Analyzing Sotnikova and Kim's footwork in the FS | Page 69 | Golden Skate

Analyzing Sotnikova and Kim's footwork in the FS

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Alba

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Is it really for all Olympics?

I can't say for sure tbh, I need to check the rules and the previous Olympics.
All I know is that judges do change from the short into the free. Not the whole panel but some yes, and it's done in random.
 

Figure

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Looking back on the GOEs, I can't help but to shake my head. Consider GOEs been curbed back by 30% since Vancouver, Adelina would have gained 14.11 + 30% = 20.16 in GOE in Vancouver, that is basically a world record in GOEs despite a Flutz, UR3T, abrasive level 3 step sequence, 2 footed step out out for 'that' program and beating every lady in Vancouver. Incredible.

What was the reason to cut back 30% of GOE? To favor the flaws and decrease the points earn by technical superior jumpers? I didn’t know about it.
 

Sam-Skwantch

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What was the reason to cut back 30% of GOE? To favor the flaws and decrease the points earn by technical superior jumpers? I didn’t know about it.

Are you even being serious?
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
What was the reason to cut back 30% of GOE? To favor the flaws and decrease the points earn by technical superior jumpers? I didn’t know about it.

I believe the reason for the change was this. The ISU wanted to encourage judges to give a wider range of GOEs. Instead of reserving a +3 for the greatest example of an element ever, the idea was that the skater should be able instead to earn this mark by satisfying a defined list of "bullets." The language was changed from "suopior height and distance" to "good height and distance," etc.

Then, to keep the GOEs under control (since it was now easier to get a +3), they scaled the value back to 70% in compensation.

That's the theory, anyway.
 

CarneAsada

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It makes BV more important. Vancouver-era singles skating had very few high-risk elements because it was easier to do a 3Lz-3T with +GOE instead of doing a quad, and it was easier to do a 2A instead of a problem triple, with barely any cost in TES. The ISU wanted skaters to go for more difficult elements: for men, the quad, and for women, harder 3-3s and the 3A. They mostly succeeded considering the top men in Sochi all attempted quads and the top ladies all attempted 3-3s and all but one of the top 7 ladies attempted at least 7 triples in the LP.
 

Vanshilar

On the Ice
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Feb 24, 2014
The connections from one element to the next that you point out would be a few of many over the whole program that would figure in to the Transitions component. Just in these few seconds before and after the double axels, Kim probably deserves more credit for Intricacy.

But if we chose different small segments of the programs, Sotnikova might come out ahead on Transitions. If we were really looking at the program components rather than GOEs, we'd need to look at the whole program, not isolated clips.

I don't know the rules well enough -- so what you're saying is that directly connecting two scored elements (in this case a jump into a spin, but it could be anything else like a step sequence into a spin, maybe a spin into a jump which would be unlikely but fun to watch) doesn't affect the GOE for either element?

My guess about why some judges scored S +3 vs. K +2, or S +2 vs. K +1, would be that Sotnikova's double axel looked higher/faster/covering more ice to them in real time than Kim's, enough to give that bullet point to S and not K. It looks that way to me on video, only slightly, but maybe the effect was stronger in real life. You're obviously seeing it differently -- which speaks to the subjectivity of evaluating "good" height, distance, and ice coverage by the naked eye.

I looked a bit into perspective and projection math to derive distance estimates for jumps from fan cams of the whole rink. With some basic assumptions, the distances covered by the jumps are fairly straightforward to calculate (if a bit tedious) from fan cams using two-point perspective math (i.e. 2 vanishing points, one for the rink's length and the other for the rink's width). The fan cam videos that I used were:

Adelina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf0wI25cD3U
Yuna: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_7eZ4SZ82Y

My assumptions were that the rink was an Olympic-sized rink of 60 meters by 30 meters, surrounded by barriers of an unknown but same height (with obvious cutouts), and that all angles are right angles (i.e. rink is rectangular with rounded edges, barriers are vertical). From each image of the video it's straightforward to measure the inside edges of each barrier as well as the 2 edges of the rink that are visible, to establish the locations of the two vanishing points. The barrier establishes the scale (using the Olympic-sized assumption) and the corner formed by the 2 visible edges of the rink establish the origin used to measure distances. The rest of it is a bunch of math which will probably bore everyone, but basically, once these are measured and calculated, it's possible to work out where the skater was on the rink at any given point. For example, a grid spaced 5 meters between points was generated using this information (without reference to the image other than the measured points), which I then hand-plotted:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/120676593@N05/14294036954/sizes/o/in/photostream/

The red dots are the grid, while the small bright green dots are the points I used to measure the rink dimensions. In theory I could plot this for any image except that it takes a long time (since I measured and plotted them by hand).

