin this week decided that Paul Islam lack skating skills and you can tell because Mitch yanks and pulls her through the step sequences, and how that started me considering just how ugly, in your face obnoxious, thuggish, asshole and foul the people around this sport intend to become, and how some good skaters are embracing the New Reality (not to be confused with "reality), I looked up some proverbs about lying, and found these, some of which I've read before, and some of which I think are outmoded and/or simply don't apply to the world of skating:
"If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. ~Mark Twain".
I believe he's saying if you lie, you have to keep track in order to keep your story consistent. We know that with Scott and Tessa, this doesn't matter. Whatever they said last is the truth. Just delete whatever they said the time before that.
"Who lies for you will lie against you. ~Bosnian Proverb"
Oh, well this one is already happening, but not on the internet. (I'm not counting fan gossip and fan lying.)
"No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. ~Abraham Lincoln"
You don't need a good memory to be a successful liar. You don't even need to lie successfully (i.e., have people believe you). You just have to not acknowledge that you're lying and have evidence that you're lying ignored.
"Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure there is one less rascal in the world. ~Thomas Carlyle"
No, it's because people suck that Scott and Tessa have to lie. They're very protective.
"A half truth is a whole lie. ~Yiddish Proverb"
I don't think they agree. It's half and half. And shouldn't they get some credit for the true bits?
"Every lie is two lies — the lie we tell others and the lie we tell ourselves to justify it. ~Robert Brault.
Eh, I don't know how many lies people tell include lying to "ourselves". I think what people tell themselves is the truth. "It's easier." "It's more convenient." "Too much trouble to change the story now."
I'm going to start off with the feet only of Papadakis & Cizeron. Thank you canadablue
This is the short dance, where they were beaten by the Shibs. Please remember skating is meant to be scored to the weakest link.
Then PI:
The Shibs:
The Shibs: when she's got skaters whose claim to distinction is, you know, actual SKATING, Marina's choreography kicks ass. This is a fantastic, exhilerating program.
Here are the comparisons. I'm not going to do it today (still working out gifs for the videos already here), but I might do a feet only comparing what Tanith believes are Alex and Mitch's terrible, deficient, undertrained step sequence at CoC with an example of the textbook, non-pulling, non-yanking step sequences of Davis White showcasing Meryl Davis's superior edgework and Charlie's wonderfully clean feet.
Did Tanith - or any commentator at the GP - have anything negative to say about Evan Bates yanking Madison Chock towards him, grabbing hold of her leg and running down the rink pulling her like a little red wagon, then yanking her like a pull toy and calling it a lift entrance? You can't even call it figure skating. Perhaps I've overlooked these censorious remarks.
Here's PI vis a vis Papadakis/Cizeron at the Autum Classic:
PI vis a vis Chock/Bates:
And vis a vis Gilles Poirier with their 1980s paso:
To follow up on the Paul Islam free dance discussion from their outing at Autumn Classic, here's their outing at Cup of China where you can see their terrible skating skills.
This or that comment booth can complain all it likes about this or that team being treated unfairly. None of it matters until it's pointed out the number of teams who are gifted with scores they didn't earn on the ice. Other than when it's Russian skaters, the last time I recall someone's scores being called into question (outside VM verus DW bullshit where, when VM were allowed to win, they were questioned) was at the 2010 Olympics when Sandra Bezic was skeptical about Dube Davidson's scores vis a vis Langlois/Hay.
Stop looking at the "loser" and look at the winners, that's where the corruption lies. Of course I realize that nobody in the comment booth is looking for corruption. I'm sure we'll have some occasion this season when figure skating gets to show off how much it cares about not being corrupt - I wonder which designated Russian skater is the chosen scapegoat.
When I look at the GP season so far, it almost feels beside the point to critique teams I like and look to them 'growing their programs' as ice dancers used to do. What's the point of noting that Hubbell Donohue need to and likely will recoup the speed they need after this season's programs acquire more mileage. Or that this season's programs may be designed so that Alexandra Paul's skating (not her body) will acquire greater foundational power and amplitude.
The commentators aren't going to say shit if they want to keep their jobs.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Hubbell Donohue have a problem with speed at all. They're one of the fastest teams, especially in North America.
ReplyDeleteI agree they're one of the fastest at their very best, but even though they had strong performances at SC, I feel they can get more compared to themselves. They seemed to have more in the practices, in fact. For a first competitive outing, with an injury relapse only 6 weeks before, they were incredible.
