Team Cyprus

[CaroLiza_fan]

OLIVIIA WON THE GOLD MEDAL!!!



Sofia Trophy Basic Novice III Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Sofia Trophy Basic Novice III Ladies: Results

Oliviia finished 1st out of 34 in the FS and overall, with a score of 47.94.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the Sofia Trophy.

Looking at the protocols, there was only one negative number. And that was a -1 from Judge 2 for her second element. Yes, you guessed it, the second of her Double Axels. But, it went down better with the Judges this time. Judge 1 gave it +1; while Judge 3 gave it 0. It also got neutral GOE.

Her Double Salchow-Double Toe combination also got neutral GOE. In fact, everything about it was neutral.

Everything else got positive GOE. The Double Lutz-Double Loop combination that she did at the end of her programme got 0 from Judge 2; +1 from Judge 3; and +2 from Judge 1. It also got +0.21 in GOE and, because it had the highest Base Value, this made it the highest scoring element of the programme.

As for what went down best with the officials, there was not much between the fifth and sixth elements, the Step Sequence and the Change Foot Combination Spin. Both got exactly the same Judges marks of +1 from Judge 3; and +2 from the other two Judges. These were the best Judges marks of the programme. The Step Sequence got the highest GOE of the programme at+0.43, while the Change Foot Combination Spin got the second highest GOE of the programme at +0.42.

Interestingly, Oliviia's programme had the joint highest total Base Value of all the Basic Novice skaters, along with the Croatian girl that finished two places behind her in 3rd. But the Croatian skater had issues with both of her combination jumps.

Oliviia finished the Free Skate 2.26 points ahead of 2nd position, and 3.44 points ahead of 3rd position.

I had a look at the Instagram account for Oliviia's mother, and she had put up a photo of the podium. And I was a bit confused by the first sentence of the caption:

"Today my girl defeated 80 competitors"

My initial reaction was "Hang on, I know it was a big field, but it wasn't that big!" I started to wonder if Google had messed up the translation. Then a thought came into my head, and I opened the results tables of all three Basic Novice competitions. When you take them all together, there were 81 skaters, and Oliviia had the highest score of all of them.

Bearing in mind that Oliviia was in the youngest of the Basic Novice divisions, this is a remarkable achievement.

And what makes it even more remarkable is what her mother wrote at the end of the caption. They have been back in Cyprus for the past two months, so in that time Oliviia has only been training on the small rink at MyMall.

When Cyprus has home-grown skaters of this quality coming through, they really need to build a full size rink so that the skaters can get the type of training that they need without having to go overseas.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Sofia Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Sofia Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 2nd out of 39 in the FS, with a score of 71.31. This meant that she climbed to 4th place overall, with a score of 109.22.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the Sofia Trophy.

Looking at the Protocols, I saw something that I had never seen before. Each of Varvara's first two elements was given a 1 point bonus.

The opening element was the Double Axel. It got +1 from four Judges, and +2 from Judge 4. It also got the third highest GOE of the programme at +0.33 which, because of the bonus point and having the fourth highest Base Value, meant that it remained the fourth highest scoring element of the programme.

The second element was the Triple Salchow-Double Toe combination. It was the Triple Salchow that got the bonus point. It got 0 from Judge 1, and +1 from the remaining four Judges. It also got the joint second highest GOE of the programme at +0.43 which, because of the bonus point and having the highest Base Value, meant that it remained the highest scoring element of the programme.

The third element was the Triple Salchow done on it's own. Although it did not get a bonus point, it did get +1 from all the Judges. Like the combination before it, it got the joint second highest GOE of the programme at +0.43 which, because it had the third highest Base Value, meant that it remained the third highest scoring element of the programme.

The fourth element was the Double Lutz-Double Loop-Double Toe combination. It got 0 from three Judges; and +1 from two Judges. It also got the lowet positive GOE of the programme at +0.07. However, because it had the second highest Base Value, it remained as the second highest scoring element of the programme.

