- Joined
- Apr 26, 2018
I just caught up with the ladies test skates and it‘s so good to see skating again!
At the last Junior Nationals Petrosyan and Osokina stood out to me and I was looking forward to seeing them. But it seems Petrosyan is injured and had to miss it?
The skating itself was better than I expected in terms of the technical stuff. They all seem to have their jumps restored and no one really bombed their program. Of course, the overall readiness is a far cry from where it was at this point last year but with the guaranteed lack of international competitions in the first half of the season, this shouldn‘t be an issue.
Osokina:
I love her and am happy that the special quality I saw last year already is still there. She just has that charm and spark and personality that makes a skater fun to watch. Also, her speed and ice coverage is absolutely insane - the way she glides across the ice is totally effortless and makes it look as if she was flying. She can improve on the spins, though, imo at least. She doesn‘t seem to be very flexible and substituted flexibility with unique positions but some of them look awkward. She might have been better off doing the regular positions but focusing on centering and speed. Still, top notch, that one and definitely my favorite.
Khromykh:
One thing she always had that‘s even more pronounced now are her great lines. She has beautiful, soft arms and I loved how she used them in this program. That one transition into the 3Lz was also very cool. I like her 2A, too, but I prefer it without the rippon for some reason. She also seems more mature and confident in her skating, which is a great development! However, I do have to say that I find the music really problematic, it almost seemed inappropriate. I get what they were trying to do with it (show her maturity and artistic growth) but the music along with the choreography made it look like they were trying too hard. It was a little uncomfortable to watch. But again, not Maiia‘s fault - I find her skating more enjoyable than last season and am hoping for a fitting FS.
Frolova:
Well, I always prefer to say little about Anna because I fear that what I will say, might come across as mean. The thing is - I just don‘t remember too much about her. I know that I liked the music and that she had problems on her jumps but that‘s about it. I‘m sure she‘s a nice, hardworking girl but so far, there‘s just not a lot that makes her stand out. At least in my eyes.
Samodelkina:
3A+3T! Wow. Congrats on restoring it that quickly, definitely very impressive. She also has a softness and musicality about her skating that I really like. However - and this has always been my problem with her - her posture just drives me crazy and makes me enjoy her skating less. Posture is one of the most important, aesthetic parts in skating for me, so the way she sort of hunches her back and pulls up her shoulders during her jumps is just painful to watch. I really, really hope they‘ll work on this because otherwise she has many lovely qualities.
Usacheva:
That was one classic Daniil program if I ever saw one. Drama, pantomiming and transitions that are there for the sake of it, not because they‘re particularly aesthetically pleasing. And.. I still liked it. I don‘t know why but there is something about Daria that makes me enjoy watching her, even when I absolutely hate her programs. I think this one is better than last season‘s (both of them) and it could create some nice moments when she polishes it some more and skates it cleanly. But some things just irk me - like that transition into the 2A. Her legs aren‘t stretched, her foot isn‘t pointed and it just looks sloppy. The program isn‘t even that terrible - it‘s just that it doesn’t do justice to the musicality and artistic potential Daria could show. And yes, it annoys me.
Muravyeva:
She has a nice lutz, one of the few with a real deep outside edge. But the program did absolutely nothing for me. I don‘t remember too much about it other than a lot of frantic movements and lots of arm gestures. It actually stressed me out quite a bit lol.
Overall, reading through my post again, this might seem quite negative, which I didn‘t intend. It is, of course, absolutely incredible what these girls managed to do in such a short amount of time and I‘m looking forward to seeing their progress throughout the season.
I still don‘t understand why Kamila isn‘t here, though. Senior test skates is for those who get senior GPs. Kamila has absolutely no business being there, other than the fed wanting to prop her up as their next star, unnecessarily putting a 14 year old under immense pressure. She should have been left alone to just skate at junior test skates like every other junior this season and every other junior before her. Evgenia, Alina, Sasha, Anna, Aliona ... they all skated at senior test skates only when they were senior eligible and it didn‘t hurt any of them. Kamila is talented enough, she doesn‘t need favoritism, in fact, it might actually do her more harm than good.
