Ladies - Short Program

[wonderlen3000]

maybe Brian Olser could teach Mao and her coach a little thing call 'COP whoring'...milking out all the points..

[herro]

maybe Brian Olser could teach Mao and her coach a little thing call 'COP whoring'...milking out all the points..

I wouldn't really phrase it in the same way, but yea.

It's obvious. If you want to win, you have to try to maximize your score and you do that by being smart about the COP system.

[skfan]

maybe Brian Olser could teach Mao and her coach a little thing call 'COP whoring'...milking out all the points..

she's already won worlds twice. maybe being world champ is not the prize to her that it is to others, even though everybody prefers winning to finishing second, third, fourth... part of what i love about mao is her wish to do things her way, to define her own standard for success. when mao says that successfully completing all her objectives is more important to her than the final placements, i believe her. that's not to say she can never feel disappointment. anyway, the two are probably linked--if she counts having a jump ratified as one of her objectives, if the jump (or jump combo) is ratified she's more likely to place well.

i know too little about mao to comment on whether embracing the 3a to the point of stubbornness is a tribute to her mom. maybe in her view it's an essential step on the way to winning the sochi olympics? i doubt she's still in this merely to add to the number of worlds medals in her trophy case.

i think mao is one of the very few skaters who truly has it all, and her skating is magical even if she doesn't attempt any jumps. disruptive falls and other imperfections detract from the flow of her programs, but mao's given me as a fan many opportunities to witness greatness, and i'm grateful for that. even if i sometime shake my head -- i mean, i could say the same about another skater whom i'm *very* fond of who has been 'throwing away a jump passage' (in the words of another poster) on a usually-not-successful quad in nearly every competition... *sigh*

[christinaskater]

Alena is skating first in the final group.

[Trewyn]

I can't read through 42 pages, but I've read bits and pieces. Anyway; quite a bit of drama tonight!

Small Ladies SP update from Nice in random order:

Ashley: because she's the reason I'm actually here in the first place She did look nervous but still in control in the warm-up; I didn't see her struggle with anything, she landed a GORGEOUS triple flip-triple toe in the warm-up. That's how I could tell the timing was off when she attempted it in the competition :s Luckily she tacked on the double toe after her loop and didn't give up, though it all felt a bit cautious, just the vibe I was getting, like she was holding back. I'm looking forward to her Black Swan LP because she usually skates that with a lot of charisma and I hope she'll be awesome :-) I guess a bronze isn't out of reach so.. fingers crossed!

Mao: no surprise really, the fall on the triple axel attempt; but I appreciated her choreography and body lines like I hadn't before.

Carolina: she wants it so badly! I really hope she'll perform that lovely LP to its full potential :-)

Elene G: Brian Orser jumped up SO HIGH when she landed that triple-triple!!! Very cute and congrats Elene!

Alena: never liked her, I admit that I'm a bit biased, though she was very excited and I think she charmed a lot of people with her natural happiness. I think it's important that skaters exude love for the sport and what they are doing, Alena has that in abundance though everything else is over the top. Don't really want to imagine her as a world champion... (She's never even medalled at Euros!)

Ksenia: was pretty forgettable, it seemed like the audience wasn't much into it either.

Akiko: love her, but I think I like her LP better? More on Saturday. The nice Japanese guys sitting next to me gave a yellow jacket signed by her as a gift for me! So cool :-)

Alissa: don't want to remember.. ouch.. In The Hague I saw her struggle in the warm-up, today not so much at all, so it came as a bit of a surprise really :s

[verte76]

I don't think this is going to come on in the United states on any of the channels we have here!

[R.D.]

I don't think this is going to come on in the United states on any of the channels we have here!

I believe there is an NBC broadcast scheduled for next weekend...but I wonder if it's even worth watching the way things turned out :(

[Tesla]

I believe there is an NBC broadcast scheduled for next weekend...but I wonder if it's even worth watching the way things turned out :(

I know, right?

[Olympia]

I can't read through 42 pages, but I've read bits and pieces. Anyway; quite a bit of drama tonight!

Small Ladies SP update from Nice in random order:

Ashley: because she's the reason I'm actually here in the first place She did look nervous but still in control in the warm-up; I didn't see her struggle with anything, she landed a GORGEOUS triple flip-triple toe in the warm-up. That's how I could tell the timing was off when she attempted it in the competition :s Luckily she tacked on the double toe after her loop and didn't give up, though it all felt a bit cautious, just the vibe I was getting, like she was holding back. I'm looking forward to her Black Swan LP because she usually skates that with a lot of charisma and I hope she'll be awesome :-) I guess a bronze isn't out of reach so.. fingers crossed!

Mao: no surprise really, the fall on the triple axel attempt; but I appreciated her choreography and body lines like I hadn't before.

Carolina: she wants it so badly! I really hope she'll perform that lovely LP to its full potential :-)

Elene G: Brian Orser jumped up SO HIGH when she landed that triple-triple!!! Very cute and congrats Elene!

