Can we merge this with the KO 2013 World Champ thread? It's already making my head spin trying to follow two Osmond-related threads.
I think they are reading Golden Skate.
Eh, the article is nothing more than the reporter looking at the scores and saying, "Wow those look close to Yuna's scores." No context, no nuance.
Mathman, your idea doesn't sound that crazy. Some reporter saw the boards, said "That sounds like an interesting topic" and then proceeded to look up information online. And with figure skating be so popular in Korea, some SEO, web savvy editor at the Chosun probably thought -- what story could we post that would get tons of clicks---I know...a story that says a skater is a threat to Kim Yuna.
And the headline "Canada's Rising Star May Pose Challenge to Kim Yu-na" SO SEO rich. Straight forward sentence and mention of a popular keyword on search engines. (Kim Yu-na).
I know very little about Chosun, I only know it's a major newspaper in Korea, equivalent to NYT in the U.S. Are their sports editors this sloppy, I don't know? But one thing for sure, fear sells. Korea is totally obsessed about Kim Yuna, anything that could grab its readers' attention - a new threat on the horizon will surely make some people nervous, thus sell the newspaper in the process.
I used the term accidental because many skaters don't realize they have performed a Choctaw in the process. One way or the other, doing a few Choctaw without nothing else beside it then stroke into a jump/spin does not merit any special mention at this level of competition.
It is explicitly spelled out in the SP rules that a single free skating movement or its equivalent is insufficient to meet the requirement for connecting steps into the solo jump. See here : http://www.isu.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-197593-214816-125742-0-file,00.pdf "A single spread eagle, spiral/Free Skating movement cannot be considered as meeting the requirements of connecting steps and/or other comparable Free Skating movements the lack of which must be considered by the Judges in the GOE."
However, in the LP rules, the rules are not explicitly spelled out in the same language though the same intent is there.
Put it this way, would you consider that a skater who performed a series of Choctaw and nothing else prior to a solo jump to have met the "unexpected / creative / difficult entry" bullet point knowing that even novice level skaters can do the same thing without much difficulty?
A question I would ask myself is : "What is being demonstrated or showcased in this particular move?" In other words, what does holding a long forward outside edge demonstrate preceding an Axel jump?
PS. This is why people used to like to watch figure skating back in the 1990s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFurTW8OHxM#t=1m3sec
Didn't Korean media warn Yuna that Rachael, Caroline, Mirai, and Russian babies can be a threat to her and predicted there will be the intense rivalry between them, few years ago?Eh, the article is nothing more than the reporter looking at the scores and saying, "Wow those look close to Yuna's scores." No context, no nuance.
Mathman, your idea doesn't sound that crazy. Some reporter saw the boards, said "That sounds like an interesting topic" and then proceeded to look up information online. And with figure skating be so popular in Korea, some SEO, web savvy editor at the Chosun probably thought -- what story could we post that would get tons of clicks---I know...a story that says a skater is a threat to Kim Yuna.
And the headline "Canada's Rising Star May Pose Challenge to Kim Yu-na" SO SEO rich. Straight forward sentence and mention of a popular keyword on search engines. (Kim Yu-na).
To me, the sad part is that although the sport has moved on, it left most of its audience behind.
Of course not. Just as Patrick Chan was a very promising young skater rather that being sold as a superstar with the bestest skating skills ever before Buttle unexpectedly retired. In a country like Japan or Russia, Osmond becomes one of several impressive skaters, not inspiring endless commentary about Yuna Kim's imminent defeat. I don't think it's doing Kaetlyn herself any favors to place that level of expectations on her, BTW.That I don't dispute. But I think IPs point is she REALLY shines even more because she's first Canadian lady since Joannie to have the goods. Again if she competing while Joannie was competing, would she be getting the same amount of buzz?
Didn't Korean media warn Yuna that Rachael, Caroline, Mirai, and Russian babies can be a threat to her and predicted there will be the intense rivalry between them, few years ago?
I don't think you can speak for everyone. One of the great things about figure skating is the variety of approaches to both technical content and aesthetics. Even in that competition, three or four of the judges gave their first place marks to this more complex but less mature/polished performance.
I have no reason to believe that the same intent is there. No preceding moves are required for any free program jumps or for the jump combination or the axel in the short program. Therefore, as I understand it, anything that precedes any of those jumps is available for consideration as enhancing the jump with a unexpected / creative / difficult entry. That doesn't mean that every jump that has something before it will deserve that bullet point, or will deserve a higher GOE even if it does earn that bullet point. But it also doesn't mean that "unexpected / creative / difficult" requires multiple skating moves.
But I thought we were mainly talking about the transitions component more than the GOEs, so even if the GOE is not raised (even if it's -3 because of flaws in later phases of the element), doing a single skating move before or after a might contribute a lot or a little to the Transitions component, depending on what the move was, how well it was performed, and how closely it was linked to the element.
Specifically, one spiral or spread eagle leading directly into a jump could be considered as adding difficulty IF it affects the balance and alignment required for the takeoff of the jump. Same with, e.g., a single backward counter or three turn into an axel jump. And it would also contribute to the intricacy of the transitions: a skating move, especially one that covers a lot of ice, immediately linked to an element.
I've seen many many skaters from juvenile level and up break up their long diagonal lutz approaches with a couple of little choctaws on indeterminate edges. I'm not impressed, because the quality is often weak and the exit edge of the last choctaw is not directly connected to the lutz takeoff -- there's usually a flat held for some distance and then the takeoff may not be off an outside edge at all. At higher levels, the edges might at least be identifiable, but not notable or strong.
But if it's performed in such a way as to demonstrate a strong check and control of a clear running edge held all the way to the point of takeoff, then yes, I am impressed.
(That example, BTW, is from a short program solo jump and thus would have to be penalized under today's short program rules that specify more than one step or skating move preceding the jump. But in a long program, I would consider a strong choctaw like that to constitute a difficult and unexpected lutz entry compared with a standard unenhanced back outside edge.)
If I remember, next time I go to the rink I'll see if I can do a waltz jump out of a forward edge held for several seconds. I challenge you to do the same and report back whether you find it equally easy as a standard waltz jump/axel approach.
Didn't Korean media warn Yuna that Rachael, Caroline, Mirai, and Russian babies can be a threat to her and predicted there will be the intense rivalry between them, few years ago?
As a non-skating fan of figure skating, I've found this technical discussion interesting and illuminating but it hasn't influenced how I "feel" about the sport. I recently went back and gave a fresh look at both Yuna's and Kaetlyn's SP and FS at their respective National competitions for this year. I was not surprised by what I felt about them. I was impressed by Kaetlyn's SP more than her FS, but in both she displayed great footwork, solid jumps, very good spins, and a wonderful smile and energy. On the other hand, Yuna's skating "moved me", her speed and lightness on the ice is wonderful, her jumps seem "olympian" in the height and air-time she has in them, and when she lands it's like a feather setting down. I'm not a professional judge and I'm not sure this comment has any relevance to the topic of this thread, but to my amateur eyes, Kaetlyn may have better transitions on the ice but still has a ways to go to challenge Yuna (or Mao or Akiko or Alissa or Carolina) in overall impression IMHO.