JGPF: Ladies' SP - Thoughts and Highlights

Alena Kostornaia is currently leading a Russian sweep in the Junior Ladies' event at the 2018-19 Junior Grand Prix Final in Vancouver, B.C. Alexandra Trusova is second, followed by Alena Kanysheva.

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Share your thoughts on the Junior Ladies' SP at the 2018-19 Junior Grand Prix Final!

Kostornaya is a bless
Trusova is a warrior

4 words.
Kostornaya is a goddess.

Alena Kostornaya was just fabulous. Such a gorgeous performance.

These are some ambitious young girls. Lots of quads planned for the Free Skate.

I just came here to say: Alyona Kostornaia!

1. A. Trusova's 3Lz-3Lo on the beat of the music was worth the airfare and ticket all on its own.

2. A. Shcherbakova ... :sad: Not sure what happened, she was ripping off those 3Lz-3Los while waiting for her name to be called like she was bored and just killing time.

3. A. Kosternaia ... WOW. Oof, in SS and performance quality she really was a standout.

4. A. Kanysheva: Good job not getting rattled by Shcherbakova's semi-meltdown just before. Didn't expect such a strong performance from her, but she was very impressive.

5. A. Tarakanova: Almost there. Almost! But she's adorable and I think I like her best of everyone. She can hold it together!

6. Y. Kim: Here at the end mainly for alliterative streak. Yelim was very nice as well. Held her own well.

Kostornaia.

Shcherbakova was heartbreaking, but Alena, Alena, and Sasha were gorgeous. Good luck in the free to all of my Russian favorites!

Spirals for Miles said:

Shcherbakova was heartbreaking, but Alena, Alena, and Sasha were gorgeous. Good luck in the free to all of my Russian favorites!

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Don‘t be too sad, there‘s still the FS. Anna just needs to be calm and if she lands only one of those quads, she has a great chance for the podium. I think the top spot will be Sasha‘s but everything else isn‘t decided yet. It was bad luck but she‘ll come back and have a great redemption skate. I‘m sur e of that.

My highlights: Alena Kostornaya. She is an angel. That SP was the best I‘ve ever seen her do it and she‘s rightfully in 1st place. Whatever happens in the FS and whatever final place she might take, this moment was something to remember already.

Sasha Trusova: I love her new dress, the other one was, to my eyes quite... well... how do I put it? I‘ve seen more beautiful things. A lot more. Carolina‘s hideous green jumpsuit (sorry Caro, I still love you ) was worse but this came close. The new dress is great. It‘s a bit more simple and doesn‘t distract from the actual performance but in no way boring. The dragon on the back matches Sasha perfectly. My highlight from her was the 3Lz-3Lo timed to the music and how she smiled after messing the entry into the last spin up a bit. She was really cute in the K&C, too.

Alena Kanysheva: YES! GIRL! I have to admit, I had her in last in the predictions game but she showed here determination and strong nerves. And she‘s only 13. Really proud of her. Even if she doesn‘t end up on the podium (Anna will probably end up above her), she can be so proud for putting out a skate like this. It was magnificent and strong. She will rock juniors next year.

Yelim Kim: To be honest, the Russians overshadowed her a bit. I don‘t remember too much about her performance other than that her dress is pretty, the music was slow but beautiful and her spins could have been faster. She is very graceful but not as refined yet as a performer. It will come with time.

Anastasia Tarakanova: Her SP is mature but I‘m not sure whether it might not be a bit much for a 14 year old. The music is heavy, it‘s just very hard to interpret and Nastya is still learning. I still like her FS a lot more. But she still did a good job here and it‘s clear that her performance is improving from competition to competition. A shame about the jumps, there were some mistakes that are costly in a field like this. Hope she can come back in the FS.

Anna Shcherbakova: I wrote it above and I write it again. Bad luck. That‘s it. The mistake on the 2A was a fluke and then she was probably rattled. The spin after the fall also wasn’t good at all, slow, shaky and not particularly centered. She also lost a level on it. But she kept up her performance ability throughout the program, was smiling all the way through and you couldn‘t see how disappointed she was. How did Ted put it?

“The joy‘s in her eyes, the sadness in her heart“? Or something like this.

I have no doubts that she‘ll come back to rock the FS. She is a beautiful, talented skater and what happened here is not a drama. It‘s unfortunate and it broke my heart to see her cry but it‘s not the end of the world and there‘s still the bigger part of the competition yet to come. Sasha skates after her so she still has chance to make history and land the 4Lz-3T. It might look like she‘s far away from the podium but truly, with her layout, she isn‘t even. She needs to land one quad and be semi-clean from there on and it will be enough.

