Todd Coming Back To Compete At Nationals + Worlds!!!

[2qt2Sk8]

http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm11459_20021022.htm

[duane]

thanks for the link! i think this is great news! now, if only elvis would follow suit. :)

[jcspkbfan]

Interesting--I wonder how this will affect Todd's role in SOI? There was a lot of talk going around a few months ago about whether Alexei Yagudin would be able to compete in Europeans and Worlds while touring with SOI, so I wonder if things would be any different with Todd? How long a break would he have between SOI shows to train for Nationals and Worlds?

I'm also interested to see how Todd will do as a commentator--good luck to him!

[Alexeiskate]

YEAH BABY ! I would love to see Todd at Nationals and Worlds again, although I really doubt he would be there. With his SOI touring schedule, I don't see how he would have time to train for the events properly. Although with Tim injured, and Todd normally beat Weiss at Nationals, he has a good chance for a 7th title :)

[Emanfan]

As his coach said, this is all "paperwork" right now. Maybe we should wait and see if he actually competes at Nats.

Personally, I have grave doubts about this. I really like Todd, but I'm afraid that if Elvis sees this, he might actually consider the same thing. Heaven forbid.

[singerskates]

Originally posted by Emanfan


Personally, I have grave doubts about this. I really like Todd, but I'm afraid that if Elvis sees this, he might actually consider the same thing. Heaven forbid.

ROTFLOL That would be interesting. Hmmm, would Elvis? Probably not. He's sick of it. But it would be fun for the fans seeing Elvis and Todd compete against each other once more. Too bad the pro comps are not as good as the eligible comps. Todd and Elvis would have a blast.

[Halo girl]

Count me in as being shocked.

What does he hope to accomplish by this? I am a fan of Todd's, but I know he made it plain the last 4 years that the only reason he hung around doing nationals and such was in order to compete in the Olympics. Surely he isn't still thinking about giving the next Olympics a shot. Todd's a great skater, no doubt about that, but being realistic, what reason does he have to compete at Nationals? Sadly, his 3 times at the Olympics didn't go very well, something which I don't think will change in the next Olympics when he is older. For him to stick around in eligibles where the young guys are doing muliple quads in a program, how can he really expect to compete? Yes he has a quad and has done beautiful ones in practice, but even the few he's landed in competitions haven't been very good. Just doing good in practice doesn't cut it.

In the end, I think Todd could have more to offer by going pro. Considering he's in SOI, that's one big step in the positive direction, so I am hoping to see more changes in the future.

[haribobo]

I just want to say that the title of this thread is pretty misleading.

I'd have it something like....

"Todd might compete at nationals this year"

Sensationalism at its best! What is this, the National Enquirer? :roll:

[jcspkbfan]

Whether Elvis (or Todd) want to compete in eligible events again this year is their business, but in Elvis' case, that big "retirement" ceremony held for him at this year's Canadian Nationals gala would look pretty silly if he decided to come back this season. :oops:

"Too bad the pro comps are not as good as the eligible comps."

I think an even more appropriate quote would probably be, "Too bad the pro comps are virtually non-existant this season!" I wonder how many of these skaters are planning to stay eligible because they genuinely love competing and how many are staying in simply because there's literally no way for them to technically lose their eligibility this season?

[Luenatic]

If Todd wants to compete, more power to him. What's wrong with Todd's desire to compete? Todd is such a great athelete and I really admire his dedication to the sport he loves. I'd love to see Todd competes at Nationals. Have fun Todd!

[luckiest1]

Well, good luck to Todd, whatever he decides to do. What's wrong with older guys wanting to keep competing? As someone above said, pro comps are pretty much non-existant.

As much as I would love to see Elvis competing again, I don't think anyone who is against such a thing has much to worry about. He has made his plans and seems very happy with his decisions.

[olivia]

I recall once a few years ago (before SLC!) Todd indicated that he would be there (in SLC) if his body held up. He seems to be doing great, and I guess it's better to keep your options open ultimately. If Todd decides to compete, that's wonderful. More power to him.

O-

[Oracle]

I doubt that Todd is considering sticking around for another Olympics but he may be considering tying Roger Turner & Dick Button for # of National titles, especially if Tim doesn't compete at Nationals. Tim is the only US man with a consistent quad at present so Todd is still competitive with the other US men. He's phenomenal!:)

[Mel On Ice]

Todd is a delightful person - more power to him!

[bcskater]

todd making ANOTHER come back? NOT AGAIN!!!!

[Nicki]

Thanks for sharing the article. This is wonderful news! I hope he actually does compete. I've always enjoyed his skating and was feeling bad when it looked as though he were retirering from compettition. I wish him good luck in whatever he decides to do.

