2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy Women's Free Skate

[SXTN]

She has problem with loop for ages. I think she only brought her loop to the game last season and in only some competitions

But why would she switch to 2A+1Eu+3S (and a 3+3)? It doesn't make real sense if you miss one type of jump. It doesn't really pay off.

She should travel to Tutberidze and let her do the maths for her program

 

[balabam]

Nebelhorn 2020 Saarinen third with 163.87
Alpen Trophy 2018 Han with 165.40
Asian Trophy 2018 Yamashita 163.45

Great! Thanks. What database do you use? Or do you have your own?

 

[RatedPG]

What was Loena's original plan with the jumps?

I am sure the second 3Lz was supposed to be 3Lz+3T, then she threw in the 3F+3T and intentionally did 2F+2T not to get zayaked. Confused. Loop was not planned?

I know. I was confused to. I thought the last jump was going to be a 3Lo. She repeats the 3F and 3Lz. At Worlds last year, she d repeats those two jumps too. But, no 3Lo. So, the triple loop seems to be a jump she avoids. Interesting that she is now moving the triple triple combo to the second half. But, with no triple loop, is she really aiming to go for a double jump in the second half? I’m confused.

 

[elbkup]

Usually I agree white dresses against the ice do not work but somehow Loena’s is perfectly stunning!! Just enough embellishment and sparkle.. I quite like the brief look of it too.. adds to the sense of freedom of movement and modest enough at the same time.. she was lovely and the skate truly exquisite.

 

[RatedPG]

I loved Lorena’s dress and free skate program by the way. I’m just still baffled by her technical layout content.

 

[SXTN]

I know. I was confused to. I thought the last jump was going to be a 3Lo. She repeats the 3F and 3Lz. At Worlds last year, she d repeats those two jumps too. But, no 3Lo. So, the triple loop seems to be a jump she avoids. Interesting that she is now moving the triple triple combo to the second half. But, with no triple loop, is she really aiming to go for a double jump in the second half? I’m confused.

It's working if the second 2A is replaced by the 3Lo. So maybe it's a placeholder like last year.

But still... It's not really a great benefit to include 2A+1Eu+3S as a new element for her.

 

[SkateTM0102]

Just looked at the protocols and the Caller was definitely strict. @norwegianfairytale I looked at Gracie’s, she only had one jump called < (flip) and 2q (both lutzes). It was her spins that hurt Her the most technically, but really it was her components. Her technical score was only 6ish points lower than Philly but her components were 11 points lower yikes

 

[SXTN]

It's working if the second 2A is replaced by the 3Lo. So maybe it's a placeholder like last year.

But still... It's not really a great benefit to include 2A+1Eu+3S as a new element for her.

No, I'm wrong. She would not have enough triples if she wants to repeat both Lutz and Flip.

 

[elektra blue]

This was true until the Dino costume

that made everything even better

 

[norwegianfairytale]

Just looked at the protocols and the Caller was definitely strict. @norwegianfairytale I looked at Gracie’s, she only had one jump called < (flip) and 2q (both lutzes). It was her spins that hurt Her the most technically, but really it was her components. Her technical score was only 6ish points lower than Philly but her components were 11 points lower yikes

Philly is supposed to be International competition i´m shocked there can be so big difference (or not really?). Last time she scored so low in components (actually she scored one point more) was Cranberry Cup 21 and she had a couple of pops in the FS there. But perhaps as you say the other elements really hurt. It can only go up from here, I think she will have a much better showing in SA and the components will reflect that.

 

[Andrea82]

Great! Thanks. What database do you use? Or do you have your own?

I checked event by event on skating scores going back until I found something below 166. I stopped at 2018/19 because that's when +/-5 GOEs were introduced.

 

[Sackie]

So what is going on with Maddie. She seems to do OK in her short but has yet to skate even an OK free. Did she have an injury sometime recent. One thing I liked about her was she was a fighter and hardly ever fell. Was really hoping that she would come on strong this season and put her name in the mix. At this rate she may not even get back to worlds.

 

[4everchan]

So what is going on with Maddie. She seems to do OK in her short but has yet to skate even an OK free. Did she have an injury sometime recent. One thing I liked about her was she was a fighter and hardly ever fell. Was really hoping that she would come on strong this season and put her name in the mix. At this rate she may not even get back to worlds.

could be just a bad day... tired... jet lag... or whatever... i have not watched the the free but she was very good in the short... but the protocols indicate 3 falls... i have NEVER seen Maddie fall 3 times. She also doubled the triple lutz... so maybe the timing was off... and when that happens... it is hard to recover.. (also popped an axel etc)...

in any case.. thanks to Loena, I still scored 15 points in this event... that's all LOL

 

[SkateTM0102]

Philly is supposed to be International competition i´m shocked there can be so big difference (or not really?). Last time she scored so low in components (actually she scored one point more) was Cranberry Cup 21 and she had a couple of pops in the FS there. But perhaps as you say the other elements really hurt. It can only go up from here, I think she will have a much better showing in SA and the components will reflect that.

