So, Tiger Woods apologized yesterday.
And Plushenko criticized Lysacek for his gold medal victory.
What is with these guys?
I mean, I know we’re all human and we all say and do dumb things, but good lord.
The Woods thing? I’m still not sure what my take is on that (although, you can read some of my views on yesterday’s post). He did some dumb things and it is in the media and he felt the need to apologize, likely for business reasons.
Whatever.
But Plushenko. He criticized Lysacek for not doing a quad jump in his program. I think his logic is that the quad jump is the future of the sport and if one does not have this in the repertoire, then surely he cannot be a champion. Apparently, perfection with triples is not enough.
What a load.
What is this? Sour grapes. An unhappy guy is criticizing the guy who did the better program. It sounds like jealousy. It sounds like (unfounded) shame and embarrassment projected outward. It sounds like he can do a quad, so naturally he thinks a quad jump should win the competition. Never mind if the rest of the program is so-so. Never mind that it is a “program” and not a “jumpfest”.
But what do I know? I’m just a guy who is still nursing a blister from a skating outing in fourth grade.
The point is, get over it Plushenko. You didn’t lose to someone who fell and tripped and stumbled. You came in second to a man who landed his jumps, showed dazzling footwork, and skated a near-perfect program.
If you want sour grapes, Plushenko, have a glass of wine.
If you want to be an Olympic champion, start acting like one.
Geez…at least Tiger apologized.
-josh
You don’t have an idea of figure skate. Sence 1994 all Olys gold medals did quads. How a guy who dosen’t do quads win over the guy who did? FS is not Ice with the stars, and know is become of that.
Lysacek was good but not gold material. And what now americans know about FS that they didn’t care about sence the 90′, you did care about girls but no mens coz they where losers. So now you care, yeah right you didn’t even knew about PLushenko or Lysacek before these so maybe you have to STFU.
@MANDY: Welcome! Thanks for stopping by. And thank you for your insightful comment! I appreciate it. Check out Alan Abrahamson at http://www.nbcolympics.com/ksl/news/newsid=429970.html?aff=ksl. Nice article about this issue. The Olympics say higher, faster, stronger…yes…but there is also something else in there…cleaner, smoother, and surer. You say I don’t know anything of figure skating? Maybe that’s true. But I do know (play) some other things. Golf, for instance? There are guys on the PGA tour that can hit a drive so far, it’s almost comical. Lots of oohs and aahs from the crowd, I assure you. Then there are the shorter hitters…not as much distance. A little more old school, using the old putter or crafting the chip. Far-er? No. Cleaner? Yes. And there’s a saying, “Drive for show, putt for dough.” It isn’t all about the showy long ball. There is finesse. There is style. There is a clean round, clear of mistakes, with the artistry of a well-crafted putt or ease under pressure. If I hit a 400 yard drive up the middle, but then don’t execute the rest of the hole cleanly, I may get a 5 on the hole while the shorter hitter gets a 4. If golf were all about the long ball, John Daly would be king. He’s not. He’s bringing up the rear. Has been for a while. but maybe that’s a bad example. Then there’s baseball. Is that all about power or oohs and aahs? Not necessarily. There are guys that can hit the long ball out of the park…but they also strike out a lot. Not as clean in the fundamentals. Gimme the guy that has the fundamentals down. Can advance the runner. Is smart on the bases. I don’t need his homers. I need his clean game. What about outside of sport? I’m also not an expert in obstetrics, but I want to doctor who has consistent skill IN THAT MOMENT. IN MY WIFE’S ROUTINE, and can perform cleanly instead of making one great ‘delivery’ and then making small mistakes on my wife. Scalpel slip? No big deal. Technical problems in the delivery room? That’s ok. Ignore it. He did a good job on that one delivery a few weeks ago. Sure the baby is out, but let’s just ignore the mistakes. He’s advancing obstetrics after all, even if he isn’t clean all the time. I don’t know a lot about law, but I’ll take the attorney that is less flashy, more sure on his feet and in his voice, rather than the guy that won one huge case, but makes small mistakes in other places. In the end, Mandy, I may not know a lot about skating. But skating, like everything else humans pursue, isn’t just about skating. It’s a reflection on life…like every other hobby, interest, or sport. And just like you, and everyone else on this blog, we’ve earned the right to be students, and open, friendly commentators of that life. And in life, I’m glad there are those who watch, comment, and differ in opinion, because that’s what makes us all champions. It’s what makes us all gold material…Please keep coming! I look forward to your comments during the women’s skate.
Interesting post. I was having this very conversation last night with my parents. We came to the conclusion, that unlike most of the other sports that are part of the Winter Olympics, there is an element of artistry in modern day figure skating. There is something to be said for performing a clean program and landing a perfect triple jump is no small feat.
I do know a little something about figure skating and I am old enough to remember when performing the compulsory figures, from which the name “Figure Skating” is derived was still an important part of the competition. The compulsories were about precision as the skater had to create perfect figures on a clean patch of ice, such as a perfect figure eight, and then had to retrace the same figure over again. There was no music and no flashy costumes for this part of the competition. One could see the intense level of concentration on the skater’s faces as they slowly and deliberately performed these skills. I am sure for most people it was probably as exciting as watching paint dry. I actually enjoyed watching this part of the competition because it did showcase the participant’s pure skill and skating ability. Many an Olympic medal was lost because even though one could skate a beautiful program, if they did not have command over what was considered to be the fundamentals of the sport their overall score was sorely impacted. However, in the late ’80’s or early 90’s the compulsories were dropped from international figure skating competition.
Perhaps if they want to emphasize more of the athleticism of the sport rather than the theatrics or artistry, then maybe they should have a part of the competition be a “Jump Off.” It could be a little like a spelling bee with each participant having to perform a specific skill and if they missed it they would be eliminated. (O.k. maybe a double elimination would be more fair.) And maybe they should also bring back the compulsory figures.
@HOLLIE: Thanks for the insight! I like that idea…a “Jump Off.” Go out and do the quads. Get the medal for the jump. You skate under the scoring regime you have, and Lysacek was just on. Plushenko was just a bit off. I don’t think it took a judge to see that!