2017 GPF Ladies FS

[Icey]

I was looking at the protocols for Worlds 2017, and for the top ten Ladies in both the short and long programs, the total number of underrotations given was very low (2 as I recall) and I believe no edge calls were given.

 

[NaVi]

Aah, watching Finnish commentary for this. It's some former coach whose always saying really technical stuff and all and on Osmond's lutz she said along the lines of "Another really nice, difficult jump - a flip".

When commentators make mistakes like that you start to wonder if these perhaps should be marked as e instead of !...

The issue with misidentifying her jumps is less the quality of her edge than that she jumps clockwise.

 

[Icey]

So several months before the Olympics, the judges decide to alert Satoko she needs to do something about her UR's.

 

[jenm]

on a positive note, how pretty are the GPF medals? well done, Japan

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I watched this with a friend from the theater who doesn't watch a lot of figure skating. She said that Kostner's FS looked stale, like something from a bygone era. She was also baffled by her high PCS score. She preferred Sotskova's performance.

That is because Masha is Bo$$ :yay:

 

[beachmouse]

Katie Ledecky won her first Olympic gold at 15 in swimming, but I'm probably one of the only people who doesn't care for age limits. Teens need to be protected (as evidenced by what is going on in gymnastics), but if they're talented and can cope with the pressure, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to compete at the Olympics. I want to see the best of the best. And the fact of the matter is some teens have ambition and are willing to make sacrifices to achieve their goals.

I remember Ledecky getting lots of buzz as a 14 year old and how she had the potential to be something really special come Rio (when she would be 19). She just kind of arrived ahead of schedule. I can also remember Michael Phelps setting his first world record at age 15, grew up with stories of Mary T. Meagher setting her first world record at 13, and can remember senior national team regulars like Dana Vollmer and Elizabeth Beisel making their first big girl international squads at 13.

But every sport and discipline are different when it comes to athlete health and safety. Pool swimming is the only aquatics discipline without a minimum age for senior international competition. Diving went to a minimum age over concerns about physical development problems when some countries would start 9-10 year olds diving 10 meter tower in order to get them to an Olympics or World Championships at 13. Water polo is rugby in the deep end (when the most famous event in your sport's history is known as 'Blood in the Water'...) Synchro has concerns about overtraining since the elite international athletes will spend 6-8 hours a day in the pool. Same goes for open water and overtraining concerns with juniors.

I see skating as closest to diving and gymnastics on the women's side, and the senior eligibility rules are somewhat similar among all three sports. (As women's ski jumping grows, it will probably be pretty similar in terms of elite athlete demographics and eventual rulebook- lots of small athletic girls seem to be picking it up as another sport when something like figure skating doesn't pan out) And I find myself cheering every girl who gets more than her 'Golden Year' at the top of her sport from that group and has some career longevity.

 

[gioccia]

Wakaba Higuchi - I think Japanese Fed should put her №1 instead of Satoko, that will probably boost her scores and giver her confidence. I like both her programs, speed, choreo and interpretation, though transitions are weak. When she's clean, she's really good. I would love to see her on the podium at the Olympics because she's a package TES+PCS.
Maria Sotsokova - She added another difficult combo, her TES are impressive, PCS-wise... very weak. She just skates from one element to another. No transitions that's why she doesn't get good GOE.
Karolina Kostner - that's a joke, that's an insult to all the skaters. She skates beautifully, it would be an exceptional routine for the show, not for the competition. I've never shared this hype about her skating skills. I get it it's EXTREMELY hard to skate from one side of the rink to another with beautiful hands and smiles until the next 3-2 or easiest triples... it takes a lot of effort it's called transitions... It's worth 9.11 in comparison with 8.61 with Zagitova who seems to be drinking tea in between the elements. She must be dying at the gym and on the rink practising all this day in day out.... weakest BV + 13 points of GOE, more than anyone else... SICK! Hateful!
Kaetlyn OSMOND - her SP is one of a kind, she is sensational in it and deserved the lead. It is packed with jumps, transitions, choreo...If only she could pull out such a strong FP. But she CAN't. She's not capable and will NEVER be...That's why they arranged this components wise emptynFP. No transitions, no choreo, no flexibility, she should never have taken a ballet program in the first place, she looks ridiculous. So I get the fact that she should get good TES and good GOE, her jumps are to die for, but her PCS are very weak. Again transitions higher than Zagitova? Give me a break! She's certainly a medal contender at the OLYs but she should add transitions and work harder in the choreo classes to interpret the music better.
Alina Zagitova... SP was much better technically this time but still not perfect, I wish she pulls it out soon. FP also had some mistakes but overall it was good. I like the fact that she made all these mistakes now not in the OLYs. Her interpretation of the music was very weak this time, she seemed nervous. They must have focused on building the stamina skating the SP. Still the most sophisticated skating, excellent programs, a true ballerina deseved the lead. A gold medal contender it everything is fine.
Satoko MIYAHARA - a very good and mature skater, but her jumps do not deserve a plus GOE not to mention +2 from some judges. Definitely not a package.

I'm glad that Wakaba, Kaetlyn and Alina made mistakes, I'm sure it will make them stronger in the future.

Honestly, if judging had been fair, if GOE had been given based on difficulty and not fame, if PCS had been given based on the performance, not the fame... we would have had Mai Mihara and Marin Honda in the final instead of Kostner and Miyahara....

No offence meant, that's my seeing of figure skating based on my background of 11 years of dancing classes and 7 years of music school. I never took up sport seriously but I'm a huge fan of sporting achievements and TES should play a more important role and be judged fairly.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Just caught up and I'm SHOCKED that Satoko actually got some ur calls. She would struggle to get on any podium any where if she was judged fairly like this every time. Let's hope they keep it up.

