Yayyyy Meagan!!! With Meagan 2:30 - Aljona Savchenko/Bruno Massot - she has transcended and became a true goddess. 5:23 - Tarasova/Morozov + Nina Mozer/"Elton John" 7:37 - Aljona and Bruno's team 10:10 - Deanna Stellato/Nathan Bartholomay 12:58 - Alexa and Chris 20:40 - Satoko Miyahara 24:40 - Alina Zagitova + Medvedeva + Alina's interview on eating habit 28:40 - Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres 32:35 - Canadian and Italian pairs 38:04 - Nathan Chen Dave and Johnathan only - 41:12 41:12 - Men stuff, Trusova's 4Lz and Kostornaia's 3A, Adam, troll on TSL facebook, Jackie Wong's tweets (Bradie should get bronze, Satoko can try 3A), Wakaba, competition spots, US ladies / I don't agree with letting Wakaba go to Brian. She is doing completely fine now, why change when things are going fine? 1:07:28 - Gabrielle Daleman 1:09:49 - Carolina Kostner 1:11:09 - Bradie Tennell 1:16:00 - Ice Dance stuff 1:27:23 - Men
Wakaba probably saw the work Brian did on Javier and Yuzuru's jumps, and thought he could help her clinch her 3A. She likely expects that she'll need it to stay competitive with all the Junior ladies coming up, and I think that she'll do wonderful with him.
Can I just say that I now officially love Meagan? I was always lukewarm about her before, but I had never seen her in an interview. She is so refreshingly honest, yet respectful, and so well-spoken - what an amazing ambassador for the sport of figure skating. I hope she coaches - she would be a phenomenal coach. ❤️🙌🏻
Love this! Meagan is so great and knowledgeable. So wise and experienced. I will say that Zagitova, to my eyes, looked significantly taller at Worlds compared to Olympics. And yes, frustrating that these programs kept being taken off youtube! Aliona is Superwoman. Crazy and wonderful Worlds, strange to not see Meagan and Eric not competing. Stay in the skating world, you two (DR)...I already miss you. Thanks for yet another awesome show.
back when autumn leaves began, who could fathom season's end? I have developed a much deeper understanding of this sport from your channel. here's to next season! wonderful candid interview with Meagan. what a friendly generous spirit she is. made my day!
Keep having Meagan as a consultant! Other things: !) I watched most of the competitions live ( except men) and Milano rocked! Especially for a worlds after an OG. 2) All the gold medalists earned their golds 3) SO happy for Kaetlyn! And she is so far down to earth. Improvements in her LP and just overall in the right mood. 4) Aliona and Bruno..WOW! 5) Meagan talked about top 20 not 16 in pairs. I think a top 16 is better for singles.. the ladies here is like watching the Europeans; too many 'bless their hearts' performances. 6) Outside Nathan Chen and ice dance, the US needs help!!! 7) And to my fine viewers and hosts, who is the reporter ( Italian) who interviewed all the gold medalists before their respective medal ceremonies? Blue-eyed with beard.. anyone? Handsome as all get out! Thanks! 8) Bradie.. too long in juniiors is her problem to fulfill a breakthrough. 9) Looking forward to the new season and new faces!
I love Carolina too and I will miss her if she retires (she still could do ice shows and wow crowds though), but I agree with you, it's getting hard for her. She can nail the short... but it must be frustrating for her to compete with jumping children with fragment of her grace.... But the technical aspect is rising too much for her to keep up. Still impressive to see somebody be able to do this for so long and so well.
Sonique Cat don't count her out yet she skated her long program in the Olympics to pick up a spot. Her problem is she is way to emotional. Huth or Mishin needs to ask her questions before she takes the ice to change her mindset. She is still able I think to compete. Don't retire Carolina!
Meagan is so on top of things. Nice observation about how Aljona's sal is much better now than it used to be. She and Bruno were nothing short of spectacular at the Olympics and Worlds. It wasn't long ago when Aljona couldn't land a throw on one foot, and now look at them. I hope Alexa and Chris listen to the nice things Meagan said about them, but for some reason Alexa seems to listen to the haters instead. Phil Hersh is still a thing?
I gaffaw every time someone makes fun of Candyman lololol LIVING for these honest and intellectual interviews with Meagan! I love her so freaking much! "Everyone was a hot mess" HHAHAHHAHA I love it! "The practices were a gongshow" Also I hate Eteri so much ugh. Can I make a suggestion? Can you guys link all the articles you refer to, or videos that you refer to, just EVERYTHING that you refer to? Like, link it in the description box so I know what you're talking about. That would be great and super helpful! I want to look into this article about Zagitova not eating. Also I LOL-ed so much with all the "allegedly" usages, hahaha!
There's a two second moment where Jonathan got so excited to talk about ice dance that made me realize - that's what I look like when I want to talk about ice dance or rather, the fun intermingling of Papadakis/Cizeron/Hubbell/Donohue that absolutely no one could care less about, to a bunch of people that indulge me. It was like looking in a mirror.
I was in the arena at worlds and I clearly saw Eteri laughing with her mignon all the way from where they were whatching the program to the spot were they greeted Zagitova. that was truly creepy. Like she's not my fav but I was heartbroken for her. What do you think about politics in ID? are we gonna see a fight at the top between PC and HD maybe starting from 2019/2020? do you think Russia will want a team up there as well (SB? a junior team?) or are they going to support PC as they did these past seasons?
oh I honestly didn't look at Eteri while Alina was performing cause I was focused on her skating but her reaction afterwards was out of place. She and her mignon (don't remember is name) were literally chatting and laughing and I was like wtf guys your athlete is out there on the ice crying. Everybody around me had the same reaction to their behaviour
Meagan is great although I'm sure some will take exception when she said Zagitova didn't eat for week, lol. Bring her back as her touring schedule allows - she will save figure skating! Condolences to Jonathan - I know firsthand it's hard to lose your dad suddenly. And finally, Gabby Daleman had a sprained ankle so that could explain her wonky landings. She took off her skate in the KnC when she was talking to Tracy.
Yeah what the hell was going on with the copyrighting at this worlds? It was so uncharacteristically difficult to find anything to watch. I had totally forgotten to set my DVR and then didn’t worry about it cause I knew I wouldn’t have a problem finding it on UA-cam (if not the US broadcasts, then the foreign ones).. and then I actually went searching for it and literally couldn’t find anything. The only thing I eventually found was some spectator’s handheld video of Nathen Chen’s short program and that’s it. It’s as bad as it was during the Olympics, which didn’t surprise me at all given how much NBC pays for those broadcasting rights (plus I believe the Sochi Olympics were similarly difficult to find on UA-cam initially). Does anyone know what the deal is? Please don’t say this is our new normal.
Again thank you for this review, I enjoyed Meagan's comments and opinions. Great guest once again! Just hope you know that not all "Hanyu fans" are harsh, some truly like Nathan and admire his well-mannered personality and potential. I think many fans were upset by the judging, especially during the men's event. For Nathan and to an extent for Shoma (even though he was regrettably injured and I felt could've won Gold on a good day, even against Nathan's 6 quads). Personally, I felt 215, for Nathan, was not warranted at Olympics and 219 is even worse for a program that has literally not changed in a month but got 4 more points in PCS (most likely because of everyone else bombing in comparison). Yes he lands the jumps and good for him, he deserves all the base value in the world for them...but are those GOEs worthy of someone who barely uses transitions and has no flow in his landings? I'm an untrained viewer and I can literally see him preparing for a jump from across the rink...whereas Yuzuru or Javier incorporate steps in between and deservedly hit most of the GOE requirements. Nathan's PCS at Worlds 2018 was 91, similar/close to Patrick Chan's at Olympics and close to what Patrick has been getting the last 2 years...which seems like an embarrassment to the sport. This will give him little incentive to improve if he is basically being told that landing his quads equals artistry. No offences to Nathan, just irritated with the judging. Also, Hanyu was working on his Quad Loop and Quad Lutz since 2014...so I don't think including the jump is simply because of a "fixation on Nathan." But I guess we'll see how this rivalry plays out and how far judges are willing to go with the new changes coming soon. Once again, thank you for the video!
To be fair, I think anything with a fanbase has fans like that, it's just more apparent for those who are at the top of their art/ sport or also those who simply have more fans.
Are you trying to imply tht Nathan doesn't have crazy ass fans? I saw a lot of them saying they were happy that Shoma was injured bc that meant Nathan had a bigger chance at gold, and that's incredibly fucked up.
Regarding Gabby's free skate, she hurt her ankle in practice that morning (you could see she had her skate off in the K&C), which would explain the wonky performance. Really, it's impressive that she muscled through to help Canada keep that third sport we don't actually need.
No, the same rules apply. Your top two skaters have to have placements equaling 13 or less. Now, if one of your skaters is #1, that means that the second doesn't even need to do *that* well, but they still need to be top 12.
well Gabbie just had to place top 12 if Katelyn won, which she was going to do. And the US ladies are so weak that they would be very lucky to have one in the top 5. But you only get three automatic entries if you only have 1 skater in the field that wins.
