#his 3lo is really one of his best jump

[tomonokazuki]

4lo attempt from Kazuki’s instastory

#I knew he was planning to try it #but seeing it has me shook #Kazuki Tomono #team japan #figure skating #4lo #quad loop #jesus boy #though really I shouldn't be surprised #his 3lo is really one of his best jump

[figureskatingandrainbows]

This was so much better than the ladies’ free skate! Everyone in the last two groups did so well, and this event was honestly so much fun to watch! Anyway, here are my thoughts on the top ten.

Nathan Chen

Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of his programs this year, but his free was way better than at Nationals. His jumps were excellent, his spins were good, and he seemed way more confident than in the short. His program was a little lackluster until after he landed his 3A, and then we got to see the best of Nathan. He literally exploded off of that landing into his choreo sequence. If he gave all of his program that much energy and fire, he would set a new world record. He’s made loads of improvements in his spins and skating skills, and while he’s still not the best at either, his improvements are all super positive.

Yuzuru Hanyu

After the event, Yuzuru commented on how he felt “off balance” and that’s why his jumps were so mediocre. There are theories that he was late to the rink, had an asthma attack, was working too hard on the 4A, bombarded by ISU-hired hitmen, threatened, and/or had a nightmare about giant Winnie the Poohs, but in reality, he just had a bad day. Everyone has a day where their jump axes are off and they just don’t feel nearly as confident. And Yuzuru is hindered by these new programs. His free has loads of potential, but programs like Seimei are incredible in part because Yuzuru has perfected the choreography. His Heaven and Earth program needs more practice to be incredible. His performance here was also not nearly as good as in the short. Again, bad day, new program, bad jumps, no audience. I’m not worried for him, and I would love to see his free skate again with even better choreography.

Yuma Kagiyama

I’ve been on the Yuma train since October, and he really didn’t disappoint here. His skating was really good. His quads were beautiful, his programs well-executed, his spins and step sequences all level-4. He has such good speed and flow across the ice, a beautiful knee bend, and excellent edges and basic skating skills. I think the only thing I can say his how impressed I am. Yuma had a really difficult program with three quads and two 3A, as well as a tricky 3Lz-3Lo combination. He made two errors at the end of his program, but they weren’t detracting at all. It was his Worlds debut, and he posted all personal bests.  He went into the free after Nathan Chen, who just skated a clean, incredible free skate, and had no nerves in his skating at all. And he attributes that to Yuzuru’s pep talk after Japanese Nationals. (: 

I know many people say Yuma is the future, but I will second what Nathan Chen said. He is the future and the now. He’s consistent, confident, and a tiny little ray of sunshine. 

Shoma Uno

I don’t care about the mistakes in the short or the free. He got all his quads off and skated beautifully. He made his return at the international scene and placed fourth. He’s bounced back so much, and it makes me so happy. There’s so much joy about him now, and I love watching him skate now. Shoma really needs a bit more fixing in his sloppiness, and he’s right back as an Olympic medal threat. As long as he keeps fighting for the triple toes, I think we’ll keep on seeing improvement. 

Mikhail Kolyada

Again, another brilliant comeback. He also got all of his quads off. His free skate is a masterpiece, and he skated really pretty well. It wasn’t as amazing as some of his other performances, but Mikhail has proved he can hold up under pressure. His bounce back from obscurity to another potential Olympic medal contender is fantastic. 

Keegan Messing

So proud of Keegan! He was under the most pressure here. He had to secure two spots for the men of Canada, and he did. He put out two clean skates, both of which were emotional and enjoyable. His quads were gorgeous, and his skating skills are always something to behold.

Jason Brown

Jason wasn’t at his 100% best here, but he’s still show-stopping no matter what. His jumps were a little bit rough, but he got the quad salchow landed only on the quarter. That’s a huge improvement for him. His short program is a masterpiece, and his free is really good as well. Watching him skate is a pleasure and he was as amazing as always. He should be sent to the Olympics. A fan favorite who usually finishes in the top ten? Where can you go wrong?  

Kevin Aymoz and Junhwan Cha

Kevin had several mistakes on his jumps, but he refused to fall. His choreography was as wonderful as always, and even though he had some problems, he was still a pleasure to watch.

Junhwan just needs a little more power in his jumps. Borser has instilled him with good technique at the expense of rotation, and once he fixes his UR problem, he’ll shoot up higher in the men’s ranks. He’s always very relaxing to watch, and another well-rounded skater with so much potential. 

Evgeni Semenenko

He didn’t fall apart! He wasn’t a bad choice at all from FSR. His skating isn’t that impressive to me, but his quads are solid. He needs a lot more time to develop as an individual skater and work on his PCS, but going to Worlds and doing so well will do wonders for his confidence and I think we will be seeing a lot more of him. 

Yikes, Boyang and Vincent

22 and 25, two of the most unexpected placements of the event. These were some seriously rough skates. Vincent didn’t make the free and Boyang cost his country two Olympic spots. As always, in figure skating, you will have the one person who splats, but no one expected a favorite for the bronze and a favorite for the top ten to both finish so near the bottom. 

#worlds 2021 #stockholm 2021 #figure skating #yuzuru hanyu #nathan chen #yuma kagiyama #shoma uno #mikhail kolyada #keegan messing #kevin aymoz #junhwan cha #vincent zhou #boyang jin #poor han yan #SEND JASON TO THE OLYMPICS #beijing 2022 #really a good event #much better than the ladies free #and evgeni wasn't a hot mess #evgeni semenenko

[lazuliblade]

2019 GPF Men’s FS

So I did actually type most of this up while watching a live stream, but got sidetracked with conversations for a solid two hours after the FS ended, and fell asleep before finishing up. I had to shorten what I wrote for Yuzuru because it got so long and reminiscing. Maybe I’ll post a longer thing later this week when I have time to properly edit a long post. This post is kind of redundant now that everything is over, but I figured I may as well put this up so it doesn’t lay rotting in my drafts. Boyang Jin FS: 160.77 Total Score: 241.44 4Lzfall, 4T2T good, 4T awkward fall, 3AEu3S, ChSq, FCSp4, 3A, 3Lz3T, 3F so light, StSq3, ChSSp4, ChCoSp4 The first few jumps he looked a bit stiff, but as soon as the second half started he really got into it. He was so expressive in the step sequence and the audience was really supportive. It may have only gotten a level 3, but I really liked it. Some of my other favorite moments were: the FCSp4 done to the music transition with the record spin/scratch and strings, and the spin to the ending piano notes which I thought was particularly gorgeously timed. The commentator (Chris) saying about the audience: “they’ve been so supportive of all of the athletes” Dmitri Aliev FS: 131.26 Total Score: 220.04 4Lz, 4T fall, 2Tpop, 3F fall, FCSp2, ChSq1, 3A hand down, 3Lz3T was great on the music, 3LoEu3S, StSq4 beautiful, ChSSp2, ChCoSp fall part-way through. Oh this was so hard to watch. He held on until the end, but my heart hurts. The entry on the 4T was strange and he fell over the back of his heel when he landed. On the 3F fall, he took a long time to get up again and the crowd cheered for him in support - that was wonderful to hear. I wonder if he got injured there? His following flying camel spin kind of just ended like he couldn’t hold it for long. He started to rally back, but then with the final spin he kind of fell part-way through and no base points were given. His face just fell and he looked so resigned.  Alexander Samarin FS: 167.51 Total Score: 248.83 4Lz3T, 4F hand down - the axis was so strange in the air, 2Tpop, FCSp4, 3A2T, ChSq1, 3A2T, 3LzRippon, 3Lo, ChSSp4, StSq4, ChCoSp4. The smile on his face was nice during the Step Sequence. I’m still not sure how I feel about this program. It feels like it needs more... something. Not the best skate, but he got through it. The 3Lz was particularly nice. Kevin Aymoz FS: 178.92 Total Score: 275.63 4T3T, 4T had a good landing but then he slipped on the running edge, 3A2T, 3Lo out of turns, ChCSp4, 3A, 3LzEu3S, 3F, ChSq1, FSSp4, ChCoSp3, StSq4 I love how the music starts so tranquil and his skating reflects that, and then it starts to build up into a triumphant sound by the end. Right after the 3Lz combo the music starts to change leading into the 3F, and afterward, he does this great spread eagle and his signature slide across the ice in his ChSq. I loved seeing his large smile along with the music swelling triumphantly. Oh man, his scream when he saw his FS score nearly gave me a heart attack. I looked away during the slow-mo recap to type some of this up, and here I am listening to the announcer calling for the scores when suddenly I hear a scream. They had to turn the mic down in the Kiss&Cry because he and his coach were so exuberant. That was great to see.   Yuzuru Hanyu FS: 194.00 Total Score: 291.43 4Lo beautiful, 4Lz gorgeous, FChCoSp4, StSq3, 4S, 3Lz, 4TEu3F<(step-out), 4T2T, 1A(pop), FChSSp4, ChCoSp4 Oh my god that was such a momentous skate to watch. The intensity of it was something else. I’m so proud of him for landing that 4Lz after not being able to put it in for two seasons, and overcoming that mental block.  The opening 4Lo was beautiful without the slightest wobble on the landing, the 4S as the third jumping pass had a bit of a lean but he landed it anyway, then came his 3Lz which was interesting to see because it felt like you could see his natural delayed rotation more clearly this time around compared to usual. I wonder if that was a result of having the 4Lz as well? Then the 4TEu3F looked so nice in the air but he had to step out at the end a bit - the tech panel ended up calling the 3F underrotated, too (it didn’t look under in the slow-mo at all....). He did a 4T2T next - he had planned a 4T3T but I think he didn’t have enough energy or he didn’t feel secure enough in the flow to do a 3T - and he popped his last jumping pass from the planned 3A3A sequence into a 1A. But more than the jumps, the entire program felt like he was on an epic, challenging walls and scaling them with grace. I never get tired of the choreographic moments he has everywhere. I was praying so hard at the end that his legs would hold out long enough for the hydroblade, the travelling stars into the camel spin, and for the spins themselves. I’ve seen enough skaters sit or lose balance on a spin to never take them for granted as an easy “he’ll finish with no problems” last element. Heck, there was an example of that earlier in this very event. I couldn’t help laughing with him when he went into his ending pose and couldn’t hold it longer than a split second. He lost balance a beat after the music finished, while the note was still ringing, and ending up partially leaning over before completely bending himself in half to just sit there on the ice. It reminded me so much of 2012 Worlds when he skated so hard his lips turned blue, and 2012 Finlandia and 2013 Worlds when he ended gasping and collapsing on the ice much like today. His first 5-quad program, and he gets through it with quite the fighting spirit. I can’t help remembering how the season after 2014 Sochi Olympics when he wanted to put in 3 quads in the Free, some people thought that that was crazy and lots of people doubted he had the stamina to pull something like that off. Now look at him doing a program packed with content, on top of 5 quads: one being the quad he pioneered (4Lo), one being a jump some people thought he might never bring back (4Lz), one being a quad that people said he should give up on because it just wasn’t going to be his jump (4S), and two quads (4T) in combination. I’m kind of confused about the score, but hmm. I guess he did pop his last 3A-3Asequence jumping pass and that would have given him like 15 points (18 or so if they gave him good GOE?). But even so... Hmmmm. Nathan Chen FS: 224.92 Total Score: 335.30 4F3T, 4Lz, 4TEu3S, ChCSp4, 3A, StSq3, 4S, 4T, 3Lz3T, ChCoSp4, ChSq, FChCoSp4 The jumps felt solid. There was just the slightest wobble on the 3Lz3T, but the rest were clean and solid. After they’re all done, in the last part of the program with the spins and choreo sequence, at least it looks like he’s having some fun. Did he almost trip in the beginning of his choreo sequence? I’ll have to go back and see that again later. Mmmm, I feel like some of the movements in the hip-hop(?) section could be sharper, but the season is only half over. That’s something he can work on going forward. Final Standings: 1st - Nathan Chen 2nd - Yuzuru Hanyu 3rd - Kevin Aymoz

