Chinese Skating News, Pt. 3: A long & winding road to Beijing 2022

[Sylvia]

SUI Wenjing and HAN Cong are the 2022 OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS!!!

... a long & winding road to Beijing 2022 indeed!!

 

[A.H.Black]

I'm sure it's been discussed but can someone kindly remind me why China had 2 pairs teams and not 3.

Heartfelt congratulations to Sui and Han

 

[Karen-W]

Their third team didn't qualify at Nebelhorn.

 

[happycamper2554]

I'm sure it's been discussed but can someone kindly remind me why China had 2 pairs teams and not 3.

Heartfelt congratulations to Sui and Han

The third Chinese team withdrew from worlds (I believe it was a vaccine issue, but not sure) and then did not qualify a third spot at Nebelhorn.

 

[Sylvia]

https://twitter.com/lindazge/status/1495037167629860864

“I remember being on the podium. I held her very tightly, and I said into her ear: ‘2022 is ours. This time is nothing. Don’t cry.’ But even as I said it, we were both in tears, we couldn’t help it.” – Han Cong on 4.16.18

https://twitter.com/kattwtsagain/status/1495034447040851972

WITH THE OLYMPIC GOLD SUI/HAN HAVE OFFICIALLY COMPLETED THE SUPER SLAM
JGPF: 20092011
JWC: 201020112012
GPF: 2019
4CC: 201220142016201720192020
WC: 20172019
OWG: 2022

 

[livetoskate]

Congrats to Sui/Han-- after all the years of practice, competing at a high level, injuries ... what an amazing Olympic moment!
Here are some old videos about them that are entertaining:

Funny moments where Sui says there's no chemistry between them & he acts like her father:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXcYHOD3dWI

2019 documentary with English subtitles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBhdQQDHNcs

The channel has a bunch of other videos, including Sui acting like a newscaster interviewing Boyang Jin and goofing around.

 

[Gris]

After the 3S<< I genuinely thought the gold was gone. But look...

In the end Wenjing and Cong finally got there despite one injury after another and the incompetent CFSA.

 

[kittyjake5]

Congratulations Sui and Han what a great moment it was for them! I am still doing my happy dance!

 

[thvu]

Where the hell did this Super Slam thing come from?

 

[Sylvia]

Where the hell did this Super Slam thing come from?

Pro tennis and then Fanyus?

 

[Karen-W]

Where the hell did this Super Slam thing come from?

The same idiots who would have us call quads and triple axels "Ultra-C" elements?

 

[binbinwinwin]

and the incompetent CFSA.

For real, they did not succeed because of the CFSA, they succeeded despite being under CFSA.

 

[raruki]

and the incompetent CFSA.

Hell Yes, Shen/Zhao and CFSA have failed them TOO MANY TIMES. Still remember all the shitshows they had made during the 2018 Olympics and many many non-Olympics seasons.
The Glory of OGM belongs to S/H SOLELY.

 

[raruki]

It is semi-official that CFSA is already dissolved.
The body of running Figure skating teams and events will go back to CSA(The one running the Short track and speed skating in China).

 

[Spun Silver]

Hell Yes, Shen/Zhao and CFSA have failed them TOO MANY TIMES. Still remember all the shitshows they had made during the 2018 Olympics and many many non-Olympics seasons.
The Glory of OGM belongs to S/H SOLELY.

It is semi-official that CFSA is already dissolved.
The body of running Figure skating teams and events will go back to CSA(The one running the Short track and speed skating in China).

Yikes. As one who hasn't followed Chinese skating, I wondered why China has failed to produce a new generation of skaters in any discipline who would be internationally competitive. Why is that? What did the CFSA do wrong?

And what will happen to Shen and Zhao? They are my old favorites.

 

[raruki]

It is semi-official that CFSA is already dissolved.
The body of running Figure skating teams and events will go back to CSA(The one running the Short track and speed skating in China).

It was so ironic, the reason why CFSA was created was mainly that Shen always complained they hadn't received enough funds from the Sports authority compared to Speed skating. Therefore, she wanted to separate the body of figure skating from CSA.

However, throughout these years when CFSA existed, CFSA had only received one low-tiered sponsor, and they even didn't have a way to create more revenues to support more skaters. CFSA is a great example of how Shen and Zhen are extremely incompetent.

 

[Spun Silver]

CFSA is a great example of how Shen and Zhen are extremely incompetent.

This makes me think about a line of George Balanchine about ballet dancers (who are often considered less than brilliant intellectually) - something like, "They are fools on the earth, but they are angels above the earth." (Maybe someone can correct me if that's not right.) I used to call Shen and Zhao the king and queen of the universe. Sigh.

 

[raruki]

a new generation of skaters in any discipline who would be internationally competitive.

We still have some promising skaters who can be internationally competitive for the next Olympic cycle.

For the single skating, We have Xiangyi An(15 years old) who is eligible for the next Olympic cycle. Xiangyi An is such a lovely skater who has great musicality and good skating skills. We also have Yihan Wang(11 years old) who can jump 5 different triples with a 2A+3T, but she might not be eligible because of the New ISU rules. For the boys, we have Tonghe Tian(13 years old)， another lovely skater who has good musicality as well.

Ice dance is probably the next discipline that can bring us surprises for the next Olympic cycle. Tong Liu(14 years old) and Quanshuo Ge(16 years old) have plenty of potential, especially the boy(his skating skills are just TOO DIVINE). They should be sent to Montreal or any other famous Ice dance camps ASAP! Chinese sports authority, plz don’t waste their talents.

