NHK Ladies LP Live Commentary

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1
1 Becky BERESWILL USA

12 36.26

2 Oksana GOZEVA RUS
11 40.66

3 Shoko ISHIKAWA JPN
10 44.28

4 Annette DYTRT GER
9 44.86

5 Sarah MEIER SUI
8 45.96

6 Cynthia PHANEUF CAN
7 47.22

Warm-Up Group 2
7 Yan LIU CHN
6 47.64

8 Alena LEONOVA RUS
5 52.34

9 Laura LEPISTO FIN
4 53.64

10 Yukari NAKANO JPN
3 54.92

11 Miki ANDO JPN
2 56.22

12 Ashley WAGNER USA
1 56.54


Warm-Up Group 1 on ice.
Meier singled lutz. Phaneuf-nice 3Z.
Sarah Meier went over to the referee in a distraught manner and it looks like she is going to withdraw. No announcement has been made.


Becky Bereswill (USA)
2A-good
2Z-flutzed, bailed out in air, double footed
Nice spiral extension
3R-landed with nice spiral preceding it
2A-looked like she was going to tack on a combo but didn't; low landing
3F-UR
3Z-flutz, possible two-foot
Footwork doesn't match the music
1T-bailed out in air
Very flexible skater but at times quite awkward looking.


TES: 38.56
PCS: 43.60
Total: 82.16
Grand Total: 118.42


Oksana Gozeva (Russia)
3Z-good
1R
3F-good
3S-solid
2Z+2T+2T-landed
2A-good height
Great speed in catch foot layback
2A-turned out
Good final spin
Finished after music
Very mundane program. Gozeva has little expression or personality but does have a fair amount of spring in her jumps and speed in her spins.


TES: 41.71
PCS: 41.60
Total: 83.31
Grand Total: 123.97
Rank: 1


Shoko Ishikawa (Japan)
3F(wild)+2T
2A-good
2Z
3S-held on
Spin combo traveled
Very bent free leg in standard spiral
3F-fall; possible UR
Relatively weak donut spin
Slip in footwork
2S
3T(possible UR)+2T
Very flat performance. Speed is decent but doesn't express herself well to the audience.


TES: 36.35
PCS: 40.00
Ded: -1.00
Total: 75.35
Grand Total: 119.63
Rank: 2


Annette Dytrt (Germany)
3F-forward but landed
1S
2A-good
2A-not as good as first but landed
Spiral-nice speed, positions inadequate
2S+2T-landed
2A-good
2F+2T-landed
Good speed in footwork
Last two spin combos-good speed, traveled a little
Very pleasant skater to watch. Skates with solid speed and does make an effort to relate to the audience. Mature but simplistic program choreographically.


TES: 36.91
PCS: 44.24
Total: 81.15
Grand Total: 126.01
Rank: 1

Sarah Meier has withdrawn.


Cynthia Phaneuf (Canada)
Skating her "Mission Cleopatra" long program from last season
3T+2A+SEQ-good
1Z
3R+2T-good
3R-forward on landing but landed
3S-good
Weak extension on spiral
3Z-fall
3T+2T+2R-good
Strange, so she just switched the 3F with the 3R on a dime? Because had she done the lutz in the beginning she would have been repeating three triples. Smart decision because her flip is not a good jump. Very mature program that suits her well, but quite simplistic choreographically. Very behind music the entire way but somehow managed not to go overtime.


TES: 49.33
PCS: 46.48
Ded: -1.00
Total: 94.81
Grand Total: 142.03
Rank: 1


Warm-up Group 2 on ice. Leonova landed 3R. Nakano landed 3F.
Ando fell out of 2A+3T (UR). Wagner looks relaxed.
Ando good 3Z. Wagner good 3R.
Warm-up has concluded.


Yan Liu (China)
3Z-decent
3F-pretty good
3R-turned out slightly
Weak Bielmann
Adequate spiral
2S+1T+1R-landed
3T+2A+SEQ-good; possible slight cheat on 3T
2A-good
Footwork relatively slow
1S-spiral preceding it
Yan Liu is somewhat elegant but is unbelievably boring. Makes Rachael Flatt look like Katarina Witt.


TES: 36.85
PCS: 42.00
Total: 78.85
Grand Total: 126.49
Rank: 2


Alena Leonova (Russia)
3T+3T(possible UR)-step out
Spirals not good but improved from last season.
3Z-held on
2A-good
3R-good
3F+2T(slightly toe-axeled)-landed
Flying deathdrop to sit spin-traveled slightly
3S+2T+Tano2R-very good
3F-good
Best long program from her so far this season. Should ditch the 3T+3T because the combo has failed her four out of four tries. Excellent energy, very fun to watch.


