I was thrilled to see Naperville native Evan Lysacek win the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships last week in Los Angeles (no, I was not there in person, but watched it on the Oxygen network). Both his short program and free skate were brilliant.
And to think, Lysacek may not have won this title had it not been for Johnnie Weir.
By International Skating Union rules, the top two placements by American skaters at the world championships must total 13 or less to keep three spots on the team. Weir's third-place finish at the 2008 championships combined with a 10th-place finish by Steven Carriere equaled 13, which gave the U.S. three spots for this year's team.
Imagine what might have happened if they had earned only two spots. The U.S. men's team would have consisted of Jeremy Abbott and Brandon Mroz, who finished first and second at the U.S. championships in January. Lysacek, who finished third at nationals, would not have made the team and the world title would have gone to someone else.
Sobering thought, isn't it?
Showing posts with label Evan Lysacek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evan Lysacek. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Weir Has a Lot to Prove at Worlds
As a prelude to the World Figure Skating Championships starting today in Gottenberg, Sweden, the New York Times ran an interesting feature about the ongoing rivalry between the U.S.’s leading contenders, Johnnie Weir and Evan Lysacek. Sadly, we won’t be seeing the rivalry in action in Sweden because Lysacek withdrew from Worlds last week due to an arm injury. Jeremy Abbott, who finished fourth at Nationals, took his place on the team.
Lysacek’s absence puts the American men in a tough spot. The American men must finish well at Worlds to keep three spots on the team for next year. The top two American finishes at Worlds must combine to equal 13 or less or the team will lose one spot. Weir and Lysacek barely hung on last year when they finished eighth and fifth respectively.
What makes things tricky is that Weir is the only skater on the men’s team with any international experience at the senior level, and he has never finished on the podium. The other two men, Abbott and U.S. bronze medalist, Stephen Carriere, are making their first trip to the senior Worlds.
With two rookies in the fold, Weir needs to step up his game and perform better than he ever has. He needs to prove that he is capable of skating two clean and complete programs at the international level, which he has never done. With Lysacek out of the competition, Weir has a chance to perform on the international stage without the distraction of their heated rivalry. And with so much at stake for the men’s team, Weir can prove that he can be a team player.
A third or fourth place finish will probably work wonders for both Weir’s confidence and the future of the U.S. team. It will also take the pressure off Carriere and Abbott, who would need to finish ninth or tenth at the worst to keep three representatives on the team. Weir is certainly capable of it. He’s got the talent, the artistry and the athleticism to compete against some of the top names in the world. The question is – does he want to?
The men’s competition begins Friday.
Lysacek’s absence puts the American men in a tough spot. The American men must finish well at Worlds to keep three spots on the team for next year. The top two American finishes at Worlds must combine to equal 13 or less or the team will lose one spot. Weir and Lysacek barely hung on last year when they finished eighth and fifth respectively.
What makes things tricky is that Weir is the only skater on the men’s team with any international experience at the senior level, and he has never finished on the podium. The other two men, Abbott and U.S. bronze medalist, Stephen Carriere, are making their first trip to the senior Worlds.
With two rookies in the fold, Weir needs to step up his game and perform better than he ever has. He needs to prove that he is capable of skating two clean and complete programs at the international level, which he has never done. With Lysacek out of the competition, Weir has a chance to perform on the international stage without the distraction of their heated rivalry. And with so much at stake for the men’s team, Weir can prove that he can be a team player.
A third or fourth place finish will probably work wonders for both Weir’s confidence and the future of the U.S. team. It will also take the pressure off Carriere and Abbott, who would need to finish ninth or tenth at the worst to keep three representatives on the team. Weir is certainly capable of it. He’s got the talent, the artistry and the athleticism to compete against some of the top names in the world. The question is – does he want to?
The men’s competition begins Friday.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
U.S. Figure Skating Championships -- Rewind
Miscellaneous thoughts and musings from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Paul, Minn., which concluded last weekend.
I was as stunned and suprised as everyone else when pairs skater John Baldwin proposed to partner Rene Inoue after their free skate program. A touching moment to be sure, but if that happened to me, I'd smack him. Wouldn't it be better if he proposed in private?
The overall quality of the skating in all four disciplines was much better than I expected, and I think much of that has to do with the young skaters competing at the senior level for the first time.
As I watched Caroline Zhang perform to “Ava Maria” I was spellbound and nearly moved to tears. I said to myself, “We may be watching the second coming of Michelle Kwan.”
The future of women’s figure skating looks very bright. Not only did Zhang sparkle in her free skate, but 2008 national champion, Mirai Nagasu, silver medalist Rachel Flatt and bronze medalist Ashley Wagner also impressed me. Three of these four ladies participated in their first nationals at the senior level; this was the second year for Flatt. And they all skated with a poise and maturity that was far beyond their years. It is going to be wonderful to watch them grow and compete at the national and international level.
