2016 Worlds! Expectations? Concerns?

[RABID]

I thought Pogorilaya had won gold after that free skate. I would have switched the order to Pogorilaya, Medvedeva, then Wagner.

One world record gets celebrated, two world records in the same night might be just a tad too hard to swallow. When Evgenia got hers the writing was on the wall, no one was going to beat her else the judges credibility would end up being the story of the night.

 

[boskil]

The most ridiculous home inflation in latest fs history.
Dear Korean fans, I got bad news for you: Adelina's Sochi scores were a little con comparing to this abomination. Well executed corruption always looks half-believable and half-decent for strangers - this looked simply disgusting.

Ashley's pale and petrified face after step out was telling. Skating skills half point better than Mao and Evgenia (Mother of God!), point better than Satoko (and Holy Son!) say the rest.
The whole over the top (she must have known she had better skate at GPF) theatre sealed the deal.
Don't make me even take on Gracie's FS scored higher than Mao's 3A fine clean(ish) performance and overall beating two clean Satoko's skates - there are simply no words to describe that.

#Remember2016W

 

[Vladimir]

I told you, in my opinion Medvedeva is the best female skater ever! New World Record!

 

[mary01]

The most ridiculous home inflation in latest fs history.
Dear Korean fans, I got bad news for you: Adelina's Sochi scores were a little con comparing to this abomination. Well executed corruption always looks half-believable and half-decent for strangers - this looked simply disgusting.

Ashley's pale and petrified face after step out was telling. Skating skills half point better than Mao and Evgenia (Mother of God!), point better than Satoko (and Holy Son!) say the rest.

The whole over the top (she must have known she had better skate at GPF) theatre sealed the deal.
Don't make me even take on Gracie's FS scored higher than Mao's 3A fine clean(ish) performance and overall beating two clean Satoko's skates - there are simply no words to describe that.

#Remember2016W

I still can't believe Mao didn't ATLEAST medal for the amaazing performance she delivered last night, it seems like we viewers and the audience were watching something and the judges were watching something else when i look at her scores, and i'm still speechless when i think of how deflated her scores were at this event and the very strange tech calls she got here, something is really off with the scores she has been receiving, it just feels like they deliberately tried everything to keep her away from the medals, and i still cant get over how many points Ashley scores and Gracies suddenly rised at this event, the results and scores seem soo random and unpredictable!

 

[Seren]

The most ridiculous home inflation in latest fs history.
Dear Korean fans, I got bad news for you: Adelina's Sochi scores were a little con comparing to this abomination. Well executed corruption always looks half-believable and half-decent for strangers - this looked simply disgusting.

Ashley's pale and petrified face after step out was telling. Skating skills half point better than Mao and Evgenia (Mother of God!), point better than Satoko (and Holy Son!) say the rest.
The whole over the top (she must have known she had better skate at GPF) theatre sealed the deal.
Don't make me even take on Gracie's FS scored higher than Mao's 3A fine clean(ish) performance and overall beating two clean Satoko's skates - there are simply no words to describe that.

#Remember2016W

I think you need to calm down a little. How is an event where two Russian's medal and one breaks the WR an example of this traversity you are implying? I think all the PCS numbers were inflated, Evgenia's were huge too, and Ashley's deserve to be on par with hers. If anything, the overly gifted score was Gracie's SP. Mao's scores are low right now because of her inconsistency. It's not right but she lost based on tech (and I say this as a person who thinks Mao is a goddess).

A con would have been if Ashley or Gracie had won with the performances they gave. There were no Americans on the judging panel (and none of them were married to a member of the federation...). Ashley's errors were called out, Evgenia's flutz was not.

 

[OS]

The most ridiculous home inflation in latest fs history.
Dear Korean fans, I got bad news for you: Adelina's Sochi scores were a little con comparing to this abomination. Well executed corruption always looks half-believable and half-decent for strangers - this looked simply disgusting.

Ashley's pale and petrified face after step out was telling. Skating skills half point better than Mao and Evgenia (Mother of God!), point better than Satoko (and Holy Son!) say the rest.
The whole over the top (she must have known she had better skate at GPF) theatre sealed the deal.
Don't make me even take on Gracie's FS scored higher than Mao's 3A fine clean(ish) performance and overall beating two clean Satoko's skates - there are simply no words to describe that.

#Remember2016W

:rofl2: ... i am in a giggling mood today!!! We need charts and graphs now!!!! Bow to Mother of God!

 

[Mathman]

2016 Worlds! Expectations? Concerns?

Best Worlds ever! Exceeded expectations! No concerns!

 

[Alexz]

Ballet is not just about flexibility. If anything it's more about isolating parts of the body and keeping other core parts still. In that sense, Medvedeva's movements remind me of the basics of ballet. She has a very unique style. Her movements are angular and very isolating, not just arms but legs also.

Ballet and Figure Skating are quite different in principle actually and goes back to the basics about knees and turnouts.

People who embody ballet in figure skating are more performers who have adapted that dance form into the performance aspect of figure skating like Baiul yes. I don't think there are any true ballet dancers on ice. They're just too different. But yeah, I like Medvedeva because of that isolation and angularity she achieves in her movements. It's nice.

Exactly right, Medvedeva has an almost perfectly trained head-torso-hands coordination, it is what they call famous "Vaganova back". It's actually surprising for a Moscow girl to achieve, because Bolshoi academy training is a bit different, but Vaganova Academy (which is located in different city, not Moscow where Medvedeva lived and trained her childhood and teen ages) is the one that famous for their that special 'Vaganova' way of ballet movements. Medvedeva is either has born with it or just had a ballet teacher from St. Petersburg who worked on her from 10 to 14 y.o. Evgenia might look boney and skinny, but her core, back and abdominals are looking very strong.

