2019 Skate America: Day 1 - Thoughts and Highlights | Page 2 | Golden Skate

2019 Skate America: Day 1 - Thoughts and Highlights

demarinis5

Gold for the Winter Prince!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
The men's Highlight for me was Keegan I know he placed third in the SP but his program
was not only emotional but expertly executed. I think he was the only man that
did not make any type of error in my eyes his program as Dick buttons used to say "it was,
simply the best".

I was so impressed with Bradie, Kaori and Wakaba. All three have battled recent
injuries and to put out that type of excellence is quite a feat, for me that is what FS is all about.

The Ice Dance competition was fabulous! So many great programs. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole competition.
No surprise with the placements and I thought the judges were correct.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I still think Shcherbakova's got this for the ladies. Tech base value will rise to the top in the Free Skate.

By the way, the ladies ranking in the short by base value, quads prohibited, was

Tuktamysheva
Shcherbakova
Tennell
Higuchi
Sakamoto
Glenn
Chen
Lim
Leung
Mallet
Yamashita
Konstantieva
 
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drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Bradie skated great and she's improved a lot. Still, I don't get a sense that she feels the music. Even her opening moves, where she's trying to set a mood for the program, just look like she's doing rehearsed choreography.

Kaori had my favorite SP of the evening. She skates with a lot of conviction that is missing from a lot of the other programs.

I still don't get the GOE Nathan gets on his jumps. A few judges gave him +2 for his lutz with a turn out, +4 for his axel that didn't have a great landing or complex entry, and solid scores for his combo that, again, had a landing that was rushed into the next moves.
 

lariko

Medalist
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Country
Canada
That costume! I had to go check out Stepanova/Bukin, but ah, there is a reason Ice Dance is not my thing. But darn, that costume!

So glad for Aliev and Messing, absolutely wonderful to watch. Also, with Tomono and Bychenko back to back, I was wondering if I accidentally put my playback in speed play mode, truly great energy.

I really wanted Tuktamysheva to shine, but, alas. Sakomoto though was magic! Go, Kaori, go!

I’m surprised Peng/Jin ended up in the lead, because of the small mistakes that took away from the quality of the program, but it has magnificent style. Pavluchenko/Khodykin are so cute and clean, I am keeping my fingers crossed for them. I’m looking forward to free the most in the pairs atm.
 

Artemisa

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 15, 2017
Men: Nathan, Jason, Dima and Messing great programs ....Dima he didn't fall.... Nathan didn't deserve the positive GOE after that turn ... jason even without a 4 his programs are flowing
Ladies: Bradie just amazing..Kaori a wakabi just different programs and energy ... Anna I don't like SP
Ice dance: Bukin/ Stepanova please change the costume ( the same thing zagorski .. give the girl a little fabric to finish the dress) ...Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue didn't deserve the distance in score ... and good start Sofia SHEVCHENKO / Igor EREMENKO ... she has a lot of personality and the distance to the others team util 5 isn't that much
Pairs: Daria PAVLIUCHENKO / Denis KHODYKIN good program..Peng / Jin I think their program will grow on me
 

nussnacker

one and only
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 16, 2019
That costume! I had to go check out Stepanova/Bukin, but ah, there is a reason Ice Dance is not my thing. But darn, that costume!

So glad for Aliev and Messing, absolutely wonderful to watch. Also, with Tomono and Bychenko back to back, I was wondering if I accidentally put my playback in speed play mode, truly great energy.

I really wanted Tuktamysheva to shine, but, alas. Sakomoto though was magic! Go, Kaori, go!

I’m surprised Peng/Jin ended up in the lead, because of the small mistakes that took away from the quality of the program, but it has magnificent style. Pavluchenko/Khodykin are so cute and clean, I am keeping my fingers crossed for them. I’m looking forward to free the most in the pairs atm.

Absolutely agree about the S/B costumes! Her, make up, dress, she looked absolutely stunning. Bukin in his suit looking sharp!
Their reactions are always hilarious! Bukin always happy and satisfied, Alexandra always thinking it should’ve been more. :)
 

Seruleane

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Thoughts on ladies: Kaori and Wakaba were the standouts to me. I actually don't care too much for either one's music choices, but I love seeing Wakaba make a comeback and show flashes of her prior Skyfall brilliance. Kaori's skating skills are just sublime. I don't even care what music she is skating to, I could watch her glide on the ice all day. Would love to compare her and Kostornaya side by side and see who is more impressive. Bradie's program, while better than previous years, just strikes me as odd. Her movements didn't match with the music at times, I actually had to switch videos a few times to make sure I wasn't viewing a fan video with different music. I still think she needs better packaging. Anna's Perfume program remains my favorite of the ladies - it is so mysterious and different from usual programs, I really hope she doesn't get discouraged from the low PCS she is getting. I hope her PCS will improve with time and consistency. My current placements would be 1. Kaori 2. Wakaba 3. Bradie. I'm hoping the ladies skate strong tonight, and Anna makes a good comeback! I would love the podium to consist of Kaori, Anna, and Wakaba in any order. People seem to forget there are so many strong Japanese female skaters, not just Rika, who are top medal contenders. I'm hoping Kaori and Wakaba prove them wrong.
 