TES: 57.07
PCS: 51.44
Total: 108.51
Grand Total: 160.85
Rank: 1


Laura Lepisto (Finland)
3T+2T-loss of speed coming out of 3T
2Z
3R+2T-good
Spin combos well centered
2A-solid
1R
Adequate spiral
2A-solid
2S+1T+2T-landed
Excellent footwork
Significantly improved expression and great musicality. This is a nice program from her but some mistakes technically.


TES: 44.95
PCS: 53.60
Total: 98.55
Grand Total: 152.19
Rank: 2


Yukari Nakano (Japan)
2A+2A+SEQ-good
3F+2T-good
2Z
Great donut spin
Good spiral
3F-UR
3S+2T+2R-good
3T-possible slight UR but landed
3S-UR; fall
Great spins throughout
The program is not nearly as strong as her "Giselle" LP from last season. She hardly gets into the character of the music and portrays it, which is a shame because she has been making strides artistically over the past several seasons.


TES: 44.51
PCS: 53.92
Ded: -1.00
Total: 97.43
Grand Total: 152.35
Rank: 2


Miki Ando (Japan)
3Z-fell out
2A+2T-good but didn't do intended 2A+3T
Nice low sit spin
3R-very good
Spiral extension relatively poor
3S-good
3Z-good but will only count as a sequence because neither had a combo
3T+2R(UR)-nearly fell
2A-good
Very good expression in step sequence
Final spin combo traveling
A good program for Miki. Has some kinks to work out with the jumps but she did demonstrate more expression and choreography than several of her past programs.


TES: 48.93
PCS: 58.40
Total: -1.00
Grand Total: 106.31
Rank: 162.55


Ashley Wagner (USA)
3F+2T-good
3R-good
Spin combo traveled slightly
2A-good
3S-fell out
3R+2A+SEQ-shaky on landing of 2A; possible UR on 3R
3F+2A+SEQ-barely held onto landing of 2A
1Z
Slow footwork
Very elegant program


TES: 45.61
PCS: 53.84
Total: 99.45
Grand Total: 155.99
Rank: 3


Final Standings

1 Miki ANDO JPN 162.55
2 Alena LEONOVA RUS 160.85
3 Ashley WAGNER USA 155.99
4 Yukari NAKANO JPN 152.35
5 Laura LEPISTO FIN 152.19
6 Cynthia PHANEUF CAN 142.03
7 Yan LIU CHN 126.49
8 Annette DYTRT GER 126.01
9 Oksana GOZEVA RUS 123.97
10 Shoko ISHIKAWA JPN 119.63
11 Becky BERESWILL USA 118.42

TEB Preview-Ladies

Ladies




Mao Asada (Japan)

The Olympic season has finally arrived for the 19-year-old Japanese superstar, who will aim to live up to the expectations of a proud nation hoping that the 2008 world champion will dethrone her top rival, Yu-Na Kim, for the 2010 Olympic gold medal. Asada was formerly under the tutelage of Rafael Artunian, who led her to the 2007 world silver medal and two Japanese national championships. However, after Asada's 2007 nationals win, the Japanese Skating Federation pulled her from Artunian and sent her to the Four Continents and World Championships without a permanent coach. Nevertheless, she went on to win both competitions. The JSF later paired Asada with legendary Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova, who has taken Asada away from the more lyrical style of her youth to a much more dramatic presentation, something many fans have voiced their disapproval over. Asada's time with Tarasova has been hot and cold thus far, with high points that include her win (defeating Yu-Na Kim in her come country) at the 2008 Grand Prix Final, and becoming the second lady to break 200 points at the 2009 World Team Trophy. However, Asada was left off the podium in Los Angeles, despite not skating poorly, and received her lowest long program score since 2006 at the recent Japan Open.

Asada's attempts to land two triple axels in her long program are admirable, but the great risk involved often proves to be much more of a detriment than a reward. She is bound to pop, under rotate, or fall on one of them (exceptions being 2005 Japanese Nationals and 2008 Grand Prix Final), and more often than not, the mistake comes on the second attempt. It was also perplexing when, at the Japan Open, Asada missed her inconsistent triple salchow, trying that jump in favor of her consistently secure triple loop. Practice videos of Asada's jumps aired just prior to the Japan Open showed her to be in fine condition, but her jumps at the Japan Open were labored and were vacant of their usual spring. However, her artistry in her "Bells of Moscow" long program showed a marked improvement from last year's long to "Masquerade Waltz." Asada performed poorly at this event last year, which was her first event of the 2008/2009 season, and cannot afford to do the same this season with a sinificantly deeper field competing. However, it is worth noting that Asada's second competition of the season has historically been significantly stronger than her first.




Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia)

The Georgian firecracker is wildly talented and wildly inconsistent, having finished 10th at this year's worlds, just after failing to qualify for the free skate at the 2009 Europeans. Gedevanishvili has competed at an Olympics once before, in 2006, where she shockingly qualified to the final group for the free skate and ended up placing 10th. Currently training under 1982 world champion Elaine Zayak in New Jersey, Gedevanishvili is a spunky skater with a solid triple lutz and triple toe+triple toe combination. The 19-year-old Tbilisi native has already competed once since last year's worlds, at the 2009 Moran Memorial, where she finished ahead of Ashley Wagner in the free skate, but behind behind her in the short program and overall. Gedevanishvili has a solid combination of athleticism, flexibility, and personality, but will need to gain consistency and refine her posture and transitions between elements if she is to stick around and skate onto the podium at a future World Championships or Olympic Games. Gedevanishvili's performances in Los Angeles appeared to significantly increase her confidence level, and a strong placement in Paris (preferably in the top five) would allow the judges to have more faith in Gedevanishvili's potentially strong but divergent skating.




Alexe Gilles (USA)

Gilles is one of the tallest ladies figure skaters to have ever made it to the competitive ranks domestically and internationally, standing at 5'7''. This added height allows Gilles to have jumps that are nothing short of breathtaking when landed, particularly her triple lutz, but it also impedes her consistency. Gilles competed at the Colorado Championships this summer, where she defeated two-time U.S. silver medalist Rachael Flatt in the short, but fell behind her in the long program and overall. The bronze medalist from last year's Junior Grand Prix Final and 9th place finisher from the 2009 U.S. Championships, Gilles has the opportunity for this to be somewhat of a breakthrough season, but only somewhat, because it's unlikely she will make the Olympic team. She was granted her first senior Grand Prix assignment, being this competition, in the spring and was eventually added to the Skate America roster when Michelle Kwan announced her decision not to return to competitive skating. A solid finish here will be a tall order for Gilles, as she is competing against seven creditable skaters and five especially formidable ladies (Asada, Kim, Kostner, Nakano, and Zhang). Regardless of placement, this competition will be of tremendous service to Gilles's development, and it will give her an idea of how she stacks up with some of the top female figure skaters in the world.




Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)

The pride of South Korea will take to the ice for the first time since her victory at the 2009 World Championships, where she won her first world title by an astounding 16.42 points, breaking the then existing world record by over eight marks. Kim has been one of the few skaters to have avoided summer competitions, and comes to Paris to debut her new short program to themes from "James Bond" and her long program to Gershwin's "Piano Concerto in F." Orser lauded Kim's new programs in an Icenetwork article back in July; however, Kim critiqued them in a more staid manner in a recent interview, commenting "Though I am under the apprehension that both programs of this season are less gorgeous than those of last season, I will prepare them well and do my best as I have done before."

Although Kim is perhaps not as talented a skater technically speaking as Asada, she is able to work the code of points in her favor more so than her top rival. An example of this is that receives nearly unanimous level fours for her non-jump elements, even while some of her spin and spiral postitions don't achieve the prettiest shapes. The code of points also aids her in the fact that she can switch her problematic triple loop with an easier, quality double axel, which doesn't end up costing her much at all. Kim's speed, detailed choreography, and committed expression enabled her to receive the highest program component marks of every phase of every competition she competed in last season. Kim should continue to bank on those high program component marks, but it is unlikely that one will see Kim score jaw-droppingly high artistic marks, like the 68.40 PCS score she received for her long program at 2009 worlds, especially if she is not to skate a clean short program and have a commanding lead after that phase.

One concept Kim must continue to be mindful about to ensure herself success in Vancouver is to train well, but not overtrain and risk serious injury. Kim's back was a huge source of pain for her prior to the 2007 and 2008 World Championships, both competitions of which she was capable of winning, but did not. Kim peaked herself at exactly the right time last season, but it could be difficult to achieve that masterful pacing again, considering all of the pressure from the people of South Korea and Kim's constant drive to push to envelope further (notice how she claimed that she now aims for 215 points instead of just 200 in the article linked earlier in this commentary). Kim is generally strong, albeit unspectacular, at her first event. While this is precisely how she should desire to perform early in the season, such a performance is not always indicative of the culmination of her year, as was the case with her 2007/2008 season.




