Skaters on social media: You cannot judge me unless you can do what I can do. Same skaters: Judged by a panel of judges who cannot do what they can do.

Thanks guys! Ive been waiting for your video so I can listen while I clean my house!

Finally! I’ve been waiting all week for this! Yay!!

3:00 - JUNIORS 7:48 - Ashley Wagner / oh boy, i just don't know what to say. We all know La La Land is not gonna top Moulin Rouge, and it looked unfinished, but what's worse is that I think Ashley completely lost the spark and fire that she had two seasons ago. This season her skating has looked boring and dull, it's almost like she has no motivation to skate or perform anymore. (21:05 - brief talk about watching Karen's skating in person) (32:24 - Selection of the MEN) (52:00 - roster of the Team Event at the Olympics) 58:36 - Bradie Tennell 1:00:03 - Starr Andrews / Indeed THANK GOD FOR STARR!! She was the star of the event!!! 1:01:22 - Gracie Gold 1:04:00 - General talk Men, judging and selection 1:14:30 - Nathan Chen 1:17:01 - Ross Miner 1:18:24 - Jason Brown 1:23:56 - Jimmy Ma 1:27:00 - Grant Hochstein PAIRS - 1:30:50 1:31:31 - Deanna Stellato 1:36:11 - Alexa and Chris 1:39:00 - Marissa Castelli/Mervin Tran 1:41:12 - Ashley Cain/Timothy LeDuc 1:43:11 - Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier ICE DANCE - 1:44:32 1:44:32 - Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker 1:48:05 - Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue - So happy for them! Their FD is one of the best this season!!! 1:51:58 - Shibutanis / Im just sad and I feel so sorry to say that they have been throwing away points all season, the steps and twizzles(?!!!) keep losing levels throughout. Perhaps this loss can give them a push. (1:57:12 - *Pause* / L M F A O) 1:59:08 - Chock/Bates 1:59:56 - Parsons 2:02:22 - Moments of Nationals 2:06:04 - Fluff pieces on the legendary -Oksana- Pasha Grishuk

So excited for this!

This just made my day!

I admire the guts it took for Mirai to overcome being left off in 2014. Her story is inspiring.

About time :) I was waiting for this all week. Thank you.

The end of this video made my day! I haven`t laughed so much in awhile, and I haven`t seen that fluff piece since the first airing. thank-you Dave!

Have been waiting for you for days!

I have been waiting for this ..Can't wait to hear what you guys have to say about our nationals..

Have been waiting for your video on US nationals badly. Thanks!

OMG so excited all week waiting for this Yay! Ily you both💙❤️💜💚 I saw people commentating to your joke on Facebook and people are crazy lolol!

2 hours!!! See you later for comments! I need time to process!

I admit to giving this video a thumbs up before even watching it.

Jonathan, you know I love you, no shade: but you can get a clip-on mic that works with a Mac or PC OR your phone (iPhone or otherwise) that you plug in, and clip it on your shirt collar. It’s cheap, it works, and u can carry it anywhere in a carry on bag like a pair of headphones. PLEASE I beg you, buy one. You’re going to be traveling a lot, so use a clip-on mic. It’s called the “Professional Grade Lavalier Lapel Microphone” on Amazon. 20 bucks.

Oh, My. God. More.Than. Ever. PERFECT!!!

Johnathan - YOU'RE the highlight of this nationals!! Your commentary is knowledgable and insightful, you pose great questions and deliver it all with delghtful wit. Thank you for creating this amazing forum, Dave! Also really loved the larger panel from Skate America to really carry the conversation that you and Jonathan incite!! Regarding the podium - between the low scoring of Vincent and Ross' ultimate pass over...they needed Adam. His consistency is notable amongst the men and will be helpful in a team event long program with the high fall rate resulting from quads.

Love you guys

I appreciated this. You guys were fair and reasonable about Ashley and Dave held back his snark. I will be tuning in again.

smiled like a loon when i saw this uploaded!

Oh thank god. I need this.

Jason as the alternate was probably my biggest issue with the team selections. When will USFS disembark the Jason train? I saw no growth in the last 4 years compared to other skaters. I say this having been a big fan in 2014 but enough is enough.

WHOA 2 HOURS CANT WAIT

Been waiting for this vid lol. :D

"program with smoke breaks," you guys are the best

"She's great at spinning" ----interruption --'In the MEDIA' - ha ha ha - my thoughts exactly.

