Is Skate Canada for Julia Lipnitskaya to win? | Golden Skate

Is Skate Canada for Julia Lipnitskaya to win?

koatcue

Medalist
Joined
Aug 31, 2011
Country
Russia
There will be no Osmond, Leonova. She has already beaten Akiko, and Gracie starting slow and not so strong as I thought she would.
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
if she doesn't get underscored

Leonova was a non factor
Suzuki is a hit or miss
Gold can get better PCS skating in SC
Omsond is her biggest threat, who is a lock for podium regardless of how she skates

to think this field would have been even tougher with Kim and Kiira on it
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I really think SC is Julia's to lose. Even with Akiko and Gracie skating moderately well she should win if she lands her elements. She can easily pull 180+. Hopefully she handles the pressure better than her first GP season. I think Akiko, if anyone, will beat her. Osmond has had early season struggles with her jumps. Gold as well, but to a lesser extent. Part of me also thinks that Hicks can be a factor, if the others falter.
 

Jammers

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Country
United-States
If Gracie lands her jumps she can beat Julia. Gracie has more speed better ice coverage bigger jumps and her spins are not bad either. I just am not impressed with Julia. Besides her flexibility nothing in her skating stands out. Average speed and average jumps that don't jump out at you. She is a tough competitor though and that's the advantage over someone like Gracie who is up and down and a bit nervous as a competitor.
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
Has Osmond skated in any early competitions? I don't recall seeing any video if she has...

I wonder how she's faring in this "sophomore season"
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Has Osmond skated in any early competitions? I don't recall seeing any video if she has...

I wonder how she's faring in this "sophomore season"

Here's one of her early season competitions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkB3_jvS6HA

Clearly facing jitters with new programs, but hopefully will get it together. It's hard to say where skaters are at based on one competition (I mean, Japan Open is a pretty good indicator of how early season performances aren't exactly the best ones).
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
If Gracie lands her jumps she can beat Julia. Gracie has more speed better ice coverage bigger jumps and her spins are not bad either. I just am not impressed with Julia. Besides her flexibility nothing in her skating stands out. Average speed and average jumps that don't jump out at you. She is a tough competitor though and that's the advantage over someone like Gracie who is up and down and a bit nervous as a competitor.

I think Gracie can do it, but she'll need two clean programs to match Julia's technical content and she hasn't been capable of that. She should certainly medal though.
 

FSGMT

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 10, 2012
Right now, basing on the Finlandia results and on Gracie's performance in SLC, I would answer "yes": Julia has already beaten Suzuki (who will be one of the top skaters there), and her performances/scores have been better than both Gracie's and Courtney's (she's the closest, but Julia skated a clean SP when Hicks did not), and then there is Osmond, with her (probably) inflated PCS in Canada but an injuried foot, too... Basing on what we know, Julia is the gold favourite for now, but (even if her nerves are REALLY good)... the ice is slippery ;)
 

McIce

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
I think Gracie can do it, but she'll need two clean programs to match Julia's technical content and she hasn't been capable of that. She should certainly medal though.

Why does she need two clean programs? She can afford to make one or two more mistakes than Lipnitskaya. Her technical content is on par with Lipnitskaya's. Her GOEs on non-spin elements will be higher. Her PCS will definitely be higher than Lipnitskaya since this will be her second senior season plus a good showing in Worlds.

She has room to make more mistakes, just not many.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Gracie has a history of mistake-prone SPs. I'd just like to see her start the season with a clean SP for a change.
 

tulosai

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
If Gracie lands her jumps she can beat Julia. Gracie has more speed better ice coverage bigger jumps and her spins are not bad either. I just am not impressed with Julia. Besides her flexibility nothing in her skating stands out. Average speed and average jumps that don't jump out at you. She is a tough competitor though and that's the advantage over someone like Gracie who is up and down and a bit nervous as a competitor.

You don't think Julia's spins stand out? Not meaning to pick at you or your general point, but if so you're the first person i've heard say that- even most of her haters say something like 'other than her spins everything sucks' :laugh:

If you don't think her spins are really good, what do you think she'd have to do to make them better? Honestly not meaning to pick at you- genuinely curious.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
My biggest gripe with Julia is that it looks as if she has a magnet implanted in her hand that randomly impels her skate upwards towards the implant. This motion can occur at any time during her time on the ice, and IMO it detracts from her performance. Flexibility is important in gymnastics and it is nice to have in figure skating, but displaying it at every possible moment is too much of a good thing.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
You don't think Julia's spins stand out? Not meaning to pick at you or your general point, but if so you're the first person i've heard say that- even most of her haters say something like 'other than her spins everything sucks' :laugh:

If you don't think her spins are really good, what do you think she'd have to do to make them better? Honestly not meaning to pick at you- genuinely curious.