Kiira Korpi (Finland)

Korpi missed the Grand Prix portion of the season last year due to injury, but recovered in time to defeat Laura Lepisto at the 2009 Finnish Championships to win her first Finnish senior national title. However, because the criteria for selecting the world team was largely based on the results of the 2009 European Championships, Korpi was not chosen to compete in Los Angeles because of her 5th place finish at that event - the lowest placement of the three Finnish women (Korpi, Lepisto, Susanna Poykio) competing there. Korpi has already gotten her feet wet this season, competing at the Nebelhorn Trophy and Finlandia Trophy, where she placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively. It seems likely that Laura Lepisto will secure one of the two berths available for the Finnish women intending to compete at the 2010 Olympic Games, which means that Korpi will need to fend off current European bronze medalist Susanna Poykio for the second spot. This should prove to be an interesting battle, as both skaters are very comparable in their overall consistency and potential. Poykio may have had the upper hand when it came to last year's Europeans, where Korpi (in the video shown above) took a devastating fall into the boards in her long program, but Poykio didn't exactly show the world that she was of the best use to the Finnish team in Los Angeles with 13th place finish, a placement even lower than Carolina Kostner and her epic long program meltdown. Korpi's competitions in the early part of the season are great opportunities for building confidence, but shouldn't have much impact on whether she is named to the Olympic team or not. Peaking as close to the Olympics as possible will be of the utmost importance for Korpi to return to a second Olympic Games, and to improve on her 16th place finish from 2006.




Carolina Kostner (Italy)

As dream of a city Los Angeles was for Yu-Na Kim, it was a living nightmare for Carolina Kostner. Entering the long program in 5th place, Kostner appeared rattled by Kim's thunderous ovation, as the 22-year-old Italian went on to skate her worst long program in memory, one which contained zero clean triple jumps. The performance dropped Kostner to 12th, understandably prompting her to make a coaching change from Michael Huth to Frank Carroll, who is currently coaching Evan Lysacek and Mirai Nagasu also. Kostner could be the ultimate Olympic dark horse if she is somehow able to gain consistency, confidence, and competitive fire by Vancouver.

Kostner skates with blinding speed, has creditable height on her triples, and is armed with a strong sense of musicality, which, coupled with strong poltical favor from Italian ISU head Ottavio Cinquanta, make it foolish for one to count her out of the medal picture in Vancouver. A recent training video from an Italian television network shows Kostner to have made several changes to her skating in the short time she has had with Frank Carroll, including having more fluid entrances to her flip and loop, and adding the triple toe as a solo jump. She did not show a triple flip+triple toe combination, and given her recent troubles with that combination (having only one out 10 successful triple+triple combination attempts last season), Kostner may be going back to an easier triple flip+double toe combination and putting the triple toe in place of her double axel solo jump in the long program.

Kostner has been wise to let both of her programs be of a more classical genre this season, as classical programs, such as her 2007 Canon short program, aptly suit her artistry. Kostner will debut her short program to Tchaikovsky's "Chopin Nocturne and Violin Concerto" and her long program to Bach's "Air on a G String" and Vivaldi's "Cello Concerto" in Paris. If recent history is any indication, Kostner will not be in strong form here, as her opening performances during several previous seasons have been of particular sloppiness. Little is known of whether Kostner will be able to come back from her Los Angeles catastrophe and skate of quality worthy of making the Olympic podium, but one will be able to start finding out after this weekend. Kostner has many opportunities in her favor to make the Olympic podium; all she has to do is trust herself and take them.




Yukari Nakano (Japan)

Nakano is generally strong early in the season, but was not so at the recent Japan Open, scoring below 100 points with a technically and choreographically fireless long program to "The Firebird." Her debut of her new long program was of particular disappointment to many of Nakano's fans, as she has enhanced her style over the past several seasons, and showed an especially mature presentation in her long program to the ballet score of "Giselle" last season. Nakano has had an impressive career, but one that has had many unerasable disappointments, which include her falling short of an Olympic team that she probably should have been on in 2006 (instead of Miki Ando who finished 15th in Turino), and missing a world championship medal in 2008 in a controversial result. Most recently, Nakano led the field after the short program at the Japanese nationals in December 2008, but ended up skating one of her weakest long programs in memory, dropping to 5th place and being left off of the world championship team.

Nakano has several lovely aspects to her skating, all of which are marred by her greatest trademark and weakness, her leg wrap. Skaters typically cross their legs tightly in the air for a jump, but for whatever peculiar reason, Nakano developed a technique where her left leg crosses over her right thigh, thus creating a distracting line and providing an impediment to the rotation speed of her jumps. She is immune from using that technique on her salchow jump and also on her triple axel, a jump she has not landed cleanly in well over a year.

