2017 GP NHK Ladies SP

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Beautiful skating from Tsurkaya and Kostner. Medvedeva strong as usual.

But the real story is Mirai landing her 3A!

 

[largeman]

Satokos StSeq was so boss!!! Probably the best moment I saw of the ladies event.

I agree... it's the best StSq I've seen all season

 

[millie]

I'm so bored by these lazy / inaccurate comments just to bash russian skaters casually, because you pretend to be a fan of this sport and you don't even know that are so many other russian skaters outside Zagitova, Medvedeva or Sotskova who don't have tanos or rippons, who actually has great skating skills and musicality, flow on their jumps,...

Have you even watched this competition? because Polina Tsurskaya has a flawless jumping technique: Huge height and distance and flow just like the canadians, a correct outside edge on the lutz (unlike basically all the top skaters), a huge axel technique, no tanos, rippons,... and she is coached by Eteri too.

Medvedeva earned everything she got so far, she will be remembered even 50 years from now for what she has achieved,especially if she wins the Olympics. So deal with it!

If you want to troll at least bring some good points.

#FakeNews



Some good points......If the Russian ladies weren't backloading their jumps, they would not be ahead of the rest of the field......Because they backload and get higher marks, does not make them better skaters. All their tricks will be remembered but not their skating.....I have been watching figure skating for over 50 years and there were a lot of memorable skater. This group of Russian skaters will not be remembered for their outstanding performances
#notFakeNews..

 

[Purv]

the first line doesn't make any sense. (i'm nasty because of what?)

Because more and more people comes here after she competes and write such stuff you dont like and you end up calling them trolls.

as much as you hate her, that's a fact!

You re ridcolously enough with that hating and irritated that many people "hate" her here(yeah,for you it is hate what I find childish. Can we talk like adults?). Take a breath and dont take it so personally.

Consistency is a quality in figure skating, there are so many successful "boring" consistent successful skaters if you look back.Katarina Witt was an average skater, and yet she won everything including two Olympics.

Yes, and so what?I didnt say that there were never any.Anyway,she was more artisctic then Evgenia for a mile and had much better musicality

If you don't like a skater just don't watch her, i don't understand the point of going here to throw shades against the russian skaters with inaccurate facts just for the sake of trolling.

How am i gonna do this? Change the channel in my tv or close my eyes? I watch the competiton in my tv ,I dont select vides form youtube.
Dont be supersensitive, no one goes here ONLY to hate on russians skaters,dont you understans that some people re irritated by her?Some people dont like her skating and please stop calling it "hating"

 

[Barb]

Beautiful skating from Tsurkaya and Kostner. Medvedeva strong as usual.

But the real story is Mirai landing her 3A!

yes!!!, Polina and the 3a of Mirai was the highlight for me .

 

[rlopen]

So... if Alaine keeps skating as she is will the Canadian Fed still send her to the Games? Because

I know people always say US doesn't deserve 3 spots over Japan but US figure skating even with 3 spots is still gonna end in heartbreak for a good amount of fans. You have 4 girls (Karen, Ashley, Mirai, and Mariah,) who if skating well have a chance to do some real damage, then a few other girls who seem like they can also can do some damage as well and are in the mix but aren't the frontrunners (Courtney, Bradie, and Angela) and a wildcard who doesn't seem to be in the mix, but should definitely not be counted out right now (Polina). I would have included Gracie, Amber, and Caroline but Gracie probably won't be skating at all this season (never say never I still have hope...not really:sad4, Amber is struggling at the moment and probably won't be scored the way she should even if she does skate at nationals, and Caroline doesn't have a high enough ceiling and the Fed seems to REALLY not want to put Caroline in Pyeongchang.