Alena: never liked her, I admit that I'm a bit biased, though she was very excited and I think she charmed a lot of people with her natural happiness. I think it's important that skaters exude love for the sport and what they are doing, Alena has that in abundance though everything else is over the top. Don't really want to imagine her as a world champion... (She's never even medalled at Euros!)

Ksenia: was pretty forgettable, it seemed like the audience wasn't much into it either.

Akiko: love her, but I think I like her LP better? More on Saturday. The nice Japanese guys sitting next to me gave a yellow jacket signed by her as a gift for me! So cool :-)

Alissa: don't want to remember.. ouch.. In The Hague I saw her struggle in the warm-up, today not so much at all, so it came as a bit of a surprise really :s

Thanks for the report. Lucky you to have an Akiko-signed jacket!

I'm glad to hear that Mao came across well in terms of overall skating quality. I hope for the best in the long program.

[Irishflip]

Well... that was thoroughly disappointing. Doubles everywhere... Unfortunately, the majority of them deserved the scores they got. A double knocks out about 5 points in TCS and likely 1 point off PCS, which is why so many didn't get their seasons best. (Yuna Kim, please come back, and for an entire season this time.)

Yes because Kim Yu-Na's performances has been so impressive other then Olympics. Honestly she's quite inconsistent with one of the programs in big competitions technically. She either crumbles or does well at the start then either fights back or falls apart a little bit.

[Skater Boy]

I see so much Leonova bashing but really how come Alyssa gets to skate the freeskate. She missed every jump in the short and her pcs or performance was not great. Really Alyssa should be thankful she gets to skate at all in the freeskate.

[Mao88]

Though I'd really love to see Mao ditch the triple axel if it could get her the gold, seeing this statement makes me realize that Mao doesn't need this World Championship to validate her career. She has an Olympic silver, two World Championships, a GPF, and any number of other medals, plus an adoring international fan base. She's also situated in a country where skating is hugely popular, so she can have a pro career that lasts for years and keeps her at the peak of stardom. If, therefore, she wants to spend this season and the next chasing the triple axel at the cost of medals, she's got nothing to lose. We who are her fans will always love her skating, and we'll pretty much follow her anywhere. Maybe this is her way of mourning her mother. I wouldn't be surprised. Grief has many guises.

Nevertheless, I do hope she pulls out the program she needs to for the long, and I still want her to win. She's actually in a good position for it. (1) Unlike a lot of other skaters, she has phenomenal drive and is far from a head case. (2) She's frequently had to dig herself out of a hole with a lights-out long program. (3) She's within grabbing distance of the gold.

Go, Mao!

I have lost count of the number of times that I have said that Mao should just drop the 3A, especially in the SP!! If only she had just settled for a 2A today..... If only! She would be leading this competition, but for that tactical mistake. If she goes on to lose this competition narrowly, then that mistake will have cost her a third world title. Hope she puts in a great FS tomorrow and wins.

[wonderlen3000]

Yes because Kim Yu-Na's performances has been so impressive other then Olympics. Honestly she's quite inconsistent with one of the programs in big competitions technically. She either crumbles or does well at the start then either fights back or falls apart a little bit.

Just for record...since 07 world
Miki (3triple SP, 7 LP), Mao (2 SP, 6 w one double footed < triple), Yuna (3 SP, 4 LP - 2 falls)

08 Mao (2 clean, 1 < triple in SP; 5 clean, one < and one fall LP), Yuna (2 clean, 1 fall; 5 clean, one popped), Miki (2 clean SP, LP withdrawl)

09 Miki (2 clean, 1 < in SP, 5 clean, 1 < in LP), Mao (2 clean, one double SP, 1 fall - 4 clean triples), Yuna (3 clean SP, 5 clean - one popped triple)

10 Olym Yuna (3, 6), Mao (2, 5 - one popped), Miki (2, 6)

10 World Mao (1 clean, 1 <; 5 clean - 1 <), Yuna (2 clean, 1<; 5 clean, 1 fall), Miki (1 clean, 1 fall; 6 clean)

so pretty much all ladies has up and down skates, since COP non of the ladies are able to skate consistently ......

[seniorita]

I wouldnt believe Leonova to be first at Worlds sp... so pigs fly, in euros judges marked her really bad in the sp, I thought they dont like this program. Kudos to her, she is a fighter. My favorite performanace was Elena G and Akiko, Mao was nice to watch again but I like her Lp more. Bravo to Ashley also, and Karolina and Kanako. I cant predict the podium at all, it will be a thrilling competition.

[spikydurian]

If I have bet an arm on the SP results, I would have lost my arm.
Congrats to Elena for a skate without errors. Some of the fans think predetermined results are boring so here we are ...... this will be as thrilling and exciting as it can get.
Good luck to all the ladies for a fabulous free skate.