I mean, from watching the videos she seemed to skate with more attack at Philly and she was in the last warm up group there as well. It also was a program where she didn’t have any falls. I thought today she looked tentative and slow. Almost like she was trying to pace herself. She also seemed a bit behind the music which could explain some spin levels. Also the Philly International isn’t the same kind of international as Nebelhorn. Still, from 60 to 49 is QUITE the swing In components! Good news is she is capable of higher spin levels and hopefully with another month of training her speed and presentation will have improved.

 

[mrrice]

Well, I haven't watched any of the programs but, to see Gracie not break 100 in the Free is shocking. This is so far from what I was hoping after hearing how well she was practicing and her performance at her first event. She is clearly still struggling with her confidence as she's always had the technical skills. I don't know what she can do between now and Skate America but, the US audience will be there cheering and I hope she'll come away happy.

 

[norwegianfairytale]

Well, I haven't watched any of the programs but, to see Gracie not break 100 in the Free is shocking. This is so far from what I was hoping after hearing how well she was practicing and her performance at her first event. She is clearly still struggling with her confidence as she's always had the technical skills. I don't know what she can do between now and Skate America but, the US audience be there cheering and I hope she'll come away happy.

I think she will have a much better showing at SA hopefully. I´m not going to try to defend her too much, because I was also hoping for a better result, but it´s still early in the season and the judges were very stingy with points in this competition so if you start comparing scores too much it might not give the right impression of what was done here. Eva-Lotta won bronze with 165 points... As mentioned she went from 60 in PCS at Philly to 49 here. She probably should have lower PCS, but 11 points difference is stingy. I think honestly she would have scored closer to 100 in another competition with the same skate. I don´t think Gracie really had much time to prepare either, she had Road to Gold this weekend and I think she looked really tired, perhaps dealing with jetlag as well. This the first time she is outside US for competition since GP 2018, so it takes some adjusting.

I think you should watch her FS because the skate isn´t as bad as you think, there is positive signs from this skate: She did fall on the opening 3Lz and missed the first combo. She also doubled on a loop pretty early, but this time she didn´t give up and she did manage to put on 3Lz-2A-2T-seq in the end and a 3S-2T. That was quite impressive. She also added back the 3F. Gracie fought for every jump and managed to add the combos in the second half. Before that we have seen her giving up early, leaving points on the table. She sticked with a difficult layout today, which could really benefit her when she performs cleaner. She didn´t give up today and I think it´s good sign and good things to build on further.

On the other hand, I think there is a limit on how many bad competitions the USFS should accept before giving spots to younger skaters, but I have the impression that there is given a lot of chances to others as well. But not sure if she should have a second Challenger now before she skates better. She has a lot on the table with shows and seminars and I think originally she wasn´t really sure if she was going to compete much this season, but was maybe caught a bit with surprise on how Philly went so early in the season. So maybe she needs to focus more on skating and less on the other things, but I guess there is the issue of money. Let´s give her a chance to show better performance at SA - she earned the spot rightfully. She still has one of the highest season best scores this season, and Sonja, Shin and Starr hasn´t passed that yet.

 

[SkateTM0102]

I think she will have a much better showing at SA hopefully. I´m not going to try to defend her too much, because I was also hoping for a better result, but it´s still early in the season and the judges were very stingy with points in this competition so if you start comparing scores too much it might not give the right impression of what was done here. Eva-Lotta won bronze with 165 points... As mentioned she went from 60 in PCS at Philly to 49 here. She probably should have lower PCS, but 11 points difference is stingy. I think honestly she would have scored closer to 100 in another competition with the same skate. I don´t think Gracie really had much time to prepare either, she had Road to Gold this weekend and I think she looked really tired, perhaps dealing with jetlag as well. This the first time she is outside US for competition since GP 2018, so it takes some adjusting.