DeleteOne of the only useful things Kurt ever said in commentary was that even if you are perfect in practices, the adrenaline of a competition means it'll always be physically harder on the skaters, and that's why they struggle at the beginning of the season. Which he must have said a thousand years ago, because for a long time, his song as been that "judges love and want to reward consistency, and that's A-OK!"
They're not as fast as they could/should/can be, markedly slow in places. Of course, not slower than Chock & Bates, who are downright sluggish. As others have pointed out, they've had an abbreviated training season because of Hubbell's injury (not a story I followed) so the programs will get back up to speed, literally, over the course of the season.
DeleteOC, the abbreviated version of the story is that Madi competed all of last season with a torn labrum, terrible pain, and limited training time. After being cheated out of a trip to Sochi, she had surgery to repair the tear in early March. The prognosis coming out of surgery was it was the best case scenario. She had a setback (they haven't elaborated) in late August and she spent some time post Champs Camp at the OTC and not skating to recover. They only started training at 100% capacity 6 weeks prior to SC.
DeleteSC was still a great outing for them and they should have easily placed second behind WP and over GP. Even with the recovery and the programs needing to be trained more, there are obvious improvements to their skating. Both programs have good bones and a lot of real ice dance content and difficulty, but the FD is especially great.
I also thought they had more speed in practice, but it'll come in competition. I think it's part needing to rebuild the stamina to skate these programs in competition at full speed. None of the DSC teams has shown a lot of speed during their first outings, so I also wonder if it's part DSC strategy to go with a cleaner first outing over a faster one and apply more speed as the season goes along. Not that anyone will notice or care because the DSC teams are not chosen teams.
It definitely needs mileage, but H/D's FD is a fantastic vehicle. They're really nailing the hip hop, but they keep skating throughout it, and I love the bit of Charleston they throw into the diagonal.
DeleteI agree, 4:32. In both H/D and P/I's Grand Prix outings, I see sections where they look "ok, let's do this right, not sloppy just to seem faster". Right as in literally clean, not just "no mistakes".
Adding to the injury stories though, someone who seems to have connections to DSC mentioned on FSU today that Mitch suffered a concussion shortly before ACI and they missed a week of training time. It puts that outing in a bit of a different light - it was undertrained, not necessarily their past problems with nerves coming back. Of course, with this much better SC outing, you can see the program is challenging them, they have lots of room to grow.
Thanks OC! I'm going to do the feet only FDs today, they're super fast for me to do, I don't mind throwing in a D/W if you like - which program were you going to go with?
ReplyDeleteAny, no need to look at a step sequence that's especially egregious, just one of their step sequences from one of their monster-scored free dances of the past quad. Your choice. :) Then I'll run it against this P/I effort that Tanith tsk tsk'ed because of nonexistent tugging and pulling across the ice compensating for deficient skating skills. With the way she's pimped out DW, you'd think she was all for tugging and pulling.
DeleteSounds good! Yes, you could pick out of a hat for this and it would work fine.
DeleteFree Dances:
DeleteP/I (audio blocked on youtube)
http://www.mediafire.com/watch/pb7056c0im89lt1/pi_fd_feet_only.mp4
http://www.veoh.com/watch/v80140880BCD7RS7b
Shibs
http://youtu.be/IHIneBMnR-0
P/C
http://youtu.be/CvVZyCQF0qI
C/L
http://youtu.be/MXqq4aJ15ws
I/Z
http://youtu.be/a0NrXqOjJQ0
D/W - 2013 SA FD
I thought the first Grand Prix event of their Olympic program was a good combination. Point differences of 28.53 for P/I and 20.37 for the Shibs.
http://youtu.be/OFHyCKYdvME
I realized I uploaded the wrong version of P/C's FD - this one has none of the circular cut off from view.
Deletehttp://youtu.be/1RAfKZdadT8
Bringing up this comment from below:
ReplyDelete"I'm not surprised many VM fans like P/C. Many VM fans liked VM for aesthetic, not skating, reasons, among other non-skating reasons, and looked at their programs as vehicles for showing off not the skating, but attributes the fans especially enjoyed in them that were not skating."
It's the status quo as far as the larger online "skating" fandom goes, but the number of V/M fans who are completely gaga over P/C is interesting. I think one of the issues at the heart of this is basically that they find Team DSC + the Shibs *dull*. The argument seemed to be "they're not V/M" which well, duh. Of course they aren't because that's freakin impossible. But to this group, ice dance was nothing without V/M. It seemed a ridiculous litmus test to me for whether someone would still follow ice dance, but fine, whatever.