#2019 gpf #figure skating #yuzuru hanyu #nathan chen #boyang jin #dmitri aliev #alexander samarin #kevin aymoz #loquacious laz

[triplelutzmoreliketriplecry]

ALMOST CLEAN FREE. I LOVE IT.

I haven’t gushed about how awesome that redemption was enough. Here’s my obligatory 11th to 6th note from me to y’all.

In terms of expression, what Junhwan really needs to work on is his facial expressions. He’s a lot younger than the top 6, which might be why he struggles to express (in galas, he does amazing—personally I think it’s the stress). However, everyone feels stress and it’s on Jun to fix that. Of course, if it’s a condition (he has spoken about him being painfully shy as a kid and taking up acting and this sport to try and combat it) it’s obviously understandable, but sadly the judges won’t take it into consideration. HOWEVER. If we don’t account facial expressions into performance quality (which I think, in some programs, not the most necessary?) his actual body expression was ON today!! His arms were just so expressive and he got down the details to his fingertips. He does like dance, which might add on to this, but still!! Someone said he looks like he’s floating on the ice and I agree, that’s definitely something unique about his skating.

Musicality gets its own paragraph because the expressiveness one got too long lol. He was ON POINT TODAY!!! He missed two beats, one after his 3FEu3T(?) (which is a jump he delayed a bit to try and get it right, but he recovered so quickly) and the drop at the end where he starts spinning his last camel. Honestly, that drop is way too long for him to be skating into the entry and get into the camel AT the drop, which is a concern I’ve had since ACI...but they’ve added extra choreo to counter it. Still a bit of a problem...maybe get the sound editor? It’s not too hard to shorten that bit...maybe time issues?

Jumps...jumps...His 4T is definitely getting more consistent but his 4S continues to have the “rug pulled from under your feet as you enter the jump” effect. Lutz is as usual, a flutz. I’m slightly upset that he pulled the 4F from his program, despite him slightly twisting his ankle because of it during SkAm because I feel like his flip has always generally had better quality and consistency than any of his sals. He’s also been working on flips in general during off season for sure, since all of his reality TV outings have had flips lol. His UR is still happening but again, it’s for the quads...It’s important to note that while he IS a top 10 skater, his quads are inconsistent and he needs time (and for him to stop growing so tall lol) to work on consistency. But again, triple axels are blessed as usual, and his speed, height, distance aren’t impressive but not subpar.

In terms of choreo, he always has amazing programs—so I guess I’ll rate in terms of what he changed lol. I will forever miss arm creak spin (09.2019) may it Rest In Peace. His knee slide was replaced by 3Lo which has a little bit of a different effect but I understand why he needs it. Ina Bauer is +5 as always (give him what he deserves for choreo sequence judges challenge 2k19) *chefs kiss*

NEW FUCKING COSTUME. LOVED THE LAST GRANNY CURTAIN ONE BUT I LOVE THIS ONE MORE. ITS SO GOOD AND THE FABRIC ISNT SILK BUT SLIGHTLY texTURED I DONT KNOW FASHION. I LVOE IT AND THAT IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW.

Overall: AMAZING. I LOVED IT. CLOSE TO THE BEST OUTING THIS PROGRAM HAD. IT HAS POTENTIAL BUT IT IS STILL EXCELLENT. YES YES

(prayer circle for Junhwan to perform in the gala because I need Boy with a Star to be performed internationally pls pls)

#figure skating #cha junhwan #차준환 #coc 2019 #triple lutz cries

[illyria-and-her-pet]

Who do you think will be named for the senior women's Russian figure skating world team?

Sorry I didn’t answer this lol and now a prediction is useless since it’s been announced. I’m super behind on my inbox, but I figured I would answer this now that the team has actually been announced as Alina, Sofia, and Evgenia and I want to leave my thoughts lol. I’m not surprised about this team. Alina despite her Nationals and Euros performances wouldn’t be left off the team since she’s Olympic champion and she had the strongest results on the Grand Prix series. Sofia would have probably been left off if she didn’t win Euros, but her consistency prevailed and they had no choice but to take her. Evgenia has always been supported by a majority of the important people in Rusfed and she seemed to regain her confidence after all the crowd support she got at Nationals and Russian Cup Final. The Russian Cup Final win also gave Rusfed a justification to send her. 

I feel that Liza should have been on the team though. She had a very strong GP series (only behind Alina for Russian ladies in results, tho I felt Liza should have been ahead of Alina at GPF) and it’s a shame that her pneumonia caused her to miss Nationals, which is basically why she’s off the World team. I also feel for Voronov who is in a similar situation. He had the best GP series for Russian men, but had to skip Nationals due to injury and is now only an alternate. Rusfed also told Mishin that he should get ready and prepare Liza for Worlds, so now that this happened… just wow. It’s also crazy to me that the vote was so overwhelmingly in Evgenia’s favor. 

“Following the discussion, out of 27 members of the Coaching Council of the Federation, 19 people voted for the candidacy of Evgenia Medvedeva for inclusion in the main team, 7 people for Elizaveta Tuktamysheva’s candidacy, one member abstained.”

Also Urmanov said he voted for Evgenia over Liza and lol he really betrayed his own coach Mishin like that… yikes. 

I also don’t really get the justification that Evgenia is peaking right now, while Liza is not in top form because of her recovery. Evgenia did win Russian Cup Final, but I found that result debatable. The gap was just a little over a point, but Liza was much stronger than Evgenia in the free and deserved to win overall imo. Liza did a clean triple axel and her best free skate besides GPF. The only errors were doing a 3Lz-2T instead of a 3Lz-3T and a UR on the 3T in her 2A-3T-2T. I found Zhenya’s FS score very generous. Of course both Liza and Zhenya had very inflated PCS, which isn’t surprising cause it’s a domestic competition, but Zhenya fell (the 3S-3Lo

#anonymous #asks

[the-real-xmonster]

Hi Alice!! Watching the SP I noticed the box marking the execution of the elements changes the color sometimes? Like at first is yellow and then it change to green? Why is that? Also i though if the skater fall the colour would be red but in some cases it was yellow? Could you explain that I don't really get it. Sorry if it's a silly question 😓

Hi, the color yellow means that the element is under review by the technical panel. For example if a jump has a suspicious landing and/or results in a fall, the panel will replay it in slow motion to determine whether the jump was fully rotated, and if it wasn’t, if the miss in rotation was enough for an under-rotation call or a downgrade. This call has an impact on the GOE that judges give to an element, so only after the finalization of this call can the GOE be awarded - that’s when the color will change to green or red, to signal positive or negative GOE, accordingly.

Hey Alice, since Yuzu will be skating the last group again, do you think that will be at around the same time as the sp?

He’s going to go fourth this time, but yeah, it’s going to be around the same local time as for the SP. The final group will take to the ice at 1:15 PM: Dima - Boyang - Patrick - Yuzu - Javi - Shoma. Don’t miss it! 

