Bizarrely titled Reuters article on Davis & White

[Holley Calmes]

Of course D/W don't need a platinum medal. They just need to wait until the awards ceremony at Worlds, and if they placed second, they need to run out and stand on the Gold Medal podium. Then they both can jump down and say, "Oops! Just a little joke! Aren't we cute? Anybody who doesn't like it needs to get a sense of humor!" Then again, they've got too much class to do anything like that. And, no doubt, V/M do too.

[caseyedwards]

Of course D/W don't need a platinum medal. They just need to wait until the awards ceremony at Worlds, and if they placed second, they need to run out and stand on the Gold Medal podium. Then they both can jump down and say, "Oops! Just a little joke! Aren't we cute? Anybody who doesn't like it needs to get a sense of humor!" Then again, they've got too much class to do anything like that. And, no doubt, V/M do too.

Of course it must be factored in that v/m are actually worthy of gold and not jokes.

[TheIronLady]

IMO is not offensive to put a platinum medal on the website because such a medal does not exist, gold would have been much more offensive.
But the website admin and Plushenko should have been more careful, because it was obvious that part of the media were desperate to attack them, as they also did before Olympics.
If you want my opinion, I'm reading Plushenko's official web quite a lot and I strongly believe it was his wife's idea and no fan was involved. But it's only a personal opinion, of course.

Why do you think his wife was involved? All I know about her is she is quite beautiful.

Evgeni Plushenko and Yana Rudkovskaya

[Bournekraatzfan]

[...] To me, Meryl and Charlie have continued to improve and to challenge themselves year after year, and the constant critiques about line and connection are IMO simple snobbery and excuses for those who favor V/M to justify that V/M are better because... when in actual fact nothing much separates these two teams in terms of talent and who is going to win on a given day.
[...]

I guess the people who wrote the rules are also a bunch of snobs and/or V&M ubers:

Performance/Execution Criteria:

"Carriage
Carriage is a trained inner strength of the body that makes possible ease of movement
from the center of the body. Alignment is the fluid change from one movement to the
next.

Style and individuality/personality
Style is the distinctive use of line and movement as inspired by the music.[...]

Clarity of movement
Clarity is characterized by the refined lines of the body and limbs, as well as the precise
execution of any movement.

[...]

Unison and “oneness” (Pair Skating and Ice Dancing)
Each skater contributes equally toward achieving all six of the performance criteria. "

Source: http://www.isu.org/vsite/vfile/page/...-0-file,00.pdf

[...] I'm sure that the platinum thing was meant in good faith, as if to say you may not have won the gold, but you're more precious than gold to us fans. [...]

Yes, that is how I interpreted it as well.

[ciocio]

Of course D/W don't need a platinum medal. They just need to wait until the awards ceremony at Worlds, and if they placed second, they need to run out and stand on the Gold Medal podium. Then they both can jump down and say, "Oops! Just a little joke! Aren't we cute? Anybody who doesn't like it needs to get a sense of humor!" Then again, they've got too much class to do anything like that. And, no doubt, V/M do too.

They don't have too much class, they are hypocrite. It's obvious to anybody that Moir thinks D/W are inferior, you don't have to be a genius to figure it out. How do you think D/W feel about it? I don't care if they stand on the Gold Medal Podium or they say "ohhh, we are best friends, we enjoy the other team's victory", who's going to buy it, anyway?

[ciocio]

Why do you think his wife was involved? All I know about her is she is quite beautiful.

Evgeni Plushenko and Yana Rudkovskaya

I've noticed that on Plushenko's site everything is approved and moderated. I know his wife said the silver medal was more important to her than a gold medal because Plushenko struggled so much for it, it was "platinum". In my opinion, the fan who uploaded it had somebody's approval, somebody who didn't realize it could have been offensive. Plushenko usually is not involved in stuff like that, twitter, website, whatever, so I believe it was Yana or the site admin. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm not trying to blame Yana or anybody else because the "platinum medal" scandal was the most stupid thing I ever heard, Plushenko can put anything on his website, platinum, diamond, sapphire medal, these medals doesn't exist anyway.

[Holley Calmes]

They don't have too much class, they are hypocrite. It's obvious to anybody that Moir thinks D/W are inferior, you don't have to be a genius to figure it out. How do you think D/W feel about it? I don't care if they stand on the Gold Medal Podium or they say "ohhh, we are best friends, we enjoy the other team's victory", who's going to buy it, anyway?

I don't think you got the joke. Besides, I think both D/W and V/M are classy teams as are all the dance teams as far as I know. I was alluding to another event.

[aftershocks]

...

I have no problem with you liking D&W more, but there is a difference between the qualities that make you like a team and qualities that achieve or should achieve high scores (though of course there is a lot of overlap!). The argument here seems to be that D&W have a lot of qualities that endear them to you, and since the scores have been quite close the last few years, people should just accept that they are as good as V&M, and if they harp on technical things it is simply snobbery. That assumes the judges' marks are basically correct or in the ballpark, though, and considering all the discussion on this thread about judging controversies, it's safe to say that not everybody will agree.

In terms of a discussion like D&W's silver at Worlds, it would probably be more helpful to look at the protocols, see that they lost a level compared to V&M, and then explain where D&W should have made that up on the GOE or PCS to get them to first place.

My Lord, what was we gonna do, if'in ya did have a problem, Cherubim my dear, schedule a duel or something??? But that wouldn't be very angelic of you now, eh? Even tho' it mighta been the politically correct, face-saving thing to do in a bygone era. But, ahem, forgive my digression, and seriously Cherub, try to relax and please lighten up.

