2018 NHK Trophy: Ladies' Pre-game chat

[GS Forum Staff]

Entries as of 10/28/18:

Kailani CRAINE	AUS
Mae Berenice MEITE	FRA
Rika KIHIRA	JPN
Mai MIHARA	JPN
Satoko MIYAHARA	JPN
Eunsoo LIM	KOR
Maria SOTSKOVA	RUS
Elizaveta TUKTAMYSHEVA	RUS
Mariah BELL	USA
Courtney HICKS	USA
Angela WANG	USA

 

[AlexRus]

Ladies in order of Season Best of this season (got at Challenger Series and previous GP Events)
In ( ) - previous best, only for skaters who have not best of this season.

1 Satoko MIYAHARA JPN 219.71
2 Rika KIHIRA JPN 218.16
3 Maria SOTSKOVA RUS (216.28)
4 Mai MIHARA JPN 209.22
5 Elizaveta TUKTAMYSHEVA RUS 206.07
6 Alena LEONOVA RUS 191.39
7 Mariah BELL USA 190.25
8 Eunsoo LIM KOR 187.30
9 Mae Berenice MEITE FRA 178.89
10 Kailani CRAINE AUS 167.84
11 Courtney HICKS USA 164.58
12 Angela WANG USA 160.99

 

[karne]

Yay! Kailani!

 

[rikaquegira]

Rooting for my fave Rika to skate clean and get gold! Or at least don’t totally have a meltdown. [emoji23] With Rika anything can happen! LOL

Also rooting for Eunsoo to finally skate her Free clean and wishing for good 3Flips(she has trouble with those). Her SP is one of my favorites this season, so beautiful! Best dress too!

Satoko is Queen and we can always count on her to deliver mesmerising performances and get a medal. Unlike Mie Hamada, I’d rather Rika have the gold(if clean) and Satoko the silver.

Also sending good vibes to the Empress so we can have a magnificent 3A battle!

 

[rachno2]

I'm more excited for this than any other ladies field. Ready for Tiny Queen to slay, eager to see Rika's Grand Prix debut, and looking forward to watching two of my favorite Russians (although I suspect Masha might get the Tsurskaya treatment).

I loved Kailani at Autumn Classic, and am really glad she got the slot here. And Eunsoo! And Mariah, whose programs are so delightful this year! And Leonova, the quirky veteran! Plus the always lovely Mai (who could easily make it an all-Japanese podium) and the always fashionable Mae, who was also a joy at Autumn Classic. HELLsinki depression be gone

 

[Colonel Green]

This could go a number of ways. Satoko doesn't have the technical firepower of Rika or Elizaveta, but on the other hand, the 3A is never truly reliable, so Satoko can win by going clean and racking up her deserved PCS marks while rivals splat. Rika, if she does what she's capable of, could run away with this (and starting building up those PCS reputation marks).

A number of the people who skated back-to-back between SkAm and SCI had a much better second event, so I hope that's true for Angela here.

 

[Tonichelle]

A number of the people who skated back-to-back between SkAm and SCI had a much better second event, so I hope that's true for Angela here.

Yes! Hoping for redemption for her.

 

[oatmella]

Rooting for Rika and Eunsoo!

But if Satoko skates like she did at SA, she will be tough to beat!

 

[Fluture]

I‘m rooting for Satoko! She‘s by far my favourite Japanese lady. Her skating skills and interpretation... just something special! :luv17:

Rika will be tough to beat, though. Her season’s best score is only one point lower than Satoko‘s and those skates weren‘t even clean... Technically, she‘s far ahead.

Liza - I like her personality. She has fire and guts. Her and Rika will battle it out with their 3As! Other than that, she misses some important jumps in her layout - like a 3F and her 3-3 isn’t too reliable. Also her PCS aren‘t that high. She can beat Rika and/or Satoko when they make mistakes and she‘s clean, though. She‘s definitely a fighter.

Mai is lovely and consistent so if someone of the three ladies above bombs, she can totally sneak her way on the podium.

