Skate Canada 2012 Ladies - Long Program (7:45 AM PST/10:45 AM EST)

[Mathman]

Did the judges have a secret meeting and agree unanimously about the PCS of Osmond's LP sometime between the SP and LP? I guess I must have paid them since I picked her to win.

That is what has everyone so puzzled. No, I don't think that the judges got together and conspired to give the Canadian skater the win.

That I could understand.

What I can't understand is how the ISU judges could watch the two performances back to back and give the scores that they gave.

OH well. On to Cup of China. Go Chock and Bates!

[icebeauty]

and per usual the most unexpected/interesting results of season will come from Skate Canada...specifically the ladies competition.

Great to see Osmond continue to do well. Sad for Gracie. So happy for Akiko. and kudos to Caroline for skating her entire LP one position away from a wardrobe malfunction...apparently the strap on her dress snapped right after her program started...

[canskate]

God, the sour grapes are more than annoying. Suzuki won the LP by about 5 points. She lost the gold because she had a sub-par SP with an egregiously undderotated triple/triple combo which the judges would have had to be blind not to see. So an up-and-coming youngster beat her with a spectacular short and a solid LP. The end. Congratulations to Kaetlyn Osmond.

I second this! But i do agree Akiko's pcs should be a bit higher. But huge congrats to Osmond.

[christinaskater]

Wanna hear a joke?
Suzuki got 7.57 for performance/execution and Osmond got 7.61.

I think judges score this based on audience impact

[Olympia]

I haven't seen any of the programs yet, though from the descriptions of the LPs, it sounds as if Osmond was overly rewarded. I am, however, glad (as an adopted Canadian fan) that there's a promising Canadian woman stepping up to the plate (to mix a sports metaphor). One certainly can't blame her for the way she is judged. Every skater's goal is to do his/her best to win, and this time Osmond reached her goal. As for Suzuki, I hope she evens things out and wins the GPFinal to compensate. And I hope that both she and Osmond glitter like jewels for the rest of the season.

[Bluebonnet]

I think judges score this based on audience impact

Maybe that was what home town advantage all about. This time there was no difference than any other time in any other country.

[Olympia]

On another aspect of this topic, Caroline is in ninth? Oh, rats. Several of you have said she is very slow. Has she backslid from last year? Rats.

[IndieBoi]

Akiko definitely has the better choreography and should've won the the LP, but Osmond did a good job at presenting herself and she didn't crumble with her two mistakes. She's adorable and I hope she can keep up this momentum she's found. Good for her.

Akiko did win the LP.

[chloepoco]

LADIES FREE SKATE - VIDEOS & RESULT (Updated)

1. Kaetlyn OSMOND (CAN) - 176.45 Free Skate
2. Akiko SUZUKI (JPN) - 175.16 Free Skate
3. Kanako MURAKAMI (JPN) - 168.04 Free Skate
4. Elizaveta TUKTAMYSHEVA (RUS) - 168.00 Free Skate
5. Elene GEDEVANISHVILI (GEO) - 160.52 Free Skate
6. Ksenia MAKAROVA (RUS) - 154.11 Free Skate
7. Gracie GOLD (USA) - 151.57 Free Skate
8. Amelie LACOSTE (CAN) - 151.44
9. Caroline ZHANG (USA) - 149.87
10. Polina SHELEPEN (RUS) - 124.29

Added Ksenia Makarova's free skate

Thanks!! Lovely Akiko--from her outfit to her performance!

[skatinginbc]

And Osmond is not the lady version of skaters who manipulate the system

Are you implying there IS a man version of skaters who manipulate the system? Just kidding.

