GPF: Ladies' SP - Thoughts and Highlights

rikaquegira · Dec 7, 2018

I’ve already watched Rika’s performance so many times! She really was something else... I think this was a well deserved WR score. People saying her PCS is too much should realise this is the first time she’s skated this program clean, this was her best performance and there is nothing not to like. SS are there, she has some nice transitions, the music is not exciting but she makes it interesting by skating with the music, paying attention to details, smiling throughout the program, really relaxing... Which is a funny contrast with the way she takes the ice and prepares to skate, she looks so nervous, you can’t imagine she would land anything let alone a 3A! [emoji23] As always, te SitSp is her nemesis, a lvl 2 is a new low for Rika’s spin... lol But that one is always a struggle, I’m sure she will work on it! The most impressive thing is that she can still improve on that TES which was higher than the Men’s in this event! [emoji23]
Anyway, I’m more than happy for Rika! She’s improving wonders, really stepping up this season, bringing her A game! I hope she can continue with this trend but whatever happens I’m just glad she’s come so far and is accomplishing so much.

My other favorite in this event was Kaori. Her SP is the weaker program but it’s very lovely and she skates like she’s floating. Unfortunately, it is a bit one note and not as polished as her FS and as some other competitors here. But I still think this should’ve been above Sofia and Liza, Kaori’s GOE and PCS were a bit underscored imo. But she can still podium if she puts out a perfect Free Skate, that program when it’s mistake free can really crate a moment and I look forward to that!

Satoko was just not her best version... Such a shame! You could see from her expression throughout the program how tense she was. I don’t know if Rika’s massive score shook her up but she was not “on”. Still, her skating was beautiful as always but without the jumps(which are already not that great) her performance is lacking so the result was not surprising. I hope she can come back with a powerful Free and show she’s not going down without a fight!

I think the skating order for tomorrow will be of utmost importance.

Alina was amazing! She looked exhausted and maybe a bit sick? Perhaps a cold or something. But nonetheless, she did her job! It wasn’t the best performance, as (almost) always she wasn’t skating with the music, she had to do some rushing and some catching up, but overall it was a good performance that showed how strong she is.

The Free will be very exciting!

Sofia was great too, she is so consistent! Getting out there and skating clean first thing is no child’s play! Her mental strength is amazing.

Liza is such a performer, so confident! Her jumps are incredible too, unfortunately the 3A wasn’t perfect, but hey, it was a 3A! Great combo too and the 3Lz y’all know is the best!

Some highs and lows but overall a good event. Free Skate will be thrilling. Can’t wait!!!

Sorry for the long post. [emoji23]

EdRoz · Dec 7, 2018

serephy said:
It's not Eteri. Rusfed arranges the flights and the hotels. I assume they didn't want to pay for extra days in Canada.

I donk think so .. as I said in Alina tread - There is an opinion that the heaviest moment after the change of time zones comes on the fifth day ,
and they come as much closer to competition , but it didnt work if you look to some team members

Seruleane · Dec 7, 2018

Just finished watching the ladies and here are my thoughts:

Rika- WOW! Well deserved first place and SB score. She is on fire. I am liking her more and more even though I dislike the Clair De Lune program. Hope she and Alina and maintain a close rivalry.
Kaori- I love this girl and her skating skills. She looks so smooth on the ice, and I am so thrilled she seems to have her own style of skating (very zen, peaceful, not too princessy) that is different from the other Japanese ladies.
Alina- She skated very well, maybe not her absolute best but the Eteri girls all looked super tired and jet-lagged. I am thinking the Russian Fed needs to seriously rethink when they send their team ove to a different time zone. It's ridiculous and may cost them some placements IMO. Still love her POTO program, and it is my favorite of the ladies SPs.
Satoko- Still such a lovely skater, deserved higher PCS IMO. I am surprised she missed the first combo but glad she could tack on a 2loop later. I hope she has a redemption skate in the free.
Liza- Too bad about the triple axel. I personally would have her skate after Kaori's. I love her personality but for me, she is just a cut below the other ladies.
Sofia- Sorry, can't get on her fan bus. Maybe I am already rooting for too many Russian ladies, so it's just not feasible to root for another. She has great energy and I think she is making case for herself as Russia's #3. I dislike all the little arm/hand gestures that Mishin's skaters seem to do. It's lovely the first few times, then it just becomes tiresome.

