USFS ISP Points Challenge- Sep and Oct 2020

[Willin]

Starr looked really strong compared to previous years - a lot faster and higher jumps. While all of the skaters looked quite obviously out of shape compared to previous years due to the rink shut downs, Starr seemed the opposite. All seemed to have strong programs, though Bradie's SP music is quite a choice.

For all complaining about the production values, what were you expecting? NBC to bring a full camera crew to at least a dozen rinks during COVID?

 

[bladesofgorey]

agree, even though Starr's landing were shaky on a lot of the jumps it seemed almost like she didn't know her own power suddenly- her speed and jumps look 100% stronger than in the past and I found her skating really compelling in a way I haven't before.

 

[alchemy void]

For all complaining about the production values, what were you expecting? NBC to bring a full camera crew to at least a dozen rinks during *********?

Obviously not. But several of the videos were inferior to what you'd get from a $100 cell phone. And setting aside the video problems, @Theoreticalgirl pointed out the basic accessibility issues, some of which any intern could have remedied (adding simple graphics and voiceovers to identify skaters, for one).

No one here is needlessly bitching about it, although I guess I might be venturing into that territory. The bottom line is, there isn't really any excuse for these very basic callouts to be happening in 2020.

 

[CarolineBingley]

Tennell's Music
SP - "Moderation" by Florence + The Machine

FP - "Sarajevo" by Max Richter
"Dawn of Faith" by Eternal Eclipse

(There might be one or two more songs in the FP but those are the first (?) and last ones.)

Thank you!

 

[misskarne]

For all complaining about the production values, what were you expecting? NBC to bring a full camera crew to at least a dozen rinks during *********?

I'm wondering if the people saying stuff like this are deliberately not reading correctly?!

It's not about the video quality. Nobody's saying it should have been NBC cameras etc. It's about how USFS presented it. It is really, really not that hard to assemble video clips into a long video, throw on a few bottom straps with skater name/club/music, insert a few still screens with the skater's score and the standings between clips, and voila. That was all they had to do!

Then set a time and date for the release, amp it up on twitter/insta/facebook, and bada-bing bada-bip, you've got all your skating fans who are starving for content ready to watch it on your site.

The point is, from both the video standpoint and the PR standpoint, this was a huge gimme for USFS. They had an opportunity served up to them on a silver platter and they still managed to screw it up.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Malinin's quads are looking great, but his mom really needs to work on his spins and body lines - those have not improved from last season.

Dinh seems like a nice kid, but man, those camel positions are just ... Yikes. If he started skating as a kid then I wonder why the coaches weren't able to improve some of his positions through stretching, etc.

I don't care for Cain & Ludec LP. I don't think their skating is good enough to do justice to that music, and they always seem to be trying to be something on the ice that they're not. Besides, it's hard to forget the brilliant performance to Rach from Artur & Natalia at the 94 Olympic.

I was disappointed with Bell's ABBA program. I was expecting a feeling of fun and abandonment during the fast music sections, but they weren't there. There was nothing memorable about the choreography - Shae-Lynn came up with that ? The music transition into WTIA and TYFTM was very abrupt. The long setup into her triples were disruptive during the fast sections of the program.

Bell should NOT be using that music.

 

[Frau Muller]

...
For all complaining about the production values, what were you expecting? NBC to bring a full camera crew to at least a dozen rinks during *********?

Uh, no. Maybe the use of the zoom button on the camera? A few of the vids were done perfectly well, such as Mariah Bell’s. Whoever filmed her (Raf?) should teach the others through a 2-minute tutorial, posted online.

Additionally, I would have added a quick list of the names (skating order) at the start...just as they had a quick list of results at the end. Nothing fancy-schmanzy.

 

[Frau Muller]

agree, even though Starr's landing were shaky on a lot of the jumps it seemed almost like she didn't know her own power suddenly- her speed and jumps look 100% stronger than in the past and I found her skating really compelling in a way I haven't before.

Exactly my thought, despite Starr’s few stumbles. And that styling - the high hair bun and sleek unitard with long sleeves - is a GREAT look for her. Simple. Perfect. Just film her with zoom next time.