I watched these competitions on Russian TV, and even Russian commentators all said something like "well, it's not exactly the perfect choice for the Olympic season" about Tarasova/Morozov long program. And it seems like they themselves don't like it either, they don't seem inspired at all by this music. There was also a weird moment when Tarasova (TAT) while commentating Zagitova's skate said something like "Zhenya, we need you, come back, have a rest and come back!" - while her comments on Zagitova were rather dry. Between the two it's clear who's her favorite. She also commented negatively on Kolyada, saying she doesn't like that he didn't take risks, because she herself is a "fighter" and so she likes fighters. She instead admired Nathan Chen's fearless approach.
can't help you here, I only saw her short program, and can't remember anything particular being said. But people say TAT favors her as well. After Russian junior championship she distinuished her among the junior ladies, saying she was the winner for her (she was third, after Trusova and Kostornaia).
it was pretty controversial that's why I want to know what she thinks about her fav having a disastrous performance at the worlds especially to compare to what she said about Zagitova.
well, I understood it so that no one expected anything from Konstantinova. It was her first competition of this level, she was a substitute, it was more like "let the girl try, no pressure" - although to think about it, she's older than Zagitova and nobody gave her any discounts. I have to say (and it's a completely personal opinion), that lately I don't like Tarasova's live commentary at all. She has become more and more emotional and her subjectivity shows too much. Sometimes it's just pure emotions and almost nothing on the technical side. I watched the Worlds on another channel as well, they had Maksim Trankov and post-commentary from Kovtun and some other skaters. I liked that much better.
Diving into the sport of figure skating more this year - the mental toughness required of these athletes with more or less a 'one and done' 4-year career is admirable. The student athletes playing basketball and soccer get time off but in this sport it looks like a 24/7/365 commitment from 5-20 years old. Impressive.
Skating fans are toxic. I honestly think TSL seems to be the sanest forum on the internet. Trying joining some of the message boards over the end of the season and no cannot do it. One person said that as an American she was a STAKEHOLDER in a certain skater so what happened to her very much concerned her. It's a totally different vibe to actually BEING at the rink with some of these skaters.
Skate Canada reported that Gabby had sprained her ankle the morning of the free and posted a picture of her being helped from the kiss and cry after it, so that probably had an impact on her jumps
I enjoyed listening/watching this so much. Your analysis is always spot on....but it was so nice (and refreshing) to hear Megan's thoughts and have her be so open and honest - the good, the bad, and the ugly. So much great insight into this sport that I love. So sad the season is over :-( .
Regarding having 3 Canadian ladies which "take" away from perhaps a "more" deserving skater from Russia or Japan is far fetched. Yuna Kim won the Worlds which allows 3 South Korean skaters. These South Korean skaters won't be winning medals but it's an investment on the development of figure skating in the country which in my opinion is a good thing. What needs to change perhaps is allowing more skaters in certain countries to compete. The amount of skaters you have in the top 10, you get to add one. I.E. you have 3 skaters in the top 10, therefore next year you have 4 skaters.
This was a wonderful way to end the competitive season. So much love for you, gentlemen. Also, I would love for Meagan to become a regular contributor to TSL next year. Her commentary and perspective bring a great flavor to the recaps.
I agree so much regarding the time of the competition. The Olympics had the perfect time zone for me as i would watch them live and at night. Worlds were during the day for me so as much as i would like to live everything and watch fs i can't. I also do the same with scores, i jusr can't resist and I'm keeping track during the day!
I was a bit bummed that it was in my time zone bc that meant i wuld miss it lmao, since i had school. If it had been in america or asia it would've been in the evening/middle of the night and i much prefer that lmao
In fairness to Alexa, she has only been back one year since major surgery, and she had to regain 20 pounds while relearning all the elements. So it's highly likely that the throws feel differently for her this season than they did last season. Even just watching their throws, they look very different than last season-- in a good way-- and she deserves more of an adjustment period. 20 pounds is not a small number, and her muscle mass had to be built back up from nothing, which probably meant continual adjustment of the skating elements. People's lack of patience with pairs is why Alexa loses patience with herself. She has only been back a year and has all the talent to be great.
Agree with this. That was also the first throw triple flip I can recall seeing Alexa fall on, ever. I agree she needs to give herself more than just a few months to get fully used to doing throws (and anything else) again now that her body is back to normal. And I just want her to relax a little bit more. If someone says something negative, I want her to have the confidence to say, "lol yea ok", instead of going off the deep end. I thought her replying to Phil was fine though. He was being a real attention-seeking jerk.
As to Satoko's 3A Jackie just quoted Satton's own words from the press conference. One person asked girls about Trusova's quads and Satoko said that she would not try it yet but if she had to upgrade her jumps it would be with 3A.
I'm living for the shade at the FB comments. I can't with those stupid Evgenia and Mirai memes; it was funny the first few times but now that person's delusions when it comes to Mirai's skating have gotten old. Also, the fact that people went to that troll's employer is just as immature as the troll itself, just block them and move on 😒
lol on Jackie Wong. I mean i agree but cmon you are never gonna drag Nathan the way you are dragging Boyang Jin when really they are basically the same in terms of skating skills and non-existent programs. Jin even has the ability to bend his knees on some of those landings(!)
I find it interesting too that last year's Worlds recap began with a conversation about how Hanyu seems overscored (which I think was completely unwarranted when you look at what he produced)...and yet this year they barely discuss Nathan. No conversation about potential overscoring at all when it was very blatant. Instead a conversation about how Hanyu is obsessed with Nathan even though Hanyu has repeatedly credited Jin for the quad revolution and praised Jin's Lutz in every interview.
Hanyu was overscored in PCS last year at worlds too. That hope and legacy program was terrible and he dropped any pretense of interpretation, projection or lines in between his elements, just like Nathan did here. He does have better skating skills and transitions though.
+Daphen axa I personally disagree about him being overscored in PCS last year. I think that program required subtly and what he did between each element was incredible. At the very least, his spins and footwork were so complex...I think his projection and interpretation were fine. But you can't argue he was overscored in GOE, in fact one can argue he was underscored.
+Daphen axa Um not saying always just on that occasion. No need for the sarcasm lol, we can simply agree to disagree. My first comment was more on how Nathan is being overscored and the lack of comments about it. We don't need to bring up Hanyu if you dislike him for whatever reason.
Jonathan, if you pay for a VPN (ExpressVPN is my favourite, doesn't impede on your connection speed), and set your VPN to Canada, you can watch the entire event on CBC either live or playback. It's really great quality. I think you pay around $100C for 1 year - so it is an investment, but I've been using it for 3 years (for other things, but also to access CBC) and it has worked without fail every time. It's how I stream every Grand Prix event.
maddie there are many free VPNs that you can add on to your browser. There's no reason to pay any 100 CAD just watch the World's. Plus any anti virus software that you have installed like avast allows you to add on a VPN for like 15 dollars a year.
I've never had any good experiences with free VPNs. There is always malware or b/g mining involved that either slows down your computer or exposes it to possible viruses - even with anti-virus software. Nothing good comes for free, IMO.
Maddie or subscribe to Eurosport player and watch top notch quality! VPNs in Europe are obsolete and that is way over priced no offense (and slow). But again have no idea the speed and internet connection Jonathan has and also the servers. I’m located in Portugal are speed here is high/ fiber and servers very good. Although it’s crazy that he has a blurry streaming it takes really obsolete technology for that to happen. I have no problemas watching Eurosport Player I just don’t want to pay the subscription :)
I do enjoy most of the discussion in this series. These two always seem to make the guest skaters feel comfortable talking, especially without network interruptions. I do have to chuckle at this segment because they mention a former social media friend.
Yay! I love Meagan! To be fair to Alexa and Chris, Phil Hersh’s comment was super inappropriate. But I agree that Alexa’s persona (at least online) has changed a lot.
I think the next season short dance pattern is some kind of tango lol Btw Kostornaia’s triple axel kinda has a Hanyu quality to it, I definitely find it more impressive than Trusova’s quads.
BTW, the video that the Italian TV did on cheated jumps really highlighted how sloppy the technique of Medvedeva and Aliev is. Huge amount of pre-rotation and blade assist on the take off.
Do I think it would benefit Alexa to not worry as much about what people say on the internet? Yes. But I can't fault her and Chris for responding to Phil's comment which completely crossed the line. Phil doesn't know anything about pairs and chimes in when the results are low, but he has no awareness that a 15th place in pairs these days is nothing like 15th place was even just 4 years ago (Alexa & Chris's score here would have barely been outside the top 10 in 2014). There's just so much depth now that falling on a death spiral alone can drop you from 11th to 15th. A 17th place "DNQ to the free skate" years ago would have meant you were a disaster and barely know how to pair skate, but pairs nowadays has a lot more depth and Phil's comments were just inappropriate and unnecessary.
