Calgary Ladies review
Hi everyone
IIRC, the tally of completed elements in the SP and LP of the competitors we remember well included:
SP:
Witt: 3toe-2loop/2axel/2flip---the axel and flip were mandatory, and the combination had to be with a double loop in any order
Thomas: 2loop-3 toe
Cadavy: 3loop-2loop (fantastic SP by Toller Cranston)
Trenary: 3flip-2loop
Ito: 2loop-3loop (!!!!!!)
Ivanova: 3 toe-2loop (not clean)
Manley: 3sal-2 loop
The winners were based on speed, power, flow, quality, choreography, charm and presentation of the elements. Cadavy was under marked with a program that connected every single required element with choreography----very few cross overs in this program filled with skating content and great jumps.
Ito was under marked on presentation, but she did get the 5.7s and 5.8s she deserved in technique. Her jumps and spins and footwork were all superior, but lacked extension and line.
Trenary made costly errors on silly things, like being one turn too short in her back camel spin, or not having any flow out of her combination, or not closing her footwork sequence completely, but she had the best presentation marks after Katarina.
Overall, Thomas and Ito had the best elements per se, Katarina had all the content and was charming in her presentation, and Cadavy and Trenary were really good, and held down a little. Manley was nice in her program, but wasn't as secure in her combination and her program was kind of forgetable in the SP.
LP:
Katarina did the standard 4 triple program of two different triples repeated in combination or sequence, her 2 double axels and her posing routine. SHe did not do her 3 loop as she did in 1987 Worlds, and her technical marks were held back a bit to allow for someone else to skate great and win.
Cadavy was vomiting and couldn't skate. Trenary did a 3 triple program doubling important jumps like her 3 flip and her second 3 toe. She was lovely in a pretty program, but she only did 3 triples. Thomas did her 3toe-2 footed 3 toe, 3 salcow, 3 loop under rotated step out and 3 salcow hand down in addition to her 2 double axels. Her marks were very low in the 5.5 to 5.6 range. Manley did 4 triples---ALL DIFFERENT, which was the stand out of the final six---the lutz, loop, toe and salcow, and with good presentation marks---she beat Katarina in the LP 6 to 3.
Ito was under marked in terms of presentation and held down. She was the stand out performance of the LP, and she did all the following perfectly----
3 lutz (bigger than Boitano's)
3 flip (huge)
2axel-half loop-3 salcow
3 loop
3toe-3toe (at the 3 minute mark)
3 salcow
two split falling leaf into 2 axel (final 20 seconds)
She did a 7 triple performance with a 3 - 3 combination, all the spins and footwork and was very exciting and engaged by her program. It was the first of the programs at a major event to include all the different triples and the triple triple combination.
This program would still hold up 15 years later, and this shows what kind of a jumping and skating talent Midori was----she deserved a 5.9 in technique and whatever in presentation----but in hind sight, she was by far the very best of that entire competition (except for her figures, which were always kind of mediocre), both SP and LP, in terms of technique in jumping and spinning.
This competition should be part of any fan's collection, and one of my favorites.
AS
I watched Magic Memories on Ice I-which shows skating highlights up to the 1988 Olympics. I have some questions about the ladies comp.
If only she'd felt better she could have snatched the bronze medal, I'm sure. She's such a stunning skater.
