2015 Four Continents Ladies SP Feb 13 Seoul Time

[Meoima]

THIS. Most refined skater of her generation.little Mao in training

I'd believe that if she only skate her LP. Not that SP...

 

[Ophelia]

Korea better produce another ladies skater to contend in 2018. Park does not have the mental goods to do what it takes to be a podium contender.

 

[tokugawaice]

Rika Hongo shafted again! I had her #1... low-balled on PCS

 

[rite of spring]

Can we stop with these corruption theories? Do you have any proof of behind the scene deals, etc?

What are you talking about, I find all the conspiracy theories amusing
Figure skating is one of the easiest sport to stir up controversy among fans. All you need to do is put up some keywords on the internet and there will be bunch of people doing the rest.
The best part is when people start criticizing the results with there gut. Thing about the IJS is that it's all about counting the criteria and there are lot of people who don't bother checking those stuff, which makes the sport more interesting.
It would be a good topic for a social experiment

 

[cheerknithanson]

Can we stop with these corruption theories? Do you have any proof of behind the scene deals, etc?

I agree. The only conspiracy theories that I like to hear (Though not believe) are about cartoons cause they're not real.

I like to accept stuff how it is unless there's definite proof out there that has been fully verified.

 

[Jammers]

So it sounds like Gracie made yet again silly mistakes. It's getting clear that this girl is not a great competitor and never will be because she should never lose against this field. Now she's getting to close to the boards for some reason.

 

[Sandpiper]

Honestly, not a bad competition. A few clean skates (Rika, Satoko, Polina) and a few with one error or less (Zijun, Alaine, Yuka). Really no worse than the men. I think we just all set our expectations low for the men.

Satoko: Deservedly in the lead. Her SP has grown on me. She still looks a little rehearsed, but no more so than her competitors here. Her spins really should've received more GOE.

Gracie: I honestly don't think it was any better than Zijun or Alaine, but... The protocols don't look too crazy GOE-wise, but I'm 99% sure that another skater could've come out and done the same routine, and received nowhere near 32 TES. The program itself is still sleep-inducing. I give up, trying to understand this...

Rika: Not of fan of this SP, at all, but in light of Gracie's mistakes I'd have her second. One has to admire the mental toughness shown by the Japanese ladies this year.

Polina: I'm on board with this SP for her. It's more mature than her long, hits some nice musical nuances, and she doesn't do the weird arm-waving thing here. My main issue is with the StSq--it's nicely choreographed, but the actual quality of her steps, in terms of speed/ice coverage, is not impressive.

Zijun: I hope she sees the score as encouraging--with a perfect 3F-3T, she could be fighting for the lead. So don't give in, Zijun--go for broke in the free and at Worlds!

Alaine: She landed 3Lo! The program really suits her. Impressive security and power on her StSq (more GOE there, judges...?) Fix those two-foot issues and she could be the leading lady Canada needs.

Sad for Brooklee, Veronik, and SoYoun... I hope they fight back in the free. Samantha Cesario was a wonderful performer as always, but she'll never pull the necessary GOE and PCS if she doesn't fix the speed/UR issues.

 

[Meoima]

What are you talking about, I find all the conspiracy theories amusing
Figure skating is one of the easiest sport to stir up controversy among fans. All you need to do is put up some keywords on the internet and there will be bunch of people doing the rest.
The best part is when people start criticizing the results with there gut. Thing about the IJS is that it's all about counting the criteria and there are lot of people who don't bother checking those stuff, which makes the sport more interesting.
It would be a good topic for a social experiment

I can tell you making up the scoresheet is not too difficult at all. If IJS is truly just about counting the criteria it should not be this mess.
Case in point: Sochi. But let's not go there.

 

[jenaj]

I don't think the SP is that bad, yes, I can agree on the LP styling. And than look where bad styling got Oksana.

LOL! But she got points for skating while part of the former Soviet Union.

 

[rite of spring]

I can tell you making up the scoresheet is not too difficult at all. If IJS is truly just about counting the criteria it should not be this mess.
Case in point: Sochi. But let's not go there.

Don't use that keyword lol
I'm not saying every judging makes sense, there are times when things don't add up. What I meant was there are some fans who get into their own theories before checking.

 

[Sackie]

Here's hoping Daleman's big mistake in the short will put a spark under her and she will skate lights out in the long. If she had at least gone for the 3z and stepped out or even 2 footed it she would probably have been skating in the final group.
Hope Chartrand is feeling better for the long - you could tell she was not looking her best at the end of her skate.
Not really expecting either to be in there for the medals but would like to see them both skate good long programs here and score in the 120s. They need to show they can do it before worlds or else Can may be down to one lady come next year.

 

[beki]

I adore Satoko, but she seemed slower than at Japanese Nationals, even in the spins. I think the long sleeves and puffed shoulders on her costume make her look younger, and a costume change would be the quickest fix to appearing too juniorish. She can't grow until she grows!

Gracie was gifted. I wonder how much longer that will last.

I don't think today was the best I've seen from Rika—she was jumping with her shoulders cranked so high it ruined the impression of her jumps. Admirable consistency though.

Polina was focused to the extent that her performance/interpretation was virtually blank. I don't like the program or the costume. She too looked like a junior. I'm not good at seeing underrotations, but I wasn't sure about her triple toe.

If Zijun managed a triple-triple I would have happily seen her in first. I don't know that she's regained the joy she once had, but she skates very light and lovely.

I was underwhelmed compared to the men's SP.

 

[kwanatic]

Just finished watching the ladies SP

Satoko: Glad she's in 1st place. I still cringe at how tiny her jumps look, but everything else was very nice. I think the judges lowballed her in PCS (as usual). No way should she be lower than Gracie in PE, CH or IN...TR either for that matter. I feel really sorry for Satoko b/c I don't think she'll ever get the PCS she deserves unless she can make her skating bigger.