 

[Spun Silver]

@raruki So then is failure to get sponsors your main criticism of Shen and Zhao? I know people here were terribly upset with them over the pair splits over 4 years ago. It had decent results for P/J. I guess we will never know what Yu could have been.

I will make a point of following those names! Too bad about Yihan Wang but hopefully we will see her on the JGP soon. What about young pairs?

 

[raruki]

deleted

 

[raruki]

@raruki So then is failure to get sponsors your main criticism of Shen and Zhao？

Nope, there is only and minor one of the criticisms. Wanna know more about How Shen and Zhao are evil and incompetent, go check any Chinese skating forums, or I could put all those shitty things they have done in a chronological pattern if you like.

As for the pairs, We are officially done if Sui/Han and Peng/Jin are retired，even though I do like one of the junior teams, Siyang Zhang and Yongchao Yang. The girl Zhang is a star and she has good skating skills and presentation skills. But they would probably be spilt up because Zhang doesn't have consistent solo jumps. And I also heard that they gonna hold a training camp after Olympics to spilt up all the remaining pairs again and rematch them to form some new pairs.

 

[Karen-W]

Nope, there is only and minor one of the criticisms. Wanna know more about How Shen and Zhao are evil and incompetent, go check any Chinese skating forums, or I could put all those shitty things they have done in a chronological pattern if you like.

As for the pairs, We are officially done if Sui/Han and Peng/Jin are retired，even though I do like one of the junior teams, Siyang Zhang and Yongchao Yang. The girl Zhang is a star and she has good skating skills and presentation skills. But they would probably be spilt up because Zhang doesn't have consistent solo jumps. And I also heard that they gonna hold a training camp after Olympics to spilt up all the remaining pairs again and rematch them to form some new pairs.

Do you think Peng/Jin are going to retire? They're still fairly young and could have another quad in them if their injuries aren't too much to overcome.

 

[raruki]

Do you think Peng/Jin are going to retire? They're still fairly young and could have another quad in them if their injuries aren't too much to overcome.

they said that this was the last season they competed at the beginning of the season. But retirement is not an easy thing in China, you need to be approved by the authority.

 

[Karen-W]

they said that this was the last season they competed at the beginning of the season. But retirement is not an easy thing in China, you need to be approved by the authority.

Wow! Well, I can understand if they want to retire. They've had an awful time of it the past few years with the lack of support and investment.

 

[raruki]

Wow! Well, I can understand if they want to retire. They've had an awful time of it the past few years with the lack of support and investment.

Quite opposite, Shen and Zhao quite like them and bring them some money, advertisements and investments from that sponsor(that cheap and low-tiered sponsor I have mentioned above, but this is something Shen and Zhao are only capable to do)

 

[livetoskate]

Quite opposite, Shen and Zhao quite like them and bring them some money, advertisements and investments from that sponsor(that cheap and low-tiered sponsor I have mentioned above, but this is something Shen and Zhao are only capable to do)

Thanks for the news on what's going on. With all the success Sui/Han have had, you'd think they would've gotten lots of sponsors. Even Vincent Zhou was able to get a Chinese company to sponsor him for a little while. I recall rumors that Shen/Zhao were treating Han Yan unfairly too.

 

[Spun Silver]

@raruki I would be really grateful if you could list all the things Shen and Zhao have done to Chinese skating, if you have time. No rush obviously!! I think a lot of people here would appreciate it if you could do that. I am afraid I would be lost in a Chinese skating forum.

I cant help hoping Peng and Jin don't retire. It would be nice for them to be China's no. 1 team. (I can't help thinking Sui and Han deserve to retire!)

 

[pachelbel]

The same idiots who would have us call quads and triple axels "Ultra-C" elements?

Though I will agree that the Super Slam thing is just a bunch of fans who prop up shit that no actual skaters care about, the Ultra-C element term has a fun history. Back in the day for gymnastics, pre-1976 or so, the max score an element could get was a C. To differentiate the skills that were supremely more difficult but not valued as such, the term Ultra-C was invented in the USSR to highlight those special skills (at the time and throughout the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, the Soviets loved going beyond the required stuff to showcase their dominance). I guess it stuck around since then to use for skills with difficulty that are out of the ordinary in both sports.

 

[Karen-W]

Though I will agree that the Super Slam thing is just a bunch of fans who prop up shit that no actual skaters care about, the Ultra-C element term has a fun history. Back in the day for gymnastics, pre-1976 or so, the max score an element could get was a C. To differentiate the skills that were supremely more difficult but not valued as such, the term Ultra-C was invented in the USSR to highlight those special skills. I guess it stuck around since then to use for skills with difficulty that are out of the ordinary.

Yeah, from another sport. Just like the whole "Super Slam" thing is from another sport. Ultra-C isn't a term used in the rest of the skating world.

 

[pachelbel]

Yeah, from another sport. Just like the whole "Super Slam" thing is from another sport. Ultra-C isn't a term used in the rest of the skating world.

Cool. Didn't say it was a term used out of Russia.

As opposed to the Super Slam which is a term I have literally never heard come out of the mouths of skaters and just the crazy super fans (ahem, Fanyu) who want to showcase their supposed superiority, the Ultra-C term has definitely been used by Russian skaters both competing and retired. I just thought it'd be a fun thing to point out.