Thoughts on Mao

I was too upset to write anything on Mao earlier because of the results, and decided it would be better if I waited a couple of hours.  Wrong.  I am still mad at the results.  I decided to make two screen captures: one of her triple axel landing, and another of her triple toe landing.
Axel:

Toe:

Even through the blurriness, anyone with eyes can see that both of these are 1/4 turn under-rotated, deserving a <.  However, Mr. Amano seems to think that she has landed forwards and gave her << for both.  The axel in the SP was landed forward.  These two jumps today were not.  Although she never let it on, Mao was clearly struggling with her personal life after the earthquake, and her coach, Nobuo Sato, told the press she was so depressed she couldn't eat properly, and lost 10 pounds.  For someone who was probably barely 100 pounds to start with, that is a lot of weight to lose in such a short amount of time.  You could see how weak and frail she was out there, and her physical strength seemed to be gone.  It was her mental strength, in my opinion, that got her to fight through her LP.

Now the PCS scoring was ridiculous.  I realize she was in the second to last group and they needed to "leave room" for other skaters, but come on - Leonova?  That is laughable.  Had Mao placed above Kostner in the SP (which she should have if Kostner's 3F had been <) and skated in the final group, there is no doubt in my mind her PCS would have been at least 62.

Mao's lutz looked improved, and had anyone else done that jump the same way she did, they probably wouldn't have received an edge call.  I'm tired of these double standards.  I hope Mao gets plenty of rest and Taka cheers her up so she can be healthy and motivated for next season.  I also hope she doesn't do too many shows/cheesefest competitions (Japan Open) so she has enough time to be fully prepared and knock everyone's socks of at her GPs.  Like I said earlier, I want her to keep her LP so she doesn't have to waste time getting a new one, but she REALLY needs a new and better SP.  Maybe Japanese music to honor Japan.

The Ladies LP

I am a little ticked off by some of the judging, so I'll keep this short before I start cursing and offending people.

I am truly sorry about what happened to Flatt.  I saw this as the US's best opportunity to get those 3 spots back, and she had an awful outing.  Apparently she was skating on a fractured tibia?  If this was true, she should have withdrawn, because even an out of shape Mirai could've managed 8th place.  Czisny did a good job fighting back after she fell, but that fall cost her the bronze.  She missed out on the bronze by about 2 points, but had her spins been properly scored in the SP, she may have clinched it.

Kostner actually gave a respectable performance, and after Leonova skated I wanted SOMEONE to beat her out for that third podium spot.  This time, Kostner actually deserved her marks, and her triple flip was the best of the night.  She had a couple of mistakes, but so did Miki and Yuna, and Leonova was just too tacky to be on the podium, so that was right.

Leonova's outfit/hair/everything was so distracting I could hardly watch.  Yes, she landed those jumps, but WHAT WAS THAT?  I just don't understand.  And PCS above Alissa and Mao?!? Even PCS above Kiira is wrong.  That was a mess.  Just no.  I actually like Makarova, and was sad when she Zayaked.  If any Russian was to land on the podium, I would like it to be her.  They got 3 spots for next year, but I don't know if they'll be able to repeat and hold onto those spots without the Russian PCS boost.

I predicted Miki would win, but she looked so nervous and slow throughout her program that I wasn't sure what was going to happen.  I'm glad she did win, as she had the best skate of the night, but this was probably her worst LP of the season.  She deservedly placed above Yuna, who made 2 mistakes compared to Miki's 1.

Finally, I hope bot Yuna and Mao keep their LPs for next season.  Both LPs have great potential, but have not been skated well enough for me, as a viewer, to be satisfied with both of them getting new LPs.  However, both of their short programs were :/ and they need new ones ASAP.  I would like to see what would happen if Yuna got a short from Tarasova, while Mao got one from Wilson.  Now THAT would be interesting.  It's time for both of them to branch out, and of course this would add some much needed drama to the ladies competition.

All will be right again next season with Yunamao battling it out the whole season with some excellent choreo and costume choices (costumes this year were......)!  All I can say is I'm glad this season is over so the skaters can get some much needed rest (and Mao needs some food ASAP!!).

A Few thoughts on the Judging at Worlds...

After watching Universal Sports' broadcast of the Dance and Ladies short programs, I can't help but to question the judging.  Of course, there is still the LP/FD and both competitions are very close between the top skaters, so the current results are not final, but they are a bit ridiculous.

I do really like V/M, but they should NOT be ahead of D/W.  Yes, White didn't catch his blade right away on his twizzles, but their Golden Waltz patterns and overall polish were better than V/M in my opinion.  Hopefully the judges will get it right in the FD tomorrow, because D/W really deserve to win.