I can't co-sign the "our scores here would have been top 10 in 2014" as excuses. The fact is there's been a gradual "point-creep" with all the skaters, pairs, singles, and dance all included. From 2006 OWG til now, the component marks for the average skater have steadily increased, as have the average GOE markings. So I personally don't think that means squat. The point is that they were a disaster in the free, and their faceplant is the reason the USA only has one spot. I used to think Dave was unfair to them, but now I see that he was right all along.
I am well aware that you cannot directly compare scores across competitions. However, you can get a general sense as to the level of competition in one year vs another. It's a fact that the depth of pair skating has dramatically increased since 2014 and that it is much more difficult to qualify for the free skate now than it was years ago. A 15th place now simply isn't the same as 15th was a few years ago. Period. And as for blaming the Knierims for the 1 spot--- sure they easily could have been top 11 without the death spiral fall and maybe one other little mistake. But it would be ridiculous to place the blame squarely on them when there are TWO US PAIRS each year who are supposed to be helping earn spots. Why are we placing sole blame on the pair who ACTUALLY MADE IT TO THE FREE SKATE THE PAST TWO YEARS? That seems backwards. It's a collective effort among 2 teams to get spots. Anyone could fall on a death spiral at any random time- there needs to be another entry in the free skate. The Knierims are the only reason why the US even had a 2nd spot to lose.
Katherine Calandra - That is true. They had to place top 10 last year in an extremely deep field (meaning a score over 200 was necessary) to get that second spot and the US should be grateful the spot even existed for this season. So anyone who acts like they’ve never proven themselves able to get the job done is wrong.
What was Dave "right" about? Their issue at this event was the pair elements, which are usually a huge strength for them. I mean, they fell on a death spiral. And in fairness to Alexa, she has only been back in competition for one year since major surgery. She relearned throws while her body was in the process of regaining 20 pounds. So throws this season likely feel differently for her than they did last season. She hasn't had much time to adjust yet, even though she was nailing just about every throw earlier in the season. The throws are typically one of their strongest elements.
Meagan is so awesome. Sorry to hear about your father, Jonathan :( I'm super partial to Wakaba when it comes to Japanese skaters, but Satoko has grown on me, given the glowing commentary I hear from you guys. Plus Wakaba, despite her amazing power and jump height, has bombed at crucial competitions, and isn't as artistic as Satoko.I hope to see a triple axel from her next season. As a lefty, I'm curious if Satoko's jumps are weakened by having to go what might be her unnatural direction. Are there scenarios where Japanese (and Russian) skaters who are naturally lefty could train abroad, but still represent their countries? Osmond, Kostner etc...are such great top tier skaters, I think it's crazy that Russia and Japan don't accommodate lefties at all.
Meagan is so refreshing to hear speak. I just love the trash coming out of her mouth, especially when she nonchalantly talks shit about certain Japanese female coaches who violently "pull their skaters' pigtails" during a bad practice.
Great episode. ❤️ Meagan, her attitude, knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport as well as her empathy for other skaters. Awesome and refreshing. Thank you!
I do agree with the problem with max 3 spots per nation. They should extend it to 5. Russia and Japan has sooo much more to give. Love This and That although you guys are bit non-europeans-biased. But you guys are cute though...** "Handsome guy from Sweden"
It's funny how last year you guys were all up on Yuzu discussing how he was overscored (which he wasn't, that LP was fantastic. There are other times where he has been overscored, but World's 2017 was not one of them) but this time around you didn't even mention the blatant overscoring of Nathan's PCS. You can't seriously say that he deserved 91 in PCS with a straight face, not for that program.
Meagan is doing a great job of speaking freely while still being fair and respectful. Good on her. Surprised these nerds didn't know Koenig's background (skating with Peggy Schwarz); very credentialed. While I think Jonathan is a sweet guy, he just doesn't add much to this vlog to me other than a warm body that can consistently prevent Dave from doing endless monologues. Ah well...he tries....
Evan Perilstein sure, one direction is more easier than the other. She gains more lift/power from the side she is more comfortable. Unfortunately, they made her change -.-
Thank you for this! Was waiting with anticipation for the review. Can I please suggest to spend more time on the men next time? There was so much that went down with the men that wasn’t discussed. I think I like a lot of people are really disillusioned with the state of us women’s figure skating and more into the men right now, hopefully they get more attention next time. Thank you!
Saying that Yuzu has an obsession with Nathan and that Nathan's the reason he put in his 4Lz is laughable. Yuzu had been working on both his 4L and 4Lz since 2014, and if anyone pushed him to put in more quads then it was Boyang Jin, and Yuzu has actually credited him for it many times.
Not obsession, but in interviews and from talking to members of the coaching staff, Nathan is clearly the competitor they were watching. They actually correctly estimated that Yuzu just needed to be clean to beat Nathan this season with the difference in components and GOE. He was the main challenger.
Meagan is excellent as usual. Re. French Dancers: don't make the mistake of mixing style with theme. Style should be personal and consistent, themes and tone of program may change, which is exactly what they did over the last four years. The theme and tone of last season's program couldn't be more different than this Beethoven program, all they have in common is that they are abstract, which is more sophisticated than dramatic storytelling in my opinion. Just as you can identify Michelle's style in all of her programs, (or Davis/White in all of theirs), the French's style is highly distinct and aesthetically revolutionary, and is justly appreciated by judges and fans. They shouldn't "try" any different style. A style can only be enhanced.
Jonathan, so sorry about your father. I love the dynamic between the two of you, and having Meagan there only seems to enhance it. You remain your irreverent selves with her. Sometimes, I feel you are a bit cramped by the respect you show other experts, but not with her. Personally, I think Bradie Tennell needs to be educated in general. I have a teenage daughter who would rather die than dress up as Cinderella. She knows exactly how to present herself. She is also an athlete (though, another sport) but she watches interesting movies, reads great literature and is at home in different countries. Even off ice, Bradie looks like an uncomfortable Mormon bride to me. I'm hoping someone can help her!
If you have open border participation then the sport becomes dominated by only a few countries (even moreso than it is now) and then no longer becomes viable. I'm sure the guy who missed out on the Dutch hockey team is better than the first guy who got picked for the Indian hockey team but you can't let the Dutch have a team of 100 and the Indian's have a team of 20. But even moreso for performance based sports where the number of athlete is restricted due to time constraints and scoring is political. If you want viewers from other countries then you need to give them the opportunity to have spots on the world stage, which will develop the sport in their country.
I love MIchelle Kwan but she had some MIyahara issue = she lacked amplitude on her jumps AND technically there were issues with the IJS scoring - she is a beautiful skatr but didn't learn the levels well.
The ISU needs to follow the lead of the FIG (gymnastics) and skip the World Championships during Olympic years. There's simply no appetite for such a big competition in this timeframe.
You're right. They're held months before the Olympics, however, so it doesn't create the same level of viewer and athlete fatigue than the timing of the figure skating Olympics and Worlds.
1. I cannot with Tarasova/Morozov costumes- there needs to be an ISU fine bc of this. But I’d rather have a coach named Elton John than Dalilah Sappenfield who sounds like she sells Billy Graham Bibles and Tupperware while making Scrapbooks of her pupils who get 15th place at Worlds. 🙄 2. Kaitlyn Weaver needs to stop acting shocked and surprised their program was the best ever every time she finishes. The twizzles were not even that good. This isn’t 2012 any longer... 3. Nathan Chen looked under rotated on a couple quads. But at least he did quads in that dumpster fire of a men’s program. 4. Why do the Italians always do farcical inspired programs? It’s not that funny when you do a program to “Imma Barbie girl...” 5. James and Cipres are even hotter with John Zimmerman next to them. But everyone is a little hotter next to him. 6. My religion is Aliona Savchenko- she needs to be the next National Team Coordinator for US Women’s Gymnastics. 🤸♀️
Love your comments! I have one to add: Bradie's Disney program. If this was her first year as a senior ( now aged 20, mind you) , why Cinderella and 'a dream'? Cringe worthy! And she needs to walk with books on her head! She has such bad posture!
Michel Sennett Re: Bradie’s Cinderella- completely agree, I could go on for hours about how gauche this choice was, but let’s be honest...when US ladies had choices, Bradie would have been our 3rd best skater and we could have throw as much shade as we could to get her to change. Dave is correct: now it’s time to REALLY learn skating (average packaging/skating skills). I can’t even think of a program for her yet bc I don’t get her personality yet. And no: we don’t want her to turn into Carolina bc there’s nothing worse than a Celine Dion ballad and a double Lutz in late March.
Carolina was under a lot of pressure skating last and at home, and double lutzes sometimes happen. You go out there and see how easy it is to skate perfectly under that pressure.
