Start Order
Warm-Up Group 1
1 Vanessa JAMES / Yannick BONHEUR FRA
8 47.28
2 Amanda EVORA / Mark LADWIG USA
7 48.02
3 Huibo DONG / Yiming WU CHN
6 50.32
4 Meagan DUHAMEL / Craig BUNTIN CAN
5 55.08
Warm-Up Group 2
5 Dan ZHANG / Hao ZHANG CHN
4 61.92
6 Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodari MAISURADZE RUS
3 62.54
7 Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Stanislav MOROZOV UKR
2 62.98
8 Xue SHEN / Hongbo ZHAO CHN
1 72.28
Vanessa James/Yannick Bonheur (France)
SBS 3S-doubled hers; fell on his
throw triple twist-messy landing
throw 3S-lovely
SBS spins shift from being on unison and off unison constantly
2A+2A+SEQ-he singled both of his jumps
Very creative exit to overhead lift
throw 3F-held onto landing
Pair spin-very slow
Very different forward entrance to final lift; drew gasps from crowd.
TES: 46.17
PCS: 42.32
Ded: -1.00
Total: 87.49
Grand Total: 134.77
Amanda Evora/Mark Ladwig (USA)
throw triple twist-slightly double footed
SBS 3T+2T-out of unison; UR on her part for the 3T
throw 3Z-landed on one leg but put her free leg down onto the ice very quickly
SBS 2A-landed
throw 3R- she was leaning slightly in the air but pulled landing off well
Superb lift where he balanced on one leg and glided across the ice
Fairly boring program with little emotional impact on the audience
TES: 49.10
PCS: 45.20
Ded: -2.00
Total: 92.30
Grand Total: 140.32
Rank: 1
Huibo Dong/Yiming Wu (China)
SBS 3T+2T-good
SBS 3S-both doubled with fumbled landings
throw triple twist-decent
throw 3R-deep landing but good control
throw 3S-same type of landing as that of throw 3R
Final pair spin-decent
Lifts are not the most difficult
A very bland team presentation wise
TES: 53.77
PCS: 42.40
Total: 96.17
Grand Total: 146.49
Rank: 1
Meagen Duhamel/Craig Buntin (Canada)
3T+3T+SEQ-rough landings from both on first jump but better landings on second
Adequate spiral sequence
double twist-OK
Pair spin- a bit slow
Decent unison on SBS spins
SBS 2A-singled his
throw 3R-good
throw 3Z-dropped free leg down very quickly upon landing
Best team we have seen thus far artistically.
TES: 52.68
PCS: 49.84
Total: 102.52
Grand Total: 157.60
Rank: 1
Warm-Up Group 2 out on ice. Zhangs did a beautiful throw triple salchow. Shen Xue is dressed in a darker pink dress and Zhao Hongbo is in red and black.
Zhao did clean 3T.
Dan Zhang/Hao Zhang (China)
2A+3T-wonky landings from both
SBS 3S-good
throw triple twist-excellent
SBS spins-decent
Throw 3S-superb
Throw 3R-good but didn't have the extension of position on landing that the throw 3S had
Great lift, awkward cut of music during that section of the program
Good final lift
Slow final pair spin
Pretty good program, one of their better ones IMO. They do try to emote to one another and create a relationship on the ice, but the key word here is try. They need to do.
TES: 65.77
PCS: 58.80
Total: 124.57
Grand Total: 186.49
Rank: 1
Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze (Russia)
SBS 3S-she fell out of hers
Good one-handed lift
SBS 3T-two-foot and fall out from her
Throw triple twist-caught a little close
Throw 3Z-double footed
Throw 3R-looked double footed
Spin combo-started off well but she completely missed her exit and they thus became very out of unison
Finished well after music
TES: 40.44
PCS: 50.32
Total: 90.76
Grand Total: 153.30
Rank: 3
Tatiana Volosozhar/Stanislav Morozov (Ukraine)
SBS 3T+2T+SEQ-good
SBS 3S-singled his
Near fall on throw
Throw triple twist-nice
Throw 3S-double footed
Excellent lift
SBS spin-went back and forth between being on unison and off
She is a far more elegant skater than he is
TES: 54.41
PCS: 54.40
Ded: -1.00
Total: 107.81
Grand Total: 170.79
Rank: 2
Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo (China)
SBS 3T-slight wobble from him but otherwise good
SBS 2A+2A+SEQ-fall out on her second jump; his landings were shaky
Good SBS spin combo
Unusual position in death spiral
Throw triple twist-excellent
Throw 3R-great landing and transition beforehand
Throw 3S-nice
Excellent performance. Their passion and artistry as a team are second to none today.
TES: 62.13
PCS: 66.50
Total: 128.69
Grand Total: 200.97
Rank: 1
Final Standings
1 Xue SHEN / Hongbo ZHAO CHN 200.97
2 Dan ZHANG / Hao ZHANG CHN 186.49
3 Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Stanislav MOROZOV UKR 170.79
4 Meagan DUHAMEL / Craig BUNTIN CAN 157.60
5 Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodari MAISURADZE RUS 153.30
6 Huibo DONG / Yiming WU CHN 146.49
7 Amanda EVORA / Mark LADWIG USA 140.32
8 Vanessa JAMES / Yannick BONHEUR FRA 134.77
Showing posts with label 2009 Cup of China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 Cup of China. Show all posts
Saturday, October 31, 2009
COC Mens Free Live Commentary
Here is my live commentary for the mens free skate, taking place at the 2009 Cup of China.
Start Order
Warm-Up Group 1
1 Armin MAHBANOOZADEH USA
12 59.54
2 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN
11 60.12
3 Ming XU CHN
10 61.02
4 Denis TEN KAZ
9 64.05
5 Chao YANG CHN
8 65.10
6 Stephen CARRIERE USA
7 65.24
Warm-Up Group 2
7 Yannick PONSERO FRA
6 66.65
8 Jinlin GUAN CHN
5 66.70
9 Samuel CONTESTI ITA
4 72.08
10 Evan LYSACEK USA
3 80.80
11 Sergei VORONOV RUS
2 81.40
12 Nobunari ODA JPN
1 83.35
Armin Mahbanoozadeh (USA)
3A-fall
3A+3T-fall on 2nd jump; good attempt
3F(lovely)+2T(toe-axeled)-landed
3R-landed
Good flying deathdrop
3Z-nice
3S-good; came after Ina Bauer (without back bend)
3Z+2T-lutz not as high as 1st, combo was cleanly landed nonetheless
2A-good
Good final spin combo
TES: 65.29
PCS: 53.70
Ded: -2.00
Total: 116.99
Grand Total: 176.53
Kevin Reynolds (Canada)
4S-fall out
2T
3A(wobbly)+2T
3R+3T-no speed coming out of 2nd jump but landed
3A-possible UR but landed
3S-preceded and followed by spirals; nice
3Z-low but clean
3F+3T(slight toe-axel)+2R-good
Spins were OK throughout program but the last spin combo was far and away the best with great speed
Transitions and expression have improved slightly from last season. Crowd liked the performance.
TES: 72.45
PCS: 55.90
Total: 128.35
Grand Total: 188.47
Rank: 1
Ming Xu (China)
Warsaw Concerto
3A-fall
3A-good but will only count as a sequence because neither 3A was in combination
3Z-good
Fairly simplistic footwork
3Z+1T-It looked like he missed his toe pick on the entrance to the toe
2A+2A+SEQ-good height; barely held onto landing of first 2A
3R-clean
1A
3S-clean
Missed exit to spin
Interpretation and transitions are very weak. Choreography is repetitive but speed is OK.
TES: 52.45
PCS: 51.10
Ded: -1.00
Total: 102.55
Grand Total: 163.57
Rank: 3
Denis Ten (Kazakstan)
3A-very nice
Z-off balance on entrance, tripped, didn't leave the ice
Nice step sequence
Great middle section of choreo
3F-fall
3Z-fall; possible UR
3R-landed
3S-good (plus another jump that was landed in a sequence that I missed)
2A-good
Very nice straight line step sequence
Good dynamic presentation
TES: 59.38
PCS: 61.20
Ded: -2.00
Total: 118.58
Grand Total: 182.63
Rank: 2
Chao Yang (China)
3Z+3T-great air time
3F-lovely
2A-less height on this jump than previous triples but clean
Nice speed in spin combo
2A+2T+2R-very hunched over landing on 2A but otherwise OK
3F(slightly UR)+2T-landed with steps preceding jump pass
3S-nice
Footwork doesn't use motion of whole body; fairly bland
2A-landed
Flying deathdrop-slightly off-axis
Very tired and slow toward end of program
3Z-good
Off balance to entrance of final spin
Very bland artistically
TES: 66.49
PCS: 58.40
Total: 124.89
Grand Total: 189.99
Rank: 1
Stephen Carriere (USA)
3A-nice
3R+2A+SEQ-good
3Z-good with steps preceding it
Good step sequence
3F-little off but held on
2A+2T-opened up in air and fell out of landing
3R-good
3Z+Tano2T+2R(w/both arms above head)-close to the boards but clean
3S-forward on landing; held on
Good speed on final combo spin; traveled slightly
Much improved skating skills and musicality
TES: 65.94
PCS: 63.90
Total: 129.84
Grand Total: 195.08
Rank: 1
Warm-Up Group 2 is on the ice. Guan landed nice 3Z+3T. Contesti did a clean but wobbly triple flip. Lysacek is in black as usual.
