Ladies' SP

[usethis]

Coming out of my lurking role to commend the ladies for a terrific three hours of (overall) good skating! Not going into a detailed review as it's all be said. But I am still curious to how Miki finished as high as she did. She is such a sloppy skater. Even her jumps last night looked messy. There aren't alot of ladies who have her usual consistency but, according to how they skated last night, I would have given both Americans the nod. At least their form and lines are neat and clean. And don't get into a UR debate with me because Miki was forgiven MUCH as well. And Kostner should NOT have gotten over 60 points with her skate. She's brilliant when on (though she's always ackward-looking, IMO) but she was sloppy too. I don't know. That's figure skating, I suppose!

I'm satisfied with the top three. I think Yuna has a bit too much of a lead but that's mainly because I like to keep things interesting and no one wants to see a for-gone conclusion. Also, no one wants to see someone have a splatfest in the lp stand atop the podium no matter how brilliant the sp was. I don't see that happening, but the system certainly creates the possibility.

Mao's music choices leave me cold. She has just as much personality and star power as Yuna but I don't think she's been choosing the right vehicles as of late. Inspite of the icky music she chooses she still manages to catch my interest but I have to give the edge to Yuna in the presentation department. I really like both skaters and am so glad both were "on" last night.

And I am an unashamedly-biased Canadian fan so, of course, I though Joannie was stunning and totally deserved being scored over 70 and is in contention for a silver medal.

Very much explains my sentiment.

 

[MikiAndoFan#1]

I think she will rock the LP! Most likely she will still end up 4th but I think she's in it to win it. She is more of a LP skater.

What do people think Suzuki will place here? I know she's in 11th now do you think she might pull up into the top 6 where the points are close?

I'm also sure Miki will kick butt in the LP! But I'll be happy as long as she's happy her performance! Akiko might place in the top 10, but the scoring is so close that anything can happen.

 

[*Sniper*]

I can't imagine anyone watching that without tears. It is a good think she did not skate to sad music or she and everyone would have completly broken down halfway through.

Totally.
I think Scott Hamilton's voice was breaking, too, when he spoke after her skating, right?
My mom and I both choked up quite a bit watching her tears flowing at her ending pose.
It is simply incredible how she found the strength to even stay in the competition, let alone put out that controlled performance.
Lots of kudos to her.

 

[Johnnnn]

I am just curious if everybody here knows the meaning behind the masquerade music Mao is skating to. It's about tragedy of a women getting killed by her husband who thinks she's cheating. Many people who loves music know this and Mao's concept of a girl going to the masqerade for the first time is just odd and ridiculous. She's smiling through out the performance! I guess Tarasova was trying to cover up Mao's lack of expression with that concept.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I am totally surprised there are two American girls in the Final Group. Who would have believed that?

Neither of them is expected on the podium. The somewhat void left after Kwan and Cohen left one had to look hard at what was left. Zhang and Wagner lost out at the Nats. I think they too, would have done as well given the fading of Kostner and Meier. Akiko is a hit or miss too often, and the next group of young Ladies have not yet arrived.

What I'm thinking if they can carry that 5th and 6th place into Torino, the USFS will have 3 places next season. Caroline and Ashley will fight it out to get that vacancy.

But first , let's see if they can hang on to it for the LP.

 

[jovani2293]

I think she will rock the LP! Most likely she will still end up 4th but I think she's in it to win it. She is more of a LP skater.

What do people think Suzuki will place here? I know she's in 11th now do you think she might pull up into the top 6 where the points are close?

me too. medal for ando

 

[Daniel5555]

My impressions about that event... As a fan of Yuna I was incredibly nervous. I know that for most of people here Yuna again came into "invincible" mode, but it's not that simple. I wasn't sure at all how it will be, but the only thing I ever wanted for Yuna is to be happy, and everything else is everything else.

The queen of the night: Joannie. I don't want to talk too much about it, because everyone understands what I want to say anyway. Really we can't give her a medal for this, because it's beyond any existing medal. Joannie is in our hearts.

