Quick report from TEB Ladies

I went to see the ladies Free skate and was very curious about Kimmie, Mao and the others as this was only my second "live" competition...

First of all, TEB is really a nice venue and it was great to see so many people coming as last time (a couple of years ago) the arena was almost empty..Obviously, Joubert has many fans and it was a pity he had to pull out.

From the first group it was all about Mira.I have read so much about her and was pleasently surprised, she is like a cat on the ice!I liked the program and she seems to be quite flexible with really nice spirals.Her choice of music demands a lot from the skater but I thought it was well choreographed and she did it nicely.I did not think she was "sloppy" as many has mentionned but mabye a bit "unfinished"?If she can take her time on every element and rush a little bit less, I am sure the scores will go up!

Things started to get exciting when the warm up stated for the second group.I found myself looking at Mao all the time, she was stroking so softly..Felt that she was quite focused.Her jumps looked effortless and I think she tried 2 or 3 3A, one of them looked very good.
I have never really been a fan of Kimmies skating (except the spanish program last year) but I honestly thought that she looked really good!She went for the 3x3 a couple of times but fell on the 2nd jump, otherwise not bad jump wise.She is a powerful skater and so fast on the ice..
Ashley looked good too and it was great seeing her as I have been a fan since last Jr Worlds.

Over to the competition;

Of course, Ashley impressed everyone with her skate and boy, this girl can jump!She seems to be such a "complete" skater and really sold her program very well.The public loved her and It does look good for the future.

Then on to poor Sarah..the jumps were not there but I just loved her choreography and she is so elegant on the ice (Remains me about Kwan..) Beautiful lines and you got the feeling that you see a "woman" skating, nothing girlish there.

So sorry to read in the other thread about Kimmies jump problem because I found her program very interesting and quite different from the others as she does not have the flexibility as other skaters and mabye not any "highlights"in her program but still I found myself emotional after her skate!I think, that if she can get her jumps back on track this program is strong, very strong.

Mao,Mao..yes, she is good but I do not think thet she deserves any higher presentation marks than Sarah or Kimmie..She is tricky to get connected to..difficult to explain.I've got exactly the same feeling as when Shizuka tried to use this music.It is very "dark" and "deep" music and both Mao and Shiz are such gentle skaters that "you" really need to try to connect to "them".
Lovley calm program but I got the feeling that she needs the
3A and 3x3 (same feeling with Shiz program at the time) to highlight the program..I was amazed about the footwork and the last 30 seconds are frankly "superbe"!
Well, I enjoyed the competition and how different skaters look "live"!Looking forward to see them again in March

Thank you so much for the in-person report!

Very nice report on the Ladies. I agree with your observation of Ashley. She surprises people in the arena who did not come to see her in the competition. I noticed her jump prowess in Skate Canada.

Joe

Joesitz said:

Very nice report on the Ladies. I agree with your observation of Ashley. She surprises people in the arena who did not come to see her in the competition. I noticed her jump prowess in Skate Canada.

Joe

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I was impressed with Ashley last year at Spokane. At that time she was noticeably more mature in size than Carline and Mirai. As such, Ashely's skating did not quite capture the same attention as the terrific baby ballerinas. . She was undaunted by that fact, skating with speed and attack. Later, I remarked to her coach that she skated wonderfully and fearlessly! I think those qualities are absolutely necessary to get to the top and stay! I look forward to seeing them all in Saint Paul this January at Nationals. This is going to be one of the most interesting National competions ever, with these new senior ladies skating it out with last year's team. Add the Evan/Johnny duel to the mix and it should be quite a competition.

Eddie Lee said:

I was impressed with Ashley last year at Spokane. At that time she was noticeably more mature in size than Carline and Mirai. As such, Ashely's skating did not quite capture the same attention as the terrific baby ballerinas. . She was undaunted by that fact, skating with speed and attack. Later, I remarked to her coach that she skated wonderfully and fearlessly! I think those qualities are absolutely necessary to get to the top and stay! I look forward to seeing them all in Saint Paul this January at Nationals. This is going to be one of the most interesting National competions ever, with these new senior ladies skating it out with last year's team. Add the Evan/Johnny duel to the mix and it should be quite a competition.

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Very true. Caroline and Mirai get all the gushing on this Forum. I was glad to note that some fans can go beyond that. I am expecting (hoping) that Ashley will be on the podium in St. Paul and be an easy top 10 at Worlds.

Joe

Thanks for the detailed comments. I'm looking forward to seeing Ashley, and the observations about her seem balanced, so I don't think I'll be disappointed. I've let myself get excited about other skaters in the past (and the recent past) based on, well, really just hype, so when I finally see them, I've been disappointed ...

Thanks for your observations on Kimmie's program. It is really noteworthy to me that you found yourself emotionally involved in her program, as she has taken a lot of criticism about perceived lack of artistry. Perhaps, then, her garnering good PCS scores was deserved despite the jump probs. Hope she gets her jumps back.

I'm with you on liking Mira's program. Not nec. saying she's going to vault into podium contention, but I like what she's doing.

Thanks again.