Grand Prix Final: Ladies LP

[silverlake22]

Ach! I thought she was a little Tara. In that case, ok for being the youngest member of the Sharks.

Haha, she does look really young, I thought she was 16 when I saw her at CoC. Good for her though, she had a great performance here and I hope she delivers at nationals and gets one of the Olympic spots!

 

[inside edge]

After watching the ladies short and long programs, these are the words I would use to describe the skaters:

Yuna - Ethereal (What more is there to say? Such a beautiful and talented skater!)
Miki - Gorgeous (Another beautiful skater!)
Akiko - Effervescent (Love her cheeriness! And her long program!!!)
Ashley - Spunky (Full of energy)
Joannie - Mature (Calm and passionate)
Alena - Spirited (Carefree)

Love them all!

wow

 

[aurora100]

Lady contenders not at the GPF? who are they?

wow

Agree with this too It was a great event. Unlike other disciplines the ladies event didn't suffer from withdrawals of main contenders. So other than Mao, can anyone think of a true lady Olympic contender who were not at the GPF. Or is it safe to assume this is going to be the top contenders. If not, who should we count in? I cant think of any. Costner, Lipisto or Pokyo are not real contender in my opinion. I will bet my bottom dollar Shasha Cohen will not make it to the Olympics, even the nationals. Rachel Flatt perhaps. What say you all?

 

[R.D.]

So other than Mao, can anyone think of a true lady Olympic contender who were not at the GPF. Or is it safe to assume this is going to be the top contenders. If not, who should we count in? I cant think of any. Costner, Lipisto or Pokyo are not real contender in my opinion. I will bet my bottom dollar Shasha Cohen will not make it to the Olympics, even the nationals. Rachel Flatt perhaps. What say you all?

More or less, I agree. Although theoretically Kostner (and/or some other European woman) could make a case for herself in the SP. She never can hold on for the whole thing though-

 

[EyesOfLove]

:scratchapparently my first post here..)

here's how I felt

First of all, I'm so happy that Yuna skated a decent program and won the event. Although she didn't nail her point getter jumps(two +3Ts), she landed her 3F and overall executed a relatively clean skate. I wish she had skated with more attack and energy she usually has, but all in all she flowed beautifully with the music and the straightline step was gorgeous. However, It seems the overall GOEs and PCS were so restrained. +0.4 with a perfect 3F? +1.00 with a clean 3Lz linking directly into the footworks? and almost identical transition mark with Ando? :scratch:

Ando was certainly on with the jumps! ,showing that she is deserving enough to perform in the Olympic stages, especially skating at the last order. And I hate her costume ; somehow it nullifies her beautiful choreographies and vastly refined presentation, despite the overall program which I love. It has flavor and fire that draw me into her skating, as well as exotic flair to her movements.

Congratulations for Akiko and a clean FS! hers was my favorite!

 

[GardenPrincess]

True place.

1.Akiko Suzuki
2.Miki Ando
3.Yu Na Kim(overscored again!!!)

 

[Nadia01]

True place.

1.Akiko Suzuki
2.Miki Ando
3.Yu Na Kim(overscored again!!!)

Must be some major home-cooking / bribery / exchange of favors (insert other shady things you feel like here). How else would she be overscored in Japan?

 

[colleen o'neill]

I was so pleased with the number of really good programs at this competition ; programs that stood out from the others and suited the skaters. As far as I could tell on my monitor,there was no problem with placement of elements or ice coverage , though you can't always tell 100%. Keeping that in mind..

My faves, in no particular order : Akiko's program just would not quit, and what a little firecracker she was. I think you can already see the young lady beginning to come out in her command of the character of the piece...Ashley's program was filled with so many beautiful positions and movements,and her expression to the music throughout was lovely. I don't know who her choreographer is, but hats off. Hope she gets the jump thing worked out... Joannie's program, though under performed , is another fave and uniquely Joannie. I believe this is Lori Nichol's work.. and completely different from what she's done for other skaters ( e.g. Alissa Czisny).. .For that matter, isn't Lori responsible for Yuna's program ? - also on my list of faves. Very Yuna, very Gershwin..a gem. All these skaters had from good to exquisite costumes, as well - probably from a variety of designers.