 

[jlai]

I'm wondering if the people saying stuff like this are deliberately not reading correctly?!

It's not about the video quality. Nobody's saying it should have been NBC cameras etc. It's about how USFS presented it. It is really, really not that hard to assemble video clips into a long video, throw on a few bottom straps with skater name/club/music, insert a few still screens with the skater's score and the standings between clips, and voila. That was all they had to do!

Then set a time and date for the release, amp it up on twitter/insta/facebook, and bada-bing bada-bip, you've got all your skating fans who are starving for content ready to watch it on your site.

The point is, from both the video standpoint and the PR standpoint, this was a huge gimme for USFS. They had an opportunity served up to them on a silver platter and they still managed to screw it up.

I get that fans want things to be pretty but having worked in a similar environment, I will tell you this is not what they will focus on. This won’t bring them revenue or draw new fans. They should focus on revenue streams.
In a workplace where everyone works from home, things are a lot more uncoordinated too esp for a nonprofit. And everyone I encounter, whether I t is university or government is following a flawed workflow because of this scattered nature

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

It's not about the video quality. Nobody's saying it should have been NBC cameras etc. It's about how USFS presented it.

All I needed was for anyone (and I do mean anyone) to add in the name of the skater when each clip started.... Otherwise I need @Sylvia to tell me who each skater is.

I thought 2 other people were Bradie Tennell, and I still cant identify over half the pairs skaters.

 

[haribobo]

Nikodinovfan- Here you go, study up:

2020-21 Figure Skating Roster - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

The official 2020-21 Figure Skating Roster for the U.S. Figure Skating Association

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

I'm surprised anyone who has made over 5k posts on here can't recognize a majority of these skaters without a name tag, most who are in tons of videos all over youtube. We are talking about the top skaters in the US, not randoms we've never seen before. The laziness astounds. You don't need anyone to ID them for you, you want us to because its easier for you than learning who they are. For all the time posting the same thoughts over and over and over and over, if you took 1/10 of the time learning what skaters look like, you could be helping some other person ID the skaters instead of depending on us to spoon feed the information. Sorry if that is rude, but constantly complaining about things that aren't exactly how you like them is also rude, so it gets tiresome to see.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Sorry if that is rude, but constantly complaining about things that aren't exactly how you like them is also rude, so it gets tiresome to see.

Yes you are being rude and aggressive. If you don't like the question - don't answer it. If you don't like the content of the post that is about feeling of an individual - then pass it, or argue with the "issue" or a "subject". You can't shut up all the people whose thinking/feeling/speaking is not to your liking.

 

[bladesofgorey]

I don't want to get in the middle of this but given the quality of the videos I couldn't identify a skater I often skate on the same sessions with right away until her music became clearer so really, splicing in the name of each skater isn't too big of an ask of USFSA by any means. Doesn't anyone on staff have a TikTok teen or anything?

 

[Tinami Amori]

I think identifying each skater would be nice, especially for fans who do not follow skating on regular basis. And each score would be nice.

But we can not complain. They are providing it to us for free, we have no rights to complain about a free service.

 

[jmtfti]

I don't want to get in the middle of this but given the quality of the videos I couldn't identify a skater I often skate on the same sessions with right away until her music became clearer so really, splicing in the name of each skater isn't too big of an ask of USFSA by any means. Doesn't anyone on staff have a TikTok teen or anything?

Exactly. I'm certainly familiar with all the pairs; it didn't mean I wasn't unsure of the identities of a few couples based on poor video quality and long-distance filming (and the video buffered whenever I'd hit full-screen, though that's just as likely a problem with my own connection). Overlaying text onto image is literally one of the most basic tasks one can do in a video editing program. I'm glad USFS has made this available for free, but it would take zero effort for anyone on staff to do something as simple as introduce each skater with overlaid names at the start of each program.

But given that skaters' names were even misspelled on the results screen, maybe it is asking too much.

 

[Willin]

As far as I'm concerned this is basically a virtual version of the Champs Camp test skates that USFS deigned to share with us. My expectations were 0. I get it would be nice to have name cards, but if you went to competition central for this there was a start order list right below the video links. So, when in doubt, I simply looked at that start list and moved on with my life. I was happy we were getting it at all given that we normally don't see these test skates of a program.