Overall, all the ladies had a great skate. Hoping for more great skates in the free!

evasorange · Dec 7, 2018

I simply can’t at Alina fans getting upset about Rika’s PCS suddenly rising. The irony! And saying she got dumped-she had an uncalled ur and the highest(undeserved imo) PCS of the night! She just got beat fair and square. Rika has a triple axel, has higher smoother jumps, faster speed around the rink, stands up straight and looks like she’s actually skating to the music that’s playing. She still skates somewhat junior-ish but 1. When has that ever mattered to the judges and 2. I do think part of that is her baby doll packaging in her sp. she definitely comes across as more mature in her free. Tbh, normally I don’t like rooting for 15,16 year olds in SENIOR skating but Rikas talent simply cannot be denied. If she lands both triple axels in the free tomorrow there’s nothing Alina or anyone else can do.
I actually feel sorry for Alina. It’s clear she’s under mass amounts of pressure, and I wonder how much she skates for the joy of it and because she loves it vs how much she skates to win and be the best. If the balance tips too far towards the latter then she’s gonna have a very rough go of it. Look at how earth shattering it was for Evegnia to have to skate in the second group for once. Alina almost always looks like she’s Two second away from bursting into tears seeing her scores come up. When ANYONE would be so happy to get the kind of numbers she does. It’s sad.

sweetice · Dec 7, 2018

evasorange said:
I simply can’t at Alina fans getting upset about Rika’s PCS suddenly rising. The irony! And saying she got dumped-she had an uncalled ur and the highest(undeserved imo) PCS of the night! She just got beat fair and square. Rika has a triple axel, has higher smoother jumps, faster speed around the rink, stands up straight and looks like she’s actually skating to the music that’s playing.

CanadianSkaterGuy · Dec 7, 2018

After some hot mess SPs on the GP, the ladies really stepped it up for the final! Congrats especially to Rika!!!

Anyone know why Rika's FSSp was only a level 2? It looked like she hit all features for it. Had she been given a level 4 it would have been the highest scoring SP ever (even under the old system).

Glad to see Rika and Alina being scored more on par with each other (none of this cray Rostelecom scoring) in a neutral locale.

RobinA · Dec 7, 2018

evasorange said:
I simply can’t at Alina fans getting upset about Rika’s PCS suddenly rising. The irony! And saying she got dumped-she had an uncalled ur and the highest(undeserved imo) PCS of the night! She just got beat fair and square. Rika has a triple axel, has higher smoother jumps, faster speed around the rink, stands up straight and looks like she’s actually skating to the music that’s playing. She still skates somewhat junior-ish but 1. When has that ever mattered to the judges and 2. I do think part of that is her baby doll packaging in her sp. she definitely comes across as more mature in her free. Tbh, normally I don’t like rooting for 15,16 year olds in SENIOR skating but Rikas talent simply cannot be denied. If she lands both triple axels in the free tomorrow there’s nothing Alina or anyone else can do.
I actually feel sorry for Alina. It’s clear she’s under mass amounts of pressure, and I wonder how much she skates for the joy of it and because she loves it vs how much she skates to win and be the best. If the balance tips too far towards the latter then she’s gonna have a very rough go of it. Look at how earth shattering it was for Evegnia to have to skate in the second group for once. Alina almost always looks like she’s Two second away from bursting into tears seeing her scores come up. When ANYONE would be so happy to get the kind of numbers she does. It’s sad.

Agree re: Alina. In the Olympics she seemed to really have a joy out there on the ice. It was part of what I liked about her bouncing around in her tutu. Now? Tense, kind of stiff the way you get when you are nervous, no enjoyment at all. Plus REALLY bad SP and not that great LP. I think the Russians are going to have to step up the choreography, the Japanese seemingly having found the secret to how to choreograph interestingly under CoP. There's a boring sameness to Russian choreography which is all the worse now that it is made more obvious next to what Japan has going on.

skylark · Dec 7, 2018

Beautifully skated, Rika! I am gobsmacked by her. That she was able to do what she did in the high-pressure GPF is amazing. I'm not surprised, but I'm elated.
I'm trying to identify just what it is about Rika's artistry that, along with her absolutely glorious jumps, makes her such a stand-out.

