2022 European Championships: Women's Short Program

[CaroLiza_fan]

Was there a Maria Butyrskaya sighting at this event?????? If I missed it.....I'll be kicking myself all day.

You may start the kicking now.

But, I'm a nice guy.

Maria just before Antonina's skate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4344

Maria meeting Antonina after she comes off the ice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4572

Maria and Antonina waiting for the scores:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4649

Enjoy!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Anni234]

Not in the minds of ex-soviet judges. Almost all ex-soviet federations in figure skating exist only to help Russian skaters.

That is not true and grossly misrepresents how many (indeed most) ex-Soviet states and their people feel. Let's not generalize here, please...

And just to add, it's almost offensive to suggest that merely being ex-Soviet somehow makes you less of an impartial judge. If someone has a bone to pick with a specific judge, sure. But don't bash the whole group because of some predjudices.

 

[Jontor]

You may start the kicking now.

But, I'm a nice guy.

Maria just before Antonina's skate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4344

Maria meeting Antonina after she comes off the ice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4572

Maria and Antonina waiting for the scores:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4649

Enjoy!

CaroLiza_fan

I loved seeing her again. I think we haven't seen her for exactly 20 years in a competition like this.

 

[Scott512]

I just watched Gubanova. 29 PCS = 7.25, really? She should be ahead of Anna along with Kurakova, bumping her to sixth.

29? Lol. I can't imagine how crushed Nastya must be thinking she's finally getting a break in her career getting away from the Russian figure skating federation and the same or worse still happens.

There is no reason for such a disgraceful score because anastasia is of no threat to the top Russian ladies especially in the free skate where she cannot score within 20 points of them. I mean how many points did that excellent SP finished behind KV? Or Sasha?

Really? The biggest competition of this girl's entire life and they do that to her? Honestly I don't know how she keeps going especially after not having an International competition for 3 full seasons.

Judges should literally lose their jobs over that score of 67 and 29 pcs or at the very least get graded in a way that keeps them off of major competitions. This happens in team sports in America where the officials and referees are graded so only the highest graded officials and referees get to go to the biggest events and these euro judges obviously not should not be at Europeans and I hope they aren't at the Olympics or worlds.

 

[Alegria]

That is not true and grossly misrepresents how many (indeed most) ex-Soviet states and their people feel. Let's not generalize here, please...

And just to add, it's almost offensive to suggest that merely being ex-Soviet somehow makes you less of an impartial judge. If someone has a bone to pick with a specific judge, sure. But don't bash the whole group because of some predjudices.

I said "almost" and not "all". And it's true. For example, judges from Ukraine, Belarus and Azerbaijan always help Russian skaters.

 

[mrrice]

You may start the kicking now.

But, I'm a nice guy.

Maria just before Antonina's skate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4344

Maria meeting Antonina after she comes off the ice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4572

Maria and Antonina waiting for the scores:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4649

Enjoy!

CaroLiza_fan

My Heart!!!!!!!! Even with a mask on she is GORGEOUS!!!!! Thank you so much.

 

[Fluture]

Some impressions from the women today because I couldn‘t watch live.

1. Valieva: Well, she‘s head and shoulders above the rest. 3A, beautiful spins (all +5 imo), good skating skills and more emotional connection. Still don‘t like the pause between her jumps but it‘s never going to get judged, so I‘ve given up on it. The score is still ridiculous, of course. She‘s in her first senior season and you give her almost perfect PCS? So you‘re telling me that, at 15, she‘s perfect in terms of artistic expression and will never ever improve? That would be quite sad, if true.

2. Hendrickx: Very happy for her! She won‘t be on the podium after the free but this small medal is a great result for her. She shows great jumps and spins, a mature, emotive performance and quite solid skating skills. Deserved score.

