2023 Skate America Men FS - Texas TES Score Massacre

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Malinin is by no means tall, but he towers over Aymoz and Sato.

and I thought Mariah bell towered over him

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Digital flags? Boo! Boo!

I know, that’s been the trend this year

 

[skatfan]

I love how people keep saying Ilia is just a jumper but just check out Nathan at the Olympics in 2018 at the same age Ilia is right now he was no more of a performer at the time then Ilia is perhaps even less so. It was just jump jump jump.

Well, his long was mostly jumps in the individual comp because he needed redemption after 3 bad skates, but check out his SP from nationals that year - it was really good!

 

[overedge]

I love how people keep saying Ilia is just a jumper but just check out Nathan at the Olympics in 2018 at the same age Ilia is right now he was no more of a performer at the time then Ilia is perhaps even less so. It was just jump jump jump.

Malinin does not at this point have the intellectual maturity to give a Chen-esque performance, nor the dance or the musical background that Nathan had at the same age. He's a work in progress, so let's see how and if he evolves.

Exactly. There's no marks for potential. The marks should be for what the skater does. And there's no guarantee that any skater is going to develop additional skills, or develop them in a particular direction.

 

[overedge]

He IS paying attention. Look, he's a technical phenom who is now working hard on other things (his spins are already great). I can see a significant difference even between his first competition and here. And he's only 18, and the family is obviously aware that he needs to continue to work on them. If there's a problem, it's that the judges are not creating an appropriate spread on the presentation marks. But then Kevin should get dinged for a pretty empty 2nd half program when he runs out of gas.

Kevin didn't run out of gas if he could do these jump moves on the crescendos at the end of the music. And yes IMO the judges are not hitting Ilia hard enough on the non-jump elements.

 

[skatfan]

Kevin didn't run out of gas if he could do these jump moves on the crescendos at the end of the music.

I agree today he did ok (doing just the one quad probably helps). I was thinking of worlds when he got very tired.

 

[Frau Muller]

Torvill and Dean who? Kevin, that was fabulous! (No T/D disrespect intended.)

We have a Bolero from one of the women, Mana Kawabe, later today.

http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00102352.htm

 

[Frau Muller]

Digital flags? Boo! Boo!

What the heck does this look like? Photo, please, as Peacock didn’t show the ceremonies. (See post #580 below.)

 

[floskate]

Watching the skating, I see Ilia has improved his presentation with programs that showcase what he can currently do and work well to hide his weaknesses. His basics still need work, but that takes time, his spins aren't shabby and he is on the music pretty consistently. He has charisma in spades and here I saw a level of physical control that thus far has been an issue for him sometimes, likely due to his growth spurts. No, he's not the performer Kevin is, but why would he be? He's 18 and the progress he has made since he burst on the scene is glaringly obvious. It's a complete misnomer to portray him as a jumper with nothing else to his skating. His packaging will always have the influence of his skating school (Russian) and that won't be to everyone's taste, but at least credit what he has improved upon and critique fairly.

Kevin was wonderful but seemed a little slow on the video I watched (choreo sequence not withstanding) although he has beautiful flow. Not a huge fan of all the red gloved finger pointing and gesturing to the judges though. Does he use them to make devil horns at one point?

 

[Frau Muller]

What the heck does this look like? Photo, please, as Peacock didn’t show the ceremonies.

I found this photo on TSL:

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php/?photo_id=732056855631945

 

[marbri]

So kudos to Malinin, in both programs I can see he is definitely trying to address the second mark and I even find him a bit enjoyable to watch skating

I at Kevin's program and would if he invaded my judging space like that ( will be curious to see if rules about this are created in the near future as this whole trend is getting cringey, aside from when Olivia Smart does it, there it works ).

I won't go on as it's clear a lot of people here have drank the kool-aid and the audience was loving him but that was a very Pluschenko-esque type program if ever there was one. But hey, it works for a lot of people and the judges as well so go Kevin i guess

 

[once_upon]

What the heck does this look like? Photo, please, as Peacock didn’t show the ceremonies. (See post #580 below.)

I saw them on the ISU page this morning. The best way to describe what I thought of them...like a Sheriff badge you would get in a Cracker Jack's box only Texas size (huge), white and the shape of the state of Texas emblem on them.

Not anything I would want front and center in a display case

 

[BittyBug]

Speaking of Malinin and jumps....

Where is his flip?

He is the only skater who actually jumps rather than steps the Euler.