I also like Yuna and was excited for her return, but she should be slightly behind Ando who skated cleanly.  Ando was at a disadvantage by being the first skater in the warmup group and was lowballed on GOEs and (dare I say it) the PCS.  I actually like her SP and her interpretation/choreo - this is the one time she actually deserves her marks.  Yuna's opening jump should have received -3: minus 2 for the step out, and an additional -1 for minimal (none) steps into her Lutz.  Those cross in fronts do not count as footwork immediately preceding a jump.  Also, Czisny getting less GOE than Yuna on her layback?  Maybe they got excited she didn't abort like last year?  I have no other explanation.

The worst judging, though, came when Leonova somehow made it into the final warmup.  Her costume alone should have gotten her disqualified.  Just no.  How did that beat Murukami?  I just don't understand.  Mao and Murukami each got < calls they did not deserve - Mao on the flip, Murukami on the toe, although I do agree with the << on Mao's 3A.

I hope everyone skates well in the LP.  Theses are my predictions for overall results:
1. Miki Ando - she has skated clean LPs all year long.
2. Yuna Kim - she will make at least one mistake, possibly pop a lutz...
3. Mao Asada - her LP is 100000x better than her SP, and others will falter
4. Alissa Czisny - she will have one fall, but an overall good program
5. Carolina Kostner
6. Kanako Murukami
7. Ksenia Makarova
8. Rachel Flatt
9. Aleona Leonova
10. Kiira Korpi

This is probably wrong.

2011 Worlds: The Men

Since I am posting this so late, I probably don't have anything new to add to the discussions, so I will keep this short.

Patrick's win came with no surprise to me.  It reminded me of 09 Worlds where Yuna was so far ahead of everyone, unless she completely bombed, she would win.  His second quad in combination with a triple toe was really nice, as were his lutzes and flips, but the axel still needs work.  Also, his program gave me a greater emotional impact at Canadian nationals, so I wasn't as impressed with him as I probably would have been had I not watched nationals.  PCS were slightly on the ridiculous side, but the result was correct in the end.

Kozuka's silver medal wasn't too much of a surprise to me either - he had already skated two solid programs, so why not do a third?  The quad was HUGE!  I would've given it a plus 3 goe.  He carries so much speed across the ice - he may even be the fastest skater in the world today.  While other skaters seemed to be slow (perhaps due to the camera work?) he zoomed by from end to end, moving through intricate choreography at full speed like it was nothing.  Once he starts to really perform, his components will be through the roof.  A well-deserved 1st place TES score.

Gachinski... I just don't know about him.  He is very slow, especially compared to the other medalists, and his spins are Ryan Bradley level.  If he can cut this Plushenko copy-cat crap and develop his own (better) style, he can really be a force for Russia come Sochi 2014.  PCS were definitely laughable - he should not be getting above the 6 range with that program.  Too many O-faces in 4 and a half minutes.

Brezina started off with probably the most ambitious layout - 2 different types of quads, but ran out of steam.  He needs to develop a little more speed so his jumps carry a longer arc instead of going straight up and down, which will not only make combos easier, but will also increase the GOE.  As much as I love the sweater vest, this program needs to go.  I am excited to see what he can pull out when he has an entire season to prepare.

Oda...I AM SO MAD AT YOU (LOL you're not reading this)!!!  Had he even just done a double toe instead of a triple - which he totally could have done - he would have been the 2011 World Bronze Medalist.  WHY? WHY? WHY?  He needs to re-evaluate his program strategy so he repeats, for example, axel and flip instead of axel and toe.  This way, he could only do one 3T, and would be less likely to Zayak.

I am so sad for 2010 champion Takahashi, but it just wasn't meant to be.  After that performance given by Chan, it was clear no one was going to beat him, but I wish Takahashi could have at least salvaged a bronze.  He was clearly thrown by the whole boot problem, and was off for the rest of the program with his jumps, but he needs to work on getting the levels on his spins.  When you make a mistake as large as singling a quad, you need to milk every point you can out of the CoP, and  Takahashi's spins just don't cut it right now.  Maybe he should work with Lambiel for a little...?

Joubert looked yummy, and his quad was a beauty, but he too lost points for holding positions for 7 instead of the required 8 for a level.  I love Amodio's fire and personality out there on the ice, but it's time for a program with spread out elements with real choreo in between.  I am tired of all these programs where the skaters essentially play ping pong going back and forth from jump to jump with no relation to the music and no transitions in between.  I hope we will see some changes next year.  This was a very strange mens event, but also possibly the most competitive event at worlds, so it's no surprise the US lost the third spot.  Hopefully the US ladies can get back the third spot, and with their skill levels it will be a disappointment if they don't.

Worlds Are Here!

Yay! The world championships are finally happening, and what better way than to kick things off with a very high level of competition in the Men's QR.

Takahiko Kozuka easily won the segment with a whopping 165.00, and will likely score higher PCS in the actual LP.  He skated with ease throughout the program, and only made one mistake - a hand down on an under-rotated quad.  I get lost in his footwork, and actually think his basic skating skills and fluidity are better than Chan's.  Unfortunately, the judges don't see this (yet) so he is stuck with being Japan's No.3.

