LADIES LONG PROGRAM Thread

[christinaskater]

I wanted both Mao and Akiko to win

I love them to pieces.

Mao won the free so good on her.

Akiko won the SP and overall so WOW!

 

[Mrs. P]

Ashley Wagner was robbed the bronze medal. She was amazing.

Absolutely. She should have been third in the SP. The fact that those crap programs are getting the points they're getting is absolutely nuts.
I think this sets up Ashley well for Nationals. She has been very clean in both segments and her technique and artistry is greatly improved under Mr. Nicks tutelage. It will be even better if she goes for a 3F-3T.

 

[prettykeys]

Just noticed something interesting about Alena Leonova's protocals.

Element 3 is a 3F (in SC it was a 3Z)
Element 5 is 2F-2T (which seems like a popped jump)
Element 8 is a 3F-2T

So if she didn't pop the jump in Element 5, she would have done two 3F in the judges eyes and element 8 would have been invalidated. costing her 7.66 points and the bronze medal.

No, all that would have happened is that Element 3 would have been called a 3Lz (e) which is BULLCRAP and something I've been mini-raging against for a while. It's a sneaky way to get around the Zayak rule and something that the IJS needs to fix.

 

[Mrs. P]

Protocol breakdown:

Jumps

Mao 42.24
Ashley 36.99
Akiko 36.96
Elene 34.95
Mae Berenice 34.10
Alena 28.36
Kiira 25.24
Cynthia 21.33
Agnes 20.91
Shoko 19.30

Non jump elements
Akiko 20.08
Mao 18.96
Kiira 18.10
Ashley 17.46
Cynthia 17.38
Alena 17.32
Agnes 15.62
Shoko 14.84
Mae Berenice 13.58
Elene 12.79

Clearly Mao did not need the 3A.

 

[Mrs. P]

No, all that would have happened is that Element 3 would have been called a 3Lz (e) which is BULLCRAP and something I've been mini-raging against for a while. It's a sneaky way to get around the Zayak rule and something that the IJS needs to fix.

Yeah..you an many others.. How does she get away with this?

 

[JDLutz]

Just finished watchint the replay on Ice Network. I've seen posts stating Ashley W was underscored, which I totally agreed with, in both tech and composition. Even Gedevanshvilli, who's a pwerful skater but has the grace of a linebacker, and Leonova, who clearly skated poorly in spots, scored higher in PCS! Can someone please explain why Ashley was scored so low? I thought she was lovely and lyrical and landed her jumps. I'm guessing a few of them were wrong edge? Was she slow? Was she really

Ashley wuzrobbed BIGTIME here, but the fact is that she is known as the #6 skater in the U.S which is a shame because she has been amazing this season, but this won't get me down, and it shouldn't bother her either, just look at the champion today, Akiko Suzuki, who at 26 years old is getting the scores and placements that she was so overdue on, so she shouldn't give up

 

[prettykeys]

Yeah..you an many others.. How does she get away with this?

She wouldn't be the first, or the only. Skaters in 6.0 also did two 3F's and Flutzes in their LP's too but it wasn't apparent in the scores that jumps were being invalided for violating the Zayak rule. When people say so-and-so completed 7-triple LPs, it makes my eyes roll when I see a Flutz in the mix. Just an extreme pet peeve of mine... but it wouldn't be fair to just pin it solely on Alena.

 

[burntBREAD]

She wouldn't be the first, or the only. Skaters in 6.0 also did two 3F's and Flutzes in their LP's too but it wasn't apparent in the scores that jumps were being invalided for violating the Zayak rule. When people say so-and-so completed 7-triple LPs, it makes my eyes roll when I see a Flutz in the mix. Just an extreme pet peeve of mine... but it wouldn't be fair to just pin it solely on Alena.

No, the thing with Alena is that it's not just that she flutzes. But when you look even the ENTRANCE her lutzes and flips, they are identical. Usually a flip has a turn before and the lutz is off a backwards glide, but Alena does the same entrance to both jumps, same edge, and makes no distinction which is which.

 

[Mrs. P]

Ashley wuzrobbed BIGTIME here, but the fact is that she is known as the #6 skater in the U.S which is a shame because she has been amazing this season, but this won't get me down, and it shouldn't bother her either, just look at the champion today, Akiko Suzuki, who at 26 years old is getting the scores and placements that she was so overdue on, so she shouldn't give up

I think it's a definite confidence boost that she has beat many of her U.S. Nationals competitors in the GP (Mirai and Rachael in SC and Agnes here in NHK). The only skaters she hasn't faced yet that beat her last season is Alissa and Christina (and Christina is less of an issue as she actually beat Christina in the FS last year).

