US Nationals

Hi everyone

I just finished watching NBC coverage of US men's FS program.

It is defending champ Jeremy Abott, who won the title, landing a beautiful quad at the beginning of the program.

He landed the same one just about 50cm away from me in SC . It was gorgeous beyond words. He is going to be a great rival of Daisuke in Vancouver.

2nd Lycack,
3rd Weire

But Brian Bradley who landed 2 quads in free program was only 4th.

Take care

Hi Genki! I saw the NBC coverage too and Jeremy was great!

At the press conference, Evan mentioned Daisuke as a skater to worry about in Vancouver. He also mentioned Patrick Chan.

Hi Swandie

I just saw CBC coverage of Canadian Nationals.

Yes, Chan skated great this time. He completely recovered from the debacle in SC.

He did not try quads in his free, but won the national easily.

In my opinion, Chan is a greater threat to Daisuke than Evan because of his beautiful deep edge and artistic expression.

NBC coverage of Women and Ice dancing will be over the next weekend.

Let's watch it!!!

Hi everyone! I was really looking forward to today's event, but unfortunately I was out the whole day so I couldn't watch it on TV. I was so anxious about it I called my friend as soon as it finished airing though, and when she told me that Jeremy won by 25 points I was absolutely ecstatic! Given the momentum that Evan has had this season, I was convinced that he would win as long as he didn't completely bomb (given his history of being overscored, especially at US Nats). But hearing that Jeremy skated perfectly and won with such a huge margin made my day. I watched his program online first thing when I came home, and it was just sublime -- everything was so smooth and effortless. I really hope he can skate like this again in Vancouver, but it may be difficult to produce that kind of performance again, especially under Olympic pressure... He intends on adding a second triple axel though and he had some low levels on spins today, so there are still areas in which he can improve. At any rate, I'm rooting for him and Daisuke to make the podium in Vancouver, and I can't wait to see them both compete!

As for Evan, I wasn't impressed with his attitude during the competition, especially with his comments about Nationals just being a "practice" and his (and Frank Caroll's) complaining about his "low" scores after the short program. Frankly, I'm relieved that he wasn't overscored into oblivion here, and I hope that his scores at the Olympics will come back down to earth now too.

Johnny got the job done and made the team, but his skate was far from stellar. To be honest, I'm disappointed in the regression of his skating since 2006. He used to be my favorite male skater (before Daisuke!), and his programs from 05-06 and earlier were really special. I still rewatch his SP from 2006 Nationals and think it's one of the best men's performances of all time. In contrast to then though, his programs now seem dull and empty, and I find myself lukewarm to his skating. I still hope he'll do well in Vancouver and have a good end to his amateur career, though.

I watched Patrick's performances at Canadian Nationals, too. They were a definite improvement from Skate Canada, although the scores were ridiculously inflated. Even without a quad, he'll be a force to contend with in Vancouver, especially since he'll have tremendous support from the home crowd.

I've just watched some of the performances (Jeremy, Evan, Johnny, Ryan and Adam) on youtube. It was a really great competition!!

Congrats to Jeremy!! It was a breathtaking skate!! He is my favorite among U.S. men.

Genki wrote:

In my opinion, Chan is a greater threat to Daisuke than Evan because of his beautiful deep edge and artistic expression.

Do you think so? IMO, Jeremy and Evan are greater threat than Patrick. (Of course Brian, Evgeny and some more European skaters too.) First of all, Patrick doesn't have stable 3As and maybe isn't still perfect due to injury. (Dai-chan is the same.... )And to my eyes, sorry to say but , his performance is a bit tasteless.... I respect Patrick. He is a wonderful skater who has great great skating skill and stamina. (To keep doing somthing every second and with great speed throughout a program definitely requires stamina. In that meaning, he is very special!! ) Perhaps he needs a little more time to mature, just IMO though.

To the contrary, I enjoyed Ryan Bradely's FP very much today. What a cheerful performance!! I was really sorry for him. It would be nice if we could see such an enjoyable performance in Vancouver. I hope he will win in 4CC.

Calliope wrote:

He intends on adding a second triple axel though

Oh really? Nice! I'm just thinking what a compleat program Jeremy's FP would be if it has another 3A!!

BTW, U.S. will send the same men (Jeremy, Evan and Johnny) to Turin, too?

Hi Miyu:

I believe that Jeremy, if he stakes like nationals, he is much greater threat to Dai than Evan or Chan.

I just do not like Evan's skating, because he is stiff and does not get down to the knee enough. (Sorry just IMO)

I tend to prefer skaters with a lot of knee bend and deep edges, despite of their jumping ability.

In this respect Daisuke(I do not mean he can not jump.) of course is the my most favorite,second Jeremy and third, Stephen.(I wonder what happened to him at Swiss Nationals?)

Nice talking to you, Miyu.

Yes, miyu, the US is sending the Olympic team to Turin as well although I think Evan will skip if he wins Olympic gold.

Calliope wrote:

As for Evan, I wasn't impressed with his attitude during the competition, especially with his comments about Nationals just being a "practice" and his (and Frank Caroll's) complaining about his "low" scores after the short program.

I agree, Calliope. They made it sound like he should get high scores just for being world champion. I used to enjoy Evan's skating but now I find that his programs lack a "soul". It doesn't help that he's not very involved in music selection.

Genki, I agree that a perfect Jeremy would be one of the biggest threats to Daisuke. Dai has yet to land a perfect quad and Jeremy has landed two of them this season. Overall, Jeremy's quad is more consistent than Evan's or Patrick's. Johnny isn't really planning to do one so it will be interesting to see how he fits into the scheme of things.

Genki wrote:

Nice talking to you, Miyu.

I was a bit mean to the young talented skater... Tasteless?? What a naughty word!!! I'm very sorry. Perhaps I was in bad mood....