2024-25 Senior Grand Prix Final Women's Free Skate

[sworddance21]

Just watched. SO happy for Amber!! Also, I love Kaori, but I really don't like that free program on her at all. I don't like the choreo at all - it doesn't not seem to have any flavor of Bob Fosse and that music should be SO Fosse.

 

[rabidline]

Amber. I teared up for her as she landed the last 2 jumping passes. I have my favorites here but it's so hard not to root for her to make the final push and win the title. This was a good fight, maybe not the best she can skate this FS, but it's enough. One of the best 3As she's landed too.

Mone was the cleanest Japanese jump-wise across two programs (reminiscent of her Hamada girl predecessor, Satoko) so Japanese Nationals is going to be interesting.

Kaori showed really good fight in the FS and some of the jumps she made was impressive. This FS is still all over the place for me, even though improvements have been made since Lombardia where it's just an utter disaster. I think if she can figure out better the places she can breathe and hold back it's going to be amazing. It is already the most complex out of everyone here, and you can really hear the roar of the crowd supporting her and reacting to her skating and jumps.

Wakaba.... this is setting her up so well for both Japanese Nationals and the next season. She got the 4th placement by staying true to herself and taking the mistakes on the chin, the popped salchow is pretty much the error she made that got her off the 2018 Olympic Team. But the quality of the rest? Amazing. This type of competition is really why I'm so happy she made the decision to come back. She still got it and it's always a pleasure to be able to see that on the highest level of the sport.

Hana's skating was so, so rough.

Rino paid the price of not really having a real international reputation. Welcome to the big leagues, girl. I hope this will be the first of many finals you'll ever qualify for.

 

[Skating91]

We can safely say Mone Chiba was robbed of gold given that the gap was 4 points. By my calculations Amber's SP score should have dropped by at least 6 points, so Chiba was robbed.

I don't understand how Sakamoto did get two edge calls either. How do they miss that? They hit Chiba with everything of course. Sakamoto just lacked any energy, no commitment to the program, it really doesn't suit her. In the middle of the program she comes to a complete stop.

Overall, a low quality event, figure skating is in trouble if they serve up something like this at the Olympics next year. I'm not sure how you bring new fans to the sport if this was a demonstration of the best 6 in the world.

 

[museksk8r]

 

[Joekaz]

Amber. I teared up for her as she landed the last 2 jumping passes. I have my favorites here but it's so hard not to root for her to make the final push and win the title. This was a good fight, maybe not the best she can skate this FS, but it's enough. One of the best 3As she's landed too.

Mone was the cleanest Japanese jump-wise across two programs (reminiscent of her Hamada girl predecessor, Satoko) so Japanese Nationals is going to be interesting.

Kaori showed really good fight in the FS and some of the jumps she made was impressive. This FS is still all over the place for me, even though improvements have been made since Lombardia where it's just an utter disaster. I think if she can figure out better the places she can breathe and hold back it's going to be amazing. It is already the most complex out of everyone here, and you can really hear the roar of the crowd supporting her and reacting to her skating and jumps.

Wakaba.... this is setting her up so well for both Japanese Nationals and the next season. She got the 4th placement by staying true to herself and taking the mistakes on the chin, the popped salchow is pretty much the error she made that got her off the 2018 Olympic Team. But the quality of the rest? Amazing. This type of competition is really why I'm so happy she made the decision to come back. She still got it and it's always a pleasure to be able to see that on the highest level of the sport.

Hana's skating was so, so rough.

Rino paid the price of not really having a real international reputation. Welcome to the big leagues, girl. I hope this will be the first of m

If Higuchi can continue her current trajectory and especially bring back the 3A next season, she could be a strong contender for Olympic gold. But alot can happen in a year, so we will see.

 

[Arigato]

If Higuchi can continue her current trajectory and especially bring back the 3A next season, she could be a strong contender for Olympic gold. But alot can happen in a year, so we will see.

Out of curiosity, what happened to it?

 

[Joekaz]

Out of curiosity, what happened to it?

After landing her great 3As in the Olympics, she later sustained a stress fracture. She took the next season off and got surgery the following February. Last season she eased back into competition. This season she was more serious about actually doing well, so she shelved the 3A to concentrate on consistency. But she still has it and does practice it.

 

[jenaj]

Did Mark Hanratty forget that Michelle Kwan won her 4th World Title in 2001 (and her 5th in 2003)? Maybe he meant 4th consecutive title but if so, he didn't make that clear.

 

[ramurphy2005]

Did Mark Hanratty forget that Michelle Kwan won her 4th World Title in 2001 (and her 5th in 2003)? Maybe he meant 4th consecutive title but if so, he didn't make that clear.

He was definitely talking about consecutive titles because he was talking about Carol Heiss being the last one to do it. He also could have brought that factoid up at a different moment than when you heard him talking. I've watched so much skating this weekend that all the commentary is mushed together in my head.

 

[NoNameFace]

NoNameFace should think about how to make a golden crown.

Actually...there is a golden crepe paper available and I already have an crown design for Amber in my head (golden crepe with violet tulle added to each flower or half/half , I just need to make up my mind about Boston...