Catching up with Evan Lysacek on the 10th anniversary of his Olympic Gold

[aftershocks]

Endless rehash forever.

Meanwhile, here's a cool video with Dang & Evan ("No last names...") It's nice to see them interacting with each other up-close-and-personal:

Dang Bodiratnangkura & Evan Lysacek Share a Love that Transcends Time

In this episode of Prestige Colours of Love, Duangpatra "Dang" Bodiratnangkura & Evan Lysacek share their long-lasting love story, from meeting ten years ago...

www.youtube.com

Colours of Love: Duangpatra "Dang" Bodiratnangkura & Evan Lysacek

Duangpatra "Dang" Bodiratnangkura & Evan Lysacek share their long-lasting love story, from meeting ten years ago, to a rekindled flame stronger than ever.

www.prestigeonline.com

From their conversation, it appears that they are interested in having children, 'God willing,' as they said. Lysacek is 35, so I suppose Dang is somewhere around the same age. ETA: In the above-linked article, Dang mentions that she's 41.

During his interview with Scott H, Evan telling the story of how he didn't like skating at first because his sister was better than him, is interesting. His mother telling him he needed to work harder to improve if someone was better than him is probably the key to Evan's eventual success, competitiveness and fierce determination.

 

[Carolla5501]

that's bc johnny has charisma and style and didn't fake bake and really is the face of the sport now. sorry to say it but johnny will leave a much greater legacy than lysacek ever will.

I assume you are talking about "how to look like a total dingbat on national TV" That's sadly going to be Johnny Weir's legacy. People don't know him for skating they know him for his "look at me act"

 

[kwanfan1818]

still think one of the biggest disgraces in the leadup to Vancouver that is not really discussed is Joe Inman's email. All I will say is, if a Russian judge had emailed the Olympic judges and ordered them to mark down an American skater, we'd still be hearing about it at the tops of their voices. There seems to be a lot less concern than an American judge did it regarding a Russian skater - whose main rival was American.

An American who was responsible for official ISU training on the proper use of PCS and who saw them used improperly for Plushenko's comeback. Russian officials on the Technical Committee and who have responsibilities for training and interpreting the rules and guidelines do the same all the time, as do non-Russian and non-US people responsible for ISU training.

And since you weren't there, you wouldn't have noticed from film that Plushenko's speed and power, including into his jumps, were in the bottom quarter across the field, and his ice coverage was extremely poor, while Lysacek was on his game. The shame was that Plushenko's TR score improved for the FS.

 

[VGThuy]

To me, the main question is whether it was customary and common that officials in Inman's capacity or a similar capacity to email judges in the manner he did. In the past 10 years, I feel like I've been getting conflicting info from sources whose backgrounds and knowledge I am unsure of. If the answer is that yes, it was part of the usual course of business, then it seems clear that publicizing his email in the manner that it was was NOT usual as it seems nobody else's emails have been used to pre-delegitimize a competition before it takes place.

 

[MAXSwagg]

I assume you are talking about "how to look like a total dingbat on national TV" That's sadly going to be Johnny Weir's legacy. People don't know him for skating they know him for his "look at me act"

On the flipside I’m not sure if any layperson/non-skating fan knows who Evan is. I’m sure there are even some casual fans who don’t recall Evan without being reminded.

 

[VGThuy]

To be fair, most laypeople/non-skating fans won’t know who any skaters are.

 

[Lemonade20]

To be fair, most laypeople/non-skating fans won’t know who any skaters are.

True!

 

[MacMadame]

To be fair, most laypeople/non-skating fans won’t know who any skaters are.

But it's unusual for an OGM in figure skating to be so unknown. The only other example is Sarah Hughes and her parents kind of did that on purpose.

 

[overedge]

The text of Inman's email is available online. He did not order anyone to mark Plushenko lower. I don't think he was in a job that gave him the authority to order anyone to do anything.

He expressed a concern about how one component of the marking scheme was being applied, and used marks that Plushenko had received as an example. That is very different.

 

[misskarne]

The text of Inman's email is available online. He did not order anyone to mark Plushenko lower. I don't think he was in a job that gave him the authority to order anyone to do anything.

He expressed a concern about how one component of the marking scheme was being applied, and used marks that Plushenko had received as an example. That is very different.

Sorry, his suggestion.

Do you think it acceptable that the man who was considered the authority on PCS used a current skater who was going to be at the Olympics as an example of how not to mark?

Because I think that is intensely problematic, and if you don't, well, it comes back to what I said before - can you imagine the ruckus if Inman was Russian and Plushenko American?

 

[VGThuy]

I’d imagine it’d be the same sort of ruckus because it seemed people in Russia cared a great deal. It’d just be in our periphery more because we’re used to Western media and get exposed to that more. I also imagine many who have complained about it would switch sides and defend the action and attack the publication of a communication probably stating that it was normal and vice versa.

Kind of like how L’Equipe did an expose on a deal being made between the US and Russia for 2014 that benefitted D/W and helped Russia in other medals/events at the expense of V/M, but didn’t think to do one when P/C were gold medal faves against V/M.