As far as placements are concerned for this competition, it is worth noting that Nakano improved very quickly at the beginning of last season, when she performed poorly at a minor competition in Japan before going on to skate strongly and place second at Skate America. Nakano was also strong at her opening Grand Prix event in 2007, Skate Canada, and thus could be in for a good competition here despite her poor outing in Japan just weeks ago.




Caroline Zhang (USA)

Zhang will be returning to competition after a raucous off-season, which included two coaching changes (one to Charlene Wong and one back to her original coach, Mingzhu Li), a torn meniscus, and a third place finish (behind Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu) at the Golden West competition last month. Zhang had a bittersweet 2008/2009 season, missing the world championship team while going on to prove in nearly every way possible, whether it be Alissa Czisny's short program meltdown in Los Angeles, Zhang's fourth place finish against a deep field at the Four Continents Championships, or Zhang attaining the top technical score in her free skate at the World Team Trophy, that she deserved to compete in Los Angeles.

Zhang has certain aspects to her skating that are absolutely spellbinding, and other aspects that earn her a plethora of scornful remarks from observers. Zhang can bend her body limitlessly, but skates slower than Carolina Kostner does in slow motion and has an extremely awkward technique on her flip and lutzes, where she twists her hips and kicks her leg up to the ceiling, a technique dubbed the "mule kick" by critics. The main issue with Zhang is that she has been said to have an extremely difficult time breaking out of her confort zone, which is certainly an evident reality when considering the lack of improvement in many aspects of her skating over the past few seasons in terms of speed, transitions, the mule kick, and presentation. Zhang is notorious for flutzing, but was credited with a clean lutz at the Golden West competition. However, she received an "!" call for her flip at that competition, which was also a call she received at this year's U.S. nationals.

Zhang was far from her optimum at her first competition last season, Skate Canada, which seemed to play a factor in how she was scored at nationals relative to Alissa Czisny, who outscored Zhang in the long program despite only landing three triples to Zhang's six. Zhang seems to be marked more favorably internationally than she is domestically, an oddity which she would like to reverse for the time being to earn an Olympic berth. As nationals results are frequently based off of Grand Prix results when it comes to someone being favored on the second mark, two quality performances are necessary for Zhang in Paris.

Predicted Standings-Ladies
Gold: Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)
Silver: Mao Asada (Japan)
Bronze: Yukari Nakano (Japan)
4th: Carolina Kostner (Italy)
5th: Caroline Zhang (USA)
6th: Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia)


That is all.

2009 Trophée Bompard Preview

There are six total Grand Prixs which are contested in six successive weeks in the fall prior to the final. Each skater or pair/dance team is assigned a maximum of two Grand Prixs, and those who have two Grand Prixs are the only ones with feasible chances to qualify to the Grand Prix Final. The top three finishers from last year's worlds do not compete at the same events, and the same is true for the 4th-6th place finishers. Other factors that determine whether a skater receives two Grand Prix assignments include ISU world ranking, season's best total from last year, and placement at last season's Worlds, Grand Prix Final, and Junior Grand Prix Final. Inevitably, the strength of the competition is greater at some events, particularly when skaters become injured and have to withdraw from a competition. Nonetheless, all events are weighted equally. There is a points system alotted to determine who will compete at the Grand Prix Final, set to take place in Tokyo this December. A first place finish receives 15 points, 2nd place 13 points, 3rd place 11 points, 4th place nine, 5th place seven, 6th place five, 7th place four, and 8th place three. The top six skaters or pair/dance teams in each discipline qualify to the final and all competitors enter the competition with a clean sleight.

The 2009 Trophée Bompard will be contested next week in Paris, France, and will serve as the first major competition of the season, with five world champions scheduled to compete. Although the skaters don't wish to be at their optimum at this time, they still want to be in good enough form to place at this competition, and preferably medal, so as to augment their chances of qualifying to the Grand Prix Final. While it is not the end of the earth if a skater doesn't qualify to the Final, it is of his own benefit to do so to allow for greater confidence and political backing at the skater's national championship and onward to the Olympic Games.

In the pairs event, current two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany are coming off of a victory at the Nebelhorn Trophy just two weeks ago. However, their shaky long program at that competition means there is much room for improvement at this competition, although looking at the competition it is unlikely the German pair will be defeated regardless of how they skate.

