A Prievew of tonight's long program...

A preview of tonight’s Long program…my predictions and such regarding the contenders:




Mirai Nagasu, USA: This girl has the most amazing spins. In the short program she spun so fast that she actually gave herself a nosebleed. That’s rather impressive. She does not however have a triple triple combo, and she has a tendency to cheat the landings of her jumps. To really have a chance to contend for the podium, she’d have to upgrade her difficulty level and her GOE for each element. Her layback spin should be in the USFSA manual as a textbook example of perfection. I don’t think she’ll medal. But if she’s around in 4 years…she’ll be hard to beat.



Mao Asada, Japan: The only woman in the competition who has a triple axel—impressive, but as I’ve said before jumps aren’t everything. She does have more of the whole package than others, but her spins are very slow—very slow. Her footwork is also a bit weak.. In order for her to beat Kim YuNa, she’s going to have to step up her spins. She has good base values for her elements, but needs to increase her GOE.



Kim Yu Na, Korea: Gotta love the James Bond program. This girl is a star and she knows it. Coached by Brian Orser of Canada. Her triple triple combination blows any one else’s jumps out of the water and her spins are beautiful. She’s fast…really fast. The speed of her skating and footwork is very impressive. Additionally, she has character and power on the ice…she doesn’t look terrified, but rather seems to really flirt with the audience. She plays to the audience even in the short program, where the other ladies seem to be trying to get a job done. She will most surely win the gold unless something goes terribly wrong. She set the world record for a short record score. She really is *that* good.



Joannie Rochette, Canada: Tear Jerker story—her mom died suddenly on SUNDAY and this woman somehow summons the courage to take the ice and not only does she make it through her program, she kicks ass and is sitting in 3rd place. You could feel the audience behind her, but her skate was beautiful. She’s got great jumps and spins and fantastic maturity. With an increase in Difficulty she could challenge for the gold, but as it stands, I think she will win the bronze if she can repeat her performance from the short. It would be a triumph should she be able to do so.



Rachel Flatt, USA: What a great short program! Full of energy and character. I really expected her to be much more nervous, but she did so well. She needs to not cheat her landings to prevent GOE deductions if she wants to make the podium, but otherwise, she’s really very skilled and could challenge for a medal with a clean free skate tonight.



Miki Ando, Japan: Overall, an odd program, but her jumps are not clean and she won’t have a chance at the podium unless she lands them cleanly. I’m surprised she’s ranked as highly as she is, but she’s only 9 points ahead of Rachel Flatt, so it’s not that big of a difference.



So, tonight, if they all skate cleanly, this is how it will shake down:



1. Kim YuNa



2. Mao Asada



3. Joannie Rochette



However, if all hell breaks loose and there are falls and upsets, this is how it could be



1. Mao Asada



2. Kim YuNa



3. Rachel Flatt











Let’s also take a moment for realism. There are 30 ladies in the short program, 24 in the long. The reality of the Figure Skating world is that there are fewer than 100 top level skaters on the planet at any time. There are probably 100 little girls at my own rink who think they are the next Michele Kwan, and honestly only one of them has the potential to compete on a national stage, much less internationally. It’s a tough sport—physically and emotionally and the fact that these teenage girls and young adult women even make it to the Olympic stage is nothing short of amazing. I wish that NBC would do more to show all of the programs or at least tell more of the stories of these athletes who work so hard...not just the ones that can medal.

Frustrated

I skated today...it was icky. I just feel so out of shape on the ice especially with all these kids around me. it's frustrating. I'm doing fine...I'm landing my jumps and making progress on my spins...even my damn back spin...I just get frustrated.

Olympic Commentary

So... Here are my comments about the figure skating I've seen thus far.




Pairs:



The pairs short program was VERY impressive. The CHinese team of Shen/Zhao performed nearly flawlessly and the program was beautiful. I was somewhat disturbed by the German team of Savchenko/Szolkowy and the send in the clowns number. But when we got to the long program? I was so disappointed. NO one seemed to have brought their a-game for the night. Pang/Tong skated beautifully, but they seem to not have the passion of the other chinese team.



I also don't understand why Synchronized skating isn't an olympic event...what we do is not that different from pairs and we have to keep 12-20 people in unison instead of just 2.



I was however, very pleased to see a no Russians/Soviets/Former Soviets on the podium. Their monopoly on pairs has lasted 42 years, and it was time for it to go. This is actually GOOD for figureskating.



