1. I'm okay with a PCS increase, but only if a skater deserves it. I fear that giving judges encouragement to use the upper register means judges have applied it to veteran skaters and not the whole field, leaving more of a gap between skaters instead of everyone simply moving up. Or a veteran skater gets 1.50-1.75 higher PCS and everyone else 0.25-0.50. I don't see the point in giving skaters higher PCS if they don't earn it. Also, IMO, Kostner's Euros free skate certainly didn't deserve to earn higher PCS than her Worlds freeskate last year, even if it was given a boost. PCS should also reflect how well a program was skated too. If a skater doubled all of her jumps, you would hope that she wouldn't be given the same PCS mark as the same program where she did all triples. But this isn't the case with Kostner/Wagner/Asada receiving the same if not better PCS marks for programs that have errors, i.e. holding them up. This is wrong and getting back to the days of wary judging.
Ah, now you're getting to two separate issues
a) I'm gonna argue that a good performance now would be scored the same as a great performance from the 2008/2009 season, PCS wise. Stephane Lambiel could barely break 8s for "Poeta"
b) I don't think that veterans inherently "get" a benefit. I do think that those people who have been skating around in COP longer have a better understanding of how to skate WELL in it. Equally, I believe there are some people who haven't made the effort to adapt to it's demands.
c) I absolutely would want a program of the same program quality (interpretation, performance, etc) to score the same PCS regardless of whether a skater landed all doubles or all triples. To make an analogy, if a skater did three level one spins and one level one footwork, would you want them to score higher PCS for the "same program" with all level four elements? Patrick Chan's highest PCS come from the skate where he doubled three jumps; the skate where he
2. Yes, I agree that the end of Carolina's long program is excellent, but I wish it were more balanced (as her SP is). Right now it's like she "comes to life" only when her footwork sequence begins. I realise that's also how the music goes, but I find that the first half still lacks intricate turns and choreography (deep edges and difficult turns in the 1st half and leaps and toework in the spryly 2nd half would make a wonderful Bolero program). And obviously skaters turn it on at the end to leave a lasting impression, but Carolina is so capable of a complete, well-choreographed program, and I feel her FS is just resting on that final minute and her reputation to garner PCS.
Fair enough.
4. Oh I'm not saying if a skater leaves out choreography, etc. they should be given high PCS. But if a skater lands 7 triples with not as sophisticated choreography, they should be placing higher than skaters who complete 3 or 4 triples. Otherwise what's the point of the first skater even competing as there's no way they could win? Don't get me wrong, I want a skater to have developed artistry, but I think judges are using artistry as a way of bailing out flawed skates from top skaters much to the chagrin of less-artistically-developed skaters who skate lights out. e.g. Radionova in her GP assignments should have beaten Kostner's Euros freeskate. It's still a sport. If anything the artistic component should separate two technically excellent skaters, but if a skater has a technically mediocre skate then they should be placed behind an artistically deficient skater with a great skate... not the other way around. You could say "Kostner has so much more speed, artistry etc. than the rest of the field, so why not give her a 9.5 and Sotnikova a 6.5?)" -- well that essentially negates any technical aspects of the competition reducing it from who skates the best to who is the best all-around skater in general.
1. The skater that did land seven triple beat the skater that landed four triples, in that phase. But, the skater that landed six triples beat the skater that landed nine over two phases as well as the skater that landed eight. Intriguingly the skater that landed eight outPCSed the skater that landed nine.
2. Is the difference merely "not as sophisticated" choreography? To what extent?
3. And you've hit the other nail on the head. Program Component scores, as written, really give only about 40% weight to the skate itself - the other sixty percent comes from the program and skater. But PCS aren't artistic scores. Skating skills is
technical. Choreography and transitions can be artistic, but they are often technical as well (why Patrick Chan is justified in huge scores). So Kostner excels at one technical aspect of the competition if you argue she excels at skating skills. But that's only one part of the competiiton.
4. No way should Radionova beaten Kostner, though. So it seems we just have different opinions on what we want the sport to celebrate.
A good example is Yan Liu in the 2006 Olympics. Lovely skater, but because she wasn't popular or as developed artistically and was accordinly robbed of a top 10 placement. Hammered both on GOE (when her jumps were actually nice!) and PCS. Here's the FS protocol (
http://www.isuresults.com/results/owg2006/OWG06_Ladies_FS_Scores.pdf)... 11th in the FS and being the only one to land 7 triples (Kostner landed 2 triples in the FS and was 9th in the segment). How is that even justified?
I'd have to watch the programs and give my impression.
I doubt we will ever see another GPF like 2006 where Mao defeated Irina because she actually outskated her. Under the CoP right now, you can bet the judges would have given Irina PCS through the roof over a "junior skater" like Mao to ensure a win. Even though Irina had much better skating skills/choreo/etc. the judges still gave credit to Mao for more technically demanding and well executed skates and didn't create such a huge PCS gap.
Eliza won two GP events beating, among others, Carolina Kostner her debut season. Katelyn Osmond beat a world bronze medalist and the level of screaming has been epic. Sui/Han scored epically well in their senior events their debut season because of huge TES (and poor scoring on PCS not holding them down far enough, imo).
(Please, now, don't insult me, it's just a joke... 
