Latest Kwan News (?)

[chuckm]

I don't think Michelle needs to bring her "A" game to the GPs. The fact is that she'd be skating in the early half of the GP, and few if any of the skaters are in top competitive form that early in the season. As her basic skating is excellent, she just needs to be reasonably well-prepared and show a better mastery of CoP details than she showed at Worlds 2005.

As for pre-judging, JoAnnie Rochette skated very well at the GP last season and that didn't help her at Worlds, while Carolina Kostner skated poorly in the GP, and the judges didn't hold that against her at Worlds.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

I don't think Michelle needs to bring her "A" game to the GPs. The fact is that she'd be skating in the early half of the GP, and few if any of the skaters are in top competitive form that early in the season. As her basic skating is excellent, she just needs to be reasonably well-prepared and show a better mastery of CoP details than she showed at Worlds 2005.

As for pre-judging, JoAnnie Rochette skated very well at the GP last season and that didn't help her at Worlds, while Carolina Kostner skated poorly in the GP, and the judges didn't hold that against her at Worlds.

ITA... I think MK's pcs scores will reflect directly on her participation in the GP. She might not need her A game until Italy, but she will need to show up... particulary at Skate America...

She's a smart girl & if she's serious about competing and WINNING at the olympics, she'll skate the GP ... if she's over it & just fulfilling an obligation to "them" (sponsors, usfsa, fans, etc.) she won't. Time will tell.

 

[curious]

I don't think Michelle needs to bring her "A" game to the GPs. The fact is that she'd be skating in the early half of the GP, and few if any of the skaters are in top competitive form that early in the season. As her basic skating is excellent, she just needs to be reasonably well-prepared and show a better mastery of CoP details than she showed at Worlds 2005.

As for pre-judging, JoAnnie Rochette skated very well at the GP last season and that didn't help her at Worlds, while Carolina Kostner skated poorly in the GP, and the judges didn't hold that against her at Worlds.

Rochette is not an establish skater like Michell. People expect alot more from Kwan. I'm not sure she has enough in her tank to deliver a great performance in Torino

 

[gezando]

Rochette is not an establish skater like Michell. People expect alot more from Kwan. I'm not sure she has enough in her tank to deliver a great performance in Torino

Curious you are full of contradiction are you? Whether Rochette is established or not that is not the issue. There were expectations for her to established herself last season, and she did not come through. About MK at least you don't expect her to do well, so if she doesn't do well, I guess you have no grounds to bash her then.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

Rochette is not an establish skater like Michell. People expect alot more from Kwan. I'm not sure she has enough in her tank to deliver a great performance in Torino

I'm so confused by this... Because Kwan is established & people expect a lot from her you DON'T think she has enough in her "tank" to deliver a great performance? Huh?

Kwan is established and people expect a lot from her BECAUSE she delivers great performances, under pressure.

As for eating crow ~ I never encourage people to eat crow because its not a tasty dish... I just encourage people to step up & admit they were blown away... For example ~ as much as I love Irina, I didn't think SHE had enough in her "tank" to pull off her Worlds performance... but of course I didn't eat crow ~ I'm a Kwan fan ~ I ate chicken!

 

[Crizzy]

I had tons of expectations from Rochette. I thought her programs were magnificent. Established skater or not I think EVERYONE has some sort of expectation when they compete. Rochette was one of the "it girl" of skating. Great finish throughout the GPs, Canadian champion, there were alot of hype on her from many boards for 2005 Worlds. I was one of those rooting for Joannie, unfortunately it didn't happen. Despite the finish at worlds, Joannie still had a great season.

 

[curious]

Curious you are full of contradiction are you? Whether Rochette is established or not that is not the issue. There were expectations for her to established herself last season, and she did not come through. About MK at least you don't expect her to do well, so if she doesn't do well, I guess you have no grounds to bash her then.

Really? Was Rochette a contender in the judges eyes? Nope,but she didn't perform well in Moscow. As for Kwan,I don't know how much she is going to put into her skating this season considering the way she has been skating for the past three years

 

[gezando]

Really? Was Rochette a contender in the judges eyes?

Maybe you have an inside lens to the judges eyes. I don't know whether rochette is a contender in the judges eyes, but if you look at the message above yours, posters here consider her as a contender.

As for Kwan,I don't know how much she is going to put into her skating this season considering the way she has been skating for the past three years

So you don't know? If that is an unknown then none of us know right. In the past 3 years she placed first, third and 4th in worlds and won nationals. Does immediate past performance predict the immediate future placement?

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

My two cents

The Grand Prix competitions, unfortunately, are only for the elite skaters from several countries who have proven themselves worthy of being chosen. I would like to see 2nd tier skaters in the GPs also.

The contestants want to win these international competitions and give notice to the international judges as well as their competitors that they are worthy of podium places in a Worlds or Olys. GP skaters are out to win and make conversation about them among the judges.

The GPs are not just about new choreography; new costume; new program and testing the waters, so to speak. They are real international contests and the resultant tweeking a skater does afterwards is because of the international feedback.

Joannie Rochette, unfortunately, had a very poor LP in Moscow. It can happen to anyone and it has to some of the best. However, the GPs did give her the exposure for a serious look at during the Worlds. Without that serious look, the judges, imo, are not all that careful in the scoring. Skaters who do not get that serious look have different ranges of results.

For me, the last 6 to skater get the most attention!

