Cynthia Phaneuf | Golden Skate

Cynthia Phaneuf

Winnipeg

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Has anyone heard how she is progressing? Will she have a chance to move into the 2nd spot at Canadians? Will she get more than 2 GP assignments.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
How can Cynthia get more than 2 GP assignments? Singles aren't allowed to do a 3rd event.
 

nadster

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 1, 2004
Phaneuf is guaranteed one GP assignment at the moment ( top 24 on season's best list). History has shown that everybody who is guaranteed one assignment will likely get 2. So it is pretty safe to assume that Phaneuf will get 2 spots.

Phaneuf has an excellent chance of passing Mira at nationals. She beat Mira in the FS this year. Phaneuf's FS at nationals was filled with flawed landings at nationals ( but she fought for every landing). With her superior jump technique, interpretation and basic skating skills she should easily beat Mira with 2 solid performances.

It will be interesting how Phaneuf does compared to Mira on the GP circuit this year. If she does better than Mira on the GP, Mira is unlikely to get the benefit of the doubt on underrotations, making it easier for Phaneuf to pass her.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
I tend to agree with the above. Skate Canada has ignored Mira's URs at Nationals because up to now, she was the only Canadian lady who could help Canada hold onto two places at Worlds. But with Phaneuf showing signs of regaining her lost form, Mira is no longer 'safe'.

If Phaneuf has a better showing in the GP and skates well at 2009 Nationals, Mira might find herself getting dinged for the URs she'd been getting a pass on at previous Nationals. Mira might then find herself rooting for Cynthia to skate well enough at 2009 Worlds to gain 3 spots for Canada for the Olympics. Wouldn't that be ironic?
 

Wrlmy

Medalist
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
If Phaneuf has a better showing in the GP and skates well at 2009 Nationals, Mira might find herself getting dinged for the URs she'd been getting a pass on at previous Nationals. Mira might then find herself rooting for Cynthia to skate well enough at 2009 Worlds to gain 3 spots for Canada for the Olympics. Wouldn't that be ironic?

I'd like that:)
 

Ginask8s

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 27, 2008
Cynthia looks like she is going to fall on many of her jumps. I did not enjoy her performance as much as Miras. Mira looks pretty solid. I think that Cynthia is a sentimental favorite for her fans. I think Mira is not a "popular" skater? I hope they both do well next year. May the best skaters win.
 

passion

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 17, 2005
One thing I really think Cynthia far surpasses Mira is the ability to perform. She is an artist by nature. She has musicality and she has that special ability to draw the audience in. She is very pleasing to watch. I hope that she continues to work on her jump technique and mental focus.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Cynthia is probably never going to be as consistent a skater as Mira, but she will almost certainly be rewarded with higher PCS scores by the ISU judges. I think Cynthia has a much better chance of making top 10 at Worlds than Mira ever could have.
 

fumie_fumie

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 24, 2007
Cynthia wasn't all that consistent skater even before the injuries, however she has something that draws the audience into her performance, which is missing in action with Mira. If Cynthia has a half decent showing at upcoming GP events, Skate Canada will be smart to start ding Mira's URs and help Cynthia move one place up.
 

Winnipeg

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
I certainly find Cynthia's artistry much more pleasing than Mira's. I agree her consistency needs improvement - Mira is more consistent. However, I find Mira's head looking up jump technique distracting and unpleasant to watch.

At the end, I hope the best skater wins and that the best skater will be good enough to give Canada a shot at 3 spots for 2010....................
 

passion

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 17, 2005
Cynthia wasn't all that consistent skater even before the injuries, however she has something that draws the audience into her performance, which is missing in action with Mira. If Cynthia has a half decent showing at upcoming GP events, Skate Canada will be smart to start ding Mira's URs and help Cynthia move one place up.


And to add to that, no matter how much attention Mira pays to improve her artistic ability (expression, style) I think it will always come out looking slightly artificial. I think of it in her case as something she puts on rather than in Cynthia's case, something that comes out.