Now suddenly, halleluah, P/C! This VERY SAME GROUP of V/M fans who have been the most critical of teams like P/I and the Shibs, who have dismissed them left and right and pretended it was about their skating, are now making ridiculous claims about P/C. What hypocrites. It was mainly the waist-up charisma of V/M that they loved. Team DSC and the Shibs' performance styles don't give them the feels so - no gold medals for you!
There are some really fun things being said about the Shibs in the V/M FSU thread. The things that applied to the V/M vs D/W situation go out the window now that V/M are out of the picture.
(And again, because of some comments in the thread below, that's not saying P/C are nothing more than a waist-up team. The point is that if these fans truly cared about what the feet are doing, they wouldn't think P/C are anywhere near as good as they clearly do.)
DeleteThe amount of stupid on that thread is astounding. When pressed, nobody can make the case for P/C. They just want to bash Marina and fret about how if V/M come back, how will they ever train if have to do SOI next summer. Gawd.
DeleteWow, the V/M ubers on that thread are really showing their true colors on that thread. Like you said Anon 5:39, they really are hypocrites when it comes to the skating.
DeleteAn idea came to me about what might explain what's happening with certain V/M fans (but just plain willful denial of reality they find inconvienent is still quite possible too).
DeleteMaybe D/W were so bad and V/M so incredible, that a lot of V/M fans who lifted their talking points directly from this blog didn't actually grasp how the concepts applied to the bigger picture, and now don't know how to tell the difference between good teams and great-but-not-V/M teams.
Because a lot of the talk about teams like P/C and P/O are like - edges! holds! pretty! Yes, but there are - no pun intended - levels to that. After all, if there wasn't any corruption, that would be what CoP does - rank good teams in order of the degree to which they are good. If V/M fans really understood how to assess difficulty and quality, rather than just identifying good skating vs. terrible skating, they wouldn't come to conclusions like P/C "legitimately outskating" Shibs & P/I, or P/O nipping at P/I's heels.
The hypocrisy part still stands though, because they resist the skating-based arguments and logic being presented to them by someone like marathongirl76, just like D/W fans did.
Now the V/M "fans" are trying to shut down the discussion. Where have we seen that before?
DeleteIt's obvious those fans can't answer any of the reasonable questions being asked of them by that one poster, all questions which revolve around the skating. So instead they turn to accusations of that poster being out of control, which is completely untrue. They're showing their asses quite well. They don't know what the hell they're talking about, they're focused on all of the wrong things, and in a last ditch attempt to shame the person making all of the valid points, they claim they're being attacked.
DeleteReading through that discussion is like watching someone with a Ph.D. argue with a bunch of five year olds who think 2+2=the color yellow.
It's quite fascinating to observe. Remember after DWTS where we realized D/W fans were really Meryl fans? Having a bit of a deja vu here.
DeleteIt's looking like a whole lot of V/M fans were never skating fans.
6:58
DeleteThat may be true of many VM fans.
I also think part of this is many fans, myself included, are relearning old habits of how we perceived ice dancing. It's been a learning curve to realize how separate the actual skating/rulebook/CoP is to some things I was used to regarding as "good skating." Starting with this blog, and the many subsequent discussions in other places, it's been eye-opening to intentionally focus on skating and dancing skills and see if the skaters are actually performing those skills.
I think some patience is warranted. I hope those that know how to explain this well will keep pointing out all the things that are true skating/dancing vs subjective feelings, and vs the scoring. I know I'm still learning and adjusting my thinking.
"Reading through that discussion is like watching someone with a Ph.D. argue with a bunch of five year olds who think 2+2=the color yellow."
DeleteThat's a perfect analogy, 6:28.
"Maybe D/W were so bad and V/M so incredible, that a lot of V/M fans who lifted their talking points directly from this blog didn't actually grasp how the concepts applied to the bigger picture, and now don't know how to tell the difference between good teams and great-but-not-V/M teams."
I haven't ruled out plain willful denial of an inconvenient reality, but I also wonder if some people didn't grasp the skating concepts well enough to be able to separate out anything besides excellent and dismal skating. They seem to be having the biggest problem distinguishing between the very good non-VM teams and the teams that are not terrible like CB and GP, but are not on par with the very good non-VM teams.
