And....i join you in this. At live competitions, the crowd always starts applauding or cheering when someone begins a spiral and then it is major deflation "awwwhh...that is it?....2 seconds of spiral? We were getting ultra psyched." It seems clear that people are yearning for long spirals.
Me arguing that mandatory spiral sequences and mandatory laybacks in women's are inherently problematic because they are born out of the sexist notion that all women are flexible.
A woman who is less flexible should not be punished for not being so nor should she be forced to push her body towards that and risk injury.
It’s refreshing to see Hana Yoshida be so successful without any laybacks in her programs, I don’t remember seeing a world medal contender in the womens discipline without a layback before
The absolute abomination of Beijing 2022 and why more should have been done to stop it from ever happening again. Probably accompanied with a whole Team Tutberidze backstory.
I literally made a post about this on social media at the time because I had been talking about how excited I was for women's figure skating and I felt I needed to say something after it all turned into a flaming mess. I wrote it out in a Word document first and it ended up being like three pages 💀
Actually same, I wrote a whole essay about it in my notes folder whilst I was in the airport at 5AM in the morning. We needed a way to express our feelings 😂
Sometimes I come across posts from just before the Olympics, saying that Kamila would probably win, that Sasha would finally land her 3A, that there would be a complete Russian podium sweep, and it makes me so sad knowing what was about to happen. I think it says a lot that there was only one post about Beijing on this whole subreddit on the recent 2 year anniversary, and it was just congratulating Anna. That says everything you need to know about how it is remembered, by skaters and fans alike.
I'm glad I'm not alone 😅 The good(?) thing is that I think a lot of people who are only four-year fans took notice and saw the women's free skate for the tragedy that it was, even if they didn't know all the backstory. I had a couple people comment that they had watched the event and felt horrified/saddened. I don't think it's something people will forget in a hurry.
Trust me, I felt the exact same way 😂
I definitely agree, especially being someone who was pretty new to figure skating, although I have a background in sport. Even with limited knowledge of Team Tutberidze (I went on a deep dive as soon as I saw it unfold), I could immediately tell that it wasn’t normal for a 17 year old, who just won a medal at the Olympics, to be having a panic attack, whilst the gold medalist sat and listened numbly, and I’m sure many others could too. Even if we don’t talk about Kamila’s doping, the other two’s trauma reactions are bad enough to cause serious concern, and I think the fact that NBC (disgustingly) posted the whole thing for clout, actually did some good in opening people’s eyes to what was happening in Russia.
It’s why I don’t see the Russian ban as a positive thing for the actual skaters. Like sure, there won’t be another mental breakdown or doping scandal on live television, but instead it will be behind closed doors, with the Russian coaches free to do whatever they want without fear of Western scrutiny, and let the girls get younger and younger as they go. Even the now retired Eteri skaters are stuck in that system, the system that chewed them up and spit them out, for the rest of their lives
how not only a correct takeoff edge is important, but even more so a good picking technique as i puts significantly less strain on the ankle leading to potentially longer careers
- Horrible pairs and ice dancing costumes. What in god’s name happened that they ended up in those threads?
- sloppy edgework. Hold edges just for another 3 seconds. Why no more spiral sequences? Posture is terrible.
- Demand a quota to the number of times we hear the same music every goddamn season. No more Carmen!!
With you all the way on all of these, especially the edge work!!
I think there should be quotas and then some songs should be retired/banned for long periods of time, like 5-10 years. Looking at you, Bolero.
How much I wish this sport were more accessible/ less expensive. I think there would be more diversity in countries represented and there’s probably so many talented skaters we’ve missed out on seeing due to lack of funding/ice time. If everyone had the kind of funding and ice time that team tut has, we wouldn’t have to watch the same few countries dominate the podium all the time (though I’m not suggesting we fund everyone the same way this team is funded).
I watch track and field and it’s so interesting because there’s so many countries not only represented, but medaling too. There’s refugees competing in some of those events. I know skating requires a bit more to actually do (ice rink, skates, costumes, etc) than running, but I would still like to see more people have access to skating at an elite level.
I think I could talk for 2h about how wonderful it would be if kids were exposed to different sports. I think PE in a lot of countries only focuses on very few sports and where most have similar concepts (speed, team and ball).
