To start off, let's take a look at some of the season's more "interesting" programs...
Evgenia Medveva (RUS)- Exhibition: "Vogue"
This performance drew a lot of reactions, ranging from "this is pretty cool" to "WTF is going on?". I personally happen to enjoy it. She comes out of the covering like a superstar reveal before a show. And she is a superstar! The costume is really cool too. The important thing is she went out and did something different. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Maxim Kovtun (RUS)- Short Program: "Bahamut"
Well, you guys know about my soft spot for Kovtun, but I really don't know what's going on here. Is he hitchhiking? Anyway, he skated really well though, especially with the jumps. The opening quad salchow combo was gold. Wait, he just did a facepalm/dab kind of thing there. And the rejoicing at the end...you are still a winner, Maxim!
And we have this one, from another Max, which is just a hot mess all around:
Max Aaron (USA)- Free Skate: "The Lion King"
Luckily, this performance from the Cup of China was at least better than his skate at Nationals. This just irks me so much. He has a lot of talent and great jumps, but it's never packaged appropriately. He has been trying, with varying degrees of success, to improve his component scores over the years. Most of the time this leaves him trying to be something he's not. I understand working to improve weaknesses, but this should never be done to the detriment of one's strengths. Max's sweet spot focuses more on athleticism. Any program should showcase that instead of these failed attempts at artistry. This is not his fault necessarily; his choreographers are not playing to his strengths either. I think he could strike a balance somewhere between Evan Lysacek and Elvis Stojko on the presentation scale, and that would go very well. Both of these skaters used athleticism to their advantage and created a presentation with aggressive music for that. I don't like to throw shade and I think Max is a good guy. This whole thing with the programs is just so damn frustrating! Johnny even called it in the commentary, about the usage of "The Lion King" to improve artistry. Tara actually had insightful commentary on this one too, highlighting some of the points I just mentioned. Let's just hope he comes back stronger next season. It's the circle of life...
After all that, I'm sure you're all ready for a good program! Well here's another exhibition from my new fave Misha!
Misha Ge (UZB)- Exhibition: "Bang Bang Bang"
Another performance from that super fun show, All That Skate. He comes out with the boombox, sunglasses, and sideways hat. This is gonna be cool already! He is just the coolest; it doesn't matter what he's skating to.
On a final note, I would like to acknowledge some of the coaches. None of these skaters in any of these posts would have gotten as far as they have without them. Let's start out with the legendary Russian coach who has trained many Olympic and world medalists, Alexei Mishin!
Here, we see his typical, unamused look, and he probably is judging. Wait, what's this?
Aww, how cute! Someone gave him a heart. Well, it's probably for Carolina, but still. He still has his serious face on, but his heart is growing. You could also give Frank Carroll a plush heart and it would be just as amusing.
This next coach has a skater that's really on a roll! He's so happy that he's dancing with a water bottle! Ladies and gentlemen, Rafael Artunian!
This dance is now referred to as "The Raf". Everybody do The Raf!
Hope everyone has an awesome week! Later!
- Icy Trails ⛸
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