Anyway the distance that the skaters moved with their double axels, overlayed (and moved slightly to account for the camera moving during the jump), is here:

Adelina: https://www.flickr.com/photos/120676593@N05/14294072854/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Yuna: https://www.flickr.com/photos/120676593@N05/14107969598/sizes/o/in/photostream/

It's just to give viewers a sense of how far they moved in their jumps, not used in the measurements. You can see that Yuna was closer to the judges but jumping more away from them, while Adelina was farther away but jumping (relatively) more across. For each image (takeoff and landing for each skater), I measured the rink dimensions, and then used that to work out how far each skater traveled in the air. I took the upper corner of the rink as the origin, with the long side as the x-axis and the short side as the y-axis. For both takeoff and landing I used the center of the blade as the skater's location. The results were:

Adelina: (54.9, 17.6) to (54.4, 20.3) => 2.7 meters
Yuna: (20.9, 12.2) to (21.5, 14.1) => 2.0 meters

To make a long story short, from the fan cam videos Adelina covered more distance on that jump than Yuna, even though both had the same height (based on how long each was in the air). (This may also imply that Adelina was moving faster into the jump, though not necessarily proves it since it depends on how each skater "used" the speed to get the height.) So depending on the judges, they may have felt that 2.7 meters deserves a bullet while 2.0 meters doesn't. I'm not saying that they took out a ruler and measured it, of course, but just in terms of how far it appeared to them. I would say that's likely a noticeable difference to the naked eye, and it's more a matter of how likely it is that the cutoff for each judge is within that range.

It would require instrument-calibrated measurements to determine what the actual height, distance, and ice coverage were, which figure skating scoring does not use at this time. If they ever do, that will take those evaluations away from the judges. But for now, those aspects of the elements are estimated by eye in real time and not subject to the rewinding and slow-motion replay we engage in here to try to analyze after the fact.

I would argue against using physical instruments (such as sensors on the figure skates) and more for software instruments (i.e. software analysis of videos). Obviously cameras are also a type of physical instrument, but my point is that I would argue against anything that is specific to the skater. It makes the instrument too easy to tamper with (since it's out of sight for long periods of time), too hard to ensure they're properly calibrated, etc. I think a video system is sufficient to determine quite a few of the measurable quantities of interest such as jump height, distance, etc. It's easy enough to count the frames that a skater is in the air as a proxy for jump height, not to mention use it to determine things like whether or not the skater had fully rotated a jump. Even from a random fan cam I can determine the jump distances to within tens of centimeters (size of 1 pixel was about 3 cm by 6 cm where Adelina was at, and about 6 cm by 24 cm where Yuna was at). Only one calibration would need to be done, and it would affect all skaters equally; in essence, they're all measured by the same yardstick, which is also the quality we want in judging (that a judge holds each skater to the same standard, regardless of whether it's high or low). I don't think it would necessarily take those evaluations away from the judges. Even though those metrics can be measured, there's still other issues like how early or late a jump was done (a jump may still give a height bullet for a smaller jump done later in the program), how the skater's height affects the jump quality (a judge may give a shorter skater the jump height bullet but not for a taller skater even if both jumps are the same height), etc. which I think would still be up for consideration. It's that measuring would take away much of the guesswork in this. Then again, so would the judges being more transparent in terms of showing which bullets they considered a jump or other element to have met, etc. rather than giving simple GOE's.

Interesting. Sky Italia did a sbs video analysis between Carolina and Adelina.
I must say the guy who did it it's from Eurosport Ita. He is very knowledgeable, not biased at all and openly a Yuna fan.
He said that the best footwork were Carolina's. I regret that I didn't recorded that but I was not expecting it.
He said that both were level 4 but that Carolina's performance was a bit better, therefore higher GOE for her.
I don't know about Yuna though because it was done the day after by Barbara Fusar Poli, and I didn't see that bit.

Keep in mind I was talking about the SP; I haven't looked at the FS yet. I haven't really looked at the FS footwork for Kostner, only the SP.