Shcherbakova is first to attempt the combo but Trusova is in bad enough mood for some craziness. Up to the lutz-loop.

My husband heard me clapping last night after Kostornaia's score. Gosh, she is precious. She turns her SP into a masterpiece.

She's on a whole other level than the rest of the juniors, IMO.

That said, I admire how well Trusova's SP fits her, and she performed the heck out of it. It was fun and exciting to watch.

Kanysheva is my second-favorite Russian junior, after Kostornaia. Her SP doesn't do her justice, but she skated it extremely well. Her LP is gorgeous and I can't wait to see her skate.

I did get up for this in the middle of the night... Luckily it was well worth it. I am delighted to see Kostornaia's quality and amazing performance get rewarded. Her speed, flow and finish of movement are impeccable, turning that not perhaps so amazing program into something well worth watching. I hope she is able to make the transition into the seniors in a year or two - and gets that extra tech content with the likes of Kihira and Trusova in mind. Still hoping that 3A from practices somehow one day materializes in a competition program...

Trusova was very good also. Kostornaia learned to jump before she went to Eteri which probably explains her good technique and particularly flow out of the jumps (Eteri girls almost invariably almost stop and have to swing the free leg and body hard to make the movement continue). But Trusova has pretty amazing jumps also, she has alot of power and control and I wonder and hope if that will be enough to keep her going when she grows up and gets an adult body. Her programs are some of the best from Sambo 70 this season and work very well to cover her weaknesses in performance and interpretation - she executes more than actually performs. The step sequence is one of my faves in the juniors this season.

The others were perhaps a little subdued compared to these two. I have wondered how on earth Scherbakova is capable of doing those quads when her SP jumps look always a little weak. Her movement and style are conventional but pretty enough.

E

Kostornaya and Kanysheva are the creme de la creme as far as I'm concerned. I don't see a major deficiency in any aspect of their skating. (EDIT: well, maybe Alena's flip entrance) Lovely detail and economy of movement--never frenzied or spurious and have the 3/3s to boot. I'm pretty happy with the medal placements as is

What more can be said about Tsurova? Her jumping talent is unprecedented. I'm still not sure how I feel about the quad rule in SP. On one hand it would amazing to see and but OTOH I am a petty fan and favor Kostarnaya LOL. I would hate to see her buried by the quad contingent every time despite her superior skating quality..

Scherbakova tough break but I'm sure she will go all out in the FS! She's fearless like Tsurova, but her natural speed and line remind me a bit of young Nagasu

Love Tarakanova's SPEED!! A bit sloppy but in that sense reminds me of young Kostner. I hope she gets a lot of support to put in more years to mature

YeLim Not her best but tons of potential and quite steady technique. Will be a factor in Korean Nationals for years if she can stay healthy

1. Only two of six ladies went out on the ice with smiles and looking forward to the pleasure of the upcoming competition. And they headed the standings after the short program.

2. After this http://images.vfl.ru/ii/1542828230/7a604b74/24301829.jpg, I was asked "Which dragon will turn into a white walker". Looks like it was Anna. But for a short time, I hope.
Nota bene: Alexandra was in the new dress with a dragon. But it's just a coincidence. Right? :scratch3:

3. I did not expect any mistakes from Anastasia (as well as from Alexandra and Alёna. That one Alёna, "The Heartbreaker" ), but... :confused2:

I think Sasha is noticeably working on adding emotion and style to this program. It comes from a source of power and it’s still clear she is striving for a master class of excellency but I do recognize that she is adding more feeling into a lot of those movements. She’s a better performer than she often gets credit for and I think her SS among the best ( that StSeq is really impressive ). Live the new dress but I miss the old one.

She’s the only one I’ve had time watch. I’m having a very busy work week/weekend traveling all over the place solving the world’s problems.

andromache said:

My husband heard me clapping last night after Kostornaia's score. Gosh, she is precious. She turns her SP into a masterpiece.

She's on a whole other level than the rest of the juniors, IMO.

That said, I admire how well Trusova's SP fits her, and she performed the heck out of it. It was fun and exciting to watch.

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Agreed on both points! Kostornaia is definitely in a different league, much more of a Senior lady. So lovely, calm, and collected.

And yes, I feel that Trusova's SP is always a blast to watch!