Part of it could be that Mira was not born an artist. Another part is that she has also lost her passion for skating. It is simply a job for her.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
If Cynthia has a half decent showing at upcoming GP events, Skate Canada will be smart to start ding Mira's URs and help Cynthia move one place up.
Do "smart" National Federations do that? Do they instruct their judges to call underrotations on one skater because they want another skater to move up? Wouldn't it be easier just to tell them to adjust the PCSs to produce the desired winner?

Conversely, if Cynthia does not do well in the Grand Prix, should the Federation respond by telling the tech specialist at Canadian Nationals not to call any underrotations on Mira?
 
Last edited:

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
You have to wonder why Skate Canada ignored edge irregularities altogether across the board for all their skaters. Several Canadian men have been dinged during the GP and other events for flutzing and lipping, but there wasn't even a symbol for and edge deduction on the Canadian Nationals score sheet.

Same thing with Mira's underrotations. She has been dinged for URs at every single international competition over the past two years, sometimes for multiple URs in one FS. Yet Mira has never been called for underrotating at Nationals.

The USFS also inexplicably had few edge calls at Nationals, and that may have given skaters like Mirai Nagasu and Ashley Wagner false feedback that backfired on them at subsequent competitions.
 

Sackie

Medalist
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
I agree with the comment that skating has become more of a job for Mira. But unfortunately at Canadians she seems to skate better and seems to enjoy if more. Had she skated the way she did at Nationals this year she would have been top 10 at worlds. But watching her World FS I really got the feeling she just didn't care. Like she had given up. Maybe cause she knows no matter what her PCS marks will be low. Which in itself is a catch 22!
 

Winnipeg

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
I don't understand why SC would not judge the same as to be expected in international compeitions? How else to determine who are the best skaters? Maybe the national judges are not as skilled as the international?
 

passion

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 17, 2005
You have to wonder why Skate Canada ignored edge irregularities altogether across the board for all their skaters. Several Canadian men have been dinged during the GP and other events for flutzing and lipping, but there wasn't even a symbol for and edge deduction on the Canadian Nationals score sheet.

Same thing with Mira's underrotations. She has been dinged for URs at every single international competition over the past two years, sometimes for multiple URs in one FS. Yet Mira has never been called for underrotating at Nationals.

The USFS also inexplicably had few edge calls at Nationals, and that may have given skaters like Mirai Nagasu and Ashley Wagner false feedback that backfired on them at subsequent competitions.

Yes, I think so too. I think it does an absolute disservice to skaters at CANs by not penalizing them for UR. Judges need to be honest for the skater's good and not try to sugar coat.
 

passion

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 17, 2005
I agree with the comment that skating has become more of a job for Mira. But unfortunately at Canadians she seems to skate better and seems to enjoy if more. Had she skated the way she did at Nationals this year she would have been top 10 at worlds. But watching her World FS I really got the feeling she just didn't care. Like she had given up. Maybe cause she knows no matter what her PCS marks will be low. Which in itself is a catch 22!

Interesting comment about her not caring at Worlds. I remember her making a comment after missing a couple jumps somewhere and I was really surprised at her nonchalant attitude whereas at CANs she also missed her jump(s) and said that she could kill herself over it.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Interesting comment about her not caring at Worlds. I remember her making a comment after missing a couple jumps somewhere and I was really surprised at her nonchalant attitude whereas at CANs she also missed her jump(s) and said that she could kill herself over it.

That's because Canadians is the one competition where she is sure to make the podium. That isn't the case for the GP, 4CC and Worlds.

Mira may believe that the Canadian judges are giving her the 'right' marks and it is the ISU judges who aren't being fair to her. That's another reason why it is really not a good thing that Mira isn't getting dinged for URs at Nationals. She doesn't see URs as a problem for her, since the Canadian judges apparently don't. If she thinks it's not a problem, she won't fix it.
 
Top