Ladies SP

[Kinga]

Thanks for the links.
I enjoyed Alissa's program - and after a day of so much huffing and puffing about Mao/Tat, Alissa's gentle and elegant skating made me realize how much I enjoy figure skating.
I recommend to some of those who are still so worked up over Mao to take a look at Alissa. Maybe not the best, but surely lovely and full of grace.
Way to go Alissa!

Yes! Figure skating is not just about Mao and Yuna.
I also liked Ashley and Julia.

Which is wrong, by the way. There is no other sport where you can suck and at the same time get big points. There needs to be a basis in my opinion. One double Axel and one Triple Flip is no basis. Plus, it's not like she skated the lights out. Some skaters, e.g. Lambiel, can make you forget some mistakes with their fantastic presentation. The judges shouldn't be influenced by that either, but that's more understandable than reputation judging.

I agree. Her program did not deserve 1st place in PCS.

Note: I still think they should either make it clear to the viewer on TV whether a jump was underrotated, or lessen the penalty for underrotated jump.

This would be so useful to see downgrades on the screen!

As for Mao, I don't know what to say. Nothing is working for her, her programs, her costumes, her jumps... Well I hope she will get her jumps back but her older sister, Mai, started losing her 3lutz,3flip and 3loop around when she was 18-19ish? Their jumping techniques are very similar and equally bad, so maybe Mao can't jump anymore with that weird jumping techniques that she has.

It is interesting that now, when she has problems with jumps people start pointing out that she has bad technique. I remember, few years ago, when she was a jumping bean, everyone on different boards was prizing her for her technique.. Oh well.

[Itcaip]

another big problem is that mao loses her reputation with performances like that... judges don't like that... yuna for example is solid as a rock and the judges say thank you by giving her pcs around 66+ in the freeskate...

mao looked like a wet noodle yesterday.. i think tarasova as a person is too intimidating for her.. mao is so shy and sensitive , maybe this is the problem...
i don't think she has physical issues.. it's definetely mentally... maybe also because she was used to be better than yuna a couple of seasons ago.. plus she was always judged better.. when they both skated a clean short program, mao was usually ahead.. and now yuna is unstoppable.. this is not easy for an 18-year old girl.. in addition the pressure caused by the media ( this whole "yuna-mao" thing) etc etc etc... i wanna see you skate brilliant programs under these circumstances.... i think she's really going through a lot of hard stuff at the moment (pressure, competition with other skaters, reworking her techique)

if i were in her shoes i wouldn't skate the fs today... just go home and prepare silently for the upcoming competitions in 2010 ( preferably without the woman from russia )... just in complete silence without tv sessions where everybody expects her to do 100 3axels in 10 minutes =))

[figurejennah]

Well, actually Yuna didn't FIX her edge problem. As you know, Yuna hadn't got any edge problem until the last season, which means that she essentially had the right technique to do 3F with inside edge. When she got ! mark on her 3F in the last season, she said that because she had to think too much about putting 3T after 3F, her edge was changed slightly to flat. Now, she is doing 3F as a solo jump, and she is very comfortable with her 3F taking off with inside edge because she doens't have to think about putting 3T after 3F anymore.

See, I mean that's what I thought. I watched all of her programs since jr, and I never thought she had any flip edge problems. During last season, maybe her flip was slightly neutral and appeared like her ankle twisted outwards when she took off, but that doesn't mean that her edge take off was wrong. But it was so crazy on youtube and even on this forum that I was confused..... To look back, people made such a big deal out of her alleged "Lip" so.... I guess it does prove that yuna is a text book jumper?

[figurejennah]

I have followed Brian Orser's career since his memorable performance at the Sarajevo Olympics.

Nothing I have seen in Brian's long skating and now coaching career would point to him behaving as a previous poster had suggested. To the contrary Brian has shown grace, compassion and loads of class throughout his long career.

Brian Orser is just so amazing. I really have tremendous respect for him and without Brian Orser, Yun wouldn't be the same Queen yuna that we see today!!! I am just glad to see him happy to live that Olympic dream again through his talented student...

[ilunga1965]

See, I mean that's what I thought. I watched all of her programs since jr, and I never thought she had any flip edge problems. During last season, maybe her flip was slightly neutral and appeared like her ankle twisted outwards when she took off, but that doesn't mean that her edge take off was wrong. But it was so crazy on youtube and even on this forum that I was confused..... To look back, people made such a big deal out of her alleged "Lip" so.... I guess it does prove that yuna is a text book jumper?