Who’s the guy sitting next to Yuzu and Brian at the K&C? I don’t think I’ve seen him before

That’s Ghislain Briand, jump coach from the Toronto Cricket Club :)

Sorry to bother you but spin levels is still something I am confused with. I read that Yuzu's last spin for his Olympic SP is Level 3 only because he made a mistake. Why? What happened? Can you help me with this? Thank you!

OMG DID YOU WATCH YUZUUUUUUU I CANT EVEN BREATHE RN AND I AM WAILING CRYING LAUGHING AT THE SAME TIME I CANTTTT MY FRIENDS TELLING ME THAT I’VE GONE CRAZY (which is tru). Sorry for the long rants hahahaha 😂 can i ask you something tho?? Why does yuzu get a ccosp3 not ccosp4 like in aci 2017? Is it bcs he didnt rotate that as much as he supposed to do on his upright spin or what idek. And your thought about his pcs?? Thank you so muchhh so sorry for the lots of questions!

Yuzu lost a level on that spin because his feature of edge change from inside to outside in the basic camel position was a bit short of 2 revolutions, just a tiiiiiny little bit. The tech panel yesterday was really strict on spins and steps and put a bunch of those on review :)) 

His PCS was lower than I expected, though not by much. I was so damn sure they would give him a 49 on that. How did he end up with a TR score of less than 9.50 yesterday is beyond my understanding. Oh well...

Are you satisfied with the result and scores at Men SP today? If not, how much scores would you give them?

Everything was pretty much in line with what I expected. Relative order and scoring of top 4 is also reasonable. I think Boyang and Shoma should have been closer in PCS but I would have knocked a bit off of Boyang’s GOE on the 4Lz+3T because of the minor loss of flow (his 4Lz is so huge it usually results in him taking some time to get his bearings before he can tag on the 3T), so overall I’m ok with their placements.

Shoma’s landings in the SP today look quite scary, I was surprised he could stay on his feet. Most people attributed it to his knee bends. How do the knees play a part in the landing (and take-off) of a jump, and in skating in general ?

His landings look quite scary like 90% of the time because of knee and ankle torque. His jumps are on the small side so he doesn’t have a lot of time to unwind his body before he lands, which means that most of the time he has to stop the rotation on ice, which twists his knee and creates that impression of unbalance. His knee action on landing is very good, though, and that is how he is able to stay on his feet. He’s got a soft, low knee bend on landing and he times it well to absorb the impact. It’s a stark contrast to, for example, Nathan, whose landing knee is always very stiff. When Nathan lands you can see how his center of gravity is oddly high and how he always has to tilt his body almost parallel to the ice to keep his balance instead of the usual angular check position. 

Yesterday Shoma was actually better than usual on his quads. At least he didn’t under-rotate anything :)

im still riding my yuzu high but uh something struck me. yuzu skating a clean sp but a disastrous fs VS yuzu skating a clean sp and fs (which has happened like twice). im in awe of the mood he is in these days and i have no doubt that whatever happens tmr, he'll enjoy it but i cant help worrying bc. ugh idk why is yuzu making me stressed. im stressing about the possible 4lo and him not being able to do a 3lo and crap im dying i wish him all the best

Don’t worry, this is PyeongChang, not Boston. Sit back and relax and enjoy Seimei today. 

How do you feel going into the free? Such anxiety lol

I’m strangely calm today. I am even able to write proper English to answer you all, see? I don’t know what came over me, I guess it’s the lingering effect of yesterday’s majestic Ballade, but I am not at all freaked out about the long program. Whatever he delivers on the ice today, I believe we are going to turn out just fine.

Aliceeee have heard about 5 quad fs layout from yuzu???? What did u think about it??? Thank youuu

*laughs and cries* What a glorious skate that was, and then I saw his planned content for the free and it is, as I feared (I'm the one from earlier about the 4Lo), two 4S and two 4T with one 4Lo to make five quads and one 3A. *laughs and cries some more* Oh, Yuzu! I don't even know what to say anymore.

I’m feeling awesome today, so 5 quads? Bring it on. If all goes according to plan, we will be able to add another achievement to Yuzu’s already very long list: first skater to land a quad loop at an Olympic.

On one hand I'm super happy for Yuzu and Javi, on the other hand, as a Kloyada lover, I am suffering (as usual 😢)

I feel really bad for Mikhail. You know I actually like that SP of his a lot. When he’s able to do it clean it’s some sight to behold. Alas...

!!! As happy as I am for Yuzu, I'm really sorry for Nathan. I was really looking forward to a competition where the both of them could skate clean. I am so torn between crying and celebrating

I am too. Nathan’s performance yesterday was just heartbreaking to watch. The only silver lining to this, probably, is that he is still very young and he’s got more Olympics to come for sure.

#replies #figure skating #yuzuru hanyu

[yukirin1408]

Japan Open 2017: Interviews with Team Japan before the competition

Interviews with Shoma Uno, Mai Mihara, Marin Honda, and Nobunari Oda after practice the day before Japan Open 2017. Parentheses () indicate press notes in the article. Please do not use/repost my translations without my permission.

Shoma Uno: I can’t skate my current layout naturally

(On his condition) It’s no good. I couldn’t jump today. My condition isn’t bad, but today didn’t go well. The waves have been intense recently, and I didn’t have periods of time when my condition was good, so I have nothing to say, but for now I want to try my best tomorrow.

(On Lombardia Trophy) It went well only by luck, so I had absolutely no sense of accomplishment for working hard during practice. The fact that it went well even though I didn’t really practice is a surprise to me rather than an accomplishment.

(On 4S) It’s as a jump that I have the capability to jump. The success rate went up after I became self-aware of how to jump it and the fact that I could do it. I thought it was difficult to jump up until then, and that’s why I felt that I couldn’t jump it.

(On his attitude) It was good for the first competition. It’s not certain that you can do definitely do something because you practiced it, but it also isn’t the case that you can’t do something because you didn’t practice it. I don’t think I thought this way two years ago, but I think my results starting showing from the first competition last year. (If your practice goes badly, you don’t become uneasy for the real thing?) Uneasiness is uneasiness, and there are many ways it can influence me, but I have no choice but to do it, so I try my best. (You’ll be going with this program layout for a while?) Until I feel that I can skate this layout naturally, I intend to use it. I don’t like thinking about what I can’t do, so I tell myself “look at reality.”  I can’t skate my current layout naturally, so rather than attacking it, I want to do this layout well and stabilize it.

(On the perfection of the expression) My uneasiness hasn’t disappeared that much. I do feel that I still have a ways to go, but an image of what I want to do is slowly forming. However, jumps often take all my effort and my brain thoughts become muddled. Even so, I’m practicing [my expression] separately from jumps, so I’d like to be able to do that kind of performance when I put the jumps in.

(Doing this many jumps isn’t tough on your body?) Going through the program every day is tough. After going through my short and free twice in one day, my body won’t move the next day, and it’s no good after doing that three days in a row. (What part of skating do you think is fun despite such tough practices?) It’s not so much that practice is fun every day, but I’m doing it with no pain at all, and it’s fun when I show the results of my practice in competition.

Mai Mihara: This program’s image is “an angel”

(This season has begun.) I scored 199 points in my first international competition, and that’s higher than my score for my first competition last year, but I wasn’t able to perform in a way that I could be satisfied with, so I want to perform in a way that I can be satisfied with this time. (What did you think was lacking?) Everything. Especially my expression - when I rewatched my performance, the number one thing was that my steps were smaller than I thought they were, and I thought that I have to make them bigger. (How do you think you’ll correct it?) By treasuring each and every movement, making every movement seem big, and making my arms and legs seem long. For my facial expressions too, Saitama Super Arena is a really big arena, so I want to pour my heart into reaching the audience sitting at the top.

(How did your first competition go?) There were many bad points, but a good point is that I was able to finish without making any big mistakes. I found many points that need to be improved on, which is true for the expression side as well. I want to be able to earn positive GOE on every jump. I was able to watch Canada’s Kaetlyn’s timing on her jumps from nearby, and I thought that I really do still have a ways to go, so I want to approach [her level] as much as I can. (What can you do to approach [her level]?) I can’t make big changes and end up unable to do my jumps, so it’ll be a little bit at a time, but I’m thinking about increasing my success rates, and I’m practicing while prioritizing not making mistakes.

(On David Wilson, who was in charge of her choreography) He told me “express with your hands.” His explanations were really easy to understand. This program’s image is “an angel,” and I want to express from my heart so I seem like an angel. (How are you handling the fear of your second senior season?) I think fear becomes a source of confidence in myself. I felt fear recently in my first competition, so I want to be able to face [competitions] while thinking that there’s nothing to fear. (What was your fear last season?) I had none at all, and I just strongly felt really happy to be participating in competitions, so I think I’ll be fine if I skate this season without forgetting those feelings.

(What she grasped from her first competition) What made me the happiest was that the fans in Canada said that I seemed like a completely different person in the short and free. I aimed for my expressions to seem like they were from two different people, so I received those words happily. (Did you grasp the trick to doing 5 jumps in the second half?) I’ve always practiced while inserting a break in the middle when I can let out my breath. The second half starts at my 3F, so after the 3F, 2A+3T, and 3Lo, I have a little choreography, and there’s a part where I skate a long distance. I insert a break there and I think “it’s from here on.”

(Right now, how do you see Pyeongchang Olympics?) I went to Four Continents at the Olympic arena last season, and I strongly feel that I want to return to that stage, so I want to skate a performance I can be satisfied with at each competition, and I want to do my best at this competition too.