Scorewise Mirai is higher with a 112 at COC vs 110 for Ashley in SC, but I'm rooting for Ashley to beat Mirai this year. Ashley clearly wants it more this year given her cross country move to California, a new coach and what seems to be a big overhaul of her skills while Mirai is sleepwalking at best.

 

[Mrs. P]

Just watched Mao's, Alena's and Akiko's performances.

Wow, I was impressed with Mao. I was holding back a tear when it was all over. i definitely see signs of improvement. That flutz was less flutzy and she had great speed throughout the program. Also she executed the 3S clean again! (She did so at 2010 TEB) (Why do so many ladies have such difficulty with the 3S?)

Akiko still impressed me despite the mistakes. She is a great example of , as Mathman would say, "skating the program." At SC she did the 3T despite singling the axel and at NHK she did the three jump combo despite singling the loop. And she still did five triples (though an edge call on the flip, what? And her lutz looked clean again today to me. I'm so impressed that she's been willing to improve year after year). And of course, she never gave up or stop selling the program.

I'm can see how one would argue that she got a slight hometown boost on the PCS, hence the similar score, but given that Alena's program got 58 PCS. I think it was right to give Akiko the extra points.

I could not watch Alena's program after the first half. That is a train wreak of a program.

Also does anyone think it's cute that Akiko makes a point of showing off the logos on her team jacket? She's giving the sponsors their money's worth I guess!

 

[apple123]

Akiko is delightful, but Mao just blows me away. She is a dream! When she skates like this, she is the light shines through the dark, the drizzle falls on the forest, the rivelut runs cross the valley! Oh my lord!

 

[hikki]

Also does anyone think it's cute that Akiko makes a point of showing off the logos on her team jacket? She's giving the sponsors their money's worth I guess!

Apparently what she's been showing off is a logo that says "Go Japan" or something along those lines, to show encouragement to the victims of the earthquake.

At one point she did mistakenly show off a sponsor logo though!

 

[R.D.]

I thought Wagner did really well and glad I'm not alone in wondering why she did not get the Bronze.

However, she needs to up the Tech if she truly wants to be competitive with the top crop. I'm impressed by the progress she has shown...but she has a history of strong starts in the GP before fizzling out by Nationals. Hopefully she can go for it without wanting it too much and blowing it again, as usual.

 

[christinaskater]

Ashley has so much edge compared to Alena.

She is so artistic, lyrical and balletic. She has beautiful spins and jumps etc. The aesthetic quality is really top notch.
I agree that she needs to up the ante in terms of the jumps by doing triple-triple combinations.

 

[christinaskater]

I like that Akiko is not peaking this early in the season. This gives her motivation to keep on improving on her programs. I wanted her to win but not to have the skate of her life. I want her to deliver at the Japanese Nationals, the GP Final , 4 Continents and the worlds!

 

[christinaskater]

Akiko Suzuki 185.98
Mao Asada 184.19
Carolina Kostner 182.14
Alissa Czisny 177.48
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva 177.38

 

[emma]

Just finished the first flight of the ladies - um, poor cynthia. She can't seem to land those jumps, but she is such an elegant and strong skater/presence on the ice. wishing her the best. I forget the first Japanese ladies name, but she is lovely - poor thing, not the best but she has such potential. What happened to her foot?

I have to admit that I have much hope for Agnes - I love her strength and long limbs and stretch. Hope she can bounce back and grow from this. I also love her dress - just wish, and this is nitpicking, but just wish she would wear a lighter shade of tights.

Off to the final flight.

 

[christinaskater]

The Japanese girl is Shoko Ishikawa. She really has a lot of potential. Reminds me of Shizuka Arakawa. Coincidentally, her free program was choreographed by Shizuka.

 

[emma]

^ thanks! I am not surprised re: Shizuka - when I saw her skate the sp and lp i thought, wow, she is channeling Shiz's edging and blade work and something about her posture too. She has some distance to travel, but I wish her the best.

So, just saw Ashley. I was so prepared to hate any and all Black Swans this year, but I gotta tell you, this is, imo, a great program for her. I do think she could have been 3rd, but even with this tech, she left a few points on the table so she can improve this score and if she improves the tech too, then wow.

I want to appreciate Alena...help me (seriously - it took people on this board to explain Slutskaya's great qualities to me and then I could really see them, but I just can't really see it yet with Alena).

ETA didn't want to double post, but wow Mao and wow Akiko!!!! loved them both. That spiral at the end of Mao's program is too much. and Akiko - poor thing, botched two jumps, but way to stay in the program and in character!!! She is awesome!!! So glad to see her succeed.

 

[lavender]

I wouldn't force it. I never got Irina either totally. She had moments for me and she had great speed but that was it. Alena is Irina 2.0 imo. I thought I would like her better without those cutesy programs but still it's a no go for me.