I love Liza and agree she should score higher in components, but she’s a skater who should have higher scores in specific marks, not across the board. She’s a strong case for why component marks should vary, and I don’t mean that in a bad way.
SS: She seems to have a fair amount of speed and power, but slower than Kaori, without the depth of edge of Satoko, etc. I’d put her 0.75 behind Kaori, for example.
TR: The programme isn’t as empty as people say. She does hold the landing edge before going into some one-foot movement after jumps. It’s not exceptionally difficult content and there isn’t too much, but it’s not like she has zero transitions. I’d give Zagitova the highest mark here and have Elizaveta 1.5 to 2.0 full marks back of that.
CO: It’s not the most content-laden programme but it’s a well-composed one, with elements well distributed to take advantage of the music. If Zagitova is a 9.0, Elizaveta is an 8.25 or 8.0.
PE: As I said in the competition thread: dock her in the other components, but in terms of performance, she’s a 9.50 to a 10.0. Whatever the magical it is, she’s got it. The crowd loves her and she loves them. There’s so much expression on her face. She just has a way of convincing you to buy everything she’s selling and to pull you into the party. Deserves the highest score of anyone in this mark.
IE: There’s not much to interpret in the music, at least in terms of complexity/depth, but she is fulfilling the criteria for this component more than she’s given credit for. Complain about the arm/hand-ography, but it’s not random movement: she accentuates the music with her gestures and is absolutely channeling the sassy, flirty vibe from her face (which never really breaks character) down to her fingers. 8.50 is about what I’d give her, if I were giving Satoko a 9.25 (which I wouldn’t have for her GPF free skate performance, but as a benchmark, yeah).
I actually think Elizaveta has the x-factour, not Medvedeva. Her connection with the audience has always been a key strength. In terms of charisma, Elizaveta has that to spare, and while Mishin’s style of diluting choreo may not be everyone’s favourite, there’s no denying that Liz’s packaging, choice of music, etc., suit her perfectly. And Liz just has some natural gift to win the crowd to her side even before her music starts.
I went over the detailed marks from the GPF and was STUNNED at how much lower her PCS was from Alina. I just. can't. Her presentation is waaaay better than Alina's. I didn't pay enough attention to her program to comment on the skating skills and difficulty of turns etc. But frankly, Alina always skates folded over, her posture is terrible. Liz is confident, has great posture, and sells her program sooo much better. The only criticism I have of Liz's skating is that she has weird arms a lot. But her weird arm positions into jumps shouldn't affect her scores, but I can seem them maybe affecting her PCS. BUT her PCS scores were around 7 and 7.5 and Alina's were in the 9s. There's no way there should be that amount of spread. It's such crap, and makes me so frustrated with this sport.