JGPF: Ladies' FS - Thoughts and Highlights | Golden Skate

JGPF: Ladies' FS - Thoughts and Highlights

gsk8

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The Russian ladies dominated the Free Skate at the 2018-19 Junior Grand Prix Final in Vancouver on Saturday with Alena Kostornaia edging out teammates Alexandra Trusova and Alena Kanysheva for the title.

Kostornaia was focused in her smooth, yet powerful routine to music from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack, landing seven triple jumps, all of which garnered high grades of execution (GOE). While the World junior silver medalist didn’t have the most technical program, she made up for it in the Program Component scores, earning level 4s on all elements along the way to finish first with a new season’s best in the free skate (141.66) and overall (217.98).

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Share your thoughts on the Junior Ladies' FS at the 2018-19 Junior Grand Prix Final!
 
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Vandevska

U don't have to build the end of the world out it.
Medalist
Joined
Dec 18, 2017
Anna Scherbakova vs Trusova – although I’m used to seeing Sasha fall on her quads since last year, it looked so displeasing this time like never before for me, and because of that this is the first time Anna won me over and for once I thought “ah, so maybe this is why people like her so much”. I wish them both many more quads in the future, congratulations to Sasha on winning the silver medal and Anna – just keep going forward!

Alena Kanysheva – I liked her skating, but she’s a new skater for me and so far I’m not very impressed. I think I’m just not used to her enough. Congratulations on the bronze medal!

Anastasia Tarakanova – ever since seeing her for the first time last year at the GPF, she’s won my fight heart. I’m really drawn to get fierce competitive side. Her jumps are so good, so high, she’s very impressive to me. I really like her personality. I think her score should’ve been higher though. She may not be skating to Believer, but I believe in her and I wish her to finally get that spot for junior worlds!

Alena Kostornaia – I am speechless. She’s always been the most mature skater out of this crop of Russian juniors, but tonight’s performance was just something else. I’m not talking about the jumps, those we’ve seen her do even better (although they were still great). She’s just so refined, none of her movements are rushed and unfinished even despite there being a ton of different positions, and they’re definitely better than before. I noticed that she holds the positions longer and the effect that has on the program is superb. Had she competed with the seniors today, I believe she would’ve won the silver medal. I cannot describe how happy I am that she won.
 

bunnybarista

If I risk it all, could you break my fall?~
On the Ice
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May 27, 2018
Alena Kostornaia – I am speechless. She’s always been the most mature skater out of this crop of Russian juniors, but tonight’s performance was just something else. I’m not talking about the jumps, those we’ve seen her do even better (although they were still great). She’s just so refined, none of her movements are rushed and unfinished even despite there being a ton of different positions, and they’re definitely better than before. I noticed that she holds the positions longer and the effect that has on the program is superb. Had she competed with the seniors today, I believe she would’ve won the silver medal. I cannot describe how happy I am that she won.

I completely agree! She looked so collected and confident in both the SP and FS. A true pleasure to watch her skate! As much as I am impressed by Trusova, Kostornaia was the clear winner today. Trusova looked choppy/rushed whereas Kostornaia just sailed through it all with the perfect composure. And I loved her FS dress! Yay Alena!! :luv17:
 

Shanshani

On the Ice
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Mar 21, 2018
Random pic from the victory ceremony.

Unfortunately the quads weren't on today, but Alena put out an amazing skate. She compares well among seniors, let alone juniors. On the flip side, Sasha doesn't need to win everything to be a boss.

Everyone at the competition was adorable. Congrats to the medalists!
 

Midnightcass

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
I actually was able to catch the livestream for this and I’m so happy I did!

Tarakanova:
She was my favourite last year and I’m glad to see her adjusting well to this coaching change. Her heartbroken face when she realised she didn’t place, hurt me. So. Much.
She was definitely underscored for her FS. Though her pink dress really did NOT match the music at all. I maybe that’s what they deducted points for. 😂
Good luck for Worlds! You got this!