1. Transitions and small moves. She doesn't skimp on them, ever. She gives every small moment, every movement to the music, its due. To me, this is a big deal because what Alina does is to perform a lovely movement, but before I have time to appreciate it, it's been rushed on to the next. I think with Rika it's as much a matter of intent as it is of actual number of seconds duration.

2. Musical sensitivity. The choreography in both programs is wonderful; and Rika expresses the nuances of the music. And it's more than that, I feel. She understands why each movement is there at that point in the music. It's simply lovely to see, and more than that, it's wonderful to feel. Through music, Rika transfers emotion from herself to the audience. I think those feelings, which all amount to exaltation when you see a program skated to its full potential, are why the audience was swept to its feet, en masse. I've been in live audiences before when a skater did that; and it was as though everyone was compelled onto their feet whether their brain told them to stand or not.

3. Tom Dickson (one of Rika's choreographers) said in an interview recently that at best, the artistry of a skater is built into her technique. I feel that's what Rika has that is so compelling. She's doing these absolutely incredible triple axels with a beautiful running edge landing; she's creating a Rippon triple lutz that's to die for; her combo jump is smooth and lovely. But it's the fact that she performs the jumps and in-betweens from the inside out, extending everything in the most natural way possible. She never for an instant loses sight of her overall skating. And she's using her body to communicate.

Can you tell? I'm a fan.

dobrevaria · Dec 7, 2018

Lots of things to say.

Miyahara - Ahhh...A pity she missed the combo. Wise of her, however, to put a 2T later in the program. It's a beautiful program, and Satoko really deserves the highest PCS of all the competitors. I hope she will be clean in the free and manage to get a medal.
Zagitova - I love Alina, I really do, but I've the disturbing impression she does not like to skate as much as before anymore. Maybe it's because she's the Olympic champion and is under huge pressure, but she seems extremely stiff - and it's something I've noticed since the beginning of the season. I really hope everything is okay with her. Apart from that...She skated well, but I can't appreciate her performance since I hate this program. It's just too messy. For me, her PCS are normal and she was not underscored. If she skate perfecly in the FS, she can easily win - but Rika is a fierce competitor and the task will not be easy.
Kaori - This girl is so good. Her skating is smooth, her skating skills are geat and I love her skating style as well. I'm not a fan of her SP however. I think her FS suits her more. In any case, if she skates perfectly, she has a chance of making it to the podium.
Liza - Good performer, good program. I love her comeback! She seems so confident. That's the Liza I love! A pity for the 3A, but still - a good performance. A bit worried about the FS since she seems to be less good at doing triple axels during her long programs.
Rika - WOW. I love her so much. Good skating skills, amazing performance. I really like her style of skating. I have to admit I don't like her SP, but her FS this season is absolutely incredible - among the best for me, at least. Her 3A was majestic. I root for her, and I hope she will win while delivering an amazing free skate performance. Her PCS seem legit to me and I'm glad the judges are starting to take her seriously.
Samodurova - This girl has potential. I'm not a fan yet - but she is definitely really interesting!

eppen · Dec 7, 2018

Ah, Rika! Keeping her head cool and doing what she knows how to do. That 3A is just beautiful and the rest equally good! I like the way her programs are quite diferent and she displays this delicacy and gentleness in the SP and turns on the power for the FS somehow embodying the storm. Becoming a big fan! She looked good in the juniors already, but was perhaps slightly shadowed by Marin Honda, who has now having a poor transition to seniors whereas Rika progresses in technical content and in her performance.

Zagitova did a good job, but her poor quality, unfinished movement was accentuated after the three Japanese ladies with good quality skating skills, great speed and flow, finished, detailed overall movement etc. She still scored skyhigh, but seemed a bit tired, slow and unspectacular to my eyes. The dress is great, but the program is not.