It is an interesting view from the Italian commentator, especially on Yuna should be on level 4. On Chinese boards on Baidu (by Xmypku - an objective poster) did analyse all step sequences as well (+ Mao, Carolina), and come to conclusion Yuna's step sequence is the most difficult and intricate because the sheer number of movements (Some 50+ movements) that must be seamlessly integrate with the music with little margins for error which in itself is an added challenge compare with a more giving piece of music. It was certainly my reason for appreciating this piece of work since the beginning - even it had been work in progress due to sheer ambition outside the COP parameters, I was curious if she can deliver the intention when it matters.


I thought I'd summaries all these step sequences from the top 4 ladies.

Any mistakes in translation is my own fault, please feel free to correct and I am happy to amend. (I fully expected it, this is all a bit new to me translate tech terms from Chinese into English since some words like inner and inside is the same word in Chinese.)

Neato. Thanks! Gonna have to digest it slowly.
 

Figure

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 2, 2014
It makes BV more important. Vancouver-era singles skating had very few high-risk elements because it was easier to do a 3Lz-3T with +GOE instead of doing a quad, and it was easier to do a 2A instead of a problem triple, with barely any cost in TES. The ISU wanted skaters to go for more difficult elements: for men, the quad, and for women, harder 3-3s and the 3A. They mostly succeeded considering the top men in Sochi all attempted quads and the top ladies all attempted 3-3s and all but one of the top 7 ladies attempted at least 7 triples in the LP.

If 3Lz-3T is easier how come not many ladies have high success rate of it?

Does it hold true the rule change of GOE is more advantage toward the flawed jumpers than the one with more technical superior?

Considering +3 for perfect execution vs the fall of -3 as before, but now the gap is closer between 2.1 to -2.1. That is 1.8 points difference which can change the placement of skater.
 

sk8in

Match Penalty
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Jan 15, 2014
If the new system encourages harder elements then out did Adelina win with a bunch of toe loops and a single flawed lutz? Carolina changed her triple triple to a 3f 3t for the first time in years. Her reward was third place.
 

Figure

Rinkside
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Mar 2, 2014
The rule change doesn’t make sense to me. It punished perfect execution and awarded to bad technique. What the heck?
 

CarneAsada

Medalist
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If 3Lz-3T is easier how come not many ladies have high success rate of it?

Does it hold true the rule change of GOE is more advantage toward the flawed jumpers than the one with more technical superior?
3Lz-3T is obviously easier than a quad, which no women perform, and I was referring to the men with this example. Though the number of ladies attempting 3Lz-3T successfully has greatly increased in recent years: Gold, Lipnitskaya, Kim, Radionova, a bunch of the junior ladies are all doing it. As for this talk about skaters with superior technique being punished, GOE is still worth points, and a skater with better technique will obviously beat a skater with poor technique attempting the same tech content. A smaller advantage is still an advantage. Sotnikova "beating" Kim was because her technical flaws were totally ignored, which is not a fault of the rule changes at all. I mean, she was even gifted higher GOEs; do you really think reverting to Vancouver CoP would've helped Kim win?
 

gkelly

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Jul 26, 2003
Thanks for your thoughts about the jump measurements.

I don't know the rules well enough -- so what you're saying is that directly connecting two scored elements (in this case a jump into a spin, but it could be anything else like a step sequence into a spin, maybe a spin into a jump which would be unlikely but fun to watch) doesn't affect the GOE for either element?

Not usually, not unless it adds significant difficulty, which a normal step forward from a successful jump landing into a spin entry does not.

If it were difficult enough to add difficulty, it would add it to the second element -- in this case the spin -- not to the already-completed element.

It's not particularly creative, so it wouldn't add "creative exit" to the preceding element either.

We could look for examples where two elements in close proximity do add significant difficulty or creativity and therefore would qualify for GOE bullet points. But these particular double axels by Kim and Sotnikova do not.

double axel directly into back sitspin
Can't get any more intricate than that. Assuming the spin is low enough and held long enough to get called at all under today's rules, and this were called as two separate elements, 2A and FSSp (or just SSp?), I'd say the difficulty of the connection should add to the GOE for both elements. Of course the GOE would also have to take into the quality of the elements, so the final GOE might not end up positive in this case.

Connection from jump landing to spin entrance difficult/creative enough to add to the GOE(s) IMO

I'd call these landings creative and difficult enough to add to the jump GOE as well as the Transitions component, but not sure I'd also give GOE credit to them as spin entries. Some judges might.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
If the new system encourages harder elements then out did Adelina win with a bunch of toe loops and a single flawed lutz? Carolina changed her triple triple to a 3f 3t for the first time in years. Her reward was third place.

Because the skaters do more than one element, Carolina cannot win simply on the strength of one jump combo. :rolleye:
 
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