So has this thread has now morphed into a discussion between people who don’t watch TSL but imagine what they might say about skater x - and then criticize them for it?
I'll take this as a dig at my previous comments.
Yes, I wrote my post BEFORE they did the WTT show. I watch TSL, and detailed how they've crafted narratives about specific skaters (namely Zagitova, Zhou, Tuk, Tennell) all season, and even prior to that.
As WTT was the final event of the season, I speculated how they would address these narratives given the strong finishes of the latter three athletes, specifically.
With Zhou, they've said in the past (and I'm paraphrasing) that it's been all jumps and he's limited in artistry and growth and, as now they've had a change of heart/opinion. Their prior criticism also included his team (similar to Zagitova) and it was super harsh.
They were happy for Tuk, but threw Samodurova (who in their Euros recap called an "interesting personality," "feisty" and "earned her [Worlds] spot") under the bus.
With Tennell, from Autumn Classic to Nationals to 4CCs to Worlds, it's been backhanded compliments (though an improvement on the outright nastiness about her costumes and programs from 2018). They were correct about her needing to do the 3Lz+3T instead of the 3Lz+3Lo, but the entire narrative (and yes, I watched all the aforementioned segments) has been negative, and predictably so. Their comments about her WTT skate (after a cursory "good job" comment at the start) fell in line.
As for Zagitova, others have mentioned how those predictions turned out.
Of course, performances at each event vary, skaters may improve throughout the season, etc. And that's the issue with creating a narrative, particularly a negative one. Everyone has (and is entitled to) having skaters they like or dislike, but the result is you come across as mean (i.e. Tennell, Zagitova) or wishy-washy (Zhou, Samodurova) to fit those narratives.
#ClownCar
