2015 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic SLC General

[minze]

Congrats to Satoko, her skating is so beautiful.

 

[kimganos]

Congrats to Satoko, her skating is so beautiful.

:agree: Beautiful arm movement and carriage across the ice.

 

[hippomoomin]

Can anyone tell me what is going on with Kanako MURAKAMI? She didn't do well here, that's one thing, but she looks like a completely different person. Her skating style looks very boyish and she had problems even with 2A. Plus the costumes of both programs look terrible.

 

[ice coverage]

Ooops, totally missed it. But Satoko bears extra mention for being so cute.

No worries, Newbie . The more mentions of Satoko cuteness, the merrier.

And on a more general level, I think it's great that USFS published so many reaction videos from skaters in SLC. Those that have I have watched have been very worthwhile.

More cuteness -- in the form of a podium selfie of Satoko, Elizabet, and Angela:

https://twitter.com/AngelaWangster/status/645619371839086592​

---

I think it's just a nickname.

Yeah, I know that "Satton" is the nickname of Satoko. but I wanna know does it have a specific meaning?

I too am curious about any meaning/allusion associated with Satton that would be apparent to those who understand Japanese.

For instance, the nickname of #slaythan for Nathan was adopted b/c of the meaning of "slay" -- in honor of his dominance at JGP Colorado Springs.

Does Satton have any background explanation or meaning of any kind??

 

[Mrs. P]

Regarding the general pessimism of U.S. Ladies, some thoughts.

1.) I think Angela Wang was a really nice surprise here! To be honest, I had all but written her off after her poor results last season. I'm glad to hear the poor result was due to injury (although injury isn't good). In any case, while she wasn't perfect, it was great to see her going for two different 3-3 (a 3T-3T in the short and 3Z-3T in the long). She was the one I least expected to be on the podium, so she deserves props for being the top U.S. lady.
2.) I think the same of Mariah Bell. Yes she's a bit of a late bloomer relatively speaking, but she seems determined to get that 3F-3T mastered. She wasn't successful here, but I think for her, it was sbout going for it in competition. My hope is that we'll see improvement from her by Skate America.
3.) I think Karen did OK considering what was several hard months of boot issues and a total reworking of all her programs. I'm sure she will have a lot to work on between now and Skate America.

I know it's more fun to see a skater slay it competition after competition, but ultimately, what will matter for these girls is Nationals (which will be the primary determination for major international assignemnts) and those int'l assignments afterwards. So my hope is that all the U.S. Ladies will take the feedback, success and struggles they got here and build it from there.

 

[slider11]

I am hopeful that the Shibs will make their move for a significant gain this year. I don't see that Chock and Bates have the technical ability on the Shibs but the Shibs need a vehicle where they can put forward their artistry. And the US judges may be more inclined to keep C/B in first but it is in the world arena where they Shibs may have the chance to edge up. Regardless, and as much as I am a Hawayek/Baker fan, I think the order in the US will be :1. Chock/Bates 2. Shibs-second but gaining ground on C/B 3. Hawayek/Baker 4. Hubbell/Donahue

 

[SubRosa]

Is there a video of Hubbell & Donahue's free dance?

 

[ice coverage]

Is there a video of Hubbell & Donahue's free dance?

Yes, it's posted in the SLC Videos thread -- thanks to Alegria .

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...-and-Results&p=1224636&viewfull=1#post1224636​

 

[tulosai]

I am hopeful that the Shibs will make their move for a significant gain this year. I don't see that Chock and Bates have the technical ability on the Shibs but the Shibs need a vehicle where they can put forward their artistry. And the US judges may be more inclined to keep C/B in first but it is in the world arena where they Shibs may have the chance to edge up. Regardless, and as much as I am a Hawayek/Baker fan, I think the order in the US will be :1. Chock/Bates 2. Shibs-second but gaining ground on C/B 3. Hawayek/Baker 4. Hubbell/Donahue

I disagree about the Shibs having a technical edge at this point. If anything the teams are equal; if you take the whole of last season, not just the last few competitions, a strong argument could be made that C/B are ahead. Either way. C/B consistently got level 4's last year. At 4CC's,in the SP, the Shibs did achieve one more level 4 than C/B (on one of the step sequences); otherwise their levels were identical. In the FD, C/B actually got 5 level 4's, while the Shibs only got 4.

At World's, C/B got ALL level 4's in the SD. The Shibs got 2 level 3's. In the Free, C/B got 4 level 4's and 3 level 3's. The Shibs got 4 level 4's, 2 level 3's, and a level 2.

I actually sincerely think the best thing the Shibs could do for themselves (and this could be a real difference maker) is to start getting more level 4's. We all know they CAN do it, because they did in the past, when both Marina and Igor were working with them. They need to find a tech coach that can actually help them do this. I believe if they did this, their placements at competitions would indeed go up. I do think they actually have the POTENTIAL to be better than C/B technically, but at the moment, the reality is just not showing that.

 

[Mrs. P]

Started a U.S. Ice Dance thread so we can all continue the discussion there and keep the posts here to the actual competition.

