2015 Europeans Ladies Free Skate, Jan. 31

[silverlake22]

Laughing with your statement! Anna should be happy, she did good! Happiness and determination to do better with any achievement brings improvement!

Anna was good but the 18 point gap between her and the ladies in front of her has got to be a little frustrating. Of course, she had a couple mistakes which means her score could have been higher, so hopefully that will motivate her. It would probably be more frustrating if she had skated perfectly and still wound up so far back but at least that didn't quite happen. I hope she can continue to build and gets to go to Worlds. There's still a slight chance for her to get on the podium there and a top 4-6 finish is very doable if she can continue to skate well.

 

[Meoima]

We all know ISU will not like Russian sweep in Worlds, so Gracie and Ashley still have somce chances if they skate clean.

 

[FSGMT]

I agree, but so are Elena's. I don't like that we are approaching Sochi level PCS so quickly into the season and the quad. PCS at worlds will probably be pretty insane at this rate (~70) or maybe higher.

Yes, everyone in the top 5 was really overscored in PCS :think: For the first three groups the judges were really strict (Rodeghiero's PCS was the highest until she skated, with 51), but then they suddenly began giving out 8s and 9s... There wasn't that enormous difference in the actual skating between Rodeghiero/Meite and Pogorilaya or Helgesson for me: 5-6 points yes, but definitely not 10

 

[Iscariot]

There should be a component mark named CONSISTENCY and that i would give the top 2 a 9.65 but when it comes to TR and SS, what they are getting its a joke, by worlds they will get what? 70+? Not even Mao got that at Sochi.
i want a judges panel like in 2008

 

[Ekm]

We all know ISU will not like Russian sweep in Worlds, so Gracie and Ashley still have somce chances if they skate clean.

That's a bit condescending, it implies neither of the American ladies could medal without help, while in truth both ladies are perfectly capable of taking that third spot. I like Anna (more than Gracie, or Elena, for that matter) but at this point I wouldn't say that she has an advantage.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

That's a bit condescending, it implies neither of the American ladies could medal without help, while in truth both ladies are perfectly capable of taking that third spot. I like Anna (more than Gracie, or Elena, for that matter) but at this point I wouldn't say that she has an advantage.

Anna's advantage is her tech difficulty, but if Wagner skates like at Nationals, that will be erased and made up for by Wagner's PCS.

 

[Meoima]

That's a bit condescending, it implies neither of the American ladies could medal without help, while in truth both ladies are perfectly capable of taking that third spot. I like Anna (more than Gracie, or Elena, for that matter) but at this point I wouldn't say that she has an advantage.

It's politics within ISU. I have nothing against Ashley or Gracie either. They're capable of taking the third spot but mentality they're not as strong as the Russian girls overall. I Am just being realistic here.
Just saying we all know how politics work. Anna had no chance against Caro last year at Saitama even though she skated light out.
I am not suprised that even if Anna skate light out again at WC, she has little chance of medal against let's say a relatively clean Ashley or Gracie.

 

[gmyers]

Liza was amazing and solid as a rock in sp and lp. Liza or Elena its going to be so difficult!

 

[turgon97]

I really didnt like Pogorilaya in this event. A beautiful girl, but she's incredibly sloppy, especially with those bent knees. Those illusion spins sum up her sloppiness.

 

[tulosai]

Then you are saying Adelina is definitely not coming back??? Iguess if she is doing dancing with the stars that might mean she is gone.

No certainly not saying that- I don't know her and I don't know. But even if she comes back, we'll have to see her form. Also, pretty much the only clean LP she ever did in international competition was the Olympics. It's not like she is Yuna and a bastion of winning gold everything. And I do like her, but you have to be realistic. Anyway I think a lot of people misunderstood my Anna is solidly #3 now comment- I meant for this year not forever and ever. Obviously, in Russia, it would be foolish to predict ahead to a year from now.

Not at all. Consistency is the issue and Wagner is prone to UR and edge calls. Elena and Liza are clearly the faves and Wagner would need a clean SP and FS and Elena and Tukt to be off their game in order to defeat them. She could definitely vie for the podium though.

Yeah I don't see Ashley coming in higher than 3rd, but 3rd is definitely doable.

Anna was good but the 18 point gap between her and the ladies in front of her has got to be a little frustrating. Of course, she had a couple mistakes which means her score could have been higher, so hopefully that will motivate her. It would probably be more frustrating if she had skated perfectly and still wound up so far back but at least that didn't quite happen. I hope she can continue to build and gets to go to Worlds. There's still a slight chance for her to get on the podium there and a top 4-6 finish is very doable if she can continue to skate well.