 

[Sylvia]

Speaking of Malinin and jumps....

Where is his flip?

Malinin's jump layout at 2023 Worlds:
4A
4F
4Lz
4S
4Lz+1Eu+3S
4T+3T
3Lz+3A+SEQ

Last night:
3A
4Lz
3Lo (planning quad for this season)
4S
4Lz+1Eu+3S
4T+3T
3Lz+3A+SEQ

 

[BittyBug]

Right. He seems to have lost his 4F.

 

[Sylvia]

If by “lost” you mean he’s substituting loop for flip right now, then yes.

From TeamUSA.org's GP season preview: https://www.teamusa.com/news/2023/o...nd-prix-season-get-ready-for-ilia-malinin-2-0

“I don’t think I will be doing quad axel at Skate America or the other Grand Prix I am doing [in France], because I want to play it safe and make sure I have a solid base for the program without any mistakes, so that way I can qualify for the [Grand Prix] Final,” Malinin told reporters on a pre-event teleconference.
“At the final, I might add the quad axel and the quad loop. That’s my idea on this,” he added.

 

[Simone411]

It's just 2023. Ilia, to my eyes, is looking wonderful. His artistic presentation has improved by leaps and bounds. And, as someone who used to compete and understands how difficult these elements are, I am in awe at his athletic achievement. He's a phenomenon.

I mentioned this regarding Ilia's SP. I could tell he had been working harder on his artistry, and he has. He is only 18, and I can just imagine how much his presentation will improve by the time the Winter Olympics come around.

I do like Kevin, and he's a show off. I mean that in a good way. I love him, and I love Shun's skating too! He implodes power on the ice. I'm really proud for all three.

At the moment, I don't know a lot about Kevin and Shun. I'm afraid it's because I was in and out of hospitals and nursing rehab facilities from October 2021 till June 2022. I have home health nurses that come 3 times a week, and I am improving. This is part of the reason I couldn't watch last night with all of you. I can't stay in my wheelchair for long periods of time. I have to take a break from it, but this is the very reason why I'm doing so much better. Now since the ladies FS is at 2 p.m. central, I'll be able to join all of you.

But this is why all these skaters seem new to me, and now I have a chance to become familiar with them.

Now please forgive me for what I'm about to say, and no one else may see what I see. It was a pretty scary moment (or should I say surprising moment) when I saw Eteri during the Mens SPs and then during the Mens LPs. Now none of you may see what I saw, but I've always believed that somewhere in the world there is another person that is our "twin" or that favors us.

Now mind you, I hadn't seen Eteri Tutberidze for quite some time, but I noticed that she reminded me of Marjorie Taylor Greene! That is so spooky and just in time for Halloween! Eeeeeek!

 

[barbk]

I thoroughly enjoyed both of Kevin's programs. I just re-watched the long, and I loved the energy and commitment to the choreo sequence at the end. It was a banger.

I have also had to correct Kevin's name about four times trying to search for a YouTube of the LP this morning. No trouble with Amoyz...but my landlord is named...Keven. I have failed to muster the courage to ask him what his parents were thinking.

Kevin Aymoz | FRA | Free Program | Skate America 2023 #skateamerica

Free Program score: 181.75.Total: 279.09 (2nd place).

www.youtube.com

 

[tony]

I have also had to correct Kevin's name about four times trying to search for a YouTube of the LP this morning. No trouble with Amoyz...

You sure?

 

[barbk]

You sure?

Wondering who would notice!

 

[zigzig]

Love Kevin but the caller giving full credit for that 3A+1Lo+3S<< while nitpicking lots of other skaters was a...choice.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Am I the only one who likes Malinin's LP better than the SP?
Let's face it, he's not exactly the "master of graciousness", and his Malaguena, while not as hilarious as Joubert's, still looks like a bad parody. With something more abstract and fully built around jumps, he looks much better. All these weird attempts of artistry only obstruct the view of his jumps.

I would generally go the path of Grassl (in the good way, of course). Take underused music and do the maximum of broken and awkward moves, pretending like you're doing modern ballet rather than being unable to fully control your limbs.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Kevin
He can twirl his baton like no other!