Yannick Ponsero (France)
4T-very nice
3A-slightly forward on landing but clean
3Z-fall backwards
3A+2T(he was leaning in the air in the 3A, hopped and turned out of it but did not put his foot down and tacked on the 2T)
3S+2T+2T-good
3R-leaning over right side and fell
3T+half loop+3S-nice
Good spins
Incredible speed in his stroking; program was not as fun and carefree as the theme of the music suggested to be.
TES: 61.77
PCS: 68.70
Ded: -2.00
Total: 128.47
Grand Total: 195.12
Rank: 1
Jinlin Guan (China)
3Z+3T-great
3F-lovely air time and smooth landing
2S
2A-good height
deathdrop
3F-hand down; leaned in the air
3R-landed
3Z-solid
2A+2T+T-landed
Guan has good understanding of subtlety and holding out movements to match some of the sections of the score that have slower tempos. Good expression; footwork sequences need more speed and power.
TES: 57.35
PCS: 63.90
Total: 121.25
Grand Total: 187.95
Rank: 5
Samuel Contesti (Italy)
3A+3T-Put his hand and free leg down to the ice on 2nd jump but did not fall
3F-crashed into boards
3Z-nice
3A-good height
3R-fall out
2A-good
3S+3T-solid
2A+2T+2T-good
Very fun, quirky program, but his western-themed LP from last year worked better because it carried a theme and it was explored in a comedic manner. Contesti's facial mannerisms are fun to watch at first but become repetitive.
TES: 69.47
PCS: 67.30
Ded: -1.00
Total: 135.77
Grand Total: 207.85
Rank: 1
Evan Lysacek (USA)
3Z+3T-forward on landing but OK
3A-good
3S-slightly off to left side but controlled landing
3A+2T-landing on 3A a little wild but clean
3R-landed; possible UR
3F(possible double foot)+2T+2R(possible UR)
3Z-slightly wild landing, held on
2A-good
Great climax to straight line step sequence
Very dramatic program. I prefer something like his Gershwin LP from last season that is more subtle; the more dramatic programs like this, Carmen, and Tosca, go very overboard with expression.
TES: 72.87
PCS: 78.50
Total: 151.37
Grand Total: 232.17
Rank: 1
Sergei Voronov (Russia)
4T-held on
2Z+3T-dealt with mistake on lutz well
3A+2T-very good
Nice use of levels in footwork
1A
3R-excellent; finished revolution well before landing
2F
3S+2T+2R-good
2A-good
Program doesn't really go anywhere and his movement does not always reflect the intensity of his music.
TES: 65.59
PCS: 73.40
Total: 138.99
Grand Total: 220.39
Rank: 2
Nobunari Oda (Japan)
3Z-nice
3A+3T-entrance a little slow but otherwise excellent
Good spin combo
3S-solid
1A
3Z+3T+2R-great recovery, very solid
3F-preceded by spiral; good
3R-nice
2A-nice
Very nice performance. This Charlie Chaplin themed program is different, but is also something that can be very easily appreciated. The programs flows together very well and maintains the fun, comical theme throughout.
TES: 78.13
PCS: 78.10
Total: 156.23
Grand Total: 239.58
Rank: 1
Final Standings
1 Nobunari ODA JPN 239.58
2 Evan LYSACEK USA 232.17
3 Sergei VORONOV RUS 220.39
4 Samuel CONTESTI ITA 207.85
5 Yannick PONSERO FRA 195.12
6 Stephen CARRIERE USA 195.08
7 Chao YANG CHN 189.99
8 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN 188.47
9 Jinlin GUAN CHN 187.95
10 Denis TEN KAZ 182.63
11 Armin MAHBANOOZADEH USA 176.53
12 Ming XU CHN 163.57
Start Order
Warm-Up Group 1
1 Armin MAHBANOOZADEH USA
12 59.54
2 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN
11 60.12
3 Ming XU CHN
10 61.02
4 Denis TEN KAZ
9 64.05
5 Chao YANG CHN
8 65.10
6 Stephen CARRIERE USA
7 65.24
Warm-Up Group 2
7 Yannick PONSERO FRA
6 66.65
8 Jinlin GUAN CHN
5 66.70
9 Samuel CONTESTI ITA
4 72.08
10 Evan LYSACEK USA
3 80.80
11 Sergei VORONOV RUS
2 81.40
12 Nobunari ODA JPN
1 83.35
Armin Mahbanoozadeh (USA)
3A-fall
3A+3T-fall on 2nd jump; good attempt
3F(lovely)+2T(toe-axeled)-landed
3R-landed
Good flying deathdrop
3Z-nice
3S-good; came after Ina Bauer (without back bend)
3Z+2T-lutz not as high as 1st, combo was cleanly landed nonetheless
2A-good
Good final spin combo
TES: 65.29
PCS: 53.70
Ded: -2.00
Total: 116.99
Grand Total: 176.53
Kevin Reynolds (Canada)
4S-fall out
2T
3A(wobbly)+2T
3R+3T-no speed coming out of 2nd jump but landed
3A-possible UR but landed
3S-preceded and followed by spirals; nice
3Z-low but clean
3F+3T(slight toe-axel)+2R-good
Spins were OK throughout program but the last spin combo was far and away the best with great speed
Transitions and expression have improved slightly from last season. Crowd liked the performance.
TES: 72.45
PCS: 55.90
Total: 128.35
Grand Total: 188.47
Rank: 1
Ming Xu (China)
Warsaw Concerto
3A-fall
3A-good but will only count as a sequence because neither 3A was in combination
3Z-good
Fairly simplistic footwork
3Z+1T-It looked like he missed his toe pick on the entrance to the toe
2A+2A+SEQ-good height; barely held onto landing of first 2A
3R-clean
1A
3S-clean
Missed exit to spin
Interpretation and transitions are very weak. Choreography is repetitive but speed is OK.
TES: 52.45
PCS: 51.10
Ded: -1.00
Total: 102.55
Grand Total: 163.57
Rank: 3
Denis Ten (Kazakstan)
3A-very nice
Z-off balance on entrance, tripped, didn't leave the ice
Nice step sequence
Great middle section of choreo
3F-fall
3Z-fall; possible UR
3R-landed
3S-good (plus another jump that was landed in a sequence that I missed)
2A-good
Very nice straight line step sequence
Good dynamic presentation
TES: 59.38
PCS: 61.20
Ded: -2.00
Total: 118.58
Grand Total: 182.63
Rank: 2
Chao Yang (China)
3Z+3T-great air time
3F-lovely
2A-less height on this jump than previous triples but clean
Nice speed in spin combo
2A+2T+2R-very hunched over landing on 2A but otherwise OK
3F(slightly UR)+2T-landed with steps preceding jump pass
3S-nice
Footwork doesn't use motion of whole body; fairly bland
2A-landed
Flying deathdrop-slightly off-axis
Very tired and slow toward end of program
3Z-good
Off balance to entrance of final spin
Very bland artistically
TES: 66.49
PCS: 58.40
Total: 124.89
Grand Total: 189.99
Rank: 1
Stephen Carriere (USA)
3A-nice
3R+2A+SEQ-good
3Z-good with steps preceding it
Good step sequence
3F-little off but held on
2A+2T-opened up in air and fell out of landing
3R-good
3Z+Tano2T+2R(w/both arms above head)-close to the boards but clean
3S-forward on landing; held on
Good speed on final combo spin; traveled slightly
Much improved skating skills and musicality
TES: 65.94
PCS: 63.90
Total: 129.84
Grand Total: 195.08
Rank: 1
Warm-Up Group 2 is on the ice. Guan landed nice 3Z+3T. Contesti did a clean but wobbly triple flip. Lysacek is in black as usual.
Yannick Ponsero (France)
4T-very nice
3A-slightly forward on landing but clean
3Z-fall backwards
3A+2T(he was leaning in the air in the 3A, hopped and turned out of it but did not put his foot down and tacked on the 2T)
3S+2T+2T-good
3R-leaning over right side and fell
3T+half loop+3S-nice
Good spins
Incredible speed in his stroking; program was not as fun and carefree as the theme of the music suggested to be.
TES: 61.77
PCS: 68.70
Ded: -2.00
Total: 128.47
Grand Total: 195.12
Rank: 1
Jinlin Guan (China)
3Z+3T-great
3F-lovely air time and smooth landing
2S
2A-good height
deathdrop
3F-hand down; leaned in the air
3R-landed
3Z-solid
2A+2T+T-landed
Guan has good understanding of subtlety and holding out movements to match some of the sections of the score that have slower tempos. Good expression; footwork sequences need more speed and power.
