Re: Michelle or Tara
TMC8802 said:
in SLC how can you say that irina's placement in the LP should have been 2nd? she completed five triples (with no triple triple's and a terrible flip) just like michelle did...and michelle's presentation is clearly superior...i just don't see how you could place irina ahead of michelle there...michelle didn't deserve to win the LP but by the rules the gold should have been hers
and in response to irina getting robbed in the SP michelle skated cleanly...her toe pick slipped out on the flip but she saved it and carried a beautiful edge out of it...rach was one of the greatest routines of all time...i think the SP results were just fine
This thread isn't supposed to be about SLC, but just to give you my reasons:
Irina and Michelle may have completed the same number of triples, but Michelle's first toe was two-footed, she flutzed, and she FELL. Irina's jumps (apart from the flip) were technically clean, she lutzed, and she managed to save the flip - incredible really how she managed to avoid falling or putting her hand down, and she stayed on the edge. Plus Irina's jumps are much higher and more powerful. Michelle has better carriage/flow, but Irina's programme was superior in choreography, content, and difficulty. She had a more difficult step sequence (Michelle's "step sequence" near the end was probably the simplest sequence I've ever seen). Irina's spins were also faster and more difficult. Robin Cousins was commentating for the BBC, and although he agreed with Sarah's first place, by what he was saying it seemed like Sarah and Irina were closer than Irina and Michelle.
As for the SP - the technical programme - IMO Irina clearly deserved first. Out of the 8 required elements, you could make a case for Irina being ahead in every single one. Jump combo - Irina's 3lutz-2loop vs. Michelle's 3flutz-2toe. Irina's was more difficult, had better runout, and better flow through it. Irina's flip was clean, whereas Michelle's was quite underrotated due to the slip on the toe. Irina's 2axel was higher, more powerful and, really, better, than Michelle's. Irina's other jumps had more height and power than Michelle's too.
Re: spins - IIRC, both had some travel on one spin, and good centring on the other two. Irina's positions have higher difficulty though, and were faster. (I can't remember which flying spins they did, so can't comment on that.) Irina's spirals were, in this performance, beautiful. She held each position and extended well, whereas even though Michelle had the change-edge spirals, IIRC her other positions were short, throw-away positions that she didn't held. Irina also had the extra difficulty in the transitions between them - IIRC she just used a 1-foot turn between the first two, not even putting her other foot down, and didn't use any crossovers between the second and third. That makes a spiral sequence much more difficult.
As for the footwork sequence, Irina was definitely the winner. her 1foot sequence has a great deal of difficulty, and she had good flow and speed throughout, something not easy achieve. Michelle's was actually not that difficult, and she didn't "perform" it, really, to me.
You can make a case that Michelle's presentation was better, but I think Irina's SP performance was one of her best - it was a beautiful programme and she performed it very well. Michelle also was off-beat a few times during hers.
Some people use the layout as a reason for Michelle to be ahead, because Irina did her 3 jumps as the first 3 elements. While this isn't the best layout, Michelle's wasn't that much different - IIRC it was the first two jumps, the flying spin, then the other jump.
To me, it was clear Irina should have been first. And if she had been, and had then been second to Sarah in the free, Irina would have been the one winning the gold overall.
I say that as a fan of both Irina AND Michelle.
...and I'd take Tara every time. I think if all of Tara's technical and other shortcomings, real and perceived (i.e. say, something purely adn strictly technical vs. a particular aesthetic-based dislike of her style) had been that much of an issue in those two or so years leading up to Nagano 98, then she would not have been able to defeat Michelle on the next two biggest occasions in the sport, Worlds and Nationals, prior to going for the gold with the most gusto of any medalist I've seen in recent years.