The 2007 world champion Brian Joubert will be competing at his home Grand Prix event for the 2nd straight year, and Joubert is hardly immune to nerves associated with a home crowd, finishing 4th at this event last year and suffering a defeat to relative unknown Florent Amodio at the French Masters competition just recently. Joubert will not be competing against Amodio at this competition, but should face tight competition from 2009 World Junior Champion Adam Rippon, 2008 European Champion Tomas Verner and compatriots Yannick Ponsero (2009 French Champion) and Alban Preaubert (2006 Grand Prix Finalist).

Canada's premier ice dance team, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, will be competing for the first time since last year's World Championships, where they edged training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White by a mere .04. The Canadians were not present at the Grand Prix last season because Virtue underwent surgery on her legs after it was discovered that she has an unusual condition where her legs were unable to expand and contract normally. Virtue and Moir should have an easy victory at this event, although the French will be well represented by Nathalie Pechalat and Fabien Bourzat, who snuck into the top five at last year's World Championships.

The ladies event is often jokingly referred to as the "ladiezzzz event" by fans, but the competition will be anything other than a snooze fest in Paris, where the deepest ladies Grand Prix field among the six events will take the ice. Defending world champion Yu-Na Kim will face off her top rival, Japan's Mao Asada, while in the process debuting her new programs. Asada recently performed her long program at the Japan Open, but will debut her short program in Paris. Italy's Carolina Kostner is making her first competitive appearence since her nightmare free skate in Los Angeles, where she dropped from 5th place in the short program to 12th overall with a disastrous skate. Three-time Japanese world team member Yukari Nakano and current U.S. bronze medalist Caroline Zhang will also look to stir up the standings. The 2006 Olympic silver medalist, Sasha Cohen, was slated to have Trophée Eric Bompard be her return to competition, but she recently withdrew due to tendonitis in her right calf.

In my next post, I will breakdown of the competitiors who will be competing in each discipline, and my predictions as to where each skater will finish in Paris.

That is all.

Grand Prix Final Preview-Ladies

The Grand Prix Final is the culmination of the Grand Prix series, which consists of six events around the globe where skaters earn points based on how well they finished. The top six finishers will now advance to the Grand Prix Final, which will take place in Goyang City, South Korea.This event will serve as somewhat of a preview for the upcoming World Championships and the Olympic Games in 2010. Despite the fact that no American lady has qualified, American skating fans should still follow the results of this event closely because the six ladies that qualified (Yu-Na Kim, Joannie Rochette, Mao Asada, Carolina Kostner, Miki Ando, Yukari Nakano) are who the two American ladies that are sent to worlds this year will have to face in their quest to qualify three spots for the Olympic Games in Vancouver. With a combined placing of 13 required to get those three spots, this means that at least one American has to crack the top six.As for the ladies competing, this competition will serve a particular importance to Yu-Na Kim, who is looking to win her 3rd consecutive Grand Prix Final while competing for the first time in a major international competition in her home country.




Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)

Season Bests: SP: 69.50(SA) FS: 128.11(COC) Total: 193.45(SA)

Pros: Yu-Na is entering the Grand Prix Final having won the last two years. She owns the highest scores marked this season in both the short and long programs, and is also the world-record holder for scores in the short (71.95) and the long (133.7). Kim's technical marks are aided by the fact that she seldom receives any wrong-edge calls or downgrades on any of her jumps, which is a particular edge she will look to capitalize on over Mao Asada. Kim's consistency is also admirable in that she hasn't fallen once this season thus far. Kim's program component scores (PCS) are of top caliber because of her marvelous expression and speed across the ice.

Cons: Unlike any Japanese, Canadian, or American skaters who have rivals within their respective countries to share all of the pressure being weighted down on them, Yu-Na Kim is the lone hope for a world or Olympic medal in any figure skating discipline. A Korean newspaper declared, "Figure skating star Kim Yu-Na is well on her way to dominating her sport, leaving her rivals in the dust." Being expected to win from one's own country has given skaters grief in the past, examples during the Olympic Games include Midori Ito in 1992 and Michelle Kwan in 1998 and 2002. Kim withdrew from the Four Continents Championships last year due to back problems, and this will be the first time she will have to face that pressure from her own country in a major international meet. On the technical side, Kim received her first wrong-edge call just recently at Cup of China for her triple flip taking off of an outside edge. Kim doesn't have a quad or triple axel in her arsenal, and her triple loop has been a particularly inconsistent jump for her to muster.

