Grand Prix de France 2023 Men FS - “Rain in your Black Ice”

[rfisher]

It reminds of when Tat was talking about how she choreographed and helped Kovtun with his expression. He didn't have the life experience to express the emotions and story needed, so she told him "think about a car you really want". This is Ilia's problem right now.

And, then she smacked him upside the head because that thought was too brief.

 

[Karen-W]

I thought Ilia's other focus this season was the landing the last quad he has yet to master (loop?). If he can turn that into a quad then he doesn't need the 4A with the lowered BV.

 

[Holy Headband]

I want to know who would have thought Ilia's parents would produce a phenom back when they were competing? Who said, wow, if they have a kid, they'll be a potential Olympic medalist?

Don't friends and relatives say this about every child born to two professional athletes?

 

[tony]

The funny thing is I can remember all the posts here and elsewhere agreeing with the base values of difficult pair elements being reduced when everyone's favorite Duhamel was one of the only (if not the only one) landing them because 'jumps aren't everything' or whatever else. And back in that day, the GOE was not a percentage of the base value, it was just a standard +1.00 or whatever else.

If Ilia lands a glorious 4A, he's likely to pull +3 and gain over 16 points just for that one jumping block. What should it be?

 

[Rukia]

I actually think it was super smart of Ilia's team to dial back the difficulty some not only to work on his components (which he has been doing even if they aren't to the level of some other skaters yet), because honestly he's still doing really well. He has a gold and a silver. He's still very young and building. Idk I just think their plan is good and they should stick with what they are doing (although I have a feeling they'll add the 4a back by worlds but does he really need it before then? who knows).

 

[Wyliefan]

Ilia losing is definitely unexpected, but I would have said that Isabeau was the favourite going in, base on how Hae-in has been skating thus far this season.

I was still somehow expecting Hae-in to pull it off.

 

[rfisher]

I'm confident Ilia's parents are figuring the odds. They really seem to have a handle on their kid. Parent/coaching typically stagnates development at a certain point, but I can't imagine any other coach who would do a better job with him at this point.

 

[Holy Headband]

Malinin doing “only” four quads isn’t going to hold him up over other skaters like Siao Him Fa who are also doing four (beautiful) quads. He needs to put in one more - whether it’s loop (which he has been working on), flip, or axel. It would’ve made the difference today.

I see you're a fellow chaos agent advocating for absolute carnage in the last group at Worlds

(My advice to Adam, Shoma and Ilia is to go for 5, no, 6 quads in the free, while my advice to Yuma is to stay healthy and keep doing what he's doing. Can you guess who my favourite skater is?)

 

[NinjaTurtles]

I actually think it was super smart of Ilia's team to dial back the difficulty some not only to work on his components (which he has been doing even if they aren't to the level of some other skaters yet), because honestly he's still doing really well. He has a gold and a silver. He's still very young and building. Idk I just think their plan is good and they should stick with what they are doing (although I have a feeling they'll add the 4a back by worlds but does he really need it before then? who knows).

If this result somehow brings an immediate fork in the road decision, they should trust the process and stick to the original plan for the season.

 

[Sally1214]

Late with my reaction as I was showing my hubby the playback of both Adam's and Ilia's performances. I think the judges got it absolutely correct for the top 4 final placements. Adam was outstanding. And, Ilia proved, once and for all, he's got nerves of steel to back up those quads. Yuma's got the best skating skills of them all and just needs some more time to get back the rest of his quad jumps and we've got ourselves a real nail-biter of a men's event at the Worlds and next Olympics. How EXCITING is THAT?!! Huge congrats to all the medalists. They gave it their all and really put on a show for the fans. WELL DONE, GUYS!

 

[Rukia]

(My advice to Adam, Shoma and Ilia is to go for 5, no, 6 quads in the free, while my advice to Yuma is to stay healthy and keep doing what he's doing. Can you guess who my favourite skater is?)

Yuma is building still and his eyes are on the ultimate Olympic prize (or they are if I have anything say about it)

 

[jlai]

I thought Ilia's other focus this season was the landing the last quad he has yet to master (loop?). If he can turn that into a quad then he doesn't need the 4A with the lowered BV.

