Ladies Short - Start Order

[Mrs. P]

By the way, anyone know where to go to on the Universal Sports website to watch the promised full replay on demand videos?

http://www.universalsports.com/video/

There you go. Look for the box on your right and click on "Event Replay"

[aurora100]

With Frank Carroll's quote in the NYTimes about how politics cost his skater (Linda Fratianne) the gold at the 1980 Olympics (Poetzsch-Rauchenbach won the gold), it is very interesting that another one of Frank's skaters (Mirai) would be one of the skaters that didn't get a DG from her. Probably not connected and she wasn't the MAIN technical specialist, but still interesting.

Wow, you are a real research-afficianado....thanks for the neat info.

[silverlake22]

I think it's a different situation since Marianne was not a well known skater like Oda was.

True, I still wished they had sent Amelie Lacoste instead. She's even more muscular than Joannie and rarely falls with that great ability to muscle jumps, plus she has had better international results than Marianne. I actually prefer her to Cynthia though Cynthia was lovely today.

[Iscariot]

I was reading this http://www.goldenskate.com/articles/2009/w_ls.shtml
and they also noticed the UR on Mirai 3-3 but they also wrote that what helped were her spins and spirals, so probably she didnt get it ratified but got +2 on every single element .
If we think about it, it may be true because Mao got 68+ wih a "UR" 3A

[janetfan]

Well, judging by Mirai's 70+ score, it seems that her toe was ratified.

Mirai's 3x3 combo looked OK to me - but I am just watching from clips. For that matter I thought Mao's 3A looked OK too.

I agree with skatemom and doubt that Mirai would have scored 70 today if she had been dg'ed.

ETA: Is the GS article linked just offering an opinion about Mirai's having a ur?

[Mrs. P]

Wow, you are a real research-afficianado....thanks for the neat info.

You're welcome. I'm an absolute nerd for connecting the dots with information. I love getting context for everything!

[Marrymeyunakim]

I really hope that Yu-Na will be able to pick up the pieces and go for her LP tomorrow. She's a fighter. If she scores around 140-145 with a clean performance, she can still get a 205 total which will be extremely difficult for anyone to beat. Her SP today was a blip but who could blame her.

[chuckm]

I think it's entirely possible that Mirai's 3/3 was URd. It's a much bigger error (for Mao) to UR the first jump of a combination than the second one, because a required element (a 3/2 combo) wasn't executed. Mirai wouldn't lose that much for URing the second jump in a 3/3. Also, Mirai's spins and spiral are superior to Mao's and that would explain the higher score for Mirai.

[hikki]

Wihout 3/3, Mirai did get 70+ at nationals and Joannie the same at Skate Canada and nationals I think? I know, different competitions different scores. I wouldn't be surprised if that was how she earnt her score, as I think her elemens are just superb.

[janetfan]

I think it's entirely possible that Mirai's 3/3 was URd. It's a much bigger error (for Mao) to UR the first jump of a combination than the second one, because a required element (a 3/2 combo) wasn't executed. Mirai wouldn't lose that much for URing the second jump in a 3/3. Also, Mirai's spins and spiral are superior to Mao's and that would explain the higher score for Mirai.

Thanks - I was wondering if anyone knows for sure. It seems that we know Mao received a dg - isn't the info about Mirai also available?

[Mrs. P]

Thanks - I was wondering if anyone knows for sure. It seems that we know Mao received a dg - isn't the info about Mirai also available?

I would think someone would have mentioned it in the commentary. They have the protocals, so surely they would have discussed it. If it was DG it probably would have prompted even greater discussion of how she came to 70 points for her SP.

[aurora100]

Ok my two cents, after reading everyone's.

Everything (in main media) and on this forum for the last while have been suggesting Yuna has this in the bag. And I didn't like that. No skater has anything in the bag. Not even in Dance, anymore. And I also thought it was worrying to read that Yuna was having a hard time getting back to training. And I thought it was even more odd to read that Brian gave Yuna a day off on a practice day in Italy. I've never heard of Yuna taking a day off in competition. That was really odd.

All that said, for the skating fans, this LP will be very very exciting. This is a sport and you have to put them down when they count. I am looking forward to watching everyone.

