Euros Day 4 report - ladies SP and dance FD | Golden Skate

Euros Day 4 report - ladies SP and dance FD

LizK

Spectator
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Ladies SP

1. Slutskaya
3z2r, 3f, 2a with good one foot turns to entry. All three jumps to open the program first. Great spring on the butterfly into back camel to catchfoot variation, excellent quality. Many revs and positions on layback, strong str step with good one and two foot turns, strong spiral with change of edge all spirals in Biellmann position. Final combination spin her trademark double Biellmann, ended right on the music. Very energetic performance.

2. Sebestyen
Strong strong performance. Very well rounded, everything clean and complete done with power and good technique. 3z2t and 3f both huge as usual, 2a landed with very strong position, Great power/fly on the flying camel, Circ step a bit slow but packed, sideways layback very pretty transitions to traditional back layback very good, comb. spin to close with Biellmann. Punched the air with both fists when done. Said in the press conference that she had a late start to the season due to injury, has struggled all fall and just wanted to skate clean here. She was ecstatic.

3. Poykio
Clean and complete program, great concept and choreography to Henry V. Gorgeous flow over the ice, great knee bend, soft deep edges. Very reminiscent of Kwan. Superb ice coverage on change edge spiral and extension/control on LBO spiral with free leg in front. Great death drop with change of edge sit spin (very rare to see anything but a flying camel in this event). Nailed all the jumps clean 3z2t, 3f, 2a. Really should score higher in components than she does.

4. Liaschenko
3z2t, 2a, 3f overrotated and fell out/couldn't check. Flying camel ten revs to inside edge. Weak back on layback, workmanlike spiral, steps and combination spin. Pretty vintage Liashenko.

5. Sokolova
Average Sokolova performance. 3z2t, 2a ok, but popped the flip to a single. Flying camel held for 19 revs, three positions on layback, circ steps, comb. spin all pretty basic, had to work really hard for extension on the spiral holding up her leg. Reputation really carried her to the top 6.

6. Maniachenko
3a2t light and big, great quality on 3f and 2a. Nice flying camel change to spin on inside edge and catchfoot variation. Layback travelled extensively. Step sequence a bit slow. Good ice coverage on spiral with LBI-LBO change edge spiral. Final combination spin basic but good.

7. Kostner
Opened with an amazing 3t3t for speed and distance covered, but then 3r out of running threes leaning in the air and she fell out, then a somewhat nasty fall on the 2a. Overall speed was amazing, spiral sequence had fastest and deepest edges of the competition. Spins could be improved a bit, especially the layback could be better position and faster. Program is well choreographed with a not of little nuances to highlights in the music.

8. Timoshenko
Clean but dull performance. 3z2t, 3f, 2a all clean. Stars to flying camel to inside edge and catchfoot position. Fast layback but in weak position. Combination spin her trademark double Biellmann but it travelled a mile.

9. Dytrt
Energetic to the point of almost frenetic and flailing. Really fast, good ice coverage and attacked everything. 3z2t clean, 2a but fall on 3t. Very fast spins, flying camel, layback with many changes of position, combination spin with many positions. Sprial sequence with catchfoot positions and strong edges, fast and dramatic circ. steps.

10. Maxwell
Really a lovely skater, super extension - even more flexible than Sasha Cohen, but makes it look more effortless. Jumps were 3s2t (poss 2ft on 3s), 2a, 3t, flying camel with catchfoot position, amazing fast layback that started out leaning to the side and went through many changes of position, great comb. spin that included a Biellmann on the front half and a Biellmann on the back half that stretched above and beyond a normal Biellmann position that sounds grotesque but was very attractive, the combination of extension and edges on sprials was outstanding.

11. Ketunnen
3z2t, 2a, only a 2f. Flying camel good positions inc. catchfoot but slow, weak position on layback, but good flexibility in combination spin with Biellmann and on back half a 1/2 Biellman. Diag step nice and edgy. In general she has very good basics with strong edges.

12. Korpi
Another strong Finnish lady with great basic quality, tall, long limbed and powerful. 2f2t, 2a, gorgeous 3r, flying camel to inside edge, traveled on layback but fast, major "wow" on RFI-RFO change edge sprial for quality and depth of edge and speed. Final combination spin camel transition to sit with arms clasped behind her back very pretty and difficult.

Notable:

18. Johansson
Promising young skater with good basics, lots of power and speed, good lines. Fell on 3f but stong 3t and 2a, great ice coverage on spiral sequence with change of edge and catchfoot positions, half of the circ step on one foot and very fast spins. Nice style and pleasant to watch.

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Free Dance

Albena Denkova has been struggling recovering from a bad flu and bronchitis and Denkova/Stavisky withdrew due to her illness.

