GPF Barcelona 2014 live thoughts / reports | Page 3 | Golden Skate

GPF Barcelona 2014 live thoughts / reports

AprilS

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
It seemed to me that Yuzuru had much better ice coverage than both Tatsuki and Javier. I thought Tatsuki would be better than he actually was but the fancam shows otherwise. Maybe he was nervous and tense?

Possibly. I watched Yuzuru once, but Tatsuki and Javier multiple times to compare :/ I'll watch them again.

edit: Ah, you're right. I actually think it's Yuzuru > Javier >> Tatsuki now (imo, of course). Yes, maybe he was nervous/because he was under-prepared?
 
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unico

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
Well ice coverage isnt the be all end all, although it probably does really influence the second mark (people like to hate on Kovtun but he fills out the ice really well, although maybe with a bit less complexity). Machida is a physically much smaller skater than Fernandez so his skating might seem a little smaller, but in step sequences I think he has better flow and more control than Fernandez.

EDIT: just wanted to add my thanks to FS_rrb
 
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Meoima

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Well ice coverage isnt the be all end all, although it probably does really influence the second mark (people like to hate on Kovtun but he fills out the ice really well, although maybe with a bit less complexity). Machida is a physically much smaller skater than Fernandez so his skating might seem a little smaller, but in step sequences I think he has better flow and more control than Fernandez.
EDIT: just wanted to add my thanks to FS_rrb
I think so as well. Javi looked really laboured on ice with his skate. I think if all of them skated cleanly, Javi might be the one who got the lowest PCS.
 

ioanna

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
I wouldn't use Machida's GPF fancams as a good example, it was obviously a bad competition for him. Also the difference between him and Yuzuru was in TES (6 points) rather than PCS, and PCS are not all about ice coverage. ;)
 

AprilS

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
I'm not saying PCS is all about ice coverage ;) But it certainly has an effect. I would have had their PCS the same, or Machida slightly higher, for example, until I saw the fam-cams :p I better understand the difference in GOE for their step sequences too now at this particular competition. Because that's what fam-cams do - create a better understanding of a skater's skate at the particular competition that the fam-cam was taken.
 
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ioanna

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
I'm not saying PCS is all about ice coverage ;) But it certainly has an effect. I would have had their PCS the same, or Machida slightly higher, for example, until I saw the fam-cams :p I better understand the difference in GOE for their step sequences too now at this particular competition. Because that's what fam-cams do - create a better understanding of a skater's skate at the particular competition that the fam-cam was taken.

Well that's what I said, that the difference between the two of them was in TES rather than PCS.

Also, my ice coverage comment was in reply to people questioning whether Machida's skating is generally the way it appears in this particular fancam at this particular competition.
 
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FS_rrb

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
I was ill on Monday and Tuesday and now I'm busy with Christmas celebrations and other stuff...as soon as I have time I'll write my last report: free dance and men's free ;)
 

FS_rrb

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Sorry! I know I'm very late....but I've finally found some time to write my last report. Hope you enjoy! If you are still there ;-)

Day 3 part 2: Free dance and Men's free skate

Free Dance

Ilinykh and Zhiganshin impressed me this time, although I'm not a fan of their free dance. They are quite a fast pair, and their Skating Skills are really good. Above all, however, it is their passion and interpretation that stands out. They caught my attention from the beginning, I couldn't take my eyes off them. This is remarkable for a team that has been skating together for such a short time. They still looked unpolished in some elements and there are areas they have to work in, but I enjoyed their skate much more than I expected.

Gilles and Poirier were good, but not as good as in their SD, in my opinion. Honestly, their skate didn't impress me much. They skated well, the program was nice, but nothing special to me. To sum up, I found them a little dull and generic (in the FD, not in the pasodoble).

Something similar happened with the Shibs...they showed much more character in the SD. Yes, it was a completely different type of music, but anyway I think they could have put more passion in the waltz...just like Meryl and Charlie did in 2011-2012. Additionally, they look slow sometimes. Not terribly slow but their step sequence and twizzles look a little static, without much flow.

Papadakis and Cizeron were amazing. They were fast, smooth and made everything look so easy. It was beautiful...it's difficult to describe. I like how everything flows, there's speed, no hesitation and everything is executed very softly. I got a similar impression with Patrick's SP at Bompard last season, or with Yuzuru's SP here in Barcelona. Not to talk about their Skating Skills...amazing! Great pair...let's see what happens in the future.

