Laura Lepisto - - - 2011 World Champion? Yes or.... No? | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Laura Lepisto - - - 2011 World Champion? Yes or.... No?

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Lol but that was then so the theory doesn't even hold up!! Maybe Laura will be the Olympic champion in Sochi but I can't see her being the world champion next year. Not at all. Maybe if Mao isn't there, but why wouldn't she be.

Maybe Silverlake is on to something here. If we can put Laura in a time machine - maybe she can go back and win the 2002 OGM. :laugh:

Wondering - by 2014 - will Laura be 25 or 26?
She is one of the few skaters that I typically enjoy no matter where she places. The girl lights up the ice and I wish more skated the way she did.
 

ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
I'm mixed on the subject.

On the one hand, Laura is a beautiful skater. She's so fluid and natural on the ice. She's the type of skater that makes me wish there was ice dance for single skaters (internationally, I mean) because the way she expresses the music is lovely. Of the bronze medal candidates this year (Lepisto, Kostner, Phaneuf, and Ando), she's the one I enjoy watching the most (Phaneuf has me on edge too much; ditto Kostner)

But I want a skater to have more too. If she wins a world championship like she won her bronze, I'd be disappointed. The level of competition would have to be quite low for that to happen, I think. On the other hand, if she delivers a program like her Olympic program (five triples, even if it's just two toes, two loops and a lutz), I won't begrudge her too much.
 

evangeline

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Sasha Cohen, Oksana Baiul, Asada Mao, Mirai Nagasu

Sasha, Oksana, Mao and Mirai all have good posture and elegant flowing lines indeed, but perhaps you are conflating flexibility with good posture and positions? Laura isn't the bendiest skater out there, but she does hits good positions and has decent posture when she skates.

To me, Laura has an elegant and refined style that reminds me of the older generation of skaters before uber-flexibility became the rage (and I mean that in the best way possible).
 

hurrah

Medalist
Joined
Aug 8, 2009
Sasha, Oksana, Mao and Mirai all have good posture and elegant flowing lines indeed, but perhaps you are conflating flexibility with good posture and positions? Laura isn't the bendiest skater out there, but she does hits good positions and has decent posture when she skates.

To me, Laura has an elegant and refined style that reminds me of the older generation of skaters before uber-flexibility became the rage (and I mean that in the best way possible).

I don't find Laura Lepisto's posture and position to be beautiful, but they are okay. She does maintain a very upright posture, and I think her positions are, as you say, 'decent'.

I admire her speed tho!
 

Gymgirll

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
I think if she lands all her technical content, then yes, she deserves to be at least on the podium and if skaters like Mao,... don't hit well she could win gold. But with so many double jumps as this year I wouldn't want it.
 

FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2j0TL8jzdc&feature=related

time: 3:12
Q: What do you have to work on to be at the level of Mao and Yuna?
A: It's all about the consistency. The Asian girls are beautiful skaters and very hard to beat but I think we have many good skaters in Europe and I think we're getting there.

Laura is such a doll. Too bad all the questions are for the Asian girls. Laura was just sitting there, bored. Poor girl.
 

berrycute

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 14, 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2j0TL8jzdc&feature=related

time: 3:12
Q: What do you have to work on to be at the level of Mao and Yuna?
A: It's all about the consistency. The Asian girls are beautiful skaters and very hard to beat but I think we have many good skaters in Europe and I think we're getting there.

Laura is such a doll. Too bad all the questions are for the Asian girls. Laura was just sitting there, bored. Poor girl.

She's a big hero in Finland though, she was always kinda in Kiira's shadow because of Kiira's foxiness, but now she's getting the attention herself, she even had a reception with the President of Finland a few weeks back!

And I think her answer to the question does have a point, many of the most exciting skaters in the junior ranks are coming from Europe (especially Russia).
 

cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2j0TL8jzdc&feature=related

time: 3:12
Q: What do you have to work on to be at the level of Mao and Yuna?
A: It's all about the consistency. The Asian girls are beautiful skaters and very hard to beat but I think we have many good skaters in Europe and I think we're getting there.

Laura is such a doll. Too bad all the questions are for the Asian girls. Laura was just sitting there, bored. Poor girl.

Yuna's translator was awful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:laugh:
 

jian10

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Probably not yet. Maybe in 2 or 3 years? If she keeps progressing. But I think Joannie is so close to get the title. If Yu Na retires, in the next season I think it'll be between Mao and Joannie.
 
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chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
I do not think a program with a 3T/3T and one 3Z should ever be able to win a World Championship. Even if Laura had done all her triples, they were of the easier variety (loop and salchow). Laura does an easier SP than the other ladies (3T/3T, 3Lo, 2A), and even though she fell out of her 2A and put two hands down at Worlds, the judges gave her a huge 64+ score anyway. IMO, it was her inflated SP score that allowed her to win bronze.

Laura is inconsistent at best, anyway. She has a less than 50% success rate on the lutz, and has no flip. In the early season, she was not landing 3T/3T, and even watered it down to 2T/2T at one GP event. At 22, she is unlikely to expand her technical repertoire.

I just don't see Laura on top of the World podium, and if she somehow did make it there with her limited technical ability, it would be a sad day for figure skating.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
I just wonder if you really follow her closely to talk about her because she has managed to land many triple lutzes at;

2008 NHK Trophy
2009 World Champs
2009 Japan Open
2009 Skate Canada
2010 Olympics
2010 Worlds

Not "once" at all... She even said that it is a jump that works really well in practices.

In 2008-2009, she competed at Nebelhorn, Finlandia, Cup of China, NHK, Europeans, Worlds and the Japan Open. In 2009-2010, she competed at Finlandia, NHK, Skate Canada, Europeans, Olympics and Worlds. That's a total of 13 competitions, and she landed the lutz at 6 of them. That's less than a 50% success rate with the lutz.

Meanwhile, most of the ladies who have a lutz attempt three per competition: one in the SP and two in the FS. Laura only tries one in the FS. Right there, it shows that she doesn't have confidence in her ability to land it in competition.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Am curious - if you think Laura is "stiff and wooden" - who do you think has good posture and elegant flowing lines? Who has expressive choreo and really performs well to the music?

And why do you think the best judges from ISU were not able to agree with your views?

I also find Laura a little on the stiff side. And yes, a bit wooden, too, when it comes to her choreo and interpretation: she does a tight, reserved tango rather than an fiery Argentine tango.

In a nutshell: the judges like Lepisto because she is European, and most of the judges are European. They wanted a European skater on the World podium, because there hasn't been one there since 2008, when Kostner won silver (also a very controversial placement).

IMO, Lepisto gets over-rewarded rather frequently for technically deficient performances. She is pleasing to look at and has elegant costumes, but that should not make her "more equal" than other skaters.
 

rtureck

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I do not think a program with a 3T/3T and one 3Z should ever be able to win a World Championship. Even if Laura had done all her triples, they were of the easier variety (loop and salchow). Laura does an easier SP than the other ladies (3T/3T, 3Lo, 2A), and even though she fell out of her 2A and put two hands down at Worlds, the judges gave her a huge 64+ score anyway. IMO, it was her inflated SP score that allowed her to win bronze.

Laura is inconsistent at best, anyway. She has a less than 50% success rate on the lutz, and has no flip. In the early season, she was not landing 3T/3T, and even watered it down to 2T/2T at one GP event. At 22, she is unlikely to expand her technical repertoire.

But I think she has a chance, I don't under estimate that judges bestow gifts. Yeah, I think her world bronze was a gift

I just don't see Laura on top of the World podium, and if she somehow did make it there with her limited technical ability, it would be a sad day for figure skating.
I felt sad in the past 4 yrs. In consecutive olys comp the OGM in ladies did not land the full set of triple jumps (3A not counted). I love Shizuka, but she was either loopless or saless in 06, andYuNa is totally loopless.

BAck to topic, I think it is possible, not likely. YuNa will retire. It is difficult to defend a world title, Ithink only MK and Kristi have done that in recent history. So that leaves Ando, Joannie, and Nagasu to challenge Laura for gold
 
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chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Ando, Asada and Rochette could all push Lepisto off the podium next season. Nagasu could be a threat---if she can control her nerves. But Laura will also find challenges from other Europeans: Kostner is not quite done yet, and Makarova is a new threat, along with the younger Russian ladies.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
I also find Laura a little on the stiff side. And yes, a bit wooden, too, when it comes to her choreo and interpretation: she does a tight, reserved tango rather than an fiery Argentine tango.

In a nutshell: the judges like Lepisto because she is European, and most of the judges are European. They wanted a European skater on the World podium, because there hasn't been one there since 2008, when Kostner won silver (also a very controversial placement).

IMO, Lepisto gets over-rewarded rather frequently for technically deficient performances. She is pleasing to look at and has elegant costumes, but that should not make her "more equal" than other skaters.

Interesting, and I agree with your technical analysis - but I find Laura fast, graceful, animated and very expressive on the ice. Sort of the total opposite of "stiff and wooden."

The "Euro" bonus is talked about alot - I guess just like we hear about the USA, Canadian and Russian bonus. What's next on the horizon - the Japanese bonus? :)

Sometimes I think there are trends in skating. Watching Yuna and Mao this year it is not hard to see that judges seemed to prefer Yuna's style and programs over what Mao was presenting.

We could also see that ISU judges preferred Mirai's style and programs over Rachael at the Olympics and Worlds.

I think it is not too far off to suggest that ISU judges favored Laura's style and programs at Worlds over Miki's. I know I certainly did - and I like Miki, but not her programs so much this season.

I think there is still something intangible - even more than just "subjective" - that effects scores at the biggest international events. Laura seemed to be offering the style of skating that appealed to the judges at Worlds. Maybe technically her programs were not the most difficult, but she did skate with alot of grace and flair. The judges preferred her and gave her bronze over Miki and Cynthia.

I can understand how fans have disputed Laur'a bronze medal. But calling her stiff and wooden does not seem to be a very realistic appraisal of her skating. Nor does it help explain her medal.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Ando, Asada and Rochette could all push Lepisto off the podium next season. Nagasu could be a threat---if she can control her nerves. But Laura will also find challenges from other Europeans: Kostner is not quite done yet, and Makarova is a new threat, along with the younger Russian ladies.

I doubt Rochette will skate another competitive season. Ando failed to beat Lepisto this time around even with a clean freeskate. Yes, Mirai certainly will be a threat to the podium if she can repeat this season.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it's an opinion, not fact. What looks "graceful, animated and very expressive" to one person may appear stiff, robotic and wooden to another.

It's pretty bizarre that CoP is supposed to award the tangible aspects of skating and do so quantitatively, and then a skater wins a bronze medal based on the "intangible" and "subjective", with only 3 triple jumps and good but far from exceptional spins, footwork and spiral.

Apparently, the only thing that kept Mirai Nagasu off the podium was her attempts to do triple jumps. Maybe if she had settled for mostly doubles, she could have scored a silver medal over Asada. After all, Mirai is graceful and she does have exceptional spins and spirals.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Apparently, the only thing that kept Mirai Nagasu off the podium was her attempts to do triple jumps. Maybe if she had settled for mostly doubles, she could have scored a silver medal over Asada. After all, Mirai is graceful and she does have exceptional spins and spirals.

Ugh. That's depressing. I don't even want to hear about how close she might have been...
 
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