U.S. Women [#7]: Make Me a Believer!
- Thread starter Vagabond
- Start date
- Messages
- 50,044
God damn, have you ever read the PBP threads and the long after-analyses?
Everything gets analyzed here, from hair bling to skate brand to edge calls. Marketing is a huge part of every major sport and skating in Oly years is really important to networks that pay gazillions for rights. I’m always interested in that aspect because I spent 40 years in PR - political advocacy not marketing, but I know how the sausage is made.
Go eat something nice to help with that grumpy feeling.
Everything gets analyzed here, from hair bling to skate brand to edge calls. Marketing is a huge part of every major sport and skating in Oly years is really important to networks that pay gazillions for rights. I’m always interested in that aspect because I spent 40 years in PR - political advocacy not marketing, but I know how the sausage is made.
Go eat something nice to help with that grumpy feeling.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
Coco
Rotating while Russian!
- Messages
- 19,243
It's because we want more people to watch.
So the actual sport is too boring to watch, because the skating is too boring without cute marketing?
I think it makes perfect sense people don't watch skating, and no marketing will change it
IDK. I doubt I'm offbase here that audience in other individual niche sports discuss who is so very famous and popular and how people can watch those sports more. Not to the extent in skating anyway. And in skating it was deeply irritating with fanyus, and I don't see how it's any better in the opposite direction.
- Messages
- 50,044
Some of us watched skating for years and hung out here without ever being annoyed by or noticing fanyus. I was even on skating Twitter back then. Literally had no impact whatsoever.So the actual sport is too boring to watch, because the skating is too boring without cute marketing?
I think it makes perfect sense people don't watch skating, and no marketing will change it
IDK. I doubt I'm offbase here that audience in other individual niche sports discuss who is so very famous and popular and how people can watch those sports more. Not to the extent in skating anyway. And in skating it was deeply irritating with fanyus, and I don't see how it's any better in the opposite direction.
jägerbomb
Active Member
- Messages
- 56
Unfortunately, Thorngren needed to switch coaches at least six years ago to have any chance. Her jump technique is awful and extremely flawed. It's sad because her choreography last season was sublime.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
I’ve always wondered who is her coach, was she a figure skater. I guess I should go google her before Karen gets up my @ss.
Julia Lautowa was a great skater. She had one of the stand-out performances at 1997 Worlds, at 15, and finished in the top 10. She was looked to as a future champion as that season went on, also having great skates in the Grand Prix earlier that year (2nd at Cup of Russia).
She dealt with injuries and wild inconsistency throughout her career, as well, but now has a daughter who is already showing success on the junior level nationally, at the age of 12.
Here's a memorable Lautowa clip from 2003 Worlds, as she fell on her final position and laughed it off wonderfully.
Julia Lautowa 2003 LP World Championships
Spectacular choreography, good speed and some good jumps. The ending is the best part!
www.youtube.com
Here's her 1997 Worlds free skate, which was a hand-me-down of Butyrskaya's 1993 long program with a lot of the same choreography.
Julia Lautowa (AUT) - 1997 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate
Lausanne, SWITZERLAND - 1997 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate - Julia Lautowa of Austria placed 6th in the Free Skate and ended moving ...
www.youtube.com
Anyways, Thorngren isn't going anywhere unless she goes back to complete basics on the jumps. The programs are good (the short is an absolute standout and makes me want Bezic back full-time), but the way she jumps straight up and down for starters on the second triple in her combo, she has no chance at rotating it. The rest of her jumps get tentative and she's already under the microscope for < or even <<. That won't be fixed because she has a 'good day'.
Karen-W
YMCA is such a catchy tune!
- Messages
- 51,381
@tony beat me to it, @AngieNikodinovLove (ANL), but I just want to chime in that I quite liked Lautowa when she competed. Injuries certainly hindered her from being as successful as she could have been.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
I was totally glued to figure skating then as well, but I don’t remember her …she skated for Switzerland? OK soon as I have a moment, I will watch those videos.
Austria
jägerbomb
Active Member
- Messages
- 56
She only had a narrow window in 96-97 where she placed high enough to make it to the American television broadcasts, so that's understandable. I liked her skating fine, but falling on her ass at 2003 Worlds is probably her most noteworthy moment, which should tell you everything you need to know.