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...ce-2015-2016&p=1224774&viewfull=1#post1224774

 

[A.H.Black]

A couple of last notes from me

Brooklee Han - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzeHOXhj9Zk I was happy to see her here again this year. I find her quiet flow and style to be almost mesmerizing. This year's program to "A Lark Ascending" is a beautiful choice. My only complaint is the color of the costume. After all, this is a lark, not a crow. She can wear the one piece (although I would prefer something that floats) but it needs to be a light color to match the music - maybe a light gray or blue-gray. Even white or cream - just light. I hope to see her again soon, I will watch for her now.

Miyahara's music was also a favorite - Liszt's "Un Sospiro". I felt like the orchestrated version was too much. There are places in the program where it just drowns her. If she had used the original piano version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JXMdpGpfBU I think it would have suited her better.

I liked Mariah's program to born on the fourth of July. I remember fondly both Michael Chack and Nancy Kerrigan skating very good programs to that music. I would like to see Mariah keep the blood red dress, but simplify it - maybe somewhat in the style of Nancy's classic white dress https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0C9V_U6wZ0 or Beaudry's dress from yesterday https://youtu.be/5_m7gw2DOvw?t=26

The competition was true to form from the last 3 years. Many of the skaters are not in World Class condition yet. I don't expect them to be. The joy of this competition, for me, is finding new skaters to watch and enjoy throughout the year. This year was especially full of new faces for me - Paradis/Ouellette, Beaudry/Sorensen, Tursynbaeva, Samohin, Uno, even Miyahara (and others). Seeing the programs live will give them an extra something for me all year. I'm looking forward to next year - hoping Salt Lake is the permanent home for the classic.

 

[Mrs. P]

Thanks for the report AH Black! I would love to go to this comp one of these years -- relatively easy flight for me and lots of other stuff to do in SLC when not watching skating.

 

[Layback11]

https://salchowsandswarovskis.wordp...2015-us-international-figure-skating-classic/

I did a recap of the event on my blog. Since I wanted to talk about a variety of things and not just one discipline, I did a highlights-and-low-points recap instead of a general one. Hope you all like it!

 

[hippomoomin]

Thank you for the recap. I enjoyed reading it

https://salchowsandswarovskis.wordp...2015-us-international-figure-skating-classic/

I did a recap of the event on my blog. Since I wanted to talk about a variety of things and not just one discipline, I did a highlights-and-low-points recap instead of a general one. Hope you all like it!

 

[Alba]

Yes but the Shibs have been more or less stagnant for years too, just a bit ahead of H/D, with the one obvious exception of a more-or-less fluke world medal from which they've regressed. H/B on the other hand are on a clear upward trajectory.

The thing with H&B though is that I have the feeling they are repeating themselves a bit this season. I was expecting something else for them, in terms of program (FD). Shibs on the other hand looks like they are going for a transformation and their SS are way better than H&B. Well, I think they are better than H&D also. Therefore, I would be very surprised if they lose the no.2 USA team. I think they want to challenge C&B, if anything.

 

[jenaj]

Congrats to Satoko, her skating is so beautiful.

I love her long program so much. I guessed it was Lori Nichol who choreographed it and it was. When Lori is inspired, she is a genius. I love the spirals at the beginning and the end. And Satoko has amazingly mature artistry for such a young skater. I hope she can build on this very promising start to the new season.

 

[Alba]

Congrats to Satoko, her skating is so beautiful.

She is indeed beautiful and she has two beautiful programs also. Her Sp in particular (at least at this point) is GORGEOUS!

 

[Layback11]

Thank you for the recap. I enjoyed reading it

Thank you so much! I enjoyed writing it!

 

[Alba]

I have been a little harsh maybe on H&D SD, when I saw it the first time calling it a snooze. It's not bad but the thing is you really need to be a great skater to settle the mood and captivate with this music (which is a wonderful song by the way) through movements, dancing. I magine V&M or a couple like K&P what they could do with this dance and H&D are not there.

 

[Ice Dance]

The thing with H&B though is that I have the feeling they are repeating themselves a bit this season. I was expecting something else for them, in terms of program (FD). Shibs on the other hand looks like they are going for a transformation and their SS are way better than H&B. Well, I think they are better than H&D also. Therefore, I would be very surprised if they lose the no.2 USA team. I think they want to challenge C&B, if anything.

Ditto. I think there is no comparison between H&B and the Shibutanis. The Shibs had 20 points on H&B at Four Continents. Meanwhile Maia & Alex were less than 4 points off the podium.

If H&B had the goods to snag a bronze medal in their first Worlds, they would likely have "regressed" also. Are we going to declare P&C finished if they go down in the rankings now? The Shibs have climbed steadily since their 8th place finish in 2011. If they hadn't won that bronze, eighth place would have been considered a frigging outstanding debut. H&B certainly weren't ranked that high in the world last season. I can see them getting a bronze at SA, but the field is weak. They have potential & I like the concept for their free, but they were in Paul & Islam territory last season. That's out of the top ten, not fighting for the final five. Where the Shibs were up against the #1 teams from every powerhouse in the World.