I would say though, for both Yuna and Mao, Mirai is the most formidable competitor to compete against. For Yuna, Mao of late was an easy competitor. Mao certainly has not been able to compete against Yuna for two years. But Mirai's skating skills, especially spiral and spins are deeply rooted in the best tradition of US Ladies skating, which has a long history akin to the Russian pairs skating - which came undone in Vancouver. The US has been missing that "lady competitor" (Flatt is not one of them) and they have been taken over by Japanese lady skaters and most recently by Yuna. But now they have one in Mirai. When she didn't have the jumps (especially triple lutz and triple toe which only she and Yuna does), Yuna and Mao could compete against her. But if Mirai has all the jumps in LP, she would be hard to beat with her spirals and spins, especially when she is in the first place after SP.

At this point, Best of Yuna could knock off Best of Mao tomorrow but I don't think the Best of Mao can beat Best of Mirai (bettering her SB). Best of Yuna would be hard to press to beat Best of Mirai tomorrow because Yuna is 10 points behind Mirai. Only way Yuna can beat Best of Mirai tomorrow is if Yuna blows the roof off. I don't think Yuna has enough gas in her tank to do that after the Olympics. But I tell you what. That would be fun to watch. But seeing Mirai, I can see her becoming a world Champion tomorrow.

PS: This is strange because I was thinking if Yuna retired, Mao would be denied OGM by Mirai. I didn't think this would play out a month after Vancouver.

[QuadLutz]

I think Yu-na and Orser are acting quite heroicly in blaming everything on non-focus, because I for myself suspected through the whole performance that the problem was the left boot. It showed already in the change of direction after the combo and that's what she said herself. After that, the flip, the entrance to the spin and the spiral, the steps; all included the left foot, while the right foot elements looked quite normal and unhesitant and she didn't seem that nervous either.

Such a pity and bad luck, but kudos to her for fighting it. Of course, by this I'm not saying she should use it as an excuse. Just accept it and move on, which she seems to be doing right along.

As others have said, it's actually nice for the others to get the chance too.

As for Laura, from a Finn who usually defends her, very good for her and a deserved placement I think, but for once her spins and spirals didn't seem to me as good as they often have been. So why the huge score and the content humming now on the board? The combo and the total fluidity and command of the ice must have done the trick? But I'm not complaining. I'm happy she's finally finding her confidence. Dreading tomorrow...

And keep it together, Mirai!

[janetfan]

I would think someone would have mentioned it in the commentary. They have the protocals, so surely they would have discussed it. If it was DG it probably would have prompted even greater discussion of how she came to 70 points for her SP.

Watching on Universal today I believe it was Tara who said Mirai's second jump in the 3x3 might have been ur'ed. I never heard Tara or anyone else confirm it as Mirai was waiting for her score. They did confirm it for Mao - but not Mirai. I don't think it was brought up again during the rest of the broadcast.

[Mrs. P]

I think Yu-na and Orser are acting quite heroicly in blaming everything on non-focus, because I for myself suspected through the whole performance that the problem was the left boot. It showed already in the change of direction after the combo and that's what she said herself. After that, the flip, the entrance to the spin and the spiral, the steps; all included the left foot, while the right foot elements looked quite normal and unhesitant and she didn't seem that nervous either.

Such a pity and bad luck, but kudos to her for fighting it. Of course, by this I'm not saying she should use it as an excuse. Just accept it and move on, which she seems to be doing right along.

As others have said, it's actually nice for the others to get the chance too.

As for Laura, from a Finn who usually defends her, very good for her and a deserved placement I think, but for once her spins and spirals didn't seem to me as good as they often have been. So why the huge score and the content humming now on the board? The combo and the total fluidity and command of the ice must have done the trick? But I'm not complaining. I'm happy she's finally finding her confidence. Dreading tomorrow...

And keep it together, Mirai!

I think they just used the lack of focus because it's something that is not tangiable that the Korean media could repeat over and over again. They have a tendacy to just go on and on and on about something (see: SBS's Other skaters are colliding into Yuna or all the fuss about her blade after TEB last fall). I guess they could repeat the "lack of focus thing" but really that isn't that exciting to keep reporting on. Though I guess you could argue that her being in 7th place is news enough. I'm thinking too much about this!