Marin Honda: I’m experiencing the fun of skating the most right now

(How was your senior debut?) I didn’t set any goals like winning just like I did in juniors, and I didn’t have any goals in terms of score or what kind of performance I wanted to do, so I was able to really have fun. (On the location of her debut) I went in a little early, but I watched thinking “everyone’s so amazing and so good” from practice… My coach told me “you’re competing with them, so you can’t lose in terms of emotion,” and I faced the competition while the realization that I became a senior was forming little by little, so I’m glad that I went early. This competition only has a free program, and it’s been a long time. If I had to pick, I always get more nervous for the short, but I don’t feel nervous at all now, so I can’t get nervous little by little while I practice.

(On the completion of her new short program) I went to have it made after my first competition finished. It’s a program that really brings out the strong points of my skating, so I’ll do my best. (On the announcement) I haven’t decided on when, but I’ll say on the day I feel is right. (Note: She later announced that it is “The Giving.”) (On the jump layout) I’ve been practicing the short while trying various changes, but the free won’t have any big changes. I want to think about various things while watching the condition of my practices.

(On 3Lz+3T) I’m doing it in practice. I used to always do a lutz+toe, and I’m doing it in practice after a while. I don’t know how it will show up in competitions, but I’m testing it in practice. (What does increasing the types of jumps mean for you?) I don’t have a particular goal for seniors, and I was getting bored of the same jump layout, so I thought I’d try it (laughs). (Did you purposefully not decide on a goal, or did it happen naturally?) Naturally. Even I don’t know what level I’ll reach if I perform cleanly. I won in juniors in my first year, so I do want to win no matter what competition it is and aim to place first, but that isn’t for seniors yet, so I decided that it would be good to decide on a goal from now on. I want to go through competitions without a goal and think about have fun.

(You felt that you’ll do better without establishing a goal?) Every competition I go to is like the ones I’ve watched on TV, and I don’t feel that I’m in any particularly big competitions this season, and I feel that I won’t know unless I try. I don’t feel like I’m being chased the way I was in my second junior year at all, so I’m having fun with how much I can keep up with everyone I’ve seen on TV and doing things while excited. I’m really experiencing the fun of skating the most right now.

(On the highlights of her newly made short program) I think programs with a sense of speed are good, and we’ve made a wonderful program that’s the same as what I imagined when I heard the song. Like the free, rather than creating special highlights, I want to go through the program as one whole. (A program that brings out the strengths of her skating is?) Things like skating with lengthy steps and increasing my speed and doing steps - I think programs without a perfect form are my specialty. I think programs that I can skate the way I picture them suit me the best, so I thought that I should skate to this song this season and changed to it.

Nobunari Oda: I’m challenging two quads

I think my condition is coming together well. At this season’s Japan Open, in addition to Uno and Javier Fernandez, Nathan Chen is coming. They’re jumping beautiful quad lutzes and flips even in practice. Part of me is overwhelmed from seeing the level up in mens skating from last season, but I'm also receiving motivation from young skaters and I want to do my best.

(What do you want people to take away from this competition?) I only had one quad at last season’s Japan Open, but I'm challenging two this time. I've only ever successfully jumped two quads once in an international competition, and I've never done it in front of fans in Japan, so I set that as my goal and practiced. Just like last season, [I’m skating to] Jeffrey Buttle’s choreography to a very popular song, so I want to show an outlook on the world. 

(You're not putting in a 4S?) I practiced while thinking I'd put it in, but I can't win against age in the end, and my body can't catch up to thinking about how many I'll put in (laughs). This time, I want to do my best to land two quad toes. (Next year?) I don't think I can participate anymore (laughs). (Your last official competition?) I'm 30 years old now too, and I'm thankful just to have been able to participate last season and this season. I want to bring out my ability just like last season and skate a good performance.

(Confidence in a personal best?) I'm putting in two quads, so my base value is higher than last season. Of course, if I skate without mistakes, I think I can surpass last year's TES, so I want to skate clean.

#shoma uno #mai mihara #marin honda #nobunari oda #fstranslation #THIS IS ALREADY LATE SO IT'S COMPLETELY UNEDITED FOR NOW BUT HERE

[yuzusorbet]

This 5 min interview with Yuzuru is probably the “MUST KNOW” for Yuzu- fans, among the many news clips about his victory at World Championships in Japanese media.  Here is the verbatim translation.

(How did you recover after the SP?) 

Right after I finished performing my SP, I was feeling really frustrated.  As I was the first to skate [in the last group], I saw my ranking going down and down [as the other skaters performed], and my feeling went beyond depression. But, being inspired by voices of my fans, and reflecting on what I had been doing and other things, I thought I had to do my best by believing in myself.  I think that’s how I managed to recover.

(Towards the FP)  I think I felt mental fatigue, but that mental fatigue probably matched with my physical fatigue, so perhaps they might have achieved a good balance [between the mental and physical fatigue].

(What did you think with the high FP score?) 

Simply, I was just honestly happy. To begin with, I was delighted that the score of 223 was 3 or 4 points above the previous [world] record [that I had]. Moreover, this programme [Hope&Legacy] was significantly less appreciated as compared to SEIMEI, and I also struggled with expressing sufficiently and doing jumps successfully [in H&L]. [During the season] I had made several performances in which I repeatedly wandered between getting closer to the music and farther from the music. But this time I was able to make a clean programme, and my feeling inside myself was also clean.  So, I now have a strong feeling that I was finally able to advance one step beyond my own record. Of course, I will always have a persistent desire to make a clean programme with no mistakes, perhaps I will again feel frustrated with myself when I cannot make a clean programme, and I will continue practising even more in the future. But if I didn’t have such persistence, I certainly would not have such a strong desire for a clean programme. Probably, in view of the NHK Trophy and the GPF as well as other bitter experience in the past year, I think this [gold at the Worlds] may be a little gift awarded by God.  (*smile*)

(About the high level competitions..) 

As regards to the increase in the scores over 300, I don’t necessarily get impressed with the high scores per se; rather I think that good performances with high quality have dramatically increased. It’s not so much the execution of each element but the execution and quality of entire programmes that each competitor has improved a lot, as far as I am concerned.

(How do you feel about going to the Olympic season as the World Champion?)

Well, 66 years ago, Mr Dick Button won the second consecutive Olympic gold medal while he was the defending Olympic gold medallist and the World Champion.  In this sense, I am convincing myself that a good omen is coming upon me.

(You have challenged difficult programmes this season..) 

I think it was good. Against my coach’s advice in a sense, I insisted on including 4 quads and managed to convince him at the end of the day. That’s how this season started. So, it was not according to the plan of the coach, as it were. After trying for a year and finally managing to deliver a clean programme….well, even if I had not been able to deliver a clean programme [of this season], I have built the self-confidence that I should be able to perform a clean programme at any time and under any circumstances if I now do SEIMEI and that layout [which is less difficult than H&L].  To that extent, I did hard training. So, in the sense of elevating my limitations, this season was a very fruitful one.

At any rate, I have had a consistent desire to win another Olympic gold medal during this season. Even though this is not yet the Olympic season, I was always training with that desire, which finally resulted in the gold medal at this World Championship. Yes, this is not the Olympics, but I have got reaffirmation that this kind of competition would probably take place at the Olympics [next year]. So, I think I will have to build my skating skills and leave no weakness so that I can win even if such [harsh] competitions take place [at the Olympics].

Thank you very much. I will do my best at the next one!

END

*By the way, Mr Dick Button was the first person to land a 3Lo.*

Translation and all notes above are by Sophie Moroi (YHIFG, FB).  Slightly edited by me.  Much thanks to pino16.17 for the video. 

[Please do not use the translation to sub videos without permission and without credits.]  

#interview for Worlds 2017 #yuzuru hanyu #thank you Sophie!

[axellings]

Worlds 2017 (Men)

Though the other events had their fair share of exciting moments, the men’s event at this year’s World Championships was without a doubt the most anticipated events of the season. For the past several months, we’ve watched the world’s top men’s skaters continue to polish their programs and improve their technical content, and here we would finally get to see them all go head to head. With so much talent and technical content--and in turn, room for error--this event promised to be one of the most unpredictable ones in recent figure skating history.

The Podium

After two seasons of setting himself up to win the world championships and then letting it slip from his hands after a bungled free program, Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) finally claimed the gold medal for the first time since 2014. In contrast to the past couple ofy ears, Yuzu found himself in 5th in the SP after a putting a knee down on his quad combination (which invalidated his subsequent 2T) and receiving a deduction for a late start. However, despite a worrying disastrous warmup, he more than made up for it with a stunning free program that included four quads (two of them his eternal nemesis, the 4S) and shattered his previous world record FS score. No matter whether he’s on or off, Yuzu never fails to put on a good show, but it was great to finally see him in top form after another topsy-turvy season. Yuzu will no doubt go into the Olympic season as the hot favorite to defend the gold that catapulted him to fame in Sochi, and we hope that this wonderful performance at Worlds is just the start!