My bigger beef was the overinflated numbers for the top two skaters in ladies. The rest of the skaters were judged somewhat accurately, but at least for Mariah and Bradie those scores were so heavily inflated it was nuts. Over 130 with one combo in the FS and over 60 in the SP with only one clean jumping pass for Mariah? Bradie getting over 190 total with all those mistakes? An international panel would've put both closer to the 160-170 range if that.

 

[jlai]

Back to the skaters, personally the PCS will be so hard to gauge with video, especially inconsistently recorded videos. I don't know about Bell's Abba, at least for now. But it is not as if the other female skaters set me on fire with their music choices.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

I wonder if Chen would have picked his SP song / cut if it were in English, with its lyrics at the end about liking to have a few drinks, with fire water (aguardiente) being the favorite but white tequila too. The rest of the of the song is nice but that part of the song is perhaps a bit too mature for a sport in which a segment of the audience is children.

Whilst I initially chose to overlook his use of a Spanish song because Nathan is simply divine,I find this information about the lyrics troubling. Nathan needs to be cognizant of the fact he is a role model for many impressionable American children. I certainly expect he and his team reconsiders this song choice or finds an acceptable edit without the Spanish vulgarities.

-BB

 

[Aerobicidal]

Whilst I initially chose to overlook his use of a song in Spanish because Nathan is simply divine,I find this information about the lyrics troubling. Nathan needs to be cognizant of the fact he is a role model for many impressionable American children. I certainly expect he and his team reconsiders this song choice or finds an acceptable edit without the Spanish vulgarities.

-BB

Amen. Polina Edmunds would have never subjected us to such adult content. In fact, she never would have subjected us to young adult or very very very young adult content.

Nathan Chen's immoral and profane music will doubtless turn dozens of impressionable youth who admire mariachi folk heroes into raging alcoholics.

Thank heavens his free program is not deserving of an NC-17 rating.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Nikodinovfan- Here you go, study up:

2020-21 Figure Skating Roster - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

The official 2020-21 Figure Skating Roster for the U.S. Figure Skating Association

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

I'm surprised anyone who has made over 5k posts on here can't recognize a majority of these skaters without a name tag, most who are in tons of videos all over youtube. We are talking about the top skaters in the US, not randoms we've never seen before. The laziness astounds. You don't need anyone to ID them for you, you want us to because its easier for you than learning who they are. For all the time posting the same thoughts over and over and over and over, if you took 1/10 of the time learning what skaters look like, you could be helping some other person ID the skaters instead of depending on us to spoon feed the information. Sorry if that is rude, but constantly complaining about things that aren't exactly how you like them is also rude, so it gets tiresome to see.

Holyyyyyyyyy. Lol Omgggg When was the last time you left your house? March? Honey what you need is some social activity. You haven’t left the confinement of your trailer in Months!!!

ONE thing Nikodinov fan hasn’t ever done is complain. I’m too busy drinking and ignoring miserable AND I do mean miserable peeps like you!!! Holyyyy!!

Laziness!! Lol I’m up at 4 am and home at 9 pm. Sat and sun working too. Unlike you and your hours of free time I don’t even have a smidge of time to watch YouTube or these videos until they were posted 48 hours later.

And 45 minutes of lifting weights in my house at 9:15 PM daily. You wish you had my energy! But ya don’t Blanche.

And yes AFTER My retina detachment surgery last summer I have difficulty seeing tiny figures on a screen. And after that invasive surgery on my eye and a year of doctors still no complaining from ANL.

Honey, for real… Take a walk. Get out. Enjoy!

And thanks @Tinami Amori

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

I’m too busy drinking and ignoring miserable AND I do mean miserable peeps like you!!! Holyyyy!!

I wholeheartedly endorse this strategy,dear. Bottoms up.

In fact,I have twenty-twenty vision and this video was challenging to watch on my computer monitor.

-BB

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I wholeheartedly endorse this strategy,dear.

In fact,I have twenty-twenty vision and this video was challenging to watch on my computer monitor.