[gandalf]

ITA with everything Halo girl said. If (and that seems to be a pretty big if) Todd does decide to compete at Nats and qualifies for Worlds, I'm not holding my breath for a podium finish.

[mikey]

I can't resist...

If he comes back, is he gonna skate Senior, or Senior Citizen??

BWAHAHAHA!!
<i know, warped sense of humor>

[Jenny]

With a six-year SOI contract in the bag, I would have thought Todd had it all. An illustrious competitive career, tremendous respect among all in the skating community, and now a lucrative post-competitive career and the opportunity to go in new directions with his craft.

I don't get it.

Jenny

[sk8termom]

You know this is hardly fair! I love Todd and I love Michelle Kwan. But come on--when are they going to let some of the ones below them have a chance--when they are 50?

[quarkiki2]

This is very interesting. I, for one, am pleased to watch anyone comete who loves to compete.

I also think that if someone ranked below Todd (or Michelle or any skater over 20) wants a chance, they need to step up to the plate and take it. No one is unbeatable. There will always be a younger skater nipping at your heels and if you have the goods to stave them off, more power to you!

I think that having more experienced skaters competing raises the level of skating in the US. If you have to beat the champion to win, then we get to see more performances like Sarah's Olympic LP. No one can say that's a bad thing!

[adrianchew]

Originally posted by quarkiki2

I also think that if someone ranked below Todd (or Michelle or any skater over 20) wants a chance, they need to step up to the plate and take it. No one is unbeatable. There will always be a younger skater nipping at your heels and if you have the goods to stave them off, more power to you!

I've seen this point of view expressed time and again. Yet one has to wonder how much "benefit of the doubt" is sometimes given to the veterans when they are performing below par, by the judges perhaps from indirect orders coming from the federation.

I suspect the only carrot for someone like Todd coming back to the eligible ranks is a bigger carrot from sponsors, than even the SOI contract. The same sponsors are major sources of income for the USFSA, and how much "influence" sponsors can exert isn't exactly known to us. Certainly the judging in cheesefests have resulted in outcomes that are skewed towards skaters that are well known with the big sponsor backing.

Barring absolute meltdowns, it would be in the best interest of the USFSA to continue making sure that skaters such as Todd and Michelle continually get spots to Worlds. Its a good thing both have been able to hold off the advancing youth, but when the day comes, someone out there is going to be robbed, and that's the time I'm going to say I told you so. ;)

This reflection time and again is mistaken as people trying to put skaters down, but its not the skaters who are at fault directly. The root cause would be the relationship between sponsors and the USFSA (and ISU) and the "undue influence" and pressures such a relationship can create. To me at least, this has an influence on the judging at cheesefests and possibly US Nationals.

[speedy]

Wow, Dallas is getting more interesting by the week...first all these new dance teams, then Michelle maybe coming back, now maybe Todd? Awesome. As far as Todd, sheesh, it's not like he's going to be automatically crowned U.S. champ again just for showing up...Tim did beat both Todd and Weiss 2 years ago in Boston. But with Tim's injury possibly hindering him this year, Todd would definitely have a good shot at adding to his titles, even with Weiss in the mix. As far as keeping young guns from having their shot, I ain't buying it. First of all, what is Michelle, 21 or 22? Geez, she's ANCIENT! :roll: It's not her fault that she started beating older competitors in her early teens. It's also not Michelle's and Todd's fellow competitors' fault that they just happen to be competing in the same era with 2 of the greatest skaters in the history of the U.S....an era which apparently also isn't quite over. As long as they can compete, they should compete. That's the mark of a champion. If they lose, so be it...at least they're still out there making their mark. It's the same in every sport, whether it be football, NASCAR (geez, some of those guys are almost 50 and still winning races!), boxing, etc....any champion that truly loves their sport will always want to keep coming back for more. That's why fans of Todd and Michelle will never want to see them retire from "real" skating. SOI's fun, but to me it's like the Senior PGA Tour, where skaters go to make some money after they escape the Tiger Woods's of the world. ;)

[Luenatic]

A lot of time, skating fans will say such and such were robbed when watching the competitions on TV. A lot of details were missing during TV broadcast, such as edges, speed and ice coverage. All these factors are very important elements in the "presentation" marks.

Skaters like Todd, his basic skating skill is phenomenal. If you see him skates live in competition, he'll do 3 back crossovers and he'll have enough speed to fly across the rink. When he's skating, his edges are so deep and secure. You wonder how can he do that. To casual skating fans, they may not appreciate such MINOR details. A so called "lower-rank" skaters may have completed the same amount or more triple jumps than Todd and lost the competition to Todd. "WHY?", skating fans asked. A "Held Up" theory may surface. But judges do pay attention to such minor details.

I think it's great for younger skaters to compete with Todd. They may actually pick up a thing or two from skating with Todd on the same ice.

