2018 Olympic Figure Skating Ladies SP

[Metis]

I said BOrser, because he's the kind of coach who "finishes" a skater. He's also really nurturing as far as I can tell, and that's what Zag needs right now, I think.

She has potential, and BOrser can work wonders, as he has with other skaters with potential before. Can fix her axels and 2A-3T and salchow, etc. etc. too.

He also seems to be something of a therapist to all these bright young things (along with the more senior skaters — Fernández and Hanyu are clearly looking out for their juniors), and because there are so many of them gathered in what seems to be a relatively healthy environment for freakishly competitive people, there’s less crazy from the Orser camp. For now. At this point, his track record of producing champions is so solid that I don’t think anything can really stop him; he may not have won the gold himself, but the sheer number of medals his proxies have brought in should soothe that particular wound.

The main issue for the Russian skaters is that Yagudin had enough problems training outside Russia in the early late 1990s and early 2000s, which was well before Russia became a fully autocratic regime. (I know. It sounds weird. This was actually up for debate. I know because I was there.) Allegedly, Yagudin made a remark that more or less summed up the obvious: his inability to secure the national title was partly political. And this was back when Russia was still considered a democracy and Putin a force for good, on the whole.

Yeah, none of the top skaters in Russia have a chance of training unless they’re willing to compete for another nation, which is where it all falls apart. And part of why the Russian system can be so brutal, because, really, what ARE you going to do?

(Also, Orser and Wilson’s routines can have a “same-y” quality not unlike watching Medvedeva’s programs all at once; layouts have become ungodly monotonous due to min-maxing quad programs.)

 

[WeakAnkles]

People are exclaiming about Zagitova being 15 years old. LOL, it's easy for talented and precocious young teenagers to land jumps like that and prance around moving their arms in lovely fashion to music. They are determined and focused, and they can rotate and skate to the music, but they are not interpreting the music. And the choreo is set up just to maximize the points, not to enhance the music or tell a story. It's pretty to look at, but I don't think most people know what they are looking at.

I detected that Eteri is a bit sad for Medvedeva. RusFed and Eteri would prefer for Med to win gold. I think Zagitova is just a bit better jumper and her bells and whistles ballerina shtick is perhaps more captivating for those easily taken in by precocious teenagers. Zagitova does seem to have excellent potential for artistic growth, but who knows whether she will be injured, or whether it will become harder to be so consistent as she grows up. Like I said, it's fairly easy right now.

Tatum O'Neal won an Oscar at age 10 for Paper Moon, in what her own director (Peter Bogdonavitch) admitted was a "directed" performance. What does that mean? It means Bogdonovich specifically told her how to perform pretty much every single one of her lines in the movie, how to gesture, facial expressions, etc.

Extrapolate from there.

There is a reason you don't see any 15 or 16 year old prima ballerinas.

 

[DexterK]

Evgenia didn't even do a Lutz. So did Johnny and Tara call her out on this even though it wasn't an issue in this particular program?

Yes, this is what happened. Yet, they showed footage of her flip while they spoke about her Lutz. It was all while Kaetlyn was in the Kiss and Cry. I was actually surprised that Johnny spoke negatively, though truthfully, about Medvedeva.

 

[vorravorra]

He also seems to be something of a therapist to all these bright young things (along with the more senior skaters — Fernández and Hanyu are clearly looking out for their juniors), and because there are so many of them gathered in what seems to be a relatively healthy environment for freakishly competitive people, there’s less crazy from the Orser camp. For now. At this point, his track record of producing champions is so solid that I don’t think anything can really stop him; he may not have won the gold himself, but the sheer number of medals his proxies have brought in should soothe that particular wound.

The main issue for the Russian skaters is that Yagudin had enough problems training outside Russia in the early late 1990s and early 2000s, which was well before Russia became a fully autocratic regime. (I know. It sounds weird. This was actually up for debate. I know because I was there.) Allegedly, Yagudin made a remark that more or less summed up the obvious: his inability to secure the national title was partly political. And this was back when Russia was still considered a democracy and Putin a force for good, on the whole.