I’m sure all of us remember Shoma Uno’s (JPN) tears of frustration and disappointment in the kiss and cry at last season’s worlds after a bungled free program left him in 7th place--honestly, how could anyone forget? But this season was a complete turnaround: Shoma finished the competition with a triumphant smile as a perfect short, a near-perfect free, and three new personal bests catapulted him to a silver medal finish alongside his countryman and rival. His only mistakes were a stumble on his lutz and a turn out of his first quad in the free--and even then he still managed an enormous technical score of 120 points. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the lutz, he would have beaten Yuzuru for the gold--which we suppose is a bit of a blessing that he didn’t, because he probably doesn’t need the pressure of heading into the Olympic season as the defending world champion. In any case, we’re so incredibly proud of Shoma: it hasn’t been an easy season for him, but he’s still managed to medal at every single competition he’s been to. We’re sure the road from now on will only get harder, but we’re looking forward to seeing how far he can go.

When (friendly neighborhood hero legend icon etc) Boyang Jin (CHN) won the bronze medal at last year’s worlds, all we could really do was laugh in astonishment and chalk it up to his ability to hold it together while his fellow competitors slipped up. Who would have thought he would repeat his bronze medal finish this year in the exact same way--and in a deeper field, to boot? Thanks to two clean programs combined with mistakes from other big competitors like Javier Fernandez and Nathan Chen, Boyang once again found himself on the podium. And this time we’re a lot happier with the result, as Boyang has come a long way from the quad machine he was at last year’s competition. He still has quite a ways to go, granted, but we’ve grown to love him as a skater after seeing the personality his programs this season have brought out from him. We’re glad we got to see him perform them both cleanly at such an important competition, and we look forward to seeing further growth from him in the upcoming season.

The Others

In complete contrast to his training mate, Javier Fernandez (ESP) found himself off the worlds podium for the first time in 5 years after a perfect short and a not-so-perfect free. Javi looked to be in good shape after the short, sitting 5 points in the lead after a season’s-best performance of Malaguena. However, whether due to pressure or injuries, he fell apart in the free after he twofooted his first 4S attempt and fell on the second, and then doubled a flip and put his free leg down on the 3Lo shortly after. It wasn’t an absolute disaster, but even deductions from minor errors can build up; added to the fact that his quads were less technically complex than the other top men, Javi ended up having to settle for the potato medal here. At least he doesn’t seem too broken up about missing out on the podium, and we have faith that he will be rearing to make up for it heading into the Olympics next year.

After his victory over Yuzuru at Four Continents, all eyes were on Nathan Chen (USA) as one of the strongest contenders for the world podium. But although he does enjoy decent PCS marks, the fact remains that Nathan is still a first-time senior with a reputation to build, and as such, he still has to rely rather heavily on his technical scores to keep him afloat. Usually his sheer amount of quads and his relative consistency come through for him just fine, but at this competition they weren’t quite there for him. His eternal nemesis, the triple axel, tripped him up in the short, and though he managed a clean one in the free, only four of his six attempted quads were marked clean. He still managed a huge score of 290.72, but even that was only enough to net him 6th place overall--a testament to the ever-rising standard of men’s skating. Nathan’s list of accomplishments this season is nothing to sneeze at even without a world medal, but we’re sure he’ll be frustrated with the results he achieved here. We can only watch and wait in anticipation (and quite frankly, fear) to see how he’ll bounce back next season.

Self-proclaimed allergic-to-quads Patrick Chan (CAN) proved that once he puts his mind to it, he can have both quad jumps and wonderful artistry. He put on a stunningly clean short and was nearly clean in the free, minus a couple of small errors (he did, however, manage to land that elusive quad sal). With virtually nothing marring his performance, Patrick was able to show off the lovely musicality and lightness on ice that his years of experience have made him famous for. It’s not often that men’s routines look effortless these days, what with the insane technical content, but Patrick makes even the quads look like a walk in the park. The fact was, however, that without that same technical content as the rest of the top competitors, Patrick had to settle for 5th even with two nearly-clean performances--and even with an enormous overall score of nearly 300 points. Patrick will definitely have his work cut out for him defending his Olympic silver, but if nothing else, he’s proven that he has the ability to stay afloat and persist in the ever-changing landscape of men’s figure skating.

Fan favorite Misha Ge (UZB), who strongly hinted that this year’s Worlds was to be his final competition, placed in 12th after two virtually clean programs (only a couple of edge calls brought him down). Misha’s always been a fantastic performer, and perhaps the fact that it would be his last competition added an extra edge to Misha’s performances that made it almost impossible to look away. In the free, the crowd was cheering non-stop as he launched into the final choreo sequence--a lovely end to a wonderful season for Misha. Though he was never able to near his stunning 6th place finish from Worlds during his breakout season two years ago, we’re glad that, if this is indeed the end of his competitive career, he was able to put a strong and memorable finish to it indeed. And even if Misha won’t be competing next season, we’ll still be seeing much more of him around--it looks like he’s already busy choreographing for quite a few of the world’s top skaters!

It’s been a thrilling season for Keiji Tanaka (JPN), whose accomplishments in the first half of the season amounted to more than we had ever expected from him just a couple of years ago. However, after his silver medal finish at Japanese nationals, his momentum seems to have tapered off: he only ranked 13th at Four Continents (7 places down from last year), and here he just barely managed to make the top 20. That’s not to say that he was a complete disaster: Keiji’s been known for being a pop star, but here his only problem in that regard was doubling out on his first triple axel in the free. Though he fell once in each program and earned a deduction on his combination in the short, it was still overall a step up from the reliable disaster that he used to be. Unfortunately, it just so happens that men’s skating is no longer at a point where a skater can still edge into the top 10 with the kind of scores he achieved here. It’s a shame Keiji wasn’t able to follow up on his #success from the first half of the season, but we have faith that we haven’t seen the last of him yet.

Credit for all images [x]

#figure skating #yuzuru hanyu #shoma uno #boyang jin #javier fernandez #nathan chen #patrick chan #misha ge #keiji tanaka #men #highlights

[lazuliblade]

2019 NHK Men’s FS Group 2

Liveblogging some impressions while watching a stream (and eating dinner). Koshiro Shimada FS: 137.67 Total Score: 213.65 4Tfall, 3A2T (woah that 3A did not have a good landing but he managed the 2T), 3Lo, 3F, FCSp3, StSq3, 3Lz3T, 3A hand down&step-out, 3LzEu2S, ChSq, FChCoSp4, ChCoSp3V (oof) I love how he smiles throughout the program. I can’t help but want to smile along with him. He feels the music and seems to be having a lot of fun. (Unrelated to the skating, but: I love his costume. It’s pink! And sparkly! And the cut works well with the music. It’s so rare to see elegant nice costumes in the men.) Roman Sadovsky FS:168.99 Total Score: 247.50 4S, 3F, 3A2T (nicely on the note), 3Lo, Stsq4, 4SEu3S (wow that almost looked like he would fall on the 4S but he managed the combo), 3A, 3Lz step out (hand down?), FChCoSp4, ChCSp4, ChSq1. Hmmmm, having three Schindler’s List  Free Skates in one competition. Roman’s program, even though the music didn’t change much, actually wasn’t that bad choreo-wise. He skates softly and it suited the mood of the music. Makar Ignatov FS: 143.98 Total Score: 222.45 4S step-out, 4T(not the best running edge), 3A, 3F3T, FCSp3, 3Lz3T, 3Lz double-footed (looked like he was trying for a combo), 3LoEu2S, StSq3, ChSq, ChSSp2(fall - he lost his balance on the sit position and sat down), ChCoSp2. Not bad overall. It could use some work, but it’s a good showing for his first season. Yuzuru Hanyu FS:195.71 Total Score: 305.05 4Lo (he held it!), 4S (huge!), FChCSp4, StSq4, 3Lz (so easy), 4T, 2Tpop, 4T3T, 3A(huge!)Eu3S, ChSq1, FChSSp4, ChCoSp4. He added some choreo before his hydro and polished some movements during his StSq. It’s such a difference watching him skate after the rest of the field - he has so much speed and just flows from movement to movement. There was a moment where he skates the short side of the rink and reaches the judges’ side in half a moment. That 4S was really something. He went into it with so much speed that I almost thought he would fall, but he lands it and carries on like nothing. After the pop, he redid his entire planned jump content to maximize points. That 3A combo was his last jumping pass. Unreal.  Despite the pop, it was a great performance. Brian: “You made it-- two grand prixs!” Kevin Aymoz FS: 158.55 Total Score: 250.02 4T turn out, 3T footdown (I think he was going for a 4T?), 3A, 3Lo (out of some nice transition turns), ChCSp4, 3A3T, 3LzEu2S, 3F, ChSq1, FSSp4, ChCoSp4, StSq4 I love how this program builds. It starts off quiet and thoughtful and builds into a moving theme. The best part, is that he actually skates to the music instead of just skating something and having the music carry the program. He changes his movements in the second half to highlight the crescendo and tempo change. Sergei Voronov FS:150.42 Total Score: 239.05 4T3T (lots of height on the 4T), 1A pop, 3A2T, FCSp4, 3Lo, StSq3, 3Lz, 2Lz, 3S2T, ChCoSp4, ChSq1, ChSSp3. This program works for him. I’m glad that he was able to put together two good programs in this competition. 4th place!

1st Yuzuru Hanyu (beating Kevin by 55.03 points....) 2nd Kevin Aymoz 3rd Roman Sadovsky

#nhk trophy 2019 #figure skating #yuzuru hanyu #koshiro shimada #roman sadovsky #makar ignatov #kevin aymoz #sergei voronov #loquacious laz

[lazuliblade]

Skate Canada 2019 Men’s FS group 1

And as usual, I’m writing down some live impressions for each skater. This time I got the stream sorted out so hopefully I’ll be able to watch everyone today.

