WinForPooh

Ah, I have a bad habit of assuming that if I know something, it must be common knowledge, because I don't think I have any uncommon knowledge. There was a brief period of time when Raf did some good PR about how he had to rethink his approach and learn how to interact with his students in the States and all that, which made it seem like maybe he was seeing the error of his ways and learning to treat his students better, but then he went right back to same old after that.

I'm not getting into the rest of it but this bit does speak to your bias. Raf has literally given interviews blaming Nathan's family for his Olympics performance, I've seen him go at Adam like nobody's business, one of his first coaching inputs when Adam went to him was to tell him to get on the treadmill and stay on it because his ass was too big for quads (Adam developed disordered eating during his career), he's called his students who're not thin enough 'elephants' he has to teach to jump, he called Eunsoo 'the Korean' in interviews and he treated her shamefully in K&C during Worlds. If all of that is not intentionally being a jerk, I dunno what is. I am not in any way a fan of Eteri but if all of that doesn't make Raf a jerk but Eteri doing similar things - being mean to skaters about their size, giving media interviews that paint her former students in terribly unflattering light - makes her one, then that's bias.

I guess I see what you mean, but for that to work, he'd have to take a bigger step and train somewhere overseas, maybe. But that wouldn't make logistical sense, would it? Without a coaching setup, to train alone overseas is to ask for trouble! Well, maybe we'll see a new Shoma. I was thinking in terms of managing his body, honestly. If he hasn't been used to taking care of the details of his health himself, then spotting when not to overtrain, when to do off ice work and so on - that's a big gamble to take when he needs to be in top form in a couple of years. Now that he has had a couple of recurring injuries, he really does need to be careful and not having a set of eyes that knows his warning signs on him when he trains... I wish him all the best and hope very much that my gloomy thoughts are unfounded and it will all turn out fine for him!

Damn, Shoma, if his team is that supportive, he could've kept training with them this season while he looked around!

I don't have any solutions. I would be happier if I saw rule changes that increased the points value of step sequences and spins drastically, and made step sequence and spin level 4 requirements stricter, that's one thing I would like so that at least the different technical skills within the sport itself aren't valued with such wild imbalance. Each level four spin worth 14 points and two step sequences each worth 14 points for a level 4? I don't see why that's preposterous, if there are people who can jump quads but can't spin properly, why're they nailed on medal contenders unlike those who have only triples but can spin skillfully? PChan skating skills kind of step sequence, or Yuzu's quicksilver LGC step sequence, should be worth as much as a quad for me, easily. If those who can quad don't have those skills, I want their BVs to reflect that. If we look at gymnastics, you can't be bad at one thing and win the all-round. You can be not the best at one thing and win the all-round, but you can't be bad at it. Beam isn't wildly undervalued compared to floor routine even if the floor routine is more spectacular in general. You can be excellent at vault or uneven bars and get only that one medal. But if skating got split into segments like that, I would miss seeing a beautifully constructed free programme that has the hardest skills and still is art. We'd never get a H&L 2017 Worlds skate again and that would be a huge loss, I don't think I want to give that up either. lol Like I said, I don't have solutions.

That's the thing. I don't trust the execution of any system of rules tbh and at this point, looking at the changes they've been making to the rules, I also don't think that they're headed in the direction of making technical requirements about all technical aspects of skating. If it is, I can see the possibilities but all the signs seem to be headed to a figure skating world where technical elements=landing jumps and artistry=waving arms about and being balletic for a given and restricted definition of balletic and miming. Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic. Tbh I think the part of the 6.0 they want to go back to is doing whatever they want without anybody pointing to clearly written rules that say they shouldn't have done it. Not the technical requirement part. It's the lack of accountability. Not that there is now but I bet the loud 'discourse' has reached their ears and might be unpleasant.

But it'll be the same step sequence thing we have now, isn't it? And so far the change in the SP has been to take one technical requirement - the steps before solo jump - out of it, so if that's an indication of the direction in which this is going, it'll be more of a 'can you land this jump' thing, won't it? If levels on step sequence and spins aren't as important in the artistic programme, then they should become more important in the technical programme. This just sounds like a jump programme and a mime programme, really.

I don't understand. Where will actual skating skills be judged, then? Will the technical programme have a figures section? Or are skating skills, the ability to do complex skills with blades on the ice, just completely irrelevant under this new proposed scheme? You know the artistic programme will peak with sexy ballet arms during crossovers.

Yeah, I guess it's time for us to get used to the idea! If something really doesn't work out at all, he can go back to Nagoya, I guess, but I don't really see other options working out with this announcement. Pray for Shoma's ankle and his pizza.

That's practically a confirmation, there isn't time to shop around much after that. It's Eteri or bust now...

Done four times in the free. Called the 4Lz first, then the 4F 4Lo (oops), then the 4F and then the repeat quad, 4Flooptz.

That's a remarkably new policy. But this was supposed to be a joke, guys. At least Shoma won't have to deal with training with five quinting juniors and novices competing for his spot, I guess?

Have we considered one solid clue that the Shoma to Javi jokes might be real? Shoma is about the same size as the smol skating beans that Javi taught in Sendai so Javi has experience now.

It is a really convenient circle of coincidence, that rumour and this announcement.

Imagine if Shoma does go to Eteri and Eteri tells Shoma no more pizza.

Does this mean that there could be friction between Nathan and Raf now? Those interviews weren't exactly good PR, and Raf did sound pretty disgruntled about Nathan not going to him for training as much as he thought he should... We could do a whole TV series out of this honestly.

If only Russian commentators would speak just a little bit less during skates, I can't understand Russian so it would be perfect.

Maybe? I mean I'm just speculating, but if that's where he's been learning new jumps/technique anyway, maybe that is where he'd go. BESP commentary will become really insufferable if he does though.

Shoma has already been doing jump camp things in the States, and not with Raf. Maybe he's just going there for good?

Well, if Nathan isn't training with Raf at the rink most of the time, then I guess there's room for another top man... I think it's time for popcorn. They didn't take anybody high profile in after Adam retired, too, so there is that.

Guys. Guys remember that rumour about a Japanese skater going to Eteri? WHAT IF?????? I mean probably not, it's ridiculous but WHAT IF???!!!!???!!!

That's what I thought too. well if they're putting in overtime out of dedication to the sport, I am so glad they're focusing on the truly important things that needed to be addressed! The sport is saved now, rejoice, ye who follow it! Rejoice!

Quoted from that article:

So, I suppose Nathan has not given US fed guarantees that he'll take two years off college and focus solely on preparing for the Olys, huh? Because this isn't fair to the few usually clean jumpers out there and he's one of those usually clean jumpers.

Cool cool. Coolcoolcoolcoolcool. Meanwhile 4A's BV remains unchanged. Cool.