2018-19 Junior Grand Prix Ladies Free Skate

[Azikin]

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that Yelim gets to skate in the gala, but how come she was invited when she placed last? Wouldn't it make more sense to invite Sasha or Alena Kanysheva, since they medaled?

Let's just be happy she skated in the gala and that she got to the event at all...

 

[solani]

I know that may have differing opinions and that it's still a sport and the technical is important and blah blah blah, but I did not enjoy watching the quad splatfest by Trusova and Scherbakova AT ALL. It completely ruins the whole flow and just looks terrible. I was glad to see the judges finally take off some PCS, perhaps sending a message that splatting on a quad isn't what skating is supposed to be. If you can't do the element consistently in competition, don't do it in competition.

Also, look at how hard those falls were. They must fall like that in practice too. I will be shocked to see either of them still around by Beijing at this point. They're going to break their necks, or backs, or get concussions too severe to keep skating. That was the worst part of watching--I was unsure if they could even get back up from those falls and just wondering when they would be paralyzed.

It's nice to see skating moving forward, and it's cool when one of them actually lands a quad, but the splatting has to stop. Clearly, neither is ready to do a quad lutz in competition, maybe at all. (I know they've both landed before, but if they can't consistently do it without looking like they will never walk again, they can't do it). I was not impressed; I was concerned. Skating may seem like everything right now, but they will be lucky if they can walk by the time they are twenty. It makes me very sad. These ladies could do so well without throwing absurd tricks that they clearly cannot do. Does anyone care about safety in figure skating?

I agree. But those girls have to take the risk in order to be or become relevant in Russia at this point. If they're lucky and tough they can still do quads next season and then the can win senior competitions, that's the goal.
I don't think that their bodies are prepared for this. I saw an interview with a very successful female skier lately, who had major injuries before she even turned 18. She said that she was technically so strong and talented when she was young, that she could do turns that her body just wasn't prepared for and that it caused her injuries.
But does it matter if you are happy to only have a short, but successful career? Those girls probably are at the height of their jumping ability now.
I do care, but I also think that the ISU and the fans are not willing to find a solution for this. That's why I didn't watch the FS live and decided not to watch the programs with quad jump falls afterwards.

I enjoyed the other girls immensely.

 

[TechPanel]

I hear you. I was a gymnast and we saw something similar last Olympic cycle with the Handspring double front vault. It was worth so much that gymnasts would chuck it who clearly never had a chance of landing it because even a fall on a bad Produnova vault was often still enough to make an even final and occasionally win a medal. But I couldn’t watch—you just felt like one of them would break her neck every time they vaulted. This cycle, the FIG downgraded the vault and also made falls a more hefty deduction. I would like to see the ISU do something similar. There are different types of falls—the ones where you slip out and fall and the ones where you had no shot of landing at all. Maybe those “no shot” landings should be more points off. Maybe all falls should be -2.0. Maybe quads should be worth less, especially for junior skaters who are still growing. I’m not sure the answer, but it really scared me to see at JGPF.

 

[pearly]

I hear you. I was a gymnast and we saw something similar last Olympic cycle with the Handspring double front vault. It was worth so much that gymnasts would chuck it who clearly never had a chance of landing it because even a fall on a bad Produnova vault was often still enough to make an even final and occasionally win a medal. But I couldn’t watch—you just felt like one of them would break her neck every time they vaulted. This cycle, the FIG downgraded the vault and also made falls a more hefty deduction. I would like to see the ISU do something similar. There are different types of falls—the ones where you slip out and fall and the ones where you had no shot of landing at all. Maybe those “no shot” landings should be more points off. Maybe all falls should be -2.0. Maybe quads should be worth less, especially for junior skaters who are still growing. I’m not sure the answer, but it really scared me to see at JGPF.

ISU did do that and now with +5/-5 a clean triple can be worth more than a failed quad. See Golden Spin, Jason Brown beats Kolyada.

 

[solani]

ISU did do that and now with +5/-5 a clean triple can be worth more than a failed quad. See Golden Spin, Jason Brown beats Kolyada.

Now that's a poor example! Just compare how many triple jumps Brown did compared to Kolyada. Kolyada's base value was actually lower than Brown's ...

 

[pearly]

Now that's a poor example! Just compare how many triple jumps Brown did compared to Kolyada. Kolyada's base value was actually lower than Brown's ...

Kolyada did not attempt the 4Lz (as opposed to previous season when he fell on it most of the times, but still got credit and bv). I would say this has to do with the new rules.

 

[solani]

Kolyada did not attempt the 4Lz (as opposed to previous season when he fell on it most of the times, but still got credit and bv). I would say this has to do with the new rules.

I don't think so. He's obviously not in form and popped too many jumps. He would have beaten Brown if he only would have landed the quad sal in the beginning of his FS. Or if he landed that 2nd quad toe. Saying he lost because he didn't go for the quad lutz because of the rule change is downright ridiculous!

 

[pearly]

I don't think so. He's obviously not in form and popped too many jumps. He would have beaten Brown if he only would have landed the quad sal in the beginning of his FS. Or if he landed that 2nd quad toe. Saying he lost because he didn't go for the quad lutz because of the rule change is downright ridiculous!

My point is that the rule change previous poster said was needed has happened. Strategies have changed and so has the scoring. It's much better than it was last year when quads with a fall were worth more than clean triples. I think Kolyada would have kept the Lutz/ Lutz attempt if it hadn't changed.

 

[solani]

My point is that the rule change previous poster said was needed has happened. Strategies have changed and so has the scoring. It's much better than it was last year when quads with a fall were worth more than clean triples. I think Kolyada would have kept the Lutz/ Lutz attempt if it hadn't changed.

I don't think strategies have really changed until now, but it will happen. Some skaters will go for a clean performance. Trusova is a good example, she should adapt her strategy imo. I think she would have won with only two quad attempts.