-BB

That’s why I loves you Ms. Bottems

 

[Sylvia]

All I needed was for anyone (and I do mean anyone) to add in the name of the skater when each clip started.... Otherwise I need @Sylvia to tell me who each skater is.

Sorry, I'm too busy trying to catch up on watching all the Challenge Skate Junior and Novice videos here: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/2020/9/17/challenge-skate-competition-central.aspx

Even I can't recognize many of the Novice level singles skaters and so I had to refer to the starting orders document that was provided with the videos: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/documents/2020/9/18//Starting_Orders_Challenge_Skate.pdf?id=47

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Sorry, I'm too busy trying to catch up on watching all the Challenge Skate Junior and Novice videos here: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/2020/9/17/challenge-skate-competition-central.aspx

Even I can't recognize many of the Novice level singles skaters and so I had to refer to the starting orders document that was provided with the videos: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/documents/2020/9/18//Starting_Orders_Challenge_Skate.pdf?id=47

I just got home, doing a work out here and a protein shake and going to bed. Thanks Sylvia.

Also when I said when I needed someone to post the names I did not mean someone from here at FSU I meant someone from USFSA when they compiled the video originally. Maybe that’s why that other poster flipped their lid. I am in no way an IT guy but even I would’ve listed the skaters name there otherwise why even bother.

Otherwise you are my go to. LOL

Other posters were complaining about the lack of cameras and camera coverage, I didn’t even care about that... I just want to know who I was watching.

 

[Frau Muller]

Whilst I initially chose to overlook his use of a Spanish song because Nathan is simply divine,I find this information about the lyrics troubling. Nathan needs to be cognizant of the fact he is a role model for many impressionable American children. I certainly expect he and his team reconsiders this song choice or finds an acceptable edit without the Spanish vulgarities.

-BB

With this logic, all rap lyrics should be instantly banned. (Well, maybe they should?)

 

[Natanielle825]

Vulgarities? Am I missing something? It's about alcohol...?

 

[jlai]

I think most lyrics need to be banned if we really listen/translate the words into English.

Back to skating, I just watched the novice men short. the top two are really good! Now to the free skate.

 

[Willin]

Even a lot of the lyrics in commonly used English-language songs would be banned for vulgarity. Or if they banned songs for vulgarity regardless of audience understanding, Tango de Roxanne might be the first to go to the distress of many a coach.

 

[olympic]

I was pleasantly surprised at how sharp US pairs looked!

C/J - Love that SP. They look even stronger and more together this year. Super strong skating skills. The throws look even higher than last year (not quite Aljona level but still great). So glad they hit the SBS jumps (not so great in the LP though). Their marks reflect the fact that they are improving and tenuously U.S. #1.

SK/F - Fascinating to watch them in their 1st outing. It paid off that the stronger jumpers from the 2 previous teams are now one team and you can already tell that they have a higher probability of hitting SBS jumps. I miss the huge throws and twist from Chris but Brandon adequately lifts and throws Alexa. ETA #1 - In the long term, SK/F will probably outscore SK/K due to higher probabilities on the SBS jumps and also their SBS spins are little stronger if anyone noticed

ETA #2-

CG/L - They seemed cleanish but behind SK/F. There are no protocols (that I can find). Wonder why? Right now, they skate more together than a new team like Alexa and Brandon. I was glad to see her land the Throw 3Z x2; low but landed. That was probably their biggest problem element.

K/O - OK, I don't see notable improvements in their SS: They have lacked explosiveness and power, but they skate cleaner. I also had doubts about a team lacking power skating to a warhorse like 'Carmen', but their program IMO is well-done and was a pleasant surprise; very watchable.

 

[kalle]

Mariah Bell has become maybe my favorite overall ladies skater nowadays but I wish there weren’t so many music cuts in her program. The transitions between the cuts don’t feel very smooth.

Is this a Bourne program?Very weird cuts and not at all what I would expect from a Bourne program. Maybe there will be some changes to it over the season because I am really enjoying Mariah as a skater now and would love her to have a program that makes her stand out a little from all the younger jumping beans. But then, I suppose it will be difficult to top her LP from last season that was really Olympic material.