Brendan Kerry 137.02, TS: 193.77

4T, 3LzEu2Sal, 3A clean, 2Lo pop,  3A2Trippon, 3Lz, 3S I didn’t know he was also skating to the Sherlock movie OST. I saw Keiji’s practice, but didn’t catch the first group so this was a surprise. The end had some frantic energy that I think fit the music’s frantic energy, but the arm waving needs some polish. I also really hope I didn’t see him mime a violin with the left hand bowing. He kept up with the fast pace, though. He got a StSq2, I wonder if this will be like the SP where nearly no one got a lvl 4.

Paul Fentz 135.92, TS: 202.24

3A2T very nice, 3A held, 3Lz-turn out-2T held, 3Lo held, 3S3T held, 3Lz step out (”I’m still standing” goes the music), StSq3, 2A not the best edge coming out, but it was OK. His last spin was a bit slow and labored. His jumps were shaky but at least he didn’t fall. I’m not sure how I feel about this program overall. It feels like he could project a little more, or... something more with his expression? 

Roman Sadovsky 139.06, TS: 204.35 4S fall, 3F , 3A very telegraphed and not the best running edge but he held it, 3Lo OK, StSq2, 4SEu3S, 3Arep, 3Lz wow that was a crazy save - almost put a hand down with how low he leaned forward, his final ChCoSp had very nice speed and positions. 

Matteo Rizzo 153.66 TS:223.78 3Lo easy, 4T foot down?, 3A3T nice, 3Lz2Trippon nice exit, StSq3, 3A turn out, 3FEu3S, 3Lz nice. I do like the choreographic hand movements he put in during the StSq. It’s nice to see when a skater commits to the movement. I wish there was a little more carried throughout the full program, but it’s already lovely. It’s also the early season, so there’s plenty of time for him to grow with it.

Nicolas Nadeau 147.11 TS:222.33 3A3T nice, 3T, 3Lo2Aseq was really fluid, StSq3, 3A very nice flow out, 2A2T2T, 3F, oof he fell forward?, 3S, I like how he started getting into the music during the ChSq. He felt kind of heavy across the ice, but not bad.

Julian Zhi Jie Yee 135.99 TS:211.63 3A2T nice, 3A lots of power going in and a bit off-balance going out but he held it, 3F,  3S2T nice flow, 3F3T, 2Lo, 2Lz rough -  pop and the exit was a turn-out, StSq1 oof. But he got all lvl4s for his spins. He’s always a joy to watch and I’m glad he could bring a positive atmosphere. He seemed to be getting tired toward the end - you could see him breathing heavily before the Ina Bauer.

#skate canada 2019 #figure skating #brendan kerry #paul fentz #roman sadovsky #matteo rizzo #nicolas nadeau #julian zhi jie yee #loquacious laz

[lazuliblade]

I’m glad I managed to catch most of the last two groups of skaters for Men’s FS.

Kazuki Tomono had a rough skate and it was hard to see him with tears shining in his eyes as he waited for his scores, but I really enjoyed the energy he put into his steps and I was still so proud of him for pulling through until the end.

Tomoki Hiwatashi was so exciting to watch. The illusion entry, the Russian splits, the final section with the Beillmann spin! Season’s Best!

Nam Nyugen had a rough skate. Lots of pops, a hand-down...I felt so bad for him by the end, and he kept trying to pick up the flow and emotion of the program, only for it to be interrupted by another mistake.

Keiji Tanaka had a good skate. There was the mistake on the second 4S, but his first 4S combo was good. It looked like he ran out of room for the 3S at the end of his combo, so it turned into a 3LzEu1S combo. Performance-wise, he did a great job and really sold it. Season’s Best!

Shoma Uno

No falls! He did double-foot the 3A1Eu3F, and his free leg was really low on pretty much every jump and I kept cringing, but he didn’t fall. Good fight! (Now let him rest his ankleeeeeee he already sprained it in January...) Season’s Best!

Keegan Messing

That 3Lz had such height! The 3A+2T was right on the music, it was incredible. His final combo spin was timed so well - the speed of the sit spin revolutions fit the music tempo perfectly. There were a couple of saved landings, but no falls and the mood of the entire program was really well expressed. He seemed to enjoy himself out there. Season’s Best!

Jason Brown

I love how smoothly he skates. Hand down and double-footed the 4S, and one of his 3A looked strange (I think it was a foot down), but his other jumps looked good overall. That 3Lz2Lo2Lo was so cool and really worked with the music change. Season’s Best!

Vincent Zhou

The 3A2T was hunched over and kind of odd, and there were a couple other jumps that had a low landing, but no falls! I think his 4S looked under? And the 3F in combo? I guess we’ll see later. I love the placement of the outside-inside-spread eagle, and he works with the music well. Season’s Best!

Junhwan Cha

4S step out, 3Lo had a shaky landing, 3A2T had a low free leg coming out, but he held on. No falls!  I will never be over this program. The shoulder shimmy, the snake/noodle arms, the JULIEEET.

Boyang Jin

Ohh that was nice. No falls! His first 4Lz had a foot down (double-footed I guess?), the ending is so cool, and there are moments where I can see how he’s grown. There are still some empty parts, but this is a good building block for the future. It was a rough season so far, so I’m glad he did well here. Season’s Best!

Gold Shoma Uno

Silver Boyang Jin

Bronze Vincent Zhou

#4cc2019 #four continents 2019 #boyang jin #junhwan cha #jason brown #keegan messing #shoma uno #keiji tanaka #nam nyugen #tomoki hiwatashi #kazuki tomono

[lazuliblade]

Japanese Nationals 2018 Ladies SP - live report

This is incredibly late, but I did want to post this before Worlds because originally I was supposed to go to the Ladies’ SP, but now I can’t because I have some sudden final classes to teach. So this will at least give some idea of my live impressions of the Ladies Short, and I can scaffold off this when I watch on a stream tomorrow. I’ll make short posts after each day that I’m at the Worlds venue too. 

I wrote this the weekend of JP Nationals, and most of it was written before the Ladies’ FS happened, so I didn’t know how things would turn out. As always, all the editing to word things right took up a lot of time, and then...well. Lots of things happened. Anyway, this is really long, so I’m putting most of it behind a cut.

On Friday, December 21st I was at Japanese Nationals, watching the Ladies SP live. My seat was in the stands fourth row from the edge, so I had a really great view and could see the skater’s expressions as they skated by. I was on the side of the rink opposite the judges and near the corner, which means a lot of the jumps were done right in front of me. It was my first time seeing skaters live, so I kind of teared up realizing that I was actually THERE watching skating LIVE.

(The lines were super short and it was easy to get in, since this was like 5 minutes before the first skater was scheduled to start.) I made it just in time for the first skater’s name to be called and stood at the board by the entrance overlooking the rink watching her program until her turn was done, at which point those of us who had just arrived could go find our seats.

(I took these following photos after the broadcasting was over because I didn’t want to risk getting yelled at by staff. You’re not supposed to take pictures at the competition, but I saw some people take pics afterward, so I figured it was OK then.) 

The stadium was actually smaller than I thought it would be. It wasn’t a small arena per say, but I feel like even at the very top the skater wouldn’t be too small. It felt sort of intimate, which was nice. Looking at the seating capacity afterward, it seems it seats 6000 people. Because I was near the front, I could see when some skaters took the stairs to get up to the lobby and around to the stands. The skater’s section (unofficial section) was some rows behind me in the same section I was in – a bunch of them went to the top of the section to stay out of the way. I saw Miki Ando (who is gorgeous), legendary coach Sato, and a really cute moment after the 4th group when Kaori and Mai ran up the stairs and hugged another skater (I didn’t catch who it was). All of us in the section turned to see them hugging and smiling - they were SO happy for each other skating well. It was really heartwarming to see.

(This is the view from my seat in the stands. The stairway there actually leads down to the rinkside and the premium Arena Seats. Only people in those seats were allowed to throw gifts. This will also apply for Worlds.)

The sound system was amazing and you could hear each note so clearly. The sound reverberated throughout the arena and was almost a tangible thing (it made me wonder what Otonal, Origin, or Seimei would sound like with such a good system). I feel like videos don’t catch how all-encompassing the sound is. If I was an audiophile skater, I would go to competitions just to hear how my music sounds over the loudspeakers. I know people can complain about how long these events are, and some people don’t come until the final groups for the “good stuff,” but even the early groups were enjoyable to watch, and there were some high scores already in the first group. However, the difference when the 4th group came out was very notable. Their speed on the ice during the 6 minute warm-up was markedly faster, and they threw out jumps like nothing. In that group we had:

Rika Hongo, Mai Mihara, Kaori Sakamoto, Akari Matsubara, Mako Yamashita, and Sui Takeuchi.

My notes for Rika Hongo are sadly very sparse... all I managed to note down was 3T3Tfall, step-out, 2A OK, super cool StSq. And her score of 55.93. I remember thinking that her skating was nice, but the mistakes on her jumps detracted from the performance and I felt bad that it’s been really rough for her. 

