Tuesday, February 12, 2013

TSL: Four Continents Men's Recap



Our views on the men's event at the 2013 Four Continents Championships.

*Note, I mistakenly said that Jeremy Abbott was going to rest for Worlds. I meant to say that he is going to rest and recover for next season.

30 comments:

  1. "adult skater" somehow just sounds dirty and wrong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is impressive to see how far Dave has come on the ice in such a short time. He is an impressive person. I love these recaps. Jenny and Dave are a great pairing.

      Delete
  2. Hanyu wears Edea, which is actually a great brand. And he is NOT the Aly Raisman of skating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great brand or not, they do cause his feet to look very square and cut off his line. Brian Orser has said that he needs to work on extended his toes.

      Delete
    2. I think it's rather, in both short and long, the pants that make it look unfortunate but I could be wrong.

      Delete
    3. He must have worn those same pants for four or five years now because those club feet have not changed.

      Delete
    4. I have a pair of Edeas. Depending on how they were cut in the back, or your physiology pointing your toesnonnthose skates can be near impossible. He may be wearing boot covers, cause they aren't supposed to look that huge when worn.

      I tried the Edeas I. Once and they simply weren't wearable to me. I like having healthy Achilles Tendons :-P

      Delete
    5. My phone is on crack :-( What I meant:

      I have a pair of Edea boots. Depending on how they are cut in the back, or your physical build, pointing your toes in those skates may not be possible. When I got them and tried them on (even without the blades mounted), I just knew it wasn't going to work. Putting my leg up and trying to extend was literally impossible and the back of the boot cut into my Achilles. I still keep them around just in case (have another pair of Klings that I would use before them, though), but that's just the way they fit me.

      They are super light, though, and the fit is pretty decent (My Klingbeils are probably 30% heavier than the Edeas, and they're about the same stiffness).

      Those boots weren't wearable to me because I've had a bit of Achilles Tendonitis in the past and it is not something that you want to deal with.

      I have no clue why hits boots look that big on him. They aren't supposed to look that huge. It does seem like he may be wearing boot covers, which adds bulk to your boots. That's a pretty bad idea, but they do keep your feet warm!

      Lastly, about the pants. It's possible he just keeps buying the same pants every time. That's what I do. If they are more comfortable than the alternatives for him, why not?

      Delete
    6. I just went back and look and Hanyu definitely wears boot covers on his boots. Clearly visible in the video especially at the beginning:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=V2eNFaamRdg

      Delete
  3. "A year ago Reynold was someone with ridicolous costumes who seemed to be trying to improve himself artistically and it was off. The programmes weren't great, the costumes weren't great, the packaging was wrong..." WHAT???

    His SP was the same last year, costume too, and he actually had better (non-jump) performances of it then and the Johann Strauss LP from 2 seasons ago was really good and suited him even better than this year's LP. It was with that LP that he started having much better programmes. Sorry, but his new packacking is really old news.

    Those recaps with Dave and Jenny really show how perception and buzz in this sport work, and also kinda rework the past. Consistency, and delivering the jumps without downgrades makes all the difference. Anywhere, anytime...

    All in all, a generic review with lots of platitudes in the vain of PJ Kwong or Captain Obvious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He said it was 'a year or two ago.' If you look at Kevin in 2010 and 2011, he did have ridiculous costumes.

      Delete
    2. Kevin was far from a great artist at the 2011 Worlds.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1DLWniP8YM

      Delete
    3. Also, it is somewhat generous to call him a great artist now. There has been an improvement, but I think Jenny overdid it with praise.

      Delete
  4. Abbott is not going to Worlds, David...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Daisuke is a god. He skated brilliantly at Japan Nationals--and won silver. ): If he lands the quads, no one can beat him. But that is a big if. What a shame that one of the absolute, best skaters ever doesn't have the competitive record to match. In my opinion, his Blues for Klook is the only IJS program so far that is "for the ages."

    ReplyDelete
  6. I disagree with the Max Aaron comments regarding artistry and the moment where the music changes and that there is no feeling. My main issue with Kwan was that there were so many times when the skating was lacking but she won due to the artistic mark. In my opinion, having a pained look on your face during the entire program (sans Meryl Davis) is not artistry. In the end it's a skating competition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These artistic wins are still happening. Only difference is it's called PCS this time around. As for Max Aaron, he has no artistry, period. He skates around like he's on a Freestyle session and it's part of the issue a lot of people have with him. His programs come across like Run throughs.

      Seriously wasting 10-15 seconds skating around snapping his fingers doing absolutely nothing in his LP... It just looks terribly sloppy and not well put together.

      Delete
    2. At 5:43: If you're trying to sound smart in explaining artistry and when it's lacking, you probably should look up "sans."

      Delete
    3. He or she is giving their opinion, and your response is to completely disregard the content of their post and be a complete bitch to them. Shut up and move on. Don't like it, don't read it.

      Delete
    4. Live for humorless figure skating fans. Shouldn't you be posting on FSU?

      Delete
    5. In response to my original post. Sans means absent of and without...meaning that while Meryl skates around with a pained look on her face I do think she has wonderful artistry.

      Delete
    6. Sounds like backtracking to me. Maybe you mean sauf? And Michelle never won a major competition with skating that was lacking. How many six and seven triple long programs with two triple lutzes do we see from current ladies skaters, now that skating is a "competition."

      Delete
  7. I do think Ross Miner could benefit from new coaching. I would also like to see Gretchen Donlan/Andrew Speroff consider a change as well. At the very least she needs outside help for her jumps. Hasn't she skated her whole life in Boston?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jenny, please get a thesaurus and find another way to say hungry. Also, please don't call one of the world's greatest skaters, a lion nearing the end of his competitive career, "a really sweet kid." This is also not a man who needs to be told to skate with heart. For God's sake, have you SEEN him skate other than 4Cs? I really hated the whole section on Takahashi except for the praise of his edges. PuttIng him last, nothing about his new SP... We all know it will take a miracle for him to win Worlds and we all know he is limping his way to Sochi on his battered old legs. But the guy is a skating genius with a will of iron and he is capable of pulling out a masterpiece out of his ass (to paraphrase Debi Thomas) at any competition. Like his Jap. Nats FP a month and a half -- not "a few seasons" -- ago. If you guys want to be great commentators like Uncle Dick, remember he raved as well as criticized.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jenny - please say hungry as often as you wish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I concur.

      -Resident Heterosexual

      Delete
  10. Honestly it has been very exciting watching this podcast grow. Very very talented hosts! Remember us when you have that kick ass contract covering for NBC/ABC/CBS/ESPN. I can only imagine the amount of time it takes you guys to do these things. Thank you thank you thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Just loving your podcasts. OT - Have you seen Beth Tweddle on Dancing on Ice? She's really good. The show, however, is ripe cheese.

    ReplyDelete