Marshall's as seen on TV

[Joesitz]

I thought someone would have started this thread sooner than I.

I missed all the guys except Michael. I'm sure there was nothing special about what I missed.

The Ladies, however, I found to be quite good and better than I expec tyed.

MK continues to show more speed and energy.
Irina is getting back in form. She will be fine for Moscow.
Shizuka skated with much more flare than she did in Dortmund but that may be why she lacked her technical perfection.

Sasha, indeed it was her night. It was more or less the same as she skated in the Qualifying Round in Dortmund. Loved it!!
Now those fans who were complaining about Robin's revised choreography.....do you still believe TT's was better?

Miki Ando is quite a jumper and covers the ice well with speed and energy. She could be ready in 2006.

Joee

[dorispulaski]

Joe, I didn't get much out of Sasha's program live, and I liked it less on TV. The costume didn't suit her and the program was empty. BUT the program did what it needed to do. Sasha was able to skate it without error. But 'it didn't sing.' Now her Malaguena at World's, that sang. And her edges going into the flip and lutz were not as good as at world's.

IMO, Irina had the most audience pleasing skate of the evening.
I like that wild sequence across the middle of the rink 3s/2R/onehalfR/2S. THe card dealing bit doesn't quite work, but the rest of the show is great. She landed, what, 6 triples? Does anyone have any idea whether this is a sequence or a combo in COP? I hear Irina is keeping the program for next year, and I like the program, but I wonder whether this is going to get the points it deserves.

And I saw something or other in Michelle's Tosca that I hadn't seen before. More feeling for the music? More enthusiasm? A little more choreo? Certainly there was a top notch 3t again, a jump that she did poorly all last year. But she needs to get that new lutz entry down. It has tripped her up on the 2nd lutz 3 times running. I wonder whether with the extra speed she isn't getting a little fatigued by the end of the program. I'm glad that she is committing to work as soon as touring stops. I wonder whether she will try out the hinged boots to work on 3/3's?

Shizuka had a good skate, but her Dortmund performance was better, I thought.

Oh dear, we had Swan Lake, Turandot and Tosca all year. It is time to get some new music girls.

I didn't know that Jenny's Aunt died at the start of world's. How sad for her, she can't buy a break. What courage, though to skate the whole 3 performances.

Plush and Joubert both had good performances.

And what was that Dick said about Miki's fall? A fizzle in her shinizzle? What's with that! A new Dickism.

[Longhornliz]

I disagree that sasha's program was empty. It may not have been as completely jam packed as other versions earlier in the season, but it still had many more subtle elements than other skaters are putting into their programs. For example Irina, so glad to see her getting back into her groove again but her programs are so weighted with jump content that she doesnt take the time to hit equisite por de bras in her mitf or inbetweens.

I'm not saying she isnt a wonderful skater both technically and artistically... but what sasha excells at is fantastic near perfect positioning and body line and although they are aesthetic this strength would actually be attributed to the technical mark because it has to do with correct form and technique.

[sarahmistral]

Sasha, that is! It was great to see Irina improving, and I really enjoyed the concept and presentation of the program, one of her better ones musically, as well as her jumping.

But back to Sasha In an interview with Robin Wagner, Robin mentioned that she was teaching Sasha to view and approach a program as an entire performance rather than as a series of elements, and I feel that came shining through in Providence. I think that Sasha has a combination of talent and skill (those jumps, spins, and flow across the ice looked great; it's not just talent anymore, hasn't been in a while--a lot of hard work went into that, and we shouldn't forget it) that can make bare bones choreography look great when she puts her heart and soul into performing it, rather than just skating it to avoid misses. Your point is well taken, Joe, about the skater looking better than if s/he has a busily choreographed program to get through. Personally, I'd LVE to see Sasha work with Sandra Bezic, who choreographed that gem for Lu Chen in 96. How did you feel about Sarah's more busy programs as choreographed by Robin?

And rather than discount the "cheesefest" victory, I look at it as an opportunity for her to show what she's capable of; every run-through before an audience is a step towards from coaxing her potential, nerve-free greatness out of practice. I applaud her for pointing out, while under the scrutiny of the post-skate interview, that sometimes we're perfect, sometimes we make mistakes because WE'RE HUMAN. You tell 'em, Sash! She CAN DO it; seven gorgeous triples, three doubles (2T, 2T in combination + 2A) and heartfelt, exquisite artistry; it's just nerves, and Robin's really working miracles on her, no doubt about it.

