Chinese skating news & social media updates pt. 5, 2023 onwards

[Samurina]

There's no way their jumps and skating skills can be improved over a summer. They only started skating in their teens and are a living breathing answer to those "I'm 14, is it too late to make it to the olympics if I start now..." questions. They've been doing the same SBS (2S, 2T-1A-1A) for three seasons now, don't expect to see much improvement in this area. They struggle with SBS 2F and I wouldn't expect them to ever get a 2A.

Re: Zhang/Jia, no deets but I don't expect to see them at COC

i disagree. adam rippon started at 11 and did quad lutz. i think double axel is manageable within a summer (where they're training 60 hours a week at a camp with Eteri/Maxim T/Tamara/Nina M/Pavel S or someone of that quality)

 

[Jammers]

i disagree. adam rippon started at 11 and did quad lutz. i think double axel is manageable within a summer (where they're training 60 hours a week at a camp with Eteri/Maxim T/Tamara/Nina M/Pavel S or someone of that quality)

Adam tried quad lutzes but never really landed any of them cleanly.

 

[Samurina]

Adam tried quad lutzes but never really landed any of them cleanly.

yall r so negative. there r so many examples what ab josefin taljegard or natasha mcaky, its not like they came from great rinks and they managed to LEARN triples in their 20s and for natasha a double axel at 18. i think its def possible for Yang/Deng if CSFA invests in them

 

[On My Own]

I think, tbf, they don't need to do too much. Yang/Deng need a 2F (or 2Lo), and a 2S+2T+2T, which would boost them quite a bit. Don't know if it'll happen within the next 1.5 seasons, but I suppose they're young so will stick around till 2030. I do really like their presentation, and they seem to like each other. And I said a long time back their acrobatic training could be used creatively - and it might come in handy for some of those lift levels.

 

[otisgear]

Lol, I don't expect Yang/Deng to stick around till 2030. Unless there's a major shift in their ambitions, they most probably wouldn't even stick around for next season. Heck, if they hadn't bombed at the Champions competition last season they probably would've been done competing by now. They just want/need their direct university entry ticket (imo, they deserve it) so what matters to them is placing top 3 at Nationals or the Champions competition this season or top 6 at Asian Winter Games. Anything else is really nothing but a 'I was here' kinda experience. I can see them scooting the moment they get that direct entry ticket, and I don't blame them.

 

[On My Own]

You're tearing Chinese Figure Skating apart, Otis!

 

[Samurina]

Lol, I don't expect Yang/Deng to stick around till 2030. Unless there's a major shift in their ambitions, they most probably wouldn't even stick around for next season. Heck, if they hadn't bombed at the Champions competition last season they probably would've been done competing by now. They just want/need their direct university entry ticket (imo, they deserve it) so what matters to them is placing top 3 at Nationals or the Champions competition this season or top 6 at Asian Winter Games. Anything else is really nothing but a 'I was here' kinda experience. I can see them scooting the moment they get that direct entry ticket, and I don't blame them.

o damn i didn't know that. well then kudos to them cuz i think one of those things prob will happen.

 

[Samurina]

well then for olympic team doesn't it secure Zhang/Huang's spot barring they do well at nebelhorn (theyd qualify imo)

 

[Karen-W]

well then for olympic team doesn't it secure Zhang/Huang's spot barring they do well at nebelhorn (theyd qualify imo)

Just a heads up - the Olympic qualifying competition next year won't be Nebelhorn - it's going to be a separate event, just for the Oly qualifying.

 

[Gris]

Haven’t watched skating in a while and I’m watching Wuxi RD live from the stands now. Wow the kids have all grown up! All Chinese dancers look much improved and more mature compared to the last time I saw them ?

 

[On My Own]

Haven’t watched skating in a while and I’m watching Wuxi RD live from the stands now. Wow the kids have all grown up! All Chinese dancers look much improved and more mature compared to the last time I saw them ?

Gris!!! Hello ?

 

[Sylvia]

Haven’t watched skating in a while and I’m watching Wuxi RD live from the stands now. Wow the kids have all grown up! All Chinese dancers look much improved and more mature compared to the last time I saw them ?

Glad you're there - are tickets relatively cheap?

Just saw Chelsea Liu (eta: 刘家希 LIU Jiaxi) with the TPE ice dance team in Wuxi.

 

[Gris]

Glad you're there - are tickets relatively cheap?

The best seats are pricey but this venue is quite small so I still get a good view with a cheaper seat.