semosk8tfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Country
United-States
I must be getting old. I fell asleep watching a competition that is only two time zones away and missed most of dance and all of ladies. I will never make it for events in Asia. :laugh:

Some thoughts so far:
Keegan made me cry, thankful Jason is healthy enough to BE here, Smart and Diaz aren't the top technical dancers but man I love that program, Haven Denney is a warrior for continuing after her injury and I really like how they are growing as a team, and I never thought I would say this about Tanith but please stop talking constantly during a performance (it used to be constructive now it is just noise).
 

purplecat

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
United-States
Haven't gotten a chance to watch everything but did watch last night's Ladies SP live on TV...

Bradie - Wow! Everything was so crisp and confident. And I agree that her SP stood out cause so many skaters used an angsty pop song (I liked most of those angsty SPs, but it did help Bradie's program stand out in comparison). I think people forget how good a spinner she is and she more often than not gets level 4 steps as well. Hope she skates a clean freeskate too!

Kaori - Great! I love this short program. Probably lost to Bradie mostly on base level (no lutz) and spins but rightfully won the highest PCS of the night.

Wakaba - another Wow! I was not expecting this performance at all. The biggest surprise of the night for me. How great for her.

Liza and Anna - I thought Liza should have been ahead of Anna - but she got that under call and low PCS. And Anna was lovely - just a tad nervous probably caused those errors. I expect them both to come back fighting today.

Karen and Amber - both very good jobs from two skaters that can often let nerves get to them. Both could do better on their combos, but both should be happy and proud of their skates.

Eunsoo - surprised here - expected her to do well. She did have my favorite dress of the night!

Good job for Mallet - about as well as she could do.

Poor Christy - late substitute is always hard to step in last minute. At least she stood up.

Really sad for Konstantiova and Yamashita who both were so strong last year. Hope they can put these SPs behind them!

Saw the top three men's short that they showed last night too - all three were fab! Congrats to them!
 

ruga

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 20, 2017
-I don't generally watch pairs but I really liked Cain/Leduc, they had good speed and musicality (and that I spin was very cool, it's so rare among men so I was surprised to see a pair do that)
-Peng/Jin were great as well and I loved Cheng's costume for some reason
-Kaori was a w e s o m e . I wanted her to go above Bradie and get slightly higher components, but I'm not unhappy with current situation
-Bradie's program really matched her skating style and technical elements were effortless and well executed. Hope she stays like that in the free program
-Wakaba was superb (her axel was so gooood) and I really want her to show a clean free with a 3A
-Elizaveta and Anna have shown that nothing is decided yet. Let's see if their difficult elements can make up for the short program
-Nathan's program was quite good, but as someone has mentioned, really similar to Nemesis in a way. 4Lz was good overall but had a bad landing and shouldn't have received +GOE
-Keegan skated with his whole soul, really adored him in this event :)
 

snowflake

I enjoy what I like
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Keegan was the reason I stayed up late to watch all men. His skating always made me feel good, laughing and smiling. After this skate I was so sad to see tears in his eyes. I hope his cool ’November rain’ performance will be as good as his short.
 

Mishaminion

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Shocked how good Bradie was, her program is very different and not everyone's cup of tea...I thought it suited her well. I just wish that she would do something different with her hair, it always looks the same and it doesn't fit this fierce style she now has.

Same can be said for Liza, enough with the messy "I just got up" ponytail. Unfortunately her skate matched her hair somewhat, messy landings on combo and solo triple.

Keegan brought tears to my eyes, doesn't even matter where he placed that was my highlight of the competition so far.
 

Bcash

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Saw improvements in Nathan's flow and movement quality. Confidence abounds.
Jason.. really shouldn't pop the 3A when he knows he doesn't have a Quad anything. But I don't know how much the earlier accident affected his training.
Kinda surprised Aliev was so solid with his jumps. Looks better trained? Still finished after the music though.

Think Hubbell/Donohue are back in their wheelhouse. Madison looked super glamorous.
S/B would to better to stop with those over the top costumes. There's this disconnect between her upper and lower body. It's like she doesn't know how to efficiently generate power from her back and hips.
C/P - Probably consider a costume alteration as well. That pink looks a little cheap coupled with the mid-riff. And his pants made him look really round in the middle. But I did see improvement in speed and performance energy.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Just watched the ladies on big tv. Sakamoto's Shae-lynn Borne chorepography was superb and Kaori delivered it with conviction and panoche. :rock:

Edit: I mean, panache. :)
 
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NaVi

Medalist
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
I only watched pairs, mens, and the first half of ice dance and then I just had to sleep. My big impression is that everyone seemed extremely nervous and the skaters were skating faster than I remember(it could be because I'm watching with higher fps).