That's kind of hard on the hip, isn't it? whatever helps him win while stay healthy is good (whatever that is)

 

[zigzig]

Adam - magic. fire. everything. What an electrifying skate.

Ilia - sketchy rotation on the second 4T but pretty lenient panel over all today. skating after Adam seemed to make him even more tense knowing how close the competition was, skated with a lot more freedom in the short. love seeing the effort he's put regarding components and transitions but still room for improvement. needs a real ARTISTE moment.

Yuma - great quads, love that Carolina is coaching him but would have expected something more off the beaten path. quality skater but seems to be easing back into the swing of things, understandably.

Lukas - bold choice for a white guy skating to African music. I don't have a problem with it at all especially cuz you can see he really enjoys the program but can imagine woke Twitter getting all mad over it solid skate, cool vibe, wish him well.

Camden - pretty much as well as he could have done, although maybe he could have edged over Lukas with two KNOCKOUT skates as unlikely as those would have been. If he's gonna be doubling random triples here and there he might as well add a second quad toe. understand the columbia biznezz but he needs to get his act together and capitalize on the crap US men's field this year.

Economides - nice Charlie Chaplin moments.

Gogolev - just meh all around, doesn't seem like he really wants to be there.

Jin - like him, like this program and his skating but just feel like he's skating on fumes. I hope his body will hold up 'til 2026 if that's his goal.

Landry - I. love. this. dude. obsessed with his big jumps even with their hideous rotation and his bizonkers facial hair. LOVE IT.

Shimada - meh.

Memola - program feels very junior for someone who has the potential to be a really kooky character skater. I wish he would work on his sluggish rotation.

Kataise - like him and his skating but junior skating and content. Look forward to seeing more though.

 

[Colonel Green]

Candeloro and Joubert, remarkably, only won this event one apiece, so Adam is now the winningest Frenchman at the Grand Prix de France.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I want to know who would have thought Ilia's parents would produce a phenom back when they were competing? Who said, wow, if they have a kid, they'll be a potential Olympic medalist?

Not many champions-turned-coaches produce phenoms. Mishin with Plushenko, and Vinson with her daughter, but most of the kids of champions haven't skated up to their parents achievements. I think for Malinina and Skorniakov, we might say it was as much of a crap shoot to expect it of them to as any other coaches.

More rare is the coach who coaches and guides a phenom from when they were little kids, because developing the phenom is usually more of a serial group effort.

 

[Spikefan]

Ilia has already indicated he may do the QA at the GPF:
“However, after the Grand Prix or at the Grand Prix Final, I will consider adding them both.”

I’m guessing he will have it at GPF and Worlds.

 

[caseyedwards]

A pcs victory

 

[Coco]

Just watching now, came here wondering if anyone had commented on the horrifyingly bad vocal in Memola's FS. I shouldn't have wondered LOL, I see it did not go unnoticed. And to do that to one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever...smh.

 

[Dobre]

I don't care if Malinin puts in the quad axel. He needs to put some choreography into the first 3/4ths of the program.

 

[skatfan]

I'm not sure Ilia getting silver is unexpected. I knew if Adam skated like he had been lately he was going to be very difficult for Ilia to beat. Adam has just been that good lately.

Mark mentioned in the medal ceremony and Skatings Scores noted the Ilia is the first silver medalist to score over 300 at a GP event.

It will be interested to see if Adam moves more tech to the back half, and whether Ilia ups his tech score the way we know he can with harder combos and sequences. What a great rivalry is brewing!

 

[ks1227]

I want to know who would have thought Ilia's parents would produce a phenom back when they were competing? Who said, wow, if they have a kid, they'll be a potential Olympic medalist?

If you had told me around 1999-2001 that Tatyana Malinina would have a son one day who was a world medalist and a national champion because of his great jumping ability but who needed to improve on the second mark, I might well have thought, "okay, that tracks." I haven't watched her in a long time, but my recollection is that for a short period she had good jumping technique that made her competitive internationally (admittedly not on Ilia's level, but no one then was on today's levels) but was criticized for not being artistic enough. (Remember all those critiques of her Aladdin program? )

On the other hand, I barely noticed Roman Skorniakov at all.