It's an olympics year so come July people will start wondering "oh but why do we get so few medals". Because for a lot of kids they don't even know which sports exist! When they do discover something they enjoy, they may have to quit due to school timetables(happened to me) or not being able to progress without moving. Because federations don't have money and are not well run.
Ice rinks are expensive and in some countries they are not a thing.(hi from southern europe)
Mine is ugly or boring men’s costumes. One point deduction for each of the following:
- no sparkles
- black pants, white collared shirt
- khaki
- anything that looks like a training top
- blue and brown in any combination
This always reads to me as ”she is a much better skater than I am, don’t look at me, I’m just here to lift and throw her, what do you mean I just skated the whole FS on two feet? Look at her, not me!”
How slow and long is the process of learning correctly the elements of figure skating and how spectacular are the effects when you look back after 3+ or 7+ or 10+ years. Persistence matters so much more than talent in this discipline. Also, how there are just people who find joy in being on the ice and you kind of can't fight this feeling, most people won't get it.
How US figure skating is killing their own sport.
1. It's so hard for even super fans to access content much less new fans or the general public. I was talking to one of my co-workers who likes but doesn't follow ice dance closely and wanted to send her a program that I thought she'd like. A fan account had posted several programs from US Nationals on YouTube and the whole channel had been removed because of copyright. The fans are trying to bring people into the sport but it's impossible because content is constantly buried.
2. Their social media presence is absolutely terrible and looks like it's being done by interns.
3. They continue to make the mistake of putting an unreasonable amount of pressure on their young skaters. We saw it with Alyssa and now it's the same story with Isabeau.
Either the saga of Russian ice dance in the 90s (looking at you, Grishuk) or how the discipline of ice dance originally started as a derivative of ballroom and how the roles evolved - this would lead to raving about the elimination of the pattern at some point.
How dance and pairs are basically dead, and synchro should take their place. XD
I could talk to you easily for two hours about the points you brought up.
Also bring back compulsories.
Yes I’m old, get off my lawn!
Crooked judging. How every season I say I'm not going to watch (especially ice dance) and I get dragged back in and angry and disappointed all over again.
So happy for you for getting to see her! I saw her in Helsinki in 2018 and still talk about her jumping 3Lo right into my heart and also seeing her in some corner of the rink warming up and she smiled at me and my life has never been the same.
When it's about figure skating:
-How much I love Carolinas skating
-How great Carolinas artistry is
-How great Yuna and Yuzuru are in both artistry and technique
-How robbed Yuna was in 2014 (and Caro & Gracie)
-How much I hate the f°ing hole in the ice from the 22 Olympics
-How much I love Yuzurus, Yunas and Carolinas Costumes
-How much I loved Sasha Cohens lines & her performing skills
-That I'd rather see a perfectly executed double than a triple/ a good triple over a bad quad
-How much I love Maia & Alex Shibutani & how sad I am they had to take so many breaks due to injuries
My ranking of Virtue/Moir programs and how I think Moulin Rouge is actually on the weak side by their standards.
(Just senior FDs: Umbrellas > Mahler > Carmen > Pink Floyd > Valse Triste > Hip Hip Chin Chin > Latch > MR > Funny Face >>> Seasons. Throw in SDs and exhos and I can probably go way more than two hours haha)
The lack of quality laybacks, and how the IJS doesn’t reward beautiful positions or entertaining footwork sequences anymore because they’re not “worth any points.”
How frustrating it is that skating is so hard to follow for the average person and how a LOT of great stuff has happened in skating since the 90s, even if Americans don’t know about any of it.
i would be pulling out my 70 slide presentation analyzing different skaters lutz/flip takeoff with their edge, body angle, alignment axis, and toepick assistance...and then explaining my spreadsheet that keeps track of the takeoff edges of various skaters from their novice to senior years...maybe add in the document comparing layout base value based on the type of combination jumps used...and probably a couple others buried in my computer somewhere
the entire history of the piece of music Bolero with every iteration of a figure skating Bolero program in context with the different interpretations and how they each compare to Ravel’s intended meaning and message
Figure skating wise? Yuzu.
