Ladies Short Program | Page 9 | Golden Skate

Ladies Short Program

Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
colleen, Zhenya does not have bowed legs! :) Seriously, imho he doesn't, rather I've always said he has the absolute perfect figure for men's figure skating, especially as he matured, he literally became Apollo (http://paleothea.com/Men.html) . Lol, one time I recall going on & on & on about his figure (too much youth talking there), then he came out with "Sex Bomb". :laugh: I much prefer when he skates "Nijinsky". In fact I really think his physique should be cast in stone, as thee perfect figure for men's f.s., the same way Michael Phelps's body was studied to see what made him the greatest male swimmer of all-time.

Sorry for going off-topic, but I really only came back for Zhenya this past year, and with him gone I find I'm not really liking skating any more. And I think this has colored my perception of it.

Good luck to the ladies, I will try to watch them on IN's on-demand feature when I get the chance.
 

heyang

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Just some general comments:

With the exception of the 15 yr old Japanese girl, most performances were somewhat flat, but it's early.

Ashley is off to a good start, as is Rachel. BTW, love her haircut; it's much more complimentary to her appearance.

Caroline Z was still skating slow, but her takeoffs on her jumps were better. She didn't do her pearl spin; so, I'm wondering if she just can't anymore. Personally, I didn't expect everything to be fixed and she has a couple of years to fix it and put herself in as a contender for the Olympics again. To me, the 2 seasons post Olympics are good for rebuilding technique and by the yr prior to Olympics you want to build a momentum of being on top. So, I'm still wishful that she can rebuild, but she will have improve her speed which will also help in her jumps.
 

Poodlepal

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
I'm sorry if this was discussed before (if it was, tell me what page it was on--I didn't read all 11 links), but how did someone who did a relatively easy combination beat a bunch of people who did a harder combination? I usually sit with my calculator and add along, and I'm usually close to what the judges say, but Carolina's high score surprised me. Was she the only one who was completely clean?

As for the young Japanese girl, all I have to say is--you go girl! Ever since 1998, every female skater (with a few exceptions here and there) has been trying to recreate Michelle's Angel routine--soft, slow music, subtle dress, delicate hair bun. Some do that style well, but others seem to have to reject their natural personalities to fit into that mold. Kimmie Meisner was one example. She always seemed like a peppy tomboy off the ice in interviews, but had to slow it down and bun it up on the ice. Ashley and Rachael also seem to be almost forcing themselves into that mold, that style of skating, although I think Rachael is breaking the mold little by little.

Murakami is adorable. She's not afraid to be different, and she deserves to be praised. And hats off to Tara L. for complaining about how slow everyone else was!
I really miss Tara, Kristi, Irina, Midori Ito, Sasha and even Tonya and Nancy (though I wouldn't put those two together in the same rink, LOL!). They were great skaters who had different styles.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I'm sorry if this was discussed before (if it was, tell me what page it was on--I didn't read all 11 links), but how did someone who did a relatively easy combination beat a bunch of people who did a harder combination?

Kostner won on the program component scores. Murakami had the highest tech because she was the only lady who did a triple-triple (although the first jump of her 3T+3T was underrotated and did not receive full credit.)

Flatt was second in tech with 3Lz+2T, 3F and 2A, with no URs or edge calls. In fact, Rachael's program had the highest base value, but she was nipped by Murakami in GOEs.

In PCSs, Carolina received the highest marks, followed by Asada and then Korpi.
 

museksk8r

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
In PCSs, Carolina received the highest marks, followed by Asada and then Korpi.

. . . and justifiably so as Kostner is the strongest basic skater in this competition, yes, even better than Mao, IMO. It's always been the jump setups and landings that have stood in Caro's way. If she ever got a grip on her jump timing, she would be multiple time World champ and Olympic champ.
 
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prettykeys

Medalist
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
1. Carolina Kostner - love her SP, choreography (yeahhh I know, recycled music and all ;) ), dress, the flash of a smile at the end. Wish she'd have incorporated a 3Lz or 3F into the program, but considering her injury--it was good.

2. Kanako Murakami - best performance. This girl has a lot of energy! There are a few cheesy moments, but it's really something different. I haven't seen a program with so much spunkiness in...ever, I think. :eek:

3. Rachael Flatt - I haven't been able to see the SP. Saw a picture of her dress (gorgeous emerald-turquoise), and her hair...! It looks SO good! For a second I wondered if I should get my hair cut like that, too...and thought, nah. It wouldn't work on my face. But it sure works on Rache ;)

Mao - she looked quite changed. More mature and womanly. I saw a bit of worry on her face before her performance, and then we could see why. However, as others have pointed out, it wasn't entirely unexpected with the changes she announced she was putting herself through as far as technique goes. Lovely makeup and costume. All in all, I'm just going to keep my eyes on her to see how she improves. I remember when she said she wanted to put in 3 Triple Axels into her SP+LP last year and most of us were doubtful...and look what happened by the end of the year! There's a reason why she's the reigning world champion. Her general skating and footwork was still tops.
 
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