Scherbakova:
There was so much hype for this young lady coming into the season that I thought she’s going to sweep all competitions. However, it was immediately noticeable with her first competition, that she had a problem with nerves. The moment she started her FS, I knew she wouldn’t be able to land the jumps. Her movements were too jittery, fast with anxiety. This is her first GP though and she is a lovely a performer. Hope she doesn’t beat herself too hard and there’s always worlds! However, the GOE for her jumps were out of whack for my opinion. +2GOEs for a clearly under rotated 3Lutz-3Loop? Madness.
(Prediction: she’s going to bring it down at worlds)

Trusova:
Also had a gut feeling that she wouldn’t land the Lutzes when she began her program. (It’s becoming sort of a gift after watching Boyang so much 😂😂😂) Still amazingly high technical score and for a moment I was scared that she was going to beat Kostornaia.
Lovely jumps and it was here that I realized that she. Wore. Tan. Boots. No wonder they’re covered all the time. 😂
It was great to see her still smiling and happy for Alena. Like it was really nice to see. Wow.
She’s going to rebound back in Worlds I’m 100% sure. Her and Scherbakova are going to be battling out for first place, I’m sure.
Ps: was her flying camel spin always so slow?
Also MASSIVE toe loop. Colour me impressed.

Kostornaia:
ALENNNNNAAAAAAAAA!!!!! Yes!
I’ve never seen her so happy and smiley before. I am so happy she finally was at the top of the podium. Did you see those PCs? Amazing. Great Job.
Though it sucks that she came first only because of Trusova’s mistakes but it’s a gold medal fair and square nonetheless. She’s honestly my favourite this year, even with that horrible music in her FS. Sorry, I don’t do well with voiceovers. I hope she could top the podium again in Worlds but I really doubt it.

Kanysheva:
Good job Kanysheva! A well deserved bronze. So far your skating has not really appealed to me and I low key wanted you to fall so Tarakanova would have a chance for a medal ( I know, I’m terrible.... I shall sit in the corner now and contemplate my misgivings). But great job. Jumps were neat and her skating was light and airy. First jgp too! Amazing. Good luck at worlds.

Kim:
The only non-Russian and for that you get a round of applause. Good performance ( I missed half of it) but great jumps. I’m glad she’s proving herself against the huge hype with Eunsoon and Young. Wishing her the next at Nats. 😏 I’m surprised at the large gap between her and scherbakova though... she performed so much better in both SP and FS in comparison to Scherbakova. 🤔
 

randomfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2014
Alena Kostornaia is such a joy to watch. She is one of the very few all-around skaters in the current ladies field - both senior and junior - which is a pretty big deal. :agree: Congratulations on (finally :yay:) winning!

Alexandra Trusova's quads weren't working today, but she kept the performance going and it was really exciting to see. Also, I can't stand how cute she was in the press conference :love:.

Alena Kanysheva is definitely on my radar now. So young, yet so elegant - I saw a sparkle in her that I did not see in her previous two JGPs. I look forward to watching her in the future.

I still don't like Anastasia Tarakanova's programs, but I do love how much emotion and power she puts into her every performance. If she now just works on her jump landings and be a bit more refined, she can surely move up.

Anna Shcherbakova was a big shock to me. While she did come back strong after a disastrous SP, it was still surprising to see her make so many mistakes. Hopefully she can bounce back from this disappointing competition and get ready for Nationals.

It was already quite an achievement for Yelim Kim to qualify for this competition, so I hope she isn't too hard on herself for how she did here. The technical content is there, she just needs to work on her URs and especially her artistry if she wants to move up. She clearly is a graceful skater, so if she just puts a bit more into the performance then she can really become something special.
 

Alexz

Medalist
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Mar 29, 2016
Country
United-States
I still don't like Anastasia Tarakanova's programs, but I do love how much emotion and power she puts into her every performance. If she now just works on her jump landings and be a bit more refined, she can surely move up.

Anastasia's music is the most Plyushenko thing since Plyushy retired. :)
 

Elana

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 19, 2018
I got chills when Alena’s music started, and they didn’t go away until she was done skating. I knew she was going to win from that moment, there was just some aura about her today, right from the start. She was breathtaking and by far deserved this. Beyond proud of her ❤️

Side note, Tarakanova’s jumps were huge, so disappointed in her score, don’t see how her PCS were so low in comparison to others. I hope she still goes to JW.
 

