This is where we discuss figure skating and skating related items. How did you favourite skaters perform, and so on? However we never speculate on the private lives of skaters, like who might be going out with whom, because that is poison and is not tolerated here. A good guideline is that if it's not publicly announced, in the papers etc. then it's probably best to leave it alone. Is it a gray area? Then write to me and ask.
The final event in this year's ISU Grand Prix will take place in Lake Placid, NY on the US Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 24-26). Skate America is most often the first in the GP series but this year, as the final event, the determinations of competitors at the Grand Prix Final will be completed here.
Jun Hwan Cha is withdrawing from Skate America to focus on recovering from injuries and preparing for the Domestic Korean Ranking Competition which will go towards determining who will go to the Olympics.
He is apparently being replaced by Han Yan who posted on his Weibo (like Twitter) yesterday:
There are reports on Twitter that Anna Pogorilaya RUS has withdrawn with Bridgestone Skate America 2017 to recover from injury. [She was obviously not well in her last competition.] She is said to have been replaced by Serafima Sakhanovich RUS who just participated in the Warsaw Cup over the past weekend, placing first.
As always, thanks for keeping us updated. I am way behind in watching, but have tried to see at least the Canadians. I have scheduled all Skate America to be taped.
They also withdrew from an earlier GP event and were replaced on very short notice.
They placed 12th at Worlds in Helsinki, earning Israel an Olympic spot. However, according to news reports, Ilia has failed to get Israeli citizenship and they are ineligible to compete at the Olympics.
In the men's event, Jorik Hendrickx BEL has withdrawn for medical reasons and he has been replaced by Liam Firus of Canada who just won a bronze medal last weekend in the Challenger event.
In the ladies event Dabin Choi KOR withdrew last week and there has been no replacement named.
Last edited by Elizabeth on Wed Nov 22, 2017 2:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Wow, those times are more like it!! It's about time, haha.
Thanks for the information and I look forward to watching the live streaming.
"At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)
From Lynn Rutherford in the Mixed Zone in Lake Placid via Twitter:
Liam_Firus returned from Poland on Tues, went to bed; woke up at 7 am on Weds, to find he had been assigned to Skate America: "So I trained, went home, did laundry & drove down from Montreal. Every drop-out this season I hoped for a call, and I finally got it."
Interested in planned program content? Wonder what the music is? That information and more can be found on the ISU page for this event under the "For Media" heading: http://isu.org/events/eventdetail/11452 ... te-america
Quads taking their toll? Two reports from Skate America would seem to imply so.
From Lynn Rutherford via Twitter:
An old foot injury is troubling Maxim Kovtun here; he is seeking medical treatment. His coach, Inna Goncharenko, says it is important for him to compete, as he needs an event before Russian nationals next month.
China's Boyang Jin is also having foot pain, and the Chinese delegation says he will likely not try a quad lutz here.
Thanks for the information. At this point it sounds like quads are taking AWAY from the sport.
"At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)
Sad to hear that Maxim Kovtun injured his Rt foot enough in Skate America SP fall to cause WD for FP
From ISU via Twitter:
Unfortunately, Maxim Kovtun (RUS) has withdrawn from Skate America 2017 due to injury. He injured his right foot in a fall in the Short Program yesterday. We wish a quick recovery.
CAUTION - if you click on the links as they contain SPOILERS!
By the way, for some unknown reason the CBC live stream of the ladies short programs has the commentary from IceNetwork! The same thing happened part way through the ladies free skate.
Last edited by Elizabeth on Sun Nov 26, 2017 8:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.
fred wrote: ↑Sat Nov 25, 2017 5:17 pm
My goodness there's a lot of injuries this season. I don't like the sound of that. Not at all.
It's an Olympic season with everyone going "all out". Sadly there was another injury during the men's free this afternoon.
I believe there are several other skaters who are skating "hurt" - for some of them this may be their final season
That's for sure...yikes all might! That was a bit hard to watch. This has opened up the discussion that skaters need to wear helmets...I think I can realistically say that there would be MORE injuries if this were the case with even more weight on the skaters that inertia increasing that amount. Some people can be so... .
Does anyone know where I can watch the Men's FS on NBC...is it up anywhere yet? Thanks.
"At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)
This has opened up the discussion that skaters need to wear helmets...I think I can realistically say that there would be MORE injuries if this were the case with even more weight on the skaters that inertia increasing that amount.
Not to mention that helmets would provide no protection to shoulders, ankles, feet, etc.!
Given the injuries, withdrawals, etc. I'm glad I opted not to make the trek to Lake Placid. I've made the trip at this time of year on a number of occasions, to see the premiere of the Stars on Ice season, but given the possibility of bad weather, the challenge of getting accommodations, etc. I decided to give this event a "pass". I watched everything on live stream from the comfort of home, recorded the CBC TV and NBC TV coverage, and have watched some of the former so far. I'm not very fond of the Tara and Johnny show on NBC so may delete most of that without watching, or at least fast forward to the parts I'm interested in.
Yes, and head injuries in skating are extremely rare in my experience of watching skating for close to 50 years. I mean there's only been a handful in that amount of time. There was that Russian pair where he dropped her on her head, that one seems to stand out the most!
Oh I'm not alone in not liking the constant chatter between Tara & Johnny. I'm glad Canadian TV is better that way, but I remember years ago the commentators talking about who the skater's sister was dating instead of what was happening on the ice. I draw the line at THAT. Give me a break, lol.
At first I wondered what Adam was doing. It was almost like he was making fun of Daniel because he was doing the exact same action. I guess it seemed incredible that another skater could have the exact same kind of injury right after another. I mean I've never seen THAT before and it was quite shocking. I read that Adam had his shoulder dislocate and then pop back in. That is beyond creepy.
"At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)
Oh Goodness, not helmets for figureskaters. This is an art form. Would they use helmets at the ballet performance? No way! Maybe pad them up like "American football" players? No thank-you! We might want to limit jumps if safety is a concern, but we don't want helmets.
It's about time, haha.
. 
Give me a break, lol.