Unpopular Opinions
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skatingguy
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Bonjour Sherry
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I laugh when people call Yu-na Kim or Patrick Chan skaters who win (or come close) with half a program, when we've had to tolerate the same by Yuzuru "Recycled Programs Hanyu" since winter 2014, multiplied by a few times.
As for the Sotnikova vs. Kim (vs. Kostner) debate: We are all entitled to our own opinions, although some opinions are certainly better than others.
As for the Sotnikova vs. Kim (vs. Kostner) debate: We are all entitled to our own opinions, although some opinions are certainly better than others.
briancoogaert
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And on 2 feet almost all the program long...
skatingcheckers
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Here comes a comment that will be wildly unpopular: I cannot stand the ice dance team of Chock and Bates. I leave the room when they come on. Chock is a gimmicky skater and I'm tired of hearing about her amazing physical beauty.
There, I said it, and damn, that felt good.
There, I said it, and damn, that felt good.
I guess this isn't really an unpopular opinion, but why hasn't anyone told Nathan Chen to extend his hands/allow his hands to finish his lines? Especially outside of his steps sequences. I appreciate the dynamism he's added to his skating and his continued improvement in edge work but his hands when skating still look like the tiny doll-hands that belong to one of Kristen Wiig's SNL character. Just take a look at Jason Brown, Kolyada, Kevin Aymoz, etc. I'm sure he's able to grasp the idea.
Fiero425
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Sometimes you just have to wait for them to catch on to that aspect of skating that every detail makes a difference! It's why veterans used to be able to hang on a lot longer than today due to the artistic side outweighing the technical side! Watching Chen now at Nationals bring back old SP! Looks as if someone beat it into him to extend his fingers during that step sequence all the way to the end of the program! Great "Short!"
My unpopular opinion is that Adelina is being underrated. She had big huge jumps that when cleanly done should get big GOE. She was a better spinner than Kostner and Kim with unique positions that so she should get High GOE there too.
She also had good skating skills was fast accross the ice.
I liked Yulias program better but as a skater I always preferred Adelina to her and felt Adelina had what you want to see big jumps and big skating.
The only disappointment was her retiring soon after.
An argument could be made for Kostner over Kim and Adelina. But I think Adelina deserved very good PCs for her very good skating skills. And she deserved to win the technical mark.
She also had good skating skills was fast accross the ice.
I liked Yulias program better but as a skater I always preferred Adelina to her and felt Adelina had what you want to see big jumps and big skating.
The only disappointment was her retiring soon after.
An argument could be made for Kostner over Kim and Adelina. But I think Adelina deserved very good PCs for her very good skating skills. And she deserved to win the technical mark.
Bonjour Sherry
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I agree that Adelina has big jumps, and she has good skating skills. However she was already rewarded by the judges accordingly for this. She deserves good SS scores, maybe good TR scores, although not good scores for the other program components. And her SS aren't exceptional compared to those of Kim and Kostner. Agreed she should have beaten Kim and Kostner on the technical mark (in the long program, not the short).
Also, I do remember that the judges were giving clean Sot higher marks than clean Lip, even before the Olympics.
As an aside (not directed to becca specifically), I get annoyed when people talk about past Olympics results as if the short program doesn't exist or doesn't matter. Once the short program is factored in, there are no strong arguments for skaters like Hughes or Sotnikova winning their Olympic gold.
But Adelinas 3/3 while a triple toe triple toe was absolutely gigantic and was always going to get huge GOE. My understanding was Kim and Kostner missed some levels on spins and that is what closed the technical gap. She deserved third in the short and her being a better spinner closed the technical gap.
Choreography and P/E can be subjective.
Frankly I liked her short better than her long. She preformed the heck out of it. Paid attention to the music I felt too.
What was sad about Adelina winning was I think she had the potential to be a truly great skater and she never fulfilled it. I fear this could happen with Kamilla.
But technically she wasn’t going out there skating slow as molasses with tiny jumps that wouldn’t survive puberty and poorly done spins.
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Icetalavista
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I thoroughly enjoy the random green blob on Nathan’s shirt for the sheer annoyance factor
Fiero425
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canbelto
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I'm over Jason Brown. I think he's a lovely skater and seems like a very nice person, but his skating doesn't excite me anymore.
LeafOnTheWind
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I'm blame David Wilson for that. His non-DW programs are still wonderful. This is just a huge mismatch between skater and choreographer and I really wish they would have gone elsewhere after that first year.
hanca
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His skating never excited me. Junior ladies have harder content than him.
canbelto
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Rohene Ward made so many great programs for him that it's strange that he's stuck to David Wilson for so long. But Schindler's List basically takes everything special about his skating and tosses it out the window.
Fiero425
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Excitement wasn't going to get the job done anyway! Jason doesn't have the technical ability to compete these days! Our own FS Assoc. is doing a deservice to him and the team when they pump him up with scores that aren't nearly in line with what he laid out on the ice! Other countries do the same, but it was almost embarrassing seeing his scores making him 4th with one missed quad while others are spinning out of their minds! Reminds me of Kwan getting extra credit for just showing up at Nationals!
bardtoob
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Well, if Cohen hadn't Zambonied the ice under the 6.0 system she might have gotten four of Kwan's National titles. Cohen certainty could have also gotten the OGM over HughesReminds me of Kwan getting extra credit for just showing up at Nationals!
if she didn't Zamboni.In all seriousness, Cohen could take any overused piece of music and make it a masterpiece and signature program, but she couldn't avoid obvious errors. This was probably a huge liability for USFSA because they needed to be able to market a perennial favorite . . . and it is still, of course, a problem that chewed up the likes of Nagasu, Gold, etc.
