2022 U.S. Nationals: Senior Pairs Short Program

[BlissfulSynergy]

And yet Cain/LeDuc scored much better at the one event they didn't medal at. So it's more than just the medals.Did

Did you read all of my previous comments? Obviously, Ash/Timothy did not medal at NHK because of the deeper, high quality field. Plus, the NHK event coming toward the end of GP season, allowed Ash/Timothy to be better trained, and Ash was more fully recovered and had regained her form and stamina. By then, they had been able to increase their difficulty and raise the base value of their elements.

Yeah I'm confused why some are acting as if Calalang/Johnson had some incredible skate when Jessica's jump was a struggle. I blame the super inflated score, which fools casual fans. At the very least, her jump needed a q. She would have gotten hammered in GOE in a regular competition.

The GOE was insanely high in the Pairs SP for the top 3.

It really doesn't matter about casual fans. That's the least of the sport's problems. They need to focus on fixing their problems, which might help them grow a larger, dedicated fanbase. Scoring system is an issue for the ISU and all of the federations. Plus, as we know, conflicts of interest are always rampant, which stymies getting anything effective accomplished.

Regarding the pairs short program at U.S. Nationals, we all realize scores are inflated. And they are often inflated more-so in an Olympic year. I agree that C/J's score was overly high for the sp. Still, it is not out of the question for it to be around 73 or 74. With inflation, even 75. But 77+ was very unrealistic. It also meant that with Ash/Timothy skating their hearts out with brio and determination, the judges could do nothing less than score them higher than C/J. Some fans in this thread were suggesting that the high score for C/J meant U.S. fed prefers them over Ash/Timothy. That might be true for some judges and fed members. Certainly, the judges were giving C/J a huge advantage had Ash/Timothy faltered in any way. But A&T skated beautifully; the best they've skated all season.

I think you are slightly overstating Jess' problems on the sbs jump. She went into it aggressively, which is a nice improvement. Once landed, she seemed surprised, which then led to the awkward leg and arm swing. Whether or not the jump was under slightly, I don't know. Sometimes, policing possible URs is overdone. The main point is that they landed their sbs jumps on one foot without falling. They stood up, and there wasn't a step out or a bobble really. Just visually, Jess' limbs were awkward. I don't know about a UR because I haven't seen a close-up replay. Maybe it deserved a Q. Everything else was gorgeous. They have very high quality elements aside from jumps. They can make technique improvements on their throws, and they are very aware of that. Meanwhile, Jess is masterful at landing high throws like a cat. She has a strong back and core. We shouldn't dismiss how good they are. Landing and standing on the sbs is great for them, especially added to the strength of everything else they can do. The crowd was also acknowledging all that C/J have been through and overcome this year, so let's not forget that either.

 

[gold12345]

I don't know about a UR because I haven't seen a close-up replay.

I saw it as a personal victory for Jessica to stand up her jump on one foot (especially given how rough they both warmed up), but it's wasn't a good quality jump (small and tight and shaky), and definitely borderline UR (I went back and slo-mo'ed it). She was around a quarter turn short, which I'm sure contributed to the shaky landing. Yet it didn't receive even a q. It was obviously not a terrible mistake. I was replying to someone who wondered how in the world it didn't get negative GOE, and I explained why I agreed.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Yet it didn't receive even a q. It was obviously not a terrible mistake. I was replying to someone who wondered how in the world it didn't get negative GOE, and I explained why I agreed.

Anyone who watches fs regularly knows that the landing Jess delivered in the sp would have received some negative GOE internationally, also especially so because of the poor rep they have on sbs jumps (their bugaboo).

Still, with C/J's quality, they are an over 70+ team. Generally they can score around 67+ with standing up on jumps and only slight issues, but that's not good enough for them. Still, on everything else, they have huge quality and potential (with just needing to work out better technique on their throws). The 77+ score in the sp was certainly never going to be given to C/J internationally for a number of reasons, including the fact that there are a lot of talented pairs in the world, and they must do better with their jumps. That's a failing they have which can't be ignored. In any case, politics and inconsistent scoring system are a huge and troubling part of this sport. Domestic scoring inflation is what it is as well.

The fp has happened, and I think we all knew C/J would likely not be perfect on the jumps. The question was whether or not Ash/Timothy would make mistakes. I'll take further comments to the fp pairs thread.

 

[CoyoteChris]

what do you mean you got one more song? i want to see skating

That is exactly what Violet (Maggie Smith) would say!