Thanks for having meOriginally Posted by Mathman
Welcome, aero. Thanks for joining us.
I've only been really into figure skating for a few years, so hearing everyone else's opinions is a nice change of perspective.
Thanks for having meWelcome, aero. Thanks for joining us.
I've only been really into figure skating for a few years, so hearing everyone else's opinions is a nice change of perspective.
and i think Christina can make Sochi if she does what she's been doing. she's one of the better all-around skaters in US ladies that we've had in the past years. She definitely missed out on an opportunity to go to worlds this year due to some silly mistakes in her free at nationals, but i do think that the experience she got this season (the GPF!!) is really going to help her internationally next season.
I just wish that USFS chose their worlds teams with a points system that take into account finishes at international competitions and not just nationals...(it's how they lost the 3rd men's spot in the first place and the reason why they probably won't get it back...when the US lost the 3rd ladies spot there was just NO ONE that could have saved it...but i think they might have a chance to get it back if Gracie and Ashley skate well...but i doubt Gracie skating clean would garner the same score internationally as Gao skating clean. Gracie has the jumps - if she lands thems - to be competitive, but she lacks the artistry/polish)
I for one am thrilled with how Mao did. I think 130 is a good score for her, even with the URs, because she finally upped her technical content. I'm relieved the 3A is back and she's also going for 3-3 and 2A-3T. It's ambitious and makes me excited about her programs more because she's not only challenging herself but also the field. I'm hoping this incites Wagner and Kostner and others to go for 3-3 and more difficult triples in their free. Against Liza/Adelina, Wagner/Kostner would still be fine with lower tech content, but against Mao, their PCS is comparable so she would need to increase her BV.
Also glad for Murakami getting on the podium. Her FS had URs but they were still lovely. She needs to really change her 3F-2A. She rarely hits that, and if she messes up the flip, she runs the risk of not getting a 2A in her program, thus negating her 3T (which has happened before).
I'm hoping this also alleviates the expectations of Gold and Osmond and this allows them to relax and skate without the weight of their countries on their shoulders. Suzuki had a terrible skate just before 4CC so this got her to shape up and I'm hoping it does the same for Gold and Osmond.
LADIES FREE SKATE - RESULT & VIDEOS (Updated)
1. Mao ASADA (JPN) - 205.45 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy, 4th Copy
2. Akiko SUZUKI (JPN) - 190.08 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy, 4th Copy
3. Kanako MURAKAMI (JPN) - 181.03 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
4. Christina GAO (USA) - 176.28 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
5. Zijun LI (CHN) - 170.42 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
6. Gracie GOLD (USA) - 166.66 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
7. Kaetlyn OSMOND (CAN) - 159.38 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
8. Agnes ZAWADZKI (USA) - 158.99 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
9. Amelie LACOSTE (CAN) - 155.08 Free Skate, 2nd Copy
10. Kexin ZHANG (CHN) - 148.34 Free Skate, 2nd Copy
11. Julianne SEGUIN (CAN) - 146.58 Free Skate
12. Brooklee HAN (AUS) - 134.90 Free Skate
13. Reyna HAMUI (MEX) - 123.69
14. Chantelle KERRY (AUS) - 118.11
15. Crystal KIANG (TPE) - 109.15
16. Yeon Jun PARK (KOR) - 106.79
17. Melissa BULANHAGUI (PHI) - 106.36
18. Lejeanne MARAIS (RSA) - 105.06
19. Melinda WANG (TPE) - 96.95
20. Ami PAREKH (IND) - 88.39
Finally got to watch the Ladies. Lovely skating from podium finishers, Congrats! Mao and Akiko were breathtaking .
Very nice skating from Christina and what a talent we have in Zijun Li.
Well done Ladies!
Lot of attributing of poor performances to "nerves". Couldn't it very well be something else?
That's because the rules for the ladies choreographic sequence state that at least one spiral of any length must be included in the sequence.
I'm SO happy for Mao bringing the 3Flip-3Loop back. The < call on it is annoying and undeserved. That was a solid jump. She still keeps getting < calls on her 2Axel-3Toe too, which has become a consistently good combo for her. Meh.
I still think this program kinda sucks, though. I guess she will just keep getting underscored on TES and overscored on PCS.
I agree EXCEPT for one thing: Back before the COP system I used to get really ticked off when a skater was given credit for a triple lutz when they were really doing a triple flip. The LBO or RBO is a far more difficult edge to jump from, and the straight line flipping of the edge really made my blood boil. As far as the rest: There are huge and obvious UR's, those obviously need to be dinged. But if you have to watch in slo mo again and again...well, that is absurd.ITA. Congrats to all the medalists, plus Christina and Zijun for a fine skate (luv them both).