The crowd doesn't seem that much bigger than usual but it's a more intimate arena and the crowd energy was better than normal. I personally hope they come to Vegas every year for Skate America.
 

apgold

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Country
United-States
The ladies definitely didn't go how I thought it would. I thought Liza would be first (she was killing it in the Russian practice stream) after the SP but her program was not as good as it was in Finlandia, I still think she should've been slightly ahead of Anna.

Anna looks so fragile to me - she's a lovely skater with musicality but this is a lot of pressure on her debut. Loved seeing Wakaba bounce back after months of injury and disappointment. Kaori was amazing as everyone says and Bradie is also owning it this year. Still don't love her packaging but she's working so hard on her performance side. Karen and Amber also did nicely with respectable showings.

The FS should be a nail biter with some movement in the standings - would be lovely to see 2 Japanese ladies on the podium again.

Men was a mixed bag but the top 3 brought it - Nathan was great but his costume looks just like "Nemesis." Keegan was lovely and emotional and although I do not like Ed Sheeran songs because they are so overplayed, you can tell he loves skating to the song so that was enough for me. He and Dima are virtually tied. I also liked Mick Brezina's Chris Isaak program - very cool character he embodies. Also kudos to Jason for going over 80 points with a popped 3A, his performance was spellbinding. He could've broken 90 easily if he were clean but would probably still be in 4th place.

I liked H/D's RD - haven't heard "Let's Be Bad" from SMASH (remember that show?) in years - where is Megan Hilty these days? I would've liked an all SMASH program and get rid of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." Smart/Diaz were so much fun with the Grease program - definitely a hit because it's so recognizable and the costumes are dead-on. (Fun fact: as a kid I competed in a baton twirling team and we used the "Grease" theme one year - I still remember the steps).

The CanaDanes are smooth as silk (shame about the twizzles) and S/B did a fun new take on "Moulin Rouge" although I don't know why Stepanova loves those bustle-ly dresses that are a costume malfunction waiting to happen (and it did).

Not much to say about pairs - I hope Ashley and Tim nail that throw lutz in the free.
 

eppen

Medalist
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Country
Spain
Was caught by the men's comp so that ended up staying awake until its end. Missed the ladies live in the morning, but watched the top 5 afterwards.

Did not think that within about a week I would ever agree with skyhigh PCS for a Russiian ladies senior debut and would complain about a low PCS for a Russian male skater, but life is sometime surprising! I do think Dima would have deserved that 44 also. The 4Lz combo looked very good indeed! He has been pretty consistent this season so far, so I hope the judges take note of his return. Like the way Nathan goes for different styes of music in his programs - I like the SP better so far. It was a little so and so with the jumps not being 100% and mistakes even in other elements. Love Tomono's quirky program, but it is a pity that he has to drop choreo so completely for the jumps, breaks the mood a bit.

Wakaba looking good made my heart beat a little faster, hope she will keep up the good work in the FS. Kaori was solid, but I am not sure if this is the best vehicle for her. She is not good at showing personality on ice and that music would require much more sass than what she has. Bridie pulled herself together for a home competition (I think this is something that US skaters seem to excel at - being brill when they skate home and lossing it everywhere else). I was not so sure about the choreo, the way she turned to look at the judges all the time was a bit jarring and sometimes it felt to me that the music and the movement did not match very well.

E
 

1111bm

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 31, 2016
Just watched Kaori and that dress is gorgeous!! :luv17:
I rarely like the cut of figure skating dresses, but this design is so beautiful, and that colour!

Loved the program and the music too, even though to me her movements still look clumsy and a bit too sluggish to really sell such an upbeat dance-y style (I can't come up with nicer words to describe what I see). But I don't really mind so much, because she's still so expressive, even if not refined, really using the space and filling it with her movement and skating big.
And as always she seems to be having fun with her program, so I'm having fun watching her.

I enjoyed Wakaba too, albeit less than Kaori. I really like the style of both their programs, feels more modern and less generic than many of the more typical skating programs, which is also the reason why I don't enjoy the programs of Karen or Amber for instance.
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
A big reminder to me about how tough figure skaters are mentally and physically. Skating with arthritic knee? I have an arthritic knee, I can barely hobble unless I'm hopped up on steroids. Skating with tendinitis? I had tendinitis, could not use that limb until I had 8 weeks of PT. Skating with no coach training themselves off Youtube videos? I have to agree with Tara that it sounds very dangerous but they are making it work.

And mentally...Keegan..that performance was iconic. I will still be watching it in a decade. I'd have him in second at least. Even Johnny could not find anything snarky to say about it.

Keegan....my man..please do not blow it in the free!

Also, whoever was supposed to get the memo to Bradie that she wasn't supposed to medal..think they took a wrong turn into a slot machine or buffet or something.

And either there's something wonky with the lighting there, or there's a weird makeup trend, or all the ladies actually have black eyes.
 
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