Leonova's program was OK with some very nice touches, but not a rave for me. Love her energy, her personality, abandon..hope they won't try to make her a Slutskaya clone.( The temptation must be there..) Let her be herself. Herself is already appealing..Costume ...meh..not offensive , not obscuring, but not particularly 'Chicago' and a bit too busy for me.

That leaves poor Miki's program. I do say poor Miki and I do say it's sad, because we'll never see the best that Miki is capable of unless / until she leaves Morozov...regardless of the scores she manages to garner.... This is my knock on him ; his choreography is all about creating and maintaining the Morozov brand, not about what suits the skater, what celebrates their unique qualities. Morozov is the star. He started out with top talent, thanks to his association with Tarasova , so I think there's some question as to how much he is responsible for their success, or they for his...Whether or not politics plays any part in the results or in the skater's motivation for seeking him out in the first place, I'll leave open. Even on the podium,it seems a harsh price to pay for a lovely and talented skater to have to stand there in what looks like a raunchy halloween costume next to a competitor who looks like she's been dressed by a top designer.

Maybe Miki could have a flash of inspiration and flee to Yuka Sato...

 

[Nadia01]

For that matter, isn't Lori responsible for Yuna's program ? - also on my list of faves. Very Yuna, very Gershwin..a gem.

I don't know if Lori's ever choreographed Yuna's competitive programs. She's been with David Wilson for a while, and he choreographed her SPs & LPs from 2006 - present (except for her El Tango de Roxanne SP which was by Tom Dickson).

 

[colleen o'neill]

Thanks! You can't go wrong with David Wilson either.. always puts the skater first. He shines through their accomplishment ,not the reverse.

(Akiko ..24..)

 

[bigsisjiejie]

Originally Posted by colleen o'neill
Even on the podium,it seems a harsh price to pay for a lovely and talented skater to have to stand there in what looks like a raunchy halloween costume next to a competitor who looks like she's been dressed by a top designer.

WORD! Miki deserves a complete packaging makeover that will showcase her, not make her look like a comic book character. Sigh, Morozov is the culprit behind this, and you'd think Miki is old enough and experienced enough to see the light, put her foot down, and start making choices that help her. I suspect that only when their off-ice relationship goes *poof* will she do this.

 

[rossdale]

:scratchapparently my first post here..)

here's how I felt

First of all, I'm so happy that Yuna skated a decent program and won the event. Although she didn't nail her point getter jumps(two +3Ts), she landed her 3F and overall executed a relatively clean skate. I wish she had skated with more attack and energy she usually has, but all in all she flowed beautifully with the music and the straightline step was gorgeous. However, It seems the overall GOEs and PCS were so restrained. +0.4 with a perfect 3F? +1.00 with a clean 3Lz linking directly into the footworks? and almost identical transition mark with Ando? :scratch:

Ando was certainly on with the jumps! ,showing that she is deserving enough to perform in the Olympic stages, especially skating at the last order. And I hate her costume ; somehow it nullifies her beautiful choreographies and vastly refined presentation, despite the overall program which I love. It has flavor and fire that draw me into her skating, as well as exotic flair to her movements.

Congratulations for Akiko and a clean FS! hers was my favorite!

I agree with you. Yuna deserves better GOEs. Ando's skating was very powerful. I wish she did more aggressive skating in terms of technical elements. When can I see her to try 3-3 and 4S? Perhaps in Ohympics?

 

[rossdale]

I was so pleased with the number of really good programs at this competition ; programs that stood out from the others and suited the skaters. As far as I could tell on my monitor,there was no problem with placement of elements or ice coverage , though you can't always tell 100%. Keeping that in mind..

My faves, in no particular order : Akiko's program just would not quit, and what a little firecracker she was. I think you can already see the young lady beginning to come out in her command of the character of the piece...Ashley's program was filled with so many beautiful positions and movements,and her expression to the music throughout was lovely. I don't know who her choreographer is, but hats off. Hope she gets the jump thing worked out... Joannie's program, though under performed , is another fave and uniquely Joannie. I believe this is Lori Nichol's work.. and completely different from what she's done for other skaters ( e.g. Alissa Czisny).. .For that matter, isn't Lori responsible for Yuna's program ? - also on my list of faves. Very Yuna, very Gershwin..a gem. All these skaters had from good to exquisite costumes, as well - probably from a variety of designers.

