导出博客文章HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- After all the quad talk and quad practice and quad
obsession, if not by the skaters then certainly from those who watch them, Jason
Brown admitted it was hard to keep it together during his free skate at Skate
America.It was kind of one of those dazed moments, Brown said after landing his
first quad, in the Oct. 23 mens final in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. I was so
focused. I said, Im going to attack it, and suddenly Im on one foot and I didnt
have to fight for the landing. I thought, Oh my God, this is happening. As the
2018 Winter Olympics comes into focus, it is that same attitude that seems to be
gripping both the American men and women.You would be completely unrealistic if
you werent thinking about [the Olympics] right now, because its going to be here
in no time, Ashley Wagner said.Whether the Americans can land solidly in South
Korea 15 months from now depends on what happens between now and then. The U.S.
men are still working on earning three spots at the worlds, while U.S. women are
jockeying for position among themselves.Wagner won the gold at Skate America,
with American Mariah Bell capturing the silver and Japanese teen Mai Mihara
taking the bronze. On the mens side, despite landing his quad toe loop, it was
determined to be under-rotated, and Brown took the silver behind another
Japanese teen, Shoma Uno, with American Adam Rippon showing off a new free skate
and winning the bronze.For the U.S. women, Skate America was built as the
anticipated showdown between Wagner and U.S. champion Gracie Gold after Golds
disappointing fourth-place finish at the world championships in Boston last
March. But Gold fell on her triple loop and triple salchow at Skate America and
downgraded her other triple jumps to doubles, calling her fifth-place score of
184.22 overly generous.It turned out to be the continued coming-out party for
for the 20-year-old Bell -- Wagners and Rippons training partner under new coach
Rafael Arutunian -- who scored a personal best of 130.67 in her free
program.Bell called an appearance at the Worlds this spring in Helsinki very
realistic. Just going into nationals [in January] to be on the podium, I think
is very realistic for me. But right now, I honestly am just focused on going
home and training for whatevers next.Though Wagner, a three-time national
champion and silver medalist at the worlds this year, admitted she felt the
pressure of Wagner versus Gold, she is clearly demonstrating a newfound maturity
at age 25 that is paying dividends on the ice.The amount of nerves that I felt
going into this competition, I would not have been able to handle last year,
Wagner said. The way it was built up to be the ultimate showdown between Gracie
and I, that was something I felt the pressure of, but I dealt with it and didnt
succumb to it. I pushed through, and thats how I got to the top of the
podium.Wagner finished in seventh place in Sochi in 2014 and was best remembered
for speaking out openly against Russias anti-gay laws and the countrys president
Vladimir Putin. She said she was mentally exhausted and overwhelmed after the
Olympics.I was 22 and super excited about everything, and I think going into the
next [Olympics] I will be way calmer in the way that I deal with everything, she
said. I mean, I regret nothing in Sochi. I think it was a great event for me. Im
always true to who I am. But I think going into this next Olympics, I am much
more of an adult and more poised. I think Im more thoughtful in my responses but
still myself. I still say what I feel, but I have more polish to it.Polish will
not be a problem on ice for Brown and Rippon, whose artistic gifts were on
display at Skate America. But the question for the men continues to be the quad
-- whos landing it? How many are they doing? -- and the seemingly age-old debate
of athleticism versus artistry.Uno cleanly landed a quad flip and quad toe loop
in the opening seconds of his long program, and the 5-foot-3, 18-year-old
followed with another quad toe and four triple jumps, a personal-best 279.34
points, helping him finish 11 points ahead of Brown.With American Nathan Chen
landing two quads in his short program and four in his free at nationals in
January at age 16, the pressure has presumably become that much greater for
Brown and Rippon.We have such an incredibly talented mens field, Wagner said.
