Men Short Program

[kiz_4Ever]

oh, I'm just so happy for plushenko!!! welcome back!!!

I could admit his PCS may be lower, but...if you check overall his PCS are only the third, Lambiel and Joubert shares the best PCS of the evening.
And I find really more upsetting Joubert's PCS: he can't have the same PCS of Lambiel!!! I mean, don't say me Plushenko is overscored and Joubert no. also, confronting Plush and Joub, I think Plushenko should get higher components.

then I hope Contesti will get higher tomorrow and I'm really happy also for Brezina!!

Welcome back zar!!!

[Ximena]

Plushy said that one of his footwork was marked with level 2.

[seniorita]

it is bad for stephane cause he had very good practices and if you exclude this morning, he was landing 4t-3t several times the last days, not the first because the first days he didnt jump at all. But in general he was jumping well. I think his Lp is amazing and he will bounce back tommorow, his other marks will cover the absence of 3axel.
Brezina's jumps are so high that you wowed. He is dancing there. Fantastic program. Ponsero was great but honestly, with this costume he loses some credit, no justice at all to his skate.
I think I havent seen joubert so good since last year in CoR. He was very good at practices also, I think he had the best among the top men, and he looks also very relaxed and happy!

Plushenko:his straight line footwork was the one with level two. And ponsero's circular. No negative goe for the top three.

[evplu]

yes apparently it was something like: (and it was very friendly)

Plush: "I'll do just one quad in the FS"
Jouby: "I'll do two!"
P: "I'll do something new!"
J: "I can totally do a triple toe after my quad"
P: "Good for you"
J: "I can beat him"
P: "Let him try it"

I'm not a fan of Joubert but I'm actually happy for him since he truly seems happy about Lambiel and Plushenko coming back and I think it has a lot to do with the quad-set of mind, Joubert was all alone this past years defending the quad against all the other skaters and the media behind them that said "it's not necesarry" and now he has Plush and Lambiel who both thinks the quad has to happen as well so I think he feels more like "well if I'm going to lose, I may as well lose to them than to [insert any of the non-quad men]"

I Yes, I absolutely agree

[3T3T]

Seen highlights on Eurosport. Plushenko deserves his lead, not sure I would have marked Joubert as high as he was. My favourite was Ponsero. Very impressed with Brezina.

Was Lambiel overmarked for what he offered? Great spins as always but the jumps were poor. I would not have him as high as fifth.

Hopefully Verner can come back fighting in the free.

[bigdeal]

Plushenko made the elements on the possibly highest level.

His skating was absolutely independent from the music in all of its sessions.

He still doesn't know, how to end a program (like in the Olympics 2006).
The finish is really arrogant. Turns me off.

[Blades of Passion]

Why are the performances not up on Ice Network??? I am getting a bit angry with them.

[bigsisjiejie]

Omg, thanks for posting that link, I just got through watching it, and am almost in tears. Misty-eyed here, but hanging on to my emotions, or at least trying to.

I honest to God felt like I was at that movies watching Clint Eastwood (aka Blondie) in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, that's how impressive & masterful & awe-inspiring it was to see Zhenya up on the big screen. What command, what self-confidence, what control he has -- unprecedented -- he really is The Master At Work. There will N E V E R be another like The Great Plushenko in figure skating again, he's just one-of-a-kind. I still feel chills.

I know I sound like an uber, lol, but perhaps I am? Seriously, that was a M A S T E R P I E C E. I cannot say it enough ~ music, choreography, jumps, spins, costume, etc. etc. etc. etc. ~ it all just flowed & jumped out onto me thousands of miles away here at home before my computer screen. Once again I say if I got chills this far away, I can't imagine what it must have felt like to see it in person. My only gauge was the two young ladies I saw standing (amongst the others) with this orgasmic look on their faces.

My only complaint, his PCS should have been higher, just a little (though if it had been up to me his PCS would have been almost as high as his TES). And that's the truth. He skates the *entire* rink, fast quick strokes, perfect technique on the jumps, low sit spins, turning from one direction to another with confidence & ease, everything timed just right to the music, simply masterful, simply masterful.


ZHENYA, YOU ARE THE BEST!
GOOOOOOOO EVGENI!!!!

Oh Lordy! I'll have some of whatever it is you've been smoking!

[seniorita]

it is plushy drug
you see everything blonde and blue.

[evangeline]

Seriously, and people ask why the sport is losing fans, and money.....The Russians get gold one after another, just for showing up......

I have had it.

I'm not exactly Plushenko's biggest fan and I completely agree with all the criticisms people have against him--dubious choreography, poor posture, front-loading, dodgy spins, blah blah blah.

But I still think Plushenko deserved the lead after the SP nonetheless. Who else would you have in first? It's not like Joubert's program is that much better than Plushenko's, and it's not like Plushenko is getting the astronomical PCS he used to get back in 2006.

It's rather unfair to think that Plushenko was marked first simply because he is Russian. Because like it or not, he has the jumps in spades and that should be rewarded.

[herios]

Thanks for the links for Jouby and Lambiel..
Anybody seen Ponsero, Verner or Brezina's SPs anywhere on youtube?

Ponsero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGf0t_PFTGM
Lambiel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv170QjnR14
there you go

[museksk8r]

I'm totally in the mindset now of ABE . . . with that said, GOOOOOOOOOO BRIAN!!! If only Joubert had done the 3toe after his 4toe, he would have won that SP. Hopefully, he will win the LP . . . I think he's the only one now with a shot to overtake Evgeni; I hope he pulls it off!

[silverlake22]

I feel bad for Tomas, but I feel like if he skates well in the free he can pull ahead of a lot of guys currently ahead of him, he's 10 points out of third and which is a quad and we all know he is capable.

Oh my goodness though Joubert and Plushy were wonderful! Why are the European guys so amazing whereas the European girls are mostly just pretty but can't really jump?

Excited for the FS!

[jennylovskt]

Does anybody think that Brezina looks like a British Royal? To be exact, I think he looks like Prince Edward.

[magicalwords]

Just watched Top 5.

Well, Plushenko's program lacks the spark.. I think a lot has to do with choreography, well, it's virtually nonexistent! His past programs like St. Petersburg 300 and Tribute to Nijinsky had that /special/ quality... can't see that in recent performances Nonetheless, it's amazing that he can still pull off quads and 3A's just like that.

As for Joubert, I don't know how to say this.. like, he's gotten more flowy? I've always thought of him as more stiff.. skater, but this program seemed different. Anyway, hope he keeps this up in LP, I really want Joubert to win this

YAY for Ponsero, why are there so many good French skaters, it's a shame they can't send all their skaters to Olympics, man, man, man, man, man! Not a big fan of his costume but definitely preferred this music to Plushenko/Joubert's

Brezina, a solid performance, and esp. that rotation for 3T = just wow
I say he's definitely the future of European skaters; his jumps are high in quality, and considering that this is only his first senior year, he is doing magnificently.

Lambiel, despite the mistake on quad, once again presented a very artistic program; he's a real artist on ice, even when he makes mistakes on his jumps, he still delivers a beautiful program (sometimes that makes me sad...). Well, I'm just happy that he's able to skate again and I hope he stays healthy!