5450 replies to this topic

[kathyjo27]

ESPN has been showing alot of professional shows lately and I realized it's time for figure skating again. I swear I am so hyped that I actually watched Stars Skate to Burt Bacharach. It was awful and so cheesy and reminded me why I hate those professional shows. I am ready for the Grand Prix to start. Discuss.

[wyndham]

There are some new competitions on - I saw one earlier this month. Check ABC sports - they seem to do the most. Anyway, figure skating without Dick Button doing commentary are not worth watching IMO. I always keep an eye out for Emmanual Sandhu (Canada) and our own wonderful Sasha Cohen.

[ellymay]

I much prefer the amateur competitions. The professional ones are too cheesy, and have all the more difficult elements taken out (or at least it seems that way to me). And I hate the use of music with vocals.

The commentary drives me crazy -- way too much yapping, and I think I'd enjoy it all better if every single, little, tiny flaw wasn't being pointed out. Those announcers are like a news show -- report all the bad news they can find, no matter how little we need to know it.

[boggartlaura]

I'm already counting down the hours until the first broadcast. (44 if anybody cares.) But I have no clue how ABC will fill up all the time withour Sasha and Michelle to do fluff pieces on. They may actually have to show skating.

[Helter Skelter]

But I have no clue how ABC will fill up all the time withour Sasha and Michelle to do fluff pieces on. They may actually have to show skating.

Eh? Are neither of them competing this year? I missed something.

[RedSonja]

Michelle withdrew for the fall/Grand Prix season. Sasha pulled out of Skate America with a back injury, technically she's still in for her other competition (Cup of China?), but we'll see.

Personally I'm kind of bummed that this thread popped up the season there's no Lifetime coverage. It's shameful, since I actually skate and should be pissed that they turned the sport into a soap opera, but I really got a kick out of it. They were great at highlighting all the ice dance drama. I guess as it is I'll have to settle for Terry Gannon's Random Trivia Bits like, "In her spare time Sasha likes to make chocolate ganache" or "Albena and Maxim are both college graduates." I also really enjoy now that he is starting to know something about the sport and will gasp in horror at a bad jump takeoff or spout something totally random like, "I have ants in my kitchen that do that footwork."

[Souris]

I still can't believe a guy I crushed on in high-school who played basketball for N.C. State now does figure-skating commentary.

I hadn't heard about Michelle withdrawing for the fall season. Damn. Why?

[RedSonja]

Did you actually know Terry in high school or just crush on him from afar? I'd be totally busting with jealousy if you actually knew him. I'm shamelessly in love with Terry. Drool and swoon.

I can't remember exactly why Michelle withdrew. My general memory is that she just sort of decided it wasn't really in her best interests. And I'm too lazy too look it up.

[LadySheherazade]

I hate Dick Button. Really, I think he's just awful. Does he have to point out every single little microscopic flaw? I find myself groaning when he talks. Shut up!

[RedSonja]

I have no clue how ABC will fill up all the time withour Sasha and Michelle to do fluff pieces on.

Yesterday's Skate America broadcast had to be the least amount of time ABC has ever spent on ladies. I guess they used the time to show us Michael Weiss stripping for Peter Carruthers, but they should have shown Susanna Poykio-- she was fabulous. And she won the long program. I was amused by the stunned silence at the realization that Cynthia Phaneuf was in first, and at all the pronouncements that Angela Nikidinov is back, bay-bee! even if her final jump in her long program was a single Axel.

Terry Gannon's Random Skate America Tidbit: Alissa Czisny is a freshman at Bowling Green on full academic scholarship.

Edited by RedSonja, Oct 25, 2004 @ 6:35 PM.

[Jer2002]

I have no clue how ABC will fill up all the time withour Sasha and Michelle to do fluff pieces on.

Well, they have Maria Totmianina's really really nasty fall to talk about. I saw the fall again tonight during the pairs/ice dance coverage tonight on ESPN2. They also showed an interview she and Maxim and their coach did on GMA. She's got a nasty black eye.

[iMissEthan]

Yikes, that was a hell of a fall. I'm only interested in pairs when they fall, so it was all good to me. I saw her being interviewed wearing shades but you could see the shiner. She wants to start practicing right away, but they're making her wait.

Since Michelle isn't competing, the only things I'll be watching this year are nationals and worlds.

[wyndham]

Well I have to speak up for Dick Button. He was a gold medal winner twice and he does know what he's talking about as opposed to some of the folks on other networks that know squat about skating. I like him pointing out why a jump or spin was wrong - it helps me know what's correct and what isn't. And he does make positive comments - lots of them - but not unless they are due to actual skating skills.