Its just really hard because our men are coming up at a time that weve never
seen the likes of before. I think for our men, its the quad game for sure. But
if you dont have the quads, then its the quality game and youve got to max out
everything else and hope for the best. But for right now, in all honesty, if you
dont have that quad, what are you doing? Or two or three or five.Sidelined from
competition for much of the year with a back injury, Brown is acknowledged as
one of the most gifted artistic skaters in the world. The question has been
whether he could master the quad, the thought being that he could not reach the
Olympic or world podium without it.Working this past summer on jumps with Frank
Carroll in addition to working with his longtime coach Kori Ade, the always
ebullient Brown comes as close as he ever will to bristling when discussing the
hot-button topic.I found myself in many situations, Brown said. Youre not going
to make the junior final. You dont have a triple axel. You know what? I went and
won the junior final that year. I was told I couldnt make junior worlds without
a triple axel. I got third.It was all about, I cant make the Olympic team
without a quad. I made the Olympic team. I was told, You never have a chance of
the podium at the Olympics. I was sixth after the short. I was less than a point
from third, and I think I turned a lot of peoples heads when it happened, and so
I think from that, its really about believing in yourself that you can do
it.Brown knocked on the nearest wood as he pointed out hes not one to bomb. And
when he does make a mistake, hes adept at recovering quickly.This is sport, he
said. Crazy things happen all the time. Someone who does four quads may have an
off-day that day and fall, and you seize the moment.Two-time Olympic team coach
Audrey Weisiger, now a consultant for other coaches developing Olympic athletes
like Brown, said since Sochi, Brown now has a mans physique and is very, very,
very capable of landing quads consistently.In the meantime, though, I think hes
one of most beautiful skaters we have in our competitive community, Weisiger
said. People are drawn to him even if he doesnt do quads. People want to watch
him. Youll see in competitions multiple standing ovations for him ... if he adds
in a clean quad, he will be unbeatable.Brown said he has to guard against
overtraining and reinjuring his back.My goal is to make the next Olympic team,
he said. I want to be able to be on the podium, and I want to be able to be on
the podium with doing three quads in my program and doing two quads in my short.
Those are definitely big goals, but I cant do it injured. So for me, its just
doing it the best that works for me and coming every day and constantly doing
the best that I can and doing it right and right for me.Rippon fell on his
opening quad toe at Skate America but was judged to have completed all four
rotations. He said he would like to add another and land them cleanly before
nationals. But the 2016 U.S. champion is with Brown: While he is working on
quads, it is going to have to be done carefully.When I see somebody like Nathan,
who is doing five quads, you know what, Im not going to do that tomorrow, Rippon
said. Thats impossible. Im not 17, Im 26. So I have to take a different
approach. My approach has to be a little bit more mindful. Hes already had a
surgery. Ive never had hip surgery. Ive never had any surgery. Ive had a
relatively healthy career, and mentally, Ive really focused on taking the whole
thing rather than one thing dictating how its going to affect the program.Rippon
also agrees with Brown that the power of a beautiful artistic performance should
not be forgotten.When I go out there, I want to put on the best performance I
can because thats what I remember growing up, Rippon said. I remember Michelle
Kwan making me want to rip my heart out she was so good. I remember Tara
Lipinski. I remember Alexei Yagudin and yes, they could have looked around and
seen Timothy Goebel trying three quads, but they did what they knew was their
best. And they pushed themselves to have those clean performances because thats
what really gets people involved. And judges are people.Weisiger said both the
American men and women have a chance at the Olympic podium in South
Korea.Skating is one of those things where on the day of the Olympics, anything
can happen, and sometimes when you get an Olympic champion, people are
scratching their heads, Weisiger said. Whats brewing now is what happens in the
Olympics. There is some skater out there getting ready to be an Olympic champion
that we may not know at all.
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after signing with the Indians in August. England keep on rolling, Scotland and
Wales won, just about, Italy piled the pressure on South Africa and All Blacks
are back to winning ways. ESPN reporters?have their say on the biggest
storylines for each team coming out of the third week of the autumn
internationals.Argentina Pumas not the golden team they once wereThere were
glimpses of the free-flowing, attacking flair which we have been accustomed to
seeing from Argentina, but for the most part they were poor in defeat to
Scotland. Very poor. The narrow defeats to Wales and Scotland alone, may not be
cause for concern, but the manner of the defeats surely are.They havent looked
like the side which beat Ireland by double scores at last years Rugby World Cup.
