The Russians are such bores! That's why the favorite name in Russia is "Boris". No class whatsoever!! Whiney SOB's.
#1 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:39 PM ESTcongratulations EVAN!!! We are so very proud of you! You were absolutely perfect...and athletic.
The Olympics are all about sports and you were the strongest as well as most graceful.
Steve, we need to be bigger than Plushanko, using Evan's reaction as our model. Then, in Russia 2014, we beat the skates off their participants!!
I just saw this interview replayed and TOTALLY AGREE!!! Congratulations to Evan for his superb performance on and off the ice!!!
I don't know whether they need to do a quad or not.
All I know is that I watched BOTH performances, have been skating since I was 3, and EVAN LYSACEK's was the BEST performance in terms of athletic precision.
I always watch Olympic skating and was totally impressed with Lysacek and am more impressed with his behavior after winning.
Go Evan Go!
Plushenko is a real poor sport. I saw the performances and his was choppy, in my opinion, and showed extremely bad sportmanship at the ceremony. Wish the cameras would have stayed away from him. I'm really proud of Evan and so glad he won the gold. Plushenko was also 'cocky' during the pregame media blitz's and didn't talk very nice about his opponents. I'm sure he was 'embarrassed' he had lost. CONGRATULATIONS EVAN!!
#2 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:22 PM ESTДа. Паршивый кататься на коньках.
Судите его себя в немного дней. Вы не будете думать что было хорошо.
Да. Паршивый кататься на коньках.
Судите его себя в немного дней. Вы не будете думать что было хорошо.
Post 2.1 Translation per free website:
Yes. Nasty to skate.
Judge it itself in a few days. You will not think that was good.
Hopefully this means that the poster agrees with Cynthia.
He was retired for 3 years, came back and expected to win gold just because he can spin one more time than others? He did not skate as well as Evan, start to finish. He should have stayed retired if he cannot gracefully accept the decision of the judges - move on and get a life.
#3 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:30 PM ESTHigher, faster, stronger, more bitter? What a complete lack of sportsmanship Plushenko has demonstrated. Apparently his sense of entitlement has left no room for the possibility that he could be beaten. The quad is only one element among many that can earn points and on those elements, Lysacek was superior.
#4 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:34 PM ESTOne very technical move does not compensate for several small errors on the part of the Russian. He is a great skater but humility would have kept him a great skater even in a loss of the gold medal.
#5 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:54 PM ESTHumility is not a revered trait in Russia. The development of humility would have prevented him from being successful in his home country. He would never have been given the opportunity or the training if he was not egoistic and arrogant. Sad but true. The Olympics are worldwide, but each country instills certain nationalist traits in its athletes. In the US we tend to be flag-wavers; in Russia they are all about the skills and the ego. Plushenko's reaction will not be viewed as "whining" in his country. In Russia they will accept as fact that the judging favored the American skater.
Oh I can think of many things worse. Your ideals are admirable, but you should not expect every person in the world to accept the "Olympic spirit" as you define it. If you had grown up in another culture, your views would most certainly be different.
Plushenko complained about the new scoring system after he lost the gold. If he didn't like it, why was he skating in Vancouver? He's arrogant & immature.
Skating is more than jumping, it's a total package & he was not as good as Lysacek. Twisted jumps, jerky, sloppy landings, uninteresting choreography, plus his program was front-loaded with jumps. The triple combination Lysacek did near the end of his program was worth almost as many points as a quad. Lysacek had a more difficult total program, fought for every element & earned the gold.
#6 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:57 PM ESTExactly! Plushenko almost fell on one of his triples after the quad (tribute to his athleticism that he didn't). He had absolutely NO jumps in the second half of his program. He nailed the quad and thought that was all he needed to do...WRONG! The scoring includes multiple jumps (with extra credit for those in the second half of the program), footwork (Plushenko was awkward) and spins (again not strong). Frankly, he is lucky to have won the silver.
They tied for their tech. score, so the judges gave Plushenko points for the quad, but like you wrote, the rest of his tech program was so-so. Evan didn't have the quad, but he was flawless in his tech performance. And no one denies that Evan nailed the artistic portion of his program. The difference in their final score was so minute that it could be said that the judges gave Plushenko an inflated artistic score because he was the reigning champion, to help him save face. Its not like Plushenko wasn't aware of the new scoring. I'd like to see some comments from someone other than the Silver and Bronze medalists, those without an agenda.
The commentators said that jumps only account for 50% of a skater's scores. There is a higher score given to a completed quad jump.
That said, all of Lysacek's jumps were performed and landed well. The same can not be said of Pleshenko's jumps.
If you want to see the real difference between the two skaters, compare the rest of their programs. Remove the jumps and what's left?
With Lysacek, you are left with superb artistry. There was something interesting between the jumps. That artistry was lacking in Pleshenko's program.
