Championship Ladies FS

[chuckm]

I love Amanda Dobbs, but she just doesn't have the jump repertory of the other top ladies. Amanda basically has 2A, 3T and 3S, and little else in the way of jumps. She did try the 3F, but fell on it.

That's why she's also competing in Pairs. 2A, 3T and 3S are all that it takes to be competitive in Pairs, but in Senior Ladies, not having 3F, 3Lo and 3Z is a big limitation.

[cornell08]

Ashley looked like a fairy yesterday night

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/2...2420h18m51.png

Oh, Ashley was definitely rockin' the Peasblossom/Mustardseed look . I hope she's doing alright, very proud of her. It was a truly lovely performance.

[cornell08]

Dobbs definitely has a less impressive array of jumps, but when she lands them well it really reminds me of a young Michelle Kwan. There's just something very similar in their skating/edge quality. Can't quite pinpoint it...

[emma]

...
On another subject, Rachael isn't the most "exquisite" skater, but anyone who works as hard as she obviously does deserves my respect and even my gratitude. I think part of it is her posture: she doesn't have that erect carriage that Sasha, Mirai, Carolyn, and Yuka Sato have. To me, Sarah Hughes had some of the same problem--she always looked a bit slouched. But Rachael doesn't lack style. Like Elvis Stojko, she just has a different kind of style. When I watched him, I didn't spend my time yearning for the likes of John Curry; instead I admired Elvis's particular contribution to skating: a straight-ahead, forceful steadiness and plenty of daring. I think that for the time Rachael graces our podiums (and maybe with luck the world's podiums), we should just enjoy what she brings to it, because clearly she's got a lot to give. Maybe she doesn't have the classic ballet body, but neither does Jayne Torvill, whom she reminds me of, and Torvill did just fine in terms of electricity of presentation. The rebel in me is kind of pleased that Rachael isn't conventionally glamorous. Variety is the spice of skating! I can't imagine Miki Ando skating to "Swing, Swing, Swing" with the verve Rachael is giving it.

I'm thrilled to see that we have two ladies who won their places not by default, but by doing the best that was in them. I hope they both make top ten. I hope they both make top five! I hope...but let's not get ahead of ourselves. No pressures, ladies!

I love this post!!! Congrats to all of the skaters and medalists! Very exciting competition! Thanks Chuckm for your explanations too - those who don't won't to hear never will.

I do wish Flatt could flatten her shoulders a bit - but boy oh boy she has continued to improve while maintaining consistency and composure, I say well done!!

I also wish - as others have noted - that the paid US commentators learn to commentate (is that a word?). Everytime I hear Europsort or the Spanish commentators or even some of the Canadian ones, I feel they are far superior.

[janetfan]

The purpose of the earbuds is to educate audiences as to the intricacies of the IJS. Booklets explaining the rules and the criteria for levels and deductions were handed out right at the door to everyone.

Fans of skaters who didn't happen to come out on top probably aren't interested in knowing why their favorite didn't pass muster. Truth can sometimes be painful to admit. So they blame the judging system instead of hoping that their favorite skaters will work on their deficiencies.

I predicted long ago that Rachael Flatt was the most likely skater to make the Olympic team, and it was precisely because (A) Rachael has addressed her deficiencies and worked hard to improve them and (B) she is the most consistent skater and (C) she has competition nerves of steel.

The ear buds - and any attempt at this point to educate the audience - who afterall are the fans who care enough to attend the event sounds like a good thing.

I think NBC has two hours of skating this afternoon and along with the Gala I think they may spend some time explaining what went down last night.

It certainly would be good for fans to get a chance to see these urs and to learn more about how the scores were arrived at.

Any comments on what you heard on the buds last night? Did they explain how Rachael's score was a new pb by what - 20 or more points?

I still don't see how her 200 + score has even a remote resemblance to Yuna or Mao's skating when they have received similar scores.

I knew before Mirai took the ice last night there was no way she could top Rachael's inflated score. So again, a moment of CoP madness intruded on what had been a good competition.

Like Scott, and most fans I did feel some hope after Mirai skated because it just looked and felt so much better than Rachael.

So much for an emotional attachment and reaction to skating. Those days appear to be over because there is too much we can't see that is going to determine the outcome.

Personally I don't like being such a poor sport and thanks to any who have shown a little patience to the unpleasant whining from me and so many others.

Good luck in Vancouver to Rachael and Mirai.

[carolinefan177]

After watching Mirai's program for the second time, I could better see some of the URs. However, I think the biggest tragedy here is that it takes most people another glance at a program to understand a skater's score--even Scott Hamilton didn't get it right.

I get that figure skating is a sport, but it's not quite that black and white. What has always drawn me to figure skating was that it was coupled with artistry, elegance, and beauty, and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that the sport has lost most of this under the current scoring system.