1. Navka/Kostomarov
Tosca. Twizzles - he screwed up put free foot down, dance spin, str lift her arching upside down, lovely rot-rev rot lift with changes of position seamless and elegant, nice low spread eagle change of edge lift, spin, good circ steps if a bit far apart, again he botched the twizzles and nearly blew it, unattractive low spread eagle lift view of her crotch, rot lift to end. Innovative and seamless exits and entries to lifts, whole program well connected so it felt more like a concept and less a bunch of elements strung together.

2. Grushina/Goncharov
Four Seasons. Upside down low pike lift, diag ftw with her doing knee slides to cir ftw that got slower and slower as it went along, curving hydroblade lift, messy twizzles on his part, ok rot lift, dramatic lift her way up high trans to low hydroblade lift, spin highlights her flexibility, slow diag steps, another dramatic upside down split lift. He isn't as talented as she, struggles in footwork to keep the speed going.

3. Delobel/Schoenfelder
Frida, latin themed dance. 2nd in free and probably the best technically of the evening. Superior technique was obvious skating right after G/G - D/S had much better flow and kept their speed going more easily. Soft knees and long deep precised edging throughout. No handed str lift, nice flow and turning action in str steps, very fast and well done rot lift, twizzle sequence varied positions and well done, change of edge low spread eagle lift followed by upside down spread eagle lift all very nice. Highlight balance element both of them leaning all the way back low to the ice piked on one foot, dance spin with her in Biellmann position, circ ftw, just a tad off on twizzles, handstand lift carry to rot lift to end.

4. Chait/Sahknovsky
Toccata & Fugue in D minor. Opening with him dragging her all around into str lift, rot lift in split pos, slow spin, some posing at center ice, messy twizzles, change edge lift, diag ftw, mirror twizzles off unison, curving lift on one foot, 1-handed rotational lift. Kind of a bland program and concept, lots of running around and posing but not enough skating in the connections.

5. Faiella/Scali
Probably performed the best that they could have. Looked well trained, all connections were smooth, good unison throughout. Both seem to love this music and sell the heck out of it. Good spin, good turns in str ftw, stayed together on the twizzles, great change edge lift him in spread eagle squat, reverse lift - crowd went nuts, good rotational lift.

6. Dominina/Shabalin
Modern sort of avante garde dance to the Fifth Element, some strange haunting parts, other more techno parts. Nice edges and crisp turning throughout. Difficult and well done lifts highlighting her flexibility, though one lift with a view of her crotch was quite unattractive. Spins were good but a bit slow, twizzles a little off but managed to stay together.

7. Kulikova/Novikov
Program feels like a collection of tricks designed to garner "ooo-ahhh's" but not a cohesive dance. Change edge lift slow, spin ok, twizzles good, highlight with him doing a split on the ice, slow circ ftw, twizzles a bit messy, curve-rot lift her upside down, hyrdroblade lift, str step like he's dragging her, rot lift with flip out dismount.

8. Kerr/Kerr
Very off performance tonight. Really rough and they struggled and were not happy. Never looked comfortable, many near misses in the connections, seemed like they were always searching for each other rather than being well trained and intuitively knowing where to find each other. Near trip from him on opening steps, diag ftw with a pull through a highlight, ch edge lift him on one foot then to a low spread eagle good, more hydroblade elements to cheers, spin, twizzles all a mess, flip over entry to carry lift with her in a split around his body, more messy twizzles, rot lift, spin, final ftw diag crawled over ice.

9. Frazer/Lukanin
Tango. Attacked in the beginning but slowed down and lost steam at end. Open with cool lift she flips over his shoulder and is completely upside down over his shoulder, circ ftw far apart, spin, good twizzles, strong chg edge spread eagle lift, curve to rot lift, hydroblade lift, spin.

10. Hoffman/Elek
Flamenco from Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Two great rotation lifts back-to-back with her wrapped around him, circ step slowed at the end, twizzles he struggled, low spin, low spread eagle change edge lift, hydroblade lift, twizzle sequence this time with good unison, low spin, sort of fought through the final str step. Not a bad performance.

11. Grebenkina/Azrojan
Mozart Symphony #25 to techno back to Mozart #25, strange mix. Flowly performance with good speed. Twizzle sequence with perfect unison, low piked lift with her upside down, rot lift with good exit, clockwise circ step, change edge lift, good spin, twizzles, split rotational lift to end.
 

Matt

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 19, 2003
brad640 said:
did maniachenko land a triple axel combination??

I would think that's supposed to read 3lz2t. If Maniachenko's doing a clean 3axel, that's news to me

I have heard a lot of good things about Fleur Maxwell from Luxembourg. She's really the only serious skater the country has (they only have a couple ladies from what I can see on the ISU site), but she's done quite well on the Junior Circuit in recent years. It would be nice if she does well enough in the FP so she can place high enough for ABC to show her in their coverage :sheesh:
 
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