 

[caseyedwards]

The text of Inman's email is available online. He did not order anyone to mark Plushenko lower. I don't think he was in a job that gave him the authority to order anyone to do anything.

He expressed a concern about how one component of the marking scheme was being applied, and used marks that Plushenko had received as an example. That is very different.

Inman said judges should take into account what a skater said and not only what they did on the ice when judging. He should have been banned for many years or life

 

[Sylvia]

Bumping up this thread from last year... here's a new Fan Zone article by Karen Rosen (April 28):

Evan Lysacek Gliding Between Real Estate, Sports Diplomacy 11 Years After Olympic Win - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Evan Lysacek still proudly represents the United States around the world, but now his mission is not to take the ice – it's to break the ice.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Excerpts:

Adapting to the pandemic rekindled Lysacek's desire to skate. Because of his grueling work pace when he lived in New York, Lysacek did not skate for about five and a half years. While locked down in California, he said, "I got tired of doing crunches and running on a treadmill. I thought, 'I love other sports, I love skiing, I love tennis, but I missed skating.'"
Lysacek, who was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2016, started going to a rink one day a week. "That's all I could handle," he said. "It would take me the whole week to recover because it's so hard. But I love it. I can do some jumps. I can do some spins. I love the challenge of trying to get the triple Lutz back and get the triple flip back. And, obviously I don't put the same pressure on myself that I did when I was training, so I really enjoy it."

After working on a project in Thailand, Dang and Lysacek returned to the United States just in time for the lockdown.
"Honestly, we have appreciated the time together so much," said Lysacek, noting that they celebrate on their wedding date every month. "Obviously the circumstances around COVID-19 are devastating and horrific, but the flip side of it, and potentially a silver lining, is we've been so lucky to spend the last year and really the first year of our marriage together."
Sadly, they spent their first anniversary week in hospice with Lysacek's father, Don, who passed away after battling cancer for more than a dozen years.
Lysacek was grateful that his father was able to attend the wedding and said that he "absolutely adored skating" even though he was "a nervous wreck" while watching his son compete.

Mirai Nagasu spoke to Evan for the April 15th "Ice Talk" podcast after the 11-minute mark:

Ice Talk: World Championships Recap

With a few weeks to process all the happenings of the World Championships, Mirai and Tara reconvened to talk through the impact moments of the event, including the wild and wonderful Ladies event and Nathan Chen's mind boggling Free Skate comeback. Then, Mirai sat down with 2010 Olympic Gold...

icetalk.libsyn.com

... Then, Mirai sat down with 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek to catch up on his life post-skating, reflect on his decorated career, and get his thoughts on Nathan Chen's momentum headed toward Beijing 2022.

 

[skatesindreams]

Evan has never received the recognition he earned/deserved after the OGM, in my opinion.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Live it went by so fast, that I was when he didn't keep skating after his final pose.

 

[MacMadame]

Evan has never received the recognition he earned/deserved after the OGM, in my opinion.

Sarah Hughes, also.

 

[UGG]

I can assure everyone as a huge skating fan filled with non skating fan family and friendscmy entire life, the only skaters the general population know of are Dorothy Hamill, they think Mary Lou Retton is a figure skater, they know Tonya and Nancy, Brian Boitano because of South Park,. Kristi Y, and Michelle Kwan but they think they are the same person and that MK won gold twice. My dad knows Katerina but he was a “fan” in 1988 I know a few people know Jonny and Tara bc of the Derby but they didn’t know they were skaters. No one knows Tara, Sarah, Evan or Sasha. Jonny isn’t more famous than Evan because of his skating career lol.

 

[skylark]

Evan has never received the recognition he earned/deserved after the OGM, in my opinion.

Agree tenfold. And yet, Evan never was in it for the recognition, per se. He loved competing, he loved winning, he loved the daily grind, he loved giving 100 percent and pushing himself over the limit. In Frank Carroll's words, Evan's great talent was that he had the passion to get it done. (from FC's TSL interview)

I watched every interview and appearance Evan made after his fabulous win. He was always a gracious winner, kind to Plushenko, explaining and empathizing with Plushy's emotions on his defeat, and generous to everyone.

And Evan was a superb competitor.

The great thing is that he rises above. He never stops saying how grateful he is for his skating career and how he uses in every endeavor what he learned in skating -- the virtues, the mindset, and above all, that when you fail, you have 'no choice' but to get up and try again. The sad part of this interview is when Evan's relating his heartbreak over trying to compete again, and being unable to because of injuries one on top of the other. But again, he rose above and didn't react with bitterness.

As a devoted Lysacek fan, I've never gotten over the hate I saw directed at him. Even now, he's hardly mentioned on the skating forums I'm familiar with. When he is mentioned, it's hardly worth the ensuing debate. But Evan got over it right away, and moved on with his life.

I wish Evan could have ended his career on a high note, with the Olympics. But he said later that it had never even occurred to him that Vancouver would be his last competition.