Mai Mihara - she flows so smoothly across the ice. It was such a joy to watch her skate cleanly. Her spiral was my favorite thing, but her jumps were quite good as well. One moment that really stood out was one of her spins. She does this thing where she drops the catchfoot to a simple upright when the music has an accent and then a momentary breath. The drop of her leg matches the accent dropping into the lull, and her rotation speed sharply increases to fill the empty space (kind of like a top that was given a yank with a string), before she drops into a slower sit spin with the return of the lackadaisical musical phrase. It looked like the music flowed through her and she rose and fell with it. Having Mai and Kaori back-to-back you could feel their differences, especially since they had similar tones of music. Kaori Sakamoto - she’s powerful across the ice but flows smoothly. Where Mai has this lovely and sweet quality to her skating, Kaori is charming. One of the strongest memories I have of the program is actually a jump. Her jump technique is amazing. I honestly thought she tripped on her 3F3T combo (and I’m not the only one who thought so). Her toe pick barely lifts from the ice to strike down, so it almost looked like she tripped on it when setting her leg back for a step, or tripped in preparation. I thought she was tripping backward from the momentum of her speed, but then she’s up in the air, turning 3 times, and then links her 3T cleanly and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing until she was halfway through it. Seeing good jump technique in person is something else. Also! The spiral into turns into 3Lo was so seamless.

5th group  - Hina Takeno, Wakaba Higuchi, Marin Honda, Rika Kihira, Yuna Shiraiwa, Satoko Miyahara.

6 minute warm-up: During warm-up, there were so many jumps landed in front of me. Rika landed like four or five 3As and the crowd cheered and clapped so hard after each one. Everyone skated so powerfully and fast around the rink. Wakaba looked like she was on a mission. Yuna was landing multiple good jumps. Marin looked good and the crowd cheered loudly when the introduction came. The crowd went WILD for Satoko when she was introduced. A lot of people around me shouted “Satton” (her nickname), and wow Satoko is incredibly beautiful. Her dress is gorgeous, her skating is smooth, and she felt like a mature multiple time national champion. Also, I was so prepared to gush over how tiny she is in real life, but she’s actually not??? She doesn’t look much smaller than other skaters, and her jumps didn’t seem small either - they seemed average. I had a moment feeling this jarring sense of people over-exaggerating all this time (you *lied* to me!), but then, maybe when she’s next to Men’s skaters she looks tiny. Which means I definitely have to go to another competition now to see Men and then Ladies.

Wakaba Higuchi - I think this was one of the most enjoyable skates to be present for. The audience really got into it, clapping along to the beat for the entire thing, and it was SUCH a refreshing program after all the classical pieces and sweet pieces. It was quirky, it was cool, she skated like she enjoyed the music and had flair. This was really one of those programs where experiencing it live makes such a difference from watching online. The sound reverberating through the arena made it as if you could feel the music with your body. Take me to the club, Wakaba! There’s the one moment I really love where she pauses on the right side (from judges POV) and does this thing with her arms while lifting her legs in a “walk.” There were some moments where it felt like she could link more in between sections, or like the choreo needed a bit more confidence, so that might be why she didn’t score as high (she was in 4th by the end of the night, but only 0.25 points from Mai in 3rd place), but even being nitpicky about those parts where she could flow better, man was this great and so satisfying to watch. The atmosphere was electric especially after she completed her jumps. Her jumps were strong and her final 3F looked effortless. Her final spin reminded me of a record spinning - the rotations looked timed to the music tempo and the arm movement was cool. She’s not a lovely or delicate skater– she has a different charm, and it was wonderful to see that something different.

Marin Honda - This was devastating to watch because I wished the best for her after this season so far, and the crowd was so supportive. She seemed to start off well, but with her 3F-fall, and then 2A-step out, the performance felt incomplete - like she couldn’t express the casual confidence that the music called for. Her 3Lo2T at the end was good - you could feel her holding on until the end - and the entire audience cheered her on, but the atmosphere also felt like everyone was holding their breath. From my angle opposite the judges, at the end when she turned away from them for a moment, it looked like Marin was trying to keep her expression together, and my heart went out to her. People murmured in sympathy when the scores came out. Actually, the audience deserves a shout-out too. They clapped to encourage a skater after a fall, they knew what was a good score and what was a rough skate, I heard various times throughout the night people muttering “kibishii (strict/tough)” about the scores. It was a really supportive crowd. There was also this one dude who shouted his undying love for “Marin-chaaaan!” and other skaters. Rika Kihira - you can tell her skating skills aren’t as polished as Mai or Kaori, but it doesn’t mean she’s not smooth, and her jumps were so nice. Her 3F2T and 3Lz looked easy, and even though she fell in the program, her 3A was so cool to see. I prefer her FS, but I think this SP was a calming program skated well. When she was warming up on the ice while Marin was waiting for her score, Rika did a 1A and took off some tape from around a boot while skating around, then confirmed a 2A, took off tape from her other boot, and confirmed the jump again. I wonder if she felt she needed more room for her ankles to bend? The ladies next to me were talking to each other and the one I know hadn’t followed the season closely (she asked which skater was in which costume) commented to her neighbor prior to Rika’s skate “she’s mentally weak, isn’t she?” which… came across a bit dismissive. She had the reputation in the past - even as recent as last season - but this season she’s been pretty amazing and holding up under pressure. An aside, the following day I saw the newspapers, and rather than mention Satoko (4 time and defending national champion) leading in 1st after the SP, they had a huge picture of Rika and how she messed up to land in 5th. Talk about pressure.

(Not a picture of the newspapers, but this was one of those electronic advertisement signs in the lobby of Grand Front Osaka - a major high-class shopping mall in central Osaka. Taken that following Saturday.)

Yuna Shiraiwa - I love this program and how strange and fun it is. “A conductor… on a boat?” (her program is about riding a boat…but the music is “all aboard!” and has train whistles, so the interviews during the GP series were funny). Not the best skate, and there were moments where she didn’t connect with the music probably because of the jump mistakes, but overall it was a good skate to watch. The first jumping pass planned combo was done right in front of me and it was obvious that the landing on the first jump wasn’t secure, so she didn’t follow through with the combo. However, she went for it in the second half of her program and it looked like she made it– until she couldn’t hold the edge and fell. The audience all collectively made a noise of sympathy and then clapped for her gutsy effort. When the scores came out, and she was in 11th (with Satoko left to skate, meaning she would end up in 12th), people gasped and muttered about how strict and unexpected this turned out.

Satoko Miyahara - so powerful! I can’t explain how powerful this was live - I wouldn’t have thought I would call this program powerful, but it was. It was intense. The atmosphere near the end was like being in a trance as you watch something amazing unfold. That final bit of choreo, when the music swells, sent a chill up my spine. Then the final spin was so centered it looked unreal. Her jumps didn’t seem small live. They’re not huge like Kaori and Wakaba’s, but they were a decent size and she got the rotations in. She fills the entire rink skating-wise. During the 6 minute warmup she kept confirming her combo in the area in front of me. Near the end, she popped a jump, smiled sheepishly and then went around again and did it correctly. So seeing her skate clean was a relief and a joy. During her skate, there were some breathtaking moments where she used her arms and fingertips for the nuances of the music and it seemed so natural. It was on the right side of the rink going towards center (judges’ POV), I think right before a falling leaf, where she uses her arms and I was just in awe with how it captured the music.

Lots of people started leaving immediately after she hit her final pose, before the scores came out. They wanted to catch the train and bus before everyone started leaving, so I don’t blame them, but yeah. If you see that on a video, that’s why everyone left. To be fair, it was a backed up mess and they had to close the turnstiles when a certain amount of people got through until the next train arrived, so people were stuck outside in a huge blob as we waited to slowly make our way underground. It’s a 3-4 minute walk from the station to RACTAB dome, but on the way back it took 30 minutes to walk the final 100 ft to get underground. Even with both sides of the platform running the same way, it was a wait.

(This is before you get to the bridge that crosses over the busy street below...)

(...and this is at the very foot of the stairs on the other side of the street. That rectangle in the center of the photo is the entrance to the subway. Also, it started sparsely raining partway.)

Other stuff:

I got a program for 1500 yen and a large figure skating design tote bag for 2000 yen.

Only the arena seats (the ones right by the ice, opposite the judges) were allowed to throw flowers and presents. No banners were allowed to be hung, but you could bring a banner/poster to hold over your head.

There was one dude who LOVED Marin, and shouted how much he loved her and “we still love you!” and shouting to other skaters too, it was so great and the audience laughed at the guy.

The video screen didn’t show the green/yellow/red boxes or GOE calculations, or the I-Scope. We did see replays and slowmos, and the Kiss&Cry.

Random commercials while waiting for ice resurfacing - lots of Lotte Ghana commercials featuring Yuzu “OK, OK!” and the girls in the penguin suits drinking hot chocolate in a train and their respective stories. 

The latest Figure Skating Life magazine being sold, with a big poster of it taped to a pillar so everyone could see Yuzuru in his Origin costume and it could draw in customers. 

Some fancy flower arrangements you could throw for 7000 yen (or hand off to a flower girl I suppose). Smaller flower arrangements and single wrapped flowers were also on sale.

EDEA had their booth and you could see the Piano model of skates there. 

Another booth with other various skating goods and clothing for working out. 

On the booth selling programs, they had to tape a disclaimer stating that Yuzuru wouldn’t be competing.

You could bring in food and drinks from outside -- people literally bought food from the convenience store right across the street, and brought the bag in without hiding it at all.

Food was on sale in the venue, but I didn’t bother checking the prices.

#figure skating #laz talks #japanese nationals 2018 #jpnats 2018 #jpnationals2018 #satoko miyahara #kaori sakamoto #rika kihira #mai mihara #wakaba higuchi #yuna shiraiwa #rika hongo #marin honda #this was my first competition #after having tickets but not being able to go to ACI or the GPF #so i'll try my best to focus more when i'm at Worlds #so i can write good reports #fan report

[the-real-xmonster]

May I ask about Zhenya now? :P I am super happy for her, but did she really deserve 81 today? It wasn't her best performance imho.