[iMissEthan]

Dick does know what he's talking about, but he's also a pompous ass a lot of the time. Still, I'll take his critique based on actual figure skating knowledge over many of the creampuffs they stick next to him. And if the answer to the question "How did it feel out there today?" is "It felt good. I just go out there each time and try to skate my best." we don't need to see the interview.

[RedSonja]

The interviews on the Skate America coverage last night were fairly decent, I thought. The one question to Tanith Belbin that more or less amounted to, "You used to suck, and now you don't so much. What up?" cracked me up. And Tatiana Totminanina continues to display humour and grace in what was really a terrifying situation (well, she doesn't seem to remember any of it, so maybe it's actually less scary for her than for anyone): "How are you doing, Tatiana?" "I'm okay. I'm still alive!"

Dick and Peggy definitely know what they're talking about. They can be a little irritating, but I'd definitely take the ABC team over the NBC team, so I just laugh and roll my eyes. The NBC team I just scream and cover my ears.

[brookmonton]

Let me add my qualified support to Dick Button. He can be a pissy little bitch but he is right to point out the errors, both small and large, that skaters make and that affect their marks. Too many fans think that their favourite skater is perfect and does their triple jumps assisted by invisible angel wings. Meanwhile, these fans think that any skater who outscores their boy or girl is a skanky, flutzing cheater who bribed and/or boinked the judges. Dick may be a mean old fart but he is an impartial mean old fart who knows what he is talking about and calls 'em as he sees 'em. Dick Button is the best at explaining why skaters got the scores they did although Kurt Browning is good and does it without making you want to smack him.

Edited by brookmonton, Oct 26, 2004 @ 8:03 PM.

[Bungalow Joy]

How about when Button comments that a perfectly graceful, dynamic and stylish Chinese skater has "a ways to go artistically", then goes fawning when that slump shouldered Timothy Goebbel throws his arms around like a teenage tin soldier?

[Jer2002]

Well, he probably has a thing for Timothy, just like he did for Rudy Galindo. Hee!

[Bungalow Joy]

{{{{{shivers}}}}}

[Jer2002]

Anyone see Skate Canada on Monday night? Paul Wylie's voice was not made for broadcasting at all.

[wyndham]

He may not be good at broadcasting but I'll never forget Paul Wylie's silver medal performance - he had worked so hard for so long and come so close - had me cheering!

[starwannabe]

Maybe my eyes are getting worse with advancing age, but does anyone else think that Peter Carruthers is looking a bit hotter lately?

Just me then? Okay. [slinks back to corner]

[iMissEthan]

I was never much of a Paul Wylie fan - he always seemed like too much of a priss for me. Give me Kurt Browning any day.

[wyndham]

Very very sorry to read that Scott Hamilton has a benign (but slow growing) brain tumor which has caused him some vision problems. He has had to overcome so much in his life! But I'm sure this very classy fellow will handle it with his customary style and grace. Our thoughts are with you Scott!

[iMissEthan]

That is sad news. Does this guy live near a power plant or something? Didn't he have testicular cancer a few years ago?

[Jer2002]

He sure did.

[va32h]

If the commentators don't point out the mistakes, how will the viewing public understand the results? If anything, I think the commentators are too quick to gush over a mediocre performance.

I wouldn't worry about Michelle Kwan - she frequently skips the Grand Prix series - it's a lot of competition and travel during a relatively short period - can be quite exhausting. She is only keeping a toe in the eligible world so she can hang in for the 2006 Olympics anyway.

ABC seems to have thrown all their coverage to ESPN - I think I heard Terry say that ESPN would be the "new home" of even the Nationals and Worlds.

It looks like we'll be heading back to the pre-Tonya and Nancy era of skating coverage - minimal at best, with a slight upswing every four years.

[RedSonja]

I know I'm probably the only person in the country who laughed at Peter Carruthers talking to a person in a television set costume on the NHK coverage last night. "We thought you were an ice cream sandwich." I was totally amused. I hang my head in shame. That must be the 15 seconds they had planned on updating us on Tatiana Totmianina's condition, but decided it wasn't worth it.

Anyway, I was so thrilled that they actually showed dance from NHK, since it was sort of a surprise result. Also because I am consistently amused at Susie Wynne's attempts to pretend she likes, or even just respects, Denkova/Staviyski. I was almost literally rolling on the floor laughing when Terry was gushing over them like they were up for a Nobel Peace Prize and Susie's response was literally "Mmmhmm."

Also, I think she'd lick Olivier Schoenfelder, given the chance. Although I note she's moved on from last season's "he's very skilled" to swooning over his knees.

Last note, I think a lot of people don't like Paul Wylie's voice, but I think he's doing a pretty good job. My eyes almost fell out of my head when he actually attempted to define what a bracket is when Terry asked. I hope they continue with the email questions. And that the emails get more entertaining.

Edited by RedSonja, Nov 17, 2004 @ 1:57 AM.