Like I said in a previous post in this thread, in regard to V/M and D/W, the varying perceptions on the respective fans' side can be scarily vicious or mildly amusing.

I ain't arguin' for anything, btw, but you sure seem to be over-analyzing my posts. I like who I like and I love who I love. Enjoy the skaters you love, and have fun watching the upcoming festivities in London. Don't be so tense. Do your best not to identify. It might help prevent high blood pressure and apoplectic fits. I used to have an elderly friend who enjoyed watching figure skating, and even tho' he wasn't really a hardcore fan, he used to get nervous watching figure skating because he felt for every skater, and he used to say that it seemed to him like he might have jinxed them whenever they fell. I had to tell him not to worry so much, but just try to enjoy because ice is slippery. He eventually gave up on watching though. In general, he was not a huge sports fan.

[danceronice]

....Can I like them both and be happy whichever team wins? *hides under the table*

[leafygreens]

the "platinum medal" scandal was the most stupid thing I ever heard, Plushenko can put anything on his website, platinum, diamond, sapphire medal, these medals doesn't exist anyway.

[rainbowkisses]

"I don't know we could have pulled off Plushenko's attitude," Davis told Reuters in a telephone interview before dissolving into laughter. "It seems to work for him."

rude. thats really insulting to plushy.

"In our minds we were champions because of the way we skated," said White, who stands out thanks to his shaggy mop of blond curls.

I thought Scott was the only arrogant one in ice dance

[centerstage01]

rude. thats really insulting to plushy.



I thought Scott was the only arrogant one in ice dance

No it isn't. You're seeing what you want to see, not what isn't there. It's known how much you hate Davis & White so you'd not find anything good about them in any article.

[Scrufflet]

....Can I like them both and be happy whichever team wins? *hides under the table*

Yes absolutely you can and I'll be right beside you! I was in London for the Short and I can not tell you how glorious it was to see these 2 teams live! It was absolutely breathtaking (literally!) and I doubt that I will ever see that level of quality/rivalry again! Scott and Tessa were fantastic and the twizzle bobble was obvious to everyone in the rink, even to the uninitiated. The whole audience was completely dismayed and fell silent. It was hard on the next skaters because we were all sitting in stunned silence. But we all snapped out of it and Meryl and Charlie got a very warm welcome. They were beyond brilliant.
The Long I saw on tv and it was wonderful to see them both deliver their best, skate the way they've wanted to. Meryl and Charlie, worthy world champions!

[rainbowkisses]

well it seems like d/w's passive aggressive whining has won them the gold!
imo the isu should've awarded their pr team a platinum medal for gems such as this article

[Whitneyskates]

well it seems like d/w's passive aggressive whining has won them the gold!
imo the isu should've awarded their pr team a platinum medal for gems such as this article

It's quotes like that that make me happy this site has an ignore feature.

[michaelfsfan]

S&P were hardly classy. Jamie sobbing on the podium was the equivalent of a tantrum. Later after the circus began in the media, they added fuel to the fire, saying they want a quick resolution instead of letting the ISU do a full investigation. What was done was unfair to B&S. Had S&P behaved in a classy manner like M&D did at the 1994 Olympics after losing the gold to G&G, they would have earned my respect, regardless of what the media did.

I suggest you watch this video before spreading your lies. Jamie & David looked disappointed and possibly crestfallen, but she was hardly sobbing all over the podium.

[Skittl1321]

I suggest you watch this video before spreading your lies. Jamie & David looked disappointed and possibly crestfallen, but she was hardly sobbing all over the podium.

Thank you for that. I've read numerous times about her bawling on the podium. Watching the video, she seems sad but smiling during almost all of it, and then holding back tears as the anthem plays. But NOTHING like a tantrum. She's obviously just disappointed.

[professordeb]

Well depending upon how you feel about the skater/result/competition, it's amazing how different one's recall is compared to the actual events -- especially when there is video around to show the reality.

[TheIronLady]

I suggest you watch this video before spreading your lies. Jamie & David looked disappointed and possibly crestfallen, but she was hardly sobbing all over the podium.

They came across on television as genuinely admiring of Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze's performances. I recall they seemed to accept them them as the champions and the silver as a great accomplishment. This was the impression I recall they gave in some interviews. I have no insights about what she/he felt, but what they said during the prolonged coverage was 1000 times more dignified and intelligent than the ratings driven press. What an embarrassment Sandra was.

[TheIronLady]

Well depending upon how you feel about the skater/result/competition, it's amazing how different one's recall is compared to the actual events -- especially when there is video around to show the reality.

I agree that fans can interpret skaters' faces and body language based on biases--especially as you point out when it comes to memory (I know I am guilty of this too). None of us have ever been at the Olympics as reigning world champions or heavy favorites and had to deliver that kind performance. Some of us can draw analogies based on big moments when we had to perform in sports, work, theater, or school. I think they looked fine with the result, because I imagine my own feelings experienced in a similar situation. You believe you had the chance, gave it your best, had an incredible high in the performance, and discovered it wasn't enough--that the particular dream that inspired your performance wasn't to be. You had an Olympic high, and now 30 minutes later you have an Olympic disappointment. You mentally are not protesting, but your body is likely to show some of the feelings of tiredness and emotional adjustment-- no matter how good your thoughts or attitudes are.