It has been one error-strewn performance after another for Los Pumas from the
Rugby Championship and into the November series. Now they face an England team
in devastating form.Their problems wont be fixed in a week, but they will be
keen to end the year on a higher note. They will need to get a foothold at the
set-piece, and at all costs prevent England from scoring early. Should they do
that, and Nicolas Sanchez keeps the scoreboard ticking, they could end the year
with some positives. -- Killian OConnorWeek 4 vs. England, Twickenham, Nov. 26,
2:30 p.m. GMTAustralia Scrum aside, Wallabies newbies deliver?Australia are
three from three in Europe after Michael Cheikas new-look outfit survived a late
drop goal attempt to defeat France in Paris. With a host of first-choice players
enjoying the week off, or starting from the bench, Cheika called upon the like
of Kyle Godwin, Sefanaia Naivalu, Luke Morahan, Alan Alaalatoa and Tolu Latu to
get the job done at Stade de France.And they did just that. The Wallabies could
have been forgiven for a lack of fluidity in attack, given the mass changes, yet
Godwin and Morahan slotted in seamlessly at inside centre and fullback
respectively as Australia moved the ball with precision. They also scrambled
well on defence and used the rolling maul to their advantage, a move which left
referee Glen Jackson with no choice but to award a first-half penalty try.But it
wasnt all good news, with the Australian scrum - loosehead James Slipper in
particular - coming under huge pressure throughout. The visitors fortunate not
to be penalised in the closing minute, a decision which would have presented
France with a kickable penalty.?-- Sam BruceWeek 4 vs. Ireland, Aviva Stadium,
Nov. 26, 5:30 p.m. GMTEngland Englands fullback battle is fascinatingAlex Goode
missed the first high ball against Fiji. In his first start since their final
World Cup pool match against Uruguay, the usually assured Saracens fullback
allowed the ball to bounce.It was strange to watch; nerves could have been a
factor but whatever the cause, they were then buried as he performed well on his
audition for the No.15 shirt. Eddie Jones was lukewarm in his assessment of
Goode post-match. His praise for Semesa Rokoduguni and Elliot Daly was more
fulsome so the smart money is on Mike Brown to return at fullback for Argentina
next weekend.But there is a temptation to give Goode another chance. Fijis
defence was at times so poor that it was hard to judge exactly how effective
Englands back three was. Goodes ability to step into a playmaking role and link
man in phase play works in his favour but Jones will probably turn to Brown for
his physicality when the Pumas come to town. -- Tom HamiltonWeek 4 vs.
Argentina, Twickenham, Nov. 26, 2:30 p.m. GMTIt is something on Jones radar and
he will be keeping a close eye on the spot throughout the November Tests. - Tom
HamiltonFrance Goalkicking problematic for Les BluesWill Guy Noves be able to
solve the ongoing problem of a lack of a consistent kicker for the visit of the
All Blacks? It haunted them last Saturday against Australia. Maxime Machenaud
missed two conversions, Scott Spedding missed a long range effort and Camille
Lopez missed a drop goal with the last kick of the game.Some aimless kicking
invited the Australian attacking train onto them, but despite looking like they
would collapse early in the second-half, some brilliant attacking rugby brought
them back into the game.Noves wants France to play in the same free-flowing
style that was his trademark at Toulouse. But while some of the attack play from
Spedding,?Virimi Vakatawa and Noa Nakaitaci was brilliant to watch, sometimes
the clever option was avoided. Louis Picamoles has been outstanding for
Northampton but failed to have an impact. Noves needs to rethink before New
Zealand arrive. If he doesnt, it could be as humiliating as the 62-13 defeat
France suffered at last years World Cup. -- KOCWeek 4 vs. New Zealand, Stade de
France, Nov. 26, 8:00 p.m. GMTIreland Josh off to a flying start with
IrelandAmid all the talk surrounding World Rugbys residency laws and so-called
project players, spare a thought for Irelands Josh van der Flier. The Dubliner
with the Dutch name may still be viewed with suspicion by some opposition fans,
but hes Irish born and bred and continues to prove himself to be an adept
addition to his countrys back-row.A head injury sustained by CJ Stander with a
little over 20 minutes gone at the Aviva Stadium ensured that the flanker was
ushered on in the early stages, as he had been in Chicago a fortnight ago. And
as on that occasion, he didnt let Ireland down here. Pitched into an unfamiliar
role on the blindside of the Irish scrum, van der Flier dovetailed excellently
with his Leinster teammate, Sean OBrien.Van der Flier was a constant presence in
the 59 minutes he was on the pitch, doing everything that was asked of him
defensively while taking the game to the All Blacks, making 51 metres with ball
in hand. The only blot in his copy book came in the second half as he tried to
force an offload when Ireland were camped in New Zealands 22. It was a rush of
blood that can be excused in someone winning only their fourtth Test
cap.dddddddddddd Signs are, there will be plenty more international honours to
come. -- Martyn ThomasWeek 4 vs. Australia, Aviva Stadium, Nov. 26, 5:30 p.m.
