2016 Europeans Ladies Free Skate

[Ekm]

I started rooting harder for the sonograms after she made that comment. If it was intended to be lighthearted and so many people misinterpreted it, maybe Ashley needs to work on her delivery (among other things).

Eh, people have different senses of humor (and some have none!). Some people don't understand sarcasm, for example, doesn't mean others need to cater their sense of humor to suit them. And other people just want to find reasons to dislike people, or justify the fact that they do. I'm of the opinion that at the end of the day it's better to be true to oneself than cater to others, because you'll never please them all anyway (this can also be applicable to Elena in the waiting area today).

 

[sneakers]

No she can't. Presentation is exactly Radio's weakness. Why blame on the programs? Morozov choreographed for both Pogo and Radio - Pogo is mature and sexy while Radio is juniorish and cheesy. Averbukh choreographed for both Evgenia and Radio - Evgenia is beautiful and elegant while Radio was juniorish and boring. So the problem is not choreography but the skater - Radio just cannot perform her programs well, no matter who is the choreographer.

your rabid attack on Radionova on every thread is getting repetitive and becoming a broken record.

 

[Shayuki]

But Averbukh has choreographed for Radio for the past four programs in the last couple years. Radio never performed the programs the way Evgenia is performing her FS this season, and Evgenia is only skating to Averbukh's program the first time. I think the programs Averbukh gave Radio are pretty good, at least the same level of program he gave Evgenia. But the presentation of Evgenia is so much better than Radio.

I also don't think Morozov is intentionally giving Anna better programs than he gives Radio, esp. because Radio is the reigning world bronze medalist and Anna is not even guaranteed to go to worlds. Again I think the diffrence is because Anna's presentation is better than Radio.

Well it's not that, it's the music that just doesn't even allow for a good program in my opinion. IMO Medvedeva's FS music cuts are brilliant, it gives far more opportunity to choreo something good for. Still, it could be too mature a style for Radionova. I can't say for sure, would need to see her performing a program of this style or at least one with decent music. For the record, I don't really like Medvedeva's SP choreo.

 

[Tolstoj]

I don't know, she obviously has mental issues as well, but she's gone through some pretty significant physical changes that have undeniably impacted her negatively. That's not to say she can't overhaul her technique and be successful again though, it's happened before.

According to what ilya averbukh said last year, Yulia after Sochi and Worlds wasn't that motivated to stay on the top (the beautiful FS of Medvedeva this season was created for Yulia, but she refused it), and i think she was feeling the pressure from her teammates.

I'm sure next year she will come back stronger than ever.

 

[MIM]

Another great competition! Congrats all the medalists.
The top two ladies always bring it. The feisty rivalry between Elena and Evgenia and their development into great skaters/competitors has made the FS more and more exciting. With these two, an event never be lackluster.

It is easy to say they are not better than Mao, sometimes Gracie. But not everyone is brining it all the time. Elena and Evgenia are skating best of their abilities ALL THE TIME. Audiences no doubt get to see their 100-120% ALL THE TIME. It is a miracle in figure skating only possible by their exceptional commitment, dedication, and hard work. Sure, they have weakness that should not be looked over. (And I am pointing out whenever I see them.) But their strength makes it up and lead the field deservedly with a big margin.

Kudos to Anna for keeping it together till the end. Somehow I think today's disaster is wrapped up nicely; she picked up performance in the middle and engaged with audience. I hope this is her last disaster and her confidence/experience here will only lead her to do a better performance at the WC! Her improvement in an artistic side is never a small thing. Keep up the good work!

My MVP of Euro ladies is Giada Russo. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ24nYe5D4I)
She is the reason I watch FS. She does not have Flip and Lutz. She might have not become a competitive figure skater if FS were all about jumps. But, she dances like no other. There are any moments I was not moved in her program. Seriously! Her choreo is inspirational to say the least. Her interpretation is crazy. Her body movements are beyond my understanding. It is a blessing in FS to have her (at least to me). With her talent she could have been successful in any other fields, but she chose FS. I believe she gave inspiration to many skaters, coaches, choreographers today. I hope she become more than an inspiration, be competitive technically, and expand the boundary of FS further.

