Ladies' SP

[RumbleFish]

Elene Gedevanishivilli wuz robbed!
She performed 3-3, did wonderful spirals, nailed her spins.
Engaged the crowed with her musicality and expressions.
A 62 for such performance is beyond my words.
I am shattered. :disapp:

 

[Lightbulb]

just had a funny moment thanks to my mom who has zero idea about the skaters. she was only able to start watching the coverage with mao's sp. so mao scored 73+, followed by yu na with 78+. when akiko's score was announced she said "it's so low!". had to say "mom, the scores in the 70s are exceptions tonight!"

it was a pretty fantastic evening for the ladies, right? bring on the long!

 

[raress]

I am so happy for Joannie ,she is a fighter and an amazing skater!I am so sorry for carolina again the lutz make her problems,hope she will come back on the long!I think that yu-na was overscored ,5 point over mao that strange !I know that yu-na is very artistic but her performance was not very far than mao's !

 

[einna]

Been a long time since I last posted something here. Just want to say that the ladies ROCKED the SP! Not a splatfest, so many inspired performances. What a night!

I'm just afraid I won't be able to follow the FS as I was so nervous during the SP, I was shaking!

 

[colleen o'neill]

:sheesh:I was going to retire for the night ,but goodness, how about a bit of objectivity.. whether Joannie is your idea of an elegant body type or not, considering only the top four , she and Yuna certainly had the most elegant choreography , followed by Mao's.. and Miki's? well, I don't think her choreography could even be considered fourth.No doubt it contained the elements that could have placed her in third , but the fact remains she did not execute it cleanly.
Joannie's jumps were rotated and well finished , Miki's clearly were not. Joannie's footwork was a bit more complicated and it was well done. Miki's was worth not quite as much and she skated it bent forward much of the time. ..If this was choreography ,then the choreographer should have known better than to have her skate that way, since she has often been criticized for this posture. It certainly wouldn't help her PCS.

And as for PCS , Joannie's interpretation, and level of performance..on this occasion for sure, her higher placement can't be questioned. Will she be able to duplicate this on Thursday ? Who knows . Will Miki skate better on Thursday? Who knows.Will someone from lower down the ranks skate fabulously and bump them both ? Who knows.

But setting personal favourites or admired physical types aside , I don't believe it can be honestly argued that on this night, Joannie's placement is undeserved.

 

[Artistry]

I knew that if Mao and Kim both skated clean, Kim would be again ahead by like 5-10 points. And it happened.
Again she is rewarded with huge GOE on non-jump elements that are quite mediocre comparatively speaking, and showered w/PCS for a relatively unsophisticated program.
Her interpretation of 007 bondgirl (flirty, seductive, sexy, etc.) is - let's face it - selling something quite well, but a predictable road to take... it just didn't move me.
Hmm.... sad for Mao. Looking at protocols, I agree with the poster who wondered why all of Mao's GOE is minimized. And Johnnnn (the poster who seems to think he knows the TRUTH) - we are all expressing our opinions here, and yours is just that, also.

Anyway. Looking forward to judging in women's eventually getting closer to how it is in dance with this new system - correctly identifying and rewarding elements and sophistication of interpretation.
Kim's program just seemed well-packaged and well-skated, not record-breaking Sublime material that makes your heart beat faster, like Virtue/Moir's Mahler did, for instance...

I'm bummed about the point difference. To me, this is not unlike the situation w/ D/S compulsory lead in Tallinn.

 

[yangjie]

although I dont feel satisfied with the result,
I am very happy to hear that Japanese ladies were satisfied with their performance.

mao said: usually i think there are 10 point diffrences between yu-na and me in the SP , so i am very happay that there are 5 points difrence. so i think i can win.

and ando said: i am proud of myself because I could tried 3lz3lo.

They are so great skaters!!!

I hope they will skate good and show us their smiles. and I want them to get a medal
(sorry for canadians and koreans. but forgive me.)

actually I am half japanese and taiwanese, i am really happy that chinese pairs could get 2 medals.

and so i want to be more happy to see 2 Japanese ladies get 2 medals.

