Live thoughts from GPF 2015 | Golden Skate

Live thoughts from GPF 2015

FS_rrb

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
First of all, feel free to move these reports to the other thread if you think it's better to have them there. I've decided to open a new thread because my idea is to write quite long reports, and I think it's better not to have them mixed with shorter posts regarding practice sessions or more brief comments.

So...having said that, let's start! :hap10:

DAY 1 (PART 1)

Senior pairs short program

An overall really enjoyable event, with great skating despite the absence of some of the top pairs.

- Peng/Zhang: While I don't like their SP very much, I admit I enjoy this pair much better live than on TV. They have a way of moving effortlessly across the ice and execute their elements with extraordinary quality when they are on. The problem is, they are rarely on, and Peng seems to struggle with side-by-side jumps too often. Emotionally, they lack something for me.

- Seguin/Bilodeau: Already favourites of mine since the beginning of the season. They have decent speed, good basics and presentation. Overall, I would point out their implication: they look happy skating out there, they are enjoying their skate from the first second of the program. Entertaining program which they sold really well. Not a fan of their throws since she seems to lose her axis quite often, but it worked well in the short. They have a bright future ahead of them!

- Yu/Jin: The best two words to define their skating is precision and elegance. They are indeed elegant and graceful, but at the same time can make every element look easy, like it's a piece of cake for them, light as a feather. I like them very much but to me they still lack more connection with the audience (probably due to their music choices, too). They were great for me, but still don't have that special aura that real champions have.

- Scimeca/Knierim: They have the biggest twist of the field, and their throw is quite impressive too. Apart from that, their Metallica SP didn't left me a very strong impression live. They are a good pair, but didn't found them to be at the same level of most of the others. They have good speed but overall the quality of their skating is not as good as I expected. Probably, they didn't interpret this music as well as they did in Skate America, so this is why I was a little underwhelmed by their performance.

- Stolbova/Klimov: Yes, they are too serious and, yes, Ksenia is stone-faced during most part of the program, but they are so light and fast! The best skating skills of the whole event by far, in my opinion. Even though their twists and throws are not as impressive as V/T or other top pairs, they have amazing speed in and out their twist and a beautiful running edge out of their throws. Their skating is really big in person, and they perform with sharpness and determination. Well-deserved first place, they were the best of the field along with Kavaguti and Smirnov.

- Kavaguti/Smirnov: Crowd favourites and rightly so. Not as fast and sharp as Stolbova/Klimov but emotionally more connected to the audience. They are artistically great, but I don't see in them the perfection in movements that I see in the other Russian pair. He's big and she's very tiny and thin. They skate beautifully together but for such a veteran pair I still see something lacking. Having said this, they skated really well. Had they ended first after the short, I would have had nothing against it. Technically they were on fire, artistically they were too. However, skating skills give a very strong impression on judges and condition the rest of PCs, and I think this is why Ksenia and Feodor usually receive such high component scores.

- Duhamel/Radford: They were not on top of their game in the short, and when the technical fails them, their programs become slightly dull and unimpressive. I've probably said it a thousand times but, while Eric is elegant and light, Megan is not at the same level artistically. Technically, she can jump really well (I mean, execute difficult jumps) but the quality of the elements is not the same as the other top pairs. Not impressed by their short. However, I admire them for trying such difficulty and working hard on their presentation. Additionally, they flow quite beautifully across the ice and, while not as fast and impressive as Ksenia and Feodor, have good speed and have nice transitions.

Next part will be men's SP, but I don't have time to write the report now. Junior ladies FP starting in less than 2 hours, and the CCIB is on the other side of the city!!! :laugh::laugh:
 
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FS_rrb

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
DAY 1 (PART 2)

Men's short program

Exciting event due to the presence of such great skaters!

- Daisuke Murakami: I like his SP very much (much more than his FS) because I'm a big fan of Les Mis and Bring him home in particular. Dice has improved a lot in the last two sessions, and classifying for the GPF is a big achievement for him. His jumps are beautiful when he is on, though not particularly big or impressive. Speed is average and PCs-wise I found he needs more connection with the audience.