Outlook: How Kim does here could foreshadow how she does in the Olympics, as she will face enormous pressure while competing at home at this meet. Kim is more than capable of beating her fellow competitors at the Grand Prix Final, but could have a tough time doing so if Asada busts out two triple axels, or if Ando decides to throw her quad. However, based on the scores that the ladies have received this season, and taking into consideration how strong a competitor Kim is when healthy, Yu-Na is the definite favorite for a 3rd consecutive Grand Prix Final victory, something only Irina Slutskaya has done.




Joannie Rochette (Canada)

Season Bests: SP: 64.74(SC) FS: 124.15(SC) Total: 188.89(SC)

Pros: Joannie has remarked on her website on how much her confidence has improved over the last couple of years, and the results she has been getting as of late prove that. Wins at Skate Canada (beating Kostner), and at Trophee Eric Bombard (beating Asada) have stated her claim to be one of the top ladies figure skaters in the world. Joannie has scored the second highest SP of this season, and that was without her triple-triple. Rochette is also the only skater besides Kim and Asada to have broken 60 in the PCS scores so far this season for the long program.

Cons: Joannie has yet to medal in a world championship and hasn't qualified to the Grand Prix Final since 2004, where she finished with a bronze medal. From a technical standpoint, Rochette lags slightly behind because of the fact that she has yet to have her triple flip+triple toe combination ratified, and also because her triple-triple in the long is "only" a sequence. Silly mistakes like popping her loop or singling an axel, while not fatal, are not going to crack the top spot on the podium barring major errors from other skaters.

Outlook: Joannie has had a terrific start to her season, but how she will ride that early momentum remains to be seen. With scores higher than Nakano, Ando, and Kostner, there is no question that Rochette is capable of a podium finish next week. However, if Joannie is gunning for a top two finish, than those little mistakes have to disappear immediately, with the opposite being true for her elusive triple-triple combination. On message boards, it is a common sight to find people saying along the lines of "Ladies skating is bleak other than the likes of Kim, Asada, or Rochette." It seems as though people are accepting that Rochette has joined Kim and Asada as the top podium threats for the ladies, and with Rochette's PCS marks going up, it seems as though the judges are viewing her in the same regard.



Mao Asada (Japan)

Season Bests: SP: 64.64(NHK) FS: 126.49(NHK) Total: 191.13(NHK)

Pros: Looking at jump content alone, Asada has the potential to show no mercy to her competitors with two triple axels (one of them in combination with a Tano-double toe), triple-triple combinations in both program, an improved triple lutz now taking off of an outside edge, and a reinstated triple salchow. Despite a disappointing outing at Trophee Eric Bombard, Mao looked like a completely different skater at the NHK Trophy just two weeks later, winning the competition by over 23 points. Mao's scores at NHK, while excellent, could've been even higher had she inserted her 3-3 in the long program and fully-rotated her 3-3 in the short and 3A in the long.

Cons: The last sentence written in the pros section is exactly what Mao's con is, which is getting jumps downgraded even if they look stellar in real time. Some have commented on how her LP jump composition is puzzling, considering that she is doing two triple axels when she is not consistent when even completing and fully-rotating one, and that she has abandoned the triple lutz in the long program for a triple salchow, when the scores for the two elements would be roughly the same even if Mao's lutz were to be marked down because of a wrong-edge takeoff. Mao has struggled in the past with consistency (and particularly at the Grand Prix Final), with that consistency being a key factor into why she has lost the event the last two years.

Outlook: Mao Asada will face off Yu-Na Kim in their first competition together since last year's Worlds. Asada shouldn't have a problem competing in her rival's homeland, after all Asada skated one of her best overall competitions at the Four Continents Championships last year prior to winning her first world title. If everyone were to go absolutely clean, Asada would likely win, but subtle errors like downgrades, wrong-edge takeoffs, and just plain old inconsistency could lead to Asada having to play bridesmaid for the third time in her career at this event.




Carolina Kostner (Italy)

Season Bests: SP: 57.02(COR) FS: 113.70(COR) Total: 170.72

Pros: Kostner shook off the pressure of competing at home by winning the bronze medal at the Grand Prix Final last year in Torino, Italy. Kostner's assets as a skater are that she rotates her jumps, seldom has any wrong-edge calls, and has triple-triple combinations planned for both programs. Kostner's great speed, musicality, and posture make for world-class PCS marks. Many believed that her extremely controversial silver medal at last year's World Championships was aided by political favor from the ISU by being the only European lady capable of meddling and upsetting an Asian sweep.