The fifth element, the Change Foot Combination Spin, was the only blip on the table. It was the only element to get any negative Judges marks, with -2 from Judge 2; -1 from Judge 1; +1 from Judge 3; and +2 from the remaining two Judges. That said, it got positive GOE, at +0.20.

The second Double Axel that she did as her sixth element was completely neutral. And the remaining three elements were all positive. The penultimate element, the Choreographic Sequence, got the best reaction from the officials. The Judges gave it two +1's; and three +2's. And it got the highest GOE of the programme at +0.83. But, because it had one of the lower Base Values, it only became the fifth highest scoring element of the programme.

Varvara finished the Free Skate 13.83 points behind 1st position, Leilah PATTEN (BUL? / GBR?), and 0.68 points ahead of 3rd position, Paula KASNAR (HRV). Varvara was at the head of a group of 3 skaters covered by 0.93 points, which was completed by Marina SEKULOVSKI (CHE) in 4th position.

Overall, Varvara finished 4.02 points behind 4th position, Kasnar, and 5.41 points ahead of 6th position, Noélie HAYMOZ (CHE). Both of those skaters were in very tight groups of to skaters. Kasnar was 0.48 points behind Sekulovski in 3rd position, 4.50 points ahead of Varvara. Haymoz was 0.43 points ahead of Natalia RUNCANU (ROU) in 7th position, 5.84 points ahead of Varvara.

After how badly the Free Skates went in her two competitions in the first half of the season, I am absolutely delighted with how the FS went in Sofia. A masive 19.27 points better than her previous absolute Season's Best score from the Denkova-Staviski Cup; and a similarly massive 17.72 points better than her previous absolute Personal Best score from the Lytkarino round of the 2022 Moscow Region Competitions.

We knew from her Short Programme performances just what Varvara was capable of. So it is great to finally see it happen in the Free Skate.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Varvara will be back in action today at the Dragon Trophy in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The Advanced Novice Ladies SP is due to start this morning at 08:13:00 CET (07:13:00 GMT / 09:13:00 EET / 10:13:00 MSK). So 1 hour from now.

Varvara will be the 25th skater to start. So, fifth and antepenultimate skater to go in Group 5.

And that is as much as I can tell you, because the Time Schedule PDF's don't work.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95834

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

P.S. Adriana LAGMAN (GBR), who I mentioned in this thread a few weeks ago because she has Cypriot heritage, is in the same competition as Varvara. She will be the 20th skater to start. So seventh and final skater to go in Group 4. In other words, right before Varvara does her Warm-Up.

ALL THE BEST ADRIANA!!! ​

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Dragon Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 6th out of 33 in the SP, with a score of 33.90.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the Dragon Trophy.


MORE TO FOLLOW


Varvara is currently 1.14 points behind 5th position, Eles NAMAZALIEVA (AUT), and 0.61 points ahead of 7th position, Zoja ZUPAN URH (SVN).

With a group this tight, there is the potential for the order to completely change. So, Varvara will need to put in a good Free Skate to make sure that she improves or maintains her position, and doesn't drop any positions.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Advanced Novice Ladies FS is due to start today at 09:20:00 CET (08:20:00 GMT / 10:20:00 EET/ 11:20:00 MSK). So 2 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 25th skater to start. So, second skater to go in Group 5.

And that is as much as I can tell you, because the Time Schedule PDF's don't work.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95834

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

P.S. Adriana LAGMAN (GBR) finished 32nd out of 33 in the SP, with a score of 19.56. Things didn't go well for her at all. That she had two falls and an invalidated Camel Spin pretty much sums up how it went. She will be the 2nd skater to start. So second skater to go in Group 1.

ALL THE BEST ADRIANA!!! ​

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Dragon Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Dragon Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 4th out of 33 in the FS, with a score of 63.40. This meant that she climbed to 4th place overall, with a score of 97.30.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the Dragon Trophy.