Liana -Stefanelli Re: Carolina- you’re talking about the same Carolina who has imploded in 65% of all of her performances over the years? Just stop. Maybe you should be helping Dalilah do the scrapbooking. 🙄
TheSkatingLesson Why not mention Chen inflated mark then? Why only mention Hanyu's? Do you mind specifying how Hanyu is being overmarked? Objectively, can you compare the level of mark inflation Chen is receiving and compare it to Hanyu? I can see someone saying Hanyu's PCS might be inflated but only in terms of interpretation and performance since they are the most subjective categories, everything else seems well balanced whereas Chen is lacking on most of the PCS categories. I remember older videos where you scored each competitor based on your personal opinion of what they did on the day...why not do that more in future to illustrate to less knowledgable fans what you mean by overmarked. My personal opinion is that Hanyu isn't overmarked and that Chen is but immediately the response I will receive is that I'm an oversensitive Hanyu fan who is ready to attack, which is not the case. Just curious as to who you feel ISN'T overmarked in this system?
ekaterina shebarkova Personally, I've seen people say he is overmarked but they never give specific reasons. The only one I hear is that he "looks down" or that he looks tired near the end (which is obviously because of his stamina which has improved considerably in the last 4 years). Those two reasons are very minor if you look at everything he does during his programs. If someone can't give specific reasons they probably just don't like seeing the same person win all the time, especially if his programs don't fit their 'taste' or preference.
perhaps because Mao couldn't do a true lutz but Kwan could. who knows what happens in those practices. it's not like Raf could give Kwan a triple axel either like Mao. All skaters have limitations.
this isn't necessarily true. before she started working with Artunian, she was already doing proper Lutzes by 2000 when she started shortening all of her Lutz entrances down the length of the ice rather than the long entrance into the corner. It was around that time that she started focusing more on her technique again and for a short time started doing proper laybacks as well. I remember her Kissing You exhibition program was where you can really see the proper Lutz edge compared to previous years.
@Evan...I had a look. it's not clear to me to be honest cause the version I just looked at had no replay. it looked as if she rolled from inside to a flat or inside edge in the LP. Some posters though are convinced she flutzed. Here's the video I had a look at: ua-cam.com/video/lsQbrwqNE0A/v-deo.html
Interesting, Dave, that you got in a little tiff with Alexa before Skate America. Maybe that explains why you were so harsh on them that week when it was clear Chris was dealing with an injury. You guys were also harsh on them during their other GP when they scored pretty well and, again, were dealing with that same injury (I think it was more Jonathan that week). I'm hoping that Alexa doesn't want to quit because of comments you made about them earlier in the season. Before that, they were very gung-ho about continuing. Some skaters would just laugh off what you say, but Alexa seems a little more sensitive and hangs onto ridiculous negative comments. You never gave them enough credit. I'm praying they don't end on this bad note; they can do so much better. Not only was that skate not a good representation of who they are and not close to what they're capable of (although Chris's jumps were good, so the potential is still all there), but if they leave like that, it will just tarnish their career and what they've done for US pairs.
I would think that Alexa has enough competitive fire that she wouldn't leave on that note. You can't let your confidence get ruined by a journalist or youtuber even if they occasionally cross the line. Quitting after what happened at Worlds would be some form of self-loathing. As Meagan said, they have all the ingredients, they just need it to all come together.
Why quit now? There are so many little ways for them to get better. They could work on new positions, lifts, transitions into elements, non-Cindy Stuart choreography (their programs improved once others tweaked them). Plus she just came back from a horrible illness. Why not give yourself actual time to come back from that and progress. She has all the raw talent you'd ever want.
TSL has been unfairly harsh to them at times, attacking them incessantly when they were recovering from injury (basically not acknowledging the injury at all) and making some unnecessary remarks. I've always just hoped that Alexa was strong enough to not let that get under her skin. She really is better off not listening to any nonsense and just focusing on her skating. And I really hope they continue because they're absolutely capable of more and really haven't put out programs to their full potential yet. They are capable of getting back on the GP podium next season. And by continuing, it will help them to move past this Worlds long program. I really like them to begin with, but I would want any skater in this situation to have a chance to rebound and recover from this. Despite this result, they have improved quite a bit and there are things to build on for next season. With things like those huge twist and throws they'll always have potential, just need the drive to work through challenging times.
Alexa is an amazing talent, and I doubt anyone at that level would want to end on such a low point. And despite the strange errors they've had lately, they are both healthy and are probably closer to strong skates than they've been in a while. They have made progress in many facets of their skating. I'm hoping they have the mental fortitude to power through and continue. They've been through tough times, but that's really part of the process.
Really enjoying Meagan Duhamel's contributions, thank you. I have to say I'm surprised by some of your snide comments about TSL posters. Yes, some skating fans can be "extra," but IMO there's nothing wrong with that unless they are being mean-spirited (like the nasty troll you mention). It just strikes me as quite bizarre that you're posting a video FOR skating fans, but in the video you essentially mock those very fans. Wouldn't you rather not alienate us? Or is the goal to shrink the TSL community to only certain types of fans?
The posting on the TSL Facebook has become out of control after the Olympic Games. If there is a troll, it only emboldens the troll to give them so much attention and oxygen. The two posters in question meant well, but they only wound up fueling that troll. When that happens, we get messages, emails, texts, etc. It doesn't make us want us film a Worlds video that we were having difficulty finding the motivation to do ahead of time.
I am a “ fan” and never feel “alienated” by you comments. Megan was wonderful! So honest,funny and yet so positive. She really allowed me to appreciated the effort all skaters at all-levels have to do to compete. All your videos have taught me so much about the sport so I have reached a whole new level of appreciation and therefore enjoyment. So glad you guys keep finding the motivation to do all the work it must entail to continue.
I loved the audience and how they carried those who messed up. They deserve a big gold for that.
Sonique Cat I know..it always makes me tear up a bit. Lol
Yesssss that Italian audience was awesome
Yay, more Meagan Duhamel commentary!
Yayyyy Meagan!!!
With Meagan
2:30 - Aljona Savchenko/Bruno Massot - she has transcended and became a true goddess.
5:23 - Tarasova/Morozov + Nina Mozer/"Elton John"
7:37 - Aljona and Bruno's team
10:10 - Deanna Stellato/Nathan Bartholomay
12:58 - Alexa and Chris
20:40 - Satoko Miyahara
24:40 - Alina Zagitova + Medvedeva + Alina's interview on eating habit
28:40 - Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres
32:35 - Canadian and Italian pairs
38:04 - Nathan Chen
Dave and Johnathan only - 41:12
41:12 - Men stuff, Trusova's 4Lz and Kostornaia's 3A, Adam, troll on TSL facebook, Jackie Wong's tweets (Bradie should get bronze, Satoko can try 3A), Wakaba, competition spots, US ladies / I don't agree with letting Wakaba go to Brian. She is doing completely fine now, why change when things are going fine?
1:07:28 - Gabrielle Daleman
1:09:49 - Carolina Kostner
1:11:09 - Bradie Tennell
1:16:00 - Ice Dance stuff
1:27:23 - Men
Thank you, Nolan!!
Thank you so much!!
As much as I love Aliona & Bruno, IMO, Tatiana & Maxim are still the GOATs.
Um...no. :-)
Wakaba probably saw the work Brian did on Javier and Yuzuru's jumps, and thought he could help her clinch her 3A. She likely expects that she'll need it to stay competitive with all the Junior ladies coming up, and I think that she'll do wonderful with him.
Can I just say that I now officially love Meagan? I was always lukewarm about her before, but I had never seen her in an interview. She is so refreshingly honest, yet respectful, and so well-spoken - what an amazing ambassador for the sport of figure skating. I hope she coaches - she would be a phenomenal coach. ❤️🙌🏻
Lol at Jonathan intently trying to get to the bottom of how Satoko could jump better.
Love this! Meagan is so great and knowledgeable. So wise and experienced. I will say that Zagitova, to my eyes, looked significantly taller at Worlds compared to Olympics. And yes, frustrating that these programs kept being taken off youtube! Aliona is Superwoman. Crazy and wonderful Worlds, strange to not see Meagan and Eric not competing. Stay in the skating world, you two (DR)...I already miss you. Thanks for yet another awesome show.
Yessss I have been refreshing like crazy thank you thank you! Can't wait to listen to you two talking about the ladies results :)
After that worlds, this is definitely one of this season's most anticipated vlogs lol.
OH! Finally!!! Have been waiting since Sunday night...
Yes !! what I have been waiting for..TY for such a great season of analysis and gossip!!
OMG! Thank you.. I have been waiting fo this!!! And it’s with Meagan. Yay!
back when autumn leaves began, who could fathom season's end? I have developed a much deeper understanding of this sport from your channel. here's to next season! wonderful candid interview with Meagan. what a friendly generous spirit she is. made my day!
Keep having Meagan as a consultant!
Other things: !) I watched most of the competitions live ( except men) and Milano rocked! Especially for a worlds after an OG.
2) All the gold medalists earned their golds
3) SO happy for Kaetlyn! And she is so far down to earth. Improvements in her LP and just overall in the right mood.
4) Aliona and Bruno..WOW!
