You are correct. Like I commented in another thread, its pretty obvious the last few years the Japanese federation doesn't support Mai or Wakaba. They prefer Satoko, Rika and Kaori this season. Last year for example even the Russian commentator(Lipnitskya) at Cup of China was saying how she couldn't understand why Japanese federation doesn't support Higuchi.
Will Rika Kihira dethrone Satoko?
- Thread starter skateluvr
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Well, Satoko got ! on her 3Lz at NHK Trophy, which may be telling something.
Wakaba has been too inconsistent and prone to injuries.
Wakaba has been too inconsistent and prone to injuries.
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I think the reason Satoko gets those lower marks is residual damage from her underwhelming jumps impacting the overall impression of her components. Everything is so effortless and smooth and then she jumps. I can’t think of one component other than Interpretation of the Music that isn’t impacted in same way or another. I think the opposite can be said of the technical prowess that her opponents display. A huge jump pass or an impressive assault on the senses blended together at very high speeds holds a beauty all its own. Maybe not as pretty but influential all the same.
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Yulia was clearly fangirling all season for Wakaba. It was probably the biggest bias she showed last season
In a way though...weren’t we all
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Evgenia's skating skills are improving under her new team. She has more flow and speed. She does not have as many difficult transitions though as Alina - at the moment. What I loved about Satoko's programs is that she has so much speed throughout yet the detail in her movements does not suffer because of that. It's quite impressive. She is the winner in PCS out of all of them.
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Has Kostornaya done her 3A in competitions this season? The one in practice she did is beautiful but landing one in competition can be hard as we have seen with Rika and Liza.
So is the future this? - Anyone who lands a quad(s) will defeat all skaters even if their skating and performance is average. I will need a support group.
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I'm actually ok with her high PCS marks, because she does have a lot of nice qualities even on her jumps, like her carriage on the landing. However, if the tech panels aren't going to knock her for prerotation, the judges shouldn't give her 3's and 4's for those jumps IMO. Her scores are way too inflated on the jump elements, but to me her high marks for everything else are justified.
She's injured this year. Last year she never scored under 200 in any competition. That's pretty consistent.
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And ironically, Zhenya’s visibly improved flow on the ice didn’t translate to higher PCS now as compared to what she was receiving when she was with Eteri’s group. She also had quantitatively more transitions previously but currently, her transitions are of better quality and meaning albeit less. Last I read, the TR component rewards both quantity and quality.
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That’s where the scores are confusing. Reward the jumps with GOEs and if the big jump is well choreographed with the musical crescendo, then up the CO. Likewise for Satoko, I am all for docking jump GOEs when the rotation looks suspect - same ought to be applied to everyone who cheats the take off. Reward her for her IN and SS and quality of the TR accordingly. I will much rather see low TES but higher PCS. The final outcome may be the same but in principle, this is what judging of what was executed should be like.
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Has to do with new music styles and choreography (David Wilson). I think her PCS will be what it used to be eventually.
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Well Caro (while I like her) would fall all over the place and get sky high PCS so her jump mistakes didn't ruin the "overall impression". And Chan inflation anyone? They seem to only apply this stuff when they feel like it.
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I get ya but the point I was shooting to make is more along the lines that Satoko is landing her jumps and still looking all “oof”
I think it has to impact her overall impression differently than than when Caro starts dropping ice torpedoes.
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Agreed, but even with the mistake in her SP she still scored higher than Zagitova's SP at GP Finland. If we're going with the "only as good as your last competition", she would have smoked Zagitova.
I hope that Kihira's stock goes up - her programs are great (especially the FS) and she really is the total package. Even her triple axels look like clean, easy elements and not big elements that are telegraphed (no shade to Tukt/Mirai). Many of her other jumps came out of nowhere too.
I think Satoko still definitely has an artistic edge, by a lot, but Kihira's technical edge surpasses that gap. Rika proved she's not just a jumper, but when you can jump like that and have decent artistry, then you will be very tough to beat (see: Lipinski), even if you are coming out of junior ranks.
Kihira has yet to show if she can be consistent, but a score of 218 and 224 to start the season (and not even completely clean at that) shows she's the one with the best chance of beating Zagitova, and if she's clean even someone as artistic as Satoko doesn't have the firepower/GOE to match that in overall points.
Japanese Nationals is going to be very interesting, especially the fight for the 3rd spot (not saying it's set, and still early, but it looks like Kihira/Miyahara will get the first two if they maintain their current form).
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Well, I'm annoyed because I tried to edit my post but accidentally deleted it instead. Typing on a phone is so painful. T_T
I do think Rika will "dethrone" Satoko eventually and that the PCS gap that took a while for Satoko to build internationally will also be surpassed.
I feel like Satoko has a PCS ceiling below the favorites. This is her 6th season on the senior circuit! I was told that she was reliably consistent and so the fall last season shocked many because she (like previous Evgenia) doesn't fall. Clearly consistency didn't help her that much despite also having an extraordinary of level and skills on top of experience. And it's even more evident when many are talking about how Rika can almost catch up in Satoko's PCS just this season if she is consistent and Alina did last year in just one season with consistency.
I do think Rika will "dethrone" Satoko eventually and that the PCS gap that took a while for Satoko to build internationally will also be surpassed.
I feel like Satoko has a PCS ceiling below the favorites. This is her 6th season on the senior circuit! I was told that she was reliably consistent and so the fall last season shocked many because she (like previous Evgenia) doesn't fall. Clearly consistency didn't help her that much despite also having an extraordinary of level and skills on top of experience. And it's even more evident when many are talking about how Rika can almost catch up in Satoko's PCS just this season if she is consistent and Alina did last year in just one season with consistency.
I doubt that she will go back to 38 and 77 PCS. But i think she will still at near 35+ and 70+, clean or not. Which is still generous.
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And then maybe another Russian baby can dethrone Rika next year. So exciting! Satoko is still for my money the more complete skater but her jumps are suspect - ur, edges and low goe's. Rika though still has to lay it down consistently. Interesting indeed!
lol I wonder why Zhenya is being brought into this thread (by posters who obviously don't care for her, btw, how ironic is that)
also dethrone Satoko from what? The top JP Ladies spot? How about we stop declaring one person as the savior or king/queen of figure skating of any region or the sport and just let these athletes grow into themselves without that pressure?
Also being 'refined' is nice and all but has absolutely no objective meaning and obviously judges don't truly care about that so I feel like having a serious conversation as to who is more 'refined' is kinda silly
also dethrone Satoko from what? The top JP Ladies spot? How about we stop declaring one person as the savior or king/queen of figure skating of any region or the sport and just let these athletes grow into themselves without that pressure?
Also being 'refined' is nice and all but has absolutely no objective meaning and obviously judges don't truly care about that so I feel like having a serious conversation as to who is more 'refined' is kinda silly
