U.S. Nationals!

[icarus]

You guys are watching the U.S. National Championships now, aren't you?

Go, go, go!

Oh, what an intense, strong, jump-filled and totally professional proformance from this high school kid who just moved up from juniors this year, Mroz. Fun performance (with whoopsies) by the sexy playful Ryan Bradley.

And now, the ringer for John Sheppard, Evan Lysacek is about to perform.

Wooooo!

ETA: Cut to avoid spoilers. What an upset. It was thought to be a horse race between Lysacek, Weir, and newcomer Abbott who's been blowing people away all year.

After the short program, Weir wasn't even within striking distance.

Lysacek, in an effort to beat Abbott's three-point lead, threw in the tough quad in place of his triple -- and didn't make it. He bounced off the ice like a basketball, falling on his ass quite literally. Ryan Bradley skated unevenly (not uncommon for him).

And this teenager, Mroz, skating his first Nationals, beat all the former champions.

Jeremy, 12 points ahead going into the freeskate seemed to unravel a bit. You could almost see him lose steam as he realized that his toughest competitors -- were gone. His nearest competitor was a high school student. He held onto it, but it was like watching the competition blow away like dust.

He was still blinking as they read him his scores.

Interesting factoid: Abbott, Mroz, and Bradley are all coached by the same man. Guess who's going to be a sought after coach next year?

You know? NBC kind of blew it. The exciting competition was Friday night, at the short program. Thrills and chills, with a close race between Lysacek and Abbott with Abbott's best ever score, followed by one unexpectedly good performance after another. I'm so glad I stayed late at the library Friday to watch it online.

Comments

[princessofg.livejournal.com]

your squee makes me happy.

i'm actually not watching tv but writing fic.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I should be doing homework right now. Or writing Out Of Bounds. My plate is so full this weekend. Whew.

[whatifisaidno.livejournal.com]

I just ran in the other room to watch it. Does he often fall like that??

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Everyone falls. But he usually pulls it off in competition. He threw in that quad attempt at the last second because Jeremy Abbott was ahead of him by about 3 points.

Oh, this whole competition is an upset. Johnny Weir isn't even in contention. Lysacek is on the floor. A high school student takes the silver -- this is great!

Evan's been having a terrible year. He went to a famous Russian choreographer who designed something completely inappropriate for him and had the funkiest, weird costumes to boot. She didn't even work with him on it, she just had it -- there when he showed up. He had to call in his former choreographer to fix what she'd done, and he changed the costumes. He didn't make the Grand Prix final, missing it by two points. And now, as the reigning U.S. champion, bouncing on his ass.

Man. I don't know if this is a changing of the guard and both Weir and Lysacek are on their way out -- right before the 2010 Olympics, too -- definitely Jeremy Abbott is hitting his stride at exactly the right time. Or it could be they're just having off years. I don't know.

Wow.

[moojja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I hope Lysacek learns to stick with his old choreographer next year. I didn't like either one of his program.

I'm happy Abbott won, this seem like his year. But silver was such a surprise.

I've heard some rumbling that Weir might be placed on the World team anyways over Lysacek, since he did make the GPF and is a Worlds Bronze medalist. But I don't think that is very likely.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I can see why Lysacek wanted to stretch his wings and grow.

It was a disaster overall, everything from costumes to the selections she made. She picked the weirdest parts of Rhapsody In Blue. It's like she didn't get the music at all. The Bolero was a big yawn, though more interesting with McNichol's changes to his footwork.

I'm hoping that it was just an off year due to the choreography problems.

What concerns me is that, watching Carroll's body language all season... if I'm any judge at all, I would say that Carroll is writing Lysacek off. He is less there, less focused, less interested. I watched him in person at the practices at Skate America and he was more interested in watching Kevin Reynolds than Evan.

How many spots do we have this year? Two or three?

[moojja.livejournal.com]

We have three spots for Worlds, and it's going to be held in his hometown LA.

I hope Carroll isn't doing that. If he fires him like he fired Tim, Evan's chances are gone. I haven't been reading the skating boards, have there been rumors? Right now, Evan is the only skater he has that is going to Worlds and has a chance at the Olympic. But Carroll is going to retire soon, and with his career, he doesn't really need to prove anything.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, hell, that's right. Expensive LA in the middle of a recession. That's going to go well. I predict we'll see Lysacek, Weir, and Abbott. Bradley's uneven and Mroz is, no question, not experienced enough.

As for Carroll... no rumors, just personal observations at Skate America and on camera here and there. If he's retiring soon that could be what I'm picking up on. The "senior citizen" version of senioritis.

I don't think he's going to fire Lysacek, no, no chance. But I do get the sense he's riding the downward curve? He's acting like he thinks Lysacek has peaked and he's hoping Lysacek can hold on enough to do well in 2010.

My hope is that Lysacek just had an off year because of those programs. I think he's been rattled all year.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*forehead slap* We're the host country. That means we have three slots, correct?

[moojja.livejournal.com]

No, for Worlds the host country doesn't automatically gets three spots just because they're hosting. But I think that's true for the Grand prix, but I'm not sure.

A country gets three spots if in the previous Worlds, two skaters' standing added together is above or equals 13. For example last year, Weir got bronze, and Stephen Carrier got 10th place. 3+10 is 13, we get three spots this year. This year, Worlds is not just going to determine the spots for next Worlds, but the Olympics as well. We're fine with the Men, but the ladies are going to be a problem. We only have two spots now, I hope we don't end with one. (Btw, what did you think of the ladies single?)