The best skater: of course, Yuna. Just admit it. What we saw is one of the greatest SPs of all time if not the greatest. I'm not sure about this overscoring issue, I just tend to believe the experts and the judges who are experts too. What I want to talk about is her skating. She was skating heavenly. I didn't notice any single error at all and everything was done gracefully and lightly. In terms of her skating she surpassed my best expectations. That's even better than my dreams. I'll have to watch it again in better quality, but from watching it just one time on my TV screen, I feel that way. I think, later I'll be able to express it more objectively.

Another incredible skater: Mao Asada. While I don't care too much about her, she was amazing. I didn't see any problem with her 3A and overall she was almost as good as Yuna. I believe with better choreography she could be much closer. Mao is definitely the best skater after Yuna and she is a genius of skating. She was skating with joy too. This SP is also one of the greatest of all time.

Other skaters I would like to mention: Alena Leonova, for finally delivering a clean skate. She was really good. Both of American ladies were impressive, I'm glad they did it well. Sonia Lafuente, maybe no one noticed, but she made clean program and advanced to the final which is quite an accomplishment.

Overall, it was great event. Much better than Men's for some reason. A lot of good performances and it looks like everyone is satisfied, and that's the most important thing. I loved the photo of Mao and Yuna together. If only everyone else would be like those two...

Now waiting for the LP. Sure it will be very interesting. Hope that will be the night everyone will remember after years to come.

 

[colleen o'neill]

I'd love to see Mirai do well tomorrow night. I ,too , am not sure her PCS shouldn't have been higher. But I have to confess that her skating moves me in a way Rachael's just doesn't...so, I have to acknowledge my personal preference might colour my opinion.I really think she holds the potential to become a really great US champion.

And if there was a bonus for having one of the cutest grins in figure skating...

 

[silverlake22]

Neither of them is expected on the podium. The somewhat void left after Kwan and Cohen left one had to look hard at what was left. Zhang and Wagner lost out at the Nats. I think they too, would have done as well given the fading of Kostner and Meier. Akiko is a hit or miss too often, and the next group of young Ladies have not yet arrived.

What I'm thinking if they can carry that 5th and 6th place into Torino, the USFS will have 3 places next season. Caroline and Ashley will fight it out to get that vacancy.

But first , let's see if they can hang on to it for the LP.

To get three spots at worlds the scores just need to add up to 13 or less, meaning they could finish 5th and 8th, 6th and 7th, or 4th and 9th and still get three spots. I have faith that Mirai and Rachael can manage at least one of those combinations of results if not better here and at worlds some of the medal favorites here will likely not compete which would further increase their chances of earning 3 spots back. Mirai and Rachael are more consistent than Ashley and Caroline so I don't know what the placement would have been if the two other girls had competed, but I actually think US ladies skating is in a good place right now. Caroline seems to be on the upswing and Ashley keeps improving, Rachael is a great competitor and seems unaffected by nerves, Mirai is gaining good consistency through competing a lot, and Gao I have no doubt will be the next big star. I believe in the US lady skaters . Go rock the LP and have fun tomorrow girls :agree:!

 

[ordinary person]

I love Miki Ando but here,she got too many points,she should've gotten 54,70 instead,omg what a disater,no chance for her to catch up with joannie rochette either,she's simply outskated by joannie rachel,etc

 

[Marrymeyunakim]

I'm surprised no one has said much about the flaws in Mirai's jumps. They look great but a slow-motion reply of her lutz showed a very clear inside edge i.e. flutz, if not no edge at all. So I think her -1.2 was justified in that regard. And on her flip there was no clear inside edge, hence her small GOE there I guess. Anyway, just thought I should mention that although she's quite polished for her age, she's still got some way to go. What she does have is beautiful lines, posture, choreography and speed, so one would think she'd be a world medallist in no time.