TES: 57.35
PCS: 63.90
Total: 121.25
Grand Total: 187.95
Rank: 5
Samuel Contesti (Italy)
3A+3T-Put his hand and free leg down to the ice on 2nd jump but did not fall
3F-crashed into boards
3Z-nice
3A-good height
3R-fall out
2A-good
3S+3T-solid
2A+2T+2T-good
Very fun, quirky program, but his western-themed LP from last year worked better because it carried a theme and it was explored in a comedic manner. Contesti's facial mannerisms are fun to watch at first but become repetitive.
TES: 69.47
PCS: 67.30
Ded: -1.00
Total: 135.77
Grand Total: 207.85
Rank: 1
Evan Lysacek (USA)
3Z+3T-forward on landing but OK
3A-good
3S-slightly off to left side but controlled landing
3A+2T-landing on 3A a little wild but clean
3R-landed; possible UR
3F(possible double foot)+2T+2R(possible UR)
3Z-slightly wild landing, held on
2A-good
Great climax to straight line step sequence
Very dramatic program. I prefer something like his Gershwin LP from last season that is more subtle; the more dramatic programs like this, Carmen, and Tosca, go very overboard with expression.
TES: 72.87
PCS: 78.50
Total: 151.37
Grand Total: 232.17
Rank: 1
Sergei Voronov (Russia)
4T-held on
2Z+3T-dealt with mistake on lutz well
3A+2T-very good
Nice use of levels in footwork
1A
3R-excellent; finished revolution well before landing
2F
3S+2T+2R-good
2A-good
Program doesn't really go anywhere and his movement does not always reflect the intensity of his music.
TES: 65.59
PCS: 73.40
Total: 138.99
Grand Total: 220.39
Rank: 2
Nobunari Oda (Japan)
3Z-nice
3A+3T-entrance a little slow but otherwise excellent
Good spin combo
3S-solid
1A
3Z+3T+2R-great recovery, very solid
3F-preceded by spiral; good
3R-nice
2A-nice
Very nice performance. This Charlie Chaplin themed program is different, but is also something that can be very easily appreciated. The programs flows together very well and maintains the fun, comical theme throughout.
TES: 78.13
PCS: 78.10
Total: 156.23
Grand Total: 239.58
Rank: 1
Final Standings
1 Nobunari ODA JPN 239.58
2 Evan LYSACEK USA 232.17
3 Sergei VORONOV RUS 220.39
4 Samuel CONTESTI ITA 207.85
5 Yannick PONSERO FRA 195.12
6 Stephen CARRIERE USA 195.08
7 Chao YANG CHN 189.99
8 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN 188.47
9 Jinlin GUAN CHN 187.95
10 Denis TEN KAZ 182.63
11 Armin MAHBANOOZADEH USA 176.53
12 Ming XU CHN 163.57
Friday, October 30, 2009
COC Ladies Free Skate Live Commentary
I will be doing live commentary of the ladies free taking place at the 2009 Cup of China. Below is the startlist and note that Binshu Xu has withdrawn.
WD Binshu XU CHN
12 37.08
2 Diane SZMIETT CAN
11 44.24
3 Bingwa GENG CHN
10 47.64
4 Beatrisa LIANG USA
9 50.76
5 Yan LIU CHN
8 51.28
6 Joannie ROCHETTE CAN
7 52.12
Warm-Up Group 2
7 Fumie SUGURI JPN
6 55.46
8 Rachael FLATT USA
5 58.80
9 Akiko SUZUKI JPN
4 59.52
10 Carolina KOSTNER ITA
3 61.12
11 Kiira KORPI FIN
2 61.20
12 Mirai NAGASU USA
1 62.20
Warm-up group 1 has taken to the ice. Geng in red, yellow, and black dress. Liang in dark blue. Liang-clean 2A.
Rochette in same blue dress from WTT. Yan Liu in red.
Warm-up has concluded.
Diane Szmiett (Canada)
white and silver dress
3Z-OK
3S-solid
3F-leaning forward but held on; possible hand down
3T+2T+2T-good
3S(swingy free leg but held on)+2T-landed
2A+2A+SEQ-little speed coming out of either jump
Very poor spiral
3T-held on, big smile
Footwork not musical, slow
Last spin traveled back to Canada
TES: 55.64
PCS: 44.40
Total: 100.04
Grand Total: 144.28
Bingwa Geng (China)
3Z+2T-good takeoff edge, forward on landing of 3Z
3F-long entrance, fell out of but rotated
3S-fall; possible UR
2A+2T-good
good spin combo
Spiral sequence-extension needs improvement
3Z-good; possible slight UR
2A-step out
3T-fall
good donut spin
footwork is fairly simplistic
Weak layback position; great speed going into catch foot and Bielmann spins
TES: 38.28
PCS: 37.28
Ded: -2.00
Total: 73.56
Grand Total: 121.20
Rank: 2
Beatrisa Liang (USA)
3Z-fall; possible UR
3F-preceded by spiral; swingy free leg but good
1R-three turn entrance into it
2A-good control of landing edge
deathdrop to pancake spin-good
3F+2T-good
Spiral-extension is not as strong as 2007 IIRC but is decent
3Z+2T-good; possibly double footed first jump
footwork-good in places; intensity and speed not continuous
3T-held on
good final spin combo
TES: 39.15
PCS: 42.48
Ded: -1.00
Total: 80.63
Grand Total: 131.39
Rank: 2
Yan Liu (China)
2Z-very simplistic entrance
1F
3R+2A+SEQ-little speed coming out of either jump but clean jumping pass
Weak Bielmann
Adequate spiral
3S+2T+1R-popped last jump but otherwise good
3T+2A+SEQ-good
2A-low but clean
Footwork is extremely bland
2S-preceded by spiral; bailed out mid air and it will be counted UR as a single salchow
Final spin combo-traveled
Fairly clean skater but her transitions mark should be no higher than a 1.0. There was nothing interesting going on in-between her major elements.
TES: 39.84
PCS: 41.68
Total: 81.52
Grand Total: 132.80
Rank: 2
Joannie Rochette (Canada)
3Z-forward on landing; possible UR
3F-lovely
3R-good
good fast spin
Adequate spiral placed at awkward point in the music
3Z+2T-decent; possible UR
3T+2S+SEQ-I'm not positive if first jump was 3T but I think it was
2A-fall backward
3S-good
Very detailed program choreographically and demonstrated tremendous use of skating skills and transitions. Interpretation of the music is very strong also.
TES: 53.42
PCS: 58.64
Ded: -1.00
Total: 111.06
Grand Total: 163.18
Rank: 1
Warm-up group two out on ice. Suzuki singled flip. Kostner in same dress from TEB. Kostner just took a hard fall on 3R.
Nagasu in red. Korpi in same dress from TEB. Nagasu just landed 3Z. One minute left in warm-up.
Fumie Suguri (Japan)
3Z+2T-slight flutz but good
3F-held on; possible two-foot
2A-lovely
Good speed in spin
Relatively weak spiral
3S-UR, struggled valiantly to keep free leg up off the ice
1Z-flutzed
3F-heavily two-footed; possible UR
2A+2A+SEQ-good
Footwork didn't always correspond to intensity of music
Final spin combo-good speed, some positions weak
TES: 39.89
PCS: 50.64
Total: 90.53
Grand Total: 145.99
Rank: 2
Rachael Flatt (USA)
Dressed in red and gold
2A-preceded by spiral; landed
3F+2T-a little off on 3F landing but otherwise good
3Z-step out, possible UR, way off-axis in air
Spin combos weak positions
3R-solid
2Z
3F-step out
3S+2T+2R-landed
Very nice footwork, the only remotely interesting aspect of the program choreographically.
Not a great skate. I would say this is the flattest of Flatt's programs so far, footwork excepted. Jumps look lower and not as centered in the air.
TES: 48.51
PCS: 50.40
Total: 98.91
Grand Total: 157.71
Rank: 2
Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
3Z+2T-swingy free leg on lutz but otherwise OK
2A+2A+SEQ-good
Good centering on spin; positions weak
Adequate spiral
3F-very calm landing
3Z-good landing; possible flutz
3R+2A+SEQ-somewhat wild landing on 2A but clean
3S-low but landed cleanly
Excellent energy in footwork
Lovely program!
TES: 64.58
PCS: 52.56
Total: 117.14
Grand Total: 176.66
Rank: 1
Carolina Kostner (Italy)
3F-fall out; possible UR
1Z
2A+2T-nice
Good position on camel; sit spin not low enough
Excellent spiral; nice transition with choreography between Y-scale spiral and standard spiral
3T-good
3R-unsteady but held on
2A-wobbled on landing and sharply put free leg down onto the ice
3S-fall; possible UR
Great footwork; lots of one foot skating
Good speed and expression throughout
TES: 38.38
PCS: 55.68
Ded: -1.00
Total: 93.08
Grand Total: 154.18
Rank: 4
Kiira Korpi (Finland)
2Z-rough landing
3S+2T-good
3R-good
good spin combo
1S-Bailed out mid-air; landed on two feet
Adequate spiral
3R+2T+2R-clean
2A+2T-good
Flying sit spin-doesn't maintain speed and low position when she changes her arms and focus to the side
Footwork fairly simplistic
2A-held on
Much improved from TEB. Expression and maturity has improved as well.
