I'm not sure what would really be best for her now but it's hard to think a rest at least of a few weeks would hurt anything at this point.
I do think real fans of Liza's aren't going to give up. Unfortunately there is a pattern at this point of her having some seasons that are real, huge HITS, and some seasons that are real, huge misses, but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of her and her skating- whether she's in a good season or a bad one.
Physically and technically, you'd think that'd no longer be the case. She looked to be in good shape and done with the issues that dogged her through puberty. The sound technical base is comforting because there's at least a foundation for her to put together a good season.
Part of me doesn't feel right putting exhaustion to blame; I feel like it had more to do with the off-season and how she began the year. Touring appears to have kept her from putting together two solid programs - the short program she worked on with Lambiel went unfinished, for example - and then I think going to the Japan Open put a wrench in any early season momentum. That she went to Warsaw and Zagreb doesn't seem like a reaction to a team that feels she needs to compete less. I liked her going to at least two events before the GP event last year; the trip to Nice might have been overkill this year, but the Japan Open just seemed like at once too much pressure and not enough preparation.
That does lead me to also look at some of the awful luck she had on the Grand Prix. Beyond not getting the original assignments she and Mishin wanted, there were reports of her having a hellish flight to Canada, and then we of course know what happened in France, which not only deprived her of a big stage to hone the free skate, but also kept her out of the final. Given how Mao, Ashley, Gracie, and even Elena skated, a medal could hardly be considered off the table with the BV she brings to the ice.
With all that said, I'm still so shocked that she skated the way she did at Nationals, especially with how good most of the jumps looked in Zagreb. At the end of the day, this might be the least important of the four years in the quad - though selfishly I might have hoped to witness a peak performance in Boston - and I can't think a skater with such talent, solid technique, structured coaching, and a capability to be consistent through 13-odd events in a single season can be a flash in the pan.
) the Results have been posted on the Entries / Results Page:
(Sofia Samodurova?)