3. Trusova: Sigh, the 3A… I get why she‘s so desperate to land it and respect her competitive mindset but it‘s never worked out so far… She was also quite a bit overscored today - that 3F is at least ! and the combo had a slightly unstable landing. Still, I‘m keeping my fingers crossed for a clean free on Saturday and I‘ll try not to give up hope on the 3A. Imagine if she lands it at the Olympics of all places!!

4. Shcherbakova: Something‘s off. I don‘t know if the pressure or the injury is getting to her but this was a very uncharacteristic and costly mistake. I appreciate that she never lets the performance go when she‘s made a mistake and I‘m liking this program more and more (although some potential moments are, as usually, incredibly underutilized. When she gets into that spiral right as the music rises and then only holds it for one second… why, Daniil? I‘ll never understand it)

As for the score. Well, I‘m sorry but it‘s ridiculous. She had a fall and NO combo whatsoever and scored above skaters like Gubanova and Kurakova who skated more or less cleanly with similar technical contents? Her camel spin is also quite overscored - she‘s slow to get into the donut position, travels quite a lot and it‘s just unsteady overall. She‘ll get a medal on Saturday, anyway, why would it be such a tragedy if she takes a rightful lower place with a bad performance?

5. Gubanova: She‘s not my cup of tea, really, but that was quite lovely and a bit underscored. Should have been closer to 70 and definitely above Shcherbakova. Might have called the lutz !.

6. Kurakova: I like the new SP much more! Just beautiful. Well, I‘m biased as she‘s one of my favorite skaters but I think she remains underscored in PCS. She has very good skating skills and is a great performer. Jumps a bit iffy as always, though. She escaped the e call on her 3F and a possible q for the 3Lo…

7. Safonova: The only one in the top 8 (I think?) to get an e call, which seems… wrong. I mean, her Lutz was definitely inside, so I get it but still…

8. Ryabova: I‘m sorry but she just never leaves an impression to me. The only thing I remember was a colourful dress; Mambo Italiano and a 3Lze+3T with a horrible pause in between…

Some others: hope Kiibus and Petrokina move up in the FS. Same for Olga, such a shame about the 2Lz but it‘s good to see her a bit more confident after the injury.

Overall, that was a pretty enjoyable SP that was, as usual, only marred by the judges.

 

[mrrice]

You may start the kicking now.

But, I'm a nice guy.

Maria just before Antonina's skate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4344

Maria meeting Antonina after she comes off the ice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4572

Maria and Antonina waiting for the scores:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4649

Enjoy!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[luvsasha]

Gotta love seeing Rus fed bias towards Eteri has backfired tremendously just a few wks after grossly inflating their skaters at Rus fed over their other skaters. They really have to pray there is enough fuel left in Anna tank to last her til the end of the olympics and pray she isnt going to deteriorate even worser. If she scored this at the olympics, she would not even be in the last group. Skaters who could have placed above her score here with their SB - Wakaba, Kaori, Mana, Alysa, Mariah, Loena, Yelim, Young.

Poor Anna. The Eteri Expiration Date is hitting her quite badly now.

What happens with the Russian ladies is so sad to me because they are all tremendously talented and yet they rise and fall so quickly. I can't get excited about Kamila as amazing as she is because I can't help but think we'll never see her again after this season.

 

[Alegria]

Oleg Vassiliev said, that this judges probably had a dinner with Etery like dance judges a month ago

 

[Azikin]

Poor Anna. The Eteri Expiration Date is hitting her quite badly now.

LOL, she just made one mistake. Without it she would have over 80 points.

 

[MaHa75]

Do we know who the Estonian skating fed is sending to Beiijing?

Yes we know- it was clear after challengers EVA-LOTTA will skate in beijing ❤

 

[anonymoose_au]

Hello all! I have arisen from my sleep and am ready to watch some more of the ladies before my parents need to hit the road.

Group 3!

Wow, I don't know any of these ladies! They all have rather nice costumes though.

Yasmine - Nice program, you gotta love Four Seasons music.