 

[stickle]

There is a day off for the ladies. LP is on Thursday.
I am hoping for Joannie that all the love she gets through the arena and all over the world is enough to pull her through. Also, I think she is a stronger person than anyone suspects.

Oops. I've totally lost track of my days with all the Olympic sports I'm watching 18 hours a day! Well, that's good for all the ladies because a day off in between their programs will be good for all of them. I don't think there's any doubt that Joannie is an extremely strong person. Anyone that gets to the top of the pinnacle which is Olympic participation has proven their inner strength and their ability to overcome huge hurdles. This, though, is one hurdle that I don't think anyone anticipates. But yes, I think she feels the love that is being sent to her by millions of people but even that could be overwhelming. What a time this has been for Joannie and her coaches and support team and her Olympic teammates and her fans. Boy, these Olympics have been a heart wrenching roller coaster, haven't they? From tragedy when they began through all the highs and the lows. It's been a crazy ride. My heart goes out to Joannie though and I wish her good luck and strength.

 

[stickle]

:sheesh:I was going to retire for the night ,but goodness, how about a bit of objectivity.. whether Joannie is your idea of an elegant body type or not, considering only the top four , she and Yuna certainly had the most elegant choreography , followed by Mao's.. and Miki's? well, I don't think her choreography could even be considered fourth.No doubt it contained the elements that could have placed her in third , but the fact remains she did not execute it cleanly.
Joannie's jumps were rotated and well finished , Miki's clearly were not. Joannie's footwork was a bit more complicated and it was well done. Miki's was worth not quite as much and she skated it bent forward much of the time. ....... I don't believe it can be honestly argued that on this night, Joannie's placement is undeserved.

I don't think Joannie is given enough credit for her superior technical skating ability. When has anyone seen it questioned whether she rotated a jump? Page after page of comments about Mao and Kim and Rachelle and Marai and whether their jumps should receive full credit. Or whether they had any transitional qualities between jumps whereas Joannie has always been noted for her artistry and the quality of her skating and choreography and her beautiful arm positions. She's a mature woman and that quality is very apparent in her skating. She earned those marks she got tonight and when she lands her jumps, she's more than deserving of being on the podium.

 

[dlgpffps]

If I compare Yu-Na and Mao to men, I'd say

Yu-Na : Mao =
3-3 and no 3A : technically difficult 3A =
Evan : Plushy

only in context of the type of attempted jump (not quality or any other elements)
If you don't agree, simply ignore this post

haha, sorry, I wish I could ignore your post. Yu-na's 3Lz-3T was one of the most technically difficult moves of the competition, second only to Mao's combo. Your post suggests that Mao has all the technical difficulty, while Yu-na has naught ("technically difficult 3A" not "more difficult"). I beg to differ. The only move that does give Mao the technical edge is the 3A. GOE-wise, Yu-na has proven herself the better technican for all other jumps except the 3L (there are more to jumps than just the type). I really don't get why some people think Yu-na skates conservatively just for not attempting the 3A. If you were to mention her 3 2As and the absenc eof a 3L , then I would agree, but not in comparison to Mao, who lacks the 3Lz and a 3-3. It's kind of a pity that two of the world's top skaters fail to have the full arsenal of jumps.

 

[dlgpffps]

Could you imagine if sasha cohen had yu-na jumps; that would be a monster;

My kind of monster

 

[ehdtkqorl123]

haha, sorry, I wish I could ignore your post. Yu-na's 3Lz-3T was one of the most technically difficult moves of the competition, second only to Mao's combo. Your post suggests that Mao has all the technical difficulty, while Yu-na has naught ("technically difficult 3A" not "more difficult"). I beg to differ. The only move that does give Mao the technical edge is the 3A. GOE-wise, Yu-na has proven herself the better technican for all other jumps except the 3L (there are more to jumps than just the type). I really don't get why some people think Yu-na skates conservatively just for not attempting the 3A. If you were to mention her 3 2As and the absenc eof a 3L , then I would agree, but not in comparison to Mao, who lacks the 3Lz and a 3-3. It's kind of a pity that two of the world's top skaters fail to have the full arsenal of jumps.

