The Skating Lesson

[skatfan]

Newsflash: If you dump Grassl with his 523 points, the next-highest skater was Kao Miura with 519 points. Your logic puts Grassl right back in the Final.

And how lucky for Adam to qualify with 499 points and have his spot safe because he was one of the top-five you speak of.

 

[skatfan]

Well, I was going on what I thought I heard Meagan say were the numbers. I guess I either misheard or she was wrong.

And really, your tone gets tiresome.

 

[tony]

Well I think one could have each field fill 5 of the spots the way that they currently are, then have one spot reserved for the remaining skater with the highest point total. It could help to even out the discrepancies the fields. I know you’ll hate it but too bad.

Yup, my tone is so tiresome!

Anyways, it still sticks that the plan you are relaying either: gives Grassl his spot anyways or would ignore him (as next-highest scorer) for whatever reason to give someone else, who finished 6th in an event he completed bombed, the last spot.

 

[skatfan]

Anyways, it still sticks that the plan you are relaying either: gives Grassl his spot anyways or would ignore him (as next-highest scorer) for whatever reason to give someone else, who finished 6th in an event he completed bombed, the last spot.

I agreed in my last post that apparently the numbers I thought were in play are not.

 

[Karen-W]

How about we talk about how, going off of points totals the 2nd & 3rd Alts Chaeyeon Kim & Rion Sumiyoshi had more points than Wakaba Higuchi, Hana Yoshida & Rino Matsuike, as well as more points than the 1st Alt Rinka Watanabe?

 

[Sylvia]

How appropriate that Jonathan Beyer was on the GPF/Grenoble podcacst that was uploaded yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pja7Z7V87Uo

 

[kosjenka]

How appropriate that Jonathan Beyer was on the GPF/Grenoble podcacst that was uploaded yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pja7Z7V87Uo

and according to Jonathan, I should be hired by ISU to record skaters for their events.

career move in the making!

 

[On My Own]

I also was glad she noted that Grassl qualified for the GPF in weak fields with 4-5 skaters having higher point totals. That does need to be fixed.

I've always wondered if using WS or some other characteristic of the skaters in some way to fill up the final qualifying table would be better. If you beat a WC/OC at the grand prix, you should be getting more points. If you beat several higher seeded skaters at the event, you should be getting more points. That might take a rework of the entire system though.

 

[On My Own]

https://www.reddit.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/1j469l3/david_lease_the_skating_lesson_is_awful/

I have to wonder why it is that so many skaters flock to this man for an opportunity that their faces are on a youtube page.

Rhetorical, by the way. I don't care.

 

[Loves_Shizuka]

Looks like DL has deleted TSL stuff (for now?)

https://www.reddit.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/1j529dp/david_lease_has_deleted_all_social_media/

 

[Amy L]

It's always the context that's a problem, right? He just insulted dead kids a little bit while intending to chastise the USFSA for stringing along untalented children and their families and getting them killed. Is that in context enough Dave?

 

[On My Own]

If he really is getting consequences, then good. It's been a long time coming.

I don't see him much different from Trump. Vile person who did some things people thought were "good", so they ignored the vileness, and even contributed to his bs. I hope even if he's back nobody gives him any info or goes to the show. Let it die.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

It's always the context that's a problem, right? He just insulted dead kids a little bit while intending to chastise the USFSA for stringing along untalented children and their families and getting them killed. Is that in context enough Dave?

Oh dear I’m glad I’m not clicking on any of the links or watching any of his stuff.

 

[marshallpond]

I sat down with both Eddie Zhou and Franco the night before they died at the hotpot resto, and I asked them specifically: is your goal to be part of Team USA? And both of them were like "no, no, no ... we are not that good." I know Eddie's parents well, and they'd be the first to tell you that they have no ambition that Eddie get to be Team USA -- all they do is to support what their son enjoys, and at that point it was skating but they feel that when college rolls by, he'd focus on college. So sad they never got to reach that point.

As Drew Meekins said, these kids simply love skating, and they are willing to work hard at it.