At the last Junior Nationals Petrosyan and Osokina stood out to me and I was looking forward to seeing them. But it seems Petrosyan is injured and had to miss it?
The skating itself was better than I expected in terms of the technical stuff. They all seem to have their jumps restored and no one really bombed their program. Of course, the overall readiness is a far cry from where it was at this point last year but with the guaranteed lack of international competitions in the first half of the season, this shouldn‘t be an issue.
Osokina:
I love her and am happy that the special quality I saw last year already is still there. She just has that charm and spark and personality that makes a skater fun to watch. Also, her speed and ice coverage is absolutely insane - the way she glides across the ice is totally effortless and makes it look as if she was flying. She can improve on the spins, though, imo at least. She doesn‘t seem to be very flexible and substituted flexibility with unique positions but some of them look awkward. She might have been better off doing the regular positions but focusing on centering and speed. Still, top notch, that one and definitely my favorite.
Khromykh:
One thing she always had that‘s even more pronounced now are her great lines. She has beautiful, soft arms and I loved how she used them in this program. That one transition into the 3Lz was also very cool. I like her 2A, too, but I prefer it without the rippon for some reason. She also seems more mature and confident in her skating, which is a great development! However, I do have to say that I find the music really problematic, it almost seemed inappropriate. I get what they were trying to do with it (show her maturity and artistic growth) but the music along with the choreography made it look like they were trying too hard. It was a little uncomfortable to watch. But again, not Maiia‘s fault - I find her skating more enjoyable than last season and am hoping for a fitting FS.
Frolova:
Well, I always prefer to say little about Anna because I fear that what I will say, might come across as mean. The thing is - I just don‘t remember too much about her. I know that I liked the music and that she had problems on her jumps but that‘s about it. I‘m sure she‘s a nice, hardworking girl but so far, there‘s just not a lot that makes her stand out. At least in my eyes.
Samodelkina:
3A+3T! Wow. Congrats on restoring it that quickly, definitely very impressive. She also has a softness and musicality about her skating that I really like. However - and this has always been my problem with her - her posture just drives me crazy and makes me enjoy her skating less. Posture is one of the most important, aesthetic parts in skating for me, so the way she sort of hunches her back and pulls up her shoulders during her jumps is just painful to watch. I really, really hope they‘ll work on this because otherwise she has many lovely qualities.
Usacheva:
That was one classic Daniil program if I ever saw one. Drama, pantomiming and transitions that are there for the sake of it, not because they‘re particularly aesthetically pleasing. And.. I still liked it. I don‘t know why but there is something about Daria that makes me enjoy watching her, even when I absolutely hate her programs. I think this one is better than last season‘s (both of them) and it could create some nice moments when she polishes it some more and skates it cleanly. But some things just irk me - like that transition into the 2A. Her legs aren‘t stretched, her foot isn‘t pointed and it just looks sloppy. The program isn‘t even that terrible - it‘s just that it doesn’t do justice to the musicality and artistic potential Daria could show. And yes, it annoys me.
Muravyeva:
She has a nice lutz, one of the few with a real deep outside edge. But the program did absolutely nothing for me. I don‘t remember too much about it other than a lot of frantic movements and lots of arm gestures. It actually stressed me out quite a bit lol.
Overall, reading through my post again, this might seem quite negative, which I didn‘t intend. It is, of course, absolutely incredible what these girls managed to do in such a short amount of time and I‘m looking forward to seeing their progress throughout the season.
I still don‘t understand why Kamila isn‘t here, though. Senior test skates is for those who get senior GPs. Kamila has absolutely no business being there, other than the fed wanting to prop her up as their next star, unnecessarily putting a 14 year old under immense pressure. She should have been left alone to just skate at junior test skates like every other junior this season and every other junior before her. Evgenia, Alina, Sasha, Anna, Aliona ... they all skated at senior test skates only when they were senior eligible and it didn‘t hurt any of them. Kamila is talented enough, she doesn‘t need favoritism, in fact, it might actually do her more harm than good.