How young is too young? Because of the ISU’s age requirement, the only medal finisher to go to Worlds this year will be Wagner, along with Meissner and Bebe Liang, who finished fifth. In order to keep three places on the ladies team, our top two American women must finish with placements equaling 13. For example, if two women finish fifth and eighth, we’ll keep our three spots on the team. If they finish worse than that, then the U.S. will only be able to send two ladies to the 2009 World team.
Is Kimmie Meissner’s career finished? The 2007 national champion fell three times during her free skate to finish seventh overall. Clearly, she lacks confidence in her skating. She’s got the talent, but does she have the desire to keep competing, especially with the likes of Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang entering the foray? If Meissner wants to reach the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, she’ll need to make some changes and work on her mental approach, which may mean working with a sports psychologist or changing coaches. (Note: Yesterday, Meissner announced that she has left long-time coach Pam Gregory and will be working with Richard Callaghan for the next six weeks leading up to the World Championships in Sweden.)
I was encouraged by the TV ratings for NBC’s telecast of the championships. The ladies event which was broadcast live Saturday night had a rating of 3.8, a 65 percent increase over last year’s telecast on ESPN. The men’s free skate on tape delay on Sunday night drew a 3.5 rating compared to 0.59 last year, when it got buried in late night coverage on ESPN. Overall, the telecasts of the championships reached 12.5 million people compared to 4.7 million last year. NBC and U.S. Figure Skating need to continue to telecast these competitions in primetime to rebuild their audience. As the young faces of skating become more familiar, more people will likely tune in next year.
Evan Lysacek may be focusing much of his time and energy on the quad jump in competition, but his straight line step sequences are impressing audiences and judges alike. Both sequences were given a grade level 4 for difficulty, the highest possible mark, plus a grade of execution of more than two. You may not like his style, but it’s getting a lot of points.
So was Johnnie Weir robbed of a gold medal and a national title? Most fans seem to think so, and I certainly did at first when the men’s competition concluded. But in a fluke of the judging system, both skaters had the identical score 244.77, but Lysacek was awarded the national title for winning the free skate, the tie breaker. Looking at the scores for both skaters (available on U.S. Figure Skating’s Web site), two things stand out: Lysacek’s straight line sequence was a full two points higher than Weir’s, and a base value of 1.80 was given to Weir’s upright spin. According to the Pioneer Press, a change of edge in mid spin was not visible to the judges, who gave the spin a base value of 1.80. With the change of edge, the base value would have been 3.00.
I was as stunned and suprised as everyone else when pairs skater John Baldwin proposed to partner Rene Inoue after their free skate program. A touching moment to be sure, but if that happened to me, I'd smack him. Wouldn't it be better if he proposed in private?
The overall quality of the skating in all four disciplines was much better than I expected, and I think much of that has to do with the young skaters competing at the senior level for the first time.
As I watched Caroline Zhang perform to “Ava Maria” I was spellbound and nearly moved to tears. I said to myself, “We may be watching the second coming of Michelle Kwan.”
The future of women’s figure skating looks very bright. Not only did Zhang sparkle in her free skate, but 2008 national champion, Mirai Nagasu, silver medalist Rachel Flatt and bronze medalist Ashley Wagner also impressed me. Three of these four ladies participated in their first nationals at the senior level; this was the second year for Flatt. And they all skated with a poise and maturity that was far beyond their years. It is going to be wonderful to watch them grow and compete at the national and international level.
How young is too young? Because of the ISU’s age requirement, the only medal finisher to go to Worlds this year will be Wagner, along with Meissner and Bebe Liang, who finished fifth. In order to keep three places on the ladies team, our top two American women must finish with placements equaling 13. For example, if two women finish fifth and eighth, we’ll keep our three spots on the team. If they finish worse than that, then the U.S. will only be able to send two ladies to the 2009 World team.
Is Kimmie Meissner’s career finished? The 2007 national champion fell three times during her free skate to finish seventh overall. Clearly, she lacks confidence in her skating. She’s got the talent, but does she have the desire to keep competing, especially with the likes of Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang entering the foray? If Meissner wants to reach the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, she’ll need to make some changes and work on her mental approach, which may mean working with a sports psychologist or changing coaches. (Note: Yesterday, Meissner announced that she has left long-time coach Pam Gregory and will be working with Richard Callaghan for the next six weeks leading up to the World Championships in Sweden.)
I was encouraged by the TV ratings for NBC’s telecast of the championships. The ladies event which was broadcast live Saturday night had a rating of 3.8, a 65 percent increase over last year’s telecast on ESPN. The men’s free skate on tape delay on Sunday night drew a 3.5 rating compared to 0.59 last year, when it got buried in late night coverage on ESPN. Overall, the telecasts of the championships reached 12.5 million people compared to 4.7 million last year. NBC and U.S. Figure Skating need to continue to telecast these competitions in primetime to rebuild their audience. As the young faces of skating become more familiar, more people will likely tune in next year.
Evan Lysacek may be focusing much of his time and energy on the quad jump in competition, but his straight line step sequences are impressing audiences and judges alike. Both sequences were given a grade level 4 for difficulty, the highest possible mark, plus a grade of execution of more than two. You may not like his style, but it’s getting a lot of points.
So was Johnnie Weir robbed of a gold medal and a national title? Most fans seem to think so, and I certainly did at first when the men’s competition concluded. But in a fluke of the judging system, both skaters had the identical score 244.77, but Lysacek was awarded the national title for winning the free skate, the tie breaker. Looking at the scores for both skaters (available on U.S. Figure Skating’s Web site), two things stand out: Lysacek’s straight line sequence was a full two points higher than Weir’s, and a base value of 1.80 was given to Weir’s upright spin. According to the Pioneer Press, a change of edge in mid spin was not visible to the judges, who gave the spin a base value of 1.80. With the change of edge, the base value would have been 3.00.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
U.S. Crowns New Champions
At the U.S. Figure Skating Championships that wrapped up this weekend in Spokane, Wash., it was clear that change was in the air. When the competition concluded, new champions were crowned in three of the four disciplines. That's nothing new in the season following the Olympic year when many skaters leave the sport to pursue other interests or turn pro.
As expected, Belbin and Agosto won the ice dance competition with a new free dance to "Amelie." It was their fourth national title.
The big surprise was in pairs in which Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski, former Jr. champions, won the title over 2006 champions Rene Inoue and John Baldwin -- by less than one point.
In ladies, 2006 world champion Kimmie Meissner was favored to win over what many called a weak field. She won the title, but by less than one point over Emily Hughes. If Hughes had not fallen midway through her free skate, she may have upset Meissner.
America's New Quad King
But the talk of the competition and the marquee matchup was the rivalry between three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir and two-time World bronze medalist, Evan Lysacek. The short program lived up to its billing with both skaters performing clean routines. Lysacek led by less than one point going into the free skate Saturday night. By the end of the night, it was no contest.
After opening his program with a quad toe-triple toe combination (which he had practiced only once before and did not do cleanly), Lysacek was off and running. He proceeded to complete eight triple jumps in all and skated flawlessly for the entire four-minute and 30-second program, bring the crowd to its feet. It is considered one of the best free skate performances in the history of the U.S. championships. I thought his free skate at the 2006 Olympics was pretty remarkable, but it pales in comparison to what he did Saturday night.
Weir followed immediately after with a sloppy program. When he fell midway through his program, he knew he lost the competion. He finished third behind Ryan Bradley, a good 35 points behind Lysacek, who won his first national title of his career.
The championship recap program will air next Sunday, Feb. 4 at 12:30 eastern time. The show will be worth checking out just to see Lysacek's performance. It was that good.
As expected, Belbin and Agosto won the ice dance competition with a new free dance to "Amelie." It was their fourth national title.
The big surprise was in pairs in which Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski, former Jr. champions, won the title over 2006 champions Rene Inoue and John Baldwin -- by less than one point.
In ladies, 2006 world champion Kimmie Meissner was favored to win over what many called a weak field. She won the title, but by less than one point over Emily Hughes. If Hughes had not fallen midway through her free skate, she may have upset Meissner.
America's New Quad King
But the talk of the competition and the marquee matchup was the rivalry between three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir and two-time World bronze medalist, Evan Lysacek. The short program lived up to its billing with both skaters performing clean routines. Lysacek led by less than one point going into the free skate Saturday night. By the end of the night, it was no contest.
After opening his program with a quad toe-triple toe combination (which he had practiced only once before and did not do cleanly), Lysacek was off and running. He proceeded to complete eight triple jumps in all and skated flawlessly for the entire four-minute and 30-second program, bring the crowd to its feet. It is considered one of the best free skate performances in the history of the U.S. championships. I thought his free skate at the 2006 Olympics was pretty remarkable, but it pales in comparison to what he did Saturday night.
Weir followed immediately after with a sloppy program. When he fell midway through his program, he knew he lost the competion. He finished third behind Ryan Bradley, a good 35 points behind Lysacek, who won his first national title of his career.
The championship recap program will air next Sunday, Feb. 4 at 12:30 eastern time. The show will be worth checking out just to see Lysacek's performance. It was that good.
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