2021 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships, June 23-26, Rochester Hills, MI

[Vark]

@Vark's "reasons/goals" are things to improve one's personal performance. It seems like a good way to approach a competition. These types of goals seem different than aspirations for being named to teams or whatever.

Good luck with your goals, @Vark!

You cannot control being named to a team. You can control how you skate. Thank you for the goal good wishes.

 

[Vark]

What are your goals for asking this question on FSU?

My goal is to understand motivation. It was often asked why Tessa & Scott wanted to return to competition after they won a gold medal. People want to know why Aliona Savchenko wants to still compete. How is this any different?

 

[antmanb]

My goal is to understand motivation. It was often asked why Tessa & Scott wanted to return to competition after they won a gold medal. People want to know why Aliona Savchenko wants to still compete. How is this any different?

Why do you think asking anyone other than the actual skaters themselves will give you an answer?

Elite athletes may, through traditional media or social media, share their goals with fans.

Are you aware of adult skaters doing this? Do you think asking on FSU will get you those answers?

 

[Vark]

Why do you think asking anyone other than the actual skaters themselves will give you an answer?

Elite athletes may, through traditional media or social media, share their goals with fans.

Are you aware of adult skaters doing this? Do you think asking on FSU will get you those answers?

You seem to have many answers. I was not aware of olympic medalists skating at adult nationals before. It is of interest because it is not something I would expect to see. Perhaps I will get an answer on FSU. You do not get answers if you do not ask questions I have been told!

 

[Debbie S]

For all those who were convinced that the dance team in question was going to run away with the comp, they are in 2nd place after the first pattern dance (Blues): https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2021/28672/CAT048SEG050.html

ETA: And 2nd after the 2nd pattern dance (Silver Samba), too: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2021/28672/CAT048SEG051.html

 

[tony]

For all those who were convinced that the dance team in question was going to run away with the comp, they are in 2nd place after the first pattern dance (Blues): https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2021/28672/CAT048SEG050.html

ETA: And 2nd after the 2nd pattern dance (Silver Samba), too: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2021/28672/CAT048SEG051.html

But don't say that, because the team in first has a skater who went to two Olympics

 

[Debbie S]

But don't say that, because the team in first has a skater who went to two Olympics

Well, my point still stands.

I guess I am a bad dance fan....which year and country?

 

[Sylvia]

I guess I am a bad dance fan....which year and country?

Oleg Voyko - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mjb52]

I had no idea what you were all talking about but now that I do I think it's cool that Goncharov still enjoys skating and wants to compete.

 

[Clarino]

I guess the true battle is now for 3rd place.

 

[sk8pics]

Glad to see Ruslan still enjoying it. Once on a freestyle/dance session, he and his student ran into my coach and me; the two coaches held everyone up. I was pretty annoyed at the time, but I got over it.

 

[MacMadame]

But don't say that, because the team in first has a skater who went to two Olympics

It looks like an adult skater and her coach. As does the 3rd place team. This is common enough with the Dance category at Adult Nationals IME.

 

[tony]

It looks like an adult skater and her coach. As does the 3rd place team. This is common enough with the Dance category at Adult Nationals IME.

Of course it’s common. I was being facetious towards the talks of it being strange/trying to figure out the goals of someone like Goncharov being there.

 

[Aceon6]

Let’s celebrate the FSUers who medaled! Many of us know who they are, but I don’t want to identify them by user name as it opens up a whole can of privacy worms. Cheers to both of you!

 

[mjb52]

Well I don't know who they are but I am very impressed and congrats to them!

 

[overedge]

I guess the true battle is now for 3rd place.

I don't know why you think this is a joke, or why you're so obsessed with their placements. They're all qualified to be in the competition, apparently they all enjoy skating, and I hope they're all having fun doing it. How about you find some other issue to make posts about?

 

[Clarino]

I think it’s hilarious that someone who has reached the pinnacle of achievement by reaching the Olympics or National titles has a desire to compete as an adult skater in the event you reached your pinnacle against those who are mostly recreational part time skaters. What motivates that? A love of skating or a need to still compete or a need to win? No one competes to lose! I also find it sad as it infers that being a high level professional coach is not fun enough nor fulfilling enough hence their need to continue to compete. I hope they get their fulfillment as clearly there is some big hole that needs to be filled. My opinion unless i’m not supposed to have one? Maybe I’ll start a thread on the rise in numbers of local hockey players vs figure skating due to the massive costs of figure skating ice, coaching and competitions and how USA skaters unlike other federations get minuscule funding.

