2019-20 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[natsulian]

Valieva, Usacheva and Kanysheva seem like strong picks for the final. Sinitsyna as well, I think she will still get two assignments. It's not over for Nastya yet, she can still come back in the FS somehow. It's hard but not impossible. And I wouldn't call it a disaster. Yes, maybe it's not going to be a final with 5 Russians and one other girl but maybe a final with only 4 Russians. That's no drama, there's only 3 spots on the podium anyway.

It's actually possible that 2 to 3 Koreans make the Final alongside Alysa which leaves room for only 2-3 Russian ladies. Korea's top junior lady has not competed yet and she has a great chance of scoring above 200. Additionally, if Hanna goes clean in her second event, she could edge out one of the Russian ladies because the judges are giving her crazy GOE and PCS, so they obviously love her.

The Korean ladies who competed today also had great Shorts in their domestic competitions, but faltered greatly in the Free, so Nastya has a more than great chance of competing for a medal finish. Nastya's a strong girl and she'll surely come back in the Free.

 

[P44]

When it comes to Alysa I think the score for SS is a bit high but she is a very good performer overall. And one jump of a korean girl (sorry I don't remember the name) should have been called UR. But overall I think 4th place for Nastya is fair.
But it's sad she missed the combinaison that way. I know the situation is hard for her right now, I hope she will be able to overcome all of that.
For the FS I have no doubts when it comes to Alysa but Nastya can still get a medal, even silver. We know she can do well.
This is only the 2nd JGP of the season and people already think russian ladies are done
The last 2 or 3 seasons were absolutely amazing for russian ladies but it doesn't last for so long actually but people now have very high expectations from these (very) young ladies.

 

[nussnacker]

I was talking about your picture. As for the change of edge - you do realise how rarely that's called in JGPs right? Not saying that it's right (it quite obviously isn't) but that's the way it is. And what you're doing here is arguing that Nastya was somehow better than Seoyeon. Yeah, I don't see that. Might as well admit that she wasn't good today because she wasn't. Doesn't mean she can't come back but some things are obvious. And if you don't see that, I can't help you either.

With the correct technical calls and correct pcs given, no, I don't think the scores were right for Nastia and the korean girls.
Landing jumps doesn't always automatically equal to getting more points (the quality should be taken into account) I think it should be obvious, but I guess some disagree.
(I mean, there's this recent example when Rika with a pop scored higher than Satoko with all the jumps landed at Worlds).

I'm not going to say judges would've necessarily put them lower than Nastia in the standings since going visually clean does generally result in higher points.
To the very least, they were overscored and Nastia was underscored. Again IMO.

 

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[Fluture]

It's actually possible that 2 to 3 Koreans make the Final alongside Alysa which leaves room for only 2-3 Russian ladies. Korea's top junior lady has not competed yet and she has a great chance of scoring above 200. Additionally, if Hanna goes clean in her second event, she could edge out one of the Russian ladies because the judges are giving her crazy GOE and PCS, so they obviously love her.

Korea's top lady is Haein Lee, I suppose. She's my favourite, so I'm not going to jinx her. Also, I seriously doubt Hanna could make the final after the terrible event she had last week. She's a great skater but she wasn't even close to the podium. The Koreans all have their second event ahead of them. Some of the Russians haven't even skated yet. Kamila seems like a safe bet for the final. Kanysheva, Usacheva and Sinitsyna are all very strong as well, they just need to deliver. If they skate cleanly they will get high scores. The problems for the Russian girls so far were their own inconsistencies. But nothing's over yet, we barely even had two events! I don't think we should panic so soon, that's not necessary at all! Let's see what the weeks ahead of us will bring. I love both the Korean and the Russian ladies so I will cheer for all of them but while the Russian team clearly isn't as strong as they were last year, they still have some very good girls who will skate in the next few events. And I would not underestimate them.

 

[Lunalovesskating]

It's actually possible that 2 to 3 Koreans make the Final alongside Alysa which leaves room for only 2-3 Russian ladies. Korea's top junior lady has not competed yet and she has a great chance of scoring above 200. Additionally, if Hanna goes clean in her second event, she could edge out one of the Russian ladies because the judges are giving her crazy GOE and PCS, so they obviously love her.

Yep, cannot wait for Hae In Lee next week. She was clean as a whistle at the JGP Qualification last month and won over Seoyeon and Seoyeong by 20 points and that was with strict judging.

 

[Fluture]

Yep, cannot wait for Hae In Lee next week. She was clean as a whistle at the JGP Qualification last month and won over Seoyeon and Seoyeong by 20 points and that was with strict judging.

Shhh, please don't jinx her!!

 

[Fluture]

With the correct technical calls and correct pcs given, no, I don't think the scores were right for Nastia and the korean girls.
Landing jumps doesn't always automatically equal to getting more points (the quality should be taken into account) I think it should be obvious, but I guess some disagree.
(I mean, there's this recent example when Rika with a pop scored higher than Satoko with all the jumps landed at Worlds).

I'm not going to say judges would've necessarily put them lower than Nastia in the standings since going visually clean does generally result in higher points.
To the very least, they were overscored and Nastia was underscored. Again IMO.

Sure, quality matters. I didn't see the quality in Nastya's skating today. The Korean girls weren't flawless either but they delivered some pretty solid performances. So, I guess we just have to agree to disagree here. I'm still having my fingers crossed for the FS. A lot can happen and I wish Nastya the best of luck.

 

[Lunalovesskating]

Shhh, please don't jinx her!!

https://giphy.com/gifs/please-forgiveness-cjzkCDL3jZTZB6ki1B

 

[Fluture]

https://giphy.com/gifs/please-forgiveness-cjzkCDL3jZTZB6ki1B

I don't think anyone can resist those eyes.