Yeah, none of the top skaters in Russia have a chance of training unless they’re willing to compete for another nation, which is where it all falls apart. And part of why the Russian system can be so brutal, because, really, what ARE you going to do?

(Also, Orser and Wilson’s routines can have a “same-y” quality not unlike watching Medvedeva’s programs all at once; layouts have become ungodly monotonous due to min-maxing quad programs.)

Sinitsina/Katsalapov trained overseas, so do Ilyinykh/Zhiganshin. The question is who is going to pay. And why would ladies of all disciplines want to train overseas?

 

[GrandmaCC]

Can anyone tell me why Mirai's 3A gets minus 3.00 GOE for -3 across the board, but for instance, Bradie's fall on 3Lz-3T gets minus 2.10 GOE when it also has -3 across the board?

And on a petty level, can anyone tell me why Mirai has that monster tape down her thigh, and more monster tape in the shape of an X on her back?

Sorry if this has been discussed, but I came late and haven't read the whole thread yet.

Sorry if anyone’s answered already!

But apparently she’s got that Kinesiology tape on ‘cause of injuries - I think the leg is strained? No idea about her back though.

People were theorising that she had it on to mask a tattoo, as if she would pick this moment to run out and get a tatoo!

Interesting how obvious the flesh coloured tape is, makes me think of all the bashing Ashley got when she had her ankle taped in black. We now know that any tape at all is visible

I hope she’s ok and that her leg isn’t hampering the triple axel too much. Though personally I don’t like her skating, I admire her as an athlete and hope she can nail that jump in the LP.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

 

[randomfan]

Can anyone tell me why Mirai's 3A gets minus 3.00 GOE for -3 across the board, but for instance, Bradie's fall on 3Lz-3T gets minus 2.10 GOE when it also has -3 across the board?

And on a petty level, can anyone tell me why Mirai has that monster tape down her thigh, and more monster tape in the shape of an X on her back?

Sorry if this has been discussed, but I came late and haven't read the whole thread yet.

For your first question, the answer is GOE factoring. After the highest and lowest GOEs are taken out, the remaining 7 are added together and then divided by 7 (this is finding the average). Finally, it is multiplied by a specific factor. For doubles, spins, and level 1-3 step sequences, the factor is 0.5. For triples, level 4 step sequences, and choreo sequences, it’s 0.7. For 3A, it’s 1 (so essentially there’s no change at all). In this case, Bradie and Mirai received straight -3s, but Bradie got -2.10 because she fell on a triple (factor of 0.7), and Mirai got -3.00 because she fell on a triple axel (factor of 1).

If you aren’t a math wiz, then I bet this will be hard to understand . Maybe Mathman can give a better explanation!

As for the tape, I’ve heard somewhere that it deals with inflammation? (edit: GrandmaCC gave a better explanation above )

 

[karakaka]

I'm not trying to disparage any of the skaters, but I honestly don't understand how Kaori and Alina aren't scored more similarly. Both are 1st year seniors who did quite well at the junior level. Both have 100% back-loaded and unbalanced short programs. Both started out with a couple shaky programs early on in the season, but have had very strong performances leading up to the Olympics. I'll give you that Zagitova has the 3Lz3Lo, so her BV is deservedly 1.79 points above Kaori's. They both got all level 4s today. So where are the other 8 points coming from??? I'm not convinced that Alina's jumps or interpretation (I find them both to be fairly immature, but with a lot of potential) are better than Kaori's.

 

[chairmanmao]

Sakamoto easily outscoring Osmond from the Team Event, exactly as I said she would have.

I'm more okay with Sakamoto receiving the backloading bonus on her combo for that program than the Russian girls, she does an extra spin beforehand in comparison.

LOL and we are so grateful for your ever unbias commentary.

 

[risingtrot]

Would be nice if Mirai do 2 triple axels tomorrow. Maybe the second one a combo. Nothing to lose^^

 

[Metis]

... and this one tells me he's most likely to capture my heart.

IDK how this'll work out.

... if you can manage both of these and a 3A, you’d be a very attractive clone pairs team?