Sorry to see Satoko do so bad technically, I have loved her skating (despite the jumps) since seeing her live in Marseilles GPF. She is great interpreter of music and character. Kaori will probably never get to those heights of performance, but she is slowly getting better at it. (That speed and flow are pretty amazing live also.) Liza has never been a favourite, her arms make me grind my teeth, although her jumps are good.

E

composer · Dec 7, 2018

Check out ISU’s instagram post if you need a laugh ... or feel like banging your head against a wall.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGIhNwHg_N/

chopinskate · Dec 7, 2018

composer said:
Check out ISU’s instagram post if you need a laugh ... or feel like banging your head against a wall.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGIhNwHg_N/

What's so reaction-worthy about that?

lanceupper1114 · Dec 7, 2018

composer said:
Check out ISU’s instagram post if you need a laugh ... or feel like banging your head against a wall.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGIhNwHg_N/

The disturbing fanatical responses trying to take down Rika Kihira is not surprising. It's just extreme nationalism and propaganda being channeled and projected onto figure skating. It's not unlike a certain thread you can find here.

Osmond4gold · Dec 7, 2018

RobinA said:
Agree re: Alina. In the Olympics she seemed to really have a joy out there on the ice. It was part of what I liked about her bouncing around in her tutu. Now? Tense, kind of stiff the way you get when you are nervous, no enjoyment at all. Plus REALLY bad SP and not that great LP. I think the Russians are going to have to step up the choreography, the Japanese seemingly having found the secret to how to choreograph interestingly under CoP. There's a boring sameness to Russian choreography which is all the worse now that it is made more obvious next to what Japan has going on.

When it comes to Russian ladies choices in music and choreography....beige is the new beige.

Mista Ekko · Dec 7, 2018

I would've given the Interpretation mark to Kihira over Zagitova

One program is choreographed and has elements situated to accentuate the music,
The other one has music chopped up to cater to the comfortability of the elements,

Both performed well but i think solely on that difference Kihira should've been above

Mista Ekko · Dec 7, 2018

evasorange said:
I actually feel sorry for Alina. It’s clear she’s under mass amounts of pressure, and I wonder how much she skates for the joy of it and because she loves it vs how much she skates to win and be the best. If the balance tips too far towards the latter then she’s gonna have a very rough go of it. Look at how earth shattering it was for Evegnia to have to skate in the second group for once. Alina almost always looks like she’s Two second away from bursting into tears seeing her scores come up. When ANYONE would be so happy to get the kind of numbers she does. It’s sad.

Well, it did bring out the best in her,
At least considering her efforts this season thus far.

composer · Dec 7, 2018

chopinskate said:
What's so reaction-worthy about that?

The early comments to the caption “Rika upsets Alina” implying that the ISU was somehow saying Alina was upset emotionally and therefore the ISU was bullying Alina.

anonymoose_au · Dec 7, 2018

composer said:
The early comments to the caption “Rika upsets Alina” implying that the ISU was somehow saying Alina was upset emotionally and therefore the ISU was bullying Alina.

Yeah I noticed that, though I guess in those particular commentator's defense it is an idom that might not exist in their first language. Although some of them also took shots at Rika which is just not on whatever language one speaks!

MRani · Dec 7, 2018

composer said:
Check out ISU’s instagram post if you need a laugh ... or feel like banging your head against a wall.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGIhNwHg_N/

I found the poster insisting Rika only did a 2Lz and a 2F-2T combo and raging against the judges for scoring her as if she did triples particularly entertaining :laugh:

leoleo · Dec 7, 2018

lanceupper1114 said:
The disturbing fanatical responses trying to take down Rika Kihira is not surprising. It's just extreme nationalism and propaganda being channeled and projected onto figure skating. It's not unlike a certain thread you can find here.

Nothing in that post has not been said by people from that certain thread you’re talking about before so i am not surprised lmao it’s pathetic but kind of funny

GPF: Ladies' SP - Thoughts and Highlights

rikaquegira

EdRoz

Seruleane

evasorange

sweetice

Praise the Ice God

CanadianSkaterGuy

RobinA

skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset

dobrevaria

eppen

composer

chopinskate

lanceupper1114

Osmond4gold

Mista Ekko

Mista Ekko

composer

anonymoose_au

Insert weird opinion here

MRani

leoleo

Similar threads

Connect with us