 

[Bennett]

I think the low GOE is probably due to her second jump 2Toe. Even the Japanese TV commentators were worrying about it. In combo, both jumps should be excuted well to get high GOE. This is why combos are more difficult to get high GOE.

Good point.

Just curious.. I have seen many recent videos where Kwan, Yamaguchi, Witt and some legendary skaters praising Yu-Na for her technicality and artistry (you can easily find them on youtube) but few about Mao. On the other hand, on the internet forum, I see some fans always complaining about Yu-Na. Why is that there seems to be a huge gap of perspectives between these legendary athlets and fans? Because these fans are experts in CoP but these athletes are still used to 6.0?

Dick Bottun (spelling?) is a huge fan of Mao.

I think she will rock the LP! Most likely she will still end up 4th but I think she's in it to win it. She is more of a LP skater.

What do people think Suzuki will place here? I know she's in 11th now do you think she might pull up into the top 6 where the points are close?

I think that Miki has a good chance of getting Bronze.
It's anyone's game between the 60-64 point range. It's so crowded. But Akiko is less likely than some other skaters to make mistakes in LP.

 

[lavender]

Um, because Yuna is the favorite and dominant skater now? Naturally, she will be most talked about and praised by other skaters. There are other skaters who praised Mao just NBC didn't interview them. Irina did a interview with Japanese media and she praised Mao. Also I just heard Lu Chen was on a tv program expressing praise for Mao's performance last night.

I agree. When Mao was winning they were praising her potential artistry and tech ability. For me it's always been both but in one year after Mao's world championship it was all Yu na. Both have qualities that makes them almost equal and special...at least for me.

 

[silverlake22]

I'm surprised no one has said much about the flaws in Mirai's jumps. They look great but a slow-motion reply of her lutz showed a very clear inside edge i.e. flutz, if not no edge at all. So I think her -1.2 was justified in that regard. And on her flip there was no clear inside edge, hence her small GOE there I guess. Anyway, just thought I should mention that although she's quite polished for her age, she's still got some way to go. What she does have is beautiful lines, posture, choreography and speed, so one would think she'd be a world medallist in no time.

Mirai does have a ways to go, but she's only 16 and she has improved a lot since last year. I think no one has said anything about Mirai's jumps because she was marked fairly for them - the lutz was on the wrong edge so she got -1.20, the flip had a very solid landing which offset the takeoff so she got a slight +GOE , and her 2a is one of the best of all the ladies so her big +GOE there was justified. Her jumps are looking better and she is becoming a pretty consistent performer, and these things are important. Everything else, the elegance, the speed, the flexibility, the spins, footwork, choreography are all there already. She has great spirit and expression too, although she is a little more reserved when competing at important competitions. I think Mirai has the potential to be a world medalist in a few years too - she is obviously very determined and a hard worker and it certainly is paying off. So excited for her, hope she rocks the LP! :agree:

 

[Toby1Dawg]

I agree. When Mao was winning they were praising her potential artistry and tech ability. For me it's always been both but in one year after Mao's world championship it was all Yu na. Both have qualities that makes them almost equal and special...at least for me.

One of the main problems is that Mao has had terrible programs since switching to Tarasova. Her strengths and artistry aren't highlighted. Plus she hasn't really fixed her jump issues that a good tech coach would have been able to fix. It's a shame because COP would really reward Mao's natural lightness, carriage, and overall skating beauty which are hidden by overly dramatic movements and dark music plus the ugly tarasova costumes. It's hard to believe the Japanese Fed. hasn't done more to fix this. At this point, Yuna would really have to bomb and Mao would have to skate her programs brilliantly for Mao to take the gold. Yuna is a better overall package: better speed, jump tech, programs, etc.

 

[enchantment19]

as figure skating fans, it really should not matter whether winner should be japanese, chinese, korean or canadian or whatever nationality. I love figure skating, i want to see good performances from these fantastic skaters. And no matter what nationality, we should want the best to win.

ita!!!!