 

[Sylvia]

@Gris I would be interested to hear what you think about each of the 3 Chinese boys in the SP.

 

[On My Own]

Waiiiit a minute. Is Qihan that boy? @crzesk8dad

 

[On My Own]

Ruiyang's positioning, presentation, and basic skating are so good for his age.

 

[Sylvia]

Waiiiit a minute. Is Qihan that boy?

Yes, also called “Jayden” and coached by Sean Rabbitt in Irvine, CA when he’s in the USA.

 

[Gris]

@Gris I would be interested to hear what you think about each of the 3 Chinese boys in the SP.

I think they all did well!

Ruiyang: His gliding is very nice for a 13-year-old and the music didn’t feel overpowering for him either. His father Min Zhang was quite a jumper back in the day - hopefully he gets that knack too.

Qihan: Jumps are kinda messy but his body movement looks very assured now and he seems willing to express himself too. (He was giving a big smile to my section right before the stumble during the steps, oops)

Tonghe: I’m not sure about the idea behind this program (this is my first time seeing it), but he is committed to the theme throughout the program and the way he moves is controlled and polished.

 

[On My Own]

Can we talk about Hong Kong skaters here? If so, Li Jiarui is also 13, and he's even better than Ruiyang in the qualities I mentioned!

 

[Sylvia]

I think they all did well!

Ruiyang: His gliding is very nice for a 13-year-old and the music didn’t feel overpowering for him either. His father Min Zhang was quite a jumper back in the day - hopefully he gets that knack too.

Thanks for that tidbit - I remember Min Zhang! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Min_(figure_skater)
His 2000 4CC free skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eem7zV24jJQ

 

[Sylvia]

Can we talk about Hong Kong skaters here? If so, Li Jiarui is also 13, and he's even better than Ruiyang in the qualities I mentioned!

He trains in Beijing so why not? His 5th place SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noPAZLdYNdU

 

[On My Own]

Zhang Min and Li Chengjiang were the skaters who held the gold standard for quads, IMO, until the recent craze began with Jin. I'll give it to Chinese quadsters for always doing those well.

 

[Sylvia]

Ruiyang's positioning, presentation, and basic skating are so good for his age.

Min Zhang's son's SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oLdRp4hYew

 

[crzesk8dad]

Waiiiit a minute. Is Qihan that boy? @crzesk8dad

Yup, that's Jayden. Not his best skate today. Tomorrow is another day....

 

[kwanfan1818]

Ruiyang: His gliding is very nice for a 13-year-old and the music didn’t feel overpowering for him either. His father Min Zhang was quite a jumper back in the day - hopefully he gets that knack too.

I didn’t know Min Zhang had a skating son. Zhang was terrific, very musical, and he was the handsomest dude in skating at that time, IMO.

 

[On My Own]

Jin Shuxian was there? She and Wang Yihan both did well.

 

[On My Own]

Aw, Qihan was so happy

 

[On My Own]

OK, Tian Tonghe needs to be more invested into, he skates with good energy and nice presentation for his age.

ETA: What's the JGPF table looking like? It would be amazing if China sent skaters to three disciplines, since Yihan has a gold from before!

ETA2: OK, apparently he's the second alt? IDK, didn't keep up with the JGPF outside of China/parts of Korea, but didn't directly qualify. Still a huge accomplishment for him, think he's the first since Jin to medal at both his JGP assignments?

 

[On My Own]

Yihan medals - and makes the JGPF!

 

[Gris]

I was there for Saturday's comp too - the crowd was super hyped for the girls!

Xinai & Hanchong: The FD music feels a bit too muted for them and from the voiceover it seems that they're interpreting an abstract concept (?). Think I like their RD more. Still, they did a great job in their international debut!

Shanjie & Shirui: Love this FD for them. The choreography gives them a lot of room to perform and their movements are sharp and dramatic enough to match the intensity.

Xinyi & Tianyi: They've matured so much. Nemesis is a difficult piece to skate to yet I saw lots of confidence in their performance. Their movements also look a lot more purposeful than before - not "my choreographer told me to do this" anymore.

Shiqi: Such great presence on the ice. She's tiny but everything she does feels big and I think this is what makes her stand out. I hope I'll see her skate to more epic orchestral music, ha.

Shuxian: What an awesome debut! Her jump landings look soft and secure. Performance can use a bit of work but she has plenty of time for that.

Yihan: The theme and the package as a whole suit her so well and I like the angular movements in her program a lot. Good luck in the JGPF!