TES: 49.51
PCS: 52.56
Total: 102.07
Grand Total: 163.27
Rank: 2
Mirai Nagasu (USA)
3Z+2T+2R(looked UR)-otherwise clean
2A+3T(borderline for downgrade)-wobbly landing
3F(possible UR)+2T-landed
Good spins as usual
Great spiral extension
3Z-slightly off-axis landing but held on
3R-bailed out mid-air and fell
2A-low but landed
3T-UR
Excellent final spin
TES: 42.90
PCS: 51.28
Ded: -1.00
Total: 93.18
Grand Total: 155.38
Rank: 5
Final Standings
1 Akiko SUZUKI JPN 176.66
2 Kiira KORPI FIN 163.27
3 Joannie ROCHETTE CAN 163.18 7 2
4 Rachael FLATT USA 157.71 5 5
5 Mirai NAGASU USA 155.38 1 6
6 Carolina KOSTNER ITA 154.18 3 7
7 Fumie SUGURI JPN 145.99 6 8
8 Diane SZMIETT CAN 144.28 11 4
9 Yan LIU CHN 132.80 8 9
10 Beatrisa LIANG USA 131.39 9 10
11 Bingwa GENG CHN 121.20 10 11
Congratulations Akiko!
WD Binshu XU CHN
12 37.08
2 Diane SZMIETT CAN
11 44.24
3 Bingwa GENG CHN
10 47.64
4 Beatrisa LIANG USA
9 50.76
5 Yan LIU CHN
8 51.28
6 Joannie ROCHETTE CAN
7 52.12
Warm-Up Group 2
7 Fumie SUGURI JPN
6 55.46
8 Rachael FLATT USA
5 58.80
9 Akiko SUZUKI JPN
4 59.52
10 Carolina KOSTNER ITA
3 61.12
11 Kiira KORPI FIN
2 61.20
12 Mirai NAGASU USA
1 62.20
Warm-up group 1 has taken to the ice. Geng in red, yellow, and black dress. Liang in dark blue. Liang-clean 2A.
Rochette in same blue dress from WTT. Yan Liu in red.
Warm-up has concluded.
Diane Szmiett (Canada)
white and silver dress
3Z-OK
3S-solid
3F-leaning forward but held on; possible hand down
3T+2T+2T-good
3S(swingy free leg but held on)+2T-landed
2A+2A+SEQ-little speed coming out of either jump
Very poor spiral
3T-held on, big smile
Footwork not musical, slow
Last spin traveled back to Canada
TES: 55.64
PCS: 44.40
Total: 100.04
Grand Total: 144.28
Bingwa Geng (China)
3Z+2T-good takeoff edge, forward on landing of 3Z
3F-long entrance, fell out of but rotated
3S-fall; possible UR
2A+2T-good
good spin combo
Spiral sequence-extension needs improvement
3Z-good; possible slight UR
2A-step out
3T-fall
good donut spin
footwork is fairly simplistic
Weak layback position; great speed going into catch foot and Bielmann spins
TES: 38.28
PCS: 37.28
Ded: -2.00
Total: 73.56
Grand Total: 121.20
Rank: 2
Beatrisa Liang (USA)
3Z-fall; possible UR
3F-preceded by spiral; swingy free leg but good
1R-three turn entrance into it
2A-good control of landing edge
deathdrop to pancake spin-good
3F+2T-good
Spiral-extension is not as strong as 2007 IIRC but is decent
3Z+2T-good; possibly double footed first jump
footwork-good in places; intensity and speed not continuous
3T-held on
good final spin combo
TES: 39.15
PCS: 42.48
Ded: -1.00
Total: 80.63
Grand Total: 131.39
Rank: 2
Yan Liu (China)
2Z-very simplistic entrance
1F
3R+2A+SEQ-little speed coming out of either jump but clean jumping pass
Weak Bielmann
Adequate spiral
3S+2T+1R-popped last jump but otherwise good
3T+2A+SEQ-good
2A-low but clean
Footwork is extremely bland
2S-preceded by spiral; bailed out mid air and it will be counted UR as a single salchow
Final spin combo-traveled
Fairly clean skater but her transitions mark should be no higher than a 1.0. There was nothing interesting going on in-between her major elements.
TES: 39.84
PCS: 41.68
Total: 81.52
Grand Total: 132.80
Rank: 2
Joannie Rochette (Canada)
3Z-forward on landing; possible UR
3F-lovely
3R-good
good fast spin
Adequate spiral placed at awkward point in the music
3Z+2T-decent; possible UR
3T+2S+SEQ-I'm not positive if first jump was 3T but I think it was
2A-fall backward
3S-good
Very detailed program choreographically and demonstrated tremendous use of skating skills and transitions. Interpretation of the music is very strong also.
TES: 53.42
PCS: 58.64
Ded: -1.00
Total: 111.06
Grand Total: 163.18
Rank: 1
Warm-up group two out on ice. Suzuki singled flip. Kostner in same dress from TEB. Kostner just took a hard fall on 3R.
Nagasu in red. Korpi in same dress from TEB. Nagasu just landed 3Z. One minute left in warm-up.
Fumie Suguri (Japan)
3Z+2T-slight flutz but good
3F-held on; possible two-foot
2A-lovely
Good speed in spin
Relatively weak spiral
3S-UR, struggled valiantly to keep free leg up off the ice
1Z-flutzed
3F-heavily two-footed; possible UR
2A+2A+SEQ-good
Footwork didn't always correspond to intensity of music
Final spin combo-good speed, some positions weak
TES: 39.89
PCS: 50.64
Total: 90.53
Grand Total: 145.99
Rank: 2
Rachael Flatt (USA)
Dressed in red and gold
2A-preceded by spiral; landed
3F+2T-a little off on 3F landing but otherwise good
3Z-step out, possible UR, way off-axis in air
Spin combos weak positions
3R-solid
2Z
3F-step out
3S+2T+2R-landed
Very nice footwork, the only remotely interesting aspect of the program choreographically.
Not a great skate. I would say this is the flattest of Flatt's programs so far, footwork excepted. Jumps look lower and not as centered in the air.
TES: 48.51
PCS: 50.40
Total: 98.91
Grand Total: 157.71
Rank: 2
Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
3Z+2T-swingy free leg on lutz but otherwise OK
2A+2A+SEQ-good
Good centering on spin; positions weak
Adequate spiral
3F-very calm landing
3Z-good landing; possible flutz
3R+2A+SEQ-somewhat wild landing on 2A but clean
3S-low but landed cleanly
Excellent energy in footwork
Lovely program!
TES: 64.58
PCS: 52.56
Total: 117.14
Grand Total: 176.66
Rank: 1
Carolina Kostner (Italy)
3F-fall out; possible UR
1Z
2A+2T-nice
Good position on camel; sit spin not low enough
Excellent spiral; nice transition with choreography between Y-scale spiral and standard spiral
3T-good
3R-unsteady but held on
2A-wobbled on landing and sharply put free leg down onto the ice
3S-fall; possible UR
Great footwork; lots of one foot skating
Good speed and expression throughout
TES: 38.38
PCS: 55.68
Ded: -1.00
Total: 93.08
Grand Total: 154.18
Rank: 4
Kiira Korpi (Finland)
2Z-rough landing
3S+2T-good
3R-good
good spin combo
1S-Bailed out mid-air; landed on two feet
Adequate spiral
3R+2T+2R-clean
2A+2T-good
Flying sit spin-doesn't maintain speed and low position when she changes her arms and focus to the side
Footwork fairly simplistic
2A-held on
Much improved from TEB. Expression and maturity has improved as well.
TES: 49.51
PCS: 52.56
Total: 102.07
Grand Total: 163.27
Rank: 2
Mirai Nagasu (USA)
3Z+2T+2R(looked UR)-otherwise clean
2A+3T(borderline for downgrade)-wobbly landing
3F(possible UR)+2T-landed
Good spins as usual
Great spiral extension
3Z-slightly off-axis landing but held on
3R-bailed out mid-air and fell
2A-low but landed
3T-UR
Excellent final spin
TES: 42.90
PCS: 51.28
Ded: -1.00
Total: 93.18
Grand Total: 155.38
Rank: 5
Final Standings
1 Akiko SUZUKI JPN 176.66
2 Kiira KORPI FIN 163.27
3 Joannie ROCHETTE CAN 163.18 7 2
4 Rachael FLATT USA 157.71 5 5
5 Mirai NAGASU USA 155.38 1 6
6 Carolina KOSTNER ITA 154.18 3 7
7 Fumie SUGURI JPN 145.99 6 8
8 Diane SZMIETT CAN 144.28 11 4
9 Yan LIU CHN 132.80 8 9
10 Beatrisa LIANG USA 131.39 9 10
11 Bingwa GENG CHN 121.20 10 11
Congratulations Akiko!