I didn't mean that 3-3 was not easier than 3A. What I intended to emphasize was that like people say quad is technically difficult than 3A in men, 3A is "known to be" difficult than a triple jump. Sorry if you got me wrong lol

 

[dlgpffps]

I don't know about the situation w/ Yuna, but I've seen how people here turned against Miki so fast and so cruelly. I really really want Miki to medal here for that reason.

I was so happy for the top three that I forgot my sadness for Miki. I also want her to medal here, for the same reason, but I'm so emotionaly-attached to the top three girls. Yu-na, what can I say, she brought me back to figure skating after a long hiatus following MK's retirement. Mao, Mighty Mao, I love her for all the qualities TAT's choreography and coaching method kill, and I was upset with her for letting her go through such a terrible year with no full-time coach, music that drowns her elegance and an intense focus on the 3A. But I've come to accept and love Mao even more because she is so unremitting, and I wish her the best of luck with her ways (so she can prove all the "Mighty Mao has fallen" threads wrong. I think she already has with a redeeming skate at Vancouver ). Joannie... there are no words to describe the sorrow and admiration I feel for her. I wish ther was room for Miki, but the podium has only three spots... but I still want her up there ;(

 

[screech]

I wish ther was room for Miki, but the podium has only three spots... but I still want her up there ;(

Maybe she 'll come 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the LP and get a mini-medal for that performance (if they do that in the Os like they do for other events).

 

[dlgpffps]

I didn't mean that 3-3 was not easier than 3A. What I intended to emphasize was that like people say quad is technically difficult than 3A in men, 3A is "known to be" difficult than a triple jump. Sorry if you got me wrong lol

Yes, I thought that was what you meant, so I included the basis of the possible misunderstanding in the text. I'm sorry I misconstrued your meaning, but your words were misleading... (and again, not "difficult" but "more difficult")

 

[jovani2293]

Get Together. If she goes for the program she has planned , which she will cause she wants that medal, she can get in to the top three.

 

[Darcy518]

Yu-na's 3Lz-3T was one of the most technically difficult moves of the competition, second only to Mao's combo.

3Lz-3Lo is considered to be harder than 3Lz-3T. Pity Miki's attempt was downgraded.

 

[Nadia01]

Those two quotes make me happy.

Ditto!

 

[Nadia01]

I'm Japanese. I'm absolutely sure that Japanese will forgive Mao even if she does not get a medal. Disappointed? Yes. But would not mad at her. Mao is well loved. The reason why Miki was treated cruelly was (partly, at least) because she was not in good shape in that season, unfortunately coinciding with the timing when Mao emerged from nowhere with the astonishing performance. But the the points she accumulated in the previous year(s) allowed Miki to go to Torino, while Mao could not enter the competition due to the underage issue. Japanese felt so disappointed in the fact, despite the Olympics rules. If there were no Mao, (sad to say as a Japanese though) Miki would have been treated better even after the failure in the Olympics. In addition, Miki is not good at expressing herself and tends to give a wrong impression. In contrast, Mao has a lovable personality and is a very hard worker. Japanese just love her no matter what. Don't worry. Mao would not be treated like Miki. But my favorite is Miki. All the pressure lifted, thanks to Mao, I hope she delivers her best performance in FS.

Thanks for clarifying the issue. When it happened I didn't really understand what was going on (my 7th month in Japan) except that everyone suddenly started hating Miki. I'm glad Mao will be loved regardless of the color of her medal.

 

[ARipp42014]

Been awake for not too long and nbcolympics.com have a side-by-side comparison of Mao and Yuna's SPs and how each got their TES score. Here's the link (for those who live in NA)
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/as...1c-50f1e53f35f1.html#kim+yu+na+mao+asada+head

Also Dan Jansen (the former Olympic speedskater and current commentator of the speedskating events on NBC) said to Bob Costas that he did sent an email to Joannie saying that she's not alone. Back in Calgary just hours before his first race, his sister passed away. Yet instead of pulling out, he decided to race because that's what she wanted.