Junior Ladies: Long Program | Page 13 | Golden Skate

Junior Ladies: Long Program

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Gracie has never been at a major ISU event before-so yes, she may not know the protocol.
 

tulosai

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Nobody was arguing that Sasha had better jumps or consistency than Julia. The point was that she had more artistry even at an early age. And yes, star quality.

BUT - I just watched Julia's FS and it's the best I've seen from her by a long shot. She finishes everything off with such beautiful arm and hand movements. Hopefully soon she'll point her toes in the layback! Anybody want to bet she'll be doing Swan Lake next year?

These were exactly my thoughts- that I felt she must have REALLY been working with someone on her arms between Russian Junior Nationals and now. I am a huge fan of Julia so I liked her program very much before but I think this is the first time I've seen her in a while where I was really WOWED by her now that I am kind of 'over' her flexibility.
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Just watched the Top 4 in the free. I really enjoyed Lipnitskaya, she was a deserved winner. I like the use of her flexibility, I though the music and choreography worked well. I didn't realise Morozov was involved.

Gold has great jumps, high and powerfull but other aspects are a bit lacking yet but she has time to work on that. I did think she was a bit overmarked in the PCS elements. Sotnikova had a programme of two halves, first part very impressive and then she seemed to lose focus and then came the stumbles and fall. I like her as a skater, she has had a difficult season but she has come through it in one piece.

I like Shelpen, she does two 3/3 combos, and she went for it. She had a lot riding on this and it may have been enough to guarantee a spot for Senior Worlds. I think she was a bit undermarked compared to 2nd and 3rd. I definitely would not have Gold ahead of her on PCS.

All the skaters have been very well received by the crowd, which seemed fairly sizeable, they got behind all the skaters.

I agree 3T3T.

The Russian ladies now have great presentation to go along with the difficult jumps. I think even Miyahara was pretty impressive but I think Gracie will improve. I've already seen the improvement in the short which was a better vehicle for her imo. I'm liking Gracie more and more.
 

DianaSelene

Medalist
Joined
Aug 2, 2011
These were exactly my thoughts- that I felt she must have REALLY been working with someone on her arms between Russian Junior Nationals and now. I am a huge fan of Julia so I liked her program very much before but I think this is the first time I've seen her in a while where I was really WOWED by her now that I am kind of 'over' her flexibility.

Agree with everything you say, tulosai, I see an improvement.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
I haven't seen Shelepen in a while and she's turned into quite the little diva. I love the way she goes up from a donut to a downward-looking Biellman as if it were nothing. I hope she gets to go to Worlds.

Christina Gao started beautifully with her 3F-3T but struggled in the second half of the program and ran out of steam after 2-footing the loop. She's matured a lot artistically but not quite enough to pull off this tango (which at the beginning of the season I thought would be fantastic). She's so striking with those endless limbs and that exotically beautiful face, but doesn't have much style yet. I wonder how she would do with a classical piece that has both beauty and some modern angularity, like Prokofiev's 1st violin concerto or the Franck violin sonata. I keep rooting for her.
 
Last edited:

katymay

Medalist
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Thank you!

Videos - Ladies Free Skate (Updated: Eurosport & Other TV Versions Where Available)

1. Julia LIPNITSKAYA - Long Program (RUS) (FS = 1st), LP - 2nd Copy and Short Program

2. Gracie GOLD - Long Program (USA) (FS = 2nd) and Short Program

3. Adelina SOTNIKOVA - Long Program (RUS) (FS = 3rd) and Short Program

4. Satoko MIYAHARA - Long Program (JPN) (FS = 6th) and Short Program

5. Zijun LI - Long Program (CHN) (FS = 5th) and Short Program

6. Polina SHELEPEN - Long Program (RUS) (FS = 4th) and Short Program

7. Christina GAO - Long Program (USA) (FS = 7th) and Short Program

8. Hae-Jin KIM - Long Program (KOR) (FS = 8th) and Short Program

10. Kaetlyn OSMOND - Long Program (CAN) (FS = 10th) and Short Program

12. Miu SATO - Long Program (JPN) (FS = 12th) and Short Program

20. Risa SHOJI - Long Program (JPN) (FS = 22nd) and Short Program

I have always enjoyed the juniors far more than the seniors-and it looks like a great deal of talent is moving in! Thank you for the vids, I deeply appreciate it! I was IMPRESSED (sorry Nadine) with this crop of skaters-but I love huge jumps. My only 'ewww' is for the Red Getup....hated it and found it distracting. Yes, all of the skaters need a bit of polish, but the raw athletic talent is fun to watch, and it is something I have missed from the seniors for quite some time. (Perhaps since Yuna and Mao when they were juniors.....)
 