If you had the opportunity to watch the segment on Pleshenko earlier in the week, what you came away with was that Pleshenko was full of himself. He was arrogant, driving around in his sports car, being interviewed. In the end, that ego not only cost him the medal, but brought the real Pleshenko out. What a poor sport and a sore loser.
I am so proud of the American athletes! Not only have they shown great support of their teammates, but they've been gracious in both winning and losing! When our athletes have come in second or third, their support of the athlete that came in first, regardless of whether that person is American or not, has been gracious! That's the sign of a true sport!
Pleshenko is arrogant and full of himself. It doesn't matter what Pleshenko thinks. The judges judged the entire program, not just the quad jumps. Pleshenko has a lot to learn not only about being a all-around good skater (his jumps are good, his artistry is lacking), but also about being a human being and sport.
His behavior after the competition was indicitive about the kind of person he really is. Lysocek should ignore Pleshenko's comments. After all, Lysocek has the gold and that says it all!
#7 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:09 PM ESTI laugh when I hear the word robbed! To be robbed means you owned something and it was taken away. He never had it you idiots. You are like him. ARROGANT. You must have watched a different program than what I watched. A shaky quad and visually less artistic style does not warrant a gold! You are either russian or a Russian apologist. Its a disgrace the way Plu@!$%#co, his coach and Putin have acted. I would be ashamed to be Russian right now! SOUR GRAPES!
At first I wasn't sure who Russell was yelling at, but I think it was Plushenko, Putin, etc. , not the posters on these pages. Or maybe not. lol
Plushenko was robbed. He is hands down the greatest skater living today and I will bet anything he will continue to grow as an artist and athlete to unprecedented heights in the world of figure skating. Plushenko is in many ways ahead of his time and he is getting a lot of flack for it. I don't find him arrogant in the least.. he is an extraordinarily gifted realist. Nureyev, Baryshnikov, Guillem, Beethoven, Michael Jordan, Bruce Lee - all have been accused of arrogance in their time. And all have yet to be surpassed in their respective fields.
I find people's reactions to Plushenko arrogant, self serving, pretentious and boringly conventional.
#8 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:13 PM ESTThe fact that he retired, came out of retirement does not give indication that this is an individual striving to grow or reach new heights in the world of figure skating or anywhere else for that matter. And to place this snob in the same catagory as Beethoven seems a bit arrogant on your part.
Plushenko was not robbed he got what he deserved. That smug off his face finally got what it deserved. He is just another Russian sore loser! Now that Russia cannot bribe judges, they are finding it more difficult to win in the games. Russia just like its skaters is a "has been". No wonder, China got the gold and silver for pairs.
Get over it. His skating sucked really. Barely stayed on his feet...choppy as hell.
I totally agree with you. People talking down about him they do not know anything about figure skating they are just creatiing the drama so they can enjoy it Also they can say we beat the Russian!!! In sport you should be subjective!
He "WAS" a great skater, but he didn't have the best program last night and made silver. So, for the next four years, instead of being remembered as a gracious champion, he'll be remembered as a jerk with a bad haircut. What a shame.
He was not robbed and was not the best skater when it counted! To make such statements publicly is disrespectful of the sport and his counterparts. When he watches the tapes in a month, he will be humbled and realize he blew it.
Nevrize, if you know anything about figure skating, you know he was not solid nor did he exhibit fluid movements throughout the routine. At one point it was downrigh painful when he girated with his arms and body. It did not match the routine. His jumps were not stable as he 'saved' many of them. It is not gymnastics, but figure skating.
Team P said "Nureyev, Baryshnikov, Guillem, Beethoven, Michael Jordan, Bruce Lee - all have been accused of arrogance in their time."
I can't see your friend, Plushenko, holding a candle to any of the above.
Sorry, dude.. and his hair is AWFUL..........
Did you watch the event? 'Cuz Plushenko was off in this skating, barely staying up after one jump. And this isn't gymnastics, its FIGURE skating, hence you must perform some form of foot work. sheesh
The facts, Evan was slightly better than Plushenko technically because Plushenko struggled to hold some of his jumps.
Evan nailed eight triples, an opening triple-triple combination and two axels scoring 167.37 for the free skate and 257.67 after the final.
Plushenko led after the short program with less than 0.60 points separating the top three skaters. He opened with a quadruple-triple and nailed six triples, but he was shaky on two of the landings, and got downgraded for one spin. The margin between Gold and Silver proves he got credit for the guad, but didn't nail the jumps or show artistry during the rest of his program.
Add the numbers, Plushenko's short program wasn't spectacular, the second night he had some flubs. Evan skated well on the first night, but was flawless on the second. Plushenko and his supporters seem to forget there was a short program and that he wasn't leading by any huge margin going into the finals. You sound like he only had to do the guadruple and could have just sat down on the ice. HE MADE MISTAKES, HE WASN'T FLAWLESS. Evan made no mistakes and was flawless. Simple math, people.
