specialj67

This is so hard to watch! ETA: I love Mirai as much as you do, Aussie commentator!

The one thing I like about Alina Zagitova is that when she does it, her arm positions look nice.

I think her tights are just wet. She starts her program from some sort of ballet-type kneeling position on the ice.

Just finished watching the final flight from last night and holy hell, Carolina was overscored for that performance. No triple-triple and a hand down on the solo triple and she’s basically tied for fifth place? I like her skating a lot, but I’m giving mega side eye to that. Just based on performance and cleanliness, I’d rather Dabin Choi be in the final group for the long. The only 2 skaters I’m pulling for in the top group are the 2 Japanese ladies. If Sakamoto could replicate her 4CC performance, that would be great. Miyahara is just the loveliest to watch—her hand...posture, I guess?...is wonderful to observe. I’d be pulling for Daleman too if I wasn’t so worried about her iffy track record with long programs this season.

I wonder ignorance streaming numbers are factored in? I know I watch almost all of it via livestream in order to see all of the skaters.

Me too—I wonder if she was putting in enough training time inbetween the various sponsor obligations and whatnot? I get that that’s how she earns a living, but still.

For senior-level entrants in skating, they must be 15 by a certain date. I think it’s like they have to be 15 by July 1 or something in order to be age eligible to compete at the senior level in the upcoming season. So Alina must have turned 15 sometime around or before that cut-off date in 2017.

I hope all 3 US women go out and throw down in the free skate. Of course, I want Mirai, most of all, to have her dream performance. I’m so glad there is only one skater left in this group. So very tired. I’ll catch the Russian floor exercise/jump demonstration tomorrow.

When the IJS was instituted! More difficult positions, like the one you’re talking about, are worth more points.

They changed the required elements in the short programs after the 2009-10 season. They removed the spiral from the women’s required elements and the second footwork sequence from the men’s.

IDK, but it draws attention to the extremely bulky top of the skate boot. Either go all the way over the boot or not at all.

I love her! She’s calling out the skaters who have a clear break in the footwork in the lead up into the solo triple.

Larkyn’s styling is giving me all the ‘90s feels!

But we get the gold for 4th place finishes (thanks, Mirai and Gracie)!

Mirai, unfortunately, has a history of under-rotating her jumps—especially the all-important triple-triple combo. Though she’s been working to address it in recent seasons (with mixed results?), once you get a reputation for that with the judges/technical specialists calling the elements, you’re almost automatically under additional scrutiny about it. Ashley Wagner has dealt with this as well (see her results in Sochi for instance), but not to the same degree; and the judges generally helped her more in the PCS than they do with Mirai. And, surely part of the score difference is the backloading of Zagitova and Medvedeva’s programs. Plus, they don’t seem to be subject to the same level of under-rotation scrutiny and edge calls that other top skaters in their field are—this complaint of mine is mostly applicable to Medvedeva.

Well, they were “robbed” in 2014, so she’ll always have that to fall back on ??

Is it me, or did each successive version of Tessa’s free dance dress have more of her back/side and left leg showing. Also, getting 50% sparklier each time?

I really like Hubbell and Donohue’s free dance, but in a season when they gave us pretty much the same thing in the short dance, it didn’t feel as impactful. I feel really bad about the bobble or whatever that happened right at the end.

I do agree with her comment that they didn’t look at each other as much. I know it was supposed to fit the theme, but I found it distracting.

Both Chock/Bates and Hubbell/Donohue fell or stumbled at that one.

This horrid rendition of Young and Beautiful the Polish skaters are using! Blergh!

I don’t know if he has ever been able to land it totally clean in competition, when he manages to stay upright. At best he gets a two-foot/under-rotation and/ or downgrade on it. And since it usually did end in a splat, the mandatory deduction for that. It makes sense he’d want to scrap it for the Olympics and go clean, when the point value for a clean and well-executed, if easier, jump is worth as much as a failed quad lutz with loss of base points and GOE. Why risk a serious injury for an element he knows is highly unlikely to pay off and would not move him up much in this field of competitors?

The Chinese team got a deduction because fringe came off her costume and fell on the ice during their performance.

It seems like that’s been the case for most teams in this portion. I’d think for that in particular, extra scrutiny would happen by default.

Me too. The Shibs give the right amount of winky, over the top fun.