" If V/M fans really understood how to assess difficulty and quality, rather than just identifying good skating vs. terrible skating, they wouldn't come to conclusions like P/C "legitimately outskating" Shibs & P/I, or P/O nipping at P/I's heels."
Exactly. To use edges as an example, they'll see PC or PO on an edge, but they don't or can't assess the other aspects other than being on an edge. With PC, they have heavy, draggy, unclean blades accompanied by stiff knees. This is an indication that they're forcing the edge and that is working against them instead of helping them. It's the way that DW hit an edge in a step sequence. It's inefficient and incorrect technique. With the edges we see from the Shibs, PI, and American HD, we see something different. The blades are light, smoothly flowing through the ice and we see the skaters moving with soft knees. These are efficient blades that help the skaters and what drives the rest of their movement over the ice. It's not something they're all having to exert extra energy and force into to make happen. Look at the guys in, as an example, a straight line lift. None of Poje, Donohue, Islam, or Shibutani is Scott Moir, but these guys all show a lot more stability on their blades than we see from Cizeron, who rocks like Charlie White himself. These guys being more stable makes it possible for their partners to hit more complex positions during their respective lifts. None of these ladies are Tessa, but they do a lot better job carrying themselves than Papadakis does. As one more example, compare the carriage and extension we see from Alex, Madi, and Maia compared to Gabriella who gets bent over while skating, a huge no-no, and doesn't fully extend in moves or finish off her moves entirely. PC are attempting to do it right, but they don't do it as well as HD, PI, and the Shibs do. In reality, PC have a long way to go to do it as well as HD, PI, and the Shibs do, but people are overlooking this, either because they can't tell the difference or they're in denial because they're attracted to non-skating factors when it comes to PC.
^ thank you for your comment, it's really informative, especially the part about edges. I think both PC need to work on their posture and you'd think VM fans would know good posture.
DeleteI think PC's placement above the Shibutanis is being justified because the Shibs had a weaker skate than at SA. They're being compared to themselves not to the other skaters at the competition. To me though, a skate from the Shibs that earns 3 points less is still superior to PC.
"I think PC's placement above the Shibutanis is being justified because the Shibs had a weaker skate than at SA. They're being compared to themselves not to the other skaters at the competition. To me though, a skate from the Shibs that earns 3 points less is still superior to PC."
DeleteSome are justifying it that way. Others think PC should be world champions this year. The problem I have is that PC were awarded points that their skating can't justify because it didn't meet the criteria that the CoP says they should meet in order to score the way they did. If properly applied, Shibutani's at less than their best still would have won.
True, 9:35 and 10:01, I've seen both rationalizations, but what's so telling is the sheer number of comments I've seen that are saying there wasn't an ounce of politics in P/C's win, that it was all 100% justified. P/C scored 3 more points in GOE alone than the Shibs. Right.... (And the 14 points between them and P/I, oy ve.) I don't know that I've seen a single comment that was pro-P/C but uncomfortable with the win and/or margin. That would be the honest reaction if people just really enjoyed them and found them promising.
DeleteInteresting observations, 7:44. I'm wondering if an issue with P/C's knees might be an inconsistency because, in their FD at least, there are times where they achieve a nice floating quality that D/W never managed, and yet these moments don't last all that long before things get a bit laboured or she needs to take some small steps. And as you noted, their blades simply don't have that precise, clean glide that the teams with stronger skating skills have, so there's a problem somewhere with their technique.
DeleteSome other observations to add to the conversation - there is a significant amount of hanging out on flats in the transitions, the lifts are not impressive as noted both above and below, they are far apart when in dance holds, and their matching is at times horrendous. It's frustrating because I was really quite pleased when they showed up better packaged and showing some improvement, and would have preferred to appreciate the good in what they're doing instead of criticizing them, but the scoring situation being as it is, it's necessary to be harsh because they aren't deserving of what they're getting.
Also, one thing that OC has already touched on is the trick of pushing/pulling the girl to make it appear she's moving on an edge or moving with speed. This is happening some in P/C's FD, but a TON in P/O's FD even though he's not so amazing either. P/O have huge deficits in their basic skating, and yet were scored at both their Grand Prixs the same as P/I at CoC. That is nothing short of insane.
And now that thread has taken a delightfullly D/W-uber-esque twist: "everyone who disagrees with us is the hateful blogger!!!!!"
DeleteI understand what the Shibs are trying to do: show their musicality. And while i think they have some of the best technique, if not THE best, out of all their peers, i can't ignore that they sometimes lack presence. My favourite programs of theirs are Memoirs and their EX for this season, because of the combination of technical prowess and breathtaking emotion. IMO they need to work more on their ability to connect with the audience in that way by delivering memorable programs because i think that's whats keeping them back.
