2013 World Figure Skating Championships starting now!

[adragast]

Are you as excited as I am about this event? Are you going to attend to some of the events? Will you follow it live? This will be the first event I follow while being an ice skater myself. Of course I am just a beginner but I still hope I will be able to appreciate better the different performances.

[SynchKat]

I am watching.  Considered going but then booked our march break up with fun kids stuff. 
So nervous, last two flights of men are about to get started.  Go Javi and Yuzu!

[jjane45]

My heart is broken for Yuzuru and his injured left knee. Wonder if he will consider to withdraw?

Edit: with 3 spots for Japan now at stake of course he won't... Who would have thought the federation with strongest men's field would struggle like this in the SP?

[Skittl1321]

I've started working on back camels.  Florent's fall makes me not want to do that anymore.  I originally thought he slipped on a flying entrance, but the replay, it was a regular one...

OMG ow.

(Though I do wonder if he would have gotten up faster if he knew he had another move to do.  Since it was a failed spin, he had time, whatever time the spin would usually take.  But man, it looked like it hurt.)

[SynchKat]

OMG poor Yuzuru.  Brian Orser did not have a good day.  Let's hope Elena does well for him today. 

And poor Florent.  I hate those falls they always hurt SOOOOO much and it always manages to bruise all the bones you lay on when you sleep.    I loved his little dance at the end though.  He's a cutie.

Can't wait for the dance today.  It's always near and dear to my heart. 

[Query]

Perhaps this topic could be marked SPOILER?

[jjane45]

Very comforting to hear how supportive team Cricket was.

Onto ladies short, where the meltdown factor is potentially greater 

[SynchKat]

Well I saw our Canadian girl and looked up the results.  Sounds like there was some good skating today from the ladies.  Well some of them. 

Next up dance.  Can't wait to see the Polkas.  My most favourite original dance when i was competing was our Polka. 

[LT]

Where can you watch it?

[Skittl1321]

http://www.ltv7.lv/files/player-licensed.swf?file=ltv7_2_lv&streamer=rtmp://stream.ls.lv/ltv7_2_lv&type=rtmp&autostart=true is where I've been watching.

Very weird dance order- top two contenders aren't in the last group!
I thought they seeded by group, but apparently just by halves of the comp?

[FigureSpins]

Where can you watch it?

For some reason, DirecTV gave me access to see it on the Universal Sports channel even though I don't pay for the sports package.  Can't access the online US site without a subscription, though.

Must be one of DirecTV's preview freebies.  Of course, the bill just came and our rate went up $20, so DH wants to cancel.  (I've been stalling because the few shows I watch are on cable channels.)

[platyhiker]

Thanks for that link Skittl!

Can anybody tell me what "New SB" means?  It is sometimes shown after a pair's score is shown.

Edit:  never mind - I figured it out "SB = Season's Best"   

[LT]

Thanks Skittl!

[taka]

Grrrrr... I seem to dose off just as things get interesting. I've managed to sleep through the second half of both the Mens and Ice dance. 4hrs behind makes for late nights! I'll try and stay up tonight for the mens LP but my guess is I'll be asleep before they get to the winners again as the timetable says the last person will finish at the equivalent of 1.52am here!

This poster on youtube has a lot of the programs so far for anyone else who has missed things they wanted to watch!

[SynchKat]

OMG OMG OMG!!!!

Jjane what did you think of those skates!  After pacing I was jumping for joy!   


Anyone have any opinions on Yuna's return?  She is such a beautiful skater.

[jjane45]

DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA!!! I am extremely proud of Yuzuru for pulling it together and Javier for wining the first world medal for Spain. After 2 days of heartbreak Team Cricket is doing well tonight!

And that please do not hold championship events on NHL sized rinks again!! The endless crashing into the boards are nerves wrecking...

[SynchKat]

I commented on the rink size to my mom.  So many men crashed into the boards. 

So proud of Yuzuru for skating well, he is such a cutie. 

[karne]

I'm furious with the men's results. Aside from the blatant gifting of the title to a very undeserving Chan, I thought Ross Miner got a harder hit from the judges than was strictly neccessary, and don't get me started on Kovtun's placement. For all the Russian Fed's harping and politiking he did not finish any better than Gachinski did last year...but I bet he won't get hung, drawn and quartered like Artur did!

The only happy thing for me was seeing Max Aaron skate so well. Nothing fazes him. Oops, I hit the boards, oh well, bounce off and keep going!

[jjane45]

Biting my nails for the final group in ladies LP...

[Skittl1321]

US ladies were not spectacular and won't medal, but got their job done!

[SynchKat]

Wow...Yuna Kim.  She is such a great skater

[irenar5]

There has been an inordinate amount of silly stumble falls and runs into the boards in Ontario.  I wonder whatever possessed the event organizers to select a smaller rink!  This is THE event of the season, not some small competition!  Makes me also think the ice quality was different than traditional figure skating ice. I have never seen so many strange mishaps all in one event!.

[sampaguita]

YUNAAAA!!!! That was one amazing FS -- one of the select few since 2010 that gave me goosebumps. I was almost crying midway.

Truly God's gift. You are a miracle. Thank you for all you've done for the sport. Wishing you good luck in Sochi!

[FigureSpins]

Well, Wagners fall had nothing to do with rink size.  she splatted in the middle of the rink during her footwork sequence.  Now you make me wonder if those "on ice seats" all the uber fans pay big bucks for weren't created at the expense of ice surface on London?  I never realized that the front-most seats were temprary until I went to a televised skating show, where a few skaters had trouble with their programs.  Michael Weiss ended up going through the temporary barriers and landing in someone's lap.  At the US Nationals I attended, there were also temporary rows of seating that used padded folding chairs.

Really, there should be a standard, no?  Hockey dictates the rink dimensions for games, so should figure skating without sacrificing ice for greed.

As for the ice quality, you might be right.  Carruthers (announcer, groan) said that some of the skaters worked with the ice, some fought it.  For the amount of money they rake in, why doesn't the ISU assign someone to make sure the ice is the right temperature and setup for optimal skating?

[FigureSpins]

Really?  I fell asleep during Yu Na's LP, rewound it when I woke up, then fell asleep again.  It was pretty, but not exciting or inspiring.  (Although, next time I can't sleep, I might put it on.)

I thought that li Zijun's program was beautiful and exciting.  I think Gracie Gold had the most fun in her programs, short of Max Aaron.

I was at the rink last night and I stumbled near the wall, but pushed away and kept going with some footwork.  One of the people skating was startled and I said, just call me Max.  energizer should sponsor him - takes a licking and keeps on ticking!