2021 Skate America: Women's Recap

[gsk8]

Russia's Trusova seizes gold at 2021 Skate America

Alexandra Trusova of Russia dominated the Women’s event at 2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America to win the gold with 15 points to spare on Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev. Teammate […]

www.goldenskate.com

Trusova on her foot injury
Usacheva on her GP debut outing
You on the Olympics
Sakamoto on the Olympic
....more

What are your thoughts on the Women's event?

I really like Trusova's FS and find it so fresh and relevant. It was also nice to see her focus more on her skating skills and presentation instead of worrying about more quads. Wish she would keep it that way!

 

[Arbitrary]

Russia's Trusova seizes gold at 2021 Skate America

Alexandra Trusova of Russia dominated the Women’s event at 2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America to win the gold with 15 points to spare on Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev. Teammate […]

www.goldenskate.com

Trusova on her foot injury
Usacheva on her GP debut outing
You on the Olympics
Sakamoto on the Olympic
....more

What are your thoughts on the Women's event?

I really like Trusova's FS and find it so fresh and relevant. It was also nice to see her focus more on her skating skills and presentation instead of worrying about more quads. Wish she would keep it that way!

We all see the difference.
Two Japanese ladies go to Olympics.
Two Russian ladies go to selections. And not as primary choice, rather the 2nd Team.

 

[lariko]

Russia's Trusova seizes gold at 2021 Skate America

Alexandra Trusova of Russia dominated the Women’s event at 2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America to win the gold with 15 points to spare on Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev. Teammate […]

www.goldenskate.com

Trusova on her foot injury
Usacheva on her GP debut outing
You on the Olympics
Sakamoto on the Olympic
....more

What are your thoughts on the Women's event?

I really like Trusova's FS and find it so fresh and relevant. It was also nice to see her focus more on her skating skills and presentation instead of worrying about more quads. Wish she would keep it that way!

I adored the last warm up group of women. You totally had the audience with her wonderful energy and that triple Axel. Unlike the judges, I favoured Sinitsina over Usacheva in this competition, and would have reversed their placement tbh, but that’s just from watching. Sakomoto’s and Trusova’s programs were a stand out for me in terms of going for bolder, stronger themes and speaking to the audience about something beyond being pretty. Trusova has magnetism beyond quads. It shows very well in both of her programs.

 

[Ali81]

Kaori was great , definitely got dinged badly on the PCS. She moves like a knife through soft butter. The power , flow and glide is just breathtaking . Trusova was also superb , deserves the win , stunning tech and sizzling charisma . Young You also very impressive. It will be a travesty if she doesn’t make it to the Olympics.I simple don’t get the hype over Usacheva .Very ‘paint by the numbers’ . I find her very mundane. I don’t know how on earth she broke 140 with that skate.she is definitely getting a hefty Eteri Bonus.

 

[Tolstoj]

Trusova - Incredible that she won in spite of the injury. The free without the quads expose a lot of problems: lacking choreo, performance, movements not as purposeful with the music.

Something i tend to do often these days, is to sing in my head the previous years program music while i'm watching the skater performing the new program. That way you can spot just the recycling of patterns and music.

In this case you can definitely notice Trusova's cruella is very similar to her old GOT free skate, similar patterns and even a little watered down in transitions.

Usacheva - I was very impressed by the short program, just for the attack, while the free was not as good in my opinion and a bit overmarked considering the mistakes, 140 with two 3-2 combos and no 3a or quad and questionable lutz edge.

You - great that she went for the 3a, the risk paid off in the end considering she medalled. Definitely the strongest of the korean ladies, but the jumps are always suspiciously under, she got several "q" here.

Sakamoto - she is great, i like her but always end up losing for silly mistakes, didn't medal at Worlds 2019 for a popped 3f, here she didn't medal for the botched final combo spin, lost 2 points right there, that could have been a silver medal.

Sinitsyna - I actually had her on the podium here. Yes the jumps weren't as clean but they were almost all fully rotated, and she went for all her combos, the programs were actually more sophisticated than what judges thought here.

I also really enjoyed Kurakova in the free, very charming, should get higher components in my opinion, and Amber Glenn.

 

[florin]

I favoured Sinitsina over Usacheva in this competition, and would have reversed their placement tbh, but that’s just from watching.

It's strange. Sinitsyna was clearly not at her best. She has her own charm, a kind of little gentle bird, the charm of vulnerability, fragility, but we can't give in to emotions, it's a sport. TAT, when she said "She didn't fall, she did everything, but she skated like a child and completely without speed. A capable, good child." it was a little harsh, but generally true.

 

[Mathman]

Trusova - Incredible that she won in spite of the injury. The free without the quads expose a lot of problems: lacking choreo, performance, movements not as purposeful with the music.

