They're not old; just very experienced

[TheIronLady]

Northern Chinese women can be persistent...

Do tell more... Is this something that northern wives are known for in China? How did you learn about this?

[skatingfanfun]

One big reason that new great Chinese pair teams are not imerging is the one child policy and the very good living standard normal families have now. parents are not that willing to send their children in for serious training, and children are spoiled and not willing to work hard or take the risk to strive for the best. I asked why some pair did double twist and I was told they were afraid of injury.

I read a Cinese article that P/T withdrew from 4 cc because Tong's knees hurt terribly and he needed to inject something into his knee 5 times. He needed to warm up for more than ten minutes before even doing a crossover. He wanted to retire after GPF but Pang wished to continue to 2014.

I really hope they don't risk worse injuries. they are good and still very competitive if they skate well enough but does it worth it ? They have achieved a lot already
http://sports.sina.com.cn/o/2013-02-...26413019.shtml

[skatingfanfun]

Whenever I read things on this board about the Chinese like "starvation, devastating amount of work, etc , etc" I just get slightly annoyed because none of us have a clue about what their real training conditions are. I find it EXTREMELY hard to believe that these athletes are lasting well into their late thirties (something unheard of in american skating or heck even internationally) by starving themseleves and punishing their bodies to the extremes some of the posters mention. I hate getting this idea across to young skaters that read posts here because in all reality (as a high level athlete and sports science researcher) I know with the correct education on training principles, one can achieve results without destroying the body. As is obvious, the Chinese are becoming increasingly powerful by fostering knowledge through education (and yes hard work) something that leads me to believe they are not so ignorant on the science of sport. Anyhow, I shall shut the trap now! thanks!

I believe you're mostly right! Chinese pair team actually has been having a very good nutritious food program. They did control girls food intake when they were younger ( Xue Shen said that Hongbo stealthily took food from the cafeteria for her to eat several times. By the way, food is free for athletes so it was not stealing) But when they grow up they know well enough how to eat well, keep fit and strong without overly control themselves. Just think about how strong and consistent those girls are even though they look slim.

I wouldn't say they are not hard working, they are, but not as some people believed they just misuse their body. In fact, Chinese pair skaters train very differently from pairs in other countries. They only have intensive training shortly before the season starts, doing the whole programs. They don't do that many jumps either. They do run-throughs, and practice by segment. That's why they can have long careers.

[Sylvia]

Re-posting from the Chinese reports/hearsay news thread in the Trash Can - a short article with quotes by coach Bin YAO about the 3 pairs entered for Worlds:

http://news.eastday.com/gd2008/s/201...365931782.html

The national team rearranged training schedule to adapt to the local time (in London). YAO Bin said pairs ice time moved from 3pm to 1pm. They also tried to simulate the narrower NHL rink size, adjusting program layout at some places.

TONG Jian’s knee injury plagued him all season, especially after GPF. His jumps and gliding are greatly affected. After various treatments, at least he was jumping on the day of interview. “Just guarantee one (jump?) per day.” YAO Bin smiled helplessly. TONG Jian said basically he’ll jump if he feels OK, else he can only give up. For this team of 30+, the ability to compete alone merits respect.

Sui/Han returned from injury but on the day of interview did not complete difficult moves like throw jumps, also only doubles for SBS jumps. "SUI was diagnosed with (insert bone injury difficult to translate) last year. She resumed training but has not got some of the elements back yet, and the pair may reduce the difficulty level at worlds." YAO Bin said.

For Peng/Zhang, YAO Bin said “their main problem is lack of experience, poor foundation, lack of consistency, plus not training together long enough." ZHANG Hao also has injuries from fingers, arms to knees and ankles. They do not affect normal competition and training, but still cannot be taken lightly.

"I hope each pairs team can perform at their real level!" YAO Bin said. He believes for figure skating, only programs with absolutely no mistakes can achieve the “perfect state”. He mentions S/Z at 2004 worlds and P/T in Vancouver as examples, where the judges and audience all responded with passion. “For a program with mistakes, sometimes even if it receives high scores, people still feel it's not an elegant win."