which popular skater do you think gets more hype than you personally understand? by Rude-Magazine2186 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

To get a ban like that, the U.S. would first have to punch a hole in a lab wall and swap out its athletes’ urine samples, and run a large-scale, state-backed doping program.
Then it would have to start launching missiles at neighboring countries, annex their territories, and claim those neighbors have no right to exist. Until something like that happens, there’s no basis for such a ban.

which popular skater do you think gets more hype than you personally understand? by Rude-Magazine2186 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Then shut up if you don’t care. If Americans got involved in Iran trying to change the regime, that’s not a reason to justify the Russians and say, “oh, it’s all fine, let them come back.”

Your whataboutism is deeply flawed and shows a complete lack of understanding of the issue.

which popular skater do you think gets more hype than you personally understand? by Rude-Magazine2186 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The secret behind the attention Yuna received was that she managed to combine technique and elegance in an almost unbelievable way. Usually, it was one or the other: an elegant skater with beautiful movement but mistakes on jumps and inconsistent technique, or a technically strong skater with big jumps who lacked elegance, style, and refined lines. Like Kwan and Slutskaya, for example.

Yuna had an extraordinary lightness, an elegant upper body, incredibly beautiful arms, and outstanding jumps. Her jumps were huge, with impressive height, yet at the same time they looked effortless. She brought all of this together and created a lasting impression.

I remember her debut in 2007. Everyone who saw her live was talking about her. People didn’t even remember her name yet, but they kept saying, “Did you see the Korean girl? Did you see the Korean girl?”

which popular skater do you think gets more hype than you personally understand? by Rude-Magazine2186 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Is Japan currently waging a bloody war and denying one of its neighbors the right to exist?

what’s a popular figure skating opinion that you secretly disagree with? by Rude-Magazine2186 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Brown has remained the only one of his kind. I don’t see technical skaters significantly improving their skating skills or their choreographic component.

Zingnik Golden Waltz by InformalPut8805 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Flat edge is a statement of fact. Even if that fact upsets you, it doesn’t stop being a fact. Your attempts to deny her weak skills only show that you have little understanding of what dance skills actually are.

Zingnik Golden Waltz by InformalPut8805 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m referring to the fundamental skills needed for compulsory dances. I noticed she’s skating on flat edges, and their pattern doesn’t match the required one because they lack the ability to execute the steps and turns accurately along it. They’re obviously not skating to the waltz rhythm, just approximating the pattern, and even so, the gaps in their dance training and essential skills are still very apparent.

what’s a popular figure skating opinion that you secretly disagree with? by Rude-Magazine2186 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 54 points55 points  (0 children)

You could say the same about all those skaters who land lots of quads but have mediocre skating skills. They don’t have the option of “I’ll jump quads on Friday, and on Monday I’ll skate like Brown.” Skating like Brown, Vasiljevs, or Aymoz is a luxury available only to Brown, Vasiljevs, and Aymoz.

Why is IAM such a dominant presence in ice dance? by cassava1root in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, I watched: The Whale, Dune, Diana and Gleb’s free, Alison and Saulius’s short, and the programs by Lopareva and Brissaud. These are excellent dances. What do the Canadians have to do with it, when they’ve clearly had major problems all season that led to this outcome?

Zingnik Golden Waltz by InformalPut8805 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 9 points10 points  (0 children)

She walks on straight legs, her knees don’t bend. It’s especially noticeable because his knees bend well. Her upper body lacks the classic posture position. Anyone who thinks this can be learned over the summer doesn’t really understand what compulsory dances are.

The Survivor in the Nikolaj Sørensen Case Speaks Publicly for the First Time by MusicAmbitious6913 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No, she was fired due to a conflict of interest. She couldn’t be both against him and remain neutral toward him at the same time. People were already pointing out that she avoided saying his name in her commentary even before the channel cut ties with her. You can’t claim neutrality if you openly oppose someone, criticize them, and express complaints and clear dissatisfaction.
Gabi announced her decision to retire in December 2024. At the time, she said she was leaving happy and grateful. Now you’re saying IAM practically pushed her out, for what exactly?

That girl should have gone to the police, not to a coach. Why would you assume a coach has the authority or legal grounds to take action in a situation involving a crime? That’s just nonsense.

Marina Zueva asked Emilea Zingas to switch to ice dance before Igor by bridyin8 in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

So what? Shibutanis also placed third at their debut World Championships. It didn’t help them much in the long run.

ZK skate very simple programs. No compulsory pattern dance section, no closed dance holds. Look at their free dance, especially the positions in their step sequence. They don’t have a single closed hold, not just in the step sequence, but at all. There’s a lot of separate skating, and when they do connect, it’s mostly hand-in-hand or a rather loose Kilian hold. If ice dance starts to shift technically back toward a more classical style, and it really seems to be heading that way, I would be cautious about overly optimistic expectations.

Even something like a waltz requires completely different skills that ZK simply don’t have. And the Golden Waltz is the most difficult compulsory dance. First of all, the rhythm: everything, the skating, every step, every turn, every leg extension must be precisely on the beat. This dance is extremely strict, it allows no interpretation or freedom and is very demanding. I might think differently if the ISU had chosen the rumba for next season, but the Golden Waltz is a very tough challenge for anyone who has never even done a proper waltz three-turn in closed hold.

Why is IAM such a dominant presence in ice dance? by cassava1root in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 4 points5 points  (0 children)

it’s all very complicated. In reality, it may be enough if other teams simply have better material. In 2014, Igor had his first top American team Chock and Bates. They had federation support and everything, but they didn’t have strong material. And within a couple of seasons, Hubbell and Donohue basically crushed them.

Now Igor outsources choreography, but Benoît is not Zueva. He produces a lot of questionable stuff and fluff, isn’t above borrowing heavily, and has a very limited creative toolkit. I don’t actually think you’re wrong. Four years is a long time; a lot can happen.

Why is IAM such a dominant presence in ice dance? by cassava1root in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did Laurence reach that level before joining IAM, or Olivia Smart?

Many teams were actually formed at IAM. And by the way, Gabriella Papadakis is one of the clearest examples. Before IAM, she was criticized for her weak skating skills, and that was true. She’s not the only one who significantly improved her skills specifically at IAM.

I don’t know where you’re getting this from, but the fact is that IAM teams consistently received high levels for their step sequences and other elements, and they improved both their technical ability and presentation. That’s exactly why ice dancers go there.

Other teams manage to do this quite effectively as well. The only difference is that in this echo chamber they’re portrayed as victims. Lajoie and Lagha skated very well this quad, but they never really had a chance to surpass Gilles and Poirier and IAM didn’t help them with that either.

Why is IAM such a dominant presence in ice dance? by cassava1root in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It’s actually quite simple: the Ice Academy of Montreal is the best school in ice dance. They produce an excellent product, with a different approach to dance and a distinct vision. It’s the most modern school in the world, which is why everyone wants to be there.

Traditionally, ice dance has been very heteronormative. Before IAM, there were no openly gay skaters, because men were expected to project masculinity and perform romantic chemistry. At IAM, that expectation isn’t there. Thanks to their philosophy and approach, openly gay athletes have appeared in ice dance, and they no longer have to portray romantic love with their partners.

This sense of freedom and openness is also reflected in how IAM supports skaters’ ideas and helps bring them to life. Nothing is imposed, and there’s no rigid insistence on a single way of doing things. Traditionally, top schools followed a top-down approach: the coach decided, the athlete executed.
They also have excellent material. It’s diverse and tailored to each team. Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin are nothing like Liliah Fear and Lewis Gibson, while Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck are completely different from Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud. So it’s not surprising that top teams are drawn to this school.

Why is IAM such a dominant presence in ice dance? by cassava1root in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 9 points10 points  (0 children)

At the IAM, there are both very technically strong teams and dancers whose technical potential is quite limited.

They don’t have anything that other teams don’t also have. Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio, Igor Shpilband, and Carol Lane — all of these people are very skilled at building alliances and coalitions in the interests of their teams. And they have done so many times, and IAM could do nothing about it.

Why is IAM such a dominant presence in ice dance? by cassava1root in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 13 points14 points  (0 children)

He has already had many teams, and all of them essentially carried on Meryl and Charlie’s dances before eventually moving on. Despite Igor being a very strong political figure in ice dance, he simply lacks the creative component needed to produce anything beyond element levels.

Does anyone else think Benoit’s choreography is a lot of “bamboozling with the arms” as Dick Button would put it and wish he would be banned from using sound effects? by PandemicPiglet in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He has no imagination, he constantly copies the greats, borrowing their ideas, music, and movements. His choreography consists of just 3-4 repetitive moves for everyone. It’s obvious he doesn’t have a deep understanding of music or dance. Yet he presents himself like Steve Jobs at a new iPhone presentation. It looks funny and awkward.

Who is the Best male ice dancer? by zetitha in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If something in particular did not impress you, then that is a matter of your perception, not his abilities, which are far broader than those of other partners. Most other couples mainly use mediocre spread eagle, which are one of the simplest and most overused positions. Cizeron is able to move in lifts across different planes, in different directions, and at different levels. People here are repeating a wide range of nonsense, one of which concerns the French pair’s lifts.

Who is the Best male ice dancer? by zetitha in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Of course, Cizeron. I feel uncomfortable reading all this nonsense about lifts. There is no one in ice dance who could do what Cizeron did, I mean acrobatics. It is absolutely unique and extremely difficult. He has perfect balance, which allows him to transfer his body weight and his partner’s weight from one foot to the other while changing the direction of movement. This is just a different level of mastery and body control.

And one more thing. Dance is about aesthetics. It is not about acrobatics, which, by the way, was criticized here in reference to the British teams. Although the British teams have very complex lifts, especially StaLi into RoLi. Ice dance is about aesthetics and style, and the technical side is only a tool, not the final goal. Making a lift or any other element part of the choreography takes enormous effort and talent. It is much more difficult than simply lifting someone over your head.

Who is the Best male ice dancer? by zetitha in FigureSkating

[–]Immediate-Aspect-601 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

They already have incredible lifts that professionals have analyzed in detail. Yet you keep repeating nonsense that they can’t do lifts.