European ladies

[Mathman]

The men of Europe seem to be in fine shape, with Lambiel and Joubert (and Plushenko?) still ahead of Takahashi and Oda and comfortably ahead of Buttle , Lysacek and Weir. Plus, the future looks bright with Verner, Othman and Berntson coming on.

What about the ladies?

I think Carolina Kostner is capable of winning a world championship. Elene Gedevanishvili is ready to go after a tumultuous 2006-07 season. Sarah Meier could be a top five competitor and reach the podium if everything falls her way. Kiira Korpi is gaining ground with a bronze at Europeans last year.

Or – are the Asian ladies already so far ahead that the chase is futile?

 

[scorekeeper]

I woudn't say it's futile. The Asian ladies are hard to beat, but they're also human and therefore fallible. I'm waiting to see what they (all the ladies: Asia, Europe, North America) bring to the GP before I start placing bets on Worlds 08. The only ladies I don't feel optimistic about are the Russians. But maybe Martinova and Ievleva will surprise us this year.

 

[flying camel]

I think the only one who has a shot to beat any of the Japanese ladies is Kostner. She has speed, great jumps, and a nice presentation. But she doesn't have consistency. She often falls apart. I think her great speed affects her endurance on her jumps. But I am waiting for her to have a breakthrough season. It would be nice to see her on the podium. :thumbsup:

 

[morninglight]

Thank you for creating this thread Perhaps because I live in the US, I find it somewhat difficult to get much info on European skaters.

 

[R.D.]

I still don't see a European skater winning Worlds next year. Medalling? Sure. But not winning.

 

[demarinis5]

Or– are the Asian ladies already so far ahead that the chase is futile?

Yup...........

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

C'mon. give Carolina a chance. She skated a heluva SP in Tokyo. If she repeats that and brings the same gusto to the LP she will be very competitive.

Joe

 

[Kypma]

I think Carolina has great potential, just seeing her results this year (well - Europeans and Worlds SP) and her determination in succeeding. I think the ankle problem might have affected her training for being top shape at worlds. It's one thing to win Europeans, but it's a whole other game at Worlds. And six is a pretty big improvement over last season... so, yes, I'm ready to give her the time and chance to prove herself.

Kypma

 

[Tinymavy15]

I still don't see a European skater winning Worlds next year. Medalling? Sure. But not winning.

agree. Carolina had pretty much the skate of her life at worlds and still was beaten by the asian girls.

 

[chuckm]

agree. Carolina had pretty much the skate of her life at worlds and still was beaten by the asian girls.

She was also beaten by Kimmie Meissner.

 

[fsf9012]

She was also beaten by Kimmie Meissner.

I thought Tinymavy mentioned only short. Carolina did beat Meissner in the short. Meissner was quite surprised to see her marks, saying, "Oh, me seond?" Even her personal best was about 3 points behind from Kostner's.

 

[chuckm]

Kostner's SP has always been better than her FS. She seems to lack stamina and makes mistakes, sometimes bad ones, past the 50% mark.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

agree. Carolina had pretty much the skate of her life at worlds and still was beaten by the asian girls.

I don't think anyone except a few are taking this thread as a prediction thread. It is just a casual look at the European Ladies. I'm not saying Carolina will win anything. I just think she can be as competitive as the others. There were 3 Asian ladies in the Short Program in Tokyo and Carolina came in second. Remember?

Now Chuckum is right to bring up the LPs in the past which have been her undoing, but does it mean she will always be subpar for the LP? Every skater has their moments. I remember Sarah Hughes.

Joe

 

[morninglight]

Kostner's SP has always been better than her FS. She seems to lack stamina and makes mistakes, sometimes bad ones, past the 50% mark.

She seemed to have nerves in the Olympic season and injuries this past season. But I highly trust Caro for having strong LP performances this coming season:agree::agree::agree: We'll see!

 

[gio]

Miki won after a so so past season! Same with Shizuka! So, GO CARO!!! :agree:

 

[Tinymavy15]

Carolina can only medal if she has the triple triple. Her artisty and consistancy is lacking. I am glad that she finally got better tecqince on the double axel.... but her spirals and positions in spins just don't look pretty to me.

 

[waxel]

I've never been much of a Kostner fan. Unfortunately I've never seen her live, and you can't get much of a measure of speed watching on television. Otherwise I think her inconistency and lack of artistry have lessened my opinion of her. I

Oh, and why does Roberto Cavalli continue to sabotage her with those grotesque costumes?

 

[pista04]

Only Now

I've only been a hardcore FS fan for about 2 years now, but I truly hadn't noticed her skills at all til Worlds 07. I saw she did so well at Europeans, and I was shocked, and thought it was a fluke. Has she always been this good, but overlooked?

 

[mizu_iro]

Carolina was improved this season in many aspects, but she's always had the same speed and flow to her skating. She was really inconsistent last year though.
I think Carolina has great posture and basic skating, and her jumps are beautiful when she lands them. She's not dramatic but I think she's more artistic than Miki and more versatile than Mao. She's not hyper-flexible but certainly her positions and line are above average. If she can just keep the jumps under control, there is a chance that she could win.

 

[morninglight]

Love Caro's costumes. Always so stylish. Great designs and beautiful cool colors.:agree: