Ladies LP

[R.D.]

It is a joke. Everybody in the skating world is worshipping her because they finally found somebody who the crazy idiosyncrasies of the CoP do not effect. Whatever she does, whatever rules she breaks the judges find a reason to have her win by unreal margins. Sure she deserved to win. Of course. She was pretty much 100% clean and nobody else was. Her programs are good, but where do the judges find 35 points worth that nobody else had. A world record with only 4 triples? What a joke.

Yeah, I actually laughed when I first saw the 133.whatever they gave Yuna at TEB. I was like come ON! She was good but not THAT good! She skipped a jump for crying out loud. that set of performances was worth a world record? get out of here

I really don't know the other ladies even bother trying. Yu-a Kim (or shall I make a point of saying Kim Yu-na) will win the OGM and everything else...[snip]

If she does, at least, that may be it for her. I don't think the Korean mob will make it possible for her to continue on after that. :chorus:

________________________________



US Nationals is going to be the most exciting comp this year IMHO- the US ladies field has not been this competitive since I can remember.

Then again, Cohen might show up and pull a Yuna Kim in the short.

[ehdtkqorl123]

Neverending vicious cycle.

Low score, blame the judge.
High score, blame the judge.

Maybe we should start blaming Cinquanta?

[gourry]

Maybe we should start blaming Cinquanta?

And of course, there is always good ol' NJS to beat.

[bubbleyum]

while i can understand the mentality that it is more "exciting" to watch a ball game if it is a close match vs. the winning team running away with it by a huge margin, i don't understand all the complaining about yuna and comments that almost seem like they want her to just go away/retire, etc.

if yuna had not skated in this competition, and mao had won the gold with her mediocre skate, would that had made it a much better TEB? just because of the suspense, "oh who will win the gold?" i don't think so.

figure skating is an individually competitive sport, so it's different from a team-team match. this is not a game of hot-potato where everybody who shows up should get a chance to be "it" just to be fair and make the game more fun or exciting.

and since somebody previously used the example of michael phelps, i would say every sport should be so lucky to have a michael phelps or a tiger woods. they show the excellence that could be accomplished within that sport and what boundaries can be pushed, and they elevate the bar for the rest of the athletes who compete against/with them. even people who normally would not be interested in that particular sport take notice. they also become examples that little boys and girls can look up to and dream about while they practice, to someday be a great athlete too. now i don't know if yuna can be held up to the status of a michael phelps or tiger woods yet at this point (she can still improve much more), but i don't think it's right as a fan of figure skating to think she should just go away and retire so everybody else can have a chance at winning a gold medal and we can be more entertained.

when i used to work as a graphic designer and was involved in design competitions, nobody looked at the best design that won and was like, "what!! how disgusting that this design is so much better than the other ones that it won the award. next time this designer should not submit an entry so somebody else can win this award." of course not! the excellent design is that much more admired, the talent is appreciated, and everybody goes home inspired to be more creative and come up with even better ideas!

[silverlining]

It sounds like some of you don't like Yu-na or are actually blaming her for the high scores she receives. What's she supposed to do, go to the judges and say, "Hey, don't inflate my scores, OK?"

And remember guys, unlike us who can say or post whatever we want without being responsible for pretty much anything, these are professional people who get paid to do their job right. Do you think they have some kind of a meeting before a compeition and go "Let's give Yu-na more points tonight"?

If you really think that the judges are that biased and unfair, I suggest not watching figure skating at all because it's only going to frustrate you.

One more thing. I saw a few pages back that some of you are still going, "Oh Michelle, we miss you Michelle... There's not going to be another skater like you, Michelle~~." I don't know how some of you will take this, but honestly, if Michelle in her prime were to compete against Mao and Yu-na in their primes, MK wouldn't even stand a chance.

[Tonichelle]

And remember guys, unlike us who can say or post whatever we want without being responsible for pretty much anything, these are professional people who get paid to do their job right. Do you think they have some kind of a meeting before a compeition and go "Let's give Yu-na more points tonight"?

...um... considering it's happened in the past with other skaters, it's possible...

that being said the right woman won, and I say more power to her.

