Sr Ladies - Free Program - Notes & Results

Sorry everyone - I was only there for the final group. I was busy sorting out and posting the results of the Junior & Senior Men.

There just aren't enough words to describe how wonderful Joannie's program and skate was. Joannie skated fantastic and she had the program to sell and show off her skills. In great contrast (although I know Mira's skating and presentation skills aren't near Joannie's) was the lack of choreography and emptiness of Mira's program. Joannie's program used every note and phrase of the music and for a fair bit of Mira's it was not much more than back-ground.

I'll get off my hobby horse and get the notes posted.

CAN Joannie Rochette Start 13 Place 0
Notes orange & purple / firebird / she flies down the ice into a 3t3t / 3z little close to the boards but clean / some flying leaves aroud into a 3l / some chor into a 2a / fly cam / this program is so integrated with the music every movement -- wonderful / 3z2t z seemed to be leaning but done / 3f turns 3s / layback with lovely pos / inside out spiral start the seq / really neat chor / 2a / diag ftwrk matches music perfectly / THIS WAS FANTASTIC – ONE OF THE BEST PROGRAMS I’VE EVER SEEN LIVE. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe how wonderful it was.

CAN Mira Leung Start 14 Place 0
Notes firebird / again yes, back to back / 3f / 3z / 2a / flycam to donut / 3s / layback with strt leg / 3z turnout 2l / 3t2t / back leg to side of head spin / strt ftwrk is fairly complex / fell doing basically nothing / inside out spiral start seq / 3f2l2l / combo spin with beillman on both feet / 92.83 / 156.39 / .

CAN Cynthia Phaneuf Start 15 Place 0
Notes white with black design / 3z both hands down pick didn't go in straight / popped flip / 2a / flycam to inside edge to ilusion / 3z2t / layback is fast with foot to head / now she's really starting to act the program think she's relaxing a bit / 3l fell / 3s hands down / spirals / 3t leaning going up fell / strt ftwrk / combo spin to end / 93.19 / 171.37 / .

CAN Amada Billings Start 16 Place 0
Notes black with lime green & fushia flower on one side / 3z pitched forward waltz jup / 3s / 2f fell / 3t3t I think / not paying as much attention as I should - sorry / 3z 2ft / loop didn't get off ice / music livens up for strt ftwrk which has a bouncey feel to it / 2a / combo spin to end is very nice / 84.66 / 146.33 / .

CAN Lesley Hawker Start 17 Place 0
Notes navy blue with bit of silver trim / madame butterfly / 2z / 3l / 3f fel / 2a turn 3t fell / 3z fell / 3t / 3s squeeked out / 79.41 /

CAN Meagan Duhamel Start 18 Place 0
Notes maroon / rondo capriccsio / layback is fast & centered / 3f fell / 3t / 3z bad lean fell / butterfly back sit / back cam sit forward sit catch foot / 3f fell / 3l fell / 3s fell / she's droppping one side and leaning oneverything as she goes up into the air /2a / combo spin to end / 66.86 / 131.12 /

Joannie was spectacular. I already gushed in the Joannie thread, so I won't again now, except to say I'm looking forward to seeing her at Worlds. That is the best a Canadian ladies skater has skated in YEARS (all due respect to Robinson, who is a great ambassador to the sport, but never had the level of quality Rochette has acheived).

Felt bad for Phaneuf who looked tentative from the get-go. You could see as she was going into her jumps that she was not going to land them, there was no speed and great tension in her back and shoulders. Still, the program is beautiful and her artistry has already come to a new level compared to last year. Hopefully that was the low point of her season.

Leung - yes, she can jump, and has some impressive flexibility but she needs some major work on presentation - the basics, to start, such as stroking without round shoulders, chin extended and back bent. Also a complete makeover would be a plus. Her current look with the straight, heavy bangs, minimal make-up and badly fitting dresses makes her look about eight years old. All part of a more mature presentation.

Amanda Billings really impressed me. She is a future champion. While she struggled with some of the jumps here, the ones she landed had beautiful height and positions, also her basic presentation skills are superb with lovely line, gorgeous spins and a musicality that seems to just be a natural talent. She reminds me a lot of Ekaterina Gordeeva (a good thing), but with competitive potential on the jumps. People talk about Leung in 2010 - I wouldn't count out Billings.

billings is officially my new favorite senior ladies skater!

Well I can say as of now Cynthia can't handle the pressure. I guess that is why her coach didn't send her to worlds last year. Since she has become known she hasn't skated with abandonment since.

Pfaneuf had a difficult time with pressure at last year's Canadian Nationals to the point where her coach had her skate in her practice costumes so that she'd feel that the competition was like another practice. She didn't blow out the competition at Jr. Worlds last year, either. Pfaneuf was able to capitalize on Rochette's poor showing in the LP at Nationals, and she's a lovely developing skater, but nerves were an issue last season as well.

Cynthia can deal with pressure; remember, she did win a silver at SA and gold at SC. Her growth spurt affected her jump timings, but they are coming back. The way she skated at the gpf scared her; she wasn't happy about the way she skated there and didn't want to repeat the same errors. Her confidence is slowly coming back; she's a fighter. I have no doubt that by Worlds, she'll be fine.

I for one am not giving up on her.

Lise

Cynthia did well during the gpf but imo she never skated a good long program. She either popped jumps or fell. I think she was lucky that there wasn't a deep field during the gp season.

I really liked Billings too. Since she's going to Junior Worlds will she be able to get a high enough ISU ranking to get SR GP assignments next season? I hope so!

I also think Cynthia will be able to come back and give a good performance at Worlds. Maybe she's not ready to handle the pressure of being our top lady, but with most of the pressure now on Rochette I think Cynthia can develop into the consistent competitor. Her style is lovely.

Fruit Loops said:

I really liked Billings too. Since she's going to Junior Worlds will she be able to get a high enough ISU ranking to get SR GP assignments next season? I hope so!

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Yes, top 5 in each discipline are getting on the national team and more likely get international assignments next season.

Herios -Joseph