Wednesday, April 6, 2011

This and That


Danell Leyva training Pommel Horse with TECHFIT.

Photos from Day 1 of Europeans.

The IOC approved a Team Event for the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia.  It could definitely be a showdown between the US, Russia and Japan.

Ryan Bradley wants to bring home some hardware from Worlds.  And I want to be Olympic Champion...

Shawn Johnson is training hard and looks to be in better shape.  Getting her wisdom teeth didn't hurt either.  It looks like Martha added Shawn back to the National Team to keep an eye on her, fuck with her, get her to lose weight and monitor her progress.  Only Martha would add someone back and then issue a dire warning six weeks later.  Shawn and Nastia both continue to travel an awful lot.  Shawn's comeback is more confirmed at this point, but she is still traveling more than she should be.

Rachael Flatt and Christina Gao were awarded training grants from the Women's Sports Foundation.  Unfortunately, that only encourages Rachael Flatt to keep training and competing.

David Boudia signed with PMG and Nastia's fabulous agent.  Let us please arrange a marriage.  Their offspring could make fabulous Olympics.


Adam Rippon, Jeremy Abbott, Tanith Belbin and Sarah Hughes on the rescheduling of Worlds.

Tanith will not be able to be doing commentary for Worlds.

Photos from Figure Skating in Harlem

Universal Sports caught up with Adam Rippon at Figure Skating in Harlem.  He discussing his coaching change and plans for next season.  Adam promises new tricks for next season.

They also caught up with Evan Lysacek.

24 comments:

  1. Ryan Bradley the last straight hope for a medal since Michael Weiss... The USFSA would be delighted...

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  2. "Adam promises new tricks for next season."

    Maybe a 4lz? there're lots of rumors about him training that jump the last weeks

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  3. Not trying to be a hater, but I think it's hysterical Ryan Bradley thinks two 4T and two 3A make him relevant. Oh, honey, even if you land those jumps cleanly, you will never contend for a medal. Just too many weaknesses. You'd think training with someone with skating skills, speed, and transitions like Patrick Chan would give him realistic expectations.

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  4. If it'll make Nastia go back to training and KICK SOME A$$ in London 2012, then I'm all for offering Boudia as her bedmate. He's better looking and more human than her previous "bf" anyway.

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  5. Who is the behind-the-scenes moneybags propping up Rachel?

    I'm convinced that some form of bribery must be involved to explain her AND her 'date' Patrick Chan's careers...

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  6. So, for the Olympic figure skating team event...would the competitors consist ONLY of people also competing in a regular discipline at the Olympics? Or can countries send skaters who will compete SOLELY in the team competition? Just curious.

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  7. "Boudia as her bedmate"
    At least Boudia is straight unlike her previous boyfriend.

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  8. Sounds to me like Jeremy Abbott and Adam Rippon are sore that Worlds wasn't cancelled. I bet they would have thought differently if they were on the World team!

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  9. I don't see Japan as having much of a chance with that team thing. Mervin Tran doesn't have Japanese citizenship so they don't have an Olympic eligible pair, and the only real dance team is the Reeds. This is basically the US-Canada-Russia show, with maybe France sneaking in if one of their junior ladies turns out well.

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  10. in a team skating event, will there be uniforms, or will they all just wear their own frilly costumes?

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  11. Shawn's comeback is more confirmed at this point? The girl is training 7 hours a day now, and travels on her one day off a week to fulfill commitments that pertain to the Olympics and gymnastics. Nastia takes Thursday-Monday off- if shes even in the gym the other days- to go party in Austin or a fashion show in New York. Lets get serious, compared to Nastia's "comeback" Shawns is more than just "more confirmed" at this point.

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  12. For the team event, won't TV watchers get burned out by watching the same top skaters do the same programs twice in two weeks? I believe it would also be an advantage to the smaller countries since their skaters wouldn't have to skate twice, keeping their mental and physical advantage. Maybe countries like the US would send the Olympic alternates to the team event?

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  13. i dont even like watching them do it once. but sending alternates would be stupid. a gold medal is a gold medal, you still want your best going after it. how hard can it be to skate twice in two weeks?

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  14. Tanith not commentating is a tragedy. Bummer. Team event is still dumb.

