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Esteemed Contributor
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Registered: ‎08-20-2012

Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

[ Edited ]

       The international skating competions started Oct 19th and run thru Dec 9th.  They are being shown on NBC and Olympic channels.  Just found them on TV yesterday.

       First event takes place in Washington - short program and free dance. Sixty athletes are representing 16 nations.

      Some the winners have been posted on the Internet.  I was disappointed in the US Female skaters.  Just don't find Bradie Tennel a very graceful skater, though she can skate athletically.  She has too many big arm movements - they are a distraction.  The men's skate...well...Nathan Chen was certainly present!!

                  ***************************  

       Here is the 2018 schedule:

Event                  Location                      Date         Results

2018 Skate AmericaEverett, Washington, United StatesOctober 19–21Details
2018 Skate CanadaLaval, Quebec, CanadaOctober 26–28 
2018 Grand Prix of HelsinkiHelsinki, FinlandNovember 2–4 
2018 NHK TrophyHiroshima, JapanNovember 9–11 
2018 Rostelecom CupMoscow, RussiaNovember 16–18 
2018 Internationaux de FranceGrenoble, FranceNovember 23–25 
2018–19 Grand Prix FinalVancouver, British Columbia, CanadaDecember 6–9

       .

Respected Contributor
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Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

@corita🦋 ~ Thank you very much for posting the schedule..  I tuned in late, but managed to watch a few female skaters.  Skating was always a pleasure for me when I was young.  We always watched at home, and with my own family as well.  Enjoy!

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Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

I started watching, but so many of the great skaters are taking the season off.

 

I do love Starr Anderson, though.

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# IAMTEAMWEN
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Registered: ‎03-29-2011

Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

I keep waiting for a new crop of American skaters.  We certainly have lost a lot of ground in Ladies & Pairs.  Even Ice Dancing has lost ground.  Nathan Chen is our best hope for medaling in competition in any discipline.

 

I was amazed to see how the winner of the Ladies' competition managed to correct her under-rotating.  She is so slight, the commentators always said she just didn't have the speed and power.

 

In years gone by, skaters were seldom dinged for under-rotation unless it was very apparent.  If a skater said he/she was doing a triple, he/she was given credit.  Watching old videos, with today's scoring, Michelle Kwan frequently under-rotated her jump.  back then flutzing was the issue.

 

I love figure skating and seldom watch a competition. I must say a lot of the music used today does not lend itself to much artistry. (sigh)

Esteemed Contributor
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Registered: ‎08-20-2012

Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America


@lulu1 wrote:

I love figure skating and seldom watch a competition. I must say a lot of the music used today does not lend itself to much artistry. (sigh)

--------------------

     I was thinking the same thing!  I thought all the music choices were poor and were difficult to hear.  I remember when figure skating was a fluid, rhythmic movement with artistic flow.  Now it seems that the skating depends too much on their jumping ability!


 

Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎02-07-2011

Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

I saw most of the men's skating yesterday.  Don't know when the women were on.  My favorite event is the pairs which don't seem to be given much coverage.

 

I do agree about the music.  To me most of it is unskatable.  I know Swan Lake and Carmen have been done to death but there are so many pieces of music that would be more approrpriate.  For me if the music is bad I'm turned off to the performance no matter how good it might be.

 

I've been watching ice skating since before Peggy Fleming (Carol Heiss) so I've seen quite a few competitions!!

 

 

 

 

 

Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎06-15-2015

Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

[ Edited ]

@kaydee50

 

Same here...   many,many years ago i   once saw Peggy in Chicago in a ice skating show not competion tho...was so thrilled to watch her ice skate! 

 

What competion back then  and today..is so different..i liked old days better..lol!

 

 

preds 06-21-20
"Always be thankful andyou'll have more than you know."
Honored Contributor
Posts: 15,980
Registered: ‎06-15-2015

Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

@corita

 

Thank you so much.Heart.... for  starting this thread  and giving us the  schedule...i made a copy so i don't miss anny...i hope..lol

 

I saw  the mens  Sunday by accident it while flipping through the channels!

 

 

preds 06-21-20
"Always be thankful andyou'll have more than you know."
Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,110
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

[ Edited ]

@corita wrote:

@lulu1 wrote:

I love figure skating and seldom watch a competition. I must say a lot of the music used today does not lend itself to much artistry. (sigh)

--------------------

     I was thinking the same thing!  I thought all the music choices were poor and were difficult to hear.  I remember when figure skating was a fluid, rhythmic movement with artistic flow.  Now it seems that the skating depends too much on their jumping ability!


 


 

This is why I think the new rules changes are so welcome and I'm sure most skating fans (can't please everybody), rewarding artistry more for the men, trying to avoid fall after fall, shaving 30 seconds off the free skate, etc.

 

I love when the season begins, watching all the new programs and up-and-comers.  Sofia Samodurova took my breath away.  They had a perfect cutaway shot where Bradie Tennell was making a nasty face, she is still a poor sport; I had hoped she would mature in her skating and her attitude.

 

And I loved Sakamoto's skate to "The Piano," that is a soundtrack with so many different tempi and other changes that it can be used over and over without sending  sounding repetitive, and then there's the symphony version.  

 

I did not enjoy a lot of the men's music, AC/DC and other heavy metal.  I will never.  I don't like it as a genre and I really, really don't like it in skating.

 

Yay for Madison and Zachary for their first medal!

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Re: Grand Prix Figure Skating 2018 Skate America

I love chatting about figure skating as I've followed it as long as I can remember.

 

I've shared this before; close family friends had daughters who skated and both eventually made it to the Olympics.  When the older one was selected for the team, we joined an entourage of family and friends at the SLC Olympics.  As luck would have it, in a tremendous upset, she won the gold medal.  For the next 6 years or so, we attended numerous shows and met many skaters.  The one thing that always shocked in was how small the skaters, particularly the men, were.  I expected tiny ladies (think Sasha Cohen) but the men were down right short.   (I was about 5'4" then, and I looked eye to eye with them)

 

I miss ****** Button as a commentator.  Johnny Weir is okay but Tara Lipinski, I cannot take.  When she talks about artistry development I want to choke.  If ever there was a one trick pony who could do nothing but jump, (to Disney tunes) it was Tara.  As for Johnny, when he first came up in the Seniors he had both artistry and beautiful, consistent jumps.  In time the parade started passing him by and he said good-bye to the US for Russia. At one point he considered applying for Russian citizenship.  The US men were strong and he was no longer consistent with jumps.  He wore bizarre costumes and started talking to his gloved hand. He always had an excuse for his flawed performances.

 

I thought Bradie Tennel's new long program was so much better. (then again I'm a sucker for Romeo and Juliet)  There is just something about her that makes it difficult to really root for her. (She's my new Ashley Wagner)

 

Gracie Gold is skating later in the season.  I'm looking forward to see whether or not she can make a comeback.