[katymay]

LADIES FREE SKATE - VIDEOS & RESULT (Updated)

1. Kaetlyn OSMOND (CAN) - 176.45 Free Skate
2. Akiko SUZUKI (JPN) - 175.16 Free Skate
3. Kanako MURAKAMI (JPN) - 168.04 Free Skate
4. Elizaveta TUKTAMYSHEVA (RUS) - 168.00 Free Skate
5. Elene GEDEVANISHVILI (GEO) - 160.52 Free Skate
6. Ksenia MAKAROVA (RUS) - 154.11 Free Skate
7. Gracie GOLD (USA) - 151.57 Free Skate
8. Amelie LACOSTE (CAN) - 151.44
9. Caroline ZHANG (USA) - 149.87
10. Polina SHELEPEN (RUS) - 124.29

Added Ksenia Makarova's free skate

Thank you! Akiko and Kaetlyn are both very beautiful skaters, both connect with the audience and have a joyful quality. However, Kaetlyn ran out of juice at the end, whereas Akiko did not. So, I have to agree about Kaetlyn being overscored to some extent, usually 'stamina' (or lack thereof) is part of the equation. Akiko's speed at the end is all the more remarkable given her age...it is easy to be the energizer bunny when you are a teenager, but a woman of 27?
As to 'connecting to the audience'-Gracie and Caroline both need some work in this area. Gracie in particular looks like a skater who is bored by her own skating. "Yeah yeah...doing my program for the 1,000th time...ho hum"

[skfan]

On another aspect of this topic, Caroline is in ninth? Oh, rats. Several of you have said she is very slow. Has she backslid from last year? Rats.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news


icenetwork article quotes:

If they gave out awards for calm under pressure, Caroline Zhang, U.S. pewter medalist, would be at the head of the line. One of the straps holding up the skater's black dress snapped at the very start of her free to Puccini's "Nessun Dorma," prompting her to play it safe with her spins.

Nevertheless, she landed opening triple flip and triple Lutz combinations (both had deductions) as well as a three-jump triple loop combination, a second triple loop and two double Axels, and placed ninth with 149.87 points.

"I got distracted on the first start pose; my dress, the back of it, sort of fell," Zhang said. "I got a lower level on my flying spin, and I skipped the Beillmann because I was afraid it was going to fall. I guess it broke, and I tried to fix it in my program, but it wasn't happening."

"I was wondering if I should stop her performance, but I was told [by a U.S. Figure Skating team member] to wait to see if the referee would stop it," Zhang's coach, Peter Oppegard, said. "The opinion was it should keep going. Unfortunately, she took a few positions out, the ones where it was most dangerous for the dress to fall off: the Biellmann position at the end and the doughnut position. So, she lost some points, but I'm so proud of her for staying focused."



caroline was hampered by her dress. others have mentioned that perhaps the back injury is still bothering her. i think her competitive nerves held her in good stead under the trying circumstances.

very happy to see akiko's LP skated closer to its potential than at japan open.

[Mrs. P]

From the same Ice Network article:

Suzuki could give lessons in absorbing judging system rules and counting jumps. Once she did the unintended single loop after her triple flip, she could not execute a planned triple loop-double toe because it would have made for too many combinations. She substituted a solo triple loop. That took her second triple loop, planned at the end of her routine, out of the equation, because skaters are not permitted to do two solo triples of the same variety.

"I knew I could not repeat another loop, and so I substituted a double Axel," she said. "I was thinking, thinking the whole time. It was hard because I've never even practiced it that way."

Well this is smart! Good for Akiko! She should give Oda lessons!

[rvi5]

That is what has everyone so puzzled. No, I don't think that the judges got together and conspired to give the Canadian skater the win.

That I could understand.

What I can't understand is how the ISU judges could watch the two performances back to back and give the scores that they gave.

If SubRosa is correct regarding how the judges judge, then Kaetlyn was lowballed in the SP in the mind of the judges, and over-compensated in the LP. What should she have scored if both SP and LP were scored correctly?


It is good some people are now making it clearly known in their posts, that they are not holding it against Kaetlyn herself. Unfortunately, these type of controversies can become a stigmatism that some people will eventually attach to the skater. Just look at those people who were quick to accuse Skate Canada of corruption because of what international judges decide.

[bigsisjiejie]

If SubRosa is correct regarding how the judges judge, then Kaetlyn was lowballed in the SP in the mind of the judges, and over-compensated in the LP. What should she have scored if both SP and LP were scored correctly?

She was correctly balled in the SP, PCS in the 6's. And should have had about the same scoring for PCS in the FS as well. Akiko deserved in the 8's pretty much across the PCS components in the FS. That didn't happen, and the difference cost Akiko her deserved gold medal.