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Fiero425
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Well, if Cohen hadn't Zambonied the ice under the 6.0 system she might have gotten four of Kwan's National titles. Cohen certainty could have also gotten the OGM over Hughes
In all seriousness, Cohen could take any overused piece of music and make it a masterpiece and signature program, but she couldn't avoid obvious errors. This was probably a huge liability for USFSA because they needed to be able to market a perennial favorite . . . and it is still, of course, a problem that chewed up the likes of Nagasu, Gold, etc.
Who TF brought up Sasha Cohen? She was a fave of mines and to this day the only true ballerina on the ice! Kwan won their meetings; SO WHAT? What's the point when we're talking about Jason Brown?
bardtoob
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Fair enough. It is still a raw point to me. I just shuffled through four gorgeous Cohen US National LPs to make sure I wasn't wrong and hoping she was robbed under 6.0
. . . wasn't wrong but also objectively disappointed.I don't like Chen's Rocket Man program. I feel nothing watching it. I wish he and his team would have put the effort into putting together two good new programs instead of rehashing two old ones, but I'm not a fan in general of anyone re-using programs.
This is about some of the coaches's fashion choices in the K&C:
1. No socks and flooded pants - difficult for any guy to pull off this look except maybe really young and skinny guys.
2. Coats and bags with Gucci symbol stamped all over them - I find it a bit obnoxious to flaunt $$$ like that.
This is about some of the coaches's fashion choices in the K&C:
1. No socks and flooded pants - difficult for any guy to pull off this look except maybe really young and skinny guys.
2. Coats and bags with Gucci symbol stamped all over them - I find it a bit obnoxious to flaunt $$$ like that.
screech
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I'm not a fan either, but that's mainly because he has basically zero program/choreography until he hits his choreographic sequence. But then again, that's an average Chen program, IMO.
Fiero425
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Bad music can run me off; even from a fave! Back in 2001-02 Plushenko went into the GP Final with a "Cirque du Solei" LP! I liked it enough because it's the same type of music Surya Bonaly might use! He missed his quad combo allowing Yagudin to finish ahead of him! Evgeni skipped Europeans and came back with a Carmen program for the SLC Olympics! Carmen has been overused so often I avoided all his performance using it after salvaging Silver behind Yagudin's Gold!
escaflowne9282
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After catching up on Canadian National pairs, I have a hard time taking sides regarding W&M vs. J&R for the Olympic team. On the one hand, I don’t find W&M to be a strong pair in the slightest and I would never think of them as being an Olympic level team for Canada. On the other hand , James already has 3 Olympics under her belt as well as , a European title and a World medal , Radford already has two Olympics under his belt, and between team and individual events has a full set of gold silver and bronze in addition to 2 world titles. It’s not like either one needs another games at this point. They also haven’t performed well when they’ve bothered to finish a competition at all. Yet, they still have stronger scoring potential than W&M. On the other hand, Canada is not likely to get a team medal regardless of who skates. Meh!
My true sympathies lie with the viewers, fans, judges, Skate Canada, and all others who have had to endure and survive Canadian Pairs skating this season.
When I think of them, this clip from Walt Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” comes to mind
My true sympathies lie with the viewers, fans, judges, Skate Canada, and all others who have had to endure and survive Canadian Pairs skating this season.
When I think of them, this clip from Walt Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” comes to mind
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screech
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With his hands by his side and the occasional 'jazz hands' there, or the one arm raised slightly. And if he falls, the head down, arms swinging, toe picking power skating to get back into it. And the chin down - eyes up 'power' look.And on 2 feet almost all the program long...
While clearly I find Hanyu's choreography and some other components lacking and overscored, there's no discounting his technical prowess. And he definitely sells what it is that he does.
After catching up on Canadian National pairs, I have a hard time taking sides regarding W&M vs. J&R for the Olympic team. On the one hand, I don’t find W&M to be a strong pair in the slightest and I would never think of them as being an Olympic level team for Canada. On the other hand , James already has 3 Olympics under her belt as well as , a European title and a World medal , Radford already has two Olympics under his belt, and between team and individual events has a full set of gold silver and bronze in addition to 2 world titles. It’s not like either one needs another games at this point. They also haven’t performed well when they’ve bothered to finish a competition at all. Yet, they still have stronger scoring potential than W&M. On the other hand, Canada is not likely to get a team medal regardless of who skates. Meh!
My true sympathies lie with the viewers, fans, judges, Skate Canada, and all others who have had to endure and survive Canadian Pairs skating this season.
When I think of them, this clip from Walt Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” comes to mind
This CRACKED ME UP. Not lost on me that Vanessa is the name of Ursula's human avatar, and Eric the name of the darn prince 
VGThuy
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I didn't even think about that! Shame Meagan's name wasn't Ariel.
livetoskate
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I like their skating, but the alien idea seems pretty weird to me, and I dislike her hairstyle. Whatever happened to just skating beautifully without having to have some big story that needs to be told to everyone in order to understand something weird? (Shades of Candeloro's Lucky Luke program, where he wrote out an explanation of his theme and handed it to judges before a pro competition). BTW, the zombie theme for Lu/Mitrofanov also seems bizarre.
