Sorry to have abandoned you loyal readers, due to some medical issues I have been out of commission for a couple of days. Thanks to Brian for posting on Lambiel's retirement (he forgot to change the name of the poster from Laura). Anyway, here is some more reaction to two-time World Champion Stephane Lambiel's retirement:
From Tribune's Philip Hersh:
Unlike Buttle, Lambiel was able to do the quadruple jumps that are big point-getters in the scoring system implemented after the pairs skating imbroglio after the 2002 Olympics. But he had become painfully inconsistent on the other litmus test jump, the triple axel.
And he said in his retirement press conference that the demands of the new scoring system had led to injuries, which have become common as skaters are forced into doing all sorts of ligament defying contortions to score more points.
Adding all the rococo ornaments to skating does not give it style, the sort of grace and purity of line Buttle and Lambiel embodied at their best. It does what the poet Alexander Pope pilloried 300 years ago in these lines from "An Essay on Criticism:"
Such labour'd nothings, in so strange a style, Amaze th'unlearned, and make the learned smile
"It's seven months that I've been going to see the best doctors," Lambiel said. "I still have the pain and it's really not possible to train like that. I didn't have the ability to reach my objectives. My goal was to be world champion and Olympic champion."
And some comments from Lambiel coaching staff member Nina Petrenko in International Figure Skating Magazine:
The Swiss star broke the news to his coaching staff yesterday, according to Nina Petrenko. Her husband Viktor Petrenko was Lambiel’s head coach, and her mother Galina Zmievskaia also worked with the Swiss star at the Ice Vault in Wayne, N.J.
"He said his injury was still bothering him, and he took a lot of time off and had a lot of treatment [already]," Nina Petrenko told IFS. "We accept his decision.
"It is sad. He is an amazing skater. At the same time though, we support him. If feels he can not do it, then he can’t. There is a lot of work, a lot of strict work. It takes a lot out of your body."
Nina Petrenko said that even though Lambiel only trained at the Ice Vault for a short period of time, his coaches will miss him. "He is great person, beyond his talent," she said. "He is funny, he is well educated speaking many languages. We love him and he will always be our friend."
She applauded Lambiel for his honesty. "He said it early enough that we did not put so much work into him," she said, "although we do not regret a second of the time we worked with him.
"It is unfortunate. It is sad. Maybe he will come back," she concluded. "It is not like he is losing his [eligible] status."
The Jeffrey Buttle retirement was sad, but nothing is worse than when a skater is forced to retire due to injury. You knew Lambiel still had the passion to get out there and skate but that his body obviously cannot keep up with his desire and heart at this point. It's very sad. Hopefully I will be doing a season preview in a few days and try to break down what the men's field looks like now with the loss of two world champions.