COC Ladies SP Commentary
Here is my commentary for the ladies SP which took place earlier today in Beijing. I am watching this event without knowing the results beforehand and this page will be updated as I see the competitors skate.
Skate Order:
Warm-Up Group 1
1.) Bingwa Geng (China)
2.) Binshu Xu (China)
3.) Yan Liu (China)
4.) Diane Szmiett (Canada)
5.) Beatrisa Liang (USA)
6.) Mirai Nagasu (USA)
Arena is about half full. Same arena as last year's Cup of China. Binshu Xu in pink top with blue skirt. Yan Liu in light blue. Szmiett in red; Liang in black; Nagasu in black and gold.
Liang looks a little out of shape but just landed a triple toe. Nagasu did a triple flip which looked slightly UR. Yan Liu stumbled out of her triple loop slightly.
Nagasu did a triple lutz with a slight fall out and inside edge takeoff. Liu (I believe) did a 3Z at the end of the warm-up.
Bingwa Geng (China)
Purple dress
Looks like a young Caroline Zhang, and is skating to Meditation from Thais
3S-good steps before, entrance was long but the jump had great height and a good landing
3Z-fall out, +1T-won't get credit for 2nd jump, put her foot down in-between, takeoff edge looked clean
2A-lovely
spiral-extension is good, not great
Footwork-nice
Good donut spin
Layback position is too turned in but her Bielmann is great
Nice ending pose
She will get marked down quite a bit for her mistake on the triple lutz but otherwise a very nice performance. Geng could be a legitimate contender at major competitions in the future. Good choreography, nice use of arms, and did express herself well in places.
TES: 28.20
PCS: 19.44
Total: 47.64
PCS are a little low IMO but scores at this event were rather tight last year.
Binshu Xu (China)
3T-fall; likely UR
3S-solid; slightly UR
spin combo-good speed; weak positions on layback and Bielmann
spiral-extension is decent; skating edge is very wobbly
2A-nice
last spin combo-good speed but traveled
Very weak projection to the audience.
TES: 19.36
PCS: 18.72
Ded: -1.00
Total: 37.08
Rank: 2
Yan Liu (China)
IIRC the same as last year's SP
3Z+2T-a little slow coming out of 3Z and possibly flutzed; otherwise clean
3R-good
Rough transition from standard spiral to catch-foot spiral
2A-coming after front spiral; very good
good layback to catch-foot spin
footwork-relatively easy and not very continuous
Very flat program artistically; she is a mature skater but has no relation to the audience whatsoever. However, it was a very fluid, clean skate, and it was certainly one of her best short programs as of late.
TES: 30.00
PCS: 21.28
Total: 51.28
Rank: 1
Diane Szmiett (Canada)
Skating to West Side Story
3F+2T-long entrance but otherwise good
3Z-two footed first and then fell
2A-fell out of
spin combo-traveled in beginning but centered it afterward
Very poor attempt at Charlotte Spiral (if that was even what she was trying)
Relatively slow footwork
Great speed in catch foot spin at the end
No emotional depth to program; speed is decent.
TES: 25.08
PCS: 21.16
Ded: -2.00
Total: 44.24
Rank: 3
Beatrisa Liang (USA)
Tango de Roxanne
3Z+2T-good
3F-little wobbly, very slight UR
layback to catch foot spin combo-very good
spiral-good extension
2A- step out
good spin combo
footwork-fall
This program is a great one for her and really enables her to showcase expression, drama, and musicality. A shame about the mistakes at the end but at least it started off well.
TES: 29.04
PCS: 22.72
Ded: -1.00
Total: 50.76
Rank: 2
Mirai Nagasu (USA)
Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack
3Z(likely UR)+2T-landed; also looked flutzed
3F-good
Spiral-great extension and speed
layback to catch-foot to Bielmann spin-excellent
2A-from Ina Bauer-very good
footwork-good energy
Good last spin combo
Her growth spurt has caused her to under rotate jumps more so than when she was tinier but it has helped her out tremendously with speed. She travels across the rink very quickly no matter if it is stroking, footwork, or gliding across the ice. Good skate.
TES: 37.40 ( I guess she got the lutz credited?)
PCS: 24.80
Total: 62.20 (Nice!)
Rank: 1
Warm-Up Group 2
7.) Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
8.) Fumie Suguri (Japan)
9.) Kiira Korpi (Finland)
10.) Rachael Flatt (USA)
11.) Joannie Rochette (Canada)
12.) Carolina Kostner (Italy)
Flatt in pink; Korpi in a light green/yellow; Rochette in black.
Flatt did 2A; landed but looked low. It looked like Rochette did 3Z+3T with a slight wobble on the landing of the 2nd jump. Flatt doubled her lutz. Flatt just did 3Z; looked lower than usual but landed.
Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
3Z+2T-slight loss of speed coming out of 3Z but otherwise good
3F-good
flying camel-slightly off balance but got her centering back
Spiral sequence-adequate
2A-good control on the landing edge
spin combo-good speed but traveled towards the end
footwork-very fluid, creative, and fast
Good last spin combo
Very nice performance. Suzuki has great expression and she is very musical. Great attack with the footwork and showed a lot of character in the section immediately following the triple flip. Spins and spirals were not nearly as strong as Nagasu's.
TES: 34.40
PCS: 25.12
Total: 59.52
Rank: 2
Fumie Suguri (Japan)
Good expression at the start
3F(slight UR)+2T-good speed coming out
3Z-flutz, double-footed, possible UR
Spiral sequence-adequate
2A-great height; slight wobble on landing
Combo spin-good speed but lost speed when grabbing her leg in the catch foot layback position
Footwork-good movements but slow
Finished after music
TES: 30.38
PCS: 25.08
Total: 55.46
Rank: 3
Kiira Korpi (Finland)
3Z(possible flutz; hand down)+2T
3R-good; three-turn entrance
Good continuous speed in spin combo
2A-solid
Spiral sequence-decent
Flying sit spin-nice low position
footwork-good
Good speed in final spin
Improved expression but still bland in places.
TES: 34.80
PCS: 26.40
Total: 61.20
Rank: 2
Score is higher than she deserved in my opinion. Her PCS should be in line with those received by Nagasu and Suzuki, not ahead of.
Rachael Flatt (USA)
3F(forward on landing, possible UR)+2T
3Z-solid
flying camel
Spiral sequence-adequate
Good position on layback; speed could be improved
2A-forward on landing; held on
Improved footwork from previous seasons
A cute program that has potential but Flatt will need to sell it even more to bring the entertaining concept home. All of her jumps looked lower.
TES: 33.40
PCS: 25.40
Total: 58.80
Rank: 4
Joannie Rochette (Canada)
Music is to La Cumparsita
2Z-opened up in air
3F-good but didn't add in a combo
1A
Adequate spiral
Footwork a bit slow in places
Spins were all OK
The program is very well choreographed, and she does have the most mature presentation that we have seen today. Perhaps this whole battle with landing the 3-3 is messing with her nerves? In that case, she should just stick to a triple lutz+double toe, something she does consistently in the long.
TES: 23.92
PCS: 28.20
Total: 52.12
Rank: 6
Carolina Kostner (Italy)
3F+2T-good
3T-solid
Spiral-great speed and extension
2A-solid
Spin combo a little slow
Flying deathdrop-sit spin position should be lower
Good attack in footwork
Good presentation.
Interesting jump layout! She seems to be saying to hell with the 3/3 and is putting the triple toe in as a solo jump. It will put her behind in base value but a clean program will keep her competitive because of her high PCS scores.
TES: 31.80
PCS: 29.32
Total: 61.12
Rank: 3
Good thing I didn't have any money riding on this competition. Also, AKIKO SUZUKI WAS ROBBED!!!!!.
That is all.
Skate Order:
Warm-Up Group 1
1.) Bingwa Geng (China)
2.) Binshu Xu (China)
3.) Yan Liu (China)
4.) Diane Szmiett (Canada)
5.) Beatrisa Liang (USA)
6.) Mirai Nagasu (USA)
Arena is about half full. Same arena as last year's Cup of China. Binshu Xu in pink top with blue skirt. Yan Liu in light blue. Szmiett in red; Liang in black; Nagasu in black and gold.
Liang looks a little out of shape but just landed a triple toe. Nagasu did a triple flip which looked slightly UR. Yan Liu stumbled out of her triple loop slightly.
Nagasu did a triple lutz with a slight fall out and inside edge takeoff. Liu (I believe) did a 3Z at the end of the warm-up.
