Alina Zagitova | Page 447 | Golden Skate

Alina Zagitova

But Eteri‘s uber-juniors all got level 3 this season, too. I doubt they‘d do that intentionally. So I guess they choreographed each program with level 4 in mind like last year‘s but judges are just more harsh now. We‘ll just have to see what happens to Alina but it doesn‘t matter much anyway. They‘ll certainly make adjustments if they don‘t hit level 4 on the first try.

Hm... Alena was getting level 3 last season anyway, Anna was not competing. So we have Alexandra she had level 4 in both SP, LP. I can understand the dropping in level for LP because of the quads for Alexandra (she was running out power even with 2 quads and the difficult steps). In SP yes, looks like a mistery. Let's see in the upcoming events. If it was a miscalculation, I guees they will fix it.

Alina had level 4s last year, but her black swan step sequence was more difficult than POTO I think. We will find out in a couple of days I guess...
 
I'm holding on to the thought that she will get level 4 for her step sequence. Bradie got it at Autumn Classic and those judges were the hardest of them all (so far), they dinged nearly everyone for spins and falls cost -5 across the board (first time I've seen this). I expect the finished version of Alina's step sequence to be harder than Bradie's, no one puts Team Tutberitize in the corner when points are on the table.

Spins also gave everyone all kinds of grief at Autumn Classic, some people got docked "V"s (in the FP, in the short program the rules call for spins docked V to be deemed no value, Yuzuru got hit with this at Autumn Classic), levels were down. In this case they apparently changed something in the rules for spins one of them being "a change of foot in any spin must be preceded and followed by a spin position with at least three revolutions". The sit side spin must now include a difficult variation in movement (with head, arms, legs) to be counted.

As you can see, the rules just became a barrel of fun...

Let's see how Alina does in Germany, that's the great thing about doing a CS, you get a chance to get judging results that you and your team can then look at to see problem spots to fix before the GP starts. Also, more mileage on the all important FS for Alina since she did POTO way more times.

I understand spins losing levels, some mistakes can be obvious.
I'm having a tough time with the step sequence - since as fluture pointed out the uber-juniors had level 3 also.
What is causing the loss of a level.

All the more power to Bradie Tennell for achieving level 4 on hers.

Speaking of Bradie, I got to watch her SP & LP and she was excellent - some UR issues, but nothing glaring.

I think that I will use Bradie's performances as a benchmark on how Alina is doing.
I didn't mention Rika Kihara, simply because she is doing triple axels --- totally different stuff.

But Bradie's jumps are a similar layout to Alina (including 3lz-3lo) and even her 2A entry was similar (sans the charlotte)
And her choreography was quite intricate.

As long as Alina is secure in her jumps (and any UR's are minimal) - I think she will be OK.
Her spins don't worry me. Footwork needs to be better than LP test skate.

PCS - maybe people are thinking higher PCS will now be harder, but remember that Evgenia had some jump problems.
Not a clean program, as she usually does.
I believe that Bradie's PCS was higher here than she got last year at Worlds.

I think that PCS will be dependent on program cleanliness as it usually is - but have no idea what someone's "normal" PCS will be.
 
BTW, we spoke about similarity between Alina and Margarita. And, somehow, we have proper picture for it :biggrin:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoCZSk7HiNh/

I remember this! Rita posted the picture with a joke on how alike they looked, and someone commented, "She is like you except mixed with hamster."

I can't see the hamster... Does that make me not a true Alina fan?


I remember this, too! I kept thinking "poor Alina" the whole time, it looked so painful. Eteri is obviously not the real torturer at Sambo-70.

Also if you look closely Alina's collar is sticking up again. :laugh:
 
I understand spins losing levels, some mistakes can be obvious.
I'm having a tough time with the step sequence - since as fluture pointed out the uber-juniors had level 3 also.
What is causing the loss of a level.

All the more power to Bradie Tennell for achieving level 4 on hers.

Speaking of Bradie, I got to watch her SP & LP and she was excellent - some UR issues, but nothing glaring.

I think that I will use Bradie's performances as a benchmark on how Alina is doing.
I didn't mention Rika Kihara, simply because she is doing triple axels --- totally different stuff.

But Bradie's jumps are a similar layout to Alina (including 3lz-3lo) and even her 2A entry was similar (sans the charlotte)
And her choreography was quite intricate.

As long as Alina is secure in her jumps (and any UR's are minimal) - I think she will be OK.
Her spins don't worry me. Footwork needs to be better than LP test skate.

PCS - maybe people are thinking higher PCS will now be harder, but remember that Evgenia had some jump problems.
Not a clean program, as she usually does.
I believe that Bradie's PCS was higher here than she got last year at Worlds.

I think that PCS will be dependent on program cleanliness as it usually is - but have no idea what someone's "normal" PCS will be.

I think I need a couple of drinks to make sense of Figure Skating judging....runs to the bar....comes back.