I'm not going to praise Mao even though I most definitely would like to, cause I'm sick of some people labelling me here as a Maobot. But I will say one thing; even with the URs and the edge call, Mao's performances in this competition moved alot of people and I think that means something.
If figure skating performances do not touch our hearts, what's the point in watching this sport anyway? Yes, fully rotated jumps with proper edges should be rewarded more than those which aren't since this is a sport. But otoh, figure skating is also a performance. It's a sport in which the audience also plays an important role. That's precisely why there are PCS; scores which I believe can only be subjective even with guidelines. As they are human, the judges will hand out PCS based on their impressions on a performance, just like the audience will evaluate a performance based on how it made them feel.
IMHO, I am sick of some 'fans' debating whether a jump was fully or under rotated. It's close to impossible to make that out when you're in the audience watching the skaters live. The audience can be moved or be amazed by what the skaters do, even if there's a slight UR here and there. Falls, step outs or other visible mistakes will distract appreciation and can ruin a performance more or less, cause those kinds of mistakes distracts them from the performance, making the audience feel down and sorry for the skaters. In other words, they're pulled back into reality from the beautiful world the skaters are trying so hard to create on the ice. But if not DGs, some slight UR or an edge call will not distract them at all. I've had my share of seeing competitions and ice shows live even in the best arena seats, so I know this as a fact.
Some of you seem to enjoy watching slo-mo vids over and over to accuse skaters of URs and wrong edges. I find that quite meaningless to be honest. We're not judges, we're not tech callers, we're not even critics so what's the point? It makes me wonder if those who do so really love this sport or care about the skaters. I think we should try to accept the skaters based on how their performances touched our hearts a bit more. Many of the girls touched my heart in various ways in this competition, I'm simply grateful to them. I'm sure they're all aware of their weak points much more than we do, and are trying to overcome them to become a better skaters. So what's the point in critisizing them so harshly?
I'm not against debating or discussing how you all feel about about the skaters and their performances. It's fun and that's what fans do. But concluding what some skaters cannot do in the future, pointing out how bad they are at what they do, and trying so hard to convince others to think in the same way seems nothing more than ego based childish talk to me. I'm not saying all of you here are like that. But some of you certainly are. I truely hope the skaters do not bother to access this forum and read such posts.
As far as Mao, Akiko: both short programs were, in my old fashioned judgement: 6.0 After Midori and Kristy, I feel like the skating world went through a long period of mediocrity-five steps backward really-but Yuna and Mao have established a new standard.
Nope. At 6:48, if you freeze it at the moment the loop hits the ice you'll see it was clearly under-rotated. She was also gifted on the 3Flip, because that definitely looked under-rotated too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdHZn7YwPQE
Yes she did, on Chinese forums, it was reported she injured her leg (not said which part specifically just pulled something). She was obviously in pain so no wonder the lack of expression and the weird pause.I was asking if she is still injured?
She hasn't competed much all season and contemplated early retirement apparently due to some rumored Chinese federation politics where her coach left for a while, so she refused to train until she got her old coach back, when the coach returned recently, so she continued. It is good she kept her jumps, and gives her plenty to work with.
Last edited by os168; 02-10-2013 at 07:45 PM.
More ridiculous < calls for Murakami too, I see.
That first 3Flip was totally excellent. The second 3Loop was a little short but not < worthy. Zzzz.
When will people ever learn. WHAT YOU JUST SAID MEANS NOTHING. The point a jump lands means NOTHING unless you give a reference point for where the jump started. Everything exists within a circle. Also, 6:48 is before she even takes off for the entire combination, so I'm not sure what you're talking about to begin with. Both of the jumps in the combination were 1/4 short. A jump should get a deduction if it's more than that. Doing a clean 3Loop like she did on the end of a combination is a difficult task. Congrats to her, and too bad the scoring system doesn't care.
Thank you for the update. I would love to see her performance in the coming years, and hope she will improve her presentation, which should be quite achievable. Also heard somewhere she doesn't think she is "pretty" enough, and lacked confidence for that. I guess it is probably the Chinese media, while celebrated Zijun's prettiness, did damaged other girls' self esteem. I would hate to see her as a victim of that.
Mao's score is very high, considering the mistakes. Her mistakes were actually quite similar to the mistakes she made last year at 4CC's--she two-footed her triple axel and doubled a jump--it was either the look or the salchow. I think she had one other mistake--like a step-out. I can't remember. But the upshot was that she came in second to Ashley Wagner. I don't think Mao will beat Yu Na in the free skate with mistakes like these.
Interesting! Did you read this somewhere, and if so, where?
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