[gourry]

while i can understand the mentality that it is more "exciting" to watch a ball game if it is a close match vs. the winning team running away with it by a huge margin, i don't understand all the complaining about yuna and comments that almost seem like they want her to just go away/retire, etc.

if yuna had not skated in this competition, and mao had won the gold with her mediocre skate, would that had made it a much better TEB? just because of the suspense, "oh who will win the gold?" i don't think so.

figure skating is an individually competitive sport, so it's different from a team-team match. this is not a game of hot-potato where everybody who shows up should get a chance to be "it" just to be fair and make the game more fun or exciting.

and since somebody previously used the example of michael phelps, i would say every sport should be so lucky to have a michael phelps or a tiger woods. they show the excellence that could be accomplished within that sport and what boundaries can be pushed, and they elevate the bar for the rest of the athletes who compete against/with them. even people who normally would not be interested in that particular sport take notice. they also become examples that little boys and girls can look up to and dream about while they practice, to someday be a great athlete too. now i don't know if yuna can be held up to the status of a michael phelps or tiger woods yet at this point (she can still improve much more), but i don't think it's right as a fan of figure skating to think she should just go away and retire so everybody else can have a chance at winning a gold medal and we can be more entertained.

Can I agree any more? ......Nope.

[cosmos]

Whether Yuna retires and evens the playing field, or the other ladies catch her up, I just want a good, close competition.

Whatever you want is not necessarily realized in the world.

and since somebody previously used the example of michael phelps, i would say every sport should be so lucky to have a michael phelps or a tiger woods. they show the excellence that could be accomplished within that sport and what boundaries can be pushed, and they elevate the bar for the rest of the athletes who compete against/with them. even people who normally would not be interested in that particular sport take notice. they also become examples that little boys and girls can look up to and dream about while they practice, to someday be a great athlete too. now i don't know if yuna can be held up to the status of a michael phelps or tiger woods yet at this point (she can still improve much more), but i don't think it's right as a fan of figure skating to think she should just go away and retire so everybody else can have a chance at winning a gold medal and we can be more entertained.

Can't agree more.
Without Phelps, it would be more interesting to watch swimming, competitionwise. But, it is a great joy to watch his talent.

[steyn]

Whether Yuna retires and evens the playing field, or the other ladies catch her up, I just want a good, close competition.

I have an idea for you. If unpredictability is your main motivation to watch this sport, why don't you invent some handicap system?

[seniorita]

why tarasova says caprice wouldnt work for sp?This program is amazing and Mao seems light and happy when skating to it , it is one of my highlights of Teb.

[gourry]

I have an idea for you. If unpredictability is your main motivation to watch this sport, why don't you invent some handicap system?

This reminds me of the hilarious user, who is now banned, Tiara.
Tiara once insisted that Yuna should wear some weights-or was it sandbag?- around her waist because she is underweight and that is not fair.
S/he was really something. Does anybody elso remember her/him?

why tarasova says caprice wouldnt work for sp?This program is amazing and Mao seems light and happy when skating to it , it is one of my highlights of Teb.

Because without a fan it's not Caprice? I don't know.
I suspect that with all the required elements it will look a bit different.

[quikrush]

while i can understand the mentality that it is more "exciting" to watch a ball game if it is a close match vs. the winning team running away with it by a huge margin, i don't understand all the complaining about yuna and comments that almost seem like they want her to just go away/retire, etc.

if yuna had not skated in this competition, and mao had won the gold with her mediocre skate, would that had made it a much better TEB? just because of the suspense, "oh who will win the gold?" i don't think so.

figure skating is an individually competitive sport, so it's different from a team-team match. this is not a game of hot-potato where everybody who shows up should get a chance to be "it" just to be fair and make the game more fun or exciting.

and since somebody previously used the example of michael phelps, i would say every sport should be so lucky to have a michael phelps or a tiger woods. they show the excellence that could be accomplished within that sport and what boundaries can be pushed, and they elevate the bar for the rest of the athletes who compete against/with them. even people who normally would not be interested in that particular sport take notice. they also become examples that little boys and girls can look up to and dream about while they practice, to someday be a great athlete too. now i don't know if yuna can be held up to the status of a michael phelps or tiger woods yet at this point (she can still improve much more), but i don't think it's right as a fan of figure skating to think she should just go away and retire so everybody else can have a chance at winning a gold medal and we can be more entertained.

when i used to work as a graphic designer and was involved in design competitions, nobody looked at the best design that won and was like, "what!! how disgusting that this design is so much better than the other ones that it won the award. next time this designer should not submit an entry so somebody else can win this award." of course not! the excellent design is that much more admired, the talent is appreciated, and everybody goes home inspired to be more creative and come up with even better ideas!

ITA.
I shudder at the thought of this year's TEB without Yuna Kim.

[Blades of Passion]

http://www.isuresults.com/results/gp..._FS_Scores.pdf

Problems abound:

* Yu-Na ---> Her +GOE on the spins is too high, and PCS for that program and performance was far too high as well.

* Mao ---> What the hell was wrong with the technical specialist here. Downgrading her perfect Triple Loop? Total failure. Was he snorting coke at that moment or something? Those double loops shouldn't have been downgraded either. Her PCS were also too high, especially given how she finished behind the music.