I think you should watch her FS because the skate isn´t as bad as you think, there is positive signs from this skate: She did fall on the opening 3Lz and missed the first combo. She also doubled on a loop pretty early, but this time she didn´t give up and she did manage to put on 3Lz-2A-2T-seq in the end and a 3S-2T. That was quite impressive. She also added back the 3F. Gracie fought for every jump and managed to add the combos in the second half. Before that we have seen her giving up early, leaving points on the table. She sticked with a difficult layout today, which could really benefit her when she performs cleaner. She didn´t give up today and I think it´s good sign and good things to build on further.

On the other hand, I think there is a limit on how many bad competitions the USFS should accept before giving spots to younger skaters, but I have the impression that there is given a lot of chances to others as well. But not sure if she should have a second Challenger now before she skates better. She has a lot on the table with shows and seminars and I think originally she wasn´t really sure if she was going to compete much this season, but was maybe caught a bit with surprise on how Philly went so early in the season. So maybe she needs to focus more on skating and less on the other things, but I guess there is the issue of money. Let´s give her a chance to show better performance at SA - she earned the spot rightfully. She still has one of the highest season best scores this season, and Sonja, Shin and Starr hasn´t passed that yet.

I think this is a great post and agree with you! To me when I see a 93 score, I’m thinking she either had to wipe the ice multiple times or do many doubles. Not a program with one fall, and 5 triple attempts! I agree that she looked tired, or jet lagged, or nervous or all of the above. But she also looked like she had been training the program! And if she can do some better spins, her score should increase fairly easily. Hopefully having now competed internationally she will feel more confident for SA.
I also agree that there probably is a limit for USFS about how many poor performances they are willing to let her have. It’s gotta be such a catch 22. On one hand, she can score a 180, which is currently 3rd highest this season by a US Woman. She has big triples, she has a fan base, she’s exciting and gets people to the events. On the other hand, she can score 138 (yikes) and be at the bottom of a fairly weak field. You just never know what you are going to get. I think for this season there really aren’t that many other US skaters that are age eligible and having wonderful seasons. So, this year she is One of the best options. I do hope USFS gives her one more Challenger but I don’t know if they will. If they could wait til after SA that would be ideal, but I don’t think they can. I think rosters are due before SA. Maybe they could monitor her or something?
It does seem that Gracie had planned one type of season and got thrown into an International season. Hopefully she can find a way to get some more training in and prepare for a bit of a later season. She is still one of the best jumpers we have and I always want her to live up to her potential.

 

[Jaana]

In general Gracie´s performance looked rather good, but the technical scores in the protocol tell a different story:

http://www.deu-event.de/results/Nebelhorn_2022/CSGER2022/FSKWSINGLES-----------FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

3Lzq fall, 2,95
3F!<, 2,97
2A, 3,50
2Lo, 1,70
Lsp3, 2,59
StSq3, 3,50
3Lzq+2A+2T+SEQ, 10,72
3T, 2,94
ChSq1, 3,20
3S+2T, 6,25
FCCoSp2V, 1,92
CCoSp2, 2.90
Total 45,14

Anyway, it is early in the season and hopefully she will do better at Skate America. It would be a very pleasant surprise to me.

 

[Sabsi]

Is it only me, I had the feeling in the exhibition I saw another Gracie. She was so free, full of emotions, joyful and she skated with such ease, as if she could do anything. Absolutely loved it!

 

[RatedPG]

Is it only me, I had the feeling in the exhibition I saw another Gracie. She was so free, full of emotions, joyful and she skated with such ease, as if she could do anything. Absolutely loved it!

Yes. Not just you. She skates with so much freedom in an exhibition or even in the Champs Camp. But, as soon as she is put in a pressure cooker event, she has this deer in front of some headlights look of despair that affects her confidence with the jumps and also her skating skills. The judges at this Challenger event, evaluated her fairly at his event, based on what they saw. At Philadelphia, she skated really well, because there were no expectations of her at the first event of the season. But, now that there are expectations, I think that is affecting her performances. At least she gets Skate America, unlike H. Harrell and the new and most unique, American sensation, Sonja Hilmer. Really wish someone like Sonja could get to showcase her uniqueness on an international event so that people can see something different in figure skating. Her 3S-2S is just so unique and special and makes you drop your jaw, as soon as you see it executed.

Last comment to add on here is that I really liked Loena’s programs. The short and free skates contrast nicely and both really highlight her strengths. The short program gives her an exotic look that only someone as mature as her, can pull off. As soon as she came out, in the warm up, she caught my attention. Then, the free skate, gives her their refined look that makes her standout as a mature woman, which is what ladies figure skating is all about. She makes use of her long legs and skates around the rink so elegantly. She is a gem out there. I’m so glad she is out there still competing.