"Besides her flexibility" is as silly as saying "Besides Lucinda Ruh's spins, nothing in her skating stands out". Julia, while prone to overusing her flexibility has wonderful spins, and very very difficult spin positions - particularly her Biellmann and an I spin that is an "I" in the truest form. Her "dislocated" spiral is a highlight in her programs as well. My issue with her is that her arms and artistry still need developing and her overall projection too. Her jumps could use more spring too. But it's totally being a hater when people say there's nothing that stands out. Especially when there are so many skaters in the top 10 at Worlds who don't really have anything that makes them particularly unique. In fact, it's remarkable that Lipnitskaia has such flexibility but still maintains the strength and snap to execute difficult combinations.
 

elif

Medalist
Joined
Jan 28, 2010
Why does she need two clean programs? She can afford to make one or two more mistakes than Lipnitskaya. Her technical content is on par with Lipnitskaya's. Her GOEs on non-spin elements will be higher. Her PCS will definitely be higher than Lipnitskaya since this will be her second senior season plus a good showing in Worlds.

She has room to make more mistakes, just not many.

Lipnitskaya's programs a way better than Gold. This is Lipnitskaya's second GP season too. Last year she qualified for Grand Prix Final.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Why does she need two clean programs? She can afford to make one or two more mistakes than Lipnitskaya. Her technical content is on par with Lipnitskaya's. Her GOEs on non-spin elements will be higher. Her PCS will definitely be higher than Lipnitskaya since this will be her second senior season plus a good showing in Worlds.

She has room to make more mistakes, just not many.

I don't think she is at liberty to make 1 or 2 mistakes more than Lipnitskaya.

Lipnitskaia puts 5 of her jumping passes in the 2nd half, which gives her about a 2-point BV advantage over Gold. Julia also tends to get higher GOE on her spins than Gold. Gold has a PCS advantage. They are both really close, so I wouldn't say Gold will win if she makes a mistake and Julia goes clean (unless it's a really minor mistake).
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
The big question at SC for Amelie Lacoste is whether she can finish higher than Veronik Mallet. Veronik scored 159.67 at Nebelhorn to Amelie's 147.88 at the US Classic. Amelie and Veronik are the two "Senior" senior Canadian ladies vying for the second Olympic spot. Amelie needs to show Skate Canada that she still has the drive and determination to succeed. She isn't going to medal, but she has to have a much better showing than she did at SLC.
 

tulosai

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
I don't think she is at liberty to make 1 or 2 mistakes more than Lipnitskaya.

Lipnitskaia puts 5 of her jumping passes in the 2nd half, which gives her about a 2-point BV advantage over Gold. Julia also tends to get higher GOE on her spins than Gold. Gold has a PCS advantage. They are both really close, so I wouldn't say Gold will win if she makes a mistake and Julia goes clean (unless it's a really minor mistake).

This. I also suspect that if Julia can put some clean programs out there, the PCS gap between these two will be closing. Julia has improved a lot this year, while Gold, if anything, has regressed. Unless she's majorly reworked her programs Julia's LP will be better received than Gracie's IMO. One thing not mentioned though is that if Gold hits the jumps, and judges are fair, she will get better GOEs on them than Julia on hers.
 

wallylutz

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
I think Skate Canada Int'l is wide open at this point. Osmond has merely toned down her content but if she skates clean SP, she will be in top 3.

Russian girls get hyped all the time. So far, none of them prove to last longer than a season, if at that. There is a reason why Russia only has 2 spots in ladies for Sochi, same as Canada. Yet, if we were to listen to the hypes from years ago, you'd believe Russian girls would be going to Sochi as Worlds 1-2-3 by now.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
This. I also suspect that if Julia can put some clean programs out there, the PCS gap between these two will be closing. Julia has improved a lot this year, while Gold, if anything, has regressed. Unless she's majorly reworked her programs Julia's LP will be better received than Gracie's IMO. One thing not mentioned though is that if Gold hits the jumps, and judges are fair, she will get better GOEs on them than Julia on hers.

That's another thing; I would bet way more on Julia to put out a clean(er) performance than Gold. If both go clean though, Gold should theoretically beat Julia.
 
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