The scoring:



Gee...thanks french judge. Due to the scoring mess at Salt Lake...we have a new convoluted scoring system. It's extremely hard to explain, but basically, they start with a base score for planned elements and then either add or subtract points based on the execution of said element. The subtraction makes sense, but I have yet to understand how they add. It's very confusing. There are not, however, any more ordinals. I DO Like that. But the new system places so much emphasis on the skill itself and very little on artistry or interpretation. So, if a skater can throw a quad-triple combo, they don't have to have any artistry. I think this is going to hurt the overall beauty of the sport. Plus, the quad is wicked dangerous as is the triple axel. Not sure that danger over artistry is what figure skating is supposed to be about. For example a landed quad-triple combo will net 13 points, but a well executed triple triple gets you 9. It encourages poor execution in favor of just getting it done.



And now, in preparation for tonight's Men's final, Here is where we stand as far as the scoring and such thusfar.



1. Plushenko: He should have stayed retired. He's such an ass on the ice. He has said more than once that he doesn't care about the artistry of the sport, he's just there to throw the biggest jumps as fast as he can as hard as he can and rack up the points so that artistry doesn't matter. And of course, that's exactly what he did in the short. He looked like he rolled out of bed, threw on a unitard and came to just throw a quad and show the world he's the best jumper there is. Yes, he is. BUt the rest of his skating is SO ugly. It's a shame.



2. Lysachek: I did not like his outfit. Black uni, black skates, black feathers, black gloves, black hair...it was just too much black. Evan is proof that you do NOT need a quad to be competitive. He's only .55 behind Plushenko and did not do a quad. WHat he DID do is have exceptional artistry, and excellent footwork and spins (still not Lambiel quality, but very good). His program was engaging...beautiful to watch and the choreography was actual choreography--not just steps between required elements. He did NOT allow Plushenko to slam dunk the competition like happened in Torino. I hope he does well tonight.



3. Takahashi: A very well done program, but overall again, unexciting. He did NOT do a quad, which I respect. And even without the quad he is only .6 behind Plushenko. HIs artistry does help quite a bit, but I'm still not all that excited about his skating. He did nothing that made me want to stop and look.



4. Oda: I did not see his program...and I rewound my DVR and couldn't find it...so I either missed it, or it wasn't that exciting and I can't even remember it. Either way...I'm not sure how he's in fourth especially over Lambiel and Weir. I don't think he will be on the podium tonight unless he can put together something memorable.



5. Lambiel: This is the guy that I wish would win the whole thing. I think the attempt of his quad is what messed him up the most. But this guy...his footwork and his spins are the best in the world. He skated to the William Tell Overature and I think I stopped breathing when he was going. He was just freaking amazing. HIs artistry and his ability to do the WHOLE of figure skating, not just throw jumps is what makes him amazing. I hope he does well tonight and at least makes it onto the podium.



6. Weir: God he's just so weird. I loved his outfit, but I wanted it for myself...it had a pink tassel. He is a beautiful skater, but he always feels a bit like Johnny Depp on skates to me. His program was very well done, and He is very entertaining. HIs jumps are weak, but the rest of his skating is solid and technically beautiful. Plus, I love how freaking flamboyant he is. He's such a girl! I love it!



As far as the non-contenders,



Amodio Florent: (currently in 11th): His program was beautiful. He had no deductions, but he also had no quad, which is unfortunate because his skating is very moving. He was really enjoyable to watch. The canadians were disappointing on their home ice...theoretically Patric Chan could medal, but it would take a perfectly executed quad and a great deal more passion than he showed. Brian Joubert was a huge disappointment and watching him actually give up on the ice and half-ass his program was an insult to the olympic spirit. Kevin vand der Perren's outfit was just freaking bizzarre--a skeleton outfit---in GLITTER! Weird. HIs foot work and spins were so weak...I mean REALLY weak...like...some of my spins might actually be better kind of weak. Jeremy Abbot, the US champion, was pretty disappointing. He singled his axel and doubled his lutz which completely destroyed his chances of even making the top 10. It's sad.





And then some other random comentary:



I HATE that many of the men are wearing gloves. I don't understand it. It's kind of silly looking.



One of the pairs teams...the girl didn't fix her hair...she just shoved it back in a messy bun/scrunchie thing. I mean come on, you're at the freaking olympics! Fix your hair.



I'm tired of people using "Zorba the Greek" as their music. Not an olympics goes by without at least 1 person using it.



Spin positions: There is a difference between "innovative" and just plain weird. Just because you CAN put your foot over your head and clean your ear with your toepick does not mean that it's a pretty position for spinning. Just saying.



Soooooo my opinion:



Best jumping: Plushenko

Best artistry: Lysachek

Best spins: Lambiel

Best footwork: Lambiel

Most "flair": Weir



So.... if I were to get my wish, it would be Lysacheck, Lambiel and Weir on the podium. But of course Plushenko will be there.