Chock and Bates...I have mixed feelings. First, I don't like their FD because I cannot feel any emotion when watching it. I like them as a pair, but this skate left me cold, very cold. I cannot say I disliked them...in fact I found them beautiful to watch because they skated really well, but I think they should try to interpret more.

Weaver and Poje were the best. I think Papadakis' Cizeron's basics are better, but these two have the edge over the French when it comes to interpretation or, rather, projection. Additionally, their dresses were just gorgeous. Her dress looked stunning live. While the French left me speechless, the Canadians gave me goosebumps. I preferred the goosebumps this time, I just love it when skaters interpret their programs so passionately.

Men's free skate

Mura has very high jumps but not much flow. He's a good skater but a little unpolished for my taste. To be honest, I cannot say much more about his performance because I don't remember much...nothing memorable.

Javi is such a showman...he has great personality and this is always good for the audience. He was quite good this time, despite some silly mistakes. I like his Barbiere program, it's funny and entertaining but without getting close to being "ridiculous". He looks like a gentleman all the time, but knows how to adapt to the light, fast and sparkling music of Rossini. It's perfect for him. PCS-wise, his Skating Skills still annoy me sometimes...his step sequence looks more laboured than ever in this program because it is too complex for him. His posture could be improved too and he stills looks too rigid, in my opinion. With better arm movement and improved Skating Skills, he could be much better (and he is already VERY good).

I appreciated Voronov's character and intention, but the program didn't work for me. Arm waving, rigid body, "up-and-down" jumps, posing...this is everything I hate about men figure skating. He has decent speed and has good presence on the ice, but his skating is not my cup of tea...I can't help it. Anyway, he skated really well and deserved his bronze medal. Good for him!

The same can be said about Kovtun. His skating skills are not as bad as some people say. He is fast and covers the ice really well, but his programs or, rather, his skating in general is extremely empty. His was my least favourite program of the night. I still remember my father, who enjoys watching figure skating from time to time but doesn't know the skaters really well (so he is not biased), looking at me and saying "Nothing special" after Kovtun's program. This sums it all for me.

Forgive me but I cannot say anything about Machida. It was such a heartbreaking performance...I'm sad to have witnessed such a disastrous skate by him, especially now that I know that I won't have a chance to see him skate again.

And finally, the incredible, awesome, mind-blowing: the great Yuzuru Hanyu. I was extremely nervous when the program started, I wanted to witness something extraordinary just like I did a year before in Paris with Patrick. And I did, again. It was such an emotional skate. Yuzuru has such a command of the ice...it's really amazing. Improved skating skills, awesome jumps and something difficult to describe, something special (charisma?) that really catches you. I admit I'm a fan (Daisuke, Patrick and Yuzuru and clearly my favourite skaters in recent years) but I'm trying to be as objective as possible.

Technically, he's a beast. No one, no one, comes close to the quality of his jumps in person because they are just incredibly soft, airy and, yet, powerful. Others might have big jumps, but the way Yuzuru lands them is unreal, not to talk about his air position. PCS could be improved, but they are already great. We always compare him with Patrick, but we have to take into account that Patrick's skating skills are almost impossible to equal, since he has been working on them since he started skating as a kid. To me, Yuzuru's ability to interpret and move audiences is superior to Patrick's, though.

I remember my cousin (not a figure skating fan, but a little more fan now after the GPF) looking at me just after Yuzu's quads and triple flip and saying "this is just amazing". We went crazy at the end, he's just that great. Even a week after the event we talked about how great seeing the GPF live was and she still mentioned Yuzu's performance as the highlight of the final..."you couldn't take your eyes off him, he was like floating" she said. An incredible experience. I hope I get more chances to see figure skating live. I'm addicted now! :biggrin:

Thank you for your attention! I hope you've enjoyed my thought!

Bye! :)
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Thank you for your final report. I'm so glad you enjoyed your time in Barcelona and are kind enough to share your impressions with us.
Do you go to skating events often?
 

leolion11

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 2, 2014
Thank you for the reports!! Your reports are really interesting and it's been a pleasure reading them :)
 

cruzceleste

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Thank you for your reports, hope everyone had fun and enjoyed it :)

Specialy FS_rrb
 
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