Masha is a question mark right now. Normally she would be a podium contender at least but after her outing at JO and with her chronic UR problems that are punished so hard this season...

It will be definitely an interesting event. The line-up is pretty crazy, so many talented ladies!! Good luck to everyone!

 

[mirai4life]

Eun Soo, Rika and Mai. So many of my faves.
Really hope Eun Soo can sneak for the bronze.

 

[Azikin]

I really don't like Satoko, I can't stand watching her, I hope anyone else will win.. Rika, Mai, Liza, Maria, maybe even Mariah..

 

[MaiKatze]

I wonder if they would really let newbie Rika win NHK, even clean. Somehow after Mako's silver at Canada, I don't see it.

 

[zounger]

I wonder if they would really let newbie Rika win NHK, even clean. Somehow after Mako's silver at Canada, I don't see it.

Why not. Even if they will be harsh on her, if clean she can score 220-225. Which I don't really see other skaters to achieve.

 

[Yuzuruu]

I really don't like Satoko, I can't stand watching her, I hope anyone else will win.. Rika, Mai, Liza, Maria, maybe even Mariah..

wow, that's... spiteful I guess

Well if Satoko is clean nobody will beat her here, and that's exactly what I'm hoping for Go Satton!

 

[Interspectator]

I'm cheering for Mai to place as high as she possibly can. This as a very crowded competition and I'm a fan of nearly every one... but Mai has a special place in my heart, and Satoko and Elizavita have already a win each under their belt.
--So it's important for Mai to do well here.

 

[readernick]

This is the ladies field that I most excited about on the Grand Prix this year. I am a huge Rika Kihara fan. I hope she does well here and gets 1st or 2nd. She is definitely capable of winning this event because of her high BV. I think her programs are great this year,too. However, as mentioned above, she is not the most consistent skater so she could finish on top of the podium or in 6th place. She has been landing her 3A quite consistently but she can easily land 3A and still get low scores if she falls on easy jumps like the Salchow or Loop. (which she tends to do)

I also love Satoko, Elizaveta, Maria Sotskova, Mai, Mariah Bell, Eunsoo, and even Courtney has become a more interesting skater since moving to Kory Ade. So,basically , I love everyone here. I hope it is a wonderful event and all the woman are satisfied with their performances. No crying in the Kiss and Cry!

 

[Harriet]

Hoping to see solid PBs in everything for Mae-Berenice and Kailani!

 

[sun110]

such a packed field, even more than men's single in Helsinki!
Can't wait for the 3A battle.

 

[Ichatdelune]

Hooray for same time zones, I can watch darling squirtle without losing any sleep or messing up life Of course I'm going to be rooting for Eunsoo (take care of yourself darling, you have Rostelecom next week ), but there's the battle of the 3As with Kihira Rika and Liza Tuktamysheva too, and overall this is a great field. Can't wait :luv17:

 

[Fluture]

wow, that's... spiteful I guess

Well if Satoko is clean nobody will beat her here, and that's exactly what I'm hoping for Go Satton!

How can one not like Satoko? :shocked: I mean, to each their own but other than her smallish jumps (which she‘s trying to change now - tough woman!! ) everything else about her skating is top notch. Lovely interpretation, sublime skating skills, good programs - especially her SP. :luv17:

I‘m hoping for another win for her too. I don‘t have anything against Rika at all - I just prefer Satoko!! But I do think if Rika is clean, Satoko could have a hard time beating her. Rika‘s tech is just too high and she isn‘t too bad on the PCS side either. She still gets newcomer PCS and is rightfully below Satoko there but those 3As...

Anyway, it‘s not even a competition between only Satoko and Rika for gold. Liza is in the mix as well, maybe even Mai, too. Satoko is in the midst of reworking her jumps and Rika is sometimes a bit inconsistent. If they falter, Liza will be right there to snatch the gold. That‘s what makes this ladies competition here so interesting. So many top ladies so it all comes down to who skates the cleanest that day.