I think the best thing she could do for herself is try to improve her spins. She is losing some points there. If she could do that and get a little more consistent there would still be a gap, but it would be a small one.

 

[Sandpiper]

It's politics within ISU. I have nothing against Ashley or Gracie either. They're capable of taking the third spot but mentality they're not as strong as the Russian girls overall. I Am just being realistic here.
Just saying we all know how politics work. Anna had no chance against Caro last year at Saitama even though she skated light out.
I am not suprised that even if Anna skate light out again at WC, she has little chance of medal against let's say a relatively clean Ashley or Gracie.

I don't think Anna is stronger mentally than Ashley. She had some issues even here (though more than enough for the podium), and her mistakes tend to be more disruptive to the program. She is stronger technically than Ashley, due to her ability to consistently rotate 3-3s, but her flip edge has been giving her more trouble than the lutz edge for Ashley. If both go clean, imo, Ashley's PCS are well deserved.

But it's true that Anna could wind off the podium if the Americans are just as clean, or even slightly messier. It's a bit worrying that even at the so-called inflated Europeans, with marks tending to rise as the season goes on, Anna's total score barely beats out Gracie's NHK score. She landed 5 triples to Gracie's 4, rotated everything, and didn't fall. I honestly don't think Gracie's any better at performance/interpretation than Anna, but the judges seem to prefer her polished look. (Granted, I also think Gracie's NHK score super inflated and she'll never score like that for 4 triples when she actually competes against the world's elite, but who can say for sure...)

I agree that Anna should already have a World medal (before Liza, Elena, and Adelina, no less!). I pulled for Carolina in the past but now I wonder, what the heck was I thinking?! But keep in mind Ashley and Gracie will not pull Carolina-PCS.

 

[JayW]

Just finished watching TOP 3 ladies. OMG, what a night!

Liza was wonderful. Her jumps are squeaky clean, she skated with such confidence.
Elena was on fire!

 

[EdgeCall]

She only had one UR, in the -3S of her 3Lo-1L-3S combo, at GPF. And she's been getting ! on her 3Z, which garners -GOE but is not a hit on BV.

A little off-topic: I wonder what a newcomer to figure skating would think when reading this line.

(SCNR)

 

[Mrs. P]

A little off-topic: I wonder what a newcomer to figure skating would think when reading this line.

(SCNR)

Yeah it's a bit insider baseball.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Originally Posted by Mrs. P
She only had one UR, in the -3S of her 3Lo-1L-3S combo, at GPF. And she's been getting ! on her 3Z, which garners -GOE but is not a hit on BV.

A little off-topic: I wonder what a newcomer to figure skating would think when reading this line.

(SCNR)

Yes..I'm quite glad I had a few years of ice rink experience and working directly with figure skaters before posting here. I actually came from a hockey background first But to be honest the hardest terms for me to learn when I started posting here were things like.... IIRC and YMMV. I never really did the internets much before posting here.

I have to admit though that to an outsider Mrs. P's post might look as though a computer was acting up and creating a weird formula for war instead of discussing a beautiful art form like figure skating.

 

[Sandpiper]

After catching the replays with B. Eurosport, I'd like to show a moment of appreciation for Viktoria Helgesson. Her sister skated better and cleaner, true. But Viktoria's SS seem stronger; she made that Level 4 StSq look good, with speed and ice coverage.

Yeah it's a bit insider baseball.

All together now, singing to the tune of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine: "We all speak in figure-skater-ese, figure-skater-ese, figure-skater-ese."

 

[Mrs. P]

I promise I am capable of writing in full sentences.

 

[EdgeCall]

I have to admit though that to an outsider Mrs. P's post might look as though a computer was acting up and creating a weird formula for war instead of discussing a beautiful art form like figure skating.

How true. Unfortunately Mrs. P was just describing the technicalities, there is no language to describe the art ... hwell:

 

[Violet Bliss]

I have to admit though that to an outsider Mrs. P's post might look as though a computer was acting up and creating a weird formula for war instead of discussing a beautiful art form like figure skating.

And while reading the posts on Anna and the American girls, a scenario formed in my head of a strategy team planning on some power grab and the lowest power rank was the natural target to take down.

 

[EdgeCall]

And while reading the posts on Anna and the American girls, a scenario formed in my head of a strategy team planning on some power grab and the lowest power rank was the natural target to take down.

But this is figure skating, there is no direct confrontation. Anna can only take down herself. I guess we can expect more bitching from Ashley in the weeks to come, hoping to make Anna nervous...