"I am only happy about my friends and I am not worries about.... What was your question?" Oksana Baiul's version of Mariah Carey saying "I don't know her......."

Love seeing your faces!!

Hubbell/Donohue WON the Components for the Free Dance. And more importantly, they not only got ten "10's", but they also got "10's" from seven of the nine judges. And this panel was VERY Senior (8 of 9 Judges were ISU certified, and the entire Tech Panel was too; compared to, say, the women's event, where only 3 of 9 of the judges, and 2 of 3 of the Tech Panel were ISU). And they only got ONE 9.25 from one judge for transitions. Everything else was 9.50 or higher. So that REALLY bodes well for them moving forward in their careers. Compare that to Chock/Bates, who only got five "10's", and they were from only two of the nine judges. Meanwhile the Shibs got no "10's" at all for the Free. None. I think that's telling.

Yay! Waited for this all week, figuring it would be a bit late since Jonathan was there and Dave was sick, etc...going to settle in and hope my children can play peacefully together for a couple of hours!! Love!

Like you said, 7th at Worlds might be considered somewhat weak in ladies, but pretty strong in men. That's why it's important that the selection criteria not get SO specific, especially because every skating discipline is different and the fields at every event are different. Canada's selection criteria is similarly vague. Yet some fans want all the criteria weighted with made-up percentages so that the team is picked exclusively based on math formulas and doesn't allow for educated human judgement. I think you have to be careful with not allowing any leeway.

Ashley and Mirai always bring the drama at Nationals. That picture of them embracing next to the big canisters of dog bones was surreal.

I would be very grateful if you guys posted a video explaining the differences between the jumps! Or referred those of us who wish to learn to a good resource! Thanks for all the vids.

OMFG at that Pasha fluff piece.

I hope Nathan will do both programs in the team event. He could water down to 2-3 quads and it would still be better than using Adam's quadless long. The ice dance scores have been so close that it would be appropriate to split the event between H/D and the Shibs. Regarding pairs... The twist scores were so inflated for everyone that in order to reward Knierim/Knierim for having the best twist/throws in the event (which they clearly do), they had to give big GOE for that quad twist no matter how it landed. Still, half the panel did deduct for the 2 foot. Denney/Frazier didn't help themselves with missed levels everywhere. They excel in lifts and still only managed one Level 4 lift the entire event. Likewise, Castelli/Tran were killed by doing a shaky twist on both days, especially in the LP, and multiple downgrades. Both of those teams should have been able to beat Cain/LeDuc because of C/L's weaknesses especially on pair elements, but they couldn't keep the problems limited to the jumps, and they got downgrades instead of underrotations. Stellato is a better skater than Kayne. Bartholomay isn't as good and pretty short, but I think they could have been 2nd in the SP. K/O's twist and throws are just too small and weak. But looking at those low international scores of S/B would make it terrifying to send them to Worlds. Even K/O don't have any decent international SP scores in this quadrennium. How would Alexa get to the "next level" of pairs by pairing her with someone who can't throw a twist and whose best assets are when he skates by himself? I've at least seen Chris do good jumps before (where is his confidence? He says he is over the injury now but he's still tentative. They are very good otherwise.)

Had the pleasure of seeing Mr Beyer in person at the rink and he is a tall drink of water! Was too shy to say hi tho ;)

Thank you for posting this. I would have been interested to hear more of Jonathan's comments about how the skaters looked in person. Sometimes JB would be poised to make an interesting comment and then Dave would interrupt, after which the discussion would take a different direction and Jonathan would never get the chance to finish his thought.

I don't know what rock I've been under but I've only discovered this channel a few weeks ago. This is my first comment. Which patron saint of skating do I light a candle for to atone for my sins? #love #gearingupforthegames

“You’re tricking the person when they finish second.” Yep. I agree. Very shady business going on.

Ashley misses competing against Gracie. It seemed like she skated with more verve and fire when Gracie was nipping at her heels, fighting for World medals and National Titles.

The TES in pairs was noticeably inflated all through the third and fourth groups. I wouldn't give a two footed quad twist +3 (even though it was amazing in the air), but I also wouldn't give sub-par triple twists +3s and +2s. This event didn't give a realistic depiction of how great/fine/weak twists score internationally. I thought Alexa & Chris's SP lead should have been bigger actually. I could have made a case for Deanna & Nate coming 2nd, mainly because they did a stronger twist and throw than Tarah & Danny. As for Adam, I don't think it's fair to compare him to skaters from the olden days who were put on Olympic teams based on body of work that included world medals and whatnot. All we can do is compare Adam to Ross (or Vincent to Ross). Both Adam and Vincent had substantially stronger international scores than Ross, who has struggled the past couple seasons.