Evan's like Aljona, who posted this today: "I really love the adrenaline of competitions, pushing myself over the limit and daily practice."

Last but not least and maybe one of the most beautiful parts of this interview is how he talked about the silver lining of the pandemic personally, that he and his wife have been blessed to spend so much time together and they really appreciate it.

 

[skatesindreams]

Sarah Hughes, also.

Not similar, IMO

 

[skatesindreams]

Had Sarah not won, she may have faded into obscurity.
Many fine skaters have.

 

[MacMadame]

Not similar, IMO

The reasons may be different but neither got what an OGM from the US normally gets in terms of attention and acclaim.

 

[olympic]

I am reading this thread for the 1st time. It sounds like Evan is living his post-skating life much in the way he approached his competitive skating life: Quiet determination and hard work with self-satisfaction as the final goal.

BTW, just amazes me how EL is a complete trigger for a certain somebody here. I've never seen anything like it before on an FS board.

 

[Garden Kitty]

I remember looking up Evan's results once, and I was really surprised by his consistency. I just looked again, and according to Wikipedia, in the 8 years in which he had at least one senior international, he failed to medal only 5 times. In the 4 years leading up to the 2010 Olympics, he only missed the podium once (and with one withdrawal). I never thought of him as a dominant skater of his time, but that is impressive consistency over a long senior career.

I hope he's enjoying his post-skating life.

 

[overedge]

I was never a huge Lysacek fan until the 2008-09 season. I thought his programs were kind of generic and he came across as kind of generic too. But then I went to Skate America in Everett where he competed and ended up third. I remember that his marks in the LP were lower than you would have expected for what looked like a really good program. But there was a guy sitting near us in the audience for the LP who I think must have been a high-level judge. He leaned over to where I was sitting and quickly explained to us why he thought the marks were what they were (mostly weak transitions and choreography).

What really impressed me was that Evan didn't whine about the marks (at least in public). Either he or Frank Carroll looked at the mark sheet and maybe did some asking around as to what needed to change. And then they went back home and he fixed those things. That was a lot of work, to up the value of those elements and still maintain the flow and feel of the program. And then he won Worlds at the end of that season.

That he didn't blame those marks on something else, and that he took the feedback seriously and changed the program while still maintaining its integrity, was really impressive. I paid a lot more attention to him after that because I respected how serious he was about what he was doing - and that he still seemed to enjoy doing it even at that very competitive and stressful level.

 

[Sparks]

To be fair, Evan learned his lesson after he was rude to Dai when Dai won 2007 Skate America.
I'm sure Frank had something to do with that.

 

[kwanfan1818]

His 2008-9 programs were choreographed by Tatiana Tarasova, and it was a deliberate departure for him. I remember watching the practices and warm-ups at the Skate America and thinking he was skating with more power and ease than I had ever seen him skate, and thought that she might have been teaching him patience. During the competition, though, I thought the ease gone and felt he was frenetic, even if he kept the power. But I hadn't thought much about the composition of the programs, only that they were different than his other programs. Even if he went back to Nichols for his Olympic year programs, I think it was a good experiment for him, and he ended the year with a World title.

 

[skylark]

What really impressed me was that Evan didn't whine about the marks (at least in public). Either he or Frank Carroll looked at the mark sheet and maybe did some asking around as to what needed to change. And then they went back home and he fixed those things. That was a lot of work, to up the value of those elements and still maintain the flow and feel of the program. And then he won Worlds at the end of that season.

During commentary for his Worlds FS, Sandra Bezic said that he'd "invited" Lori Nichol to rework Tarasova's choreography somewhat. She didn't say when, but I wonder if it was after this SA event that you attended. Lori said once that she enjoyed the challenge of creating choreography that included transitions and such that would up the scores, and still maintain her standards of what to do with the music.

ETA: oops, I just re-read the article, and Evan says the two weeks he spent with Lori were after US Nationals. Sorry. I'd read the article back when it first came out in February 2020.

That he didn't blame those marks on something else, and that he took the feedback seriously and changed the program while still maintaining its integrity, was really impressive. I paid a lot more attention to him after that because I respected how serious he was about what he was doing - and that he still seemed to enjoy doing it even at that very competitive and stressful level.

I think that's how he drew me in so completely.

 

[kwanfan1818]

He did back-to-back Skate America and Skate Canada that year, and might have been waiting out whether he'd qualify for GPF. (He was an alternate.) So after US Nationals makes sense for working with Nichol.

 

[olympic]

I remember looking up Evan's results once, and I was really surprised by his consistency. I just looked again, and according to Wikipedia, in the 8 years in which he had at least one senior international, he failed to medal only 5 times. In the 4 years leading up to the 2010 Olympics, he only missed the podium once (and with one withdrawal). I never thought of him as a dominant skater of his time, but that is impressive consistency over a long senior career.

I hope he's enjoying his post-skating life.

I think he would've medaled in 2008 but for the injury / WD - probably Bronze but maybe Silver ...