And parents are willing to spend money to support what their kids love, not necessarily because they think their kid is God's gift to figure skating (though I am sure there are those)

DL did such a good job doing the skater tributes, but it's so disgusting that his main thought was that some of them were not good enough

 

[Karen-W]

DL did such a good job doing the skater tributes, but it's so disgusting that his main thought was that some of them were not good enough

It is sad. Just because a skater may not have a future as an Olympian or even at the senior level domestically doesn't mean they won't remain in the sport and become a brilliant choreographer or gifted coach. Or take the life lessons one gets from dedicating oneself to any sport or extracurricular activity about hard work, perseverance, getting back up when you fall, etc and make a great life for themselves.

 

[skatfan]

David has repeatedly gone offline when he's said stupid stuff only to return later. I'm guessing he's back behind the Patreon wall for now. I can't imagine that he'll not want to have his comments about the upcoming worlds and how dance is so terrible these days out for us unwashed folks to see.

 

[Yehudi]

Is this the first time USFSA has been compelled to respond?

U.S. Figure Skating on Instagram

28K likes, 650 comments - usfigureskating on March 6, 2025

www.instagram.com

 

[Karen-W]

David has repeatedly gone offline when he's said stupid stuff only to return later. I'm guessing he's back behind the Patreon wall for now. I can't imagine that he'll not want to have his comments about the upcoming worlds and how dance is so terrible these days out for us unwashed folks to see.

He may not be back this time. I wouldn't put it past the USFS to slap him with a civil lawsuit that makes it impossible for him to come back in any way.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1897785985947021328

Is this the first time USFSA has been compelled to respond?

U.S. Figure Skating on Instagram

28K likes, 650 comments - usfigureskating on March 6, 2025

www.instagram.com

Just saw the same statement on X. I have no idea since I only started following the USFS on social media about 4 years ago & I know his history goes back much further than that.

 

[skateboy]

Might this be a matter for SafeSport?

 

[Lanie]

Dave Lease is a vile human being, this being another example of it.

I'm so glad USFS has said something.

 

[Karen-W]

Might this be a matter for SafeSport?

Doubtful. I don't even think this can prevent him from taking lessons.

 

[Wyliefan]

I didn't expect that. Good for them!

ETA: And a number of skaters have liked it. Some, including Sarah Everhardt and Christina Carreira, are sharing it in their stories.

 

[misskarne]

Can't help but think this'll be the end this time. The fact that USFS smacked him hard, publicly, is going to be hard to recover from. And this isn't some gross opinion on a skater that people can find some way to justify; this is a comment that is universally disgusting.

 

[Amy L]

I didn't expect that. Good for them!

ETA: And a number of skaters have liked it.

Isabella Aparicio reposted it to her insta. It's tragic that the families had to hear about his comments. He probably thought he was safe behind a pay wall but how far gone do you have to be to come up with that stuff in the first place? I don't know if it's trying to be edgy, a symptom of being chronically online or what, but even people who like him enough to pay him are going to take umbrage to a guy talking about "untalented" kids who died to score points trashing the USFSA.

 

[Andora]

I didn't expect that. Good for them!

ETA: And a number of skaters have liked it. Some, including Sarah Everhardt and Christina Carreira, are sharing it in their stories.

Romain Haguenauer shared it on his IG stories, as well.

 

[Tinycities]

I’m glad USFS said something, but I'm also not surprised. Dave was clearly no friend to USFS with his recent attention to what was happening in Colorado Springs, now and in the past.

 

[Cherub721]

He may not be back this time. I wouldn't put it past the USFS to slap him with a civil lawsuit that makes it impossible for him to come back in any way.

That's an interesting thought. They couldn't literally stop him from speaking via lawsuit, but suing for damages could drive him out. I wish we had more context or a transcript. Most of this can be argued as opinion, but when he said the skaters were "taken advantage of" that's skirting defamation.

 

[Rukia]

well well well if it isn't the consequences of one's actions

 

[Amy L]

That's an interesting thought. They couldn't literally stop him from speaking via lawsuit, but suing for damages could drive him out. I wish we had more context or a transcript. Most of this can be argued as opinion, but when he said the skaters were "taken advantage of" that's skirting defamation.

There's an audio clip on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/1j469l3/david_lease_the_skating_lesson_is_awful/?share_id=rS0BxkIDp3kmiJP7JgYhf&utm_content=2&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1

 

[caseyedwards]

Romain Haguenauer shared it on his IG stories, as well.

He’s just angry because he was called a part of the Costco of skating! Lol classic