Yey for Akiko!! Oh, I hope she keeps it up in the long. I just loved her program and her reaction at the end and the way she got the crowd going, everything. Finally, she gets a score she deserves. how great was it to see her land a 3-3? (And nice to see her land her jumps, as that has been her problem in the past too, to be fair.)
I was too busy noticing how pretty Mao's costume was to notice how skinny she is but now that people mention it seems true. Still, I didn't think she looked as tense as some people say. I thought her smile was genuine and she looked relaxed in the end even though the program wasn't perfect. Too bad about the singled axel but the program was lovely, I think. I hope she grows into it more and gets into the character. Her costume makes her stand out from the rest - in a good way - and then, of course, the overall quality of her skating lives up to that. It was wonderful to watch her again. I think the long will be a truer test of her stamina and where her jumps are at right now. I am totally rooting for her as always.
Alena has grown on me. At least you know she's going to do something different and weird and ... why not? As usual, I'm torn between hating and liking her program but at least I have fun watching it. Her jumps looked huge and fast in the air. Good for her.
The rest of the crowd did as I would have pretty much expected... except I wish Agnes had done a little better. But it's early in the season for her. I think it's a matter of concentration and nerves for Agnes. When she puts together two clean programs at a senior event then we'll be able to really see how competitive she is with the rest. It's sort of a question mark right now.