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  15. well I see what is being said about skaters doing the same programs twice but brining that up is like appealing to the people who dont think FS is a sport and is like entertainment and why if it is entertainment would skaters show a repeat?? in primetime? Should not cater to the morons!!!

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  16. Nastia's comeback isn't confirmed on any level - way too much traveling!

    Shawn is definitely committed though it seems like she's having boyfriend issues so hopefully that won't derail things.

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  17. I hope the ISU would give the team event a decidedly different format and would encourage countries like the US and Japan to send different skaters. It would be difficult to skate two competitions in the same week, especially at the Olympics. And having the same skaters skate the same programs will be redundant for fans who follow figure skating and completely baffling for audiences that only tune in once every four years.

    Figure skating is such an individual sport that I just don't see any logic in a "team" event. It's not like a relay race, where you choose the person with the fastest time to run the anchor leg or a bobsled where you put the heaviest person in back. I just don't get what the sport is supposed to gain from this concept.

    Now, maybe if the man, lady, pair and dancers all skated one program AS A TEAM, it might be interesting. ;-) (kidding, kind of)

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  18. come on brian, gymnasts who compete in team events, aa, and event finals do the same routines three times at the olympics four if you count qualifying. ballet dancers dance the same show night after night. i still dont see why this would be HARD for skaters.

    as far as rendundant, people would watch because the skaters are not going to skate the same way twice. they'll make different mistakes. and if a skater does do his program perfectly twice, it will really be a testament to his skill.

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  19. Well, let me put it this way: I wouldn't watch.

    I tune out most of the Grand Prix series. I may watch clips online just to check out a skater's new program early in the season. But really Nationals, Worlds and Olympics are all I care to watch anymore.

    I'm not a gymnastics fan. I can't really differentiate the skills enough to tell who's routine was more difficult, and I certainly find it boring and redundant to watch the same vault, beam routine, etc. time after time. I'm NOT knocking it, nor am I knocking gymnastics fans - I'm just saying I'm not a fan. The redundancy factor is why qualifying at worlds is rarely televised and probably was the nail in the coffin for compulsory dances.

    As for ballet, I would only go and watch one night, not several in a row.

    I know the skaters are capable of competing twice. Hopefully, they train their run-throughs multiple times a day. But it's the added mental and physical pressure of competing and the cycle of trying to train, peak and then bring yourself down that I think is too much to ask of figure skaters in such a short time span. It's why skaters and commentators complained about having to do two long programs at the Grand Prix Final years ago. It's why some skaters (more US ones, anyway) skip Four Continents because it's so soon after Nationals and they'd rather have more training time.

    Comparing that to gymnastics is apples and oranges because the individual routines are much shorter and competitions are spread throughout the day - do a couple of vaults, wait 30 minutes, do a floor routine, wait 30 minutes, etc., skip a day or so and repeat.

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  20. ok so you you screw up but others in your team skate well and you become an olympic champion????
    what a dumb idea.

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  21. LOL. Maybe they are. Maybe my criticisms are unfounded. I still probably won't watch.

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  22. One of the problems with the ice skating team event is that it's never been done before. There is no history to it. It's not like this is an event held annually at the World Championships. It's just a made up thing to try and suck the TV viewers dry.

    And only some of the skaters would have to skate twice. A Yu Na Kim wouldn't have enough fellow Koreans to field a team, but a Mao Asada would probably have to skate twice. You can't tell me that wouldn't have an impact since skaters have never, ever competed like this. Plus, the only countries that would have a real chance at this would be Russia, USA, and Canada. If I was a male skater from, let's say France, I'd be annoyed that I'd have to waste my time competing in something my country's team has no chance of winning a medal (no decent pairs or ladies). This whole thing is dumb.

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  23. I just see Brian as the type who doesnt care about jumps just music and choreo and just the show aspect of skating so seeing a repeat is just horrible because who cares about jumps and technical things

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  24. Wrong. Yes, I love the music and choreography and appreciate uniqueness and artistry, but I equally love all the jumps, spins and footwork. Blending the technical prowess with dance and musicality is, for me, what elevates the sport of figure skating above others. I just feel that if the ISU wants to create a new skating event that it should be something new, exciting and different.

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