Joe

 

[jesslily]

Joannie had a great program and dress and she skated fairly well at Grand Prix events. But if you watch carefully, you'll notice she is weak on 3flip and lutz. Most time she either double them or not put in the program. So she could score well with the "clean performance". At world, she wasn't energetic as before. I don't remember she skated much worse than at Grand Prix. I think the judges know how to place a skater with no two hardest triples mastered by most top competitior. On the other hand, Carolina has the jumps, but sometimes she was nervious and could not run the program well. She has the body type thatmost skating coaches look for, slender, easy to learn jumps.

 

[Mathman]

I never thought of Carolina as being particularly slender.

http://moon04.daa.jp/skate/photo/03season/04world/ladies/kostner2.jpg

http://sunshine82.altervista.org/immagini/Cartella/Kostner14.jpg

But she is fairly tall for a figure skater (almost 5'6"), which gives her a long, leggy look, and at 17 her figure is still more girlish than the older ladies'. Whether this makes her a better jumper, I'm not sure.

Mathman

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Regardless of nitpicking individual skaters as if they are doomed forever for perceived faults, and never will improve. I think Sarah Hughes put that nonsense to rest with her so-called underrotated jumps. Yes, yes, I know, the favorites faulted. They are human too. Gosh, will they again falter in 2006?

IMO, the 2005 Gran Prix will give us a better picture of what is going on with the current crop of elite skaters.

It's easy to pick the last six to skate based on last year's competitions: Slutskaya, Cohen, Kostner, Kwan, Suguri, Ando.

But are you really ready to write off: Sokolova, Poykio, Arakawa, Liashenko, Rochette, and Sebestyan as skater who will not make the last group of six?

Getting into the 'last six' is like getting an academy award nomination. It may not get you the Oscar but it does give you the prestige of being among the best.

Joe

 

[mzheng]

But are you really ready to write off: Sokolova, Poykio, Arakawa, Liashenko, Rochette, and Sebestyan as skater who will not make the last group of six?
Joe

Among them I definitely weren't write off Arakswa, Rochette. Hard to say about Poykio, from what ppl there in person she is very slow. Sokolova is charming, but her edge quality during her silver winning performance not that elite look; Sebestyan I doubt Judges like her that much, she's never been a top contend except winning European that year at her home country.

 

[Vash01]

I would not write off Arakawa at all. I am not sure about the others.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

By putting in Arakawa and Rochette, who will you drop to make room for one or both in the top six (last to skate)? Not easy to choose the top six skaters in Ladies figure skating at the moment.

Joe

 

[emma]

I never thought of Carolina as being particularly slender.

http://moon04.daa.jp/skate/photo/03season/04world/ladies/kostner2.jpg

http://sunshine82.altervista.org/immagini/Cartella/Kostner14.jpg

But she is fairly tall for a figure skater (almost 5'6"), which gives her a long, leggy look, and at 17 her figure is still more girlish than the older ladies'. Whether this makes her a better jumper, I'm not sure.

Mathman

Nice pics MM, thanks. Other posters have commented that being taller makes it harder to jump, whether this is something Carolina has had to compensate for (or work around) I don't know....but once I started rewatching vids of her skating, i really came to appreciate how she jumps far and fast, not high, like a stone skipping over water...neat effect.

And Joe:
"IMO, the 2005 Gran Prix will give us a better picture of what is going on with the current crop of elite skaters.

It's easy to pick the last six to skate based on last year's competitions: Slutskaya, Cohen, Kostner, Kwan, Suguri, Ando.

But are you really ready to write off: Sokolova, Poykio, Arakawa, Liashenko, Rochette, and Sebestyan as skater who will not make the last group of six?"

I couldn't agree more....meaning, I wouldn't write off that last bunch YET either...if all these women skate well, the competition is going to be INTENSE!

 

[Tony Wheeler]

But if you watch carefully, you'll notice she is weak on 3flip and lutz. Most time she either double them or not put in the program. So she could score well with the "clean performance".

What are you talking about? The lutz issues were in 2004, but not 2005, and her flip has always been one of her best jumps so I'm not sure what your comment is based on. In short programs all season, she only had the one jumping mistake at her first event, Cup of China, with a fall on the lutz. But at Bompard, the Grand Prix Final, Nationals, and Worlds, she had all clean performances. In free skates, she had the occasional issues with jumps before Worlds, but she doesn't "most of the time double them" or especially "not put them in the program". Kinda hard to be doing 6 and 7 triple programs as she did 3 times or so last year without those jumps, eh?!

And another thing, chuckm: her name is pronounced zho-uh-nee, not joe-aah-nee!

 

[Tony Wheeler]

Sebestyan I doubt Judges like her that much, she's never been a top contend except winning European that year at her home country.

Not a top contender, no, but she's made the final group on several occasions at Worlds (2000, 2002, 2004), and remember she was in the final group in SLC. Even though she wasn't in the final short program group at Worlds (like Rochette), I think if Julia would have skated a clean short that she coud have been right up there-- she had quite the dynamic and exciting program, and it scored 61 points at Euros, with maybe a bit too high components but not VERY out of line IMO.

 

[chuckm]

Tony Wheeler: "And another thing, chuckm: her name is pronounced zho-uh-nee, not joe-aah-nee!"

??? When did I mispronounce her name???? I wasn't aware the written word also SPEAKS!

 

[Crizzy]

LOL, chuckm. So do we spell Joannie as how it should be pronounced-
Zho-uh=nee? I actually like that spelling, very exotic Zhouhnee