Cons: Kostner's inconsistency is evident in many of her triple jumps, especially the lutz. Without a triple axel or a second triple lutz in the long program, Kostner has no room for error for hopes of a top 2 (or even top 3) finish at this final or a world championship/Olympic Games. Mistakes such as double footing, putting her hands down, or popping/falling out of jumps are common errors of Kostner, which make Carolina arguably the least consistent of the six women competing in this final.

Outlook: Kostner has the lowest seasons best for her short program and for total score among the six ladies competing at the final. While those scores don't necessarily indicate that Carolina is incapable of medaling in Korea, she needs to be in much better form than she has been in her first two Grand Prixs of the season in order for such a thing to happen. Taking her technical mark from last year's World Championship free skate, a 61.88, Carolina received negative GOEs on five elements. If say she were to have a flawless skate and substitute those five negative GOEs with base marks, her technical mark would've been a 67.42. While extremely high, Kim, Asasa, and Ando have broken 70 for technical marks in the long before so that score isn't anything groundbreaking(although for Carolina it would be). Looking at the technical marks of that particular skate, there was nothing that was particularly suspicious about any of the GOEs. While Kostner may not have the scoring potential of Kim or Asada, her scores tend to not drop that low because she makes the types of errors that she can somewhat get away with in this COP, rather than receiving downgrades which would hurt her even more.




Miki Ando

Season Bests: SP: 59.30(COC) LP: 111.58(COC) Total: 170.88 (COC)

Pros: Ando is one of the strongest jumpers in the world. After injury forced her to withdraw from the World Championships midway through her free skate, she has come back this season with a vengeance. Among the elements in her bag of tricks include a triple lutz+triple loop combo, generally consistent skating, and a possible quad salchow. Ando continues to practice the quad jump, and an increase of base value for the element could motivate Ando to do it in the Grand Prix Final. A successful attempt would help her medal chances significantly.

Cons: Over the last couple of years it seemed as though one of Ando's strengths was the fact that her jumps were so rarely downgraded, which made it interesting that the back end of three out of the four 3-3 combos she has done so far this year have been downgraded. In addition to that, two of her triple flips were downgraded at Cup of China. Ando's PCS marks were especially disappointing at Skate America, where she only received 52.16 in the long program(out of a possible 80).

Outlook: Ando's PCS marks were very inconsistent between her two events, her SP PCS went from a 28.52 at SA down to a 27.04 at COC, whereas her FS PCS marks went up from a 52.16 at SA to a 56.40 at COC. Overall, Ando's scores have been a bit disappointing this season, especially in comparison with someone who is also looking to have a hold on third place like Rochette. However, those scores could rise substantially if Ando can rotate her 3-3s and put in her quad. Easier said than done, but Ando would like a strong skate here to prevent any chance of her being left off the world team, with Fumie Suguri and Akiko Suzuki coming on strong and looking to steal one of those coveted tickets to L.A.




Yukari Nakano (Japan)

Season Bests: SP: 57.46(SA) FS: 115.02(SA) Total:172.53(SA)

Pros: Formerly a jumping bean without a hint of artistry, Nakano has transformed into a mature, expressive artist with solid jumps and spins. Yukari is the only skater besides Mao Asada that is capable of a consistent triple axel, being credited with landing the jump three times in international competition last season. Many were shocked when Nakano failed to medal at the last World Championships after a seemingly flawless performance in the free skate. Nakano is known for her consistency in competition and has participated in the Grand Prix final twice, winning a bronze in 2005.

Cons: Nakano's infamous leg wrap on her flip and lutz holds down her GOEs on those elements, and also doesn't do a triple loop jump. Those two reasons prevent Nakano from doing consistent 3-3s, and thus doesn't currently have any in her jump repertoire. Yukari has yet to attempt her triple axel this year, and tends to be a victim of downgrades. At the last world championships, two downgraded jumps (one of them being the triple axel) did the trick to keep Nakano off the podium. Nakano also has had issues with her short program this season, scoring only 54.82 at NHK.

Outlook: Miss consistency is more than deserving of a trip to the final, but has yet to show off her top form because of the absence of a triple axel and mistakes in her short program during her two Grand Prixs this season. Fifth last year, Nakano will likely need a clean triple axel to pass Rochette and co. for a bronze medal (assuming Kim and Asada skate to their potential and finish 1-2 in either order). Like Ando, Nakano is looking for a strong showing here to maintain her top 3 status in Japan to get another trip to Worlds.


Podium Prediction

Gold: Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)
Silver: Mao Asada (Japan)
Bronze: Joannie Rochette (Canada)

4th: Miki Ando (Japan)
5th: Yukari Nakano (Japan)
6th: Carolina Kostner (Italy)

That is all.