Team Plushenko
I agree that many posters on this thread have been a little nasty in their reaction toward Plushenko.
Nonetheless, Lysacek won this competition fair and square and it is only good sportsmanship to acknowledge that. Apparently Plushenko did as Lysacek said in public.
Further, LYSACEK ACKNOWLEDGED PLUSHENKO'S GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD OF SKATING in public.
Plushenko needs to let it rest. IT IS LYSACEK'S TIME TO ENJOY THE VICTORY HE ACCOMPLISHED.
The higher faster, stronger also applies to the spins and footwork. Plushy's spins received very low scores, and his landings were not very strong - so his jumps were down graded. If he had skated with cleaner technique in his jumps and better spins he would be the two time olympic gold medalist.
gymnasts and divers know it's not just about the revolutions if they are sloppy, they must perform the whole exercise beautifully. Moguls skiiers and halfpipe snowboarders must also land well, can't be sloppy and win.
It's ice SKATING, not ice JUMPING!!!
#9 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:13 PM EST> It's ice SKATING, not ice JUMPING!!!
Yes, but it's also not just ice dancing either. Obviously it can't be JUST a disconnected collection of jumps and tricks - but it's NOT just about flowery skating either. We expect the top men to push the boundries of athletics - to do more difficult and more risky things all the time.
If you truly believe that the technical difficulty of a Quad shouldn't be rewarded... then the extension of that is that we should be happy with men just doing doubles all the time, as long as their skate is 'pretty'. Watch some Toller Cranston videos and see what you think. That was excellent 'dancing' but it wasn't really an athletic sport. The top men HAVE TO push the boundries of what's possible athleticly - and that means the Quad jumps that skaters like Browning, Stojko, Kulik, Goebel, Weiss and Plushenko have been doing for over 20 years. YES, of course programs need to be well crafted and well skated, but to suggest moving away from the Quad is a step backwards.
As an American, I'm happy for Lysacek. As an athlete, I find it difficult to fathom how one cannot execute the cutting edge maneuver in one's sport and still be considered the best. I didn't think his routine last night merited vaulting over Plushenko. I agree with Elvis Stojko, who wrote a piece condemning the judging as nonsensical for that very reason.
And regarding another comment on this board, before you lower yourself to a stereotypical level, don't bash someone because of the country in which they live, and represent. If you were a top athlete with competitive fire, or felt you were the best at anything (doubtful in your case), you'd speak out, too. Is Plushenko being whiny? Perhaps. Is he correct? Probably.
#10 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:19 PM ESTI am not dissing Plushenko because he is Russian. In fact, I am not dissing him at all. The scoring is what it is. 50% for jumps, 50% for footwork and spins, with extra credit for jumps executed in the second part of the program. It is the men's LONG program, not the men's best single jump, which, obviously, Plushenko's quad was. Plushenko did the quad perfectly and then, essentially, quit. He almost fell on a subsequent triple, did no jumps in the second half of the program and had sloppy footwork and spins. He is lucky to have gotten the silver. This has nothing to do with his nationality. I would say the same were the nationalities of the two skaters reversed.
Rex, Lysacek said it best. If it were all about the jumps, the routines would be 30 seconds long and everyone would go out and give it a shot. Instead, the routines are 4 1/2 minutes in length and performed to music, thus requiring more than acrobatics.
Rex, you really are a silly boy!
I fail to understand that so many ignore the fact that figure skating has always been about athleticism AND artistry. One jump doesn't make up for being weak in the foot work/expression. Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it has to be done. You sound like the quad is the only relevant portion of the performance. Evan was the best, all-around skater; his jumps were flawless, Plushenko even had problems with that portion of his program. sheesh
What a SORE LOSER!!!!! If you can't run with the big dogs...stay on the porch!!!!!(or retired, hint hint) Maybe he should take up speed skating, the clock is a merciless judge...oh but this cry baby would complain about that too!!! Maybe we should just take figure skating out of the Olympics all together....far too much room for whining! Let' see how he would like that!!!! Congatulations, Evan, I've been a fan for a while now and I like millions others know that you are more than deserving of your Gold Medal. Wear it Proudly and don't let that cry baby steal your Thunder!!!!!
#11 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:32 PM EST@Rex "I find it difficult to fathom how one cannot execute the cutting edge maneuver in one's sport and still be considered the best."
That's exactly the point Rex, and if I were Plushenko, I would be hurt and outraged. Mishin is absolutely right in describing the scroring as "criminal".