 

[Yehudi]

But don't say that, because the team in first has a skater who went to two Olympics

and the teams in third and fourth have skaters who competed at worlds and were junior Grand Prix finalists

 

[Yehudi]

I think it’s hilarious that someone who has reached the pinnacle of achievement by reaching the Olympics or National titles has a desire to compete as an adult skater in the event you reached your pinnacle against those who are mostly recreational part time skaters. What motivates that? A love of skating or a need to still compete or a need to win? No one competes to lose! I also find it sad as it infers that being a high level professional coach is not fun enough nor fulfilling enough hence their need to continue to compete. I hope they get their fulfillment as clearly there is some big hole that needs to be filled. My opinion unless i’m not supposed to have one? Maybe I’ll start a thread on the rise in numbers of local hockey players vs figure skating due to the massive costs of figure skating ice, coaching and competitions and how USA skaters unlike other federations get minuscule funding.

What is the issue? Adult Nationals separates by ability. They’re not competing against people who learned crossovers last year.

 

[bladesofgorey]

I don't know, Clarino. To me this obsession seems awfully targeted. An outsider would think that you have a personal grudge against one of the top skaters or teams. I don't compete as an adult skater, but I was competitive in another sport (distance running) where I competed at a very high level and a ton of past Olympic and national champions also showed up to race. It gave them training goals and there was a lot of camaraderie amongst them. When the gun went off they still raced as hard as they could but age does things to bodies and doesn't care how good you used to be. They still enjoyed all of the things incidental to competing and nobody I knew passed judgement. I truly do not understand how this is any different and to be honest I admire athletes like this who return to compete when they are well past their prime. I think it's brave and shows strength of character (I will never enter a race again "just for fun" because not being at my peak is just not fun for me and I admire people whose ego doesn't get in the way like that).

 

[Clarino]

I’ve never met any of these skaters nor do I skate. Just seems like an odd desire to compete when these skaters have already competed at very high levels or the highest level. There is such little opportunity to begin with as an adult skater. Why take away their opportunity to achieve when you have attained so much already? Yes the rules say they can. But I don’t have to agree with nor encourage it. These forums allow different viewpoint. no? Just doesn’t seem like it would be fun to be one of those other less medaled skaters.

 

[MacMadame]

No one competes to lose!

Um.... as someone who competed as an adult skater and came in last or next to last in every competition I entered, I will say you have no clue as to why people compete and what they get out of it.

These forums allow different viewpoint. no?

You keep saying this. You do realize that allowing different viewpoints means that people are allowed to disagree with you, no?

 

[overedge]

"Achievement" is not just winning medals. An 81-year-old skater competed at Adult Nationals yesterday. I doubt that she feels she didn't "achieve" anything because she placed last in her category.

 

[overedge]

I’ve never met any of these skaters nor do I skate.

Yet somehow you knew who they were, what their backgrounds were, and that they were competing at Adult Nationals. That's not random.

 

[Sylvia]

Photo posted yesterday by usadultskating's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQjwsG-rh00/

The ultimate success in adult skating is continuing to be able to skate for life. Today, the Yvonne M. Dowlen Trophy was presented to our oldest Adult Championships competitor: 81-year-old Molly MacGowan. The trophy was presented by our youngest competitor, 21-year-old Alex Polega. We hope you enjoy this symbol of longevity and friendship in our sport.

Photo from Molly's Bronze Light Entertainment program - her hilarious performance as a “judge!”: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQjlJWorANG/

 

[Clarino]

I watched the Olympics. I remembered the name. Its not common. Google her and she hopes to compete internationally. Ironically the Top 4 teams men are all former elite level Ukrainian ice dancers. What fun? That’s serious competition aspirations. Rest of the flights didn’t have a chance. So fun right?

 

[Clarino]

I watched the Olympics. I remembered the name. Its not common. Google her and she hopes to compete internationally. Ironically the Top 4 teams men are all former elite level Ukrainian ice dancers. What fun? That’s serious competition aspirations. Rest of the flights didn’t have a chance. So fun right?

But no worries I’ll go back to my little world where you don’t get to have an opinion any longer. I’m done here. Go Ukraine!

 

[overedge]

I watched the Olympics. I remembered the name. Its not common. Google her and she hopes to compete internationally. Ironically the Top 4 teams men are all former elite level Ukrainian ice dancers. What fun? That’s serious competition aspirations. Rest of the flights didn’t have a chance. So fun right?

For you to have seen the names in the first place, you would have been looking at the Nationals entries or starting orders. Which the majority of skating fans never do, because they don't know that adult skating exists, or that there are skating competitions for adults.

This is not random.

 

[miffy]

Without these 4 men their partners may not have been able to compete in this event. And I don’t see why competitors should have to stop forever after competing at a high level. Good for them and congratulations to all the competitors.

 

[Yazmeen]

Is this where I point out that Championship Adult Dance was dominated up through 2018 by Shay Sterlace and Yovanny Durango, neither of whom went to Olympics or Worlds and who primarily coach?????