Looking at the Protocols, on the whole it was a good performance. Three of the first four elements got a bonus point. But there were mistakes.

The first element, the Double Axel, got the first bonus point. It got +1 from all five Judges. It also got the third highest GOE of the programme, at +0.33. And when this and the bonus point were added to the Base Value, it made it the third highest scoring element of the programme.

The third element, the Triple Salchow, got the second bonus point. It got -1 from Judge 5; and 0 from the remaining four Judges. It got neutral GOE, but because of the bonus point and having the third highest Base Value, it became the second highest scoring element of the programme.

The fourth element, the Triple Toe-Double Toe-Double Loop, got the third bonus point. However, things did not go as well with it as with the other elements that got bonus points. The Double Loop was under-rotated. Consequently, it got -5 from two Judges; -4 from two Judges; and -3 from Judge 3. It also got the biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -1.82. However, because of the bonus point and having the highest Base Value, it remained as the highest scoring element of the programme.

You will notice I skipped the second element, the Triple Salchow-Double Toe. Unfortunately, the Triple Salchow was also under-rotated. It got -4 from Judge 4; -3 from two Judges; -2 from Judge 5; and -1 from Judge 3. It also got the second biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -0.92, which meant that it went from being the element with the second highest Base Value, to being the fourth lowest scoring element of the programme.

After that, the only real issue was the second Double Axel. It was downgraded, and she fell. Unsurprisingly, it got -5 from all the Judges. It also got the third biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -0.55. And because it already had the lowest Base Value, it remained as the lowest scoring element of the programme.

OK, so there may have been a small issue with the final element, the Triple Toe. Judge 1 gave it -2; Judge 5 gave it -1; and the remaining three Judges gave it 0. Although the GOE was negative, it was only -0.14. But, it had the fourth highest Base Value, and it remained the fourth highest scoring element. So, it wasn't all that bad.

But, the other elements all went well. The penultimate element, the Choreographic Sequence, particularly so, getting the best Judges marks and the highest GOE. It got +1 from two Judges; +2 from two Judges; and +3 from Judge 3. It also got the highest GOE of the programme, at +0.83.

Varvara finished the Free Skate 5.63 points behind 3rd position, Lorna MACKOVÁ (SVK), and 1.73 points ahead of 5th position, Martina LUCCHI (ITA).

Overall, Varvara finished 15.35 points behind 3rd position, Macková, and 2.84 points ahead of 5th position, Lilou REMEYSEN (BEL).

If you look at the total Base Values for the programmes, Varvara finished up in the position she should have in both segments. But, the significance is that, if you compare this Free Skate to the protocols for the Free Skates at her previous events, she has more Triple jumps in the programme now. So, she is working to increase the value of the programme. And it is getting her further up the results sheets.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

P.S. Adriana LAGMAN (GBR) finished 26th out of 33 in the FS, with a score of 44.93. This meant that she climbed to 29th place overall, with a score of 64.49. Like in the SP, she had issues with the Double Lutz that she did as part of a combination, although it was a different issue and she didn't fall this time. But she did fall on the Double Axel again, and did have another invalidated Camel Spin. But although these elements had similar issues to the previous day, the other elements went a lot better.

WELL DONE ADRIANA!!! ​

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Varvara will be back in action today at the Black Sea Ice Cup in Kranevo, Bulgaria.

The Advanced Novice Ladies SP is due to start at 13:30:00 EEST (10:30:00 GMT / 11:30:00 BST / 13:30:00 MSK). So 5 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 8th skater to start. So, final skater to go in Group 1.

The Group 1 Warm-Up is due to start at 13:30:00 EEST (10:30:00 GMT / 11:30:00 BST / 13:30:00 MSK). So 5 hours from now.

Varvara is due to start at 14:02:30 EEST (11:02:30 GMT / 12:02:30 BST / 14:02:30 MSK). So 5h 32m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95850

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Black Sea Ice Cup Advanced Novice Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 2nd out of 15 in the SP, with a score of 41.70.

