There's a certain amount of chat on the internet, some of it critical, that key athletes are missing the team competition and parallels have been drawn with gymnastics which aren't really valid.  I don't know whether the IOC had gymnastics in mind when putting their new team competition first in Sochi and now in PC, but the first round of competition in gymnastics is a qualifying round which sorts out who goes on to the team, the individual AA and the apparatus finals, as well as the order in which they compete.  That is already decided for the teams here and gymnasts don't necessarily end up doing all the apparatus in the team competition.  There is no need in FS for the team competition to precede the individual one and they might get a more exciting competition if they put it after the individual one, as well as a full complement of the better skaters.  I really can't see that people should be criticised for putting the long standing individual event at a higher priority than the new team competition.  

35 minutes ago, Sombreuil said:

I really can't see that people should be criticised for putting the long standing individual event at a higher priority than the new team competition.  

Me, either. I think it's perfectly understandable for skaters to want to focus on their 'own' competition. Figure skating is not a team sport. 

 

Then again, I don't think putting the team event after the individual one is a good idea, either. You just gave it your *all* in the individual event... either you're high and partying or else you're disappointed as heck. Is anybody really interested / not exhausted physically and especially emotionally enough at that point to skate another event so soon? Especially when many of them know they have zero chance to get a team medal? 

 

I dunno... I guess I just think this whole team event is a bad idea. I mostly just watch for the skaters doing silly cheering things for their teammates.... poor skaters. ;-)

 

Very smart.

At this rate I wonder if any team will even BE at the Opening Ceremony. Russia isn't going either.

 

Correction to the post above:

 

 

False alarm. They're still likely to attend the Opening Ceremony on the 9th in freezing cold.

The cold during the opening ceremony will be mitigated somewhat by the sheer number of people present. Athletes will end up squashed together in a large group, producing body heat. Like penguins!   Also, the basic google weather forecast says there's gonna be slight warming up in the following days in Pyeongchang. The standing around is bound to be exhausting, though. Canada is screwed, USA is going to have it easier.

 Satton in the house! 

 

 

Well, if you know you're not gonna win or have a chance to podium in the Team Event... I guess the risk outweighs the benefit for some..

 

9 minutes ago, kaeryth said:

Well, if you know you're not gonna win or have a chance to podium in the Team Event... I guess the risk outweighs the benefit for some..

 

Well since last time the team event was used to prop up big fed skaters I can see why all small fed skaters opt to leave it out this time .... 

 

Since Japan only has 1 pair and 1 dance team, does that mean that Shoma isn't allowed to skate both SP and FS? Then men will be split between Shoma and Keiji right?

I think the flu spreading around also contributes to some. Maybe athletes are taking longer than expected to settle in, and all feds are doing a "wait and see" on their main teams/skaters for the individual event. Add in the time schedule being a nightmare, nevermind the men's, think of the pair skaters (don't they also skate back to back days?), and is it any wonder that the smaller feds are going to pay more attention to the individual events.

 

Plus, I've never got the idea behind team event. Other than a show of which feds are bigger/biggest and have the ability to develop all disciplines, there's no point is there?

4 minutes ago, Eclair said:

Well since last time the team event was used to prop up big fed skaters I can see why all small fed skaters opt to leave it out this time .... 

 

Since Japan only has 1 pair and 1 dance team, does that mean that Shoma isn't allowed to skate both SP and FS? Then men will be split between Shoma and Keiji right?

Yep, Shoma will do the short and Keiji the long, iirc.

1 minute ago, ralucutzagy said:

Yep, Shoma will do the short and Keiji the long, iirc.

oh really? Hmm, Lynn Rutherford just tweeted that Nathan is training the long, while Adam is training the short ... It would have made more sense if Shoma and Nathan were competing against each other ...

Satoko arrived to PC, too! 

 

3 minutes ago, Xen said:

I think the flu spreading around also contributes to some. Maybe athletes are taking longer than expected to settle in, and all feds are doing a "wait and see" on their main teams/skaters for the individual event. Add in the time schedule being a nightmare, nevermind the men's, think of the pair skaters (don't they also skate back to back days?), and is it any wonder that the smaller feds are going to pay more attention to the individual events.

 

Plus, I've never got the idea behind team event. Other than a show of which feds are bigger/biggest and have the ability to develop all disciplines, there's no point is there?

well it awards more medals, so I like that aspect of it. Think of it this way: 

 

if Canada gets gold, Russia silver and US bronze, then: 

- Patrick will finally get an olympic gold

- both Papadakis/Cizeron and Virtue and Moir could go home with a gold

- both Kaetlyn and Evgenia/Alina could go home with a gold

- Mirai will get that bronze that she deserved in 2010 (not I think that Joannie didn't deserve it, too)

- out of Nathan, Kolyada, Yuzu, Shoma, Javi and Boyang 5 could go home with a medal

- etc.