5) Meagan talked about top 20 not 16 in pairs. I think a top 16 is better for singles.. the ladies here is like watching the Europeans; too many 'bless their hearts' performances.
6) Outside Nathan Chen and ice dance, the US needs help!!!
7) And to my fine viewers and hosts, who is the reporter ( Italian) who interviewed all the gold medalists before their respective medal ceremonies? Blue-eyed with beard.. anyone? Handsome as all get out! Thanks!
8) Bradie.. too long in juniiors is her problem to fulfill a breakthrough.
9) Looking forward to the new season and new faces!
Dave almost losing it at 1:18:30 about the brilliance of Marie France is the best thing I've ever seen.
I love Carolina too and I will miss her if she retires (she still could do ice shows and wow crowds though), but I agree with you, it's getting hard for her. She can nail the short... but it must be frustrating for her to compete with jumping children with fragment of her grace.... But the technical aspect is rising too much for her to keep up.
Still impressive to see somebody be able to do this for so long and so well.
Sonique Cat don't count her out yet she skated her long program in the Olympics to pick up a spot. Her problem is she is way to emotional. Huth or Mishin needs to ask her questions before she takes the ice to change her mindset. She is still able I think to compete. Don't retire Carolina!
Meagan is so on top of things. Nice observation about how Aljona's sal is much better now than it used to be. She and Bruno were nothing short of spectacular at the Olympics and Worlds. It wasn't long ago when Aljona couldn't land a throw on one foot, and now look at them. I hope Alexa and Chris listen to the nice things Meagan said about them, but for some reason Alexa seems to listen to the haters instead. Phil Hersh is still a thing?
I gaffaw every time someone makes fun of Candyman lololol
LIVING for these honest and intellectual interviews with Meagan! I love her so freaking much!
"Everyone was a hot mess" HHAHAHHAHA I love it! "The practices were a gongshow"
Also I hate Eteri so much ugh.
Can I make a suggestion? Can you guys link all the articles you refer to, or videos that you refer to, just EVERYTHING that you refer to? Like, link it in the description box so I know what you're talking about. That would be great and super helpful! I want to look into this article about Zagitova not eating.
Also I LOL-ed so much with all the "allegedly" usages, hahaha!
arthurtheaardvark13 yes please link the articles!!
There's a two second moment where Jonathan got so excited to talk about ice dance that made me realize - that's what I look like when I want to talk about ice dance or rather, the fun intermingling of Papadakis/Cizeron/Hubbell/Donohue that absolutely no one could care less about, to a bunch of people that indulge me. It was like looking in a mirror.
Same! I always get way to excited about Ice Dance especially Hubbell and Donohue to the point that most of my friends and family get concerned
I was in the arena at worlds and I clearly saw Eteri laughing with her mignon all the way from where they were whatching the program to the spot were they greeted Zagitova. that was truly creepy. Like she's not my fav but I was heartbroken for her.
What do you think about politics in ID? are we gonna see a fight at the top between PC and HD maybe starting from 2019/2020? do you think Russia will want a team up there as well (SB? a junior team?) or are they going to support PC as they did these past seasons?
oh I honestly didn't look at Eteri while Alina was performing cause I was focused on her skating but her reaction afterwards was out of place. She and her mignon (don't remember is name) were literally chatting and laughing and I was like wtf guys your athlete is out there on the ice crying. Everybody around me had the same reaction to their behaviour
Meagan is great although I'm sure some will take exception when she said Zagitova didn't eat for week, lol. Bring her back as her touring schedule allows - she will save figure skating! Condolences to Jonathan - I know firsthand it's hard to lose your dad suddenly. And finally, Gabby Daleman had a sprained ankle so that could explain her wonky landings. She took off her skate in the KnC when she was talking to Tracy.
Yeah what the hell was going on with the copyrighting at this worlds? It was so uncharacteristically difficult to find anything to watch. I had totally forgotten to set my DVR and then didn’t worry about it cause I knew I wouldn’t have a problem finding it on UA-cam (if not the US broadcasts, then the foreign ones).. and then I actually went searching for it and literally couldn’t find anything. The only thing I eventually found was some spectator’s handheld video of Nathen Chen’s short program and that’s it. It’s as bad as it was during the Olympics, which didn’t surprise me at all given how much NBC pays for those broadcasting rights (plus I believe the Sochi Olympics were similarly difficult to find on UA-cam initially). Does anyone know what the deal is? Please don’t say this is our new normal.
even the gala is gone too their block it's so heartbroken someone say their is a copyright issue so the vidoes are taken down i hope they fix it soon
Again thank you for this review, I enjoyed Meagan's comments and opinions. Great guest once again!
Just hope you know that not all "Hanyu fans" are harsh, some truly like Nathan and admire his well-mannered personality and potential. I think many fans were upset by the judging, especially during the men's event. For Nathan and to an extent for Shoma (even though he was regrettably injured and I felt could've won Gold on a good day, even against Nathan's 6 quads).
Personally, I felt 215, for Nathan, was not warranted at Olympics and 219 is even worse for a program that has literally not changed in a month but got 4 more points in PCS (most likely because of everyone else bombing in comparison). Yes he lands the jumps and good for him, he deserves all the base value in the world for them...but are those GOEs worthy of someone who barely uses transitions and has no flow in his landings? I'm an untrained viewer and I can literally see him preparing for a jump from across the rink...whereas Yuzuru or Javier incorporate steps in between and deservedly hit most of the GOE requirements. Nathan's PCS at Worlds 2018 was 91, similar/close to Patrick Chan's at Olympics and close to what Patrick has been getting the last 2 years...which seems like an embarrassment to the sport. This will give him little incentive to improve if he is basically being told that landing his quads equals artistry. No offences to Nathan, just irritated with the judging.
Also, Hanyu was working on his Quad Loop and Quad Lutz since 2014...so I don't think including the jump is simply because of a "fixation on Nathan." But I guess we'll see how this rivalry plays out and how far judges are willing to go with the new changes coming soon.
Once again, thank you for the video!
To be fair, I think anything with a fanbase has fans like that, it's just more apparent for those who are at the top of their art/ sport or also those who simply have more fans.
That's a whole other level of crazy LOL. Thankfully, I think most of us fans are not. Glad I haven't encountered those kinds of people yet!
Are you trying to imply tht Nathan doesn't have crazy ass fans? I saw a lot of them saying they were happy that Shoma was injured bc that meant Nathan had a bigger chance at gold, and that's incredibly fucked up.
I saw that too. Every skater has crazy fans, not fair to generalize the ones that have the most visible ones like Hanyu or V/M.
I have never seen a post by anyone stating they were glad someone was injured. That's a crazy thing to say.
Fantastic as always, I think sometimes I'm more excited to watch your recap than to watch the actual skating :)
OMG Dave, I was having so much fun with that troll. It was hilarious!
Wow Megan duhamel is so lovely wonderful to listen.
Im afraid of the new rules. Are you going to make a video about the new rules once they are finalized?
Regarding Gabby's free skate, she hurt her ankle in practice that morning (you could see she had her skate off in the K&C), which would explain the wonky performance. Really, it's impressive that she muscled through to help Canada keep that third sport we don't actually need.
Did Gabby even need to do anything to keep the third spot? I was under the impression than a WC win automatically gives 3 spots.
No, the same rules apply. Your top two skaters have to have placements equaling 13 or less. Now, if one of your skaters is #1, that means that the second doesn't even need to do *that* well, but they still need to be top 12.
well Gabbie just had to place top 12 if Katelyn won, which she was going to do. And the US ladies are so weak that they would be very lucky to have one in the top 5. But you only get three automatic entries if you only have 1 skater in the field that wins.
I watched these competitions on Russian TV, and even Russian commentators all said something like "well, it's not exactly the perfect choice for the Olympic season" about Tarasova/Morozov long program. And it seems like they themselves don't like it either, they don't seem inspired at all by this music.
There was also a weird moment when Tarasova (TAT) while commentating Zagitova's skate said something like "Zhenya, we need you, come back, have a rest and come back!" - while her comments on Zagitova were rather dry. Between the two it's clear who's her favorite. She also commented negatively on Kolyada, saying she doesn't like that he didn't take risks, because she herself is a "fighter" and so she likes fighters. She instead admired Nathan Chen's fearless approach.
xenia kubrina I’m curious about what did she say about Konstantinova?
can't help you here, I only saw her short program, and can't remember anything particular being said. But people say TAT favors her as well. After Russian junior championship she distinuished her among the junior ladies, saying she was the winner for her (she was third, after Trusova and Kostornaia).
it was pretty controversial that's why I want to know what she thinks about her fav having a disastrous performance at the worlds especially to compare to what she said about Zagitova.
well, I understood it so that no one expected anything from Konstantinova. It was her first competition of this level, she was a substitute, it was more like "let the girl try, no pressure" - although to think about it, she's older than Zagitova and nobody gave her any discounts.