Shizuka caresses the ice so beautifully, and I think the lighting and the filming of this competition really brought out a different aspect from what we saw from Dortmund; I can't put my finger on it, but the skaters' strengths and weaknesses seemed more exposed somehow. Anyway, Shizza was great with mistakes, to be expected after the ultimate high only a few weeks ago. There's got to be some unwinding, some letdown, or else she'd explode

Michelle's Tosca, the program, has not been my cup of tea, but I admire the improvements I see in her skating, particularly in the added height she's been getting in her jumps. There are some exciting years ahead in competitive figure skating; it's positively tantalizing, and I do hope Michelle stays in the mix, as well as all the ladies at this cheesefest...and there's Yukina waiting in the wings...and Cynthia and Joannie...and Vika...and Ye! Bin! Mok!

Evgeni's program, though not flawless, mesmerized me; that music fits him like a glove, and when he "steps into" it, it brings the following adjectives to mind: serene, deliberate, commanding, composed...lovely.

Brian's performance showed me a bit more of what he's about, and he's definitely capable of pulling off the Olympic win he's always going on about, ambitious, driven, gorgeous jumps, and his program really showed off his strengths. I can't get over a physical trait of his, and this sounds horribly petty and I hate myself for saying it, but it really is related to my enjoyment of his skating. What? You're all asking, Brian's pure beefcake! Well, he is, but his arms just look stubby to me, not flowing with his choreography at all. Forgive me, skating fans and skating gods, for being mean, but I just want more 'arm flow' from him...but his presentation was energetic, dynamic, and his jumps were powerful, and his music suited him well.

Dick really hit it on the head about Johnny: he skates as if he's in his room in the dark, for himself, pretty introspective, which is a shame, because he's exquisite.

Missed Stephane Lambiel Wish he'd been there, and Eman

Sarah

[Ogre Mage]

I missed much of the competition due to the NBA game. However--

Ladies

Sasha: I do not like the new bare version of SL, but there can be no doubt that Sasha performed the best LP then I have ever seen from her. Wagner might not be a great choreographer but I can see her strategy -- for the 6.0 system, the program did what it needed to do. Sasha's positions are just like no one else's.

Shizuka: A strong and solid performance. She did have the two-footed landing on the 3flip. Not the sky-high skate she gave in Dortmund, but I think this performance shows she has the power to consistently place in the top 3.

Michelle: Great energy, speed, emotion, technique and beautiful basics, every move she did looked textbook except unfortunately for the two jump mistakes. The 2axel was a fluke, but she has been having problems with the second 3lutz for some time. But I really like the continued improvement I see in her overall skating. She needs better choreography.

Miki: The polish in her presentation just isn't there yet, but I found this performance more artistically pleasing than her Worlds LP. Good for her on the almost-quad. Her potential is clear. That fall scared the crap out of me though, it was almost as bad as Kostner in Dortmund.

Jenny: That is really horrible about her aunt. Nevertheless, this program just isn't her style and she didn't skate it well. I thought Peggy really hit the nail on the head -- she needs a program that suits her better and will inspire her to feel the music. Her Chicago SP was a big step in that direction, I hope next year she can do the same with the LP.

Men

Plushenko: I'm not a big fan of Plush, but Nijinsky is my favorite LP from him. The style and choreography are well suited to him and he performs the hell out of it. The program fit together beautifully as a cohesive whole. He's made definite strides in his overall skating and is still the one to beat.

Brian: Beautiful jumps and several nice spins but his choreography and presentation are not yet a match for Evgeny. I say that even though I prefer Brian overall. Evgeny and Johnny have a their own unique style, I don't yet see this in Brian. Hopefully it will come.

Johnny: Johnny has a really wonderful artistic style and great technique, but I would like to see a little more excitement/emotion in his skating. Perhaps it will come with time, all this is still new for him. Some touring might help him learn to relate to the audience more. I think his potential is tremendous. Some skaters -- Kwan and Cohen among them -- just have a special way of moving that makes them stand out. I see this same quality in Johnny which is rare in the quad-happy ranks of most male skaters. Now he just needs to develop it more and add a quad -- a high order, but I think he has the talent to do it.