I think Alexa is an incredible pair skater. I wouldn't want her paired with Danny, for several reasons. I'm not going to elaborate, but yeah. Alexa and Chris have potential if they can get his confidence back to a decent level because their pair elements are exceptional. "Everyone has their own reason for why no one likes skating" Lol so true, Jonathan, so true. And I'm amazed by people who follow skating closely without knowing the difference between the jumps.

The intro for this podcast is EVerything!!!!!

I don't know why people constantly say "This is why people stop watching skating" People stopped watching skating because it stopped being on networks people could find. Even with my super duper cable package I can't watch the Olympic channel so half the events are lost to me. I think more parents will choose figure skating over gymnastics now for their children as the less "rapey" option for children that prefer a "prettier" sport. We also forget that the lack of talent we have coming up right now is directly related to the fiscal crash of 2008 where I'm sure many potentially talented skaters had to stop at the lower levels due to lack of funds. Though as a fan you have to ask how popular does figure skating need to be?

i would rather take a chance on mirai's triple axel knowing you dont have anything to lose since the u.s. can't win gold or silver

The Frank/Gracie situation is interesting because Frank also gave his Worlds jacket away to the receptionist at the rink.

Really loving this video. Well done, guys. The discussion breaking down singles selections was spot on in terms of issues raised. Kudos for being objective by taking TSL friend Brennan to task. Love her but fair point. Also HATE Chen's costumes. Very nice to look at, but it looks like no one shared the music with Wang before she made them. Could have just as easily been designs Evan rejected for all we know. I think these costumes detract from the programs.

You guys are really underestimating the quality of Adam's body of work and his consistently hit programs this season. Ross may have been second, but if the PCS had been judged by international standards, it's quite possible Adam would have finished 2nd overall even with the mistakes. That's why I feel weird about any of these bubble decisions being based on nationals ranking since some of these skaters were receiving more inflation than others. The PCS for Ross was generous, even by nationals standards. For Wagner, it was ungenerous, both by national and international standards.

Lmao what was that Easter egg at the end of the video 🙀 omg I died laughing, you can’t tell me that Pasha wasn’t Oksana in glasses 😆😆omg this was awesome 💀🤣

Anyone know the REAL reason why Hubbell/Donohue got a Spin called a Level 2? I looked down the list, and there were 8th place finishers getting Spins at level 4. What the HELL happened there? That almost cost them.

"If Ross places 12th and Adam places 8th, does that difference matter?" YES, it does. This the Olympics. You don't purposely try for weaker results. There are only 3 medals, so obviously the vast majority of competitors at the Olympics aren't going to end up in the medals, but that doesn't mean the rest of the placements are meaningless and that you should throw up your hands and say who cares and not bother trying to get your best results.

I'm surprised USF didn't promote Wagner just for the publicity, especially since they had the wiggle-room to do it given the weakness of Chen. The rest of our team are absolute bores with zero personality - but on and off the ice.

I too was confused about Christine column. She seems to be the only one who thinks that.

can you guys just spill the Gracie GOld tea already...

I don't know where Ashley is going to be in media bc there's already diva-like, yappy, happy, blonde, talkative Caucasian girl who has an Olympic Gold Medal like Tara except Tara is sideways more that she could be more interesting (to the media/public, not to the skating fans). Same can be said to Adam too. There's Johnny already, so where can he go? They can't do the same business.

Great analysis. Thank you! Agree with what you said. If they have to bump someone, they should have selected Adam and Ross for Olympic team and send Vincent to 4 Continents and World and then give Jason the 1st alternative. In this case, Ross and Adam got their once in a life opportunity and Vincent will get the experiences.

Opera and Figure Skating, both loves that need more youthfull audiences. #Oldladyatheart

completely agreed on every front about Ashley. The short program seemed uninspired, she completely seemed complacent after the long program where note, she did make a couple major mistakes. Also true she wasn’t fighting for it in the practices. I also agree it’s outrageous how she stole the headlines, Mirai deserved her light of day - her dedication and showing here was in every way inspiring, and frankly, a stark contrast from Ashley’s.