If anyone shouldn't have those 3 spots it's Canada (yes, though, Gabby and Kaetlyn were really good at Worlds and totally earned it...but I just don't think Canada should have the 3 spots.) I mean, if you look at it, you have Gabby and Kaetlyn>Alaine>>>>>>>>>everyone else...and at the moment, Alaine doesn't look prepared at all. That being said, I also really like Alaine and hope she DOES end up making the Olympics (unless she gets injured or smth she probably will let's be real here Austman can barely compete with Alaine even with the way Alaine is right now), but if she isn't skating at a decent level like she should be, I really do wish that whoever is that 3rd Japanese girl (it can be any of /Mai/Satoko/Marin/Rika/Kaori at this point) would get it instead of her. I just feel like with the way Alaine is looking at this point...she either got complacent or is just going through some growing pains with her new coach (probably is the 2nd option, but she doesn't seem to have any attack out there atm) and I'd rather see a girl with attack and hunger to do well even if she doesn't have the potential to score as high (though whoever is that 3rd Japanese girl can if not definitively outskate, then compete with Alaine) than a girl who seems to have no attack or hunger but with a great amount of potential to get a very good score.

 

[moriel]

I'm so bored by these lazy / inaccurate comments just to bash russian skaters casually, because you pretend to be a fan of this sport and you don't even know that are so many other russian skaters outside Zagitova, Medvedeva or Sotskova who don't have tanos or rippons, who actually has great skating skills and musicality, flow on their jumps,...

Have you even watched this competition? because Polina Tsurskaya has a flawless jumping technique: Huge height and distance and flow just like the canadians, a correct outside edge on the lutz (unlike basically all the top skaters), a huge axel technique, no tanos, rippons,... and she is coached by Eteri too.

Medvedeva earned everything she got so far, she will be remembered even 50 years from now for what she has achieved,especially if she wins the Olympics. So deal with it!

If you want to troll at least bring some good points.

#FakeNews



Some good points......If the Russian ladies weren't backloading their jumps, they would not be ahead of the rest of the field......Because they backload and get higher marks, does not make them better skaters. All their tricks will be remembered but not their skating.....I have been watching figure skating for over 50 years and there were a lot of memorable skater. This group of Russian skaters will not be remembered for their outstanding performances
#notFakeNews..

Ok, so other ladies dont want to win, and dont backload on purpose to let russian ladies win?
Oh wait, just the russians can currently backload sucessfully, which means yeah, they can do something better than everybody else, and they yes are better skaters

 

[kevinVchicago]

I'm too lazy to google.... what was the concept anyway? And what's the deal with that lady voice over in the middle?

Re: @rockerskating Twitter (21 Oct 2017):

Medvedeva on “come back” voiceover in SP: "The program is the flight of a human soul, I’m in a different world and someone tells me to come back"

 

[Miss Ice]

Re: @rockerskating Twitter (21 Oct 2017):

Medvedeva on “come back” voiceover in SP: "The program is the flight of a human soul, I’m in a different world and someone tells me to come back"

The difference between skaters who can't tell a story with the music ON ICE and those who can, is that the latter actually don't need to tell people in words what they are skating about.

 

[Purv]

Ok, so other ladies dont want to win, and dont backload on purpose to let russian ladies win?
Oh wait, just the russians can currently backload sucessfully, which means yeah, they can do something better than everybody else, and they yes are better skater

it is not about that,not about not leting anythin. Millie meant there re only tricks,not beauty of skate ,skating skills, musicality that russians will be remebered for.You didnt understans what she meant, they are better by backloading yes,now but that doesnt mean that they are better overall and over time ,,,and people wont be watching a program to see only backloaded program

 

[millie]

Ok, so other ladies dont want to win, and dont backload on purpose to let russian ladies win?
Oh wait, just the russians can currently backload sucessfully, which means yeah, they can do something better than everybody else, and they yes are better skaters

Every now and then, skaters come like a flash in the pan. They don't stay for long but are hot commodities for short period of time. With all their tricks, they burn out easily because their bodies can handle the pressure...over the years, slow and steady wins the race. Some Russian skaters are here today and gone tomorrow. Granted there have been some outstanding Russian skaters, but this group are not in that mix.

 

[Purv]

The difference between skaters who can't tell a story with the music ON ICE and those who can, is that the latter actually don't need to tell people in words what they are skating about.

Zhenia every year has to explain us what her programs are about ,because nobody has no idea :dev2: no offence

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I thought it was really fun watching the ladies skate. Hands down absolutely everyone brought something good. They all work so hard and it really shows. Unfortunately I only saw the last group but the diversity and competitiveness made for an exciting night/morning

Mirai most certainly frightend any children in the first few rows with her fiery attitude and Satoko flowed eased the mood with her brand of calm skating. Mariah was so close but certainly showed signs that she is on the right path and I’m hoping gains ground in the free! Caro was exactly we expected as was Zhenya’s relentless assault continues. To me it seems like everyone brought something.