Yes, the jumping technique badly needs an overhaul. I think I remember TSL (pre-meltdown) mentioning they were working on that. Honestly, I think she shouldn't even attempt a triple-triple next season and focus on her technique and rotating each jump. She'd struggle in the SP but wouldn't be at a points disadvantage in the LP with axel sequences.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
She skated in the Nikodinov era?
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
Oh wow, that was an ending…… I don’t know her as a figure skater, I’ll watch all the rest of these now. I hope this is not the derailing the thread.
DreamSkates
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,531
Marketing brings more customers and thus, bills are paid and profits made. Cha Ching!
YukiNieve
Stay Healthy Everyone!
- Messages
- 2,419
The 4th Annual AAI Gold House Gala was held, and I super impressed by how beautiful Alysa is. She is charming and also looks so classy.
Alysa Liu attends the Gold House 4th Annual Gold Gala at The Music...
Alysa Liu attends the Gold House 4th Annual Gold Gala at The Music Center on May 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
www.gettyimages.com
sk9tingfan
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 9,909
Another Alysa Liu article migrating to the financial channels.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
I don’t know where to ask this, but since involves three of the US women, I’ll put it here. It looks like they’ve chosen all three of the US women, Amber, Alysa and Isabeau, and then Ilia and Madison and Evan to do are they the promotions they’re filming for the Olympics? There on amber stories the last couple of days. Is that what they’re doing is NBC starting to film Olympics promos?
I think these are separate from the stars on ice videos.
I think these are separate from the stars on ice videos.
TanithandBenFan
Author of the Ice and Edge Series
- Messages
- 9,913
Yeah they’re filming Olympic promos. The Shibs are there today. No comment….
Karen-W
YMCA is such a catchy tune!
- Messages
- 51,381
This entire week NBC has been doing the promo shoots for a variety of Winter Olympic sports. Today the Shibs are there. I'm not sure if any other figure skaters will be cycled through the shoot or how long it's scheduled to last. If you follow Team USA on IG, then you'll have seen lots of footage & photos from the biggest names in most of the winter sports - Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Chloe Kim, etc - already.
Yes. After the SOI Anaheim show, Alysa, Isabeau, Amber, Ilia, and C&B all spent the day in L.A. working on the promos, and they all posted pics and vids in their IG Stories. Some of it is Italy specific (fluff like having Isabeau speaking to nonnas in Italian and having the skaters each make their own charcuterie plates). But, even though this is preparation for Olympics coverage, NBC probably can use some of it for other things like Nationals or Skate America broadcasts. It makes sense to record this stuff now even though they can't know for sure who will be on the team. I don't think the athletes are going to want to travel to L.A. to do this stuff just a few weeks before the Olympics.
I know that they are doing this with athletes other than skaters, but it's nice to know that they plan on promoting skating. They even have Ilia's image plastered on a bus. The set they built for the skaters is quite elaborate. I hope this means that they will be showing a lot of skating.
Alysa had posted a cute clip of her talking about how hard it was to pose in a Bielman position with one skate and one sneaker, but it's gone.
Amber had posted a ton of pics and vids of all the skaters in her IG stories, but they have disappeared by now. She does have two posts with clips up:
Team USA on Instagram: "You asked, @amberglenniceskater answered. #WinterOlympics"
1,615 likes, 16 comments - teamusa on May 20, 2025: "You asked, @amberglenniceskater answered. #WinterOlympics".
www.instagram.com
Team USA on Instagram: "Sorry @amberglenniceskater 😂 #WinterOlympics"
2,148 likes, 18 comments - teamusa on May 20, 2025: "Sorry @amberglenniceskater 😂 #WinterOlympics".
www.instagram.com
And Isabeau and Madi have posted some behind the scenes photos of the six skaters that people still can see:
Isabeau Levito on Instagram: "bts 📸"
6,769 likes, 45 comments - isabeau.levito on May 20, 2025: "bts 📸".
www.instagram.com
Madison Chock on Instagram: "Clocking in at the Universal Shoot with @teamusa 🇺🇸 @nbcolympics"
2,566 likes, 29 comments - madisonchock on May 20, 2025: "Clocking in at the Universal Shoot with @teamusa 🇺🇸 @nbcolympics".