Bingwa Geng (China)
Purple dress
Looks like a young Caroline Zhang, and is skating to Meditation from Thais
3S-good steps before, entrance was long but the jump had great height and a good landing
3Z-fall out, +1T-won't get credit for 2nd jump, put her foot down in-between, takeoff edge looked clean
2A-lovely
spiral-extension is good, not great
Footwork-nice
Good donut spin
Layback position is too turned in but her Bielmann is great
Nice ending pose
She will get marked down quite a bit for her mistake on the triple lutz but otherwise a very nice performance. Geng could be a legitimate contender at major competitions in the future. Good choreography, nice use of arms, and did express herself well in places.
TES: 28.20
PCS: 19.44
Total: 47.64
PCS are a little low IMO but scores at this event were rather tight last year.
Binshu Xu (China)
3T-fall; likely UR
3S-solid; slightly UR
spin combo-good speed; weak positions on layback and Bielmann
spiral-extension is decent; skating edge is very wobbly
2A-nice
last spin combo-good speed but traveled
Very weak projection to the audience.
TES: 19.36
PCS: 18.72
Ded: -1.00
Total: 37.08
Rank: 2
Yan Liu (China)
IIRC the same as last year's SP
3Z+2T-a little slow coming out of 3Z and possibly flutzed; otherwise clean
3R-good
Rough transition from standard spiral to catch-foot spiral
2A-coming after front spiral; very good
good layback to catch-foot spin
footwork-relatively easy and not very continuous
Very flat program artistically; she is a mature skater but has no relation to the audience whatsoever. However, it was a very fluid, clean skate, and it was certainly one of her best short programs as of late.
TES: 30.00
PCS: 21.28
Total: 51.28
Rank: 1
Diane Szmiett (Canada)
Skating to West Side Story
3F+2T-long entrance but otherwise good
3Z-two footed first and then fell
2A-fell out of
spin combo-traveled in beginning but centered it afterward
Very poor attempt at Charlotte Spiral (if that was even what she was trying)
Relatively slow footwork
Great speed in catch foot spin at the end
No emotional depth to program; speed is decent.
TES: 25.08
PCS: 21.16
Ded: -2.00
Total: 44.24
Rank: 3
Beatrisa Liang (USA)
Tango de Roxanne
3Z+2T-good
3F-little wobbly, very slight UR
layback to catch foot spin combo-very good
spiral-good extension
2A- step out
good spin combo
footwork-fall
This program is a great one for her and really enables her to showcase expression, drama, and musicality. A shame about the mistakes at the end but at least it started off well.
TES: 29.04
PCS: 22.72
Ded: -1.00
Total: 50.76
Rank: 2
Mirai Nagasu (USA)
Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack
3Z(likely UR)+2T-landed; also looked flutzed
3F-good
Spiral-great extension and speed
layback to catch-foot to Bielmann spin-excellent
2A-from Ina Bauer-very good
footwork-good energy
Good last spin combo
Her growth spurt has caused her to under rotate jumps more so than when she was tinier but it has helped her out tremendously with speed. She travels across the rink very quickly no matter if it is stroking, footwork, or gliding across the ice. Good skate.
TES: 37.40 ( I guess she got the lutz credited?)
PCS: 24.80
Total: 62.20 (Nice!)
Rank: 1
Warm-Up Group 2
7.) Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
8.) Fumie Suguri (Japan)
9.) Kiira Korpi (Finland)
10.) Rachael Flatt (USA)
11.) Joannie Rochette (Canada)
12.) Carolina Kostner (Italy)
Flatt in pink; Korpi in a light green/yellow; Rochette in black.
Flatt did 2A; landed but looked low. It looked like Rochette did 3Z+3T with a slight wobble on the landing of the 2nd jump. Flatt doubled her lutz. Flatt just did 3Z; looked lower than usual but landed.
Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
3Z+2T-slight loss of speed coming out of 3Z but otherwise good
3F-good
flying camel-slightly off balance but got her centering back
Spiral sequence-adequate
2A-good control on the landing edge
spin combo-good speed but traveled towards the end
footwork-very fluid, creative, and fast
Good last spin combo
Very nice performance. Suzuki has great expression and she is very musical. Great attack with the footwork and showed a lot of character in the section immediately following the triple flip. Spins and spirals were not nearly as strong as Nagasu's.
TES: 34.40
PCS: 25.12
Total: 59.52
Rank: 2
Fumie Suguri (Japan)
Good expression at the start
3F(slight UR)+2T-good speed coming out
3Z-flutz, double-footed, possible UR
Spiral sequence-adequate
2A-great height; slight wobble on landing
Combo spin-good speed but lost speed when grabbing her leg in the catch foot layback position
Footwork-good movements but slow
Finished after music
TES: 30.38
PCS: 25.08
Total: 55.46
Rank: 3
Kiira Korpi (Finland)
3Z(possible flutz; hand down)+2T
3R-good; three-turn entrance
Good continuous speed in spin combo
2A-solid
Spiral sequence-decent
Flying sit spin-nice low position
footwork-good
Good speed in final spin
Improved expression but still bland in places.
TES: 34.80
PCS: 26.40
Total: 61.20
Rank: 2
Score is higher than she deserved in my opinion. Her PCS should be in line with those received by Nagasu and Suzuki, not ahead of.
Rachael Flatt (USA)
3F(forward on landing, possible UR)+2T
3Z-solid
flying camel
Spiral sequence-adequate
Good position on layback; speed could be improved
2A-forward on landing; held on
Improved footwork from previous seasons
A cute program that has potential but Flatt will need to sell it even more to bring the entertaining concept home. All of her jumps looked lower.
TES: 33.40
PCS: 25.40
Total: 58.80
Rank: 4
Joannie Rochette (Canada)
Music is to La Cumparsita
2Z-opened up in air
3F-good but didn't add in a combo
1A
Adequate spiral
Footwork a bit slow in places
Spins were all OK
The program is very well choreographed, and she does have the most mature presentation that we have seen today. Perhaps this whole battle with landing the 3-3 is messing with her nerves? In that case, she should just stick to a triple lutz+double toe, something she does consistently in the long.
TES: 23.92
PCS: 28.20
Total: 52.12
Rank: 6
Carolina Kostner (Italy)
3F+2T-good
3T-solid
Spiral-great speed and extension
2A-solid
Spin combo a little slow
Flying deathdrop-sit spin position should be lower
Good attack in footwork
Good presentation.
Interesting jump layout! She seems to be saying to hell with the 3/3 and is putting the triple toe in as a solo jump. It will put her behind in base value but a clean program will keep her competitive because of her high PCS scores.
TES: 31.80
PCS: 29.32
Total: 61.12
Rank: 3
Good thing I didn't have any money riding on this competition. Also, AKIKO SUZUKI WAS ROBBED!!!!!.
That is all.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
2009 Cup of China-Ladies Preview
Rachael Flatt (USA)
The two-time U.S. silver medalist is consistent, reliable, and yes, flat. However, with Sasha Cohen's withdrawal from Trophée Eric Bompard and both Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner's respective meltdowns at COR and TEB, Flatt has a very strong opportunity of qualifying to the Grand Prix Final after missing the final last year by two placements. Flatt won her first U.S. silver medal in 2008, skating a clean long program which contained seven triple jumps. Subsequently competing at the World Junior Championships, she repeated the same clean skate and defeated both Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang to win the title. Flatt once again settled for silver at this year's U.S. Championships, missing the gold medal in a very controversial loss to Alissa Czisny. Flatt went onto the 2009 World Championships and finished 5th in her first try. Flatt has competed twice since the conclusion of last season in summer events, including the Colorado Championships and the Golden West competition, beating Alexe Gilles at the former and Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu at the latter. Flatt showed visible improvement in her swing-themed short program with her presentation and speed, but reverted back to her fairly mundane style in the long program, choreographed to Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."
While Flatt's style is not necessarily bad - she actually does make a fairly strong effort to use facial expression and relate to the music - her lines are impeded by her rather awkwardly proportioned body. Her neck is very short; thus, when her shoulders lift, even just ever so slightly, it creates a very distorted line of both her back and overall upper body. She is not an exceptionally flexible skater, nor a very fast one. However, Rachael Flatt made it to the top five at last year's worlds in spite of these flaws, and her innate ability to compete and remain in the moment when the pressure mounts has been her ace in the hole thus far in her career. She has also been remarkable in avoiding major injury as a figure skater, something that has also been advantageous to Flatt against her fellow adversaries. Flatt is doubtful to reach the medals stand in Vancouver, but she stands a solid chance of claiming an Olympic berth in Spokane come nationals. One of her closest competitors for one of those spots, Mirai Nagasu, will be competing against Flatt at this competition, and it will be intriguing to see who is ahead at this stage in the game.