Lindsay - She looks ready to rock out! Or skate to one of those weird Billie Eilish songs. Looks like it might be the latter.

Linnea - Not sure about the flowers across the neckline... probably looks better from further away.

Urmi!!!

Anete - Gorgeous costume! But skating to the same song! Awkwaaaaaaard. Although this is a weird creepy version

Loved the 2A!

Aww she looks so disappointed.

Oona - The music listing is a ride

Oh no a pop! But not gonna lie the little gasp in the music synched up perfectly and it was a little funny.

Oh phew, we've moved on to actual singing rather than spoken word.

Marina - What an interesting costume! She looks very pleased with herself... And she gets the "Q"!

Group 4

Aha! Names I recognise! Go Josefin! Fight! Win! Make the Swedish Olympic Committee send you!

Woo! Brian Joubert

Away we go!

Dasa - I can't believe she's 30! She looks so young! Go girl!

Oh no the pop! And you could see her horror in real time.

The axel too!

Oh Dasa I hate to see skaters sad

OMG! An Empress jumper! She's here in spirit!

Lara - Starts well with the combo, but oh no only a double flip! No points Lovely 2A! And a gorgeous step sequence! Beautiful skating

The "Q" appears!

Lea - Ooo Kill Bill

Did... she just... pull out a red thing to symbolize being shot? Because that's a costume choice if ever I saw one.

She did and I love it! The crowd seems to as well! Awesome step sequence! Great energy!

And she gets that "Q'!

Oh dear where does time go? I need to pack so my parents and I can head home.

I'll have to wait to see how Josefin goes.

See you all later.

 

[Scott512]

Some impressions from the women today because I couldn‘t watch live.

1. Valieva: Well, she‘s head and shoulders above the rest. 3A, beautiful spins (all +5 imo), good skating skills and more emotional connection. Still don‘t like the pause between her jumps but it‘s never going to get judged, so I‘ve given up on it. The score is still ridiculous, of course. She‘s in her first senior season and you give her almost perfect PCS? So you‘re telling me that, at 15, she‘s perfect in terms of artistic expression and will never ever improve? That would be quite sad, if true.

2. Hendrickx: Very happy for her! She won‘t be on the podium after the free but this small medal is a great result for her. She shows great jumps and spins, a mature, emotive performance and quite solid skating skills. Deserved score.

3. Trusova: Sigh, the 3A… I get why she‘s so desperate to land it and respect her competitive mindset but it‘s never worked out so far… She was also quite a bit overscored today - that 3F is at least ! and the combo had a slightly unstable landing. Still, I‘m keeping my fingers crossed for a clean free on Saturday and I‘ll try not to give up hope on the 3A. Imagine if she lands it at the Olympics of all places!!

4. Shcherbakova: Something‘s off. I don‘t know if the pressure or the injury is getting to her but this was a very uncharacteristic and costly mistake. I appreciate that she never lets the performance go when she‘s made a mistake and I‘m liking this program more and more (although some potential moments are, as usually, incredibly underutilized. When she gets into that spiral right as the music rises and then only holds it for one second… why, Daniil? I‘ll never understand it)

As for the score. Well, I‘m sorry but it‘s ridiculous. She had a fall and NO combo whatsoever and scored above skaters like Gubanova and Kurakova who skated more or less cleanly with similar technical contents? Her camel spin is also quite overscored - she‘s slow to get into the donut position, travels quite a lot and it‘s just unsteady overall. She‘ll get a medal on Saturday, anyway, why would it be such a tragedy if she takes a rightful lower place with a bad performance?

5. Gubanova: She‘s not my cup of tea, really, but that was quite lovely and a bit underscored. Should have been closer to 70 and definitely above Shcherbakova. Might have called the lutz !.

