Euros Ladies Recap

[h=1]Untouchable Medvedeva cruises to second European title[/h]Russia's golden girl Evgenia Medvedeva once again reigned supreme and cruised to gold at the 2017 ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Friday. In what was an exciting competition, Anna Pogorilaya of Russia claimed the silver medal, her first after two bronze finishes in the event. However, the biggest story was the successful comeback of Italian legend Carolina Kostner, who earned the bronze – 14 years after taking her first medal at an ISU Championship, also a bronze, at the 2003 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Ostrava.

More

What are your thoughts on the ladies performances?

Overall, a very strong field showed up today. Kostner had a very strong showing. Laurine Lecavelier was great. A costume change should be an automatic 10+ to PCS.

I respect Kostner but I thought she was substantially over scored (I'm sure I'll get flamed for that). Her short program music was awful. Evgenia skated the best I've seen her skate. Anna could have been better but every time I see her I like her more and more. I hope she can go clean at worlds and give Evgenia a run for her money.

Queen Carolina is back with two fabulous programs. Especially the free, which is an absolutely divine piece of art work.

I will never agree with Evgenia's PCS score and throwing an extra 3T (or +3Ts) randomly in her program. Because that is not impressive to me, we all she can do a +3T endlessly. Maybe its time to try a +loop combo.

Anna is a little bit off here but saved well enough to get her a silver (finally). So happy for her and wish her all the best at Worlds!!

Laurine is a joy to watch! I now love so much the costume change!

I didn't appreciate the throwing of the extra 3T either.... it should be like ice dance... illegal invalid element -1 deduction

Caro is back but not entirely... I don't believe her program is worth that much (LP)... I didn't have a problem with the SP score as much... but a LP with no 3Z and only one 3F for me shouldn't score that high.

Why would Caro retain her PCS with easier jumps and not others like let's say Mao??? It's weird.... I think that when it's time for WC, some things will get adjusted.

I know it was part of the story but Laurine's first half dress was seriously unattractive and not really appropriate to the time period. The skirt was all wrong.

Caro was overscored with just a 3T3T and a 3Lo2T combo that was poorly done that score was a gift. And I'm sorry I know some of you will want to kill me but I am so over the opera vocals.

Even in her heyday, Caro's jumping performance in free skates was pretty lackluster. As a matter of fact, I think technically this is one of Caros strongest free skates of all time, near 2014 OWG. Certainly technically it isn't weaker than most skates she had in 2011-2014 cycle. She won worlds without a 3Lz too. So I don't think her PCS should go down necessarily.

If she skates, cleanly, her PCS will not and should not go down. Mao should get higher PCS too.

Evgenia's program with its youthfulness, energy and perfection is like a breeze of fresh air - it never gets old. After so many times of watching it's still new. If she keeps developing like she has been so far she may be the greatest of all time.
When I was watching her skate on the Russian channel I heard Tarasova say: "[Zhenia] is taking us with her, and then ... we fall in love". So true..
Is Zhenia arrogant with her breaking the rules as some here suggest? Maybe, but she is fully justified. She has no competition among other skaters, so she competes with herself. Go for it, Zhenia!

Congrats to Carolina. I loved the playfulness between Caro and Mishin in K&C. So funny! The performance was very mature and artistic, but towards the end I got bored a bit. It's not Ave Maria yet.

Laurine - I liked her in Grand Prix, now I like her even more. Energy and youthfulness level the same as Zhenia's.

Maria Sotskova - OK. I wish her well, she has potential, but I cannot help yawning and fast forwarding. I really miss Elena, even with her mistakes.

Better ladies' competition in Euros this year. Not a huge fall in points from 3rd to 4th like it has been these past years. Evgenia just never ceases to amaze me. I like the fact that she pushes herself and has the best atitude in the sport. The terrorism/ ugly world theme is OK but I believe someone has toned down the extreme siren and panic sounds in her music. But stellar performance from her!. Pogo was nervous; I've seen better from her. But she is a tough competitor and added that triple-triple combo later in her program. That's literally thinking on her feet. Carolina! That stretch and long limbs! Glad she is back and can teach Polina Edmonds a thing or two about how to properly use those long limbs!!
That French girl stole the show with Sandy from Grease. Olivia would be proud! Costume change is soooo French and to go from sweet Sandy to naughty Sandy was genius. Although her coach wasn't so enthusiastic afterwards. Keep that momentum for worlds! Slovakia and Belgium has lots of potential and I hope to see good things from them in the future. Joshi Helgesson has Brian Orser now as a coach... she should have switched much sooner.
Last but not least our Norwegian! She made it to the final!?! Let us see what happens at the World final in team handball (men). Go Norge!

bobbob said:

Even in her heyday, Caro's jumping performance in free skates was pretty lackluster. As a matter of fact, I think technically this is one of Caros strongest free skates of all time, near 2014 OWG. Certainly technically it isn't weaker than most skates she had in 2011-2014 cycle. She won worlds without a 3Lz too. So I don't think her PCS should go down necessarily.