 

[NicoleH]

Well it's not that, it's the music that just doesn't even allow for a good program in my opinion. IMO Medvedeva's FS music cuts are brilliant, it gives far more opportunity to choreo something good for. Still, it could be too mature a style for Radionova. I can't say for sure, would need to see her performing a program of this style or at least one with decent music. For the record, I don't really like Medvedeva's SP choreo.

Have you watched all those programs Averbukh choreogpraphed for Radio? I don't think all of them had music that didn't allow for good programs, but she made all of them seem juniorish and unmemorable. If Evgenia skates to Radio's last year's piano concerto 3 program, I'm sure she can bring it while Radio could not. When someone fails so many times with different good choreographers, it has to be the skater's problem, and that's how I think of Radio's presentation.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

And it's all gets quite a bit over the top! I'm a huge sports fan (particularly soccer which is known for out of control antics), but I was also a high level athlete (in a team sport rather than an individual one). I think that makes one view things through a different lens. At the end of the day sports should be fun!

You don't find it fun to insult teenage girls and point out all of their flaws? Where is your spirit? Pick who you like and start criticizing skaters others may like for perfectly valid reasons. Of course it's important to make sure no one else is having fun if at all possible.

 

[noidont]

It's not that the Russians are young, but that peak form in ladies's skating is more often a teenage affair. Evgenia's ultimate advantage is that she executes choreography to every point. If you really watch, there isn't much cross-over at all. Transitions are packed and she goes through them effortlessly. Skating skill wise I was not pleasantly surprised watching her live. It's pretty much the level I expected (no better than Radionova and Pogorilaya.)

 

[daphenaxa]

My stepmom who's an older former "ice dancer"(not exactly at a high level but she skated a lot) thinks that Mao's skating and artistry are much higher than the russian ladies' for what it's worth.

Well no offence to your step mom and she is actually spot on but that is hardly any news. Mao is so much better it is not even funny. Unfortunately it is not reflected in the marks.

Evgenia does have better lines and carriage than Elena but come on, there is nothing ground-breaking about her on that aspect. Her extensions are weak, her PCS are average, her carriage is okish. Her programs and postures are rushed, her moves are unrefined and her interpretation is nowhere near a 10. That is just ridic. She does listen and interpret her music so kudos to her for that (looking at your Gracie Gold) but really that alone shouldn't warranty 10's and 9.75's

 

[randomfan]

Not too shocked with the results because I was expecting something like this. The scores...that's another story. One thing I'll say is that almost everybody received way too high GOEs on their step sequences.

1. Evgenia Medvedeva: I completely agree with all the discussions here about Evgenia being much more mature and artistic than Elena. However, that alone still does not mean she deserved the win here. It's true that she has a wow factor all-around - tano jumps, beautiful spins, good artistry. But even with that, it's not fair that she had flaws in both programs yet received the gold by a pretty big margin. Evgenia's reaction in the Kiss & Cry shows that even she did not expect to receive such high scores and beat Elena.
2. Elena Radionova: No, no. :noshake: Elena was robbed. Her FS score was too high as well, but hands down, I think she deserved the gold here. Obviously she wasn't as connected to the music as she was in COR or even the GPF, but she still landed everything and got the job done. As for the dress, I like the old one much better, but this one does work for her. I hope that she gets well-prepared for Worlds, because that's going to be a big fight.
3. Anna Pogorilaya: Once again, Anna completes the podium, giving Russian another Europeans sweep. Anna's performances were not spectacular here, but they were still much better than any other international competition this season (except Mordovian Ornament). I have no idea whether they'll be sending her or someone else to Worlds, but I do hope that she does get sent.
4. Angelina Kuchvalska: The FS was great! She was practically clean on ice, and even with those URs on paper, it was still a good showing from her. If she is going to Worlds, then I hope that she can do very well there just like she did here.
5. Roberta Rodeghiero: Roberta blew her chances for a medal, but Anna wasn't bad, so I bet even with a clean skate Roberta would've only been 4th. Anyways, it's too bad that she wasn't able to bring her consistency from the SP to the FS, but the performance was still nice to see.
6. Mae Berenice Meite: Again the judges did not show her any love, but the score isn't too bad. I thought she deserved 3 points higher, but whatever. Mae's next competition is most likely Worlds, and I hope that she finishes in the top 12 for two spots for France! If Mae is clean, she is capable of at least an 8th place finish, so I hope that she saved her best here and will show it at Boston.
7. Nathalie Weinzierl: Her Meditation program is very nice actually. Her technical side was definitely not good, but nevertheless I enjoyed her skate.
9. Joshi Helgesson: She struggled a lot in this program. Even the footwork was very slow, much slower than her fabulous step sequence in the SP. I hope that she can do well at Worlds.
12. Nicole Rajicova: Only 38 TES in her home country. :sad21: I feel devastated for her. Worlds is in two months, so I think it's best for her to improve her consistency to finally have a cleaner FS even than the one in SA.