- Patrick Chan: A dull performance by Patrick, as much as I enjoy his skating. Even his great skating skills didn't stand out as in other performances. Yes, his skating is gorgeous even with a subpar performance, but to me he looked like he wasn't really attacking the program the way he usually does. I don't think this program suits him well. I'm sure it will look much better when he is 100% on, but this time his soft, light and gentle skating didn't seem to fit in with the character of the program. I'm convinced that he is capable of selling this much better.

- Boyang Jin: It's a fact, his jumps are impressive and huge! He executes a quad lutz as if it was nothing. Not only does he make the rotation, but he also has amazing spring in all the jumps. However, his presentation is not up to par, and this is very obvious in person. I'm not talking about choreography and interpretation only, but especially about skating skills and basic skating in general. He has good speed going into his big elements but he seems unable to keep the flow throughout the program. I think this is already noticeable on TV. However, his SP is much better than the Free, and I think he sells it well. At least it looks like he knows what his weak points are, and is working on presentation, which is already much improved compared to last year.

- Shoma Uno: I became a fan of him at last year's Junior GPF when I didn't even know about him (haven't followed junior competitions until now). I'm not a fan of the program itself, but I'm a fan of Shoma's skating, even with the fall on the quad toe. For such a tiny boy, it's amazing to see how fast he moves across the ice. He sometimes tilts too much while stroking to gain speed, but there's a sense of wildness in the skating that makes the performance quite exciting. He doesn't float like Chan or Yuzu, but he flies from one side of the rink to the other. He has different qualities, which make his skating quite unique. While not his best performance, the crowd seemed to enjoy it very much, although he saved the best for the FS.

- Yuzuru Hanyu: I could be writing for hours and even then it would be impossible for me to describe how gorgeous Yuzu's skating looks like in person. If his Chopin was great last year (even with the fall), this time it was historic, literally. The beginning of the program sets the tone of the whole performance: he stands there in the middle of the rink for some seconds and then starts floating effortlessly, gaining speed easily but without hurrying, already creating a great connection with the audience and a special atmosphere. It looks like he's in trance or something, and then that amazing quad salchow of his appears from nothing, and then the quad toe-triple toe and then the triple axel, all of them executed at the highest level of perfection. One of the most difficult SP in figure skating history and yet so easy looking, so light and so graceful. Crowds all over the world love him, and it's easy to understand why. Already a legend!

- Javier Fernández: Not at his best, but this is probably the most well-choreographed SP he's had in his entire career. Of course, the audience was rooting for him at all time, not only because he was skating on home ice but also because he has an engaging style and sells this Malagueña program very very well. Javi's jumps are great and when he is at his best his quads can compete with Yuzu's in terms of quality, especially his quad salchow. Artistically, I think he is progressing season by season, but he's still not on the league of Patrick and Yuzuru when it comes to skating skills. There's some lack of fluidity in his arm movement and also a certain level of rigidity which (to me) makes a difference visually. BUT, I detect a noticeable improvement from last season's GPF, which is a good sign.
 

statmam

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 20, 2007
Thank you, rrb. I enjoyed reading your impressions. You were so fortunate to see some of these history-making performances in person. Did you attend any of the dance event?

I might be in the minority, but I like Patrick's SP, and I probably would come to love it if he would ever skate it clean! But perhaps HE doesn't love it because, as you suggest, his heart doesn't seem to be in this program...
 

slider11

Medalist
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
I love Patrick's SP, too! He captures the spirit of that music and just floats on the ice! His footwork and ease of movement are phenomenal! Now if he can get those pesky jumps under control!
Thank you, rrb. I enjoyed reading your impressions. You were so fortunate to see some of these history-making performances in person. Did you attend any of the dance event?

I might be in the minority, but I like Patrick's SP, and I probably would come to love it if he would ever skate it clean! But perhaps HE doesn't love it because, as you suggest, his heart doesn't seem to be in this program...
 
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