 

[icybear]

For Alysa i'd point out the two foot skating, lack of flow and speed especially in and out of the jumps and sometimes underrations (you'll see 2-3 in the free with the quad lutz and the two axels)
.

Agreed. And her presentation and choreo does seem very juniorish compared to Valieva.

 

[Tolstoj]

Agreed. And her presentation and choreo does seem very juniorish compared to Valieva.

idk i like her personality, she has great charisma.

 

[TripleAxelQueens3]

Ah PCS... how inaccurate and strange they were in the SP.

Alysa should be in first, but not in PCS. Even Seoyeon Ji, Nastya Tarakanova, Mana Kawabe and Azusa Tanaka should be ahead in that category, and yet Alysa stands above all with a whopping 29.53. Her SS are wayyy to high, I would give 6.5 at the maximum, and her PE and IN are also in no way deserving of 7.5+. But who am I kidding? We all knew this was going to happen.

 

[Lunalovesskating]

Ah PCS... how inaccurate and strange they were in the SP.

Alysa should be in first, but not in PCS. Even Seoyeon Ji, Nastya Tarakanova, Mana Kawabe and Azusa Tanaka should be ahead in that category, and yet Alysa stands above all with a whopping 29.53. Her SS are wayyy to high, I would give 6.5 at the maximum, and her PE and IN are also in no way deserving of 7.5+. But who am I kidding? We all knew this was going to happen.

Maybe have a look at what IN and PE means according to ISU rules. "Physicial and emotional, intellectual involvement, "Variety and contrast of movements and energy", "Individuality/Personality", "movement and steps in time of the music" , "expression of the music's character" , "relationship between skater and reflecting the character". Alysa certainly deserved her IN and PE scores. She was in total character and projected the mood of the music very well and engaged with it.

 

[natsulian]

I'm prepared for the flack, but I will say this: skating to slow, dramatic music does not make you seem more mature. This comment is in no way directed at any specific skater, but with the current conversation about presentation, maturity on the ice is not dictated by the music choice. Furthermore, presentation and artistry is solely based on the eyes of the beholder and people should be respectful of such a fact.

In my opinion, both Kamila and Alysa are ahead of many of their peers in terms of their presentation. Both require a lot of work, especially on their combos. Additionally, Kamila is almost enigmatic and ethereal-like on the ice and moves with great speed. Alysa has charisma and a witty, entertaining presence on the ice that completely contrasts Kamila's. Both, in my eyes, present themselves as somewhat "mature" in their respective fields. Cannot wait to see their rivalry with one another and other skaters progress throughout the season.

 

[*~RussianBleux~*]

Yep, cannot wait for Hae In Lee next week. She was clean as a whistle at the JGP Qualification last month and won over Seoyeon and Seoyeong by 20 points and that was with strict judging.

There is some strong competition at that event. Rion Sumiyoshi, Haein Lee, and Ekaterina Kurakova all ready to step up and challenge should the Russian girls falter among several other European girls with decent skating skills and 3L+3T. I’d feel much better with Sinitsyna at that event than Usacheva but RusFed....

 

[Lunalovesskating]

P. S. You should also notice that it was only Nastya who had all lvl 4, not even Alysa, which also speaks about qualities a little.

Not even the 3A and Alena Kanysheva got Lv4 Step Sequences during their Junior GPs, only in the final did Alena Kos. and Sasha get a Level 4. So does that mean they are lacking in qualities now?

 

[katymay]

Ah PCS... how inaccurate and strange they were in the SP.

Alysa should be in first, but not in PCS. Even Seoyeon Ji, Nastya Tarakanova, Mana Kawabe and Azusa Tanaka should be ahead in that category, and yet Alysa stands above all with a whopping 29.53. Her SS are wayyy to high, I would give 6.5 at the maximum, and her PE and IN are also in no way deserving of 7.5+. But who am I kidding? We all knew this was going to happen.

Disagree-I thought her SS specifically, were better today. (I'm going to get dinged by the GS police). Her performance quality was wonderful, as well as choreography and transitions. Her jumps are not powerful or strong, and not sure that can ever change in the long run. You either have power in your legs or you don't. Rotation speed however, is amazing. With the weak field today, I think Alysa deserved to win PCS as well.

 

[Scott512]

Disagree-I thought her SS specifically, were better today. (I'm going to get dinged by the GS police). Her performance quality was wonderful, as well as choreography and transitions. Her jumps are not powerful or strong, and not sure that can ever change in the long run. You either have power in your legs or you don't. Rotation speed however, is amazing. With the weak field today, I think Alysa deserved to win PCS as well.

This event was always Alysas to lose.

 

[colormyworld240]

I think we are spoiled. US, Japanese or Korean ladies fans will be happy if their skater takes a medal at JGP. But Russian ladies fans take anything but 1st place as a failure.

It makes sense though. When a skater from US, Japan, or Korea gets a silver or bronze medal, they get another JGP assignment. When a Russian lady gets anything but 1st place, it's unlikely they'll get a second JGP assignment (moreso last season). Which is looked at by many as a failure, fans and skaters alike. It is the end of the season until nationals, and likely that they won't make JWs (except rare cases like Sinitsyna last year, Konstantinova previous year). So their season only consists of 1 JGP, and for an elite skater that's a failure. Getting any medal is an amazing accomplishment and something to be proud of, but it's next to nothing if that's the only international competition a skater has all year. That's why Kamila and Maiia didn't look happy last week (Kamila only smiled when she saw she went into 1st). It's the price of being from a country with that much depth.