2015 Cup of China Ladies Short Program | Page 40 | Golden Skate

2015 Cup of China Ladies Short Program

Imagine having a gorgeous vehicle (her program) yet still appear "rough". Akiko skating that routine would be a different story. lolz
now that u posted that I cant get this image out of my head!
 
So many ladies to look forward to watching in this comp! Happy for Courtney - she has needed some oomph in her presentation to get her noticed. Radio has been a sort of fave of mine out of the Russian women but I love Pogo (and Tukt) also so plenty to go glut myself on in the videos thread.
 
I agree, and the < for the combo doesn't really hurt her score, the only real "problem" I see is the edge call on the lutz.
Can she do a 3L-3L? 3A, 3L-3L and 3F would be my "dream" setup for Mao in the SP. It was a great performance from Mao, great music selection, dress and everything. The axel looked very very good. To me she's better than ever.

She is better than ever. Before October, I used to pray that she would quit being stubborn and just leave the lutz out of her programs. But having seen the marked improvements resulting from her hard work (this one for example), I've gone 180 and am now totally hopeful one day she'll get no calls on that edge. Also she's able to rotate those backend 3Loops just fine in practice, and I believe it's just a matter of time before she gets one ratified. Mao consistently challenges herself and surprises us. Before yesterday who even dreamed about a 3A 3Lz 3F 3Lo layout from her this season? She is such an inspiration.
 
I find it interesting that Mao asked to Mr. Sato what is the world record score at K&C. Does that mean she doesn't even know what's her personal best is?? It's good that she's quite careless about scoring tho :cool:
 
I find it interesting that Mao asked to Mr. Sato what is the world record score at K&C. Does that mean she doesn't even know what's her personal best is?? It's good that she's quite careless about scoring tho :cool:

hahaha i can totally imagine her asking it :laugh2::laugh2:

I guess I and the Russian commentators were not the only ones who expected her to break her own record, that was really a fantastic skate, I was totally ecstatic when she landed all her jumps, screaming out of happiness, and when she was doing her FAB steps i was smiling like a little kid, so glad lori gave her a step sequence that showcases her skills and ability
 
I am happy Mao is back but I am not convinced her edge and jump problems are over. Improvement yes, but she is not a sure thing you can count on like Yuna. Has puberty hit Rad - is it over. Russia is not looking good. Anna is having huge probs with her short too. The americans were rather ho h um. Hongo did her job. I can't see Mao losing it. Could there be no Russian on the podium? We'll see.
 
Grace and Elegance are two very wonderful traits in skating but not the only ones. Rika is an interesting skater. I can see the flaws in her jumps and in her posture and in her unpolished movements, but it's not taking away from the enjoyment I get from her skating. That's a pretty rare thing. She projects this energy and affinity to the music that is super fun to watch. Also, I can pretty much count on her not to bomb. Which is good for my heart.

I just can´t enjoy watching skaters without elegance. I don´t care about jumps :shrug:
That´s why i always was a Sasha Cohen fan. Just lovely :o:
 
I totally did not expect that top 3. I expected Mao to be in the top 3 after the SP. But Courtney? No, but it was a nice surprise and kudos for beating her PB!
 
I am happy Mao is back but I am not convinced her edge and jump problems are over. Improvement yes, but she is not a sure thing you can count on like Yuna. Has puberty hit Rad - is it over. Russia is not looking good. Anna is having huge probs with her short too. The americans were rather ho h um. Hongo did her job. I can't see Mao losing it. Could there be no Russian on the podium? We'll see.

Hope your wishful thinking won't come true and stay what it is - still a thinking <3
 
The Lutz was e (I don't get the "double taxation" rule of -30% on top of harsh negative GOE, should be one or the other). How a landed, clean 3Lz (with the exception of th edge, of course) can ultimately be worth only a little more than a 2A is beyond me. This is probably the easiest Grand Prix (for all the disciplines) so why not throw it in and test it out? As long as she skates a typical program she should win. I like the program (of course I like most things Mao does). The step sequence was INCREDIBLE. Great acceleration, quality steps and turns.

Glad Anna Pogostick was brought back down to earth...
 
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Mao and Rika were awesome!

Rough outings for Anna and Lena but the true grit shows through, going for those combos after a wacky first jump. I actually thought presentation wise they both looked much improved, they both have super long limbs but they're learning how to use them well at least. Also, on a more shallow note, they are both absolutely gorgeous! Lena grew up so much since last season and finally looks like a 16 year old. Pogo's dress is a bit weird but she looks good in it so whatevs. There's definitely room for either or both of them to pull up for a medal.

Nice score for Hicks and I liked Li's program, thought she was a bit underscored. Excited for the FS!
 
The Lutz was e (I don't get the "double taxation" rule of -30% on top of harsh negative GOE, should be one or the other). How a landed, clean jump (with the exception of th edge, of course) can ultimately be worth only a little more than a 2A is beyond me. This is probably the easiest Grand Prix (for all the disciplines) so why not throw it in and test it out? As long as she skates a typical program she should win. I like the program (of course I like most things Mao does). The step sequence was INCREDIBLE. Great acceleration, quality steps and turns.

Glad Anna Pogostick was brought back down to earth...


I find double taxation is tough too. And I find the rewards for a smooth flow exiting a jump is sometimes lower than one jump w good height, but poor landing - (extra twirl, too much toe, mini step out)

And I actually do wish Rika to make it to GPF. Lots of people are predicting 4-5 Russians, but just holding out hope for Rika to sneak into GPF yet again!
 
It looks like Mao is going for the knockout punch in the SP this season.

If she hits, she could wind up with a huge cushion going in to any LP at any competition. It's not a bad strategy. Even on a mildly off day in terms of jump technique, the difficulty is such that she's still leading this competition, and she would not be out of the running in ANY competition. 70+ is a great score.

I think the trend of propping up favored skaters with inflated PCS continues.

On the very nice side, I love when a skater has a breakout moment. Good for Courtney Hicks. She's not my cup of tea, but you can't help but be happy for her!
 
I liked Elena's packaging and I think her SP is nice. And I like that she doesn't pull her tights over boots anymore, she has very long legs and it looked awkward last season. But somehow I don't think she'll be a world medal contestant this season. Her jumps are not reliable at this point in time, but she still has the grit.

She had a rough outing in her SP, but she is one of my favorites and I hope she can put together a decent free. It is probably rough being there with her coach being back in Moscow sick. I hope that you are wrong about her not being a world contestant since I am planning to go and would love to she her. She looks way more mature this season. Very tall and beautiful. Her skating has improved too IMO. A lot of people did not like her program after the test skates but I like. It's her first competition of the year so she still has time to pull it together.
 
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Wow!! Amazing skate by Mao!! :) She's phenomenal - in all aspects of her skating. She is definitely the class of the field.

My only complaint - which is very minor - is that the back of her costume doesn't seem to fit very well. I kept seeing gaps on the side and bottom of the dress at the back.
Yes i noticed that too. Such a legend though
Zijun Li
Mao Asada
Rika Hongo
So Youn Park
Anna Pogorilaya
Elena Radionova
Karen Chen


[emoji14]opcorn: This is the event I was looking forward to the most. So many of my favorite ladies in one competition. [emoji3]

Eh, Asada is a classical skater and the majority of her programs fit in the classic mold. That being said, she's one of the best at classical pieces, so points to her for playing to her strength.

Wow...Karen did really well! Usually a fall completely ruins a programme for me, but this is one of the rare occasions where it really did not matter at all.
 
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