 

[will74lsn]

Ando's triple flip not downgraded???!!! Flatt's triple lutz not downgraded?????!!!! All commentators of French, Swiss and German television were surprised /shocked to see that these jumps were not downgraded (as I was myself). Did the panel get the order to close one eye or even two? It is more astonishing considering that this is the same panel that downgraded yuna's combination at the GP final last December (one would then think that this is a very severe panel..but would expect that it is so in EVERY competition and with EVERY skater). I think the ISU needs to do something about that. The technical panels seem to have at every competition different criteria to decide about downgrades (see Sarah Meier at the European Championship being downgraded on her 3Lz in the short...MANY experts thought the jump should have not been downgraded.).
Now, EVEN if you decide that these 2 jumps do not "deserve" to be downgraded it is clear that they were not flawless. Now, what the 9 judges did with their GOE's? Ando got GOE 0 from 6 judges and Flatt got 0 from 2 judges! Ando had also a long break between the steps and the jump which means that she should have got -1 for the break and at least -1 for the underrotation...well only 1 out of 9 judges gave her -2. Were the others sleeping? My gosh, they have reviews! I am a judge myself; when I judge skaters, especially, in contention for medals I review the crucial elements EVEN if I am almost sure I saw it right the first time. I have to say...I am disappointed of SOME of the judging of this ladies SP. I hope they will do better in the LP. the sport's credibility is at stake.

 

[fourclover]

I thought Yu-na's skated better Bond Girl in Skate America. In Vancouver, she wasn's as speedy and enthusiastic; I thought she skated a bit tentatively. BUT, I have a renewed repect and awe towards Yu-na for not crumbling under pressure when skating right after Mao who brought the house down before her eyes. I thought Mao was great and was worried for Yu-na. Sasha, Michelle, Irina all bombed their programs because of pressure. Wow, Yu-na is the true champion in so many different ways. I hear Mao is going to skate her LP right after Yu-na on Thursday. If Yu-na skates perfect and brings the house down, I HIGHLY doubt Mao would succeed in landing all her jumps unless she's already gotten it in her head that she's not Yu-na's competition. It'll be very interesting to see.

 

[museksk8r]

Ando's triple flip not downgraded???!!! Flatt's triple lutz not downgraded?????!!!! All commentators of French, Swiss and German television were surprised /shocked to see that these jumps were not downgraded (as I was myself). Did the panel get the order to close one eye or even two? It is more astonishing considering that this is the same panel that downgraded yuna's combination at the GP final last December (one would then think that this is a very severe panel..but would expect that it is so in EVERY competition and with EVERY skater). I think the ISU needs to do something about that. The technical panels seem to have at every competition different criteria to decide about downgrades (see Sarah Meier at the European Championship being downgraded on her 3Lz in the short...MANY experts thought the jump should have not been downgraded.).
Now, EVEN if you decide that these 2 jumps do not "deserve" to be downgraded it is clear that they were not flawless. Now, what the 9 judges did with their GOE's? Ando got GOE 0 from 6 judges and Flatt got 0 from 2 judges! Ando had also a long break between the steps and the jump which means that she should have got -1 for the break and at least -1 for the underrotation...well only 1 out of 9 judges gave her -2. Were the others sleeping? My gosh, they have reviews! I am a judge myself; when I judge skaters, especially, in contention for medals I review the crucial elements EVEN if I am almost sure I saw it right the first time. I have to say...I am disappointed of SOME of the judging of this ladies SP. I hope they will do better in the LP. the sport's credibility is at stake.

I agree with every word and I really like Miki and Rachael, but I thought they were given generous breaks last night.

 

[kikakiks]

I totally agree as well with your considerations on the downgrades.....the sad thing is that the current positions would be MUCH different, with MIRAI in 4th, CARO in 5th and then ANDO and FLATT....It would have totally changed the podium hunt.....

I really really feel sad, because I was watching it live yesterday night and you could clearly see both of them not completing the third turn...
I am not understanding why not many other people are realizing that...Maybe because it involves the US Champion?...