ReplyDeleteAnd I guess Chock/Bates' fantastic ability " connect with the audience" and "memorable programs" is what's vaulting them way ahead of the Shibs and H/D. Couldn't possibly be because of their *cough* superior technique.
DeleteHow is "connect with the audience" and "memorable programs" quantified in CoP, and where did they lose points in the protocols? How are the standards and criteria defined?
DeleteI don't blame you for your opinion, although I disagree, because the comment booth is full of trash like that. THERE IS NO PRESENCE SCORE OR MEMORABLE PROGRAM SCORE. These things are not relevant.
And one would think, even if it were relevant, which it is not, that the Shibs short and free are a hell of a lot better than Chock & Bates OR PC's. Very musical programs tend to be that almost always. Marry it with superior technique executed on the day and you're supposed to win.
DeleteWho even knows why C/B get the scores that they do? I've admired some of their programs before in the past but this season they are so white, look at that paso if you could even call it that. H/D have even remarked that they're looking to increase their connection with the audience this next quad so it is proof that this is something that matters when it comes to how the judges look at you. If you have a crowd that's standing on their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs it makes a separate impact.
DeleteShibs have an outstanding short but the Waltz for a free is hardly inspiring despite its technical quality. Its not something that most people would constantly rewatch.
Delete"Its not something [Shibs Fd] that most people would constantly rewatch".
DeleteAnd that's relevant to their scores, how? And assuming that is the least bit relevant, what makes Chock/Bates programs re-watchable?
Just read back through the IJS rulebook. Didn't see "inspiring" or "something most people would constantly rewatch" listed anywhere as requisite skills awarded marks under the technical elements or program components categories.
DeletePoor Shibs. They're creating programs and skating them in accordance with the rulebook. How silly of them.
"H/D have even remarked that they're looking to increase their connection with the audience this next quad so it is proof that this is something that matters when it comes to how the judges look at you. "
DeleteYou know what I found really interesting about that part of the article? This:
"opting to reserve a return to a more inward approach until they've become more established on the world stage"
IOW, H/D know it's a crock that it matters, if it does in fact matter. There's nothing in the criteria that says "audience-pleasing until you've become established". Why does it matter whether they're established or not if audience-pleasing is a legitimate part of CoP?
But I don't think it really does matter if you're not a chosen team, so while it's resulted in a really great FD for them, I think it might have been misguided to think they could figure out what the judges want. We saw how that game went with V/M. Certain teams will never find an answer to that question. I think if the Shibs insist on skating, there's nothing they can do as far as program choice that will help their scores. They're being held back because of corruption.
"Shibs have an outstanding short but the Waltz for a free is hardly inspiring despite its technical quality. Its not something that most people would constantly rewatch."
DeleteOnly in a "sport" that is batshit crazy and assbackwards would a team utilizing proper technique and displaying excellent technical quality be considered uninspiring.
I need to go look around the internet at other fan bases. Surely I'm missing the myriad of posts criticizing Sidney Crosby for being an uninspiring hockey player or Peyton Manning for being an uninspiring football player. Both have stellar technique that lays at the very heart of why they win and because of that have become two of the best players in their sports, but meh, how boring!
Well its the truth, that's skating. I don't know if its because they're a brother/sister pair or whatever but P/C came out on top because they're free dance REALLY grabbed the crowd.
Delete"Well its the truth, that's skating."
DeleteNot sure if you're being facetious but whether you are or not, your statement is depressing as hell.
Oh! I think I'm finally getting it. V/M fans knew it was corrupt for D/W to win because V/M grabbed the crowd! I thought V/M fans knew and cared because V/M fulfilled the criteria and D/W didn't.
DeleteAnd excellent post, 8:56.
Isn't that the argument dorispulaski was making not long ago about C/B deserving their Olympic spot because they got a standing ovation? People are really coming here with that?
DeleteAlso.... on video, the reaction to the Shibs seems if anything a bit louder... Were the judges swayed by how loud online fans reacted at home? I'm confused.
"Isn't that the argument dorispulaski was making not long ago about C/B deserving their Olympic spot because they got a standing ovation? People are really coming here with that?"