Carolina Kostner (Italy)
For more info on Kostner see the TEB preview post for the ladies. The two-time world medalist has quite a ways to go when it comes to returning to peak form after her sixth place finish just over a week ago in Paris. For Kostner to have any chance at qualifying to the Grand Prix Final, she would need to win this event, a tough task in of itself, and then hope that others meltdown at future Grand Prixs so that she could qualify. While one can argue several different ways regarding why Kostner was overscored at the 2008 worlds, it certainly did help her that she was the bronze medalist from the Grand Prix Final and the current European champion heading into those Championships. Now that the Grand Prix Final is most likely out of the question, winning Europeans will be of the utmost importance for Kostner heading into Vancouver. Kostner should be able to win a European title very easily at her optimum, but she is still capable of losing gold at that event, doing so last year to Laura Lepisto.
Both of Carolina's programs that she debuted in Paris are hardly her best; they don't appear as well composed or emotionally inspired as several previous programs of hers, including her "Canon" short and "Memories of a Geisha" long from the 2006/2007 season. Her low finish in Paris is, while a setback reputation-wise, by no means an indication that she has glossed herself out of the picture for an Olympic medal. In 2004, Kostner only finished 7th at Cup of Russia and went on to defeat Michelle Kwan for the bronze medal at worlds. Similarly in 2007, Kostner did pull off a bronze medal at Cup of China, but she was competing against a very weak field and skated extremely poorly in the free. She would later go on to win the world silver medal that season. Kostner has already been making several changes to her jumps since moving to Frank Carroll (such as taking a more fluid entrance to her triple flip and not telegraphing), and consistency with these changes naturally take time, as her warm-ups looked excellent in Paris but during her competitive skates her nerves ended up taking center ice. Kostner is never strong at her first event of the season, but does often improve for her second. In this all important Olympic season, she needs that to be the case here.
Mirai Nagasu (USA)
Although a seemingly benevolent, dainty personality, the 2008 U.S. Champion has not been one to hide her emotions or thoughts to the public. Nagasu arrived to her free skate at last year's U.S. Championships in tears, but finished the program without a major error and beamed with pride. Recently, during the U.S. Olympic Media Summit, Nagasu arose concern in the skating community with her comment, "...I'm not very smart and I'm not very pretty and there's nothing else that stands out about me besides my skating." Nagasu was also the only skater to vocal her concern over what Sasha Cohen's comeback would mean for her Olympic chances. Nagasu came out of nowhere to win the gold medal at the U.S. Championships on the junior level in 2007, defeating heavy favorite Caroline Zhang in the process. The following year, she shocked many once again by taking the senior U.S. title, but was age-ineligible to compete at the 2008 World Championships. The following year, a disastrous 8th place showing at the NHK Trophy continued to fire off tensions between Nagasu and her then coach, Charlene Wong, largely because Nagasu was opting out of resting a severe ankle injury. Nagasu toughed it out in her free skate at the U.S. Championships, finishing 5th, and upon concluding her season, she decided it was best to resume her skating under the tutelage of Frank Carroll.
Judging by the recent Golden West competition, Nagasu does not look as strong as Flatt overall, but does have several things going for her. Nagasu has routinely been plagued by under rotated jumps that often stem from a lack of amplitude, but at Golden West her jumps looked visibly higher and stronger. Her Carmen long program also looks to have great potential, and the music arrangement of the program has several of the more unused selections of the score. Nagasu has a fairly steep hill to climb to make the Olympic team, but appears to have started off on the right off toward getting to the top of the hill, something that cannot be said for many of the athletes vying for tickets to Vancouver.
Joannie Rochette (Canada)
Although some past Olympic and world champions have peaked at 15 or 16, Joannie Rochette has taken the slow and steady route to peaking at the ripe old age of 23, having just won a world silver medal. Rochette earned her first world championship medal on her eighth try and comes toward this season with what will likely be her last opportunity to win an Olympic medal. While debuting her new long program to "Samson and Delilah" at the recent Japan Open, Rochette looked fit, confident, and polished. Rochette landed all seven triples and scored a 126.39, the highest free skate for her in an international competition to date. Rochette certainly needs to be mindful of not peaking too early; however, one shouldn't be too concerned because she did perform expertly at last year's Skate Canada and, with one exception (Grand Prix Final), maintained that level of solidity throughout the season's entirety.
With Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner struggling and Sasha Cohen's "comeback" in question, Rochette has found herself with more than just a realistic aspiration of winning an Olympic medal. At this point, it looks as though Rochette is the only woman capable of even challenging South Korean superstar Yu-Na Kim for the gold, although Kim still is the unwavering frontrunner at this point. Once noted for her inconsistency, Rochette has worked diligently to correct this foible. The current world silver medalist remarked in a recent CTV Olympics article that touring with Stars and Ice in Canada has been beneficial to her psych and that the presence of media attention motivates her to perform at a superior level. Her mindset is obviously working, but will she keep her confidence intact when faced with skating for an Olympic medal in her home country? We shall see.
Fumie Suguri (Japan)
It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Suguri since winning her world silver medal in 2006, but she shocked many when she won the silver medal at the 2008/2009 Japanese nationals, defeating Miki Ando, Akiko Suzuki, and Yukari Nakano. Suguri qualified to the 2009 World Championships, her first worlds since 2006, and she also qualified to the Four Continents team, a competition where she placed 6th. Battling a shoulder injury, Suguri had a relatively shaky long program at the World Championships and was unable to muster anything better than an 8th place finish. Suguri stands a decent chance of making the Olympic team, a chance which she hopes to augment by moving to Alexei Mishin, coach of Evgeni Plushenko. Upon changing coaches, Suguri also scrapped both of her scheduled programs for the 2009/2010 season and has replaced them with a short program to "Air on the G String" and "Tocatta and Fugue" by Bach and a long program to Khachaturian's "Spartacus."
Suguri performed poorly at the recent Finlandia Trophy, finishing 7th against a weak field. However, once adjusted to all of her changes, Suguri should be a force to be reckoned with for a spot on the Olympic team. She only finished 8th at her opening event of the 2005/2006 Olympic season, Skate Canada, but stunned all by winning the Japanese nationals, defeating the then reigning Grand Prix Final champion Mao Asada and eventual Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa. With Miki Ando and Mao Asada near locks for the team (even with Asada's issues, she has far too much recognition and stardom to be left off), Fumie Suguri is in a race for the third ticket with Yukari Nakano and Akiko Suzuki, the latter of whom she will compete against this week. Suguri may not be primed to do well this week if Finlandia Trophy is any indication, but she has proven capable of sneaking up on her rivals when something big is on the line and can certainly do that again with jump doctor Mishin by her side.
Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
Suzuki had her best season to date last year, winning a silver medal at the NHK Trophy and achieving a 4th place finish at the Japanese nationals. Much like Joannie Rochette, Suzuki has been slower in reaching her peak, and part of this is because of an eating disorder she suffered from in 2003, which kept her out of competition for the 2003/2004 season. Suzuki was inspired by Shizuka Arakawa's 2004 world title and became motivated to give the sport another try. Although success was slow to come after that, she did improve dramatically for last season and made the most out of her year. Suzuki does stand a legitimate chance of making the Olympic team, and were it not for a (perhaps unfairly) downgraded triple salchow in her long program at Japanese nationals, she may have been a part of the 2009 world championship team. Suzuki is set to debut her new programs for the first time internationally in China, which are a short program to Andalucia and a long program to West Side Story. Former world champion ice dancer turned choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne worked with Suzuki on her long program for this season and praised Suzuki's skating ability and work ethic on a Japanese television fluff. Suzuki already has had a good start to her season, winning a regional championship in Japan with a score higher than what she received at last year's Japanese nationals. Suzuki is a solid jumper and an attractive artist; she should do well here if her consistency from last season is any indication. As the Japanese Skating Federation appears to be making much of their Olympic team decisions based on Grand Prix results, Suzuki wants to leave her first major event of the season with a bang.
Predicted Standings
5th: Mirai Nagasu (USA)
6th; Fumie Suguri (Japan)
That is all.
The two-time U.S. silver medalist is consistent, reliable, and yes, flat. However, with Sasha Cohen's withdrawal from Trophée Eric Bompard and both Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner's respective meltdowns at COR and TEB, Flatt has a very strong opportunity of qualifying to the Grand Prix Final after missing the final last year by two placements. Flatt won her first U.S. silver medal in 2008, skating a clean long program which contained seven triple jumps. Subsequently competing at the World Junior Championships, she repeated the same clean skate and defeated both Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang to win the title. Flatt once again settled for silver at this year's U.S. Championships, missing the gold medal in a very controversial loss to Alissa Czisny. Flatt went onto the 2009 World Championships and finished 5th in her first try. Flatt has competed twice since the conclusion of last season in summer events, including the Colorado Championships and the Golden West competition, beating Alexe Gilles at the former and Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu at the latter. Flatt showed visible improvement in her swing-themed short program with her presentation and speed, but reverted back to her fairly mundane style in the long program, choreographed to Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."
While Flatt's style is not necessarily bad - she actually does make a fairly strong effort to use facial expression and relate to the music - her lines are impeded by her rather awkwardly proportioned body. Her neck is very short; thus, when her shoulders lift, even just ever so slightly, it creates a very distorted line of both her back and overall upper body. She is not an exceptionally flexible skater, nor a very fast one. However, Rachael Flatt made it to the top five at last year's worlds in spite of these flaws, and her innate ability to compete and remain in the moment when the pressure mounts has been her ace in the hole thus far in her career. She has also been remarkable in avoiding major injury as a figure skater, something that has also been advantageous to Flatt against her fellow adversaries. Flatt is doubtful to reach the medals stand in Vancouver, but she stands a solid chance of claiming an Olympic berth in Spokane come nationals. One of her closest competitors for one of those spots, Mirai Nagasu, will be competing against Flatt at this competition, and it will be intriguing to see who is ahead at this stage in the game.
Carolina Kostner (Italy)
For more info on Kostner see the TEB preview post for the ladies. The two-time world medalist has quite a ways to go when it comes to returning to peak form after her sixth place finish just over a week ago in Paris. For Kostner to have any chance at qualifying to the Grand Prix Final, she would need to win this event, a tough task in of itself, and then hope that others meltdown at future Grand Prixs so that she could qualify. While one can argue several different ways regarding why Kostner was overscored at the 2008 worlds, it certainly did help her that she was the bronze medalist from the Grand Prix Final and the current European champion heading into those Championships. Now that the Grand Prix Final is most likely out of the question, winning Europeans will be of the utmost importance for Kostner heading into Vancouver. Kostner should be able to win a European title very easily at her optimum, but she is still capable of losing gold at that event, doing so last year to Laura Lepisto.
Both of Carolina's programs that she debuted in Paris are hardly her best; they don't appear as well composed or emotionally inspired as several previous programs of hers, including her "Canon" short and "Memories of a Geisha" long from the 2006/2007 season. Her low finish in Paris is, while a setback reputation-wise, by no means an indication that she has glossed herself out of the picture for an Olympic medal. In 2004, Kostner only finished 7th at Cup of Russia and went on to defeat Michelle Kwan for the bronze medal at worlds. Similarly in 2007, Kostner did pull off a bronze medal at Cup of China, but she was competing against a very weak field and skated extremely poorly in the free. She would later go on to win the world silver medal that season. Kostner has already been making several changes to her jumps since moving to Frank Carroll (such as taking a more fluid entrance to her triple flip and not telegraphing), and consistency with these changes naturally take time, as her warm-ups looked excellent in Paris but during her competitive skates her nerves ended up taking center ice. Kostner is never strong at her first event of the season, but does often improve for her second. In this all important Olympic season, she needs that to be the case here.
Mirai Nagasu (USA)
Although a seemingly benevolent, dainty personality, the 2008 U.S. Champion has not been one to hide her emotions or thoughts to the public. Nagasu arrived to her free skate at last year's U.S. Championships in tears, but finished the program without a major error and beamed with pride. Recently, during the U.S. Olympic Media Summit, Nagasu arose concern in the skating community with her comment, "...I'm not very smart and I'm not very pretty and there's nothing else that stands out about me besides my skating." Nagasu was also the only skater to vocal her concern over what Sasha Cohen's comeback would mean for her Olympic chances. Nagasu came out of nowhere to win the gold medal at the U.S. Championships on the junior level in 2007, defeating heavy favorite Caroline Zhang in the process. The following year, she shocked many once again by taking the senior U.S. title, but was age-ineligible to compete at the 2008 World Championships. The following year, a disastrous 8th place showing at the NHK Trophy continued to fire off tensions between Nagasu and her then coach, Charlene Wong, largely because Nagasu was opting out of resting a severe ankle injury. Nagasu toughed it out in her free skate at the U.S. Championships, finishing 5th, and upon concluding her season, she decided it was best to resume her skating under the tutelage of Frank Carroll.
Judging by the recent Golden West competition, Nagasu does not look as strong as Flatt overall, but does have several things going for her. Nagasu has routinely been plagued by under rotated jumps that often stem from a lack of amplitude, but at Golden West her jumps looked visibly higher and stronger. Her Carmen long program also looks to have great potential, and the music arrangement of the program has several of the more unused selections of the score. Nagasu has a fairly steep hill to climb to make the Olympic team, but appears to have started off on the right off toward getting to the top of the hill, something that cannot be said for many of the athletes vying for tickets to Vancouver.
Joannie Rochette (Canada)
Although some past Olympic and world champions have peaked at 15 or 16, Joannie Rochette has taken the slow and steady route to peaking at the ripe old age of 23, having just won a world silver medal. Rochette earned her first world championship medal on her eighth try and comes toward this season with what will likely be her last opportunity to win an Olympic medal. While debuting her new long program to "Samson and Delilah" at the recent Japan Open, Rochette looked fit, confident, and polished. Rochette landed all seven triples and scored a 126.39, the highest free skate for her in an international competition to date. Rochette certainly needs to be mindful of not peaking too early; however, one shouldn't be too concerned because she did perform expertly at last year's Skate Canada and, with one exception (Grand Prix Final), maintained that level of solidity throughout the season's entirety.
With Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner struggling and Sasha Cohen's "comeback" in question, Rochette has found herself with more than just a realistic aspiration of winning an Olympic medal. At this point, it looks as though Rochette is the only woman capable of even challenging South Korean superstar Yu-Na Kim for the gold, although Kim still is the unwavering frontrunner at this point. Once noted for her inconsistency, Rochette has worked diligently to correct this foible. The current world silver medalist remarked in a recent CTV Olympics article that touring with Stars and Ice in Canada has been beneficial to her psych and that the presence of media attention motivates her to perform at a superior level. Her mindset is obviously working, but will she keep her confidence intact when faced with skating for an Olympic medal in her home country? We shall see.
Fumie Suguri (Japan)
It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Suguri since winning her world silver medal in 2006, but she shocked many when she won the silver medal at the 2008/2009 Japanese nationals, defeating Miki Ando, Akiko Suzuki, and Yukari Nakano. Suguri qualified to the 2009 World Championships, her first worlds since 2006, and she also qualified to the Four Continents team, a competition where she placed 6th. Battling a shoulder injury, Suguri had a relatively shaky long program at the World Championships and was unable to muster anything better than an 8th place finish. Suguri stands a decent chance of making the Olympic team, a chance which she hopes to augment by moving to Alexei Mishin, coach of Evgeni Plushenko. Upon changing coaches, Suguri also scrapped both of her scheduled programs for the 2009/2010 season and has replaced them with a short program to "Air on the G String" and "Tocatta and Fugue" by Bach and a long program to Khachaturian's "Spartacus."
Suguri performed poorly at the recent Finlandia Trophy, finishing 7th against a weak field. However, once adjusted to all of her changes, Suguri should be a force to be reckoned with for a spot on the Olympic team. She only finished 8th at her opening event of the 2005/2006 Olympic season, Skate Canada, but stunned all by winning the Japanese nationals, defeating the then reigning Grand Prix Final champion Mao Asada and eventual Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa. With Miki Ando and Mao Asada near locks for the team (even with Asada's issues, she has far too much recognition and stardom to be left off), Fumie Suguri is in a race for the third ticket with Yukari Nakano and Akiko Suzuki, the latter of whom she will compete against this week. Suguri may not be primed to do well this week if Finlandia Trophy is any indication, but she has proven capable of sneaking up on her rivals when something big is on the line and can certainly do that again with jump doctor Mishin by her side.
Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
Suzuki had her best season to date last year, winning a silver medal at the NHK Trophy and achieving a 4th place finish at the Japanese nationals. Much like Joannie Rochette, Suzuki has been slower in reaching her peak, and part of this is because of an eating disorder she suffered from in 2003, which kept her out of competition for the 2003/2004 season. Suzuki was inspired by Shizuka Arakawa's 2004 world title and became motivated to give the sport another try. Although success was slow to come after that, she did improve dramatically for last season and made the most out of her year. Suzuki does stand a legitimate chance of making the Olympic team, and were it not for a (perhaps unfairly) downgraded triple salchow in her long program at Japanese nationals, she may have been a part of the 2009 world championship team. Suzuki is set to debut her new programs for the first time internationally in China, which are a short program to Andalucia and a long program to West Side Story. Former world champion ice dancer turned choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne worked with Suzuki on her long program for this season and praised Suzuki's skating ability and work ethic on a Japanese television fluff. Suzuki already has had a good start to her season, winning a regional championship in Japan with a score higher than what she received at last year's Japanese nationals. Suzuki is a solid jumper and an attractive artist; she should do well here if her consistency from last season is any indication. As the Japanese Skating Federation appears to be making much of their Olympic team decisions based on Grand Prix results, Suzuki wants to leave her first major event of the season with a bang.
Predicted Standings
Gold: Joannie Rochette (Canada)
Silver: Rachael Flatt (USA)
Bronze: Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
4th: Carolina Kostner (Italy)5th: Mirai Nagasu (USA)
6th; Fumie Suguri (Japan)
That is all.
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