What I took away was this. Trusova did one quad. Problems with choeorgraphy, music, performance -- doesn't mean a thing. One quad dominated , even against skaters with triple Axels.

 

[lariko]

It's strange. Sinitsyna was clearly not at her best. She has her own charm, a kind of little gentle bird, the charm of vulnerability, fragility, but we can't give in to emotions, it's a sport. TAT, when she said "She didn't fall, she did everything, but she skated like a child and completely without speed. A capable, good child." it was a little harsh, but generally true.

Honestly, not being a pro, I go by what I see. It’s just like buying antiques. There are so many forgeries, that the advice is to just buy what looks pretty to you. So, watching Sinitsina was more fun than watching Usacheva for me.

 

[Zora]

Trusova: The music is a great choice. The red hair, the dress, her attitude - it's a really good concept for her, and I think this idea of a runway program where she hits certain positions in the program prevents the senseless arm flailing she did in the past. I just wish she would give her step sequence more energy, but maybe her injury was stopping her from doing so. And I think her choreo sequence is always a bit weak (but who cares).

Usacheva: I thought her dress was truly awful... The color combination, the shade of pink and the gloves, for me it was like hearing nails on a chalkboard. And I also really disliked this program, it felt like it was going nowhere. The illusion spin in the middle of the program was the weirdest thing ever and totally against the music.

Young You finally gave more expression in the second half of her program and that suited her so well. If only she would start from the very beginning like that! I think she loses too many PCS points that way.

Kaori was flying as always Another great performance. Too bad it wasn't enough for a medal...

It was a great event and the crowd was so supportive, it was so nice to see the many deservedly standing ovations.

 

[Skater Boy]

I guess it is hard to balance tech and artistry. But I am amazed Trusova who isn't all that old manage to win despite the injury. THough I see sparkle and hope in You, Kaori and Daria they all had weaknesses or were rather flat. Trusova I wish would work on artistry if not selling it even more and work on transitions and powerful edges. The Americans were a huge let down though Amber scoring over 130 in the fs. was some redemption but not that much.

 

[moonvine]

My new daughter Yuhana had the best music and by far my favorite performance. Loved Amber also. The rest..bleh.

 

[MiraiFan]

Kaori was great , definitely got dinged badly on the PCS. She moves like a knife through soft butter. The power , flow and glide is just breathtaking . Trusova was also superb , deserves the win , stunning tech and sizzling charisma . Young You also very impressive. It will be a travesty if she doesn’t make it to the Olympics.I simple don’t get the hype over Usacheva .Very ‘paint by the numbers’ . I find her very mundane. I don’t know how on earth she broke 140 with that skate.she is definitely getting a hefty Eteri Bonus.

I had Kaori over Daria full stop, especially with the mistakes.

 

[[email protected]]

Sasha won it without any doubts. As for other placements, I think that they are fair. Darya's free program was not to her full potential. And her 4th place in the FS is deserved. On the other hand, she was perfect during the short program while Young You fell and Kaori missed a triple. Darya still had the best spins and transitions in the free program with quite strong jumps outside one stepout. Hence, her 6 point margin after the short program did the trick. Well, it was very close and it could go either way.

I liked Kaori's skating much better during previous seasons. Now it's hard to distinguish between her and Wakaba. And this skating style is not to my taste.

I also don't understand the ungoing praising of Ksenia Sinitsina. She has her qualities - well, her skating is lovely. I like her style much better than the athletic style of Kaori/Wakaba/Amber and Co. Still it's hard not to see that her jumps are Satoko size and she is slow. You don't have to be as fast as Kaori - it's not a speed skating contest. But that slow skating makes her look quite juniorish. If one wants to support non-Eteri Russian skaters there is a stronger and more polished Sofia Muravieva.

Young You is the only non-Russian skater other than Alysa Liu who can bring some intrigue in the predominantly all-Russia showdown (I assume that Rika has not recovered yet). She is not as fluid and elegant as Rika or Satoko, yet she is not as rough as Yelim Kim. And if she lands 2 3As it will matter. Her GP podium will strengthen up her reputation. If clean she may strive for 78 + 150 = 228. And this is the score which will make her ambitions feasible if the top skaters cannot deliver their quads.

 

[Mawwerg]

So here are my impressions:

Trusova: her SP is a solid vehicle and was very nice perform. FP has huge potential however lacked quads. Overall nothing surprising here (except 35+PCS in SP) considering her injury and previous performances.

Usacheva: I think for the second year in row she performs Olympic level SP. I believe it was the best program in this ladies competition. FP was not so solid and definitely needs some work on it.

You: seems she almost regain form she was two years ago when she had great results at SC and 4CC. She also improves her skating it is far more pleasant then it was. Her bronze medal here gives her some chances to qualify to GPF.

