- Joined
- May 15, 2009
And under 6.0, Mao's lutz wouldn't have been penalized and while it's not her favorite/most reputed jump, she can (and has done in competition) triple salchows before. And don't forget her spins and spirals (her spiral position is imo noticeably prettier than Midori's).
Yu-na doesn't have the 3A but most ladies during 6.0 didn't have it either- however, she does have a massive 3Lz+3T as well as a pretty darn good 3F+3T combo as well as decent spirals and strong edging and flow (especially in her spirals which while not the most aesthetically pleasing, have good ice coverage and speed) as well as textbook technique on all her jumps (yes even her 3Loop from the ones she did complete in competition i.e. 2007 Cup of Russia).
Yuna or Mao can't match Midori's jumps. She does a 3Lz, 3A and 3 Lo in the first 90 seconds, 7 triples in all with a 3T+3T.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKGasODrAcU
Under 6.0 Midori would have been seen as having a better 3Lz than Mao and a better 3A. That's what judges decided. Because they did not write in down in a little box and post it on the internet the next day does not mean they were not evaluating tech and presentation.
FTR, I see plenty of CoP era skaters get away with dubious looking lutz jumps. We saw the argument all season long about Adelina. We saw Sasha get away with it in her SP at US Natls last season. There are plenty of skaters with borderline edges on the lutz and flip in the CoP era. Sometimes it gets called and many times we see leniency.
Judges are human and the sway of politics, TV money and favors owed is still part of the sport.
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