I have several things to say.
First: leave this program and only change the music. I don't have any problems with the choreo, but it is just the wrong music for it.
Second: wow, he feels outdated somehow. I don't know why, but it feels like a program from the 90ies. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something is weird.
Third: I remember him from his very early days, and I must admit, I never thought he'd have such a successful career. I thought he'd be , shines for a season or two and then gets sidelined as being unable to land anything. I'm definitely being proven wrong.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Another helpful comment: Evgenia Shishkova looks fantastic. Shishkova/Naumov are one of my all-times favorite pairs, so I'm lowkey cheering for Maxim. At least compared to other sons-ofs, starting with Ponomarenko.

 

[skatingguy]

Yeah, as a massive Aymoz fan I still don't know how it didn't get anything. I just went back to rewatch to make sure I wasn't crazy and his foot landed forward. Definite << territory. There's no excuse for the panel to look the other way, especially on something that was obvious in real-time.

Going back over the protocols today, and Andreas Nordeback had a double Axel landed in the exact same way as Aymoz's triple Salchow, and also no call from the technical panel.

 

[her grace]

Thoughts on the event

Malinin: His jumps were quite entertaining. The program is what it is. Eventually, I'd like to see more control of his limbs in the connecting movements and more of a story, but good enough for now. Easy victory.

Aymoz: Great intensity and the ending sequence brought the house down. I get that he should change out some of his highlight moves for variety, but they are quite effective. Complete performance.

Sato: Not his best jumps day, but good enough for a medal.

Egadze: Rather unpolished and needs more flow out of his jumps. Decent effort.

Litvinsev: Crazy music mash-up. He definitely performed it, but I think he could do more with better program concepts. His skills are good enough that he doesn't have to be Contesti.

Yoshioka: This program does not work for him. There's no pirate there. Give him some beautiful classic music and just let him skate with his good technique and strong edge quality.

Torgashev: Held it together, though quadless. Basic quality is fine. Program felt rather empty. The biggest emotional moment was him making some big dismissive gesture. I wanted more.

Tsuboi: Started strong and then went awry. Don't think his basics are up to the level of his compatriots.

Vasiljevs: Hot and cold performance. Lots of technical issues, even on a spin. Audience loved, nonetheless, and I do agree that he has an innate likeability and good expression.

Naumov: Program never really got going with mistakes at the beginning and throughout.

Gogolev: Started strong and then popped. I was surprised to see that he does actually put some feeling into his choreography. He's like the reverse Kurakova. She looks great on TV because she emotes with her face, but does less with her body. He doesn't do much with his face, but does have some musical intensity expressed through his body. If he can gain some consistency, he could be pleasant to watch.

Nordeback: Fun Nordic skater, still working on solidifying his technique.

 

[Rukia]

Going back over the protocols today, and Andreas Nordeback had a double Axel landed in the exact same way as Aymoz's triple Salchow, and also no call from the technical panel.

lol that's another one that I watched them review so

 

[rfisher]

Another helpful comment: Evgenia Shishkova looks fantastic. Shishkova/Naumov are one of my all-times favorite pairs, so I'm lowkey cheering for Maxim. At least compared to other sons-ofs, starting with Ponomarenko.

It's a pity pairs doesn't get a lot of love in the US because IMO Maxim would do very well following in their footsteps. More than what he's managing in singles if he had the right partner.

 

[Matryeshka]

Caught up on the men's! I'mma need to take up smoking after Aymoz's routine.

And I absolutely think Ravel meant to imply sex--that big crescendo at the end is climactic in more ways than one. And Aymoz absolutely brought about a happy conclusion.

I get that Malinin deservedly won, but Aymoz was THE performance of the night, maybe of the season. I feel like everyone else will not be as satisfying

 

[floskate]

Am I the only one who likes Malinin's LP better than the SP?
Let's face it, he's not exactly the "master of graciousness", and his Malaguena, while not as hilarious as Joubert's, still looks like a bad parody. With something more abstract and fully built around jumps, he looks much better. All these weird attempts of artistry only obstruct the view of his jumps.

I would generally go the path of Grassl (in the good way, of course). Take underused music and do the maximum of broken and awkward moves, pretending like you're doing modern ballet rather than being unable to fully control your limbs.

Not the only one. The SP is feels very much pasted on BUT, he did sell the hell out of it, and I understand why they're doing it, to develop his versatility etc. Some attempts will be more successful than others. (See Yoshida and Kawabe's SP choices!) I love the music of his LP so that helps although he loses me in the step sequence where he doesn't have the edges to keep my attention and some of the more cringey choreo can be found to show he's highlighting the musical accents, but it pulls me back in and whatever his deficiencies (he's still only 18 after all), you can't deny his charisma.