2016 NHK Trophy Ladies SP

[lappo]

Liked both the Russian girls, I'm sorry for Satoko who is a sentimental favourite, though. Hope she skates a very good FS, I like the program!

Sorry for the OT but will Polina T be at the Russian (senior) Nationals?

 

[hippomoomin]

I think so. Wasn't Polina at the senior nationals last year?

 

[ancientpeas]

When I look at the Russian Ladies I despair. It's a shame that only 3 can go. Do you think any of them would be comfortable skating for other countries like some Canadians or Americans do? Do any of the russian ladies have ties to Belarus or any of the other old SSRs? Would they be willing to switch so they can go to the Worlds and Olympics?

 

[atsumiri]

I think so. Wasn't Polina at the senior nationals last year?

She was 4th at senior and 1st at junior

 

[ancientpeas]

Ack..sorry. I thought you guys were talking about Polina Edmunds! How embarassing.

 

[lappo]

She was 4th at senior and 1st at junior

Thanks. This year she won't be in contention for the Worlds but I really hope she places high in order to prepare for the pre-Olympic season.

 

[Tolstoj]

When I look at the Russian Ladies I despair. It's a shame that only 3 can go. Do you think any of them would be comfortable skating for other countries like some Canadians or Americans do? Do any of the russian ladies have ties to Belarus or any of the other old SSRs? Would they be willing to switch so they can go to the Worlds and Olympics?

I don't like that: i mean if a skater move to US or Canada to live there or for many other reasons okay, otherwise changing nationality just to go to worlds or the olympics, to me it sounds almost disrespectful for the country you are coming from.

In Italy you have to have an italian ancestor or be resident here at least for 10 years to get the citizenship, and for example in football many people still think that the federation should choose only "true" italians for the national team.

 

[LadyB]

When I look at the Russian Ladies I despair. It's a shame that only 3 can go. Do you think any of them would be comfortable skating for other countries like some Canadians or Americans do? Do any of the russian ladies have ties to Belarus or any of the other old SSRs? Would they be willing to switch so they can go to the Worlds and Olympics?

Just imagine they would all together turn up at Worlds or Olympics!! That would be an unprecedented showdown. Shame that is unlikely to happen for most of them, at that level they want to represent Russia (among others because they want to show that they are part of this elite) and the Fed wouldn't want to let them go.

I don't like that: i mean if a skater move to US or Canada to live there or for many other reasons okay, otherwise changing nationality just to go to worlds or the olympics, to me it sounds almost disrespectful for the country you are coming from.

I think the preconditions are pretty much the same anywhere. I think it's quite alright to start for another country, e.g. if competition in your own is so strong that you wouldn't make the first team but you're still quite good, you could qualify in another country easier and get to big competitions.
Or, as suggested by ancientpeas, if there are so many of you, why wait your turn and waste your talent when you can start and compete for another nation.

 

[ancientpeas]

If you go and look at many of the skaters for some of the small feds are American born. It's quite common or at least it used to be.

Amy Lin skated for Taipei and she's American born. The Lady who skated for South Africa at 4CC was born in England. One of the male skaters for Hong Kong at 4 CC was born in Canada.I think I read that Anna P had the choice to skate for the Ukraine but preferred to stay in Russia.

 

[LadyB]

Last year I was quite blown away by Evgenija and Lena, and I still love them to bits. However, I'm more and more fascinated by Anna, what a skater. I love Masha's programme as well, and she has the most fantastic SP costume of all, at least to my mind.
Sad that things didn't quite work out for Alaine and Elizabet. Not just because they're Team Orser, which I totally support, but also because they deserve more. Elizabet seems to be one of the skaters, who always struggle a bit in the SP and come out all guns blazing in the the FP. Good luck, girls!

 

[Lipea]

Satoko's 3Lz < ? :angry2:

Was surely <<
And Anna's 3T <? Where???? Her score fairly had to be 74 at least.

 

[Icey]

Mirai looked so pale. Glad she had a good outing.

 

[noidont]

Anna's UR is the biggest judging mistake of the season? Apart from last week when Wagner should have gotten at least two <<s.

 

[largeman]

Mistakes TechPanel:
Satoko MIYAHARA: it has to be noted 3Lz<< .
Wakaba HIGUCHI: it has to be noted 3Lz<(!) not clear edge, 3F(e) wrong edge.
Anna POGORILAYA: There is no UR on a combo 3Lz-3T (within norm).
Etc.....
Very loyal refereeing for Japanese and excessively rigid for the others (Mirai NAGASU as example).