Vaganova method is all about precision, flexibility comes only second. Vaganova method trained dancers has quiet power in their backs. Thais ballerinas might look too skinny or fragile, but I can assure you they can bend nails with their back. At the same time it is very controlled strength, regal carriage. It makes your core perfect for any kind of "dance" sport or choreographic art. Generally speaking, every single Russian gymnasts (rhythmic/artistic), acrobats, figure skaters, ballroom dancers, circus performers (look at Circque du Soleil: 1/3 of their performers are Russians), aerobic dancers & etc usually are required to take some Vaganova training under their belt in order to be worthy of well performing in their craft or art.

Usually Vaganova-trained dancers are easy to spot: even their routinely moves, walks, posture in real life is deeply internalized and their bodies naturally screams and breathes that special elegant movements either they just reaching their hand to the table to pick up a cup of tea, either they are waking defile in the fashion show podium. It's something either you are born with either able to develop in very young ages. Requires a discipline and highly structured classes few years long of Vaganova method. Certainly, figure skaters in Russia don't spend much hours a week for ballet training, but they all have to develop this pure nice lines in the port de bras and deep plies, en-dehors pirouettes are often taken from 4th or 3th positions. The quality of tandues are usually a big deal for figure skaters too. Figure skaters are surely not required to train and rehearse ballet as hard and much as ballerinas, but it does help them to develop a perfectly balanced muscular core, which helps them to keep their balance on skates and move their hands/head gracefully in any complex way choreography is required.

In short: the main secret of Russian figure skating or any Russian "performing athlet" is proper (Vagnova method) ballet training in the young ages.

 

[Lillian]

Good ladies event but a nightmare men's event

 

[AsadaFanBoy]

I love Ashley.

I just looked at the protocols. How did she get a level 4 step?!

The overall placements were correct but...she didn't suddenly get Gracie or Mao edge quality overnight.

 

[Mrs. P]

I love Ashley.

I just looked at the protocols. How did she get a level 4 step?!

The overall placements were correct but...she didn't suddenly get Gracie or Mao edge quality overnight.

I don't think this is the first time she's received level 4? Level 4 is less about edge quality then to meet the requirements of the step sequence. Someone can probably explain it better than me.

 

[AsadaFanBoy]

I don't think this is the first time she's received level 4? Level 4 is less about edge quality then to meet the requirements of the step sequence. Someone can probably explain it better than me.

I know it's not about the quality but the overall content.

Ashley didn't suddenly put in more rockers brackets mohawks etc. in this specific performance. She's been getting level 3 in the step sequence for the long all season.

To my knowledge, this is the first international competition in which Ashley got a level 4 step sequence in the long. Prior to this, all the level 4 step sequences she's earned were in the short program (that I can remember).

 

[noskates]

I've often wondered how many can claim "home inflation" when the majority of the judges were NOT from the US! If they were all American judges and the competition was in the US than I think you might have a case. As it was - I was in the arena in Boston and thought the judging was spot on. Ashley's skate was the best I've ever seen her do. I wish people could just be happy for her instead of ripping her apart because their favorite didn't beat her.

 

[karne]

I know it's not about the quality but the overall content.

Ashley didn't suddenly put in more rockers brackets mohawks etc. in this specific performance. She's been getting level 3 in the step sequence for the long all season.

To my knowledge, this is the first international competition in which Ashley got a level 4 step sequence in the long. Prior to this, all the level 4 step sequences she's earned were in the short program (that I can remember).

Did you know that it is extremely possible to choreograph a step sequence as a level four but have it only get level 3s for most of the season because the skater doesn't do it 100% correctly?

The tiniest slip off an edge might be almost invisible to the naked eye sitting in the stand or watching on TV, but the tech panel is always watching.

 

[noskates]

2016 Worlds! Expectations? Concerns?

Best Worlds ever! Exceeded expectations! No concerns!

Could not agree more! However, the security at TD Gardens was a royal pain. The $5 bottles of water and no drinking fountains was just ridiculous. But the skating was phenomenol. The people of Boston are very, very friendly and helpful and the arena is a great place to view a competition. Was very impressed with the skaters and the performances. Some of my favorites won or placed, some didn't, but all of it was good!

 

[Mrs. P]

Could not agree more! However, the security at TD Gardens was a royal pain. The $5 bottles of water and no drinking fountains was just ridiculous. But the skating was phenomenol. The people of Boston are very, very friendly and helpful and the arena is a great place to view a competition. Was very impressed with the skaters and the performances. Some of my favorites won or placed, some didn't, but all of it was good!

I snuck in water bottles after the first day once I realize they weren't checking that hard. By the last day, I had an OPEN bottle in my hand they still didn't make me throw it out. Never so appreciated $1.27 water bottles in my life before!

 

[noskates]

You could walk across the street to CVS and get 24 bottles of water for $3.99. That just infuriated me that TD Gardens would gouge customers that way! Some people were blaming the ISU but they honestly have nothing to do with the concession prices except for skating merchandise.

 

[Mrs. P]

You could walk across the street to CVS and get 24 bottles of water for $3.99. That just infuriated me that TD Gardens would gouge customers that way! Some people were blaming the ISU but they honestly have nothing to do with the concession prices except for skating merchandise.

Yes. And they just really didn't have the security to enforce the rules anyway, making it more infuriating!

 

[boskil]

Never so appreciated $1.27 water bottles in my life before!

Wow, I can buy a galon of bottled water for this price in my country.

 

[MaxSwagg]

I bought ONE thing from TD Garden, a bottle of their $4.50 water that wasn't even COLD. But I was dying of thirst. My friend wanted some wine but because of that stupid alcohol rule, she couldn't.