Am I saying it's unfair? No. Skating has simply turned into a system of numbers; those that can master that system, like Rachael, will ultimately be victorious.

I think it's sad that it takes a set of earbuds and some really keen eyes to really get the complexity of the scoring system. Skating has always been about being "in the moment," at least for me.

And for me, Mirai was the one "in the zone" last night, as was Yuakri Nakano at the 2008 worlds.

I mean we could argue back and fourth about this issue, for ages. But, in the end, no matter how much more fair figure skating is or claims to be, there will always be partiality, and that goes for any sport.

Call me ignorant, naive, or unfair, but I think Mirai should have won last night, and I make no apologies for having this opinion.

Besides, that's part of what makes a sport so exciting, the diverse perspectives.

Congratulations to both skaters...

And I hope Zhang makes a quick recovery and does what she thinks is best for her and her body

[oleada]

I still can't see the underrotation of Mirai's 3Lz. I can give you the last 3T, the 2A+3T maybe, but the 3Lz? can't see it.

[FlattFan]

I just wish this system was used in the 1988 Olympics and 1990 worlds. Midori Ito would have won those two handily. Thank god the CoP addressed this problem and reward the right skater this time around.

[Layfan]

I still can't see the underrotation of Mirai's 3Lz. I can give you the last 3T, the 2A+3T maybe, but the 3Lz? can't see it.

Where are you re-watching the programs? I'm dying to seem them again.

[mystichaze]

Congrats to Mirai and Rachel for making the Olympic team. I'm not a Wagner fan but I have to give her some respect for skating like she did last night, only if it weren't for that fall in the SP she would definitely be on the team. Was she sent to JR worlds last year too? Tom Zakrajsek must be a very proud coach for having two of his students winning titles in Spokane (Agnes Zawadzki & Rachel).Frank Carroll will also be very busy preparing his team of skaters for Vancouver (Evan, Mirai and Carolina).

[janetfan]

I just wish this system was used in the 1988 Olympics and 1990 worlds. Midori Ito would have won those two handily. Thank god the CoP addressed this problem and reward the right skater this time around.

Midori had the slimmest of chances to win as long as school figures were being used. She was a great free skater but was very poor at figures. Exceptionally poor.

She was eliminated from medal contention at Calgary because of her poor figures. In 1990 Jill skated a bad SP but still had enough of a lead because of the figures to win the WC.

[chuckm]

Any comments on what you heard on the buds last night? Did they explain how Rachael's score was a new pb by what - 20 or more points?

I still don't see how her 200 + score has even a remote resemblance to Yuna or Mao's skating when they have received similar scores.

I knew before Mirai took the ice last night there was no way she could top Rachael's inflated score. So again, a moment of CoP madness intruded on what had been a good competition.

Like Scott, and most fans I did feel some hope after Mirai skated because it just looked and felt so much better than Rachael.

Nationals scoring has always been inflated. But IMO 130 for Rachael's FS is a more reasonable score than 144 for Rochette's FS at Canadian Nationals. Rachael got 116 for her FS at Skate America, where she received no credit for her final spins. Those spins have been corrected, which would have given her an additional 6 points. So 130 is not that far off from 122. OTOH, Rochette's top FS score was 124.15---144 is twenty points beyond that.

At least several skaters have achieved scores over 130, but NO lady has ever scored 140, much less 144.

If Mirai had fully rotated all 6 of her jumps, she could easily have passed Rachael. She was already ahead of Rachel by 0.66 after the SP. She would have gained 10.06 for fully rotated jumps plus a possible +3 in GOE, which would have raised her TES to 69.95 vs. Rachael's 69.05, and that would have given her the title and a score at least 1 point higher than Rachaels.

Mirai MUST work on fully rotating her jumps. If she doesn't, the ISU tech teams will drop her TES and the judges will ding her SS and her PCS scores.

[oleada]

Where are you re-watching the programs? I'm dying to seem them again.

They are up at nbcolympics.com

Regardless of the UR's or not, Mirai should have destroyed Rachael in the PCS and that didn't happen. I'm fine with her being second if the URs were there, but the PCS is frankly a joke.

[inside edge]

Nationals scoring has always been inflated. But IMO 130 for Rachael's FS is a more reasonable score than 144 for Rochette's FS at Canadian Nationals. Rachael got 116 for her FS at Skate America, where she received no credit for her final spins. Those spins have been corrected, which would have given her an additional 6 points. So 130 is not that far off from 122. OTOH, Rochette's top FS score was 124.15---144 is twenty points beyond that.

At least several skaters have achieved scores over 130, but NO lady has ever scored 140, much less 144.

Here comes i love skating

[ImaginaryPogue]

Here comes i love skating

Oh come on, if chuckiem is gonna add points for lost spins, than I'm gonna add points for triples doubled, and catch up a little. It's just an illogical comparison.