If she skates, cleanly, her PCS will not and should not go down. Mao should get higher PCS too.

Click to expand...

It's the question what you actually call lackluster. Only a couple of female skaters are able to do a 3-3 cleanly in their mid 20's. Carolina was a more impressive jumper in her teens but not that consistent of course. Her base value in the Sochi FS was only about 3 points higher (that of Yuna Kim was only 2 points higher), so I would call it decent.
Apart from that I agree. She hasn't done a 3-3 in her FS for ages and I appreciate that she did go for it. She also does a 2Lo in her three jump combo now (very likely because of the change of rules of course, but it's nice anyway). So yes, this is a good technical content for Carolina. She has already done the 3Lz in competition this season so I have no doubt that she'll show it again soon.

Manitou said:

Is Zhenia arrogant with her breaking the rules as some here suggest? Maybe, but she is fully justified. She has no competition among other skaters, so she competes with herself. Go for it, Zhenia!

Click to expand...

:agree:

temadd said:

I know it was part of the story but Laurine's first half dress was seriously unattractive and not really appropriate to the time period. The skirt was all wrong.

Click to expand...

My biggest problem with Laurine's first dress is that it makes her look really misshapen and clunky (and I would never think it could be possible with Laurine). Also, during spins the dress looks hideous: it gives Laurine a huge belly. It is all just wrong. Does not look good.

Good competition really. I'm a bit afraid for my girl Anna still. She showed that she can really think quick even if things don't go her usual way and I'm impressed. But she seemed a bit stiff and always ends her program slightly behind the music. I hope that'll change. Evgenia deserves all the praise in the World and I still don't feel any excitement for her skating. Carolina I never saw as the wonder many others do but she deserves kudos on making the podium at almost 30. She obviously is able to do what many old 'stars' cannot. Like a commentator said, he wonders if Evgenia will still skate with almost 30...but then Carolina has the possibilities in Italy she wouldn't have in another country. They can be happy to have her, whereas in Japan Mao doesn't have it that easy.

Before the competition started someone mentioned a Sotskova friendly judge panel, and this is the thing that bugs me most about that Euros. Maria Sotskova's scores. This girl is just not there. Yet. That's okay, she's young it is her debut she was probably nervous. But after being scored in the low 70s in the short, which others took years to get to, she delivered a horribly boring long. I'm not talking about her falls, which can happen and I would never fault her for. Her interpretation lacked big time. She was going through the motions. There was no movement, no emotional connection, it was 'bloodless'. In comparison to Raijkova, for example. And so many others were just plain better than her. Judges...you're not doing this girl any favours if you overscore her. She has a lot of work to do and overscoring her is not going to make it easier. But then the big guns sans Anna are all overscored. Why is it that the judges have their rose tinted glasses on with others and Anna has to work hard for it? Keep in mind that I don't think Anna is under- or overscored, her scores are correct. Just not in comparison. Now hoping for a World silver for her, but I think that's not how the figure skating world wants it. She has to be pitch perfect for the silver and even then it is not guaranteed.

Manitou said:

Evgenia's program with its youthfulness, energy and perfection is like a breeze of fresh air - it never gets old. After so many times of watching it's still new. If she keeps developing like she has been so far she may be the greatest of all time.
When I was watching her skate on the Russian channel I heard Tarasova say: "[Zhenia] is taking us with her, and then ... we fall in love". So true..
Is Zhenia arrogant with her breaking the rules as some here suggest? Maybe, but she is fully justified. She has no competition among other skaters, so she competes with herself. Go for it, Zhenia!

Congrats to Carolina. I loved the playfulness between Caro and Mishin in K&C. So funny! The performance was very mature and artistic, but towards the end I got bored a bit. It's not Ave Maria yet.

Laurine - I liked her in Grand Prix, now I like her even more. Energy and youthfulness level the same as Zhenia's.

Maria Sotskova - OK. I wish her well, she has potential, but I cannot help yawning and fast forwarding. I really miss Elena, even with her mistakes.

Click to expand...

Nobody should be above the rules. Nobody likes a show off, and quite frankly it's just irritating. She is a breath of fresh air in terms of being young and exuberant, but she's hardly the greatest of all time. She's not that far off from Sotskova is we're talking about a realistic viewing of components. The only difference is she is a reigning WC and apparently the IJS Messiah the ISU has been waiting for. Right now, she has nothing more to offer other than jumps and consistency. Sooner or later, she'll end up falling on an arrogant 3T and end up like Nathan Chen at the Nationals Gala last year.

Conversely, I thought Carolina and Laurine WERE the breath of fresh air. Yes technically Kostner still has a way to go but IN, CH, PE, SS, my god she's still by far the most superior. You show me another European lady who can skate as big, can cover as much as, as fast, and as refined!

