2016 World Championships Ladies Free Skate

[R.D.]

Guys, you need to see Anna live. She blew me away during her SP. She is passionate and skates big.

As someone else who was there, I will co-sign this. I was meh about her before, but there actually is a certain likeness about her skating that doesn't really translate well to the camera/TV view

She got a partial standing O for her FS. I was one of the folks who stood.

 

[aa456]

This is what was, and still is, one of the worst things about figure skating judging.

Mao's PCS should have been sky high with that mature, ethereal Madame Butterfly. She has proven herself over and over again. She has more artistry in her little pinky than 99% of the other girls in the field have in their whole body.

Word. I could never understand this lowballing of skaters in earlier groups. The whole point of IJS was supposed to be judges NOT holding back, waiting for the top flight. I could understand that for ordinal system but when a top skater unusually makes mistakes and ends up in an earlier flight,why hold back their PCS? What does someone's skating skills, interpretation, performance or execution have to do with their starting order?

And like someone said, Chan or Kostner have had awful performances in the past yet their PCS haven't suffered proportionally. Guess some judges will never learn to look beyond speed as the main criterion for PCS

 

[rollerblade]

I did, and it made me think she was being rude. But there was a moment after the press conference where Anna came over to Ashley and had a nice exchange/hugging moment, so I think she may have just been very overwhelmed with all the excitement. [snip] Proper etiquette is, you take your bows, you congratulate the champion first, then the silver medalist, THEN you may take your step. But you know...details...

Geez guys. She was distracted by Evgenia.... what appeared to be Evgenia prompting her to do her end pose.

Besides, different event do it differently. At the 2014 Olympics, bronze medalist was announced > bronze medalist steps on podium and receive medal... then silver medalist was announced. Rinse/repeat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgf1aby6qTQ --- Omg Denis, how DARE you step on the podium before hugging Yuzu and Patrick! Such poor podium etiquette boo hiss!

 

[hurrah]

And like someone said, Chan or Kostner have had awful performances in the past yet their PCS haven't suffered proportionally. Guess some judges will never learn to look beyond speed as the main criterion for PCS

Carolina's PCS was constant because there was no other Italian ladies figure skater who could be expected to be a top contender. Like Patrick or Javier or Yuna or Denis Ten, etc.---they get a PCS boost for being the sole representative of their country.

 

[msteach3]

Poor Gracie Her future is bright and she is just 20! Imo, she is the most talented lady in the US now and just needs to work on her interpretation/presentation. She almost medalled at home, must be super hard for her

I really think she needs a completely different style of program. Something that has some energy and personality to it rather than a classical warhorse which seems to end up bringing her down. She'd do better to keep it lively and fun.

 

[dailytg20]

I don't get it...whats that phrase supposed to mean?

Sorry, I spend too much time indulging in American pop culture on the Internets so I tend to speak in jargon and memes.

To clarify, I meant that after giving that interview Gracie most likely calmly walked behind that World 2016 display in the background and let out a primal scream that blew out all the windows within a 50 block radius of the TD Garden. The reporter, perhaps expecting an iteration of "You can't always win / It just wasn't my day / We all learn from our mistakes," sounded like he was taken aback by the brutality of her self-critique.

Back to jargon and memes, she was like, and then he was like.

 

[twirlingblades]

I really think she needs a completely different style of program. Something that has some energy and personality to it rather than a classical warhorse which seems to end up bringing her down. She'd do better to keep it lively and fun.

Agreed. Her programs are holding her back (read: this year's LP and that godawful LP from last year). She deserves better music and choreography.

 

[Alexz]

Indeed it does, but that's not going to register to a general audience. Even then, she didn't portray ANYTHING, not even the basics of the story. It was a clean skate to backing music. it's wasn't even the most cursory of portrayals. It was a nothing program.

Now refresh your memory with the exact pieces of this Rimsky-Korsakov music used in this Anna's program and compare with the actual moves and almost ballet-quality poses by Anna. She certainly worked hard on those. It would make more sense. The ballet is based not a very well-known codified classical ballet techniques, but more I would say on a provocative exoticism, sensual (don't confuse with sexual) seduction. If I'm not mistaken first adaptation was made by Dyagilev's Ballets Russes on one of those Russian Seasons in Paris approximately 100 years ago. The original performance was very innovative and too sexual for that time,me specially knowing Mikhail Fokine. Certainly it's hard to understand nowdays too, especially when most people have impression that art of a ballet it is something like Nutcracker or Swan Lake. There should be a full ballet on YouTube somewhere, watch it. Read some analysis of the original score music and ballet libretto before. You are in for a treat. And then watch Anna's FS program one more time.