Alexz

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United-States
[emoji23] I feel like this isn't a compliment, but it's true and probably why I love Nastya's programs the best!
On contrary, it is a compliment. I see a lot of Plushy vibes and influence in Anastasia. And Eteri's grit.
 

anonymoose_au

Insert weird opinion here
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Feb 22, 2014
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On contrary, it is a compliment. I see a lot of Plushy vibes and influence in Anastasia. And Eteri's grit.

Ah cool I wasn't sure because my taste in music is so suspect! :laugh:

But Nastya's determined for sure!
 

yume

🍉
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
Kostornaya will start in seniors with 75 PCS.
Good competition despite many mistakes. Like last season, i think Trusova keeps her clean FS with all quads landed for junior worlds. Scherbakova needs to become stronger mentally. She lands those quads like nothing in international competitions.
Now i don't see how Rusfed won't send three Eteri girls at junior worls. Kostornaya was the most vulnerable but she just won JGPF. If Scherbakova lands the quads at nats, she will be in the team.

Today was the victory of "no risks and beautiful skating" against " unbelievable amount of risks but not so pretty skating". But when all those quads will be landed there will be no chance for pretty skating.
 

zanadude

Medalist
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Feb 20, 2016
Country
Japan
If Junior Men's Bronze Medalist Koshiro Shimada had competed in the Ladies division, his score would have earned him...a bronze medal there too. :eeking:
 

MissBeeFarm

On the Ice
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Feb 22, 2018
Trusova:
Also had a gut feeling that she wouldn’t land the Lutzes when she began her program. (It’s becoming sort of a gift after watching Boyang so much ������) Still amazingly high technical score and for a moment I was scared that she was going to beat Kostornaia.
Lovely jumps and it was here that I realized that she. Wore. Tan. Boots. No wonder they’re covered all the time. ��
It was great to see her still smiling and happy for Alena. Like it was really nice to see. Wow.
She’s going to rebound back in Worlds I’m 100% sure. Her and Scherbakova are going to be battling out for first place, I’m sure.
Ps: was her flying camel spin always so slow?
Also MASSIVE toe loop. Colour me impressed.

She actually wore white boots until very recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heGvrtB-fvg
But she has had trouble finding boots that work for her IIRC.
 

katymay

Medalist
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Gutted for Taraknakova, if she had skated last instead of first? Also, sad for Anna, not the programs she wanted, I'm sure, but when you are putting high risk elements into your program, it happens. Trusova seemed to run out of steam, many elements were poorly executed, and she seemed very fatigued at the end. I notice that Trusova never warms up spins, step sequence etc., time for her to pay attention to the PCS side of skating. I think she is loathe to do anything that isn't a jump. I wish Trusova would drop the 4L, stick with the 4T and 4T in combo.
I hope Kostornaya puts the 3A back in, with a 3A I think she will rise to the top of the Russian senior ladies.
The real honor is just in making the final, and I hope all the girls are proud of themselves.
 

lzxnl

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 8, 2018
This competition shows us that next season is not guaranteed to be a sweep of Eteri's juniors. If anything, there's a lot more uncertainty added to the mix and it'll be delightful to watch.
 

PiggytailProdigy

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 31, 2016
what the judges did to BossT-arakanova was meh...
it wasn't like that last year
BossT-arakanova and Kihira both skated clean SPs last year at JGPF which was held in Japan and they gave it to BossT
But this year...(sigh)
harm is done
BossT will probably hate fs now and will quit
she will never skate again and we will never see this amount of burning passion on ice again
 

xeyra

Constant state
Record Breaker
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Jan 10, 2017
Congrats to all the medalists, especially to Kostornaya. This was a great final, even with the quad falls.
 

BillNeal

You Know I'm a FS Fan...
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Glad that the judges awarded Kostornaia, who has the superior artistry, skating skills, flow, and jumps with nice extension and good glide out on the landing. I hope this sends a message to fellow competitors to work on all aspects of their skating instead of just increasing the number of rotations of jumps. Trusova went for it but a hard fall is truly worrisome for us viewers. Hopefully, this victory slows down the troubling trend to a rate that is more adaptable for the young ladies.
 
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