DeleteI don't think anyone is saying it's supposed to matter according to the CoP or that it should matter. What we know is that we have at least one team who seems to have been given the idea that it it's a factor in new-reality ice dance, which as we all know doesn't follow the CoP. Is this one of the bullshit things like being tight with the music? Is this something the judges have pulled out of thin air to make important? My guess is it's akin to vm having to change elements every season because the ISU has found a problem. I wouldn't be shocked if HD have been told that when they please the audience, it'll help their pcs go up. It's likely a Lucy, Charlie Brown, and the football scenario because HD aren't a chosen team.
"But I don't think it really does matter if you're not a chosen team, so while it's resulted in a really great FD for them, I think it might have been misguided to think they could figure out what the judges want."
Exactly. I think it's impossible to pick something the judges would like because they're not chosen. If they were a chosen team, it wouldn't matter what they skated to. It's also impossible to predict what the general population of skating fans are going to like. They've lost their minds over a generic lyrical piece that they would have panned if skated by a North American team. Many of these same fans have turned their noses up at the FD that HD had thought would be crowd pleasing on the basis that they don't like the music or that the music is weird. These are the same fans who whine that they want to see something innovative, using music that isn't overused, and why does no one do a hip hop program because that would be so cool. They do have an outstanding FD though that beautifully marries CoP skating with dance.
I think that fantastic skating is always audience grabbing, and the narrative about this one being more audience grabbing than that one is bullshit. It's all political. I don't think DW grabbed the audience more than VM EVER, and definitely not ever when Carmen went head to head with that non-skating Notre Dame schlock. It's unquestionable that VM "grabbed the audience" in Moscow in 2011 and lost to a labored DW non-tango.
DeleteTry and think through what "Grab the audience" means. Who the hell decides that? What if the audience is rapt/mesmerized throughout a skate versus applauding and cheering? What if one skater or team is skating at home or at a venue where they're personally popular and their partisans set up a screaming and applause frenzy at every move?
THIS MAKES NO SENSE.
It does not happen. 'Grabbed the audience' and 'memorable, rewatchable programs' DOES NOT HAPPEN to influence scores. It is simply SAID that it does when this sport wants to bullshit its results to an ill-informed audience.
I've already stressed I don't understand why C/B get the scores that they do. Maybe its because they appear to carry greater speed across the ice and therefore "seem" more powerful that way, which was the case with D/W. Apparently this is what hides imperfections. Idk. And i wouldn't really say that they're programs are re- watchable but i guess they appeal to all those boring,white people that can't appreciate artistry and skating technique. Its clear the ISU isn't scoring based on technique only but rather performance packaging/audience reaction as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Chock and Bates' scores have anything to do with anything "worked on over the summer" besides talking points to pre-emptively justify a win at their Nationals that is already in the bag.
DeleteTheir style of skating no more hides imperfections than DW's style of skating hides imperfections, particularly since their style of skating is to skate as little as possible. The primary thing this "style" achieves is to limit the chances of an obvious fall or stumble that the audience would recognize (the audience isn't thought to know one edge from another, or why skating on an edge is better than snow plowing on two feet while pulling your partner by her ankle). It's not fooling any judges or skaters, that's for sure. One thing also for sure is that any skater who uses extended run of blade is PENALIZED for not being "tight and crisp". Although as lethargic as Chock Bates are, I'm not seeing much tight and crisp beyond the wrist.
The judges aren't scoring what's being skated. That is what explains Chock and Bates. The sport is corrupt - that's what explains Chock and Bates.
Did any one hear the end of nbc broadcast today? Apparently kovtun worked with Charlie white on his technique over the summer.
ReplyDeleteWell now I would love to see Charlie as a single.
DeleteCharlie as a single
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6f3ow-4au8
I heard that, Anon 8:51, and apparently Charlie told Kovtun that his skating (Kovtun's) was "not that bad." What a jerk.
ReplyDeleteSomething I've noticed with watching P/C more in the aftermath of CoC... their lifts are kind of grabby, aren't they? Like the SD lift, for example. Why is being pinned across his shoulders only bad when D/W do it? No, I don't think the lift is as bad as D/W's - not sure Charlie could handle one foot in this situation, and Meryl probably couldn't hold herself well enough for the second half. Still, I find it problematic.