You've said what I had tried to say. Even though I said a few times(in another forum) then that there was nothing wrong with Yuna's flip when she got the 'attention' marks, people thought that I was a bit biased 'cause I'm a Korean.

Brian Orser thought of an official complaint, bur later he decided not to(with an interview with a Korean media). He might think that sort of complaint may give a negative influence both on judges and on Yuna in further competitions. I think he's a fantastic coach.

I also think both Korean and Japanese media should stop putting too much emphasis on the 'Mao-Yuna thing'. Some Korean Yuna fans even say that the biggest weakness of Yuna is her nationality.

[Olympia]

I just watched Julia's program on YouTube. What a refreshing program, crisp yet lyrical. The footwork section is to "Libertango," one of the best tango pieces ever, and her footwook is inventive and sophisticated and reflects the music. On the YouTube tape, it's not easy to tell anything about her speed, but her posture is lovely. It's pretty clear that she's an adaptable skater: somehow she managed to make the transition from 6.0 skating to CoP and profit by it. I'd love to know her history: she's quietly plugged along and still manages to sparkle.

Edit: And I just watched Czisny's program. Now, that's what a connection to the audience looks like. What a gloriously elegant, lightfooted, musical skater she is when she brings her jumps with her. Wouldn't it be nice if this Alissa, the one who is friends with gravity, is the one at Nationals--and at the Olympics?

As for Orser, what an amazing coach he's turned out to be. Plainly he treats YuNa with respect and has managed to cushion her mentally from the extraordinary stresses of these past two years, along with being able to calculate a great strategy that exploits and nurtures her formidable abilities. If only Asada could find someone like him. Mao is plainly hurting, and no muscles and ligaments are involved in her pain.

[prettykeys]

whole post

[Medusa]

ETA: Medusa, if you, as a piano player, happen to read this, do you have a favourite interpretation of this piece?

I personally love the interpretation by Boris Berezovsky, I have that one on CD.

I would also recommend Martha Argerich.

[Blades of Passion]

I know some people are pointing out that she should go for 3/3s instead of 3axels.. but I really think Mao no longer has a 3/3.

She landed a 3Flip-3Loop this March at the World Championships, so...

[Blades of Passion]

Also, Czisny should have won the SP. Spins deserve to get the same +GOE as jumps. She has such quality.

[Medusa]

ETA: Medusa, wouldn't you love to have a job as a figure skating music consultant and cutter? Considering what we hear out there on the ice there must be market gap.

^^That's a great idea. I have so many ideas. There is so much underrated music out there. Today I was in a concert in Cologne and there was this great chamber music piece by Tschaikovsky. It was incredibly amazing. Perfect for skaters like Chan, Kozuka, Ten...

[Medusa]

Have you ever actually tried to just cut a pice for a skating program? I'm thinking about it. Of course, it's a labour of love for ones own pleasure but still I sense there could be a lot of fun in this. Though it will in all likelyhood never be used by anybody.

The more I think about it the more important gets the skater's personality and style in all this. I have to find the right skater for the music...

I cut music for gymnastics, the floor routines. I was a gymnast as a child and young teen. At some point, when my body started to look a lot like that of Jennifer Lopez and not that of Nastia Liukin, I stopped, but I still had all my friends there and kept helping them for years with their music. I also love Folklore, Jazz, Latin music - so I didn't just choose classical stuff for them. It's really a lot of fun.

Are you Dutch by the way? Your name sounds Dutch.

[Medusa]

You've uncovered me. I must admit I'm German.
I think I'll start working on a Totentanz cut but it's not easy to find a skater to pull it off and one where the music actually fits.

I'm thinking along the lines of Buttle but not quite all of Buttle

btw. You are a prodigy , a musician, a gymnast, a language specialist

I am not a gymnast anymore, I dabble in languages and am an amateurish musician.

Takahashi could do Totentanz. Joubert too, but he would never touch anything that could be considered classical.

How far from me do you live?

[Medusa]

You're just too modest. I though about Takahashi, too.

As to the distance, let me see, distance calculator suggests roughly 200 KM.

Oh, are you coming to Krefeld to see Lambiel in action in December? Not just Lambiel but also others.

[Medusa]

I did not even know about that show. I was actually contemplating going to Nationals in Mannheim.

German Nationals? What are you trying to find there? Talented skaters? Just kidding.

I actually contemplated to run away to France for French Nationals. Watch the boys...