First of all, congrats to Lena for skating her FS cleanly! No pops, falls, or underrotations!! :hap57: And congrats on the bronze medal! 
That FS performance was not perfect, but it was definitely the best FS I've seen from her in a long time. :yes: The lutz-toe combo was GORGEOUS, and I have to point out that even though Lena hasn't had great results this season, she's been able to pull off a lutz-toe combo in its proper place at both GP events. In years past, it was quite common for Lena to have a bad landing on that first lutz, which meant that she'd have to improvise a combo later on. So I think she's definitely made some progress there.
It's crazy to think that she scored higher at CoC this year than she did last year, but she won last year...the level of the ladies competition is so high now.
I'm with you, winky97. I still think she's a bit shady/disingenuous at times. I remember being rubbed the wrong way/thinking she was lying early in the summer when she was like, oh, I had no choice but to take Lena, and she has a difficult character, blah blah blah. Now she's acting much more like I expected, just fawning over Lena and being overjoyed when she does well.
I think it's interesting (suspicious?) that she said she couldn't go to Canada with Masha, but clearly she had no problems traveling all the way to China with Lena...
I guess it's clear where her priorities lie...but I feel kinda bad for Masha.
I completely agree with you again, winky97. Part of me thinks it might even be a better idea to do 3 jumps in the first half again, like she did in the 2015-16 season, because she does seem to struggle with having 5 jumps in the second half.
That being said, I'm glad to see that her loop looks MUCH more solid now, and she really seems to have gotten solid on her 2A--those used to be her scariest jumps. So yeah, I definitely see improvement. :agree:
It's a long time between now and Russian Nationals, so I DEFINITELY think she should do at least one more event before then. At this point, I think the battle is mostly between her and Masha for that 3rd Olympic spot (assuming Zhenya & Alina are locks). Unfortunately for Lena, Masha has a good shot of making the GPF, but so far Lena has outscored Masha. If she can go to another competition or two and show that she can skate solidly and cleanly again, I think that would definitely help her Olympic chances. :yes:
QUESTION - has anyone seen a video of Yulia commentating on Lena's skates from CoC? If so, what did she say?
Press conference photo:
https://pp.userapi.com/c837237/v837237959/5caa4/ErOvGXtMBoc.jpg
I have to say, from the little I've seen, it does seem like Lena & Alina get a long better than Lena/Zhenya--Lena was even talking to Alina on the podium, which was adorbs. :luv17:
https://youtu.be/Ss__icI2VmA?t=4m19s
Can't wait to see Lena's EX again!
That FS performance was not perfect, but it was definitely the best FS I've seen from her in a long time. :yes: The lutz-toe combo was GORGEOUS, and I have to point out that even though Lena hasn't had great results this season, she's been able to pull off a lutz-toe combo in its proper place at both GP events. In years past, it was quite common for Lena to have a bad landing on that first lutz, which meant that she'd have to improvise a combo later on. So I think she's definitely made some progress there.
It's crazy to think that she scored higher at CoC this year than she did last year, but she won last year...the level of the ladies competition is so high now.
I'm with you, winky97. I still think she's a bit shady/disingenuous at times. I remember being rubbed the wrong way/thinking she was lying early in the summer when she was like, oh, I had no choice but to take Lena, and she has a difficult character, blah blah blah. Now she's acting much more like I expected, just fawning over Lena and being overjoyed when she does well.
I think it's interesting (suspicious?) that she said she couldn't go to Canada with Masha, but clearly she had no problems traveling all the way to China with Lena...
I guess it's clear where her priorities lie...but I feel kinda bad for Masha. I completely agree with you again, winky97. Part of me thinks it might even be a better idea to do 3 jumps in the first half again, like she did in the 2015-16 season, because she does seem to struggle with having 5 jumps in the second half.
That being said, I'm glad to see that her loop looks MUCH more solid now, and she really seems to have gotten solid on her 2A--those used to be her scariest jumps. So yeah, I definitely see improvement. :agree:
It's a long time between now and Russian Nationals, so I DEFINITELY think she should do at least one more event before then. At this point, I think the battle is mostly between her and Masha for that 3rd Olympic spot (assuming Zhenya & Alina are locks). Unfortunately for Lena, Masha has a good shot of making the GPF, but so far Lena has outscored Masha. If she can go to another competition or two and show that she can skate solidly and cleanly again, I think that would definitely help her Olympic chances. :yes:
QUESTION - has anyone seen a video of Yulia commentating on Lena's skates from CoC? If so, what did she say?
Press conference photo:
https://pp.userapi.com/c837237/v837237959/5caa4/ErOvGXtMBoc.jpg
I have to say, from the little I've seen, it does seem like Lena & Alina get a long better than Lena/Zhenya--Lena was even talking to Alina on the podium, which was adorbs. :luv17:
https://youtu.be/Ss__icI2VmA?t=4m19s
Can't wait to see Lena's EX again!
I feel like she's worn different costumes at every single event, including the test skates. I do love her new EX dress though! It makes her look even more like a Disney princess. 