I agree with you apart from Wakaba's 3Lz. The landing was within a quarter turn, just like Anna's 3T.

I am for justice. Wakaba does not have good technique in edge jumps. This time it was very visible that she has the wrong edge in both lutz and flip. Well, tell me which jump is flip and which is lutz judging by her takeoffs. Sorry, I told this many times already but people keep praising her jumps while she has wrong edges and nothing has changed since 2 years ago.

http://radikal.ru/lfp/s014.radikal.ru/i329/1611/a7/1d4121635123.jpg/htm
http://s014.radikal.ru/i329/1611/d7/3b8eb14445dd.jpgi

Wakaba has a lip problem and it has not ever been overlooked by anyone. She has made fixing her flip takeoff a priority and has made good improvement and progress, especially over this past summer. Here she was indeed on the outside edge and should have been called e, and I think that was unfair.

As for her lutz, I know you have been griping about it for two years But I really don't think you are right. Her weight is on the outside edge the whole time before her right foot picks the ice. In the screen shot you posted above, by that moment her weight has already transferred to the right foot. Her left leg, although tilted inward, was not carrying her weight anymore. It's true the blade doesn't sweep off the ice outward like Liza's, but it is a correct edge lutz and that's why she never gets a call on it except that one time in a local Tokyo competition, which you trumpeted as some sort of vindication for you after all these years of injustice.

 

[jenaj]

I love Satoko Miyahara, but I don't understand a scoring system that puts her ahead of Mirai with a fall and no 3-3.

 

[Raomina]

It's interesting that people want spins and step sequences to be worth more and yet are content to judge overall scores purely by jumps.

 

[nocturnalis]

It's interesting that people want spins and step sequences to be worth more and yet are content to judge overall scores purely by jumps.

In Satoko's case, the jump being considered under rotated instead of downgraded saved her bacon. You can't double the solo jump in a program so she at least got credit for that. In reality, she should have received a downgrade which would have made the jump invalid.

 

[Raomina]

In Satoko's case, the jump being considered under rotated instead of downgraded saved her bacon. You can't double the solo jump in a program so she at least got credit for that. In reality, she should have received a downgrade which would have made the jump invalid.

Oh I understand and agree with that specific case. I'm just commenting on the overall tendency for people to compare scores just by listing out jumps, as if those are the only elements worth anything.

 

[topaz emerald]

I was impressed with Maria Sotskova, so far the only russian lady skater I find appealing. She's long, graceful, beautiful arms, doesn't oversell her performance, and has a warm face. I would have put her first place. I also like Canada's Alain Chartrand, and would have put her in third or fourth.

I don't agree with satoko's score, she had no 3-3, and fell on an under-rotated lutz. If this was Ashley, judges would have hammered her. But going back to Satoko, I don't like her short program, music is boring. However, when I saw her star wars program at a senior B in USA, I thin it was Goden West?, it was so so bad in terms of choreography and performance, but wow, I just watched one of her grand prix performances and wow, what a difference performance and choreography wise. She really nailed it. It seemed they changed her choreography to match the dramatic music, and when I was watching her perform, I can see her as part of the star wars cast/character.

Mirai Nagasu/Karen Chen....again, the inconsistencies of the US ladies, I just don't get it. I would have sent other US ladies to the Grand Prix.

 

[[email protected]]

I agree with you apart from Wakaba's 3Lz. The landing was within a quarter turn, just like Anna's 3T.



As for her lutz, I know you have been griping about it for two years But I really don't think you are right. Her weight is on the outside edge the whole time before her right foot picks the ice. In the screen shot you posted above, by that moment her weight has already transferred to the right foot. Her left leg, although tilted inward, was not carrying her weight anymore.

That's too difficult for me to comprehend. If the rules are about weight it is one thing if they are about the physical angle of the blade - it's another thing. The latter is easier because it is visible - you just freeze the video and look - that's what I have been doing. If the essence is the weight then I want to know what is wrong with Medeveva's weight. She is doing exactly the same trick as Wakaba - starts with the outside edge and then quickly moves to flat right before the takeoff. What is about her weight then? And why is there a choir of those who shout "flutzer" and make multiple threads about Medvedeva's jumps and I am the only warrior for "justice" in Wakaba's case? Only because Medvedeva is the world champion? Different strokes for different folks? BTW I do not defend Medvedeva's lutz either. The edge is clearly not outside.

In fact this time the slo-mo was of the unprecedented quality. Then it was funny when Grishin said while commenting on Wakaba's lutz something like that: "good outside edge....ehh wait a minute what about the edge here?, oh it is clearly underrotated".