 

[tony]

If you had told me around 1999-2001 that Tatyana Malinina would have a son one day who was a world medalist and a national champion because of his great jumping ability but who struggled with the second mark, I might well have thought, "okay, that tracks." I haven't watched her in a long time, but my recollection is that for a short period she had good jumping technique that made her competitive internationally (admittedly not on Ilia's level, but no one then was on today's levels) but was criticized for not being artistic enough. (Remember all those critiques of her Aladdin program? )

On the other hand, I barely noticed Roman Skorniakov at all.

Skorniakov was shown an entire one time on US television as far as I remember, and I'm pretty sure it was the 1999 NHK Trophy because he was in medal contention after the short. He showed up more on our screens in the kiss and cry as Tatiana's coach.

Malinina had some memorable moments throughout her peak 1999-2002 years, including the interview at 2001 NHK with Peter Carruthers where he told her that she qualified to the Grand Prix Final. She had no idea that she still had a chance to get in (especially considering Butyrskaya and Slutskaya both withdrew from that competition), and she replied "I don't have second program!!' Aladdin was just awful choreographically, but most of her other programs were quite nice and not so glaringly empty.

 

[ks1227]

oops, I repeated myself!

 

[jlai]

If you had told me around 1999-2001 that Tatyana Malinina would have a son one day who was a world medalist and a national champion because of his great jumping ability but who needed to improve on the second mark, I might well have thought, "okay, that tracks." I haven't watched her in a long time, but my recollection is that for a short period she had good jumping technique that made her competitive internationally (admittedly not on Ilia's level, but no one then was on today's levels) but was criticized for not being artistic enough. (Remember all those critiques of her Aladdin program? )

On the other hand, I barely noticed Roman Skorniakov at all.

She did become more artistic later years

 

[skatingguy]

Even 1A?

One of the judges gave it a +2.

 

[jenny12]

Yuma is building still and his eyes are on the ultimate Olympic prize (or they are if I have anything say about it)

I hope so. Watching him again, the patterns of his skating, the depth of edge, the control and variances of his edges, I kind of think Yuma is in a different league when fully healthy.

 

[Rukia]

I hope so. Watching him again, the patterns of his skating, the depth of edge, the control and variances of his edges, I kind of think Yuma is in a different league when fully healthy.

lol I keep watching the step seq because like I'm not sure if people who have never skated realize how difficult that is. I pinpointed no less than 50 places where i would have personally tripped and/or died.

 

[Holy Headband]

lol I keep watching the step seq because like I'm not sure if people who have never skated realize how difficult that is. I pinpointed no less than 50 places where i would have personally tripped and/or died.

I remember he posted on social media that the step sequence was killing him when it was first choreographed. After a year with it, he's mastered it completely and it's a breathtaking moment. I can't think of many other skaters currently competing who could learn a step sequence with this level of complexity and perform it as well as he does. Maybe Jason Brown and, uh, who else?

 

[mtnskater]

Great epic skating between Adam and Ilia! So fun to watch. Adam laid down the gauntlet before the home crowd. His maturity in presentation evident over Ilia. (Though I am so over Benoit Richaud wierd choreography). I’m frankly amazed how much more consistency Ilia is showing so far this year to put out two solid skates in two events. Especially hearing such a high score as he was about to skate. He was often blowing up the short program and sometimes the free skate last year. He wasn’t happy with that skate, even though it was very, very good. Well deserved win for Adam! Happy audience!

Honorable mention to Yuma’s footwork sequence! Great showcase of actual skating and well-timed footwork not relying on smoke and mirrors from flailing arms. Not sure why he is working with Carolina since he is already good at what she is known for….speed and skating skills. Maybe she has helped fix his scarecrow hands because they look so much better now

 

[MR-FAN]

Just binged the LP and I just can’t with Yuma and Adam I just can’t

When Yuma skates this clean… I might pass out