I think she deserved 3rd place in this competition even with a bunch of underrotation calls I would have given. Osmond and Kostner get higher PCS than they deserve and have technical issues of their own.

 

[chopinskate]

+9000 ^^^

 

[chairmanmao]

Correction: Figure skating scoing is only as credible as the judging makeup AT that event. If the make up is not credible, the results shouldn't be credible either.

European majority judges in Russia is basically European slant x 200% like at Sochi (Japan, and Canada was the only none Europeans at the FS)
. Tech panel there was also 100% European lead by a Russia skating federation Vice President, where wrong calls were 'conviniently' made. Talk about conflict of interests!!!! That panel makeup was ripe for slanting.

It will be interesting to see if this is what happens in Pyeongchang.

I don't know why people are complaining about Kostner but not complaining about others. If judges inflate her, they will have no choice but to inflate others.. perhaps arguable it was the reason for the inflation overall. That is why in prep for Sochi, they need a marker. She will continued to be kept high until Europeans Championship, so they can inflate Russian skaters more.

Of course why should people focus on the hasbeen novice-level skater Kostner when they should be focusing on those high flying Russians and their undeserved scores. You'd think after 4 years they'd let go but apparently not. I won't be surprise if this lot at home award Kim some sort of medal so that they could claim some form of moral victory on that so called Sochi injustice. So pathetic! Give it a rest por favor.

 

[anyanka]

It seems obvious that Evgenia (if healthy) and Alina are fighting for oly gold and the rest are fighting for bronze and that could be anyone (although not probably Maria). So the battle is for oly bronze! I think it wasn't this clear before the last olympics. What a boring scenario...

Well ... in 2014 it was supposed to be Yuna vs. Yulia, with Mao in the mix, Caro possibly making the podium, and almost no one predicted Adelina to win OGM. In 2002 no one thought Sarah Hughes would overcome the titanic duo of Michelle and Irina. And let's not forget 2006, when the battle between Sasha and Irina ended with another third party, the lovely Shizuka, as the champion. Anything can happen at the Olympics!! Just saying ...

 

[MaiKatze]

Well ... in 2014 it was supposed to be Yuna vs. Yulia, with Mao in the mix, Caro possibly making the podium, and almost no one predicted Adelina to win OGM. In 2002 no one thought Sarah Hughes would overcome the titanic duo of Michelle and Irina. And let's not forget 2006, when the battle between Sasha and Irina ended with another third party, the lovely Shizuka, as the champion. Anything can happen at the Olympics!! Just saying ...

In that scenario I think Maria winning the Olympics would be the most likely outcome. She's not at all the favourite but continues to churn out clean performances and is on almost no ones radar as Russian Number 3. Oh, I can imagine the outcry if that happens.

 

[madison]

Yes, everything is possible, ice is slippery and life unpredictable. This doesn't mean that whoever will win would be iconic and representative for the figure skating world. It should be like that, but the reality shows that are also exceptions. I always considered Olympic Games overstated.

 

[largeman]

In that scenario I think Maria winning the Olympics would be the most likely outcome. She's not at all the favourite but continues to churn out clean performances and is on almost no ones radar as Russian Number 3. Oh, I can imagine the outcry if that happens.

Outcry of JOY and ELATION from our friend Sam

 

[deneuved]

In that scenario I think Maria winning the Olympics would be the most likely outcome. She's not at all the favourite but continues to churn out clean performances and is on almost no ones radar as Russian Number 3. Oh, I can imagine the outcry if that happens.

Please no. I have problems staying awake during her programmes

 

[David21]

I watched this with a friend from the theater who doesn't watch a lot of figure skating. She said that Kostner's FS looked stale, like something from a bygone era. She was also baffled by her high PCS score. She preferred Sotskova's performance.

Why don't we ban all judges and from now on let people decide and judge "who don't watch a lot of figure skating". As long as Caro (undeservedly) placed lower, most people here would probably be happy about it

 

[moriel]

I think she deserved 3rd place in this competition even with a bunch of underrotation calls I would have given. Osmond and Kostner get higher PCS than they deserve and have technical issues of their own.

Or Satoko should have gotten higher PCs. Imho, her PCs should be near Caro's here.
UR calls were well deserved though.

 

[MaiKatze]

Why don't we ban all judges and from now on let people decide and judge "who don't watch a lot of figure skating". As long as Caro (undeservedly) placed lower, most people here would probably be happy about it

Daniel Weiss was arguing that Carolina's PCS is too low for what she brings to the ice. Casuals, hardcore fans, coaches, judges, skaters themselves.....all have different opinions. It's figure skating = there will never be a consensus.

Please no. I have problems staying awake during her programmes

That's actually the only problem I would have with it. Maria's programs are such a yawn fest, at least Clair de Snooze. It doesn't do her any favours at all. But then I didn't like Adelina's winning programs either. I'm not really invested in the Ladies anymore, so I don't really care who wins in 2018.

 

[David21]

Or Satoko should have gotten higher PCs. Imho, her PCs should be near Caro's here.
UR calls were well deserved though.

Satoko was already lucky that her ur's in the SP weren't punished. Overall I'd say she was rather marked too high instead of too low.

 

[jenaj]

Satoko was already lucky that her ur's in the SP weren't punished. Overall I'd say she was rather marked too high instead of too low.

She was marked too low in PCS in her short program, too. Her PCS in performance, interpretation and composition should have been the highest in this event.