Thursday, September 22, 2011

This and That


Carlotta Ferlito on MTV gimnaste.

A clip of Mao Asada's new Scheherezade short program.  The program was choreographed by Tatiana Tarasova and looks like it may bring out more of Mao's inner competitor and strength.  Mao is a lovely lyrical skater, but I've come to appreciate her attack and found her programs a bit forgettable last season.

Marlie will be performing to Adele's Someone Like You at this weekend's Fashion on Ice.  To die for!

Volosozhar and Trankov narrowly lead Denney and Coughlin at Nebelhorn.  Volosozhar and Trankov definitely looked far from even approaching their peak when they skated at the Russian Test Event.  It will be interesting to see how Denney and Coughlin fare this season, as they've already had to compete a number of times to earn assignments.  There is a danger that they could run out of steam by Worlds.

Results  (Videos will be posted when they show up online.)

Stephen Carriere is in second behind Yuzuru Hanyu.  Hubbell and Donohue are also in second after the short dance.

Link to the World Team Conference Call.  In PR Bullshitting 101, Shawn Johnson said she wasn't upset to not make the team, which is a far cry from what those at camp said.  It is beyond annoying that American athletes have to be politically correct at all times.

Polina Shelepen leads after the short program at the JGP Brasov Cup.


The lovely (but potentially too tall) Polina Korobeynikova is in second.

18 comments:

  1. Shawn just chooses to be dishonest like that. There would be nothing wrong with saying, "Sure, I'm upset... Making Worlds became a goal of mine once I saw how quickly I was progressing, and it's disappointing to come up a bit short. I'm still happy for the opportunity to compete at Pan Ams and this will only motivate me more to get better for the future." Simple.

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  2. Apparently Shawn as inconsolable after the team was announced and when she gets back to Iowa(not if shes on the way back now or after the team leaves for Worlds) she is planning on "revaluating" her options going forward. Aka her comeback is over.

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  3. Oh whatever. She tweeted as if she was certainly going to try to get better and press forward. Even if/when she doesn't make the Olys, at least she would be a fighter, not a quitter. I just feel like her strengths do not mesh well with the current talent pool

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  4. If Shawn had a floor routine, I think they'd have taken her over Raisman. Unfortunately, she isn't doing floor right now. I just don't think she expected not to make it.

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  5. you're just trying to stir stuff up. Her tweets said she was not sure if she would make it and she also tweeted a few minutes after finding out that she would just have to work harder.

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  6. her tweets made it clear that she really wanted to be on the team

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  7. Tweets are PR bullshit. Of course Shawn wasn't happy to be the 2nd alternate. No one who gets to Shawn's level of success is okay with not making a team. Shawn has had a lot of media training. She originally said that it would be very hard to make the Olympics if she didn't make Worlds.

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  8. Shawn is MUCH MORE honetst than a certain former gymnast who has already retired for 3 years but still claimed that she hasn't decided. That's the TRUE PR Bullshitting 101. ;)

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  9. Is this the first time that Shawn and Chellsie have ever not made a team they tried for and made camp for?

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  10. Here is a link that has the full transcript of the call. Of course, Shawn was disappointed. Who wouldn't be.

    http://www.examiner.com/gymnastics-in-national/u-s-world-team-members-speak-out-the-teleconference-call

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  11. Mao just doesn't get good spring on her jumps... I guess it's a lack of technique. And when you are that tall, you need some powerful muscles like someone like Zawadzki. Mao still jumps as if she's a little girl. Poor thing to have such technical issues because she's lovely.

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  12. It's just a practice clip. Her jumps looked pretty good in her Jupiter program. And she had good spring to them a few years ago.

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  13. Here is interview with Shawn. Guess you can judge for yourself if her responses were innappropriate or deceptive.

    http://www.gymnastike.org/speaker/1688-Shawn-Johnson/video/507520-Shawn-Johnson-Left-Behind-for-Worlds-but-Still-Looking-to-London

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  14. Re Polina Korobeynikova:

    FINALLY - a current Russian with a non-tacky costume and program and who listens to the music! (she seemed to kind of run out of steam near the end tho - not a good harbinger for her LP).

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  15. I HATE all of Mao's programmes choreographed by Tarasova. The year she was Mao's coach, they were dreadful. And last year's Tango...well, there was barely any tango to it. Mao was utterly overpowered by the music. Oh well, I'll go watch this; hopefully it isn't too bad. At least she's keeping Liebestraume. I normally hate skaters repeating programmes, but Liebstraume had potential that never really saw the light due to her jumping problems. Oh, I miss the pre Tarasova Mao...

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  16. Word is that Shawn is waiting until the World team leaves to make sure they don't need her in a pinch and then she is going back to Iowa and the comeback is over.

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  17. It is easy to say shit in a message board behind an anonymous moniker. We'll see.

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  18. oh geez. Wasn't this the blog that knew HANDS DOWN she was never coming back and was just holding out announcing her retirement for endorsement deals? Grow a heart, mang. Of course she was disappointed; but she was big enough to be a good role model and compose herself maturely. Not everyone has an angle.

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