How about interviewing some of the skaters you mentioned in this show-- Pasha Grishuk, Nick LaRoche-- I liked their skating and would love to hear what they've been up to and their thoughts on the current competitive skaters. Or interview Starr Andrews and her coaches, Alysa Liu and her dad-- they would probably like some media attention since everyone's focusing on the Olympians. Thanks!

Nathan can EASILY do a watered-down LP for the team event, with 2-3 quads, and NOT peak at the Team Event. I mean, Dave, I know you hate it, but Nathan and Raf are totally capable of switching his jumps on the fly. And he does fine. He did it here at Nats. That would allow them to use Nathan for SP and LP at Team Event and allow Shibs for short and Hubbell and Donohue for Free Dance. That’s the solution.

It's sad when audience reaction sometimes seems to influence the scores because when you're there, you realize how many elderly people who may or may not know which jump is which are in the audience. No offense, elderly people, I know some young people don't know which jump is which either.

Also I was rewatching these nationals and how the hell did Vincent Zhou with all his cheated/under jumps get to go over Ross Miner whose Queen program gave me goose bumps. Unacceptable

Love the Parsons & Parsons music. I wish more skaters would skate to South American music :)

Dear Skating Lesson, please come back. You're missed. :)

Excited to get home and dish!

I was disappointed how little you guys talked about the medalists and how it was all about Ashley. I thought Mirai created a beautiful moment and strong emotion in her long program, and I don't find her program empty compared to her competitors. Whose program this year would you say is significantly better choreographed? Kostner's and Osmond's short, but who else has any actually noteworthy choreography? Of all the component scores I thought Mirai's were actually the most unfair. The "performance" portion of the component marks to me should go to the skater who creates the moment, not the generally more artistic skater. For example, in SLC, Sarah Hughes should have gotten a higher "performance" component than Michelle, even though Michelle was the more artistic skater overall, because Sarah owned that night. So I would have given Mirai the highest "performance" marks for the free skate. Her skating skills are also pretty good. She's faster than Ashley, has better extension and flexibility throughout her program, and all of her spin positions are prettier. Their edges are comparable (both have been skating a long time and it shows to some extent). She's way more mature and nuanced than Bradie. Karen actually has the nicest skating skills of this crop of US ladies IMO. Bradie should have been hit for composition with her Disney program, and the other three to me have comparable composition and interpretation of the music (mature enough theme, having an actual theme with packaging, costume, etc appropriate, fairly complex and sophisticated choreography). Ashley makes more faces than Mirai, but I don't buy it. She doesn't really make me feel anything. Karen is probably the most expressive in a way that seems actually genuine. Ashley to me feels like she's pulling faces so she can check off a checkbox of "feeling the music," and Karen actually does feel her music.

I love how the intro is young and the restless themed

After watching the televised events and hearing so much commentary about under rotations, I wanted to check. Are there multiple technical callers at each event deciding whether elements are flagged for review? It seems like there should be at least 2-3 reviewers in this position since it was thought that quite a few under rotations were skipped or missed.

I was really wondering why is it talking you guys so long!!! Thank you❤️

Love the recap! Did I miss your comments about Mariah? I wanted to hear how she came off in person and your sense of her future.

I actually really enjoyed this segment and although quite long, was in line with my own thoughts. You both seem really open and honest, so I pose a question: Do you think Mariah Bell took a fall on the axle, to set Ashley up for at least securing a bronze and a trip to the Olympics. My personal opinion it that she did, as they both share the same coach, and up until that little mishap, she was on her way to a clean skate.

Ting Cui was third and juniors and selected for the Junior Worlds and scored almost 120 in the FS. Would like to know your thoughts on her since you discussed the top 2 juniors

That’s nice that Rohene approached you to apologize ☺️

I love the Charlie Tickner reference.......

Pooja doesnt have the international minimum because she hadn’t be sent out this year.

will there be a canadian nationals preview

@tsl Just FYI it is impossible to play your review of Russian Nationals from Russia... video is blocked

Is Jonathan filming from a toilet again, it sounds like a bathroom echo.

Since these videos aren’t edited, can you please put in time stamps !?!

