2019 European Championships Ladies Short Program

[norwegianfairytale]

So I have been watching the SP delayed, and pretty much skipped the first group due to time reasons. So, I hadn´t predicted this standing at all!

My thoughts:

Young Ryabova was new to me, but what a pleasant surprise. Very impressed, she is very young and has a big potensial. Enjoyed her skating.

Also Alexandra Feigin was really nice and smooth!

Happy for Julia Sauter and qualifying for the FS. I just started looking at the 2017 Euros yesterday and she has improved really!

So for Camilla, a bit sad about the big mistakes, but small margins in this sport. I really wanted here to qualify for the FS, and didn´t expect this placement.
Although, I had a feeling that she would have to fight for a final spot, and to be honest i expected that she would get 46-47 points tops with very small mistakes, which maybe would just be enough to qualify, but i expected not under 40! Her season best ist 51 points from Minsk actually.. so she can do better. I guess she got very nervous, but that´s also this game in this sport. The positive thing though, she managed to put the program together with those mistakes. I quite enjoyed it still. But I really wanted to see her FS, is pretty nice, and she got a new dress, but there aren´t any videos out there from the FS this season. Well, there will be other competitions!

But very happy for Dasa GRM, i didn´t expect here to be this strong. I saw her earlier this season, maybe it was in Minsk?, and she had a very bad SP and her jumps looked weak, but now, pretty strong! Also, loved her dress!

So happy for Viveca and the placement! She might even medal!

Nicole Rajicova was a nice surprise, very unsure about her this season, but she is very strong fighter, and such a sweet and happy girl! So deserved scores.

Stasya, yes... I wasn´t really surprised, but really sad for her.

Very happy for Sofia, that was a good performance, she is so strong. I might even think she can win now with the tight scores, if Alina doesn´t go clean. But looks pretty nice for Sofia to medal.

Also, Alexia, a strong performance. Coming in last, doing such a wonderful performance and placing 3th. Impressive! And the dress, woah!

To conclude, Euros is Euros, people get nervous and make stupid mistakes, there are small margins. But it´s exciting and overall I would say that the final looks pretty strong to me.

 

[Baron Vladimir]

So you can call today's +3Lo< but somehow also call this +3Lo "borderline"? The 3Lz can be called "borderline" but the +3Lo is clearly <.

Yes, because today i saw it in a real time. I didn't see that in your other example for the simple reason - i didn't have that camera angle when i was watching it live (nor the judges had that kind of a reply too). You are only reviewing jumps which looks suspicious in real time and the camera which is doing that is probably not recording from the same angle as that one. Why do you think judges won't call her jumps even if they are sure - there is just no logic in that!

 

[deedee1]

I loved Ryabova's camel spins, which is rare these days. I mean, traditional Russian's, a perfect, textbook position!!! Isn't she training at Plushenko Academy, now I can see why her camel spins is that good, Plushenko quality, no doubt! Good luck to her in the free.

 

[deedee1]

Off topic, but seeing Brian, Stephane, Kevin v-d-Perren, Zimmerman and Lutai in KnC made my day!

 

[GoddessMinerva]

Remember Stanislava was sent to Worlds against all logic last year after a mediocre performance at Jr Worlds. I think she needs to bomb again (which is very likely) to not be sent.

I really hope Sofia gets the chance, she was great. Also liza, an illness shouldn't derail her if she is still skating well.

They couldn't justify sending her this year if Sofia beats her with clean performances at Euros, a senior competition - especially since she is sure to medal and Konstantinova may not or at least take bronze over Sofia's likely silver, even gold if Alina has a Rus Nats free, but I think probably take gold.

 

[elektra blue]

I remember when this song was shorthand for teenage angst. Now I wonder how many people remember what it’s actually about.

metis, dear, everybody knows! it's about daredevil

about the competition

Lara Naki GUTMANN: I can’t get over her coach’s name…minchio wich looks too much like the Italian slang word for…well…d1ck. I’m laughing like a 7 yo. Anyway lara is a very talented girl I’m sorry she didn’t make it to the fs, but she need refinement and more mileage, in the next few years she will probably rock.

Lucrezia GENNARO: how to make the most of your luck and qualify for the fs (unluckily it looks like we’re going to have just 1 spot next year)

Ivett TOTH: entertaining, unique and messy, that’s why we love her, isn’t it?

Alina ZAGITOVA: she looks in a better shape than rusnats but the gap between her and sofia is so little, will she be totally clean in the fs?