[dorispulaski]

Did anyone else think that Michelle was connecting more with the music than she has the rest of this season?

[BittyBug]

Yes (about Kwan relating to the music), although I didn't feel that way when I saw the performance live.

[Joesitz]

Doris - Definitely, MK is becoming a big interpreter of Puccini. It takes a while for MK to get into a role. For some reason her SPs are right on but the LPs always look like she's not quite there yet. Two LPs I would like her to re-do Miraculous Manderin and Sheherazade.

MK is very musical and she now has the maturity to put something extra into music and not just the obvious.

Again, I agree her Tosca has come a long way since Campbells.

Joe

[lavender]

I think everyone was happy for Sasha but the people around me still weren't blown away. TT's version with 7 triples would blow the roof off and yes it's much better than Robin's version. The comparison isn't even close.

Happy for her skate. Like she said everyone is human. She tries all the time but sometimes it just doesn't work out.

[Enero]

Sasha, what can I say, her skate was beautiful, even with the "watered down" choregraphy. I was so happy to see her skate perfect, and there seems to be a change in her skating, more confidence and enjoyment on the ice. I can't wait for next season to see if the partnership with Robin continues to work wonders.

Miki Ando - Wow, her technical ability is amazing! But her presentation left something to be desired. I couldn't believe that Leanne Miller choregraphed her program. There was nothing in it. I think if she improves on her presentation though, she'll be nearly unbeatable.

I thought Irina skated wonderfully. IMO, she should've finished higher than she did. I didn't really like the music of the program, but I was so happy to see her on the ice and I thought her choregraphy and jumps were good.

I still don't like Michelle's Tosca. It's great music and I thought she could've done more with the choregraphy. I was impressed with her speed and the power in her jumps. There's no doubt the added speed and height will help her regain the 3/3's she need. It's going to be interesting to see what she does next season. It's obvious the judges still love her presentation. So I think if she puts the jumps together, she may be unbeatable again.

Arakawa was clean, but she didn't have the fire of her World's skate. I can't wait to see what TT does with her skating. She too will be a force next season.

Like someone said on another board, the ladies field is so deep. I think it's going to be anybody's game next season. I'm totally siked about it! It should prove to be one of the most entertaining skating seasons ever.

[Ptichka]

Some things I found ridiculous: US and Canadian judges putting Michelle ahead of Shizuka; Russian judge doing he same for Irina. When Dick was saying how it's difficult for Michelle to compete with young skaters, I wanted to remind him that Shizuka, too, can buy a drink in US.

[Ogre Mage]

Ando -- But her presentation left something to be desired. I couldn't believe that Leanne Miller choregraphed her program. There was nothing in it.

I actually thought the program was nicely choreographed. The problem, IMO, is that Ando's presentation skills are not developed enough to handle the choreography. Ando attempted a split jump/3loop, but she lost her balance after the split jump and took a terrible fall on the loop. So I see the attempt to mesh the jumps into the choreography, but perhaps she isn't ready for this.

[registered]

Originally posted by Ptichka
Some things I found ridiculous: US and Canadian judges putting Michelle ahead of Shizuka; Russian judge doing he same for Irina. When Dick was saying how it's difficult for Michelle to compete with young skaters, I wanted to remind him that Shizuka, too, can buy a drink in US.

That was really funny, Ptichka!

Now, not to nit-pick, but Arakawa two-footed something (her flip, I think). I know that with Cohen we'd forever be reminded about her not skating cleanly, so let's keep the record straight for ALL skaters.

[Kasey]

Sasha....Loved the new costume...didn't love the "new" program. Her spins, I think, are the best of any woman (and I don't like Sasha, so that is meaningful coming from me!), but it seemed the watered down routine was a little TOO watered. I can understand helping her to have a perfect program, technically....but even the straight line footwork seemed slow and blah to me. Glad she ends with such strong spins, and not her footwork.

Otherwise, I agree with pretty much what everone else said...

Kasey

[miki_tan]

IMHO, Miki Ando's incosistency on 3Loop was caused by her 4 Loop practice.