^^^
My "2018":
Going into the Olympic season, everyone is looking at Evgenia Medvedeva, a two-time world champion, and her compatriots Polina Tsurskaya, Alisa Fedichkina, and Maria Sotskova, as well as Satoko Miyahara, Wakaba Higuchi, and maybe one or two headcasey Americans. People expect great things from each of the Russian wunderkinds, all of whom have developed very different styles that cause many forum fights over which skater's artistry is superior.
Evgenia has become a very classical skater and only skates to ballet music; her "Don Quixote" FS is one of the most widely-acclaimed programs in recent years, but pundits attack it with claims of "cookie-cutter" choreography that brings nothing original. Polina's speed, amplitude and long limbs make her great at the Latin programs she loves to perform-her "La Leyenda Del Beso" SP never fails to get the crowd on its feet. Alisa's lyrical sweetness and charm melt hearts worldwide when she performs her "Sound of Music" free skate, making her the obligatory cute-artistic-teenage-Russian of 2018. (Pause: can't you totally see her doing that in real life?
) And Maria Sotskova's sassy "Chicago" short program successfully differentiates her from the horde of 15-year-olds vying for the Olympic spots.
But there are non-Russians who have a chance, too: medal contender Higuchi's well-liked free skate to a medley of Shostakovich symphonies (if you haven't heard any of them, think totally bombastic) has landed her a GPF Bronze, and Satoko Miyahara's elegant, subtle interpretation of "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" is a fan favorite (GS Members with small children claim that the wonderfully relaxing SP is the only thing that will get their kids to stop crying). And the American headcases-Gracie Gold with her suitably flaily and frantic yet polished Danse Macabre FS, and Ashley Wagner with a jazz program (not sure what piece) that only she could pull off.
But no Olympic season would be complete without underdogs rising from the depths to do exceptionally well: Elena Radionova with her totally unrefined yet undeniably entertaining "Rhapsody in Blue", and-shocker of shockers-a significantly improved Emily Chan, now possessing all her triples and a fabulous 3F-3T, as well as a fantastic "Oblivion Tango" free skate.
The teams:
Russia: Medvedeva, Radionova, Fedichkina (everyone else falls at least twice due to a rut in the ice-the three qualifiers benefit greatly from an ice resurfacing right before their group)
Japan: Miyahara, Higuchi, Asada
#Merica: Gold, Wagner, Chan
Canada: Osmond, Daleman
China: Li, a very new senior who always looks terrified before she competes
South Korea: Park, Choi
Olympic results:
Since every Olympics must kill a Russian teenager's dream to keep its life forces and whatnot balanced, Alisa Fedichkina winds up 8th. Everyone but Satoko falls due to bad ice, so she wins. Gracie, shockingly, is the next-closest to clean, as she only falls once, lands all her combos in both programs, and hits her spin/step levels. She places 2nd. Evgenia counts two falls (both on 2As) but rides on her 'tano advantage to place 3rd. Higuchi and Radionova tie exactly for 4th and it cannot be broken. As a joke, they perform an exhibition together to commemorate their "honorary shared pewters". Emily Chan places 5th. Wagner is 6th. So-Youn Park is 7th-Korea rejoices. In a twist of irony, she barely outscores Russian darling Alisa Fedichkina. Mao Asada, finishing in 9th, retires to become a choreographer, graciously accepts her fate in a viral interview with an iconic quote: "I didn't fall. I gave the ice a hug-it seemed like it needed one, seeing how it treated everybody."
Meanwhile, the Mishin's Lizas-Nugumanova, too young to go, and Tuktamysheva, who didn't qualify-watch their compatriots splat and hatch a plan...
I would break my TIVO recording every episode.
She could make surprise phone calls during the height of drama on the show........The RED PHONE rings and everyone freezes........It's the Tarasova Hot Line and they know that someone's being kicked off the show.
eace:
That is exactly what I've been constantly thinking about during the last couple of days, I have no idea why. They don't fall for no reason. They hug the poor ice.
good with me