Leonova's program was OK with some very nice touches, but not a rave for me. Love her energy, her personality, abandon..hope they won't try to make her a Slutskaya clone.( The temptation must be there..) Let her be herself. Herself is already appealing..Costume ...meh..not offensive , not obscuring, but not particularly 'Chicago' and a bit too busy for me.

That leaves poor Miki's program. I do say poor Miki and I do say it's sad, because we'll never see the best that Miki is capable of unless / until she leaves Morozov...regardless of the scores she manages to garner.... This is my knock on him ; his choreography is all about creating and maintaining the Morozov brand, not about what suits the skater, what celebrates their unique qualities. Morozov is the star. He started out with top talent, thanks to his association with Tarasova , so I think there's some question as to how much he is responsible for their success, or they for his...Whether or not politics plays any part in the results or in the skater's motivation for seeking him out in the first place, I'll leave open. Even on the podium,it seems a harsh price to pay for a lovely and talented skater to have to stand there in what looks like a raunchy halloween costume next to a competitor who looks like she's been dressed by a top designer.

Maybe Miki could have a flash of inspiration and flee to Yuka Sato...

FYI. Yuna's FP is done by David Wilson

 

[macemace1980]

I am happy for Yuna, Miki and Akiko.

Yuna wasn't in good condition, but she did what she could do.
Avoiding 3-3 was the best way as her first 3Lz wasn't enough to put 3T.

I don't know why some people think that Yuna excuses.
She just said what happend to her, that's all.
What could she have done when people asked her the reason why she couldn't skate better at this competition?
She should have ignored the questions from the media? It would be the worst.

I am not saying it because I am a fan of Yuna,
Actually I am not just a fan of Yuna. I love Mao and Carolina too. If one of them wins the Olympic, I will be very happy.
But I just didn't want Yuna being criticised like this without a right reason.

 

[Bennett]

48%;p

Miki thinks that she was able to perform 48% of her potential from the practice. 48%.... Very detailed assessment.

 

[Nadia01]

I agree with you. Yuna deserves better GOEs. Ando's skating was very powerful. I wish she did more aggressive skating in terms of technical elements. When can I see her to try 3-3 and 4S? Perhaps in Ohympics?

Me, too, but I think her goal was not to beat Yuna per se, but to get a spot on the Oly team, b/c the JSF stated that the highest finisher can get an automatic spot. Miki had to make sure she placed higher than Akiko, and I think that's why she skated fairly conservatively. (Also given Akiko's score, she knew she didn't have to do 3/3 to beat her. It would've been worse if Miki tried and fell...)

 

[Mathman]

Miki thinks that she was able to perform 48% of her potential from the practice. 48%.... Very detailed assessment.

I put it at 53.86% myself.

 

[katakwan]

I put it at 53.86% myself.

Holy Molly~

I estimated it to be 108.705057%.

 

[hughgraham2]

joannie

Anybody know why Joannie has dropped the 2A-2A sequence? She's done that for the last few years, now she only does 2A or 2A-2T. I would think she could rack up some extra points with an extra 2A.

It doesn't look good for her. I'm hoping she has an Elizabeth Manley moment, by lowering expectations with a series of bad performances and then saving the best for the Olympics. But it looks like the pressure is getting to her.

I think Miki Ando is looking like a good bet for gold. If she gets the 3L-3L and Yuna continues to make mistakes, she's got it in the bag I think.

 

[R.D.]

I think Miki Ando is looking like a good bet for gold. If she gets the 3L-3L and Yuna continues to make mistakes, she's got it in the bag I think.

Umm, I wouldn't say that. Actually, Yuna has it in the bag unless she messes up, and she has to mess up big as well. (Which is not impossible, as the past two events showed.) What this does is it puts Ando in the prime "dark horse" position- of course, she has to be clean as well or she'll be out of it.