:)

Worlds 2011: Take Two

So the 2011 World Championships are coming up within the next week, and I cannot wait for them to finally happen.  The Championships, delayed by the tragedies in Japan, should be very interesting, and I am looking forward to them for many reasons:

1. The return of Yu-na Kim.  She keeps tempting us with these practice clips, but never actually shows us any jumps.  Yes, she can skate and perform choreography well, but after 13 months away from competition, she is a real question mark on what we will see.  Hopefully we will see Kim back in top form to prevent Ando from jumping from element to element to win the title, because, as of now, it looks as if worlds may end up this way.
2. The return of V/M.  The little bit of their FD I saw at 4CC I liked, but I have no idea what their condition/true readiness is.  Hopefully they are not putting themselves at risk for the future by returning too soon, but I would like too see them get through a whole FD before the end of the season.
3. The possible/probable US gold medal in ice dance by D/W.  I really like their SD this year - it is one of the few I can actually watch, but something about their FD is off-putting.  I did like it better at 4CC, however, most likely due to the change in Meryl's costume.
4. The US men.  I have no idea what will happen, but I hope everyone skates their best.  They are the biggest question mark for me.
5. The US ladies best chance to get back that third spot.  If Czisny places 5th, and Flatt places 8th, which is do-able, we will have it.  This is most likely are best chance to get the spot back with injuries and inconsistencies with many of the other top skaters.
6. The battle between the Japanese man and Chan.  I feel these four men are the frontrunners for podium placement this year, but the one I really want to win a medal is Kozuka.  He is a rising star following the Olympics with much better consistency in the LP than last season, and I hope he can really establish himself as one of the worlds' best.  I think the placements will come down to who lands their quad, and how many do they land.
7. The strong Japanese ladies.  Mao Asada, of course my favorite, is building with each competition back up to form, and if her progression continues, I expect great things for her at Worlds this year. Ando has been skating well this season, but I don't like watching 5 jumps in a row with no choreography get up in the upper 7s/low 8s for PCS.  IF she adds back a triple-triple in the short, I would be fine with her winning, but as of now I would be upset if she gave performances similar to the ones at 4CC and won.  Finally, we have the rising star Murukami, who could definitely place top 5 with the content she shows, but needs more maturity and refinement before I would call her a challenger for Gold.
8. Finally, I JUST WANT THIS SEASON TO BE OVER!! Sorry, I'm not angry, but a lot of the programs this season are so meh that I want to see something new from the skaters.

OK. Rant over.  I will be covering/giving my opinions on worlds later next week so stay tuned!!!

Pick of the Day - April 12

Oh Sasha, if only you could have skated like this more often.  I really love this program, and I think switching from Tarasova was probably the worst thing Cohen did during her career.  Tarasova gave Sasha some of her most memorable programs, and the 02-03 and 03-04 seasons were Sasha's most consistent seasons.  She dominated the Grand Prix and fall cheesefests both years, but made some silly mistakes at worlds.  She even attempted to fix/cover-up her flutz, which can be seen in her 02 Skate Canada LP.
Enjoy!

Pick of the Day - April 5

Just perfection.  I wish there was a pairs team out there today that could capture my attention like this.  Every pairs program now feels like it lasts FOREVER, but Gordeeva and Grinkov are such an interesting pair that you want to watch every moment, and don't even release your eyes have been glued to the screen for the past 5 minutes.

Pick of the Day - April 3

Although I am a huge Mao fan, I am also a Yu-na fan.  This is one of my favorite programs from Yu-na, from the TEB in 2006.  I loved her Lark Ascending program that year - it was my favorite LP from the 06-07 season.  However, I have not loved David Wilson's work since then, particularly in his footwork seasons.  There's just something about it that I cannot pinpoint, but the footwork in this program is beautiful.  With Yu-na skating to music more similar in nature to the Lark Ascending this year, I am anxious to see what David Wilson has done.  From the short practice clips released in the past couple of weeks, it looks as if I am going to like her LP more than her SP due to the nature of her choreography, but I will hold my judgement until the competition.  It is interesting that NONE of the ladies SPs this season can hold my interest.  The only ones that interest me somewhat are by Korpi and Kostner.  However, there are many interesting LPs out there this year, and I cannot wait to see what Yu-na will show us at worlds.

Pick of the Day - April 2

It's been a long time since I've done a pick of the day post, and since there haven't been any competitions in a while, I find myself watching old performances on youtube.  This is tied with their 2010 free dance as my favorite programs from Virtue and Moir.  I really hope they are back in top form at Worlds this season, and I am excited to see the other 2/3 of their free dance.  For some reason, I always find myself liking their free dances better than their original dances/short dance.  Enjoy!