www.instagram.com
Madison Chock on Instagram: "Cookin with the Nonnas 🇮🇹🍨🧀🥖 I now have a degree in charcuterie 👩🏻🍳 @nbcolympics @teamusa"
1,760 likes, 15 comments - madisonchock on May 21, 2025: "Cookin with the Nonnas 🇮🇹🍨🧀🥖 I now have a degree in charcuterie 👩🏻🍳 @nbcolympics @teamusa".
www.instagram.com
Last edited:
ice coverage
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 831
Yes, love Ilia's image on the bus. Especially pertinent to this thread, figure skating's importance to NBC also is exemplified by Alysa's magnified image on the exterior of the building, ICYMI.
ETA:
#lookitsmeuponthatbuilding is Alysa's hashtag in her new post from May 23.
(The real ice on set is for other applicable sports as well as figure skating.)
Today is scheduled to be the last day of the shoot.
Last edited:
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
Yes. After the SOI Anaheim show, Alysa, Isabeau, Amber, Ilia, and C&B all spent the day in L.A. working on the promos, and they all posted pics and vids in their IG Stories. Some of it is Italy specific (fluff like having Isabeau speaking to nonnas in Italian and having the skaters each make their own charcuterie plates). But, even though this is preparation for Olympics coverage, NBC probably can use some of it for other things like Nationals or Skate America broadcasts. It makes sense to record this stuff now even though they can't know for sure who will be on the team. I don't think the athletes are going to want to travel to L.A. to do this stuff just a few weeks before the Olympics.
I know that they are doing this with athletes other than skaters, but it's nice to know that they plan on promoting skating. They even have Ilia's image plastered on a bus. The set they built for the skaters is quite elaborate. I hope this means that they will be showing a lot of skating.
Alysa had posted a cute clip of her talking about how hard it was to pose in a Bielman position with one skate and one sneaker, but it's gone.
Amber had posted a ton of pics and vids of all the skaters in her IG stories, but they have disappeared by now. She does have two posts with clips up:
Team USA on Instagram: "You asked, @amberglenniceskater answered. #WinterOlympics"
1,615 likes, 16 comments - teamusa on May 20, 2025: "You asked, @amberglenniceskater answered. #WinterOlympics".Team USA on Instagram: "Sorry @amberglenniceskater 😂 #WinterOlympics"
2,148 likes, 18 comments - teamusa on May 20, 2025: "Sorry @amberglenniceskater 😂 #WinterOlympics".
And Isabeau and Madi have posted some behind the scenes photos of the six skaters that people still can see:
Isabeau Levito on Instagram: "bts 📸"
6,769 likes, 45 comments - isabeau.levito on May 20, 2025: "bts 📸".Madison Chock on Instagram: "Clocking in at the Universal Shoot with @teamusa 🇺🇸 @nbcolympics"
2,566 likes, 29 comments - madisonchock on May 20, 2025: "Clocking in at the Universal Shoot with @teamusa 🇺🇸 @nbcolympics".Madison Chock on Instagram: "Cookin with the Nonnas 🇮🇹🍨🧀🥖 I now have a degree in charcuterie 👩🏻🍳 @nbcolympics @teamusa"
1,760 likes, 15 comments - madisonchock on May 21, 2025: "Cookin with the Nonnas 🇮🇹🍨🧀🥖 I now have a degree in charcuterie 👩🏻🍳 @nbcolympics @teamusa".
Oh they are doing this in LA? Does anybody know what studio? Maybe I’ll try and find out.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
They’re filming at the universal lot, my friend is the universal CFO. I wonder if he can get me in.
They are no longer in L.A.. They have SOI shows on the east coast.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
I don’t know why when I saw Amber stories I actually thought they were doing that in Milan, I know better than that.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Get it Amber 😝
- Messages
- 16,275
Amber’s recent story says flight delayed six hours, then flight canceled, sorry Hershey. It can’t be because of weather. I wonder what happened..
Oh wait a second does the East Coast have Weather?
Oh wait a second does the East Coast have Weather?