6. Kurakova: I like the new SP much more! Just beautiful. Well, I‘m biased as she‘s one of my favorite skaters but I think she remains underscored in PCS. She has very good skating skills and is a great performer. Jumps a bit iffy as always, though. She escaped the e call on her 3F and a possible q for the 3Lo…

7. Safonova: The only one in the top 8 (I think?) to get an e call, which seems… wrong. I mean, her Lutz was definitely inside, so I get it but still…

8. Ryabova: I‘m sorry but she just never leaves an impression to me. The only thing I remember was a colourful dress; Mambo Italiano and a 3Lze+3T with a horrible pause in between…

Some others: hope Kiibus and Petrokina move up in the FS. Same for Olga, such a shame about the 2Lz but it‘s good to see her a bit more confident after the injury.

Overall, that was a pretty enjoyable SP that was, as usual, only marred by the judges.

Loena probably gets on the podium if Anna struggles.

KV is phenomenal but I just don't know if it's good for the sport long-term if she's 15 to 25 points ahead of the rest of the girls before the free. I'm not saying take away points from her but I think others should be lifted up higher than they were. A few points would not matter to KV but they would to several other girls.

I wish Sasha put the triple axel on the shelf for a while but it's just not in her DNA.

I think the pressure and criticism is finally getting to Anya. People talk about the expiration date but she's had a couple of off skates after another productive season. I can't pinpoint anyting for what it is. But if she doesn't get it together for a good free skate the critics will be howling to drop her from the Olympic team or have a skate off. It really is a jungle out there with the Russian ladies.

Good luck to all the skaters tomorrow it can't be easy for them dealing with all this Coronavirus ramifications every single day. For the ladies that go to the Olympics maybe being in the bubble in Beijing will be a relief for them thinking they will be safer there health-wise.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

But if she doesn't get it together for a good free skate the critics will be howling to drop her from the Olympic team or have a skate off. It really is a jungle out there with the Russian ladies.

She really needs a good LP. Landing the 4F would be great, but I think she'll be fine if she hits all her triples and misses the quad because that will still earn a huge score. If she is starting to lose her triples under competitive pressure, she's going to be vulnerable against the Japanese women and Loena, and I think the Russian Fed might have her prove herself one last time domestically before making a final decision.

 

[Scott512]

She really needs a good LP. Landing the 4F would be great, but I think she'll be fine if she hits all her triples and misses the quad because that will still earn a huge score. If she is starting to lose her triples under competitive pressure, she's going to be vulnerable against the Japanese women and Loena, and I think the Russian Fed might have her prove herself one last time domestically before making a final decision.

You and I both know the triples are the key with Anna. That's what helps rack up those big scores for her. If she hits a quad or two that's fantastic if not she can still podium in any competition because of the way she can score points to go along with her artistry and interpretation which is top notch.

 

[rollerblade]

You may start the kicking now.

But, I'm a nice guy.

Maria just before Antonina's skate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4344

Maria meeting Antonina after she comes off the ice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4572

Maria and Antonina waiting for the scores:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUTtZvdfdk&t=4649

Enjoy!

CaroLiza_fan

Wait a minute... what kind of voodoo magic is this? How come this isnt geoblocked, but pairs event was?

 

[Tinymavy15]

I feel like Anna and Sasha were both down a notch or two from nationals. The intensity there was so extreme and here even their makeup seemed not as well done? Really wonder why the three Russian women showed up here unless the federation requested it?

Also why did Eteri change the jump landings to this pitch forward thing? It looks like a mistake and not at all like "feature" if that was what she was going for.

 

[princecharming]

The judging was quite disgusting.

I knew Kamila would score 90 given her stellar performance. Does it deserve 90? Not sure...

I am getting sick and tired of Alexandra falling on the 3A.

Anna should have been placed much lower. What happens if she falls in the FS? The judges shouldn't be giving her such high marks because she's the current world champion. Agreed with people who have said that Kurakova, Gubanova and Hendriks should have placed higher.

 

[princecharming]

Can I also just say that I really, REALLY do not like this commentator?? He is awful, everything that comes out of his mouth is just dumb and sounds demoralising.