Additional thoughts:

* Yu-Na was clearly the winner and she will be the clear winner throughout the season, unless a drastic health problem happens. Other than her rock-solid jumps and very good skating ability, she is succeeding because of sex appeal. She creates an aura of desirability with her body line and demeanor.

* Mao's costumes are horrible (the SP one especially). She looks like a little girl playing dress-up for Victorian-styled Halloween parties.

In fact, MAO is doing pretty much everything wrong. Her LP music needs to change. Her jump layout (for both the SP and LP) needs to change.

Tarasova has completely screwed Mao over, I'm sorry to say. She doesn't seem to understand CoP and she doesn't understand how to bring out Mao's strengths. Tarasova has failed to present Mao as being different and unique (and superior) in comparison to Yu-Na.

* The differences between these two skaters are quite obvious. Yu-Na is a toepick jumper and skates outwardly. Mao is an edge jumper and skates inwardly. Their jumping styles not only are completely different, but also compliment their skating styles. Mao has softer knees, allowing her to lilt across the ice more naturally. Yu-Na skates a little "harder", but is also more expressive and explosive.

Mao's SP from 2007 is a perfect example of her strength when it comes to artistry. She should be doing something like that for her LP this year. And, she NEEDS to fix that jump layout. Going for the second Triple Axel is simply not working out (and, even if it was, that's no excuse to leave out the other important combinations). She underrotates that second 3Axel all the time. She is completely capable of doing 3-3's, but Tarasova seems to be ignoring them. This is a HUGE mistake. A bigger mistake than her horrible costumes and the poor manner in which she is being presented as skater (which at the moment is, "hey look, I can be like Yu-Na too").

Mao NEEDS this jump layout for her SP:

3Axel
3Flip-3Loop
2Axel

And for the LP:

3Axel
3Flip-3Loop
3Sal (or 2Axel, if it's really giving her that much trouble)
----
2Axel-3Toe
3Lutz-2Loop-2Loop
3Flip
3Loop

There is NO excuse to not do the 3-3 and 2Axel-3Toe. These are elements Mao can do and they are of utmost important in scoring points.

I've said this before about her jump layout and I'm going to keep saying it until someone forces Tarasova to stop ruining Mao's career (and the excitement of having a competitor who can actually defeat Yu-Na).

[figurejennah]

Well let's hope Yuna retire after winning the OGM, so the rest of the world and figure skating can move on. I'm sick of hearing how great she is and don't want to see another Plusheko in ladies field. It's more exciting to watch when everyone is fighting for the gold.

At least next event will be exciting to watch.

So... since you hate to see some brilliant people dominating in their fields....
You are saying that there shouldn't have been Mozart in Music,
Michael Jordan in Basketball, Tiger Woods in Golf, Michael Phelps in swimming because it's just not that exciting to watch the competition?


WOW.

I completely disagree. Everytime when I see these ladies, I am just more excited to watch these competitions. Ever since commentators and critics began praising Yuna's expression, jumping skills, and artistry, the ladies all improved their skatings tremendously. For example, you can see that Mao is more rich with her facial expression in her bells of moscow program, compared to her previous programs. We all know that this is because of the rivary between Yuna and Mao because the Japanese media really really focused on this many times. Miki uses more of her upper body, and the choreography is more interesting. Caroline tried to fix her wrong edges, so that jumpings would become more accurate. All these great things are happening, because
the competition has become that much more competitive.

[macemace1980]

These comments here are always interesting.
Yuna might be like Real Madrid, there are a lot of fans, but at the same time, there a lot of ANTI Real Madrid.
Yuna did nothing she is just good at follow the new system and perfect without mistakes.
To me, it is the Figure Skate rule which makes figure skate boring.
I don't really understand the system that judges using videos to controll jumps.
But it is very obvious what ISU wants skaters to do and so far Yuna and Brian Orser are the only people who really understand what they should do against this strange rule.

Both Yuna and Mao are wonderful skaters even though they are totally diffrent.
Yuna is like an actress for musicals who can express by her face with dramatic music, Mao is a ballerina who can express by movement of body with classical music.
Yuna is like a Hollywood movie which everybody can enjoy, Mao is like a French movie which is hard to understand for everybody.
Obviously, judges prefer Hollywood movies.

If Mao's final destination is Sochi Olympic 2014, well, that's alright. Tatiana and she can do now whatever they think and want.
But if she wants to win in Vancouver too, I want to tell them " CHANGE the music and no more 3X3A!"

About Michelle, to tell the truth, Michell is enough famous here but the most famous skater is Carolina Kostner and I hope Carolina will show us her real talent without making mistake.
People don't know anything about Yuna and Mao here.
I need to work!