Sofia SAMODUROVA: great job! i have the feeling she is in going to win this

 

[Azikin]

Ivett TOTH: entertaining, unique and messy, that’s why we love her, isn’t it?

Yep! And if she jumped Axel, she would have beaten Stasya..

 

[elektra blue]

Yep! And if she jumped Axel, she would have beaten Stasya..

but she wouldn't be our cactus though

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

What is Elta? The european equivalent of Fuji tv? All videos are blocked in my country because of Elta content.

ELTA is a Taiwanese channel, if I remember correctly.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[twirlingblades]

I really, really like Sofia. That 3loop was fire.

 

[Zhafiraiha]

Wait i know I’m probably way late but I thought Zhenya was going to compete?

 

[3T3T]

I didn’t watch every competitor but despite the many errors I actually enjoyed the skating.

Zagitova is definitely feeling the pressure, the programme has way to many music cuts and she always just seems relieved to be finished rather than happy. She definitely has grown since PyeongChang but I do like her and want to see her do well, she does get a lot more of criticism. I thought she would have a bigger lead. Samodurova is definitely within striking distance, she gave a great performance. I find her jumps a bit on the small side but she is a great competitor.

Surprised to see the make up of the rest of the Final group. Paganini gave a lovely skate but it lacked a bit of fire for me. Lindfors and Rajicova both skated well and are well positioned. I found Lecavelier a bit generic, it was a very subdued Cleopatra, I thought no she was a bit overmarked. She was definitely overmarked compared to Ryabova, who I would have in 6th, I think her early start really hurt her.

Other skaters I enjoyed were Sauter, Dubnina, Grm and Yamada doing well and making the free skate. It was nice to see Galustyan back and I would have liked a better skate but she has made the free. I also liked Feigin, some real nice touches in her skating.

I was extremely disappointed for Konstantinova, another disaster skate. That score wouldn’t have got her top 20 in last years world. Why can she not deliver when the pressure is on? The Russians should be sleep walking to a clean sweep, they are that far ahead of the others but once again she has faltered. She can easily pullback 10+ marks on the non Russian girls will she do it? Who knows. I wouldn’t hav ever in the world team this year she is to unreliable and I say that as a fan.

What is Cheboktareava doing as a coach? Kolyada is also poor under pressure, do they need to look at the coaching set up?

I hope everyone skate Wells in the free.

 

[TT_Fin]

I made a little calculation for free. If Viveca, Stanislava and Alexia skated all exactly the sames scores as their ISU SB is, Result would be: Viveca 195.11, Stanislava 191.77 and Alexia 184.71. And then some others: Mae Berenice 179.61, Laurine 176.13, Ekaterina 173.77. There was no SB in Nicole´s biography, so I could not count her. So I think to be clean is important, anyone of these ladies is able to get bronze, if other make mistakes. And there are also black horses, who can get high scores skating clean, like Emmi who has never skated clean in any competition but has good skating skills.

 

[Tutto]

That was Nicky Slater, who won the Ice Dance Bronze Medal at Europeans in 1983 with Karen Barber.

Simon, Chris and Nicky were the regular figure skating commentators on British Eurosport for many years, but then Nicky emigrated to Canada a couple of years ago. (It was in preparation for him leaving that Mark Hanretty and Catherine Whittaker were brought into the team). And this is his first time back on Eurosport since then.

Here's a couple of videos of Chris and Nicky from when they were commentating at Euros in 2011:

Rehearsal
Ice Dance Intro

CaroLiza_fan

I've watched so far only Ladies & Men SPs and was getting a feeling that the guys especially Nicky were commentating while under the influence of some substance or other?! I am all for being positive but they were going OTT, e'g Nicky was ecstatic over Samarin's choreo and presentation, to give you an idea

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I've watched so far only Ladies & Men SPs and was getting a feeling that the guys especially Nicky were commentating while under the influence of some substance or other?! I am all for being positive but they were going OTT, e'g Nicky was ecstatic over Samarin's choreo and presentation, to give you an idea

Great minds think alike. I thought Nicky was being rather over the top too. Particularly on the first day of the coverage. He was never like that when commentating before he emigrated.

I don't know if it is a case that he has been out of it for too long, or if listening to Jonny and Tara commentating has had an influence on his style of commentary. I hope not, because I always liked his commentary.

On the first day, there was something he said that gave me the impression that he and Chris had only just arrived back on this side of the Atlantic in the day or so before. So, it could well be the effects of jet lag.

But, I hope he goes back to normal soon.

CaroLiza_fan