Someone mentioned when will Todd or Michelle retire to give the youngsters a chance? 50? Well well well. If the young guns cannot beat a 50 year-old Todd, maybe the young ones don't deserve to be champions.

Signing off from this topic.

[RoseAugust]

I think it is wonderful that Todd wants to continue competing at the eligible level because it tells me that he loves figure skating as a sport...and I can't help but admire that. There is more to skating than the quad and it's not as if he's the only man out there competing without a reliable one. I admit that he's not one of my favs, but if he's willing to put himself and his skating on the line, all power to him!

[adrianchew]

I've seen Todd, Michele, etc skate live in person, from good seats. As great as Todd's basic skating might be, his edges are nowhere near the best ever amongst men... Sasha Abt has amazing edges. I'll be attending Eastern Sectionals, US Nationals and Worlds this season (plus a bunch of other events, including Skate Canada, and already have been at 2 Regionals).

I've also spoken to people that attended the recent competition at Daytona Beach... one who skates who went with other friends who skate (at least dozen or more of them). The consensus in that group was that AP should have won the event. ;)

I suspect fans will think up of many more creative excuses, anything that allows them to not face up to the "possibility" that some skaters who are their favorites might not be held up at times. Weiss was held up too at US Nationals last year (details such as two footed jumps shouldn't bother the judges eh?). :roll:

I have nothing against Todd personally, but I do see a conflict of interest between the USFSA pleasing their sponsors, and sometimes, doing what's right.

As for being the greatest ever - Todd - he's good, he's very good, he's awesome even, but he's far from the greatest in US history. Someone's history books must be missing Button, Hamilton, Boitano, etc! :lol:

[manleywoman]

I wonder if Todd's coming back has less to do with sponsorship and more to do with the US wanting to make sure we get three spots for future Worlds.

[adrianchew]

Originally posted by manleywoman

I wonder if Todd's coming back has less to do with sponsorship and more to do with the US wanting to make sure we get three spots for future Worlds.

Without a quad, and with his low finish in Salt Lake City - he might be hurting that effort more than helping it. No amount of basic skating is going to save him without a quad, given the mens field today internationally. As much as I hate to admit it, Weiss stands a better chance even with 2-footed quads.

[freeskate]

I don't see how Todd can do, both training for a potential trip to nationals and SOI justice.

I was also looking forward to the retirements of Todd, Elvis and others to jump start Pro Comps and events. It was kind of neat to see skaters retire and try new things in PRo events. Examples, Brian B. Kurt, Scott, Kristi, Caryn, Kat W.

I'm afraid with all of the "comebacks", "just one more year's" and "Oh maybe's" we'll never see a strong Pro Circuit again. Not to single out any particular skater.

[fsfan]

Jeez...gotta give him credit..

But let's face it... No Quad - no chance of medalling. Sorry Todd.

But hey - good for him for wanting to do this....

fsfan

[Jenny]

Perhaps this is a USFSA ploy to boost Dallas ticket sales.

I don't believe for a minute that Kwan just happened to decide to show up at SA. With other stars backing out of the GP, either the USFSA or ABC or both must've made her an attractive offer.

Perhaps they are doing the same with Todd (and Michelle for that matter) for nats, or maybe - warning conspiracy theory coming! - Todd got wind of Michelle's SA deal and is throwing out some bait to see if he gets a bite too.

Jenny

[duane]

Originally posted by fsfan
Jeez...gotta give him credit..

But let's face it... No Quad - no chance of medalling.

i would agree with this totally last year, but now, i think it's another story.

first, todd's chances of making the podium at Nationals are excellent. actually, his chances of winning gold are quite good. tim is the only American male who consistently landed the quad, and at the present moment, his status is questionable. one never knows how weiss will perform, and the same goes for matt and johnny. and, todd has always been the favorite of National judges, meaning extra brownie points.

regarding Worlds: yagudin might not even compete, timmy is presently on the injured list, honda's consistency is awful, same with weiss and Abt...

i think if todd concentrated on a clean, 8-triple program--with two 3/3 combos and perhaps a 3/3 sequence--his chances of medalling at Worlds are quite good. of course, if both yagudin and timmy (along with plushenko) compete, his chances drop tremendously.

[Jaana]

If one looks at the 2003 SOI tour schedule

http://www.starsonice.com/tickets/default.asp

it seems IMO rather unlikely for Eldredge to be able to compete at Nationals & Worlds or for Yagudin to compete at Europeans, GP Finals & Worlds. They both are touring during the dates these competitions are being held.

Marjaana

[loveskating]

I don't think anyone can skate the SOI tour and compete seriously as an amateur...we will see after Skate America what happens...after the SOI tour kicks in in late fall.

Anyways, I'm not going to SOI because Kulik is not skating with them any more...