Last edited:

macy

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2011
the top three are absolutely gorgeous girls, wow. such beauty.

julia is definitely a star as so many other people have said. what a great way to cap off her perfect season. her jumps were great. she does need more polishing and i think her axel technique may cause her problems as she grows, she doesn't jump up, she jumps in. her free leg doesn't lift up. although she shows nice pointed toes in her spirals, i would like to see the same on her landings and in some spin positions, and some harder triple-triples. along with a different choreographer. she did look a little slow on camera, although i don't know what she looks like in real life. she definitely deserved to win the title, but i think she was overscored in PCS. the real question will be how she will hold up in the next few years against skaters like gracie and adelina who have gone through their growth spurts. it will be interesting to say the least.

i am so happy for gracie and proud of her. she went from being virtually unknown to junior world silver medalist in a season. she has so much to be proud of, especially being this was only her second international competition and she was able to keep her head on her shoulders and stay focused. i hope she can carry that into the future when she moves up to senior. her jump technique is so solid, you just know she's going to land them. she also needs polishing, but she is fast and has the technical side of it. i don't think her artistry is bad, i actually think she expresses with her arms very well in her long program, but it isn't up to it's full potential. i think a new choreographer would help her in the future. i think both of her programs played to her strengths this year and i'm so excited what her programs will be like next year, along with julia's.

the first half of adelina's program was absolutely perfect, then the second went downhill...she must have lost focus after the first mistake. she is definitely the most mature of the bunch, and i noticed her skating matured a lot from last year, probably because she had to for seniors. i hope she takes this year as a learning experience, being it her first year as a senior, and not let it get to her negatively. i hope she can regroup and get herself together in the off season.

polina did a nice job, but she just doesn't stand out to me. i think she's really boring even though she has the jumps. like someone else said, i almost wanted to fast forward through her program.

does anyone have a video of the ladies medal ceremony or LP press conference?
 

cjsk8fan

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 11, 2005
I noticed Julia's axel technique as well. Reminds me of Tara Lipinski's technique. But she gets the job done, although all the positive GOE's are puzzling.
 

Mao88

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
Videos - Ladies Free Skate (Updated: Eurosport & Other TV Versions Where Available)

1. Julia LIPNITSKAYA - Long Program (RUS) (FS = 1st), LP - 2nd Copy and Short Program

2. Gracie GOLD - Long Program (USA) (FS = 2nd), LP - 2nd Copy and Short Program

3. Adelina SOTNIKOVA - Long Program (RUS) (FS = 3rd), LP - 2nd Copy and Short Program

4. Satoko MIYAHARA - Long Program (JPN) (FS = 6th) and Short Program

5. Zijun LI - Long Program (CHN) (FS = 5th) and Short Program

6. Polina SHELEPEN - Long Program (RUS) (FS = 4th) and Short Program

7. Christina GAO - Long Program (USA) (FS = 7th) and Short Program

8. Hae-Jin KIM - Long Program (KOR) (FS = 8th) and Short Program

10. Kaetlyn OSMOND - Long Program (CAN) (FS = 10th) and Short Program

12. Miu SATO - Long Program (JPN) (FS = 12th) and Short Program

20. Risa SHOJI - Long Program (JPN) (FS = 22nd) and Short Program

Adding links to some better quality new videos of Gracie's and Adelina's free skates.
 
Last edited:

ANW

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
I think Salome would be a good choice for her next season.

Christina Gao started beautifully with her 3F-3T but struggled in the second half of the program and ran out of steam after 2-footing the loop. She's matured a lot artistically but not quite enough to pull off this tango (which at the beginning of the season I thought would be fantastic). She's so striking with those endless limbs and that exotically beautiful face, but doesn't have much style yet. I wonder how she would do with a classical piece that has both beauty and some modern angularity, like Prokofiev's 1st violin concerto or the Franck violin sonata. I keep rooting for her.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
Goodness. That would certainly test her (as yet non-existent) dramatic abilities! Has anyone ever skated to that before?
 