I have to say (and it's a completely personal opinion), that lately I don't like Tarasova's live commentary at all. She has become more and more emotional and her subjectivity shows too much. Sometimes it's just pure emotions and almost nothing on the technical side. I watched the Worlds on another channel as well, they had Maksim Trankov and post-commentary from Kovtun and some other skaters. I liked that much better.
Diving into the sport of figure skating more this year - the mental toughness required of these athletes with more or less a 'one and done' 4-year career is admirable. The student athletes playing basketball and soccer get time off but in this sport it looks like a 24/7/365 commitment from 5-20 years old. Impressive.
Skating fans are toxic. I honestly think TSL seems to be the sanest forum on the internet. Trying joining some of the message boards over the end of the season and no cannot do it. One person said that as an American she was a STAKEHOLDER in a certain skater so what happened to her very much concerned her. It's a totally different vibe to actually BEING at the rink with some of these skaters.
Skate Canada reported that Gabby had sprained her ankle the morning of the free and posted a picture of her being helped from the kiss and cry after it, so that probably had an impact on her jumps
Indeed, thanks for correcting!
I’m not sure but I believe the Parabéns guy is a roller skate coach here in Portugal who follows you’re social media but doesn’t know English.
I enjoyed listening/watching this so much. Your analysis is always spot on....but it was so nice (and refreshing) to hear Megan's thoughts and have her be so open and honest - the good, the bad, and the ugly. So much great insight into this sport that I love. So sad the season is over :-( .
Oh oh Megan's going to be a tech caller....a strict one
Regarding having 3 Canadian ladies which "take" away from perhaps a "more" deserving skater from Russia or Japan is far fetched. Yuna Kim won the Worlds which allows 3 South Korean skaters. These South Korean skaters won't be winning medals but it's an investment on the development of figure skating in the country which in my opinion is a good thing. What needs to change perhaps is allowing more skaters in certain countries to compete. The amount of skaters you have in the top 10, you get to add one. I.E. you have 3 skaters in the top 10, therefore next year you have 4 skaters.
I also think if you win Worlds, you automatically have a reserve spot at next year's World to defend your title.
This was a wonderful way to end the competitive season. So much love for you, gentlemen. Also, I would love for Meagan to become a regular contributor to TSL next year. Her commentary and perspective bring a great flavor to the recaps.
I agree so much regarding the time of the competition. The Olympics had the perfect time zone for me as i would watch them live and at night. Worlds were during the day for me so as much as i would like to live everything and watch fs i can't. I also do the same with scores, i jusr can't resist and I'm keeping track during the day!
I was a bit bummed that it was in my time zone bc that meant i wuld miss it lmao, since i had school. If it had been in america or asia it would've been in the evening/middle of the night and i much prefer that lmao
Great work! I live for these videos!
In fairness to Alexa, she has only been back one year since major surgery, and she had to regain 20 pounds while relearning all the elements. So it's highly likely that the throws feel differently for her this season than they did last season. Even just watching their throws, they look very different than last season-- in a good way-- and she deserves more of an adjustment period. 20 pounds is not a small number, and her muscle mass had to be built back up from nothing, which probably meant continual adjustment of the skating elements. People's lack of patience with pairs is why Alexa loses patience with herself. She has only been back a year and has all the talent to be great.
Agree with this. That was also the first throw triple flip I can recall seeing Alexa fall on, ever. I agree she needs to give herself more than just a few months to get fully used to doing throws (and anything else) again now that her body is back to normal. And I just want her to relax a little bit more. If someone says something negative, I want her to have the confidence to say, "lol yea ok", instead of going off the deep end. I thought her replying to Phil was fine though. He was being a real attention-seeking jerk.
Patience is required in pairs! Alexa is tremendous. I hope she will stick with it and come back even stronger. This long program was not who she is.
As to Satoko's 3A Jackie just quoted Satton's own words from the press conference. One person asked girls about Trusova's quads and Satoko said that she would not try it yet but if she had to upgrade her jumps it would be with 3A.
Thanks!! and thanks Megan!
I'm living for the shade at the FB comments. I can't with those stupid Evgenia and Mirai memes; it was funny the first few times but now that person's delusions when it comes to Mirai's skating have gotten old. Also, the fact that people went to that troll's employer is just as immature as the troll itself, just block them and move on 😒
lol on Jackie Wong. I mean i agree but cmon you are never gonna drag Nathan the way you are dragging Boyang Jin when really they are basically the same in terms of skating skills and non-existent programs. Jin even has the ability to bend his knees on some of those landings(!)
I find it interesting too that last year's Worlds recap began with a conversation about how Hanyu seems overscored (which I think was completely unwarranted when you look at what he produced)...and yet this year they barely discuss Nathan. No conversation about potential overscoring at all when it was very blatant. Instead a conversation about how Hanyu is obsessed with Nathan even though Hanyu has repeatedly credited Jin for the quad revolution and praised Jin's Lutz in every interview.
Hanyu was overscored in PCS last year at worlds too. That hope and legacy program was terrible and he dropped any pretense of interpretation, projection or lines in between his elements, just like Nathan did here. He does have better skating skills and transitions though.
+Daphen axa I personally disagree about him being overscored in PCS last year. I think that program required subtly and what he did between each element was incredible. At the very least, his spins and footwork were so complex...I think his projection and interpretation were fine. But you can't argue he was overscored in GOE, in fact one can argue he was underscored.
of course. Hanyu is always underscored. Poor him with all the judges against him :( a martyr.
+Daphen axa Um not saying always just on that occasion. No need for the sarcasm lol, we can simply agree to disagree. My first comment was more on how Nathan is being overscored and the lack of comments about it. We don't need to bring up Hanyu if you dislike him for whatever reason.
Jonathan, if you pay for a VPN (ExpressVPN is my favourite, doesn't impede on your connection speed), and set your VPN to Canada, you can watch the entire event on CBC either live or playback. It's really great quality. I think you pay around $100C for 1 year - so it is an investment, but I've been using it for 3 years (for other things, but also to access CBC) and it has worked without fail every time. It's how I stream every Grand Prix event.
Maddie I can also propose doing the same with Eurosport.
I really love watching the CBC stream. I also enjoy watching ESP commentary as well.
maddie there are many free VPNs that you can add on to your browser. There's no reason to pay any 100 CAD just watch the World's. Plus any anti virus software that you have installed like avast allows you to add on a VPN for like 15 dollars a year.
I've never had any good experiences with free VPNs. There is always malware or b/g mining involved that either slows down your computer or exposes it to possible viruses - even with anti-virus software. Nothing good comes for free, IMO.
Maddie or subscribe to Eurosport player and watch top notch quality!
VPNs in Europe are obsolete and that is way over priced no offense (and slow).
But again have no idea the speed and internet connection Jonathan has and also the servers. I’m located in Portugal are speed here is high/ fiber and servers very good.
Although it’s crazy that he has a blurry streaming it takes really obsolete technology for that to happen. I have no problemas watching Eurosport Player I just don’t want to pay the subscription :)
I do enjoy most of the discussion in this series. These two always seem to make the guest skaters feel comfortable talking, especially without network interruptions. I do have to chuckle at this segment because they mention a former social media friend.
More Meagan!!!!! Meagan ROOOOOCKS!!!!!
Yay! I love Meagan!
To be fair to Alexa and Chris, Phil Hersh’s comment was super inappropriate. But I agree that Alexa’s persona (at least online) has changed a lot.
I think the next season short dance pattern is some kind of tango lol
Btw Kostornaia’s triple axel kinda has a Hanyu quality to it, I definitely find it more impressive than Trusova’s quads.
lawomann she did it on instagram I think. I believe Jackie Wong retweeted the video on twitter.
Yes the triple axel is impressive looking
Just UA-cam it
lawomann she did it in practice and you can find the video on TSL’s Instagram
ua-cam.com/video/1Grv2edrIJY/v-deo.html
The three of you need to just.....be a thing forever. You speak so much truth.
BTW, the video that the Italian TV did on cheated jumps really highlighted how sloppy the technique of Medvedeva and Aliev is. Huge amount of pre-rotation and blade assist on the take off.
I mean is it just them? Satoko and Shoma have way more of prerotation and blade assist. Most of current top skaters have problems with that.
Check out Koola King's UA-cam video! She worships these Italian men! She means business when it comes to ISU, judges, and Medvedeva!
I loved that video. Everyone at the ISU should be made to watch it!
dkarwowska it isn't just Aliev and Medvedeva that have bad technique, but it's only them that's not getting technical calls for them.
Do I think it would benefit Alexa to not worry as much about what people say on the internet? Yes. But I can't fault her and Chris for responding to Phil's comment which completely crossed the line. Phil doesn't know anything about pairs and chimes in when the results are low, but he has no awareness that a 15th place in pairs these days is nothing like 15th place was even just 4 years ago (Alexa & Chris's score here would have barely been outside the top 10 in 2014). There's just so much depth now that falling on a death spiral alone can drop you from 11th to 15th. A 17th place "DNQ to the free skate" years ago would have meant you were a disaster and barely know how to pair skate, but pairs nowadays has a lot more depth and Phil's comments were just inappropriate and unnecessary.
