4CCs Predictions

[chuckm]

I don't know why Gracie fans would call Yu-Na a lipper. Because GRACIE is a lipper!

[l'etoile]

AFAIK, shine is not a Gracie fan. A hard-core Carolina fan? YES. As for shine's remark about Yuna's flip, just

[l'etoile]

Flips sometimes have the impression of being on an outside edge because of the bend in the ankle on the take-off that some skaters tend to have. That has nothing to do with the edge, that's them applying some edge pressure and it doesn't necessarily mean their edge rolled over. Video analysis supports this. Most skaters do not do their flip jumps off really deep inside edges, as it can cause the take-off to be unstable (nevermind the risk of losing the edge on the take-off). That's also one of the reasons why a lot of skaters moved to short lutz take-off (i.e. Slutskaya, who had no Flutz issues, moved to a shorter lutz take-off to improve her take-off stability and consistency, and suddenly it went form being her most inconsistent jump to one of her most consistent).

As for the hammer toe. Well, some could call it that, on her flip and lutz. It's slightly there, but not excessive like a Lipinski Lutz or Murakami's toe jumps. It's more reminiscent of Ito's toe jumps.

I do think Yuna Kim's toe loop technique when it's the back jump in her combinations is sort of bad, though. She tends to jump off of two feet and rotate instead of bringing the skating leg back on the jump. Actually, the technique she uses is actually quite astonishing because she makes the jump way harder than it needs to be. Instead of doing 2.5'ish rotations which is normal for a Triple Toe Loop, she does a full 3. But it can cost her URs in places where a proper take-off would have easily gotten the jump around.

I've seen her solo 3Toe and it looked much better. Her Salchow landings scare me a little...

This is a very interesting analysis! ITA about Yuna's toe jumps bring back the memories of Ito's. The mere fact that Yuna rarely, almost never, gets URs on her 3-3s is just remarkable.

[prettykeys]

I don't know why Gracie fans would call Yu-Na a lipper. Because GRACIE is a lipper!

YuNa is called a "Lipper" on these forums from time-to-time in order for fans of other skaters to make excuses for their own.

That's why, chuck. (I'm NOT referring to shine here at all.)

SkateNater - I agree that from a technique point of view, a Flutz IS a big deal and should be penalized severely. Not just because of its base value, but the reason behind the base value - the supposed counter-rotational nature of the jump. When a skater Flutzes the takeoff, they are doing away with one of the major distinguishing features of the jump, so it has two impacts on the athletic value of the program: 1) simply not doing 3Lutz properly; 2) not displaying the same variety of skating skill (doing a double-Lutz would fulfill this aspect.)

However, when judging a skater overall, if they are technically outstanding otherwise and are a great performer, whether they have a Flutz is a relatively minor thing, in my opinion.

And yes, YuNa pre-rotates very little on her 3T.

[noidont]

My placement of the ladies:
Asada
Osmond
Z. Li
Gao
Murakami
Gold
Suzuki
K. Zhang
Zawadzki

The only thing I feel pretty sure about is that Christina Gao is gonna follow the steps of Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang, placing first of the US ladies at a 4CC and will never go to a Worlds this quad...
Also that Wagner might flop at Worlds.
Strangely I prefer all three of the Europeans medalists to Osmond, but I actually like her better than anyone but Asada here. If only Kanako isn't a permanent UR target.

[SkateFiguring]

Men:

1. Hanyu
2. Takahashi
3. Mura

Ladies:

1. Asada
2. Gold
3. Osmond

Pairs:

1. Duhamel/Radford
2. M-T/M
3. Lawrence/Swiegers

Ice Dance:

1. Davis/White
2. Virtue/Moir
3. Shibutani/Shibutani

[sk8inluvah]

dunno whether they will or not but i think m-t/m should overtake megan and eric anytime now. i was at canadian nationals and although moore towers and moscovitch had a phenomenal skate, they did not skate flawlessly like megan and eric did. megan and eric have peaked. kirsten and dylans spings weren't very good on time and she two footed the last throw. that would make up for at least 3 - 4 points putting kirstan and dylan ahead. really depends on how they skate

[Reginald]

We have often seen some mesmerizing exhibitions at 4CC. For instance, Mirai's "Fireflies" in 2011.

And who can forget Caroline Zhang's 2009 Exhibition "Lullaby for a Stormy Night."

I wonder if we'll see Christian Gao's Gangnam Style. It has the potential to be epic.

[TontoK]

A bit surprising that the state of Chinese Pairs has fallen so low...

Many are predicting a Canadian sweep of the pairs events... and that's probably as good a guess as any.

[Skater Boy]

A bit surprising that the state of Chinese Pairs has fallen so low...

Many are predicting a Canadian sweep of the pairs events... and that's probably as good a guess as any.

surely an american team or two will make the podium.

[sky_fly20]

surely an american team or two will make the podium.

possible Chinese pairs are an all time low, no real contenders for Worlds or Olympics
Canada has 2 good pairs but an upset would be MT/M winning over D/R
L/S could sneak though they are unstable but C/S are also inconistent

D/R is a lock for bronze at Worlds as it will be held in Canada known for high inflation
unless P/T and B/L skate clean