I’m afraid I didn’t sleep enough last night and will sleep thru the FS. I am setting my coffee pot alarm to make coffee for the FS but no promises.

or

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I know people always say US doesn't deserve 3 spots over Japan but US figure skating even with 3 spots is still gonna end in heartbreak for a good amount of fans. You have 4 girls (Karen, Ashley, Mirai, and Mariah,) who if skating well have a chance to do some real damage, then a few other girls who seem like they can also can do some damage as well and are in the mix but aren't the frontrunners (Courtney, Bradie, and Angela) and a wildcard who doesn't seem to be in the mix, but should definitely not be counted out right now (Polina). I would have included Gracie, Amber, and Caroline but Gracie probably won't be skating at all this season (never say never I still have hope...not really:sad4, Amber is struggling at the moment and probably won't be scored the way she should even if she does skate at nationals, and Caroline doesn't have a high enough ceiling and the Fed seems to REALLY not want to put Caroline in Pyeongchang.

If anyone shouldn't have those 3 spots it's Canada (yes, though, Gabby and Kaetlyn were really good at Worlds and totally earned it...but I just don't think Canada should have the 3 spots.) I mean, if you look at it, you have Gabby and Kaetlyn>Alaine>>>>>>>>>everyone else...and at the moment, Alaine doesn't look prepared at all. That being said, I also really like Alaine and hope she DOES end up making the Olympics (unless she gets injured or smth she probably will let's be real here Austman can barely compete with Alaine even with the way Alaine is right now), but if she isn't skating at a decent level like she should be, I really do wish that whoever is that 3rd Japanese girl (it can be any of /Mai/Satoko/Marin/Rika/Kaori at this point) would get it instead of her. I just feel like with the way Alaine is looking at this point...she either got complacent or is just going through some growing pains with her new coach (probably is the 2nd option, but she doesn't seem to have any attack out there atm) and I'd rather see a girl with attack and hunger to do well even if she doesn't have the potential to score as high (though whoever is that 3rd Japanese girl can if not definitively outskate, then compete with Alaine) than a girl who seems to have no attack or hunger but with a great amount of potential to get a very good score.

There are plenty of federations with multiple spots with one top-level competitor and all the #2 or #3 skaters have to do to get to the Olympics is earn minimum scores (which I think Alaine has done?). So in that sense, Alaine can earn her spot at the Olympics even if there are plenty of Japanese skaters who would outperform. I also think it's unfair to say she isn't hungry for it, but she's definitely way underperforming.

And you're correct, they did earn it. Daleman and Osmond were 2nd and 3rd. The Japanese ladies were 5th, 11th, and 16th. So while at this point in time, the Japanese ladies are looking stronger overall, at the time when qualifying actually counted, Canada was far better (with two podium finishers, they were even collectively better than Russia at the time).

That being said, Alaine still needs to fight off some other Canadian ladies who I am sure are itching to get that 3rd spot, and see vulnerability on Chartrand's part. She can't take her role as de facto Canadian #3 for granted. If another skater outskates her at Nationals, and Alaine doesn't make the Olympics, it'll be heartbreaking for her, but not unsurprising. Canada doesn't really have to care about who the 3rd skater is who goes, since they already have 2 top contenders; they will be fine with giving Olympic experience to a deserving up and comer (e.g. Tamura) if Chartrand bombs.

 

[Miss Ice]

Every now and then, skaters come like a flash in the pan. They don't stay for long but are hot commodities for short period of time. With all their tricks, they burn out easily because their bodies can handle the pressure...over the years, slow and steady wins the race. Some Russian skaters are here today and gone tomorrow. Granted there have been some outstanding Russian skaters, but this group are not in that mix.

Yeah - Gordeeva/Grinkov, Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze, Plushenko and Yagudin just to name a few. They have definitely left their mark and it wasn't just due to cheap tricks but real musicality, emotion, and unmatched quality of technqiue (esp. in the case of Plushenko/Yagudin). I was also a fan of Slutskaya because I loved her personality/energy but I did not think that her skating was as refined/aesthetic as Michelle's/Sasha's (the other top women during that time period). I think it is possible to be a fan of a skater and still recognize that there are things they need to work on.