Here is what I wrote in the competition thread about the Warm-Up:

Well, Varvara was very easy to spot during the Warm-Up, with her white team jacket and royal blue dress and tights. Everybody else in the group was wearing black!

Also, all the other girls were a lot taller than her. There was one moment where there was nearly a collision with one of these taller skaters. And you could tell that this other skater was thinking "where did she come out of?!" Varvara just wasn't tall enough to make it into her eye-line.

Unfortunately, Varvara spent most of the time out of camera shot. All we saw her doing were two lovely spins in the last minute of the Warm-Up.

Hope her programme is just as lovely!

CaroLiza_fan​

Here is what I wrote when she was being introduced before doing her programme:

I just realised that, apart from Varvara, this was an all-Bulgarian group. And that none of the Bulgarian skaters competing at this level are locals.

That said, Varvara is no stranger in Bulgaria. She competed as a guest skater in a domestic competition in Sofia, the 2022 Priz Victoria, during her 12 month embargo after switching from Russia to Cyprus.

Anyway, here she comes.

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

And here is what I wrote about her programme:

Could barely hear the music at the start.

It was a while before she did her first element (a jump), but it went well.

Lovely combination jump, and then a lovely combination spin.

I thouight she was going to fall, or at least have a hand down, on the next jump. But, she just about saved it.

Next spin and everything else to the end was lovely.

You know, I think this is the best I have ever seen Varvara skate.

Into a 10.38 point lead!!!

And she surpasses her highest ever SP score by 3.79 points!



WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

MORE TO FOLLOW


Varvara is currently 0.56 points behind 1st position, Leilah PATTEN (BUL? / GBR?), and 7.57 points ahead of 3rd position, Eloisa MERINO-SOLA (GBR).

It looks like it is going to be a shoot-out between Varvara and Leilah for the title. And it could go either way. They finished 1-2 in the FS at the Sofia Trophy at the start of February, with Leilah winning the FS by 13.83 points from Varvara. Overall, Leilah won the title with Varvara 21.41 points behind her in 4th position.

On that occasion, Varvara was coming back from being down in 5th in the SP, 7.58 points behind Leilah who had won the SP. There is practically nothing between them in the SP this week. Nevertheless, after Leilah won the FS by such a huge margin the last time they were up against each other, Varvara has work on her hands.

So, Varvara will need to have a very good Free Skate today to put herself in the best position to challenge for the Gold Medal.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Advanced Novice Ladies FS is due to start today at 08:15:00 EEST (05:15:00 GMT / 06:15:00 BST / 08:15:00 MSK). So 1 hour from now.

Varvara will be the 14th skater to start. So, seventh and penultimate skater to go in Group 2 (and penultimate skater to go in the segment).

The Group 2 Warm-Up is due to start at 08:57:50 EEST (05:57:50 GMT / 06:57:50 BST / 08:57:50 MSK). So 1h 42m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 09:35:20 EEST (06:35:20 GMT / 07:35:20 BST / 09:35:20 MSK). So 2h 20m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95850

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Black Sea Ice Cup Advanced Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Black Sea Ice Cup Advanced Novice Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 2nd out of 15 in the FS, with a score of 61.37. This meant that she remained in 2nd position overall, with a score of 103.07.

Here is what I wrote in the competition thread about the Warm-Up:

Right, this is a headache. Two kids in the same Warm-Up group. How do I keep track of both of them?!

Varvara was easy to spot today again because, although there was another skater wearing a white jacket, they are significantly different enough to tell apart.

But, I needn't have worried about keeping track of my kids. We didn't see a single element within camera shot from any of the skaters! We just saw them going across from one side of the camera shot to the other!

So, we have no idea of the form they are in today.

CaroLiza_fan​

Here is what I wrote when she was being introduced before doing her programme:

I have to admit, Eloisa hadn't come up on my radar before this weekend. But, I really liked both her programmes.