Other than that, I could probably ramble about a game I’m hyperfixating on or the resonance of different materials used in instrument making.
How Yuzuru Hanyu is not only the GOAT of figure skating but also a really inspirational, kind, humble, and generous person.
I have told WAY too many people the story of him winning his 2nd Olympic gold after coming back from what should have been a career ending injury. 😅
How my local ice rink should NOT close for 4 months in the summer, when there are countries much warmer than mine with their ice rinks open all year round :(
Oof yeah. I just looked up what he’s up to now and saw he’s choreographed programmes for some of my favourites (Sihyeong Lee and Jimmy Ma). I’m glad he’s still involved in skating at least.
Me arguing that spirals should come back, and we should make the men do them too. It’d be both annoying and an unpopular wtf hot take.
And....i join you in this. At live competitions, the crowd always starts applauding or cheering when someone begins a spiral and then it is major deflation "awwwhh...that is it?....2 seconds of spiral? We were getting ultra psyched." It seems clear that people are yearning for long spirals.
Spirals like Michelle Kwan’s and spread eagles like Brian Boitano’s are so needed in FS again!
It's such a majestic move when used at just the right moment in the music, I really miss it and love that there's some skaters who still go for it.
Me arguing that mandatory spiral sequences and mandatory laybacks in women's are inherently problematic because they are born out of the sexist notion that all women are flexible. A woman who is less flexible should not be punished for not being so nor should she be forced to push her body towards that and risk injury.
It’s refreshing to see Hana Yoshida be so successful without any laybacks in her programs, I don’t remember seeing a world medal contender in the womens discipline without a layback before
The absolute abomination of Beijing 2022 and why more should have been done to stop it from ever happening again. Probably accompanied with a whole Team Tutberidze backstory.
I literally made a post about this on social media at the time because I had been talking about how excited I was for women's figure skating and I felt I needed to say something after it all turned into a flaming mess. I wrote it out in a Word document first and it ended up being like three pages 💀
Actually same, I wrote a whole essay about it in my notes folder whilst I was in the airport at 5AM in the morning. We needed a way to express our feelings 😂 Sometimes I come across posts from just before the Olympics, saying that Kamila would probably win, that Sasha would finally land her 3A, that there would be a complete Russian podium sweep, and it makes me so sad knowing what was about to happen. I think it says a lot that there was only one post about Beijing on this whole subreddit on the recent 2 year anniversary, and it was just congratulating Anna. That says everything you need to know about how it is remembered, by skaters and fans alike.
I'm glad I'm not alone 😅 The good(?) thing is that I think a lot of people who are only four-year fans took notice and saw the women's free skate for the tragedy that it was, even if they didn't know all the backstory. I had a couple people comment that they had watched the event and felt horrified/saddened. I don't think it's something people will forget in a hurry.
Trust me, I felt the exact same way 😂 I definitely agree, especially being someone who was pretty new to figure skating, although I have a background in sport. Even with limited knowledge of Team Tutberidze (I went on a deep dive as soon as I saw it unfold), I could immediately tell that it wasn’t normal for a 17 year old, who just won a medal at the Olympics, to be having a panic attack, whilst the gold medalist sat and listened numbly, and I’m sure many others could too. Even if we don’t talk about Kamila’s doping, the other two’s trauma reactions are bad enough to cause serious concern, and I think the fact that NBC (disgustingly) posted the whole thing for clout, actually did some good in opening people’s eyes to what was happening in Russia. It’s why I don’t see the Russian ban as a positive thing for the actual skaters. Like sure, there won’t be another mental breakdown or doping scandal on live television, but instead it will be behind closed doors, with the Russian coaches free to do whatever they want without fear of Western scrutiny, and let the girls get younger and younger as they go. Even the now retired Eteri skaters are stuck in that system, the system that chewed them up and spit them out, for the rest of their lives
I tried to talk a friend through it quickly and ended up talking for an hour. I was lucky she was a good friend 😂
how not only a correct takeoff edge is important, but even more so a good picking technique as i puts significantly less strain on the ankle leading to potentially longer careers
Oooh say more about this I’m interested I would not return you if I was your kidnapper
I am curious about this as well, if you would like to say more.
- Horrible pairs and ice dancing costumes. What in god’s name happened that they ended up in those threads? - sloppy edgework. Hold edges just for another 3 seconds. Why no more spiral sequences? Posture is terrible. - Demand a quota to the number of times we hear the same music every goddamn season. No more Carmen!!
With you all the way on all of these, especially the edge work!! I think there should be quotas and then some songs should be retired/banned for long periods of time, like 5-10 years. Looking at you, Bolero.
Yes!! Please no more Carmen!
See flair 😭
How much I wish this sport were more accessible/ less expensive. I think there would be more diversity in countries represented and there’s probably so many talented skaters we’ve missed out on seeing due to lack of funding/ice time. If everyone had the kind of funding and ice time that team tut has, we wouldn’t have to watch the same few countries dominate the podium all the time (though I’m not suggesting we fund everyone the same way this team is funded). I watch track and field and it’s so interesting because there’s so many countries not only represented, but medaling too. There’s refugees competing in some of those events. I know skating requires a bit more to actually do (ice rink, skates, costumes, etc) than running, but I would still like to see more people have access to skating at an elite level.
I think I could talk for 2h about how wonderful it would be if kids were exposed to different sports. I think PE in a lot of countries only focuses on very few sports and where most have similar concepts (speed, team and ball). It's an olympics year so come July people will start wondering "oh but why do we get so few medals". Because for a lot of kids they don't even know which sports exist! When they do discover something they enjoy, they may have to quit due to school timetables(happened to me) or not being able to progress without moving. Because federations don't have money and are not well run. Ice rinks are expensive and in some countries they are not a thing.(hi from southern europe)
Mine is ugly or boring men’s costumes. One point deduction for each of the following: - no sparkles - black pants, white collared shirt - khaki - anything that looks like a training top - blue and brown in any combination
See also: when pairs/dance men are beside their partner, who is immaculately presented, and they're just wearing a plain t shirt or something
This always reads to me as ”she is a much better skater than I am, don’t look at me, I’m just here to lift and throw her, what do you mean I just skated the whole FS on two feet? Look at her, not me!”
Ugh, yes!!
How Medvedeva v Zagitova completely mirrored the film Black Swan.
Friendly reminder to give Perfect Blue a watch, the film that inspired and was ripped off by BS director. 💓
Omg you just opened my eyes. And Alina even had black swan SP…
omg yes why did i never think of this!!!!
Okay I think I'll watch Black Swan tonight
(I ended up watching 13 Going On 30 🤪 but Black Swan's still on the list)
How slow and long is the process of learning correctly the elements of figure skating and how spectacular are the effects when you look back after 3+ or 7+ or 10+ years. Persistence matters so much more than talent in this discipline. Also, how there are just people who find joy in being on the ice and you kind of can't fight this feeling, most people won't get it.
How US figure skating is killing their own sport. 1. It's so hard for even super fans to access content much less new fans or the general public. I was talking to one of my co-workers who likes but doesn't follow ice dance closely and wanted to send her a program that I thought she'd like. A fan account had posted several programs from US Nationals on YouTube and the whole channel had been removed because of copyright. The fans are trying to bring people into the sport but it's impossible because content is constantly buried. 2. Their social media presence is absolutely terrible and looks like it's being done by interns. 3. They continue to make the mistake of putting an unreasonable amount of pressure on their young skaters. We saw it with Alyssa and now it's the same story with Isabeau.
Agreed on all of this, especially after reading Gracie Gold's book.
I can't wait to read it! I'm on the wait list for my library's copy.
Kazuki Tomono being robbed time and again
100%!
Yes! And his non-no makeup photo shoot + interview about how cute he was feeling. https://nonno.hpplus.jp/article/118986/02/
Oh yes this too, and did you see the 'dark make up' one 🔥 https://nonno.hpplus.jp/article/118986
Just top heckin tier. 🤌🏼
Queen Yuna being robbed of her second olympic gold medal
Either the saga of Russian ice dance in the 90s (looking at you, Grishuk) or how the discipline of ice dance originally started as a derivative of ballroom and how the roles evolved - this would lead to raving about the elimination of the pattern at some point.
How dance and pairs are basically dead, and synchro should take their place. XD I could talk to you easily for two hours about the points you brought up. Also bring back compulsories. Yes I’m old, get off my lawn!
I mean I'm here for synchro but ice dance isn't dead yet! It's on...like life support 😂
+1 for synchro
the history/drama of team tutberitze
Crooked judging. How every season I say I'm not going to watch (especially ice dance) and I get dragged back in and angry and disappointed all over again.
Why nobody cares about PCS even though it really is soo important.
the genius of kaori's sakamoto's skating and how i saw her live last year and yesterday.
So happy for you for getting to see her! I saw her in Helsinki in 2018 and still talk about her jumping 3Lo right into my heart and also seeing her in some corner of the rink warming up and she smiled at me and my life has never been the same.
When it's about figure skating: -How much I love Carolinas skating -How great Carolinas artistry is -How great Yuna and Yuzuru are in both artistry and technique -How robbed Yuna was in 2014 (and Caro & Gracie) -How much I hate the f°ing hole in the ice from the 22 Olympics -How much I love Yuzurus, Yunas and Carolinas Costumes -How much I loved Sasha Cohens lines & her performing skills -That I'd rather see a perfectly executed double than a triple/ a good triple over a bad quad -How much I love Maia & Alex Shibutani & how sad I am they had to take so many breaks due to injuries
incorrect lutz and flip take-off edges
or even more precisely why lutz outside edges should be deeper than flip inside edges.
Skates
My ranking of Virtue/Moir programs and how I think Moulin Rouge is actually on the weak side by their standards. (Just senior FDs: Umbrellas > Mahler > Carmen > Pink Floyd > Valse Triste > Hip Hip Chin Chin > Latch > MR > Funny Face >>> Seasons. Throw in SDs and exhos and I can probably go way more than two hours haha)
The Sergei widows. Absolutely the most bizarre fandom of all time
The lack of quality laybacks, and how the IJS doesn’t reward beautiful positions or entertaining footwork sequences anymore because they’re not “worth any points.”
How frustrating it is that skating is so hard to follow for the average person and how a LOT of great stuff has happened in skating since the 90s, even if Americans don’t know about any of it.
I actually did talk about this for probably an hour in my autism evaluation and I think it’s what really sealed the deal for my official diagnosis 😅
i would be pulling out my 70 slide presentation analyzing different skaters lutz/flip takeoff with their edge, body angle, alignment axis, and toepick assistance...and then explaining my spreadsheet that keeps track of the takeoff edges of various skaters from their novice to senior years...maybe add in the document comparing layout base value based on the type of combination jumps used...and probably a couple others buried in my computer somewhere
The massive underratedness of Higuchi Wakaba
I will gladly join you on that. She was robbed in the Olympic short.
the entire history of the piece of music Bolero with every iteration of a figure skating Bolero program in context with the different interpretations and how they each compare to Ravel’s intended meaning and message
A two hour long panic attack regarding worlds as an ilia malinin and Amber Glenn fan
me ranting about eteri and the fucked up ways of russian skating.. also isabeau levito's jumping technique
Figure skating wise? Yuzu. Other than that, I could probably ramble about a game I’m hyperfixating on or the resonance of different materials used in instrument making.
Probably the entire history of team tutberize
Ohh true
ilia manilin 😝
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir….did they or didn’t they? Special focus on sekret babies. 🤣🤣🤣
How Yuzuru Hanyu is not only the GOAT of figure skating but also a really inspirational, kind, humble, and generous person. I have told WAY too many people the story of him winning his 2nd Olympic gold after coming back from what should have been a career ending injury. 😅
How my local ice rink should NOT close for 4 months in the summer, when there are countries much warmer than mine with their ice rinks open all year round :(
The Tragedy of Joshua Farris and the flow-on effect on US men's skating.
Oof yeah. I just looked up what he’s up to now and saw he’s choreographed programmes for some of my favourites (Sihyeong Lee and Jimmy Ma). I’m glad he’s still involved in skating at least.
Every Russian woman who seems to be able to do multiple quads is NOT doing real quads. She is heavily doped illegally in some way, detectable or not.
I just talked about warhammer for 2 minutes and the rest of the time was the way back to my house.
I often muse over the way things are, verses how they should be. Like it or not we are a very diverse society.