csmith1 said:Having watched live stream ... it would appear that not only were cheated 3/3's judged higher than clean 3/2's, but also ahead of a clean 3/3'. Kostners combo was huge and clean.
BronzeisGolden said:I hope Michelle is really pissed! LOL! She has been low balled before, especially in the short program. Hopefully, she'll pull a vintage Kwan in the long (no matter where she ends up). I seem to be the only one that feels this could actually be a positive thing for Michelle. First of all, the Olympics are two years away and she has plenty of time to make a final decision and to prepare. And, she now has real motivation. She must push herself harder than ever (similar to the change from 95 to 96) if she wants a shot in Italy. But, we should probably wait and see what happens in the long. Arakawa, Ando and Cohen are not models of consistency. Yet, having said that, I'd hate to seem falter now. They've been magnificent so far. Whatever happens, I hope Michelle can finish this competition with a performance she can be proud of (and that will push her to work her tail off for 2004-2005). She's still the best in my book.
csmith1 said:With respect, you misunderstood my point. I was not defending MK. This is the "technical" program, and under COP the results would likely have been quite different. MK (3/2) would have been lower, as would Arakawa and Ando (cheated combos.) I agree it isn't all in the jumps .. but they are a significant factor in the short program.
lavender said:It's good and bad maybe. If Michelle skates awesome and pull up she may bother coming back. If not I kind of think this will be it. She's been training up in the hills and I think she's a little lonely and maybe should move on to other things that will make her happy. At least when you read articles she sounds lonely being up there in the hill away from her family.
She definitely needs to bring new things to the table. I don't think I've seen anything new out of her since 1998, and as much as I love her, it's getting boring! Her spiral sequence is just boring now because it's like "been there, done that". She needs harder technical elements and she needs greater speed. She is working on them, but really needs to kick it in if she wants to go to the Olympics in 2006 and she needs some new spirals. This will be the biggest wake up call of her career.
Michelle is the best female figure skater ever (IMO), but you can't stand still for 6 years and expect no one to pass you up, especially when you are the one everyone is gunning for. That is exactly what has happened! It started with Irina in 2000 and spread to Sarah in 2002 and now there are three other women that are capable of beating an error free Kwan. It's only going to get worse by 2006 if she doesn't make changes.
csmith1 said:Gellio ... yes a flawed 3/3 does rank higher than a clean 3/2 ... but my point is that Kostner's clean 3/3 should have been marked higher than Arakawa's and Ando's flawed combinations. Presentation marks aside, Kostner's technical is on a par with Arakawa and better than Ando. This was not reflected in the marks.