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Congratulations to all the medalists!

Also thanks a lot, guys for video links.
Looking forward to seeing these videos later today.

I have not read all the comments with 17 pages long...but what happened to Risa???
I know Risa has problems to UR calls, flutz, slow spins, etc. but was surprised to see her as low as 20th at this particular competition.
She was so promising last season when she made a 'splash' to win her first Jr. Grand Prix event in Japan and then placed 5th at the Nationals.
 

tiinya

Spectator
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
I have not read all the comments with 17 pages long...but what happened to Risa???
I know Risa has problems to UR calls, flutz, slow spins, etc. but was surprised to see her as low as 20th at this particular competition.
She was so promising last season when she made a 'splash' to win her first Jr. Grand Prix event in Japan and then placed 5th at the Nationals.

According to Japanese TV broadcast, she was injured right foot.
I like her skating. I pray that her injury heal faster.:no:
 

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
According to Japanese TV broadcast, she was injured right foot.
I like her skating. I pray that her injury heal faster.:no:

tiinya, thank you for the update on Risa's condition.
Very sad to hear that.
Wish you a full recovery, Risa! Take a good care of yourself and rest enough, please.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
I haven't seen any videos yet but from looking at the protocols it looks like it was a runaway victory for Julia. I'm not crazy about her skating (yet) but I do find her consistency remarkable. She's been nearly perfect all season long. I don't know whether to credit that to her youth or focus or both...but if she can keep that up while improving in other areas, she'll be tough to beat. She's got a long way to go in terms of growing though. I'd love to see her develop her artistry more. Here's hoping she survives another visit from the puberty monster...she's probably got another inch or two to grow. Good for her though. She's been on all season...nice way to wrap it up!

Kudos to Gracie too. I'm relieved she didn't win gold here. I just think it would have resulted in an exorbitant amount of pressure on her next season. My main thing with Gracie is that people are so anxious to see her at that next level because of her jumps, but she's got a lot of growing left to do. On a technical side, she can compete with the best; but she's a lopsided skater as of now. Her artistry, expression, musicality, presentation, etc. all need work. I'm sure she and her team know that and will try to address it next season. She's got a bright future ahead of her and it will be interesting to see what happens next season once she makes the jump to senior.

As for Adelina, it's been a tough year. It's weird to say that. She's actually medaled at every competition she entered this year (2 bronze medals in her GPs, gold at nationals, silver at YOG and bronze at jr. worlds), so in truth she's had a good year. But comparing it to last year where she won everything, it's definitely a down year. I do think it may have been better for her to skip this competition but she put up a decent fight. It's just been a rough year for her and that's okay. Everyone has one eventually. The important thing is that she finds her confidence and comes back strong next year. I still think Adelina is the most talented of the Russian ladies...she definitely my favorite!

As for everyone else:

Satoko Miyahara is definitely on my list in terms of skaters to keep an eye on. The only thing against her right now is her size; she's just so tiny that her skating doesn't make as big of an impact as it could. If she survives her growth spurt, she's going to be a star for Japan. I'm in awe of her skating skills for someone so young (and little!). I hate that the judges don't reward her in that mark (PCS, IMO, stand for Piece of Crap Scores b/c it's rare they accurately reflect what was put on the ice). I'm excited to see what Satoko will be able to do as she grows and matures.

I adore Zijun Li's skating. I love her lyrical style and her tight, easy jumps. She's just gotta find that consistency she needs. At times, she's overshadowed by the Russian girls, but if she can get that 3f-3t down pat she'll be competing with the rest of them. I find her artistry and spins superior to all three of the medalists (yeah, even better than Julia in terms of spins). IMO she gets lowballed in terms of PE, CH and IN, kinda how they did Akiko for so many years. Hopefully next year Zijun will catch the judges eye. Between her and Kexin, China is looking to have a viable team for Soichi.

Good for Polina for fighting back in the long. She's so beautiful looking on the ice (very long, statuesque and elegant looking) but her jumps just give her fits sometimes. Polina's another one who is a technical beast in terms of jumps but is lacking on the other side of her skating. I hope she finds herself one day because she's another who could easily find her way to the top if she works on her "needs improvement" areas.

I'm still holding out hope for Christina Gao. She'll get there eventually...

Good competition for the junior ladies! I'm excited to see what's going to happen with senior worlds now!
 
Top