You gave Alexa & Chris some well deserved compliments and didn't make fun of her for believing in god, this is progress. Although you did get another dig in about them being married and doing a romantic program. They've been an off-ice couple throughout the whole partnership, so it really doesn't matter that they're married. It's the same thing. Let them be. I'd rather a married team do a romantic program than one who doesn't give each other the time of day off the ice anyway.

usfsa wanting adam and jason on the team + the skating order = why the silver was gifted to ross over vincent

Quadrenium 40:44 I've learned a new word today. Thank you x

I have so many feelings on the men's event. I totally think they would've put Vincent above Ross, if they knew Jason and Adam were going to bomb/they skated before them (and I agree that they were prepping for Nathan/Adam/Jason on the podium). I also think Adam was going no matter what because, besides Nathan, he has been the strongest man. If anything, I think they would've put Ross, Adam, Nathan, and gave Vincent worlds, especially since, as Jonathan said, it doesn't really matter how they do at Oly because spots aren't up for grabs like they are at Worlds (and Nathan is the important one, and the only medal threat). I feel gutted for Ross, but it was definitely a hard decision and I think skate order determined a lot. It was ballsy getting rid of the silver medalist, and the alternate list was SO shady.

u.s. championships is not olympic trials

I will never have words for Ross not being selected as first alternate. There are no words, there are no excuses. It is flat-out wrong and there is nowhere for the USFSA to hide on this BS decision.

I have a question regarding Adam's 'fake quad lutz' and it's not meant to be snarky. When you say fake, do you mean he's never been able to complete the jump correctly and just takes the fall/risk in order to get the points? Or is the technique incorrect or something like that. Thanks for such a comprehensive video! I could not be more excited for Mirai and Hubbell and Donohue! Finally, they've managed to get to win. I wonder how many points ahead they would have scored had they not lost the levels. (Sidenote: those dance judges were seemingly taking no notice of technique with most of the teams and handing out level 4's like candy.)

Do NOT send Starr Andrews to Lori - She'll take her spark away and give her POTO. Shea Lynn is a much better choice for her.

I can agree with leaving Ross off the Olympic team, but he should absolutely have been given a World's spot. Olympic-year Worlds with 3 men's spots is as low stakes a World's as you can get, and it would help combat viewer anger, and anger from skaters--not sending Ross to Olympics OR Worlds OR even making him first alternate is not just a slap in his face, but it's a slap in the face to all the senior US men who aren't in the group of Nathan, Adam, Jason, and Vincent. It says something about USFS's planning skills that they wouldn't do something that poses so minimal disadvantage but would likely help them in the long run (by alienating fewer viewers and athletes). I don't think it would be any huge burden for Adam to end his season at the Olympics instead of going on to Worlds.

Wait what's the Gracie Gold story?

Dave and Jonathan I love you both. I'm not sure who I like more. Aside from the competition, what do you think of NBCs complete lack of recognition of Michelle Kwan? They showed Tara watching her own Olympic performance twice for the 20 year anniversary, when in fact it was actually the 20 year anniversary of Michelle's phenomenal performance at the Philadelphia Nationals. In addition, they showed Rudy winning in San Jose in '96 but no mention of the first of Michelle's 9 national titles. Of course this wasn't the first time they have completely failed to mention Michelle. They pretend as if she never existed. I find it to be a complete disservice to the sport as a whole, and of course to Kwan who is undeniably the most decorated and beloved American skater. I mean they show clips of Rachel Flatt for Gods sake...

Can we discuss the selection committee naming Max Aaron as 3rd Alternate after a 9th place overall and 10th in the long finish???? USFSA stop trying to make Fetch happen!!

1992 Paul vs Mark was a split decision, and the the judge who tied both men gave paul 1 tenth of a point higher than mark in presentation. That was the difference. 4-4-1, but REALLY, as you know just like with Nancy and Oksana, 5-4.

I theorize that singles skaters who bomb at the pre-Olympics worlds (and cost us a spot) tend to get put down and not make Olympics. Ross Miner follows Alissa Czisney and Tonia Kwaitkowski. FWIW, I think it does sound better to have a finisher in the top 10 (likely Adam) vs. someone who might not even make top 15 (Ross).

where can we watch Pooja's programs?

If you were to choose an olympic short for Ashley what do you think would suit her best/be the best vehicle for this season?

I thought Mirai said "Fight through" lol.....

Adam is the sassy gay guy that will create the buzz they desperate need. There. I said it.

Finally! Somebody with honest evaluations of Karen's and Ashley's PCS without bias. Whenever I mentioned the reasons why Karen was selected over Ashley, I was attacked ferociously by rabid Ashley fans.

Nathan shouldn't do both..