Commentary on Worlds from Sonia Bianchetti

[NatachaHatawa]

Well I agree with Sonia on Verner, because no matter how well he sold that program, it was just too much mistake-ridden. Compare his PCS (69.92) with the likes of KVDP (67.00) and Voronov (67.50) who had squeaky clean performances, or Carriere (67.72) and Chan (67.62) who made a couple of errors but have as excellent basics, if not better than Verner. I also agree that Kostner should not have been rewarded with PCS on par with Kim when their performance level was not even close. As Dick Button mentioned, there was a world of difference in the jumping alone.

But that's why there's a technical grade and an artistic one!

 

[MarieM]

She's as usual sour grapes and sour comments on a system she doesn't like, has decided is bad, and tries to prove every bloody time how right she is.
Wohoo. I love sour grapes like her, they sometimes give me a lot of fun, and having someone like her pretending not to understand certain things amazes me:agree:

 

[bekalc]

Mrs. Bianchetti loves beautiful and well-executed skating.

But the CoP loves big point-getting technical elements. The reason that Carolina Kostner got second place is starkly clear from the protocols.

Base value for technical elements (LP)

Kostner 64.28
Kim 58.51
Asada 56.40
Nakano 53.63

Number of triple jumps rotated

Kostner 7
Kim 5
Asada 5
Nakano 5

Kostner just creamed the other three in the most important (point-wise) category (not to mention already being ahead in the SP).

I totally agree with your assessment on the other thread: Points, schmoints, the judges just could not force themselves to award the championship to the kind of performance that Carolina produced.

They really had no choice but to inflate the PCS for Asada to give her the title. (Bianchetti should be happy about that. )

Mathman I see your point, but Kostner's actually technical score wasn't that high, it was about equal to Rochette...I think Kostner always deserves high skating skills, but for that performance she really should have been docked heavily on Performance and Execution. They tied her and Yu-na on PCS and that wasn't right considering how messy Kostner's program was.

 

[Bennett]

But I think that Yuna was pretty overmarked in her SP, esp. her PCS. So I don't think that she should have won the whole event, but she rightly won the LP.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

But that's why there's a technical grade and an artistic one!

I believe if there are problems in the Tech it should also be reflected in the PCS regardless of how wonderful the skater was in the previous competition. If one is speaking of great art, technique is part of it. Think Rembrandt.

Joe

 

[Kinga]

I believe if there are problems in the Tech it should also be reflected in the PCS regardless of how wonderful the skater was in the previous competition. If one is speaking of great art, technique is part of it. Think Rembrandt.

Joe

Then, if he skated clean, he might get to 75-76 not 69 points? So technique problems were reflected in the PCS.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Then, if he skated clean, he might get to 75-76 not 69 points? So technique problems were reflected in the PCS.

Technical is what one does; Technique is how perfect it is done. If the judges are on the ball then the plus scores in the GoEs should be reflected in the skating skills. A perfect jump beats out a faulty one, and for me that's art.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

If the judges are on the ball then the plus scores in the GoEs should be reflected in the skating skills.

I think the category "skating skills" is misnamed. It is really "stroking and edge work." If it were called that, then people would not be confused about the difference between GOEs and PCSs.

A perfect jump beats out a faulty one, and for me that's art.

In this case, "art" is rewarded in the GOEs. If your triple Lutz is more artful than mine, then you get plus one and I get a minus one "art points" on that element.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Program Component Scores is MEANT ...

How Well... How Smoothe... How Beautiful... How Musical... and Overall Performance...
Truly... Very Very SUBJECTIVE... to the eyes of BEHOLDERS !

BUT ...

Yu-Na was OUTSTANDING that night like Sonia mentioned !!!

But what is more important in the final score? Tech and PCS are not equal!!!
and if the Tech is not there, there is not much the PCS can do to make a winner.

Joe

 

[Kinga]

But what is more important in the final score? Tech and PCS are not equal!!!
and if the Tech is not there, there is not much the PCS can do to make a winner.

Joe

Unfortunately!

 

[NatachaHatawa]

Technical is what one does; Technique is how perfect it is done. If the judges are on the ball then the plus scores in the GoEs should be reflected in the skating skills. A perfect jump beats out a faulty one, and for me that's art.

Joe

That's why there's the GoEs!

 

[Eevun]

Perhaps the ISU should start to reconsider an old idea that was strongly supported until some years ago by the Figure Skating Technical Committee, to use the European Championships and the Four Continents as qualifying events for the Worlds. It really makes no sense to have skaters coming from all over the world with coaches, team leaders, judges and federation officials just to skate 2,50 minutes and then go home.

Maybe, especially now when the environment is such a hot subject of discussion...