 

[TatiMax]

Young Evgenia saved Russia's *** from having no gold at this worlds.
Which reminds me again of the thing Tatiana and Maxim called skating

 

[Plisskin]

Gracie, let it all out and cry in your hotel. And then when you get back home, get a new choreographer. Someone to help you learn how to emote and picks better music/programs for you that fits your personality. I'm pretty sure ice princess and old war horse programs like Phantom and Firebird is not you. Also, not saying you definitely should, but maybe consider getting a new coach too.

 

[aa456]

Two takeaways from here:

1) didnt realize Evgenia's Flutzes and wasn't called. I guess all Flutzers need to learn from her and work their camera angles to hide that flutz

2) JSF needs to work on politicking (I'm serious). FS is basically living off of Japan these days but then you look at the low balling of their ladies' PCS. Makes no sense.

 

[zschultz1986]

Honestly, how should she feel about it? I'd be pissed too, and I wouldn't need some reporter asking me questions after maybe my biggest disappointment. I've been critical of Gracie, but it was a very clean last two Free Skating flights overall. She had a stumble and a double out, it wasn't a bomb of a performance. However, that's the difference between world champion and 4th.

Tara said she has it all in her hands, and I said on Twitter that Tara should stop lying to us, because she doesn't. She COULD, but she needs to solve the mental aspect of the sport. The mental aspect of ANY sport, especially at the top echelons, is the hardest thing to master. She just needs to free herself from her expectations, or figure out a way to focus them to make her better. It's a hard thing to do. I hope she does it, for herself.

 

[R.D.]

To those who said Gracie should be mad at herself, I just saw this brief interview where she seems like she is just about done.

Even the reporter is like, "Damn gurrrll..."

Man. Hard to watch...

To think, if Wagner faltered as well, Gold would have won the bronze medal (and still ended the drought). She wasn't great, but it wasn't a disaster either. Not like 4CC anyway. Gold still skated a phenomenal SP...everyone else was just SO good in the FS that there was no room for error.

It was Wagner (skating last and going strong) that ultimately pushed Gold off the world podium. Now how's THAT for a rivalry?

 

[artsciboy]

Right? But hey, Mao skated earlier and wasn't seen as a top contender this time, so that's why her score was low.

If these two girls could get those PCS on their favored days with their inferior skills, imagine what Mao would get if the situation was right.

What I loved about this year's World judging was that PCS is now truly appreciating a variety of skating styles.

Honestly, as lovely as Mao skated, she looked out of shape (her complexion was off and she was very sweaty). Plus, I've never seen her skate so slow and cautious. She just didn't have the same spark as before. When you combine that with her underrotation issues, it just didn't leave that great an impression.

 

[caelum]

Gracie, let it all out and cry in your hotel. And then when you get back home, get a new choreographer. Someone to help you learn how to emote and picks better music/programs for you that fits your personality. I'm pretty sure ice princess and old war horse programs like Phantom and Firebird is not you. Also, not saying you definitely should, but maybe consider getting a new coach too.

Gracie's problem is nerves though, she directs her nervous energy inward and burdens herself with it. It's not really her fault, I do it myself, but it weighs on you tremendously. Under those circumstances it's really difficult to emote and perform, she needs to get her nerves under control to effectively perform, I think. You might compare this to Yuna Kim who could take all of her nervous energy and direct it outward (notice how her best performances only came when she was under the most pressure).

 

[Krunchii]

Someone needs to get Gracie some movie soundtracks that are modern and relatable to her as a 21st Century American girl but still palatable to a general audience. She doesn't care about the Firebird or Phantom of the Opera. Gracie should go home, cry it all out and have a movie marathon and pick something that she likes and go from there. She looks absolutely shaken and disappointed at how she did. She's finished 4th at so many big events already.

 

[hurrah]

Honestly, as lovely as Mao skated, she looked out of shape (her complexion was off and she was very sweaty). Plus, I've never seen her skate so slow and cautious. She just didn't have the same spark as before. When you combine that with her underrotation issues, it just didn't leave that great an impression.

Yeah, that's why she got a standing ovation.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

The funniest podium snub was JGP when Serafima and Yuka got all weird trying to shake hands and or hug each other rather awkwardly at the same time and then Elizabet came out and wanted nothing to do with either of them. Classic. Sima just sat there laughing the whole time.

https://youtu.be/rnZdWTKM8pg?t=4h33m

 

[twirlingblades]

Yeah, that's why she got a standing ovation.

Not commenting on my opinion of her program, but its Mao. She would've gotten a standing O no matter what. Looking at the Olympics.

 

[artsciboy]

Yeah, that's why she got a standing ovation.

I'm not saying Mao didn't make an impression. She did - but I'm sure the judges know Mao has done better. And certainly, most of the final flight of skaters outperformed Mao on various levels today in terms of jumps and speed (at the very least).