Sakamoto: Kaori is always very fun to watch and creates a lot of positive energy. Her strong sides are well known and she was able to gain almost top form in time of first GP stage this season. Unfortunately some mistakes cost her silver medal and probably a place in GPF. I find both her programs this seasin enjoyable and forgettable as I have a strong feeling of something pleasant but am not able to remember a thing. And I disagree with samkrut I do not see her similar to Higuchi even with these programs.

Sinitsyna: here I agree with TAT. Her team made a very successful effort to hide her weaknesses in SP but FP is not yet there. Lack of speed and power do not help this program.

Glenn: one of the best competitions for Amber. Two quite confident skates. Triple Axel is not there but I think she made one step towards Olympic team.

Kim: great opening combo in SP and quite solid performance in both programs.

Miyahara: Satoko was as beatiful as always but unfortunately until she will rotate her jumps there are no hope for big success.

Kurakova: SP left me with impression her jumps are ready to disappear but next day they surprisingly were fine. So, probably just a bad day.

Andrews: it was quite strong competition from Starr although her technical content is not on top level. For some reasons when she skates I have a feeling she could been successful with Eteri team.

Yokoi: poor Yuhana again lost to her nemesis - SP.

Shin: it was just a very bad FP. Hope it will not hurt her much.

 

[readernick]

Some skaters were impressive artistically Satoko always and Ksenia in the SP.

Some skaters have some balance but a little too much instability Kaori, Amber, Daria. ( who are all great skaters with different PCS strengths but whose programs I dislike).

And, Sasha and Young You were quite impressive athletically but less impressive from a non-jump standpoint. Great jumps and so so many crossovers.

I enjoy all types of skaters. We don't need all skaters to have the same strengths and weaknesses. However, I do wish the judges correctly awarded PCS and GOE based on what is put on the ice and not based on reputation/ quad bonus and correctly called technical problems. The results might not change much for instance Satoko and Ksenia ( in the SP) would have higher PCS but would have more URs called, Sasha would likely still win based on her technical superiority, but giving her the correct PCS might motivate her to have a less empty program. The results would be more honest and would actually help the skaters to improve on their weaknesses.

Despite this, I enjoyed the skaters. What impressive, strong women!

 

[icybear]

Ksenia has lovely musicality and grace but her skating itself is very rigid. Not a lot of knee bend, very little glide across the ice, lots of 2 foot skating which probably why it looks slow.

 

[Mathman]

Trusova.will never lose except to another skater with quads. Even setting the quads aside, she has no technical weaknesses and her performance qualities are competitive if not absolutely tip-top.

This was an outstanding competition from top to bottom. Every skater brought something to be enjoyed and applauded

 

[Joekaz]

Sasha won it without any doubts. As for other placements, I think that they are fair. Darya's free program was not to her full potential. And her 4th place in the FS is deserved. On the other hand, she was perfect during the short program while Young You fell and Kaori missed a triple. Darya still had the best spins and transitions in the free program with quite strong jumps outside one stepout. Hence, her 6 point margin after the short program did the trick. Well, it was very close and it could go either way.

I liked Kaori's skating much better during previous seasons. Now it's hard to distinguish between her and Wakaba. And this skating style is not to my taste.

I also don't understand the ungoing praising of Ksenia Sinitsina. She has her qualities - well, her skating is lovely. I like her style much better than the athletic style of Kaori/Wakaba/Amber and Co. Still it's hard not to see that her jumps are Satoko size and she is slow. You don't have to be as fast as Kaori - it's not a speed skating contest. But that slow skating makes her look quite juniorish. If one wants to support non-Eteri Russian skaters there is a stronger and more polished Sofia Muravieva.

Young You is the only non-Russian skater other than Alysa Liu who can bring some intrigue in the predominantly all-Russia showdown (I assume that Rika has not recovered yet). She is not as fluid and elegant as Rika or Satoko, yet she is not as rough as Yelim Kim. And if she lands 2 3As it will matter. Her GP podium will strengthen up her reputation. If clean she may strive for 78 + 150 = 228. And this is the score which will make her ambitions feasible if the top skaters cannot deliver their quads.

I disagree with the term athletic for skaters who aren't ballerinas . Athletes are powerful with great body control and coordination,without being ballerinas. In this instance it would be more correct to call Higuchi athletic, and Kaori and Amber powerful.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I enjoyed all the ladies and I'm happy that Trusova won. I LOVE her 'Cruella' FS, it's unique and really stands out imo. A few more transitions would improve her FS by loads though. I hope she recovers fully and makes the Russian Olympic team!

 

[Kitt]

I was there and the standouts to me were Satoko (small but mighty), Young You (inspiring long program and the standing ovation well deserved), and the quad of Trusova was a thing of beauty. Amber was great too, too bad foot injury prevented her trying the 3A. Kaori just flew, such speed but needs to work a little more on her artistry (she admitted this in an interview).

So great to see skating in person again!