ReplyDeleteTatiana Volosozhar interview from FSU :
ReplyDelete"Q: What about the chemistry in the real life
TV: We don't really like talking about our relationship - the next question is always about the marriage. I can tell you we are a pair. On and off the ice. We complete each other
MT: Our friends the Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir the Olympic champions in Vancouver and silver medalists in Sochi. When they skate, when they sit together for an interview - you think they were meant for each other. And later I can ask Scott in the dressing room `Scott, in which room is Tessa?' `Why would I know??' for me it's a fairytale ruined. But every time they go on the ice the fairytale is alive again. "
And KL is in Ilderton, tweeting pictures of Scott curling.
Those are from a while ago. I know from when I saw Kaitlyn in the summer. She said that they were going curling and skating after that golf tournament in Niagra. He was going to teach her skate if she taught him to curl. So it's only a matter of time before those photos surface.
DeleteTwo of the people in the pics are wearing Remembrance poppies. They're recent.
DeleteAnd I thought KL wanted to keep the relationship "private" but she's telling you all about their plans. Okay.
Looking back at the photo I do now see the poppies, but that doesn't mean they don't have photos banked from the summer because she did kind of slip up a little more info about 'them' then she planned and as a result got a little defensive and tried to cover up a few statements
Delete4:58
DeleteIt's a given they have photos banked. That's one of the patterns of their shamming. They are very deliberate in their timing for releasing photos.
Can you share anything more about what you observed/heard?
I don't want this to start an attack on her, because Kaitlyn is one of the nicest people I have met. To be honest I don't remeber or know exactly how to explain the few things I did hear her say since most of them taken out of context mean almost nothin or make no sense.
DeleteShe did show us his ice bucket challenge and talked about he made the video and what ever, but honestly it was kind of random facts such as the copious amounts of ice and how they used a tractor from his friends farm and it needed to have clean the manure off of it.
One of the other coaches kept joking with her a little about him being her boyfriend but she really didn't care. That means to me she has no real desire to keep it secret.
The other two coaches names were scott, and she made some joke about all the Scott's in her life.
I don't have that much because she only told us with a matter of hours left before the clinic was over. All I can say is that whatever she thinks is going on between Tessa and him doesn't bother her one bit. Also I think at one point she will quit because she is terrible at lying and won't be able to pretend anymore.
6:06
DeleteWhy did she share about Scott's ice bucket challenge? Was she there when they did that? I'm trying to understand the context - why was she talking about Scott in the first place.
I'm sure she comes across as one of the nicest people. It's the same thing that's always said about VM. I wonder why all these very nice people are hoaxing the public like this. It's not nice at all.
She had just done an ice bucket challenge with us (Google it if you want it's actually pretty good), and we got talking about Olympians who had done the Ice bucket challenge and his name some how came up. I dont think she was since it sounded like second hand facts. From what I know about how busy she was she likely wasn't there. Most of her time was at golf tourneys, speaking engagements and other post olympic stuff such as interviews.
DeleteThere are new pictures of Tessa :
ReplyDeletehttp://31.media.tumblr.com/29dfb0c317c43ce35941de9b6d111d39/tumblr_neyljd1Jxp1sanikko1_1280.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/a1d8bf9011965b2d6f258695031f2dbc/tumblr_nezol6WcxM1sanikko1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/f15bee6674d1e35f464605e039207c4a/tumblr_neyl21ilJ71sanikko1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/cce4f2917f93b08755d701328be8cef8/tumblr_neykr1bsVX1sanikko1_500.jpg
Kaitlyn Lawes attended the event too.
http://33.media.tumblr.com/80bf548da93949f2140d6dcef93281e7/tumblr_neym3nYKtN1sanikko2_1280.jpg
ok. we've been speculating for 6 months that she's preggers. she's NOT. can we just move passed this and talk about skating? VM are together i totally get that but this nonsense about her pregnancy is off the deep end.
DeleteWhy do you want to control what people talk about?
Delete" ok. we've been speculating for 6 months that she's preggers."
DeleteActually it has been 8 months already ( if not more ).
Another example of Canadian PR/Athlete Manager types who simply can't help themselves. They love helping VM's hoax in any way possible:
DeleteThis tweet is made to sound Tessa and this other guy are couple-y:
https://twitter.com/Manifesto_Sport/status/533277035599499264
Turns out it's about this picture, tweeted by Ryan Fry, curler (a picture not even remotely suggesting a "thing" between Tessa and this guy):
http://instagram.com/p/vU7QX5OgLM/
But check out Russel Reimer's profile:
https://twitter.com/Manifesto_Sport
*Rolleyes*
What is it with these people? Do they get paid for every social-media mention that promotes VM's sham?
Hmmm - lol - I guess Dylan Moscovitch is chopped liver...lol...this guy - Russell Reimer reminds me of this Greg Kolz dude from Ottawa...sorry guys none of you are real sports reporters like the late Randy Starkman...
DeleteOf all the Olympians and other notables at the Toronto GoldMedalPlates event that Reimer guy had to mention Tessa Virtue and Ryan Fry in the same sentence? Please.
DeleteThese people don't even try being believable. Just get that message out there -- Scott and Tessa are *not together*, you hear that everyone? In spite of the fact they hosted this event together. This dude is embedded in Olympians' management? No wonder he knows the score when it comes to mentioning Virtue or Moir in a tweet.
Oh, now Dylan Moscovitch also got the memo. Mention Scott and KL together. Yep. Get everyone to keep repeating that. That's what makes it real, is it not?
Deletehttps://twitter.com/DylanMoscovitch
I hope a day comes when all these enablers (starting with Debbi Wilkes and Barb MacDonald) are outed as the idiot liars they are for participating in this public scam.
I have no idea who this Ryan Mk2 is - is he more wholesome than Semple? Have they decided that NOW it matters that Tessa isn't publicly connected with some neanderthal? Also, props to Dylan for doing absolutely no work at all to promote the sham - can't even see Tessa or Scott in that pic and I'm assuming only the back of KL. For all the people who think there's any effort and work put into this nonsense - there really, really isn't.
DeleteMaybe Semple wasn't available and they just replaced him with another Ryan for the night. It's not like anybody would notice and the fans play along anyway no matter what they are dishing out.
Delete8:34
DeleteShe doesn't? Could'a fooled me. Her PR, social media and that crappy reality show all indicate she cares very much. Most of it is in direct response to fan chatter.
Everybody who is like - it's ridiculous to say she's pregnant - is willfully ignoring photoshop and ignoring that Tessa's proportions change wildly with every image that's put out there. In THIS:
Deletehttp://31.media.tumblr.com/f15bee6674d1e35f464605e039207c4a/tumblr_neyl21ilJ71sanikko1_500.jpg
Not only is the background as warped as a funhouse mirror but Tessa has a Kim Kardashian ass and legs up to her armpits. Her torso keeps shrinking shrinking shrinking.
Also of note, and no surprise, is that all the mea culpas from media types over enabling Jian Ghomeshi just translates to - the next time I cover up for Jian Ghomeshi, I'm going to fee really bad about it instead of just taking it for granted.
DeleteI've read that it's rare for any public relations professional to actually get recognized (or whatever the credential is) from the Canadian Public Relations Society. They went incredibly out on a limb after Ghomeshi, not only claiming that terms like "Spin" and "P.R. Exercise" were outmoded, but outright claiming that public relations acts in good faith to bring the truth (not the private life, just that what is actually revealed is actually true, not a complete lie) to the public. Meantime, those who are actually in the trade are incredibly busy kissing the ass and sucking up to, and enabling Scott and Tessa's lying, hoping it will drive opportunity their way down the line.
I love all of the effort they make on social media, and the fans enable them as much as the p.r. "community" enables them. Who are they doing this for again? The fan community plays along because they think that's the price of keeping Scott and Tessa on social media. They're skittish, you know. It's the most fantastic circle jerk.
DeleteMore ridiclious placements and commentary...the Eurosport guys are gushing over Chock/Bates' edge quality...are you fucking kidding me?!!
ReplyDelete4 minute mark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL2Sh3r8gWY
Let CB become world champions. At this point I'd prefer it over WP because Skate Canada simply does not deserve to be rewarded for what they did with VM.
DeleteI can't even with how mixed up your priorities are, 7:49.
DeleteWhaaat??? Dhes NOT pregnant ? I dont understand. The blogger said she knew as a face she was? How can this be? I am so confused. I bought a "baby moir" gift and everything.
ReplyDeleteThis is crazy. How can you say it is a fact, when it is not?
Ohhh. Right. Now I get it ;)
You just make things up as you go along and SAY it is a fact.
I get it now..
Based on Tessa's pregnancy in 2010, I believe she has definitely been pregnant the last months. Her body changes followed the same trajectory and timeline. Therefore, based on all that, I also believe she recently gave birth. At TedX, imo, it shows she is no longer pregnant.
ReplyDeleteThere's the instagram pic of herself in the bathtub with a "calm after chaos" caption, not to mention she thanks Kaitlyn for sending her flowers.
DeleteLet's remember a pregnancy is 40 weeks.
Delete