 

[Kinga]

I could not comment live , I missed all the fun with you guys.
My few short comments before I zone out :

The best program of the night belongs to Giada Russo, hands down (I would not expected that). Bold, brave, innovative and she moved soooool well. Her awarness is absolutely fantastic. The program was also jammed packed with transitions. Bravo!

Joshi, the Spanish theme does nothing for you.

Viveca - promising, but extremely slow!

Congrats Angelina, you stole the show.

Mae... please, work on those landings. Your jumps do nothing for me if they are so sloppy (even if huge). Jumping is your major strenght, use it!

Roberta-gorgeous dress, uninteresting program. But congratulations - you took a step forward this season.

I was not a fan of Radio new dress - it was sort of "too old" for her, she looked pale the dress did not work with that program.

I love ECh, but sadly the level (in ladies) is very low. Lets hope that new talents bloom soon-Anastasia, Angelina, Alexandra, Laurine, Ivette and Estonian girl. We need new faces!

PS I had a "pleasure" to listen to some interviews... Question: what do you think went wrong when you fell? How did it feel to fall? What did you think about the score? (After 3 falls and some URs... I was surely in heaven, you idiot!) Ughhhhh... Why are the journalist so crude these days?

 

[Tolstoj]

No she can't. Presentation is exactly Radio's weakness. Why blame on the programs? Morozov choreographed for both Pogo and Radio - Pogo is mature and sexy while Radio is juniorish and cheesy. Averbukh choreographed for both Evgenia and Radio - Evgenia is beautiful and elegant while Radio was juniorish and boring. So the problem is not choreography but the skater - Radio just cannot perform her programs well, no matter who is the choreographer.

Actually Elena's SP and FS from 2013-2014 (choreo by Averbukh) were absolutely amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KyO3ltU38s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p65cTjAfUg

Now she is becoming more the Britney Spears of figure skating, losing that sofistication.

 

[NicoleH]

1. Evgenia Medvedeva: I completely agree with all the discussions here about Evgenia being much more mature and artistic than Elena. However, that alone still does not mean she deserved the win here. It's true that she has a wow factor all-around - tano jumps, beautiful spins, good artistry. But even with that, it's not fair that she had flaws in both programs yet received the gold by a pretty big margin. Evgenia's reaction in the Kiss & Cry shows that even she did not expect to receive such high scores and beat Elena.
2. Elena Radionova: No, no. :noshake: Elena was robbed. Her FS score was too high as well, but hands down, I think she deserved the gold here. Obviously she wasn't as connected to the music as she was in COR or even the GPF, but she still landed everything and got the job done. As for the dress, I like the old one much better, but this one does work for her. I hope that she gets well-prepared for Worlds, because that's going to be a big fight.

Evgenia does not only have better artistry than Radio, her jump landings (except the 2A) also are better than Radio. Most of Radio's landings were messy today. I was surprised she got + GOEs on some of her landings.