GMTItalyOShea making his mark with the AzzurriWhat a result! Yes this is one of
the worst Springbok sides in the professional era, but the Azzurri were also low
on confidence after being handed a 58-point drubbing by a second string All
Blacks a week earlier.Italy stuck to their strengths and forced South Africa
into submission. Their defence improved significantly to keep the Boks to just
two first half tries, while their line-out and rolling maul sent a big South
African pack backwards and led to a deserved try.This is Conor OSheas first big
scalp in his fifth Test as head coach and its fair to say hes turning Italian
rugby around after a horror Six Nations campaign earlier this year. Theres still
work to be done, but with a Test against Tonga to round out the year, another
win is there for the taking. -- Nick BewleyWeek 4 vs. Tonga, Stadio Euganeo,
Padovai, Nov. 26, 2:00 p.m. GMTNew Zealand Importance of second rows Following
what was an attritional affair at times, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was keen
to praise the character that his side had displayed in Dublin. This was not New
Zealand at their free-flowing best, but that they still ground out the win and
held Ireland out was to be applauded.No two players embodied that approach more
than the returning second-row partnership of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock.
The duo, who were both injured for the Chicago fixture, got through an
astonishing amount of work -- some of which skirted on the boundaries of
legality -- putting in 37 tackles between them, and doing much more that cannot
be accounted for by the stats sheet.Whitelock drew particular praise from his
coach for the level of his performance, given he had not played a single minute
of Test rugby in almost a month. It cannot be argued that the return of
Retallick and Whitelock helped tip the balance in New Zealands favour here, but
is there a case to be made that the All Blacks are becoming too reliant on their
star locks?Both played 80 minutes against Ireland. Obviously theyve got a huge
gap [on their rivals] because both of them have been playing for a long time,
Hansen said. Theyre probably two of the best locks in world rugby when theyre
fit and playing well. He will hope they stay fit and in form for the foreseeable
future. -- MTWeek 4 vs. France, Stade de France, Nov. 26, 8:00 p.m. GMTScotlandA
win is a winIf Scotland drew plaudits from their defeat to Australia, they wont
have won many supporters as they trudged to victory over Argentina.But amidst
the errors, of which there were many, they put in some great defensive efforts
to stop Argentina. Alex Dunbar, Finn Russell and Hamish Watson all combined to
drive Nicolas Sanchez back when the fly-half darted for the line following a
scrum, leading to a turnover. Huw Jones also showed his class once more, this
time beating three players before offloading to Sean Maitland to score.With
Ireland beating the All Blacks, Italy beating South Africa and Georgia beating
Manu Samoa, theyll need to improve to avoid their name being added to the list.
Their scrum was ravaged by Argentina. It wont come up against the same pressure
against Georgia, but if they are not in a good frame of mind, it could be
another tough watch in Edinburgh. -- KOCWeek 4 vs. Georgia, Murrayfield, Nov.
19, 2:30 p.m. GMTSouth Africa Shambolic Springboks continue downward
spiralAllister Coetzees tenure as Springboks coach - four wins, seven losses.
All in the space of five months. Based on those results Coetzee is walking on
the thinnest of ice as South Africa languish in the depths of rugby despair.The
players look so low on confidence, and completely directionless. There was an
instance where they had a five-on-one overlap inside Italys 22, but failed to
score. There is talent there. Willie le Roux for example is world class, but
this is a team playing like a bunch of individuals with a real lack of
continuity and a game-plan.Their attack is of most concern. Seven tries in their
last six Tests makes for bleak reading. The Boks need to get more out of the
likes of le Roux, Bryan Habana and Damian de Allende this week against a Welsh
side who were exposed defensively by Japan. -- NBWeek 4 vs. Wales, Principality
Stadium, Nov. 26, 5:30 p.m. GMTWales Wales need to back the mavericks Wales look
out of sorts and are lacking the confidence and fluidity that led them to the
World Cup quarterfinals a year ago. Against Japan - who were void of a number of
premier players - Wales laboured to their last-gasp win. But out of the match
comes three burning issues for the Wales coaching team. Two of those revolve
around players.It is time for Sam Davies to be given a chance to start at
fly-half against South Africa next weekend. The young Ospreys playmaker came on
with just 13 minutes left but immediately brought width to Wales attack and
showed admirable nerves to slot the last gasp drop-goal.Keelan Giles, who didnt
get a chance to attack with ball in hand, should replace the out-of-sorts Alex
Cuthbert. The latter is fiercely talented but needs time to re-find his best
form and Giles, who has taken to PRO12 rugby with such ease, would benefit from
being given a chance against the Boks from the outset.Which now comes to the
third question. Do Wales need to freshen up their coaching team? Perhaps they
need to bring in an external influence like Eddie Jones has done with England to
bring a new perspective to their style of rugby. This is not to challenge the
present order but it could bring a valuable clarity and inspiration to the
current management team. -- THWeek 4 vs. South Africa, Principality Stadium,
Nov. 26, 5:30 p.m. GMT ' ' '
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