#12 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:34 PM ESTOne trick does not make a complete routine. Skating scoring has always been about a combination of technical difficulty and artistic expression. Plushenko excelled in the first part, but did poorly on the second. Although you could debate that the landing of some of his jumps were a little ragged. Lysocek was very good on both the technical and artistic sides of the equation. All competitors are aware of the scoring system ahead of time and must craft their routines to maximize their scoring potential. Lysocek may have had a slightly less difficult routine (although I would like to see Plushenko try some of the footwork Lysocek pulled off), but his execution of that routine was far outstanding. Plushenko's execution was lacking as was his artistry. The judges got it right. As a former competitive gymnnast I learned that it's not just doing the moves, form counts.
The quad was spectacular. Then....nothing. NO jumps in the second half of the program when skaters are really tired. Lysacek did a triple/triple then, landing it perfectly. Plus footwork and spins are SUPPOSED to be half of the score....no comparison. If the Olympics decides to do a quad jump competition, there is no doubt who the winner would be. But for now that is not the sole objective.
Plushenko did Four spins then waved his arms for the rest of the performance. Evan was a true picture of perfection and Golden throughout the performance!
#13 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:49 PM ESTWell, to tell it like it is, the US male skaters look like sissies on the ice. Their arms and hands are flying all over the place. They were the "ice queens" of the olympics
#14 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:49 PM ESTSo when was the last time you did a triple axle or a spin on the ice jumping and spinning for four miniutes mister redneck?
Johnny Weir was an embarrassment for America. What a whiner...He skated well but needed his butt spanked for acting like a spoiled little girl the entire week before the competition. Does he really need attention that desperately?
I compare it to a game of golf. Just because a golfer gets a hole-in-one, it doesn't mean he's won the tournament. The entire games is what is scored. The judges got it right.
#15 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:51 PM ESTWhat a stupid poll. Why even bother with polls that the audience is going to be so biased (through no fault of there own) that the poll effectively just becomes a troll disguised as a referendum.
#16 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:54 PM ESTEXACTLY. The question is supposed to be about the Quad or not-the-Quad, but it's become a cheering board for one of the skaters.
The fact is - the scores are made up of two components, technical and artistic. You may argue that a program without a quad is still artistic, and it may very well be finely skated - but landing two quad-combinations has a much higher degree of TECHNICAL difficulty & risk, and should be rewarded. Men since Kurt Browning 22 years ago have been expected to do tripple axels and quads, where as women have only been expected to do double axels and tripples.
So - forgetting about Evan vs Plushenko for a moment - if you truly believe it's not about the technical difficulty of a quad... then the logic is that you'd be just as happy with men's skating if they were still all doing double-loops all the time as their toughest jump? The top men HAVE TO push the boundries of what's possible technically - and that means the Quad jumps that skaters like Browning, Stojko, Kulik, Goebel, Weiss and Plushenko have been doing for 20 years.
Team Plushenko, I think you need to realize that your guy did not land his triple jumps cleanly at all. He had to fight to hold onto them and that was painfully obvious--his air position was leaning over, not straight. His short program was much better than his long program. Not to mention, his long program was a total bore. He skated it like he just assumed he'd get the gold because he showed up and landed one quad. It was a B performance. I actually think Johnny Weir skated better than Plushenko! Every one of Weir's jumps/landings was perfect. As others have pointed out, all Plushenko's jumps were in the first half of his program, whereas Lysachek and Weir and others had triple jumps and combos after the 2 minute mark.
#17 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:56 PM ESTI agree, if anyone was "robbed" it was Johnny Weir. Whatever you think of his "persona" his performance was hugely underrated!
The man executed the jump and not the landing, big difference, and he payed less attention to the rest of his program, he did not execute his landings well and therefore he got silver, what a whinny little little boy, not man but boy!! Congradulations Evan you skated the gold and that is what you deserved.
#18 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:57 PM ESTIf skating is only about jumps, then maybe they should do only jumps as in track & field - no music, no choreography. How boring would that be? The mental ability and physical agility required to advance from a jump into other various and intricate moves is evidence of lythe athleticism - Plushenko was not as good during that performance.
Congratulations Evan, you deserve it!
#19 - Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:57 PM ESTSo, one extra revolution discards the fact that the last minute of his program had nothing in it? One extra revolution discards the fact that his spins were not as tight? One extra revolution discards the fact that his triple jumps were not great? One extra revolution discards his slower foot work? Come on please! Had he done 2 or 3 of them I might have to agree.. but the fact is that he put the majority of jumps in the front of his program and nixed himself out of the 10% bonus for the last half. Evan did more jumps and far more clean and consistent. His footwork was better, faster as were his spins.
I'm sorry.. one extra revolution a gold medal does not make.
And to top it off, this is a subjective sport. IF you don't like how judging is done, then don't compete. Much less bash the winner the next day. What about sportsmanship? What about professionalism? If you ask me, it's like a surgeon who can make a cut one inch smaller but have a sloppier stitch job throwing a fit because he isn't paid more.
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I'm beginning to think we need to label these games the "WHINER" Olympics