 

[GrandmaCC]

I heard the crowd was cat-calling after Alina's scores came up. Is this true? If so, are we going to see the endless threads and generalisations of a nationality like we did after Sochi...? Oh wait.

Evgenia is still the queen for me and I do not agree with Alina being ahead AT ALL. She simply does not have Evgenia's polish and flow. I hope Evgenia can come back strong tomorrow. I know how much she wants this.

Kailani is 16th! :yay: :yay: :yay:

Heck yeah!! How awesome is that??!
It was so cute to see & hear how happy she was to qualify for the free skate.
I’m looking forward to seeing her costume, apparently she’s got yet another version!

Our kids are all really bringing it! #AussiePride

 

[karne]

... and this one tells me he's most likely to capture my heart.

IDK how this'll work out.

I got Shani Davis. A speedskater.

Where is this other quiz? I want to take that too!

 

[karakaka]

Would be nice if Mirai do 2 triple axels tomorrow. Maybe the second one a combo. Nothing to lose^^

You're right, but I don't think there's enough time in the program to do 2 triple axels. She takes 13 seconds or so to set up and gain the speed for the first one. I would be so happy if she could pull it off though!

 

[karne]

Heck yeah!! How awesome is that??!
It was so cute to see & hear how happy she was to qualify for the free skate.
I’m looking forward to seeing her costume, apparently she’s got yet another version!

Our kids are all really bringing it! #AussiePride

It makes me more annoyed that Katia and Harley were robbed of FS qualification though!

 

[BossT]

Evgenia & Alina's NBC, CBC, BBC recs have smb??

 

[chopinskate]

I got Shani Davis. A speedskater.

Where is this other quiz? I want to take that too!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/justinejm/which-olympic-bound-figure-skater-are-you-3b7ms?origin=filqui&utm_term=.vh3Xr2Nkk#.qcgdB8ebb

 

[Metis]

Sinitsina/Katsalapov trained overseas, so do Ilyinykh/Zhiganshin. The question is who is going to pay. And why would ladies of all disciplines want to train overseas?

Because there’s an upper limit to what can be achieved in scoring under current factoring rules, as well as the fact that no matter how good a coach is for a given set of issues, you may need a team and/or a change to break through to the next level of your potential?

The Russian women are dominant due to programs that are calculated to take advantage of everything possible in the current scoring system and... not a total lack of competition, but Eteri’s girls have no real competition even within Russia. That’s a problem.

I don’t see why the women are any less “deserving”; I actually think Medvedeva has done quite a bit to expand the concept of what’s considered both “feminine” and artistic, despite having a much more modern, even futurist style compared to Kim’s unadulterated grace. And that broadens the possibilities for future skaters and allows for others to push even further, which does advance women’s skating.

 

[skylark]

For your first question, the answer is GOE factoring. After the highest and lowest GOEs are taken out, the remaining 7 are added together and then divided by 7 (this is finding the average). Finally, it is multiplied by a specific factor. For doubles, spins, and level 1-3 step sequences, the factor is 0.5. For triples, level 4 step sequences, and choreo sequences, it’s 0.7. For 3A, it’s 1 (so essentially there’s no change at all). In this case, Bradie and Mirai received straight -3s, but Bradie got -2.10 because she fell on a triple (factor of 0.7), and Mirai got -3.00 because she fell on a triple axel (factor of 1).

If you aren’t a math wiz, then I bet this will be hard to understand . Maybe Mathman can give a better explanation!

As for the tape, I’ve heard somewhere that it deals with inflammation? (edit: GrandmaCC gave a better explanation above )

I'm not exactly a math wiz, but I do really like math. I understand now; you explained it very well. I knew there had to be some reason for the calculations being different. Thank you for answering! I still don't quite get why a 3A is factored differently from any other triple, but that's okay. It's not the only thing about IJS that I find ... um ... inconsistent and puzzling.

 

[karne]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/justinejm/which-olympic-bound-figure-skater-are-you-3b7ms?origin=filqui&utm_term=.vh3Xr2Nkk#.qcgdB8ebb

.......

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I'm Nathan.