So impressed by Kaori's strength and tenacity when holding onto a jump that's gone wrong - the fact that she managed to get a 3T onto the end of the pop without a three turn or anything like that amazes me. She is such a fun and dynamic skater, and I am hoping she has a great FP. I would love to see her on the podium here.
Satoko was a delight to watch, as always. She is so graceful and her skating is so smooth, and her spins and step sequence are things of beauty. The way she just flew across the ice in her StSq, making all the changes of edge and direction look easy! She may not have a huge amount of power, but she is fast, elegant, and an exquisite performer, and it was lovely to hear Mark Hanretty praising her qualities. Like him, I hope that there will always be a place in international competition for Satoko, no matter the jumps.
I really enjoyed Yuhana's SP as well. The pop on the 3Lz was a real pity, and hurt her score, but my fingers are crossed for a clean free.
...which means she'll have consecutive competitions, as GP-Italy will follow SC.
; She is out of the podium at Skate America. She missed out due to FCCoSp2V. She lost two points at least for this spin. Also, her 2F 3T from the Short Program…..But, had she nailed that final spin in the free skate, she would have been a Silver Medalist. Kaori just keeps missing. But, I love her personality and this skate shows and enhances why JSF should select her as one of the the three ladies to be sent to Olympics for Japan.