Yes you can ask about her now, and thank you for waiting a day to do it :D I was very happy when I saw her score but also a bit shocked by the number she got. It was a great performance and she did very, very well to overcome the pressure and the stress and the Olympic nerves, but 81.06 was overkill. I think her TES was more or less fine. Minor complaints are that the StSq GOE was somewhat higher than I expected, and she shouldn’t have got more than +1 for her 2A - it was quite a shaky jump. On the PCS side, her SS and IN should by no means be as high as Carolina’s. I wouldn’t have gone beyond 9.5 for her PE, CO either. Overall I’d say it was a 77-78 point SP at most.

How did Satton Not hit 70?? Her jumps may have been under rotated but her PCS??? Robbed

Satoko’s PCS was baffling. I think she looked a bit slower and more tentative than usual on the ice during the first half of the program but she really picked up the pace and totally sold the latter half of it. Her PCS should be a lot closer to Janny and Carolina’s and especially should not be lower than Kaetlyn’s. 

Also, that random -3 she got on her 3Lo? That was pure WTF.

hi the thing I'm really curious is the strange kaetlyn's combo? what was that? 3-1-3? so in protocols it should be 3-1 ? 

No, the turns in between Kaetlyn’s jumps were not intended to be part of the combo. Skaters sometimes do that to set up the second jump when they do not have a secure enough landing on the first jump in their combo. It’s technically legal and does not reduce the Base Value of or invalidate a combo, so Kaetlyn’s element was still called a 3F+3T in the protocol. Such maneuver is treated as a jump error though, similar to, for example, a step out, or a hand down. Per ISU guideline there is a mandatory negative GOE of -2 that judges must applied to combos containing this error, which is officially called “2 three turns in between“.

@looktheresapurpleninja said:

i'm super attached to my url but i just saved a bunch of janny ones bc i love her so much, I kinda blame you

I am very happy to take this blame. Here, have another Janny gif:

I’m so happy I’m finally slowly becoming Janny’s fan! The SP today (team event) was breath-taking!! Hoping to see her do more versatile programs and different type of choreo next season

Yay, welcome to the Janny club! My wildest dream is next season she will adapt her EX Kukushka into a competitive routine. I mean, c’mon, she is already doing like 5 triples in there, it can’t be that hard to add a couple more, not for Janny anyway.

#replies #evgenia medvedeva #satoko miyahara #kaetlyn osmond

[the-real-xmonster]

In the course of collecting data for a bizarre ranking of the top 6 men, I accidentally made the following table:

Jump success rate of our top men up until end of the 2016-2017 season (source: skate DB). I’m leaving out the 2A because it’s rather irrelevant considering the current climate, also because for both Yuzu and Boyang the 2A  is a thing that hardly exists.

Some observations:

Since Yuzuru does have a bit of a reputation for being inconsistent, it was a rather pleasant surprise to find out that he actually has the best success rate on quads, and not by an insubstantial lead either: as much as 400bps over Javi in the second place. 

Yuzu’s lead of 82% on triples can be attributed almost single-handedly to his outstanding 92% on the Axel. It is a highly important jump, since everyone is required by rule to have at least one Axel each in both the short program and the free skate, and none of the other men in this group is anywhere close to his level on it.

Shoma’s success rate on the quad flip and the quad toe is about equal, and both nowhere near his quad loop (even though the 4Lo has limited data, based on only 2 attempts last season). Considering his high success rate on the 3Lo and 3S, I can now safely conclude that he’s much more of a natural edge jumper (was not too sure about this before).

Going by the data alone, the great reputation for the Javi quad Salchow seems a tad unfounded, but I should point out that this historical success rate is partially skewed by his earlier career. His quad Sal started to reach its full potential only from the 2013-2014 season onward.

A similar argument can be made for the Patrick quad toe loop, only the orientation needs to be reversed: his quad toe used to be a lot more stable up until Sochi, not so much after his break and return.

Boyang’s quad loop has only one recorded attempt (4CC ‘17). I find it fascinating that his quad Lutz actually has a higher success rate than his Salchow and toe. He really does need to control his landing better though, on both quads and triples. 

I finally can solve the mystery of the Nathan flip v Lutz. Flip is obviously a more reliable jump for him, both quad and triple. 

Going by jump success rate, the ranking is Yuzu - Nathan - Shoma - Patrick - Javi - Boyang. Current ISU World Standings have us at Yuzu - Shoma - Javi - Patrick - Boyang - Nathan (and actually Mikhail Kolyada in between Boyang and Nathan) so yeah, probably, it’s still figure skating, not figure jumping, after all.

#yuzuru hanyu #shoma uno #javier fernandez #patrick chan #boyang jin #nathan chen #figure skating #tech talk

[the-real-xmonster]

I don't get your fixation with Shoma's 4F. His take-off technique on it is the same as his 3F and you never demand downgrade on his 3F. Competition after competition, season after season it (3F) was acknowledged by tech panels as such and Shoma has never been given a feedback, that his flip technique has serious flaws. For years his flip was: good, good, good and now it has to be: wrong? Don't you think it's unfair to punish him *now* for something, that was accepted flip version for *years*?

Did I appear to be fixated on Shoma’s 4F? I guess I did. Well, here’s a close up of his triple flip takeoff then:

3A+1Lo+3F: GOE +2.57, World Championships 2017

And his quad loop:

4Lo: GOE +1.43, World Championships 2017

And his quad toe loop:

4T: GOE +2.29, Skate America 2016

While we’re at it, here’s also his recently debuted quad Salchow:

4S: GOE +0.80, Lombardia Trophy 2017

And his triple Axel, which IMO is his best jump:

3A: GOE +2.80, Lombardia Trophy 2017

What else do we have? Right, here’s his triple Lutz (???) to complete the set:

3Lz: GOE +1.00, Four Continents Championships 2017 

Might as well look at his triple toe loop:

3A+3T: GOE +3.00, World Championships 2017

And triple Salchow:

3S: GOE +1.40, World Championships 2017

And triple loop:

3Lo: GOE +1.00, Skate America 2016

I now have a full set of takeoff gifs available for all Shoma jumps, so I won’t have to keep recycling his 4F takeoff for future tech posts. Thank you! And based on those, I really ought to be demanding downgrade on everything except the Axel and maybe the Salchows.

As to why I like to bring up his 4F (aside from the fact that previously I was too lazy to gif his other jumps), it’s because:

Based on my observation, I’d say most of the time a skater’s jumping traits get accentuated when they move from the triple to the quadruple version of a jump. For example Yuzuru has this unusual habit of taking off for the loop from a left back outside edge, and it’s a lot clearer in his quad loop compared to his triple. For another example, Lutzes are always supposed to be done from an outside edge, but when Boyang takes off for his quad Lutz you’d see much more pronounced edge depth compared to his triple. Same goes for Shoma’s, his habit of picking with his edge instead of his toe and his pre-rotation both are a lot more noticeable in his quad flip, so that jump makes for better illustration when you want to analyze his flip technique.

The quad flip is an important jump, much more so than the triple flip. Its BV of 12.3 points makes it the second most valuable technical element currently attempted on the circuit. The difference between the BV of a fully rotated quad flip and a downgraded one is as much as 7.0 points. Add to that the mandatory minimum negative GOE of -2 for such downgraded jumps, or -1.4 after SOV conversion, and you have a gap of at least 8.4 points between a valid 4F and a cheated one. The difference between the Gold and Silver medal in the Men’s Singles at Helsinki earlier this year was only 2.28 points, and the difference between Bronze and 4th place, 2.39 points. I do like my post and my argument to have some bang for the buck (it’s my innate attention-seeking tendency, I do apologize if that’s annoying) so I choose to speak mostly about the 4F rather than the 3F. 

If you want to talk about what’s fair vs. unfair, I admit to being rather resentful on Nathan’s behalf that he didn’t get recognized as the first, and currently, the only skater in the world who can land a technically valid quad flip. And here I do have to bring in that gif, once again:

Shoma: GOE +1.14, World Championships 2017 || Nathan: GOE +2.43, Four Continents Championships 2017

Nathan’s takeoff: starting with a clean toe pick, he pushes off and leaves the ice fully before hitting 90 degrees of rotation. Number of rotations happening in the air: more than 3.75.

Shoma’s takeoff: the pick starts from his toe but then spreads all the way to the entire length of his blade as he continues to rotate on the ice for more than half a revolution. His body is off the ice fully only when his toe has rotated by approximately 270 degrees. Number of rotations happening in the air: 3.25 to 3.5. As I like to say, it’d take quite some stretch of the imagination to call this either a flip jump or a quad. Have another look at his “quad loop” above and see if you can tell, objectively, which one of those is supposed to be a toe jump and which one an edge jump.

P.S. To all the Shoma fans who will undoubtedly feel like pointing out to me how hard Shoma is working, or how he goes to Chicago for his jump training: I know, I am aware of that and I fully respect his effort. I am also aware that Shoma’s current strategy is to prioritize the quantity and variety of his quads, and I think it’s working out very well for him: he’s steadily becoming one of the most, if not the most consistent skater in the men’s field, which is a massive advantage especially during this important Olympic season. 

P.P.S. Being overscored is, by absolutely no means, a skater’s fault.

#Anonymous #replies #tech talk #shoma uno #nathan chen