Carolina is a sight for sore eyes. the ease with which she moves across the ice...just gorgeous. Her jumps too, are not muscled through, like some of the younger generation. I can watch her skate around the ice all day. so glad to have her back! don't get how the judges didn't give her the highest SS scores but these are ISU judges and i guess i should be used to it now. :confused2:

TheCzar said:

Nobody should be above the rules. Nobody likes a show off, and quite frankly it's just irritating. She is a breath of fresh air in terms of being young and exuberant, but she's hardly the greatest of all time. She's not that far off from Sotskova is we're talking about a realistic viewing of components. The only difference is she is a reigning WC and apparently the IJS Messiah the ISU has been waiting for. Right now, she has nothing more to offer other than jumps and consistency. Sooner or later, she'll end up falling on an arrogant 3T and end up like Nathan Chen at the Nationals Gala last year.

Conversely, I thought Carolina and Laurine WERE the breath of fresh air. Yes technically Kostner still has a way to go but IN, CH, PE, SS, my god she's still by far the most superior. You show me another European lady who can skate as big, can cover as much as, as fast, and as refined!

Click to expand...

Evegenia is far from being the greatest of all time. Nowhere near the quality skater that is Yuna or even Mao at her prime. She is not pushing the sport either, however I do think the rules will keep changing in her favor until they see that she takes Olympic gold on Korean soil.

4everchan said:

I didn't appreciate the throwing of the extra 3T either.... it should be like ice dance... illegal invalid element -1 deduction

Caro is back but not entirely... I don't believe her program is worth that much (LP)... I didn't have a problem with the SP score as much... but a LP with no 3Z and only one 3F for me shouldn't score that high.

Why would Caro retain her PCS with easier jumps and not others like let's say Mao??? It's weird.... I think that when it's time for WC, some things will get adjusted.

Click to expand...

But Caro was fairly scored low in her TES. Her fairly high scores came from her PCS which I think is fairly earned. As far as I understand PCS, they are not dependent on the tech content and despite a long absence, Caro still has great basic SS (flow, direction, ease of movement and speed variation) and high quality TR using the upper body if not the quantity like say a Zhenya.

topaz emerald said:

Evegenia is far from being the greatest of all time. Nowhere near the quality skater that is Yuna or even Mao at her prime. She is not pushing the sport either, however I do think the rules will keep changing in her favor until they see that she takes Olympic gold on Korean soil.

Click to expand...

Have to respectfully disagree. Perhaps she just is not pushing in the direction of quality skating or greatly executed elements. To me her biggest weapon is her natural ability to produce a performance that reaches out to many and engage them by drawing them into her program. It is a very understated soft skill which makes people happy and judges more generous which explains why her PCS is so high. I mean I don't like her basic skating and I still think her SS basics are mediocre but boy is she so good to watch on ice and you want to give her high marks for everything.

TheCzar said:

Nobody should be above the rules. Nobody likes a show off, and quite frankly it's just irritating. !

Click to expand...

Please speak for yourself, nobody has made you the spokesperson for everyone in the world, let alone on this board.

She is not above the rules nor is she the first person to do this; funny how there was much less pearl clutching then. Zhenya got penalized both times she did this. If she were above the rules, she wouldn't get the penalties; she does. Would you perhaps like to push for her to be disqualified or something? Tough luck. You're just going to have to live with the fact that she can not only do it but that she can afford to suffer the consequences, unlike certain other people. And with the fact that there are plenty of those who not only like her just fine but like what she's doing. Including adding jumps.

Anyway. I enjoyed her greatly, including her spirit and champion mind. You go little queen, do your thing.

For Anna, I'm strangely relieved after this competition. I'm not entirely sure for how long the knee injury persisted post Nationals but without being at her best and while having trouble with the jumps, going after both Zhenya and Caro, and then having all the pressure on her, which isn't just the usual but the mess that is the Russian choices, she managed to hold on and tough it out, and then deservedly grab the silver. This too will be yet another boost and she'll be able to rest now and get a good start for the Worlds without worries. Knock on wood, because she needs a good Worlds to try and set herself up in the best way possible for next season.

topaz emerald said:

Evegenia is far from being the greatest of all time. Nowhere near the quality skater that is Yuna or even Mao at her prime. She is not pushing the sport either, however I do think the rules will keep changing in her favor until they see that she takes Olympic gold on Korean soil.

Click to expand...

Even though subjectively I agree with you, I can count using the fingers of one hand the competitions where Mao / Yuna went completely clean with their full planned content in their entire career. With Med, that is not the case.
She got penalized by adding the 3T, and it is her lost - her own WR would have been higher with a simple 2A. Maybe if next year Zagaitova beats her record by 0,01 points she'll regret the decision to show off here. From a performance wise, this would have been a smart move if the program was uplifting and a dumb move considering the theme of the program and her reaction following the success of the combination