P.S. In the case of one skater, if he/she/pair medals gold or silver, their country gets three spots next year.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I think it is true of the Grand Prix. I remember reading that the host country gets three slots.

I have not had a chance to watch the women's yet. I know that Czisny got it and I remember watching her struggle earlier in the year (was it at Sectionals or was it last year's competition? I think it was Sectionals). I plan to watch Europeans and then go back and take in the top women's performances.

We don't have the depth of field with the women that we do with men. Which is surprising considering how many women compete. I wonder why. Is it luck of the draw? Are the men just given more creative opportunity or feel more encouraged because it's such an open field?

Watching Sectionals, I recall seeing one stellar talent still at the intermediate level in women's and then an overall uniform mediocrity.

I notice there's a lot more experimentation even down to the novice and intermediate level. More "out there" music choices, more dynamic costume choices, more variety in the men's/boy's choreography. The girls seem stuck in the past and very few risk skating to hip-hop outside an exhibition program, for example.

[moojja.livejournal.com]

Most of the top ladies comes from Asian, except for Carolina (ITA) who won silver last Worlds, the rest of the top five was from Japan and Korea.

I don't know why, b/c just last Olympic cycle we did have the top ladies. Frankly in terms of experimentation, I don't think ladies singles stylistically have changed much, not just the US, but on the world stage as well. It does seem that Men are allow to have a more range style wise that the "ladies".

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It must be just the luck of the draw. But wow, what a sudden shift.

Style-wise, I think we just haven't had a breakaway skater like Stojko in women's, willing to stick her neck out to be different. Maybe that's because it's just so competitive. I saw one woman at the junior level who was ballsy in both her music and costume choice, so maybe it'll trickle through the younger women.

[dunv-i.livejournal.com]

I saw Czisny was doing well, which surprised me. (I only got to watch an hour, of the mens. Turned on the TV and saw Lysacek bounce on his ass) She was considered a potential for the last Olympics, but didn't do as well that year as she had the year before, and the year after that she did even worse - I thought she'd burned out. She's a great spinner, though.

Watching Mroz, though, was astonishing. I was like, "DUDE. WTF? Who is this kid I've never heard of? He's KICKING EVERYONE'S ASS." I was sort of sad he didn't get first, actually. That'd be an awesome thing to put on his resume.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Annnnd... it's Abbott, Mroz, and Lysacek.

[moojja.livejournal.com]

Fair enough, that's the way they usually pick the Worlds team.

[lherelenfeline.livejournal.com]

I am so pissed Weir imploded yet again....

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Ever since Weir's political problems with the USFSA in 2006, I've noticed he performs badly in the US. I get the impression that for him, the US is hostile turf. They had such an undisguised and disquieting issue with how gay he is (without actually coming out) and roasted him publicly.

So, yeah, not surprised he did well in the Grand Prix in Korea and not at the US Nationals.

[lherelenfeline.livejournal.com]

[nods]
I totally agree.
Makes me wish he's finally just do it and move to Russia.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I prefer that he stays here. That he stands up to them with a "fuck that, I'm not going anywhere and you need me." But of course, that feeling adds emotional weight so it's going to affect his performances in the US.

I hope he's here for a loooooong time as a thorn in the side of the USFSA, as an important part of figure skating, as a competitor and later as a choreographer. I'd like some USFSA people to eat a little crow -- and choke on it.

[lherelenfeline.livejournal.com]

makes sense, definitely. I just feel he deserves so much better, and being in a country he loves and where he is adored, could help. Its just a bloody shame US isn't it.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

He would be happier, no doubt. And he does speak Russian.

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

Why? All the good Russian coaches are in NJ. :winks:

[lherelenfeline.livejournal.com]

You have a point.
And Edison and Metuchen don't require a visa.

[tingler.livejournal.com]

Drat! I *forgot*!

I saw an ad for the show earlier in the day, meant to set the TiVo, had to get ready to somewhere, and *forgot*!!

Then the family was watching the show that came on before and I saw the ad again and it was so frustrating to realize that I'd missed!

Sounds like it was exciting.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I can probably direct you to some good video if you're interested.

[nusuth.livejournal.com]

on the european front I missed the entire thing except for this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXHuCl3Jmik) which has become my new feel good skating vid (that guy is having so much fun, right there)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :D

[seticat.livejournal.com]

You guys are watching the U.S. National Championships now, aren't you?

Well... DUH! :}

Yesh... it's like Jeremy let the pressure up way too much and began skating like it was a given he'd take it. And because of that, he lost his edge and began to mess up.

If that had been Shep, he'd have found himself out of the couch for the next week...


Speaking of Shep and ice and such... ???

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. I've been very bad today and working on Out Of Bounds when I should be doing homework. *guilty, guilty grin*

[fallenkalina.livejournal.com]

Poor Evan! I was working, so I missed it.

I really need find my yearbooks and look for incriminating photos for you, shouldn't I?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yes, please. :D I would be delighted.

[fallenkalina.livejournal.com]

I think they are at my parents house. I'll find them next I visit.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you. That would be wonderful.

Evan had a crap year this year overall, but hey. Better this year than next.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I am just SO GLAD I have cable again for the first time in years.

Yes, I know it was on NBC. Without cable, you can forget reception around here.

I &hearts it.