The big "step sequence level 3" influx of 2018 is still a mystery to me, I stopped following the Juniors after Alina left (now I just watch individual skaters on YouTube so can't comment on them in any meaningful way), but with the seniors I'm a little mystified. Satoko also managed to keep her level 4 so I'm going to take her and Bradie as blue prints, of different styles of footwork that are in working order for 2018.

Bradie, who improved like leaps and bounds, is doing Alina 1.0 (basically a lot of "last season Alina", minus the now banned back loading and with a little less "choreographed within an inch or her life" busyness). I recognized some of the moves Bradie is using, though I'm well aware that there are no dibs on Figure Skating moves (it's a question of whether you can do them or not), good for her on including the 3Lz+3Lo too. She is getting dinged on UR and PCS because she still lacks the international reputation to afford a higher score, reputation can kinda save you a bit in Figure Skating PCS.

Alina has the reputation to afford higher PCS, Rika is a case of "lack of reputation" dinging her PCS potential a bit, her Skating Skills improved a lot since the first batch of Ice Shows she did this year with the same program (her Free Skate). Since she was Alina's Junior days peer (with 3A back then too btw) and Alina won from her and lost to her, I'll also put her in the future mix to compare with Alina's performance (along with Bradie). She won't see Rika in the GP circuit before the Finals, Bradie too, but she will see Bradie at Japan Open (FS vs FS).

If Alina can skate clean she'll be rewarded highly for it, she was never called on UR so she doesn't have a "scoring reputation" for it, I don't expect her to get called left and right this season, her jumps are also better this season (when she landed them clean), so when she gets her comfort level to baseline position she should score big. They seem to be working hard on "great take off" and "good flow on landing", so those new GOEs are something she is actively pursuing.

PCS, like I mentioned before, seems to be very highly dependent on reputation first, skating clean second, that all can change of course but I still lack conclusive evidence of it happening right now. Taking last World's Free Skates, Satoko's PCS was 2.23 points higher than Wakaba's, and Wakaba's was only 0.42 higher than Alina's, Wakaba was 2nd, Alina was 7th in overall FS placement at this competition. PCS should be Alina's friend, deserved friend in my opinion because she really is amazing, this season if she keeps it consistent and skates clean.
 
I think Alina‘s biggest opponent this year will be herself. If she manages to overcome her nerves (which I think she will with time and as the season progresses) she has good chances to win everything she enters. Why? Because she has insanely difficult programs that have so many transitions that it basically forces the judges to give her those PCS, her performing level has increased dramatically, she has one of the most if not the most challenging jump layout without quads or trixel and she also has the reputation of being the Olympic Champion. All she needs to do is be calm and focus on one element at a time in order to skate her programs cleanly. This won‘t happen at the start of the season and I won‘t be too sad or majorly worried if I see some falls this week (even though I of course wish her to be precise and clean!!) because I know she always needs time to get into her programs. If she overcomes her current issues (Eteri mentioned her going through a different period) and realises that all the pressure put on her should never make her feel less of what she is and manages to just focus on skating rather than listening to what some people say, she‘s going to be amazing. Wishing Alinka all the best for the upcoming season and believing in her! :hap10:
 
I have a couple of questions about the 2 double axels in Alina's LP.

The first one she does a couple of turns (I don't know the tech term) with her right skate, and then jumps off her left skate.

The second one is the charlotte spiral on her left skate and then the "turn" on the same skate and then into the jump.
I know that this is the more difficult entry.
Am I correct that what makes it so difficult is doing the entry (the spiral, the turn) on the same foot as the jump?

Also - what are those "turns" on the skate called?
Thanks.
 
I just found a fancam and her turns look like counters to me, but I wouldn't trust my skating expertise.

Last season, her entry was announced as charlotte, bracket turn, 2A, so it might be that. According to the commentators, that was a very difficult entry into the 2A.
Thank you.

I just think it looks so impressive to turn 180 degrees and take off on the same skate.

I also noticed that one of Bradie's double axels in her LP has a similar take off, except she has a little hop during the turn, so I assume she must be putting her other skate on the ice a little bit during the turn.

I haven't noticed any of the other ladies using this entrance. I hope the judges reward them handsomely.
 
I have a couple of questions about the 2 double axels in Alina's LP.

The first one she does a couple of turns (I don't know the tech term) with her right skate, and then jumps off her left skate.

The second one is the charlotte spiral on her left skate and then the "turn" on the same skate and then into the jump.
I know that this is the more difficult entry.
Am I correct that what makes it so difficult is doing the entry (the spiral, the turn) on the same foot as the jump?

Also - what are those "turns" on the skate called?
Thanks.
First 2A: Counter turn into Bracket turn. But I have to say, the counter doesn't look right. It looks like a cheated counter, which would be an edge change into 3-turn.

Second 2A: Spiral into Counter. To be honest, to my eye this looks cheated as well, though not as much as the first one. Which would also make it an edge change into 3-turn. But the camera angle isn't very good and this is better than the counter on the first entry at least.
 
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