Hope this is still OT of this thread, since we're just emphasizing here why healthy critique and not just an acceptance of the judges' marks is important.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Zhenia every year has to explain us what her programs are about ,because nobody has no idea :dev2: no offence

I'm cool with that. She chooses unconventional music, and not warhorses where everyone already knows what the program/interpretation is all about.

So they're bound to need some explanation or some insight into her approach to the programs.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Re: @rockerskating Twitter (21 Oct 2017):

Medvedeva on “come back” voiceover in SP: "The program is the flight of a human soul, I’m in a different world and someone tells me to come back"

She always believes in her programs and good for her. Maybe they don’t work for everyone but I’m sure she doesn’t lose any sleep over it. I loved her wacky Junior program where she portrayed the pressure she felt to become a classical skater and when she would go to sleep at night she dreamed that she could became a contemporary devil on the ice. She turned into like this robot devil during the StSeq and it was awesome!! If you haven’t seen it check it out. I time stamped it right before the she goes into the transformation.

https://youtu.be/G9wSxrr2CE4?t=1m22s

For bonus points watch her take the final bow

 

[kevinVchicago]

The difference between skaters who can't tell a story with the music ON ICE and those who can, is that the latter actually don't need to tell people in words what they are skating about.

I find your criticism to be unfair. Zhenya's new SP speaks to me beyond language. The addition of her interpretation of it makes it more intriguing to me, not less.

Abstract vs narrative/literal storytelling are two different things. Evgenia's piece, like everything she's done up until the ANNA KARENINA program, is abstract. The difference is actually that some audience members need the story to make sense to them. There's nothing wrong with that; but this kind of work will rarely appeal to that audience member.

Also, skating is not the same thing as theater or fiction writing; it is most akin to dance. So, a story isn't obligatory (not that it is in theater or fiction writing either). Generally abstract artists refrain from explaining their work at all. Which is probably what Zhenya should do as well. Skating's not "about" anything. It's an evocation of a mood, a character, emotion.

When you look at the snow falling do you demand to know what it means?

 

[Bcash]

I'm so bored by these lazy / inaccurate comments just to bash russian skaters casually, because you pretend to be a fan of this sport and you don't even know that are so many other russian skaters outside Zagitova, Medvedeva or Sotskova who don't have tanos or rippons, who actually has great skating skills and musicality, flow on their jumps,...

Have you even watched this competition? because Polina Tsurskaya has a flawless jumping technique: Huge height and distance and flow just like the canadians, a correct outside edge on the lutz (unlike basically all the top skaters), a huge axel technique, no tanos, rippons,... and she is coached by Eteri too.

Medvedeva earned everything she got so far, she will be remembered even 50 years from now for what she has achieved,especially if she wins the Olympics. So deal with it!

If you want to troll at least bring some good points.

#FakeNews

For how smartly she amasses points under this system despite flawed technique and weird lines? Maybe. But then it'll be all irrelevant if the scoring system changes in the future.

 

[Miss Ice]

I find your criticism to be unfair. Zhenya's new SP speaks to me beyond language. The addition of her interpretation of it makes it more intriguing to me, not less.

Abstract vs narrative/literal storytelling are two different things. Evgenia's piece, like everything she's done up until the ANNA KARENINA program, is abstract. The difference is actually that some audience members need the story to make sense to them. There's nothing wrong with that; but this kind of work will rarely appeal to that audience member.

Also, skating is not the same thing as theater or fiction writing; it is most akin to dance. So, a story isn't obligatory (not that it is in theater or fiction writing either). Generally abstract artists refrain from explaining their work at all. Which is probably what Zhenya should do as well. Skating's not "about" anything. It's an evocation of a mood, a character, emotion.

When you look at the snow falling do you demand to know what it means?

Exactly. So having read Anna Karenina in the original language, I am having a hard time actually feeling anything related to the story from Med's open mouth throughout the entire AK program. In the current program, she skates to different music but she uses the same exact expression on her face and the same type of step sequence as in the AK program.

An example of a skater executing the abstract musicality you are talking about well is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2xjUQWPsPY (incidentally also a Nocturne).