I'll be keeping an eye out for her in future.

She goes into 3rd in both the FS and overall.

But now for the shoot-out for the title between my kid and the other British skater.

First up, it's my kid.

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

And here is what I wrote about her programme:

"Voila, Voila, Voila"!

First two elements good.

Double hands down on third element.

Fall on the next jump.

Combination jump lovely. And so were the combination spins.

But then she tripped and fell!

It's praying on her mind. She fell on her next jump.

Lost speed in the spin she did next.

No, you can see she's unsettled.

Ended the programme on her backside after falling on final jump.

Not the programme she would have wanted.

Well, you can understand her being unsettled after that weird fall on a trip in between elements.

Given the advantage from the SP, she unsurprisingly goes into the overall lead. But, somehow, she also manages to go into the lead of the FS.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

MORE TO FOLLOW


Varvara finished the Free Skate 11.59 points behind 1st position, Leilah PATTEN (BUL? / GBR?), and 1.06 points ahead of 3rd position, Milena VELCHEVA (BUL).

Overall, Varvara finished 12.15 points behind 1st position, Patten, and 9.16 points ahead of 3rd position, Velcheva.

She may have had a disaster skate, but you have to take your hat off to Varvara. The things that didn't go wrong were actually good, and scored well. And her team also deserve credit for putting together such a strong programme. Even with two invalidated elements, the total Base Value of Varvara's programme was still higher than the programmes of everybody else in the field apart from Leilah Patten.

It shows just how much promise Varvara has that she can have a disaster skate, and still win a Silver Medal with a 9 point advantage over the 3rd position finisher.

We don't have to wait long for Varvara to try to seek redemption. She is due to be back in action on Thursday at the Triglav Trophy in Jesenice, Slovenia. So, let's hope she doesn't let the bad things about the FS dwell on her mind, and instead uses it as motivation to end the season on a high.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Just a few days after she finished her campaign at the Black Sea Ice Cup in Kranevo, Bulgaria, Varvara is already back in action today. This time it is at the Triglav Trophy in Jesenice, Slovenia.

The Advanced Novice Ladies SP is due to start at 16:15:00 CEST (14:15:00 GMT / 15:15:00 BST / 17:15:00 MSK). So 9 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 25th skater to start. So, fifth skater to go in Group 4 (and skater to go).

The Group 4 Warm-Up is due to start at 18:17:30 CEST (16:17:30 GMT / 17:17:30 BST / 19:17:30 MSK). So 11h 2m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 18:40:40 CEST (16:40:40 GMT / 17:40:40 BST / 19:40:40 MSK). So 11h 25m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95852

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Triglav Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 9th out of 49 in the SP, with a score of 37.10.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the Dragon Trophy.

However, one of the Canadian members posted the following at the end of Group 4 in the competition thread:

@CaroLiza_fan The girl from Cyprus did really well… in fourth place​

To which I replied at the end of the segment:

Varvara ended up in 9th out of 49. But, I'm delighted, because she had a very quick turnaround after competing at the Black Sea Ice Cup in Bulgaria at the weekend. And although she was 2nd in both segments and overall, she had a disaster of a Free Skate on Sunday. So, I was worried that it might be praying on her mind.

True, her score today is a good bit lower than she got on Saturday (41.70 points), but it is only 0.81 points lower than her second highest SP score from the Sofia Trophy earlier in the season. And she is only 1 position and 0.39 points behind another skater that I rate, Alica LENGYELOVA (SVK).

Hope she has a good Free Skate tomorrow.

CaroLiza_fan​

MORE TO FOLLOW


Varvara is currently 0.39 points behind 8th position, Alica LENGYELOVA (SVK), and 0.98 points ahead of 10th position, Anne-Sophie HEURTEBIS (FRA). All three of them are part of a group of 8 skaters covered by 5.56 points, stretching from Nicole de ROSA (ITA) in 7th position, 1.00 points ahead of Varvara, down to Emily BOSCARO (ITA) in 14th position, 4.56 points behind Varvara.

