JGPF: Ladies' FS - Thoughts and Highlights

sailormoon said:

Kostornaia is where Medvedeva was a few seasons ago. Even without quads, she won the junior title with her astromincal GOE. Trusova had a winning opportunity but she could not land the quad Lutz. Trusova has three quads in the free program and she needs to land at least two of them to beat Kostornaia.

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Yes, and Trusova can play like Zagitova to beat her. She doesn't need 3 quads to do that. She already has very high GOE on clean jumping elements and harder combos, i can bet that one quad is more than enough if the rest of triples/combos are clean (like they always are)!

Baron Vladimir said:

Yes, and Trusova can play like Zagitova to beat her. She doesn't need 3 quads to do that. She already has very high GOE on clean jumping elements and harder combos, i can bet that one quad is more than enough if the rest of triples/combos are clean (like they always are)!

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I know I am in the minority in saying this, but I found Alena's triples better than Trusova's triples!

melgirl25 said:

I know I am in the minority in saying this, but I found Alena's triples better than Trusova's triples!

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Some of them are better i agree, but some are not. Trusova has better Lz edge and a perfect 3Lz-3Lo combo in a bonus which gives her 14,5 points (its the second highest scored 3-3, just 0,5 lower than Rika's 3A-3T combo... with 4T-3T Trusova scored just 1.5 points better than with 3Lz-3Lo in bonus... Those are facts)

melgirl25 said:

I know I am in the minority in saying this, but I found Alena's triples better than Trusova's triples!

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No, I‘m with you. I just find Alena‘s jumps to be more aesthetically pleasing. I love her air position, the flow she has in and out of the landing and the great extension of her foot.

Sasha‘s jumps are a bit too frenzied to my eye, for a lack of a better word. She is a little firecracker and I admire her determination and fearlessness. I can also see the appeal of her triple jumps: She is quick, strong and efficient. Her 3Lz-3Lo timed to the music in the SP is one of the best things I‘ve seen this season. Her lutz edge is obviously also better. But other than that, I prefer Alena‘s jumps. Don‘t ask me why, it‘s simply subjective and a matter of taste and for someone else it might be completely different. Both girls are amazing, though and nobody can take anything away from them.

But still... I cannot help but feel only fear when Sasha (or Anna) attempts a quad. The falls look hard and dangerous and even when she lands it, it’s never smooth, it looks like all the weight crashes on her hips and knees. It‘s not beautiful at all. And that‘s not even my main problem. Beauty is a subjective thing and should never be the most important. But these quads, they look outright scary. I honestly don‘t know how people find pleasure in watching 13 year old children do that to their body. Is it exciting? If so, I‘ve never felt the thrill.

I know elite sport is never easy and most of all, it‘s never healthy. There‘s risk for Alena or Alina or any other triple jumping athlete to injury themselves, too, there always is. I know Anna injured herself on a triple (or double even), not a quad. Heck, you can even trip over a television cable and be injured! They are all taking risks everyday and a lot of luck is involved. But at least with them it doesn‘t look like they‘re going to break their neck everytime they fall from a jump.

I know, I know, technical evolution in sports, it‘s natural. Probably right. Maybe it looked the same for triples once and people had the same concerns. I just know that I personally enjoy seeing performances like the ones from the two Alenas or Anastasia‘s or Alina‘s (or Anna’s last year...) more than the ones from Sasha or Anna simply because it scares me and there‘s nothing exciting for me at all to see girls that are still only children take falls like the ones Sasha and Anna did.

I‘m glad Alena won, not only because I prefer her skating but mostly because I don‘t like the sign it would have sent had Sasha won with multiple falls. It‘s still a sport and technical prowess should be valued but I don‘t see any sense in just rewarding high difficulty if there isn‘t a good execution to it.

That doesn‘t mean I want Sasha to take out all her quads. No, it‘s obvious she herself wants to jump them and finds great joy and thrill in doing it. I still just wish her team would focus a bit more on developing her overall performance instead of just adding quads over quads every season. She could win with only one clean quad and the rest of her triples which she never makes mistakes on. Her 4T is pretty consistent for a quad already, why not focus on this? Maybe even add two 4T if she wants it that much. Having three quads and one in combo is a high risk but can also be a high reward. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn‘t. There’s so much luck involved and well... what if you run out of luck once? What if you injure yourself? I understand Sasha wants to make history. But she has done that multiple times already. She will forever be remained as the first woman who jumped 4T, 4Lz, 4T-3T and the first to jump two quads in competition. That‘s a lot. And I know her and Anna want to get that 4Lz-3T. But what then? 4F? 4S-3T? 4Lz-3Lo?

Now, for the sake of her health and career, I would postpone history and focus on her body a bit more. She wants to make it to the Olympics, possibly win there. She has all the goods to make it. So take it a bit easier. This is only her second junior year. There are still 4 years to come until the next Olympics. That‘s a lot and I fear that if she goes at full speed all the time as she does now, her body won‘t take it. I want her (and Anna) to be healthy.

That might be a bit off-topic but it‘s something I noticed and felt watching this JGPF.

keasus said:

Premise: Trusova has had a growth spurt affecting her ability to land quads this season.

Discuss

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I just leave it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVGcJ8Q-oYA

P.S.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4wDOScZ4Gs another angle

They are amazing all of them. I like Kostornaia very much to watch. The JGP is like a warm up for Russian Nationals. One thing we know for sure. Puberty will change a great deal so enjoy the quads while you can. How is it these little girls are doing what men with larger bones and muscles cannot do? It seems strange to me but these are phenom kids. It seldom lasts long we see. But how is it even possible at 13 and 14? I guess that is why it is easier the shorter you are.

All the Russian fans should love Sotskova. So under appreciated at last Olympics. I love the tall ones!

Baron Vladimir said:

Than she shoudn't jump so many quads in the actual competition. Her 3Lz-3Lo in the second half is a highly scored combo, just point behind Rika's 3A-3T. With changing of the GOE system (where you can get just a little with a fall on a quad) and recommendations not to give 9+ PCS for programs with mistakes, she should play wiser (If the win is the only thing she wants! But i guess the girl just likes to jump those quads )

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My friend, the rain shouldnt rain, the wind shouldnt wind, and Trusova shouldnt jump as many quads as she can.

moriel said:

My friend, the rain shouldnt rain, the wind shouldnt wind, and Trusova shouldnt jump as many quads as she can.

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It could be a better rhyme if you put wind first and then the rain