Olympic figure skating 2014: the men's freeskate
Well, sometimes things don't go your way. Even the most talented people in the world can have bad days, and sometimes they have them at the Olympics. That was everyone yesterday. Obviously, I'm sad for Patrick Chan. But it's so much pressure and to expect anybody to be perfect in that situation is just unrealistic. I hope the media doesn't attack him they way they attacked Sasha Cohen, as if they lost the gold instead of winning the silver. They're human beings, and that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Move on. Patrick Chan is still the most beautiful skater in the world, no matter how many medals he wins or doesn't win. I'd rather watch him on his worst day than almost anyone else on their best day because the quality of his skating is so superior. During his short program there was a moment that literally brought tears to my eyes, he was so graceful and you could hear the sound of his blades through a quiet spot in the music, and it was so smooth, you could hear as well as see the depth and security of those edges, how fluid and expressive his every movement was. THAT is what figure skating is all about. I watch and love figure skating for skaters like Patrick Chan. I love him and believe in him no matter what. And hey, if he sticks around for another four years now, and we get to watch four more years of him in competitions, I'll consider that this cloud's silver lining.
Congratulations to Yuzuru Hanyu though, to win your first Olympics at 19 is an amazing accomplishment, even if his freeskate was less than perfect. And yay for Denis Ten, he had one of the best skates of the night, and it was great to see him do so well and win his country's first ever Olympic figure skating medal. But darn at Jason Brown being all the way down in 9th! He was better than several of the skaters he ended up behind.
But my best memory of the men's freeskate, the one that will be the thing I remember from Sochi, is by far Jeremy Abbott's freeskate. I tuned in a little too late and had to wait till the repeat to watch it, but after all the disappointment of this competition, it was exactly what I needed to see. I wanted so badly for him to have just one good skate at the Olympics, after the horrific time he had in Vancouver, and then more trouble here. Obviously I'm so sad about what happened in the short, but was so proud of him when he got back up and finished that program. I admire his perseverance so much. Another skater with such quality in his skating, I'm always on his side, no matter how many disasters he has, because when he's at his best, he's right alongside Chan as the best in the world. Which is why I literally broke down sobbing about halfway through his freeskate, because it's the best I've ever seen him skate that program, and I knew it was going to be flawless, and that he was finally having that great skate at the Olympics that I always knew was in him. I've been so angry at people who've been critical of him over the years, and now they can all see what he's made of, goddamn it! He choreographed that program himself, so when you see him skate, you're not getting some kid who's just going through the motions, you're seeing a real artist baring his soul. Imagine doing that and landing eight jumps with millions of people watching. That's the definition of a great skater. I'm sort of in denial that he's retiring, I can't really let myself acknowledge it because it makes me too sad. I wish he'd go to the World Championships, just to have one more chance to see him skate, but I have to admit, if he has to go, that was the performance to leave us with. I love him so much I'm gonna cry again!
One thing I really, seriously must mention though, is that I feel the blame for the general crappiness of the men's freeskate is entirely the fault of whoever it was that scheduled the men's freeskate the day after the short programs. What the hell were they thinking? There has to be a day in between to recover. Even as a viewer, I found it to be a little much to have the mens competition skated back to back, so I can only imagine how over-taxing and daunting it must have been for the skaters. At the Olympics especially, this is the one time in four years that the World at large actually sees figure skating, so you want to them to see something spectacular to get them hooked on the sport, not a bunch of really tired guys who are so exhausted that they're falling all over the place on jumps they normally have in the bag. Shame on you, Olympic people, you've done some of the greatest athletes in the world, and their fans, a terrible disservice.
So thankfully there's a day of rest before Ice Dance kicks off, because I need to wind down this emotional roller-coaster a little bit! It's so hard to be a skating fan during the Olympics, too much drama! LOL! And I know I'll be a wreck for the Ice Dance especially, since Meryl Davis & Charlie White are my team, I need them to win gold so much I can't even breath when I think about it! And they're actually skating to Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Scheherazade'! One of my favorite pieces of music, and I'd wished they would choose it for their Olympic freedance since I knew it would be so perfect a fit for them, and then lo and behold, that's exactly what they chose this year! And it's AWESOME. This thing is a masterpiece, and to see them skate it is to behold the true wonder of figure skating. Only a few more days!!!!
Congratulations to Yuzuru Hanyu though, to win your first Olympics at 19 is an amazing accomplishment, even if his freeskate was less than perfect. And yay for Denis Ten, he had one of the best skates of the night, and it was great to see him do so well and win his country's first ever Olympic figure skating medal. But darn at Jason Brown being all the way down in 9th! He was better than several of the skaters he ended up behind.
But my best memory of the men's freeskate, the one that will be the thing I remember from Sochi, is by far Jeremy Abbott's freeskate. I tuned in a little too late and had to wait till the repeat to watch it, but after all the disappointment of this competition, it was exactly what I needed to see. I wanted so badly for him to have just one good skate at the Olympics, after the horrific time he had in Vancouver, and then more trouble here. Obviously I'm so sad about what happened in the short, but was so proud of him when he got back up and finished that program. I admire his perseverance so much. Another skater with such quality in his skating, I'm always on his side, no matter how many disasters he has, because when he's at his best, he's right alongside Chan as the best in the world. Which is why I literally broke down sobbing about halfway through his freeskate, because it's the best I've ever seen him skate that program, and I knew it was going to be flawless, and that he was finally having that great skate at the Olympics that I always knew was in him. I've been so angry at people who've been critical of him over the years, and now they can all see what he's made of, goddamn it! He choreographed that program himself, so when you see him skate, you're not getting some kid who's just going through the motions, you're seeing a real artist baring his soul. Imagine doing that and landing eight jumps with millions of people watching. That's the definition of a great skater. I'm sort of in denial that he's retiring, I can't really let myself acknowledge it because it makes me too sad. I wish he'd go to the World Championships, just to have one more chance to see him skate, but I have to admit, if he has to go, that was the performance to leave us with. I love him so much I'm gonna cry again!
One thing I really, seriously must mention though, is that I feel the blame for the general crappiness of the men's freeskate is entirely the fault of whoever it was that scheduled the men's freeskate the day after the short programs. What the hell were they thinking? There has to be a day in between to recover. Even as a viewer, I found it to be a little much to have the mens competition skated back to back, so I can only imagine how over-taxing and daunting it must have been for the skaters. At the Olympics especially, this is the one time in four years that the World at large actually sees figure skating, so you want to them to see something spectacular to get them hooked on the sport, not a bunch of really tired guys who are so exhausted that they're falling all over the place on jumps they normally have in the bag. Shame on you, Olympic people, you've done some of the greatest athletes in the world, and their fans, a terrible disservice.
So thankfully there's a day of rest before Ice Dance kicks off, because I need to wind down this emotional roller-coaster a little bit! It's so hard to be a skating fan during the Olympics, too much drama! LOL! And I know I'll be a wreck for the Ice Dance especially, since Meryl Davis & Charlie White are my team, I need them to win gold so much I can't even breath when I think about it! And they're actually skating to Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Scheherazade'! One of my favorite pieces of music, and I'd wished they would choose it for their Olympic freedance since I knew it would be so perfect a fit for them, and then lo and behold, that's exactly what they chose this year! And it's AWESOME. This thing is a masterpiece, and to see them skate it is to behold the true wonder of figure skating. Only a few more days!!!!