 

[3T3T]

Another entertaining competition, so many great performances. It's a bit disappointing to see so many criticising all the Russian girls, I thought they were all great even with Anna and her falls.

I thought Medvedeva was fantastic, it was a really beautiful skate. Apart from the fall on the double axel, the jumps were great, I like the tanos. I thought she really connected with the music and the audience. She deserved to win the free and overall. I like Radionova but I'm not a huge fan of her programmes but I loved Titanic today. She never holds back, she gives it her all. The jumps were a bit iffy, she had to fight for a lot of them. I think it is correct that she placed 2nd in the free. She did look seriously unimpressed in the waiting area, which is unusual for her as she is normally quite bubbly and smiley.

I am a big fan of Anna but I am always a little nervous when she skates, I don't know what is going to happen. She came out all guns blazing, great 3Lz3T combination followed by 3L1L3S and then splat on the next 3Lz got it back together and then splat on the next 3L. Those falls looked so painful but to her credit she kept on performing, there is a lot of good things in this programme. Sadly, I do think her place on the Worlds team is now in jeopardy, she may have a skate of at the final of the Russian cup.

Kuchvalska had a great skate but I think that 4th in the free is correct, even with the falls she didn't match Anna's TES. She lost some levels and didn't have the harder jump combinations. Without doubt though she attacked and gave 100%. I like her and she is going to be a factor, certainly at European level, in years to come. I was a bit disappointed with Rodeghiero, I found the skate overall a bit boring. Meite skated well from a jumps point of view but the PCS wasn't great.

Others I enjoyed were Lindfors, Toth and Russo. While Russo did not have the most difficult of tech I loved her presentation, it was so different from what anyone else offered tonight, she really stood out from the field. She was 18th overall in the free but came 6th on PCS but only 22nd on TES, is that a good sign of the IJS? I was a little disappointed for Rajicova, a little bit of her best but she got a great reaction from the home crowd.

Well done to the Russian ladies for another clean sweep.

 

[Lota]

Question about Giada Russo: is this the last time we'll be seeing her (and this program) this season? Though I far preferred Russo in terms of performance, I can only assume that, because of the points and positions, Roberta Rodeghiero will be sent to Worlds, right?

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Zhenia's jumpamatron on her 3z
http://youtu.be/wAxNv8Uo3V0



I recommend putting it in 1080p HD :yes:

 

[NicoleH]

Actually Elena's SP and FS from 2013-2014 (choreo by Averbukh) were absolutely amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KyO3ltU38s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p65cTjAfUg

Now she is becoming more the Britney Spears of figure skating, losing that sofistication.

Yes, I've watched those programs before and they're well choreographed programs. But Radio did not do them justice - her posture, her neckline, and her flailing arms :disapp: I want to see someone elegant like Evgenia skate to that Nero SP and someone hot and sexy like Anna skate to Frida FS. They would do the programs justice.

 

[Seruleane]

I feel very sad for Elena and also believe she deserved to win, but I am glad she is being pushed. If she can refine her skating, keep/improve her jumps, and get better programs, I think she can be unbeatable. She has the mentality and competitive grit to stick around and be a champion. While I love her relationship with her coach, I really have to question her coach's judgment in choosing Titanic (and that music cut!) for her. Don't they realize it's been 15+ years since the Titanic and everyone in the US (and rest of the world) is STILL sick of the movie and Celine Dion? I also wonder if her coach is working on refining her skating, as this was a problem last year as well.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

Zhenia's jumpamatron on her 3z-3t
http://youtu.be/wAxNv8Uo3V0



I recommend putting it in 1080p HD :yes:

I'm missing the 3T

The jumps looks ! to me, but what else is new
The shots of Mae and Elena are priceless though!

 

[Franklin99]

I'm missing the 3T

The jumps looks ! to me, but what else is new
The shots of Mae and Elena are priceless though!

It looks more like an E once she takes off...but of course the judges are sooo selective.