I can't co-sign the "our scores here would have been top 10 in 2014" as excuses. The fact is there's been a gradual "point-creep" with all the skaters, pairs, singles, and dance all included. From 2006 OWG til now, the component marks for the average skater have steadily increased, as have the average GOE markings. So I personally don't think that means squat. The point is that they were a disaster in the free, and their faceplant is the reason the USA only has one spot. I used to think Dave was unfair to them, but now I see that he was right all along.
I am well aware that you cannot directly compare scores across competitions. However, you can get a general sense as to the level of competition in one year vs another. It's a fact that the depth of pair skating has dramatically increased since 2014 and that it is much more difficult to qualify for the free skate now than it was years ago. A 15th place now simply isn't the same as 15th was a few years ago. Period. And as for blaming the Knierims for the 1 spot--- sure they easily could have been top 11 without the death spiral fall and maybe one other little mistake. But it would be ridiculous to place the blame squarely on them when there are TWO US PAIRS each year who are supposed to be helping earn spots. Why are we placing sole blame on the pair who ACTUALLY MADE IT TO THE FREE SKATE THE PAST TWO YEARS? That seems backwards. It's a collective effort among 2 teams to get spots. Anyone could fall on a death spiral at any random time- there needs to be another entry in the free skate. The Knierims are the only reason why the US even had a 2nd spot to lose.
Katherine Calandra - That is true. They had to place top 10 last year in an extremely deep field (meaning a score over 200 was necessary) to get that second spot and the US should be grateful the spot even existed for this season. So anyone who acts like they’ve never proven themselves able to get the job done is wrong.
What was Dave "right" about? Their issue at this event was the pair elements, which are usually a huge strength for them. I mean, they fell on a death spiral. And in fairness to Alexa, she has only been back in competition for one year since major surgery. She relearned throws while her body was in the process of regaining 20 pounds. So throws this season likely feel differently for her than they did last season. She hasn't had much time to adjust yet, even though she was nailing just about every throw earlier in the season. The throws are typically one of their strongest elements.
I’m just really tired of the excuses from them, and for them. That’s all. And I think that’s a fair statement. So please don’t “come for” me. :-)
Always invite Meagan, please! :)
Mariah was talking about making the Olympic team in four years at 4 continents, so she seems set on continuing.
The password is: allegedly
“She’s got this sister, they could have fun together....” 😂😂😂😂😂I’m dying
Meagan is so awesome. Sorry to hear about your father, Jonathan :(
I'm super partial to Wakaba when it comes to Japanese skaters, but Satoko has grown on me, given the glowing commentary I hear from you guys. Plus Wakaba, despite her amazing power and jump height, has bombed at crucial competitions, and isn't as artistic as Satoko.I hope to see a triple axel from her next season.
As a lefty, I'm curious if Satoko's jumps are weakened by having to go what might be her unnatural direction. Are there scenarios where Japanese (and Russian) skaters who are naturally lefty could train abroad, but still represent their countries? Osmond, Kostner etc...are such great top tier skaters, I think it's crazy that Russia and Japan don't accommodate lefties at all.
Meagan is so refreshing to hear speak. I just love the trash coming out of her mouth, especially when she nonchalantly talks shit about certain Japanese female coaches who violently "pull their skaters' pigtails" during a bad practice.
I like Meghan's input, she knows what it's all about...she should be a announcer!
I’m enjoying this very much. Thank you. Is it just me or does anyone else think Jonathan sounds like he’s broadcasting from a very deep submarine?
Pokav1deo well it was raining outside...haha
Nice of Dave to leave out Tasha's ::cough:: "dental work" between Sydney and 2001.
I still feel that this video should have featured a montage of the skaters at the Worlds and the theme for "The Bold & The Beautiful". -:)
I believe the pattern is Tango Romantica for Seniors and Junior's are doing the Argentine Tango.
Great episode. ❤️ Meagan, her attitude, knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport as well as her empathy for other skaters. Awesome and refreshing. Thank you!
YASSS living for this interview
I do agree with the problem with max 3 spots per nation. They should extend it to 5. Russia and Japan has sooo much more to give. Love This and That although you guys are bit non-europeans-biased. But you guys are cute though...**
"Handsome guy from Sweden"
It's funny how last year you guys were all up on Yuzu discussing how he was overscored (which he wasn't, that LP was fantastic. There are other times where he has been overscored, but World's 2017 was not one of them) but this time around you didn't even mention the blatant overscoring of Nathan's PCS. You can't seriously say that he deserved 91 in PCS with a straight face, not for that program.
Totally agree with this statement, wish they would address it.
^^ upvote!!
Meagan called it when it came to Evgenia 26:25
Meagan is doing a great job of speaking freely while still being fair and respectful. Good on her. Surprised these nerds didn't know Koenig's background (skating with Peggy Schwarz); very credentialed. While I think Jonathan is a sweet guy, he just doesn't add much to this vlog to me other than a warm body that can consistently prevent Dave from doing endless monologues. Ah well...he tries....
Yess... need this.
Jonathan, Trusova is about the same height as Satoko. It is not about the height, it is about the power.
Evan Perilstein sure, one direction is more easier than the other. She gains more lift/power from the side she is more comfortable. Unfortunately, they made her change -.-
Thank you for this! Was waiting with anticipation for the review. Can I please suggest to spend more time on the men next time? There was so much that went down with the men that wasn’t discussed. I think I like a lot of people are really disillusioned with the state of us women’s figure skating and more into the men right now, hopefully they get more attention next time. Thank you!
the cbc (canadian broadcast corporation) sports app streams the competitions live in real time sans music copyright issues. try it next season maybe
Wow! Didn’t know Dylan and Lubov were not continuing their partnership. Unfortunately, I never saw them as believable couple.
Interesting observation...Tatiana Tarasova said in her commentaries Piper Gilles resembles Madonna
It is the Tango Romantica as SD. A monster of 49 step elements....
Saying that Yuzu has an obsession with Nathan and that Nathan's the reason he put in his 4Lz is laughable. Yuzu had been working on both his 4L and 4Lz since 2014, and if anyone pushed him to put in more quads then it was Boyang Jin, and Yuzu has actually credited him for it many times.
Not obsession, but in interviews and from talking to members of the coaching staff, Nathan is clearly the competitor they were watching. They actually correctly estimated that Yuzu just needed to be clean to beat Nathan this season with the difference in components and GOE. He was the main challenger.
Carolina could've won this whole thing had she skated the Free cleanly.
Since there's a void, I'm going to be the new parabens person......so, "parabens!"
Meagan is excellent as usual. Re. French Dancers: don't make the mistake of mixing style with theme. Style should be personal and consistent, themes and tone of program may change, which is exactly what they did over the last four years. The theme and tone of last season's program couldn't be more different than this Beethoven program, all they have in common is that they are abstract, which is more sophisticated than dramatic storytelling in my opinion. Just as you can identify Michelle's style in all of her programs, (or Davis/White in all of theirs), the French's style is highly distinct and aesthetically revolutionary, and is justly appreciated by judges and fans. They shouldn't "try" any different style. A style can only be enhanced.
It would be nice if they tried a different style. I feel that while they are talented, they skate the same program over and over.
Could you please give me both of your twitter handles? I've just starting watching The Skating Lesson and I'm in love with it!!!
Jonathan, so sorry about your father.
I love the dynamic between the two of you, and having Meagan there only seems to enhance it. You remain your irreverent selves with her. Sometimes, I feel you are a bit cramped by the respect you show other experts, but not with her.
Personally, I think Bradie Tennell needs to be educated in general. I have a teenage daughter who would rather die than dress up as Cinderella. She knows exactly how to present herself. She is also an athlete (though, another sport) but she watches interesting movies, reads great literature and is at home in different countries. Even off ice, Bradie looks like an uncomfortable Mormon bride to me. I'm hoping someone can help her!
Oh for the love of God, ISU, please don't add a +5 GOE option!!
If you have open border participation then the sport becomes dominated by only a few countries (even moreso than it is now) and then no longer becomes viable. I'm sure the guy who missed out on the Dutch hockey team is better than the first guy who got picked for the Indian hockey team but you can't let the Dutch have a team of 100 and the Indian's have a team of 20. But even moreso for performance based sports where the number of athlete is restricted due to time constraints and scoring is political. If you want viewers from other countries then you need to give them the opportunity to have spots on the world stage, which will develop the sport in their country.
Jonathan is so handsome:) does he have social media?
Patrick S agreed!!
He has a Twitter I think he's on Instagram too. He's usually tagged on the TSL pages.
Of course he has social media! That’s where he posts he cries in bathrooms
Can you interview Russian Coach and her team? She is outstanding!
Anybody with a link to the picture of Savchenko and Volosozhar?
Well , the Olympic channel had LOTS of coverage
I'm sorry Jonathan.
Megan, i like you more now.
request for an offseason discussion: the new rule! I'd be interested on your takes.