However, truth be told, apart from the leader, it is a very tight field where any gaps are negligible. I usually use a 2 point gap to mark groups, and there simply aren't any gaps that big. What we have is essentially one big group of 48 skaters covered by 24.18 points, stretching from Ornella MESSANA (ITA) in 2nd position, 6.42 points ahead of Varvara, to Chiara BELLATI (ITA) in 49th position, 17.76 points behind Varvara.

Absolutely anything could happen in the Free Skate. So, Varvara needs to put in a good Free Skate regardless of how anybody else does.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Advanced Novice Ladies FS is due to start today at 13:20:00 CEST (11:20:00 GMT / 12:20:00 BST / 14:20:00 MSK). So 6 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 41st skater to start. So, sixth and penultimate skater to go in Group 6 (and penultimate skater to go before the final resurfacing).

The Group 6 Warm-Up is due to start at 17:34:10 CEST (15:34:10 GMT / 16:34:10 BST / 18:34:10 MSK). So 10h 14m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 18:08:50 CEST (16:08:50 GMT / 17:08:50 BST / 19:08:50 MSK). So 10h 48m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95852

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Just to let you know that, ahead of her Junior level international debut at the Triglav Trophy in Jesenice, Slovenia, today, I have created a separate Fan Fest thread for Janire Idiakez, the Basque skater that used to be based in Cyprus.

https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/98173

She is due to do her Short Programme at 12:15:00 CEST (10:15:00 GMT / 11:15:00 BST / 13:15:00 EEST). So 5 hours from now.

ALL THE BEST JANIRE!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Triglav Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Triglav Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 8th out of 48 in the FS, with a score of 69.03. This meant that she remained in 9th position overall, with a score of 106.13.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the Triglav Trophy.


MORE TO FOLLOW


Varvara finished the Free Skate 0.55 points behind 7th position, Ornella MESSANA (ITA), and 0.99 points ahead of 9th position, Paula KASNAR (HRV). All three of them are part of a larger group where 6 skaters are covered by 3.42 points, stretching from Martina SANTIA (ITA) in 5th position, 2.09 points ahead of Varvara, to Lilou REMEYSEN (BEL) in 10th position, 1.33 points behiond Varvara.

Overall, Varvara finished 1.57 points behind 8th position, Nicole de ROSA (ITA), and 3.24 points ahead of 10th position, Remeysen.

Like she did in the Short Programme, Varvara achieved her second highest ever Free Skate score here. The difference is that in this case, it was only 2.28 points lower than her absolute PB, which was from the Sofia Trophy at the start of February. The Protocols don't give an indication as to what happened in the elements that got negative GOE and minus marks from the Judges, but it was unfortunate that she had these issues, because she might have got a few positions higher in the FS. That said, it wouldn't have made much difference to the overall results. There was only one skater ahead of Varvara that was within striking distance.

All in all, although I hadn't seen her before this season, and I didn't get to see her too many times this season due to events being behind the paywall, I have been impressed with how Varvara has got on in what is not only her first season competing on the international stage, but is also her first full season competing outside of her home city. (I'm using the phrase "full season" because of that domestic event she did in Bulgaria as a guest skater last season).

It'll be interesting to see what Varavara does next season. She will be age eligible for Juniors, but given that she has only done one season on the international circuit, this would be a big step. Especially when she would up against the experienced Stefania Yakovleva (due to the changes to the minimum age for Seniors, Stefania will still not be old enough for Seniors next season).

Personally, I think Varvara might be better staying in Advanced Novices to get some more experience under her belt. That said, I would not be surprised to see Olivia Bazlova move up to Advanced Novices next season. Although Olivia is a good bit younger, she is a lot more experienced than Varvara at competing internationally. I can imagine them being well matched, so having both of them competing at the same level would be very exciting.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan