Thoughts, Observations, Rants, and Raves: The 2017 World Championships

Well, I wasn't planning on writing again until Worlds was over, but this competition is so interesting and surprising it has brought a lot of things to mind. So much that it could not be conveyed in a Twitter or Facebook posting. Every time I get done watching an event, I am in a daze of thoughts.

So to start this crazy set of days off, one of my favorites, Misha Ge, said he was retiring. It really sucked to hear that, but he had a lot of valid points. Being a skater without a quad, he does not believe he will be able to compete with the top skaters in the field. He further laments the downfall of the overall performance in the quest for quads.

Which brings me to point #2: Nathan Chen popping off in an interview about how artistry isn't important and that the sport is moving in a more athletic direction. It was something about watching ice dance if you want artistry, and all that stuff isn't as hard as working on quads. Well, Twitter blew up over this. In one camp, there were people really pissed at Nathan. In another, his defenders.

And then me (and maybe some others), who thought his comments were coming from a place of nervousness and insecurity. This was his first time at Worlds at the Senior level after all. Anyone that's a Yuri on Ice fan remembers how JJ was bragging about being the king and all that, and how he succumbed to pressure at the Grand Prix Final by popping and falling on many of his jumps. I figured Nathan was going to have a JJ moment out there, and I was right, though not quite on that grand of a scale. That was followed by Javi's clapback in the press conference, about if all you do is jump and can't skate, you shouldn't be there.

The quad debate in nothing new. This has been going on since the early 2000s, but now has reached epic levels of ridiculousness. I was at a competition a few months ago talking to a friend of mine about all the injuries that had happened this season. She had asked me if I thought there should be a limit on the number of quads in a program, since so many skaters have gotten injured in the quest for more and more. It was honestly something I had not given much thought. I have not liked the direction toward jumps and jumps alone in both of the singles events, to the detriment of everything else. But I also think if you can do a move, flaunt it!

I'll give you all a little tidbit about me try to understand my thought process. My Myers Briggs type is an ENTP. One trademark of ENTPs is they like to examine all sides of everything, and argue the merits of each point of view.

Then, I thought about two things I never fail to mention in all my favorite programs: artistry and passion. I'm pretty sure I've said this in about 90% of my posts here. So, knowing my M.O. in regard to skating, this makes the answer fairly simple. Yes, I do think the number of quads should be limited; I just don't know on the number. Supposedly, all elements are created equal under IJS, but everyone knows damn well that is not the case. Not to mention, so much hype is put on the jumps that other elements can get ignored. Also, it is just boring to watch when all you see is setting up for the next jump. If you place all your bets on jumps, it is a hollow program if for some reason things don't go as planned.

Maybe the jumpers could have a separate event. We do that in most of the smaller level competitions in USFS with jumps challenges and spins challenges. That certainly would be fascinating to see on an elite level.

On to point #3: The Program Component Scores, or PCS. I was doing a little more research on this last night. I found a lot of good information on what each of the components are, and the specific things they look for under each component. The components are Skating Skills, Transition and Linking Footwork & Movement, Performance and Execution, Choreography/Composition, and Interpretation. The first two components are somewhat quantifiable, but the last 3 are subject to interpretation. Do you ever see a program where you are just blown away by the performance, feeling everything the skater does? Have you seen others that, though they were technically solid, left you just feeling kind of "meh"? That's what these last components are supposed to measure. It is really challenging to put these type of "soft skills" into a measurable format. This is where the rub is a lot of the time in the PCS scoring. How do you measure emotional connection with the audience and judges? Or individuality? Or emotional and intellectual maturity?

On to competition stuff: In addition to Misha's retirement announcement, another one of my favorites (Maxim Kovtun) got injured in the short program. And another one of my favorites (Yuzuru Hanyu), got a stupid BS deduction. Nonsensical tomfoolery! Javier Fernandez has not had his best season thus far, but he always shows out at Worlds. It never fails! It does make things exciting to watch. I also was very happy to see Patrick Chan enter the "100 club". When he is on, he is fantastic! His skating has so many wonderful qualities and he seems to just float out there. I think Ashley was kind of robbed and scored too low in the short, but I can't say the same for the free skate. I have got a new favorite in ladies too: Gabrielle Daleman. She skated great today and seems to have such a nice personality. And congrats to Hubbell and Donohue! One of my highlights of the morning, along with Piper and Paul's disco-fabulousness. That one's going down in the archives as an all time favorite. My favorite performance of the whole event so far was Sui and Han's free skate. That program is a masterpiece. I'm looking forward to Yuzu's "Hope and Legacy" program tomorrow too. That is a true work of art.

My last point is on the fan fallout. I am somewhat new to Twitter (I signed up around August/September last year), and it has been so fascinating reading everyone's comments live as the events are happening! I had originally gotten the account to live tweet the competitions as they were going on, but that kind of didn't happen (Skate America was the same weekend as the Renaissance Faire, so it got recorded. I didn't get with the program on that until around Nationals). What I have found is a community of skaters, skating fans and bloggers who are really awesome. It has been great to know there are many other die-hards out there like me.

However, there are some fans who get kind of ridiculous when things don't go the way they want them to. I have especially seen a lot of hate toward Evgenia Medvedeva, and it's so mean. I'm personally a fan and think she's a great skater, so I just don't get it. And come on, everyone knew she was going to win it before it even started, pending a catastrophic failure. Just because your favorite didn't deliver, or you don't agree with the judges, doesn't make it ok to hate on whoever did win. Some people don't even allow for disagreement. If you don't like all the same skaters they do, you are just wrong, and a horrible person, or not a true skating fan. Stop. Just stop. And definitely do not go harassing skaters on Twitter.

I'm also hoping that everyone claiming to be "emotionally ruined" by the results of Worlds is just being dramatic for the internet. As figure skating fans, we should know that there are surprises and upsets at most competitions, and sometime things don't go as planned or how we would have wanted. I personally look at it like this: I have enough to keep me stressed and frustrated on a daily basis. I skate, watch skating, write my blog, and connect with others on social sites as an escape from all that. All these things are creative outlets for me and give me something to enjoy and look forward to. Hopefully all these things have brought enjoyment to others too.

Ok, one more thing...did you guys see where Plushenko announced his retirement? I thought that already happened at the Sochi Olympics. He is so talented and has definitely left his mark on the sport, but damn, can he hog a spotlight.

Later y'all!

Autumn at Icy Trails ⛸