Once the rules are actually out, we can discuss them.
great! Thank you.
I love MIchelle Kwan but she had some MIyahara issue = she lacked amplitude on her jumps AND technically there were issues with the IJS scoring - she is a beautiful skatr but didn't learn the levels well.
There is quite a different between Michelle's jumps and Satoko...
The ISU needs to follow the lead of the FIG (gymnastics) and skip the World Championships during Olympic years. There's simply no appetite for such a big competition in this timeframe.
You're right. They're held months before the Olympics, however, so it doesn't create the same level of viewer and athlete fatigue than the timing of the figure skating Olympics and Worlds.
1. I cannot with Tarasova/Morozov costumes- there needs to be an ISU fine bc of this. But I’d rather have a coach named Elton John than Dalilah Sappenfield who sounds like she sells Billy Graham Bibles and Tupperware while making Scrapbooks of her pupils who get 15th place at Worlds. 🙄
2. Kaitlyn Weaver needs to stop acting shocked and surprised their program was the best ever every time she finishes. The twizzles were not even that good. This isn’t 2012 any longer...
3. Nathan Chen looked under rotated on a couple quads. But at least he did quads in that dumpster fire of a men’s program.
4. Why do the Italians always do farcical inspired programs? It’s not that funny when you do a program to “Imma Barbie girl...”
5. James and Cipres are even hotter with John Zimmerman next to them. But everyone is a little hotter next to him.
6. My religion is Aliona Savchenko- she needs to be the next National Team Coordinator for US Women’s Gymnastics. 🤸♀️
Love your comments! I have one to add: Bradie's Disney program. If this was her first year as a senior ( now aged 20, mind you) , why Cinderella and 'a dream'? Cringe worthy! And she needs to walk with books on her head! She has such bad posture!
Michel Sennett Re: Bradie’s Cinderella- completely agree, I could go on for hours about how gauche this choice was, but let’s be honest...when US ladies had choices, Bradie would have been our 3rd best skater and we could have throw as much shade as we could to get her to change. Dave is correct: now it’s time to REALLY learn skating (average packaging/skating skills). I can’t even think of a program for her yet bc I don’t get her personality yet. And no: we don’t want her to turn into Carolina bc there’s nothing worse than a Celine Dion ballad and a double Lutz in late March.
Carolina was under a lot of pressure skating last and at home, and double lutzes sometimes happen. You go out there and see how easy it is to skate perfectly under that pressure.
Liana -Stefanelli Re: Carolina- you’re talking about the same Carolina who has imploded in 65% of all of her performances over the years? Just stop. Maybe you should be helping Dalilah do the scrapbooking. 🙄
Funny how yall are saying Hanyu is "oVeRMarKed" last season and u just shrug off about Chenbot's inflated score like how obvious can u get??
sasha voronova I would say both are overmarked. Consistently.
TheSkatingLesson lmao considering how everyone is actually being scored, in what planet is hanyu being overmarked???????
TheSkatingLesson Why not mention Chen inflated mark then? Why only mention Hanyu's? Do you mind specifying how Hanyu is being overmarked? Objectively, can you compare the level of mark inflation Chen is receiving and compare it to Hanyu? I can see someone saying Hanyu's PCS might be inflated but only in terms of interpretation and performance since they are the most subjective categories, everything else seems well balanced whereas Chen is lacking on most of the PCS categories. I remember older videos where you scored each competitor based on your personal opinion of what they did on the day...why not do that more in future to illustrate to less knowledgable fans what you mean by overmarked. My personal opinion is that Hanyu isn't overmarked and that Chen is but immediately the response I will receive is that I'm an oversensitive Hanyu fan who is ready to attack, which is not the case. Just curious as to who you feel ISN'T overmarked in this system?
ekaterina shebarkova Personally, I've seen people say he is overmarked but they never give specific reasons. The only one I hear is that he "looks down" or that he looks tired near the end (which is obviously because of his stamina which has improved considerably in the last 4 years). Those two reasons are very minor if you look at everything he does during his programs. If someone can't give specific reasons they probably just don't like seeing the same person win all the time, especially if his programs don't fit their 'taste' or preference.
Michelle had a flutz with frank and a lutz with Raf.
perhaps because Mao couldn't do a true lutz but Kwan could. who knows what happens in those practices. it's not like Raf could give Kwan a triple axel either like Mao. All skaters have limitations.
this isn't necessarily true. before she started working with Artunian, she was already doing proper Lutzes by 2000 when she started shortening all of her Lutz entrances down the length of the ice rather than the long entrance into the corner. It was around that time that she started focusing more on her technique again and for a short time started doing proper laybacks as well. I remember her Kissing You exhibition program was where you can really see the proper Lutz edge compared to previous years.
aa bb, can you link to a performance where Kwan had a true lutz in 2000? thanks.
@Evan...I had a look. it's not clear to me to be honest cause the version I just looked at had no replay. it looked as if she rolled from inside to a flat or inside edge in the LP. Some posters though are convinced she flutzed. Here's the video I had a look at: ua-cam.com/video/lsQbrwqNE0A/v-deo.html
vistaprime Michelle flutzed in the short that year, and it was obvious. She did not flutz in the long though.
1:01:05 Karen Chen wearing Jackson Ultima Skates. Oh, the drama. instagram.com/p/Bg6vkBFhgb_/?hl=en&taken-by=karebearsk8
Interesting, Dave, that you got in a little tiff with Alexa before Skate America. Maybe that explains why you were so harsh on them that week when it was clear Chris was dealing with an injury. You guys were also harsh on them during their other GP when they scored pretty well and, again, were dealing with that same injury (I think it was more Jonathan that week). I'm hoping that Alexa doesn't want to quit because of comments you made about them earlier in the season. Before that, they were very gung-ho about continuing. Some skaters would just laugh off what you say, but Alexa seems a little more sensitive and hangs onto ridiculous negative comments. You never gave them enough credit. I'm praying they don't end on this bad note; they can do so much better. Not only was that skate not a good representation of who they are and not close to what they're capable of (although Chris's jumps were good, so the potential is still all there), but if they leave like that, it will just tarnish their career and what they've done for US pairs.
I would think that Alexa has enough competitive fire that she wouldn't leave on that note. You can't let your confidence get ruined by a journalist or youtuber even if they occasionally cross the line. Quitting after what happened at Worlds would be some form of self-loathing. As Meagan said, they have all the ingredients, they just need it to all come together.
Why quit now? There are so many little ways for them to get better. They could work on new positions, lifts, transitions into elements, non-Cindy Stuart choreography (their programs improved once others tweaked them). Plus she just came back from a horrible illness. Why not give yourself actual time to come back from that and progress. She has all the raw talent you'd ever want.
TSL has been unfairly harsh to them at times, attacking them incessantly when they were recovering from injury (basically not acknowledging the injury at all) and making some unnecessary remarks. I've always just hoped that Alexa was strong enough to not let that get under her skin. She really is better off not listening to any nonsense and just focusing on her skating. And I really hope they continue because they're absolutely capable of more and really haven't put out programs to their full potential yet. They are capable of getting back on the GP podium next season. And by continuing, it will help them to move past this Worlds long program. I really like them to begin with, but I would want any skater in this situation to have a chance to rebound and recover from this. Despite this result, they have improved quite a bit and there are things to build on for next season. With things like those huge twist and throws they'll always have potential, just need the drive to work through challenging times.
Alexa is an amazing talent, and I doubt anyone at that level would want to end on such a low point. And despite the strange errors they've had lately, they are both healthy and are probably closer to strong skates than they've been in a while. They have made progress in many facets of their skating. I'm hoping they have the mental fortitude to power through and continue. They've been through tough times, but that's really part of the process.
TANGO guys TANGO !!!!!!!
WTF is with the Days of Our Lives theme?
Young and the Restless. Skating is a soap opera...
Really enjoying Meagan Duhamel's contributions, thank you. I have to say I'm surprised by some of your snide comments about TSL posters. Yes, some skating fans can be "extra," but IMO there's nothing wrong with that unless they are being mean-spirited (like the nasty troll you mention). It just strikes me as quite bizarre that you're posting a video FOR skating fans, but in the video you essentially mock those very fans. Wouldn't you rather not alienate us? Or is the goal to shrink the TSL community to only certain types of fans?
The posting on the TSL Facebook has become out of control after the Olympic Games. If there is a troll, it only emboldens the troll to give them so much attention and oxygen. The two posters in question meant well, but they only wound up fueling that troll. When that happens, we get messages, emails, texts, etc. It doesn't make us want us film a Worlds video that we were having difficulty finding the motivation to do ahead of time.
I am a “ fan” and never feel “alienated” by you comments. Megan was wonderful! So honest,funny and yet so positive. She really allowed me to appreciated the effort all skaters at all-levels have to do to compete. All your videos have taught me so much about the sport so I have reached a whole new level of appreciation and therefore enjoyment. So glad you guys keep finding the motivation to do all the work it must entail to continue.