Gracie: I'm very over this program and I'm almost over Gracie too. She's done nothing to improve my opinion of her chances of catching the Russians/Ashley at worlds. I thought the judges were very friendly to her here. Given the wall hit on the combo and blanking out on the axel, I think 30+ in PCS is too much. She's being held up right now. The only thing Gracie should be ahead of everyone else in is SS. Her score should be lower than it is. How long are the judges going to hold her up? If she wins this competition based on inflated PCS I'm going to be majorly pissed.

Rika: Bravo! She's really impressed me this season. She's found that consistency and it's really starting to pay off. Rika isn't soup yet but I could see her being a factor down the road if she can keep this up.

Polina: Good to see her finally hit her program in front of an international panel. I thought she looked more confident and composed out there than she's looked all season. I really like her SP...her FS, not so much but it was nice to see her do well here. She's definitely in the running for a medal.

Zijun: I was pleasantly surprised to see Zijun skate so well here. That's the best she's been all season IMO. Had she hit that 3-3, she'd probably be closer to the top than she is now. I'd like to see her fight back with a strong FS and possibly medal here.


It's a close race all around. Only 2.17 points separates 1st and 2nd, and only 2.39 points separates 2nd from 5th. It's anyone's game really.

 

[minze]

So it sounds like Gracie made yet again silly mistakes. It's getting clear that this girl is not a great competitor and never will be because she should never lose against this field. Now she's getting to close to the boards for some reason.

Dismissive much... People on this field are very talented.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I don't mind Satoko's score overall but how the judges got there seems crazy. Her PCS should be higher but her TES much lower. The fact that they ratified her 3-3 was a gift but to give it positive GOE to be worth almost the same point value of Polina's just seems wrong. On top of that dinging Alaines 3-3 and not Satoko's just makes me cringe

Satoka is light as air on the ice but so heavy like a wet blanket in the air. Can this be fixed?

 

[Skater Boy]

I wouldn't count Ashley out, but it does seem that the medal chase at worlds will be between the three Russian ladies and Wagner, unless Gracie can skate much better than this. The other ladies, unfortunately, do not seem up to that level.

I agree. The Russian ladies or girls are young and vulnerable - a slight weight change or the pressure and they could be off the podium easily. Ashley has the experience and poise to medal though a gold may be hard with three Russian challengers Kind of odd that Russia's supposed top two skaters from last year (Julia and Adelina are out). Don't forget Korpi and I wouldn't give up on Gracie though it seems US No. 1 is Ashley my bet is two Russians and Wagner fight for the medals. Korpi will somehow be held up. The real fight is for the top ten after three Americans, Three Russians and three Japanese ladies who will get the last spot in top ten. Okay Korpi so really it is 11 and 12th to possibly earn two spots- France, China, korea and Canada China and France would be my "logical" pick but I wonder without Osmond can one Canadian girl get the job done? A melt down by Korpi, Edmund or one of the Japanese ladies is almost needed to allow these nations a better shot at earning two spots. (Not that I wish that upon them but who appear must "vulnerable" based on their skating this year (or lack of skating in some cases).

 

[Sandpiper]

I don't mind Satoko's score overall but how the judges got there seems crazy. Her PCS should be higher but her TES much lower. The fact that they ratified her 3-3 was a gift but to give it positive GOE to be worth almost the same point value of Polina's just seems wrong. On top of that dinging Alaines 3-3 and not Satoko's just makes me cringe

Satoka is light as air on the ice but so heavy like a wet blanket in the air. Can this be fixed?

Her jumps were "borderline" but not a full quarter-turn short. Just 'cause they're small doesn't mean they should always be dinged.

 

[chuckm]

The Ladies judging panel has the most unusual geographic distribution ever: one AUS; four Far East: JPN, KOR, CHN, TPE; three NA: USA, CAN, MEX; one EUR: ITA

 

[chuckm]

Her jumps were "borderline" but not a full quarter-turn short. Just 'cause they're small doesn't mean they should always be dinged.

If you look at the protocol you will see that many of the judges give her 0 GOE on her jumps, and that is how it should be. All of her jumps barely clear the ice. That is also reflected in her skating skills mark, and that's why her PCS scores are lower than some of the skaters she beats. Gracie Gold has huge jumps and a lot more speed and ice coverage than Satoko and whether or not she has errors, her PCS scores should be much higher than Satoko's.

Satoko's small jumps are not a factor of her small size, but rather of her skating style. As others have noted, Karen Chen is just as small as Satoko, and Karen's jumps are huge. Some of the Russian girls who are younger than Satoko are equally small and yet get a lot more air on their jumps.

 

[Sandpiper]

If you look at the protocol you will see that many of the judges give her 0 GOE on her jumps, and that is how it should be. All of her jumps barely clear the ice. That is also reflected in her skating skills mark, and that's why her PCS scores are lower than some of the skaters she beats. Gracie Gold has huge jumps and a lot more speed and ice coverage than Satoko and whether or not she has errors, her PCS scores should be much higher than Satoko's.

Satoko's small jumps are not a factor of her small size, but rather of her skating style. As others have noted, Karen Chen is just as small as Satoko, and Karen's jumps are huge. Some of the Russian girls who are younger than Satoko are equally small and yet get a lot more air on their jumps.

I said they're (borderline) rotated, not that they're good/high-GOE-worthy.

Gracie deserves higher SS scores than Satoko, but that's just one category of PCS. She certainly doesn't deserve huge scores in the other categories for that performance. "Big jumps" (which weren't even there today) doesn't mean she deserves high marks for, say, Interpretation Timing.

Why direct all this at me anyway? Satoko is about my 5th/6th favourite skater in the field.