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| World Championships 2005 Ladies - Free Program |
| The Disclaimer:
I am not infallible, I cannot guarantee not to have made any mistakes and since it’s impossible to mention everything, there are bound to be some omissions. If you have any comments, disagreements or corrections, feel free to contact me, I’ll appreciate any input. Since these reports are based on Eurosport TV broadcast, I can never be sure about the issues like speed or ice coverage. Some abbreviations I use: ‘coe’ = change of edge ‘held’ on jumps means the landing was just held, hung on to, so the flow out probably will be poor and free foot might be put down quickly ‘held’ on spirals and lifts refers to the CoP rules requiring the skaters to hold them for at least 3 seconds 'inverted' on camel spins means a position where the upper body is twisted ‘overrotated’ means turning out of the jump and putting the foot down, while ‘turned out’ means turning out of the jump, without the free foot touching the ice The reviews are arranged according to the starting order. Full results can be found by clicking on one of the links below: Ladies Free Program – Official Results Ladies - Final Standings 8. Jenna McCorkell /GBR/ 3loop 3lutz 3toe – over the toe, hangs on 1flip just stroking from jump to jump so far 1salchow sideways leaning spin - very few rotations, slow long set-up to 2flip/1toe/1loop flying camel to inverted serpentine spiral sequence – not all positions held 2axel/2toe camel to doughnut to catchfoot camel/sit holding leg/sideways/change sit to var I must have missed the steps somewhere Jenna had a good basic quality as usual and now it’s the time to do something with it and have her skate programs with more complex choreography and more transitions, since in that routine they were rather scarce. If I was her coach, I would be really angry for her for not going for it. Under CoP, popping the jumps is suicidal, it really is better to rotate them and fall or step out. Her goal here was to make the top 18 to qualify for the Olympics, but it didn't happen so she will have to compete in Karl Schaefer Memorial next Autumn to earn her spot. 9. Jennifer Kirk /USA/ 3flutz/2toe skating the whole length of rink into 3flip/2toe again, very long set-up into 2axel flying camel – quite slow 3loop – cheated, landed, then fell lots of stroking into serpentine spiral into 3toe skating the whole length of rink into 3salchow/2toe straight line step sequence – sideways leaning spin – slow whole length of rink of crossovers into 1salchow – foot down serpentine spiral sequence flying sit/Y – quite slow scratch butterflies/sit/sideways/change sit/Y – quite slow, slight travel on change of foot Heads at USFS should roll for their inability to introduce and teach CoP this season. This program was completely not suited to the new system with all elements, save spirals, at level one, almost no transitions, lack of choreography, just stroking from one jump into another. It seems incredible that a team of Caroll and Nichols created and gave green light to that program, especially that Kirk has proved that she is very capable of interpreting the music and selling her choreography, yesterday in the short program. 10. Anette Dytrt /GER/ 3lutz 3salchow/2toe 1.5flip – landed on two feet flying camel cautious entry into 3loop 3toe – off-axis, fall camel/sideways/sit/Y/upright – good serpentine spiral sequence – didn’t hold all positions 3salchow 2axel/2toe sideways leaning spin circular step sequence – lots of attack camel/sideways/change camel/sit/Y/upright Beautiful basic quality and although this program is not good as her short, there were some transitions and choreography and she seemed to be in control of her whole body, maintaining nice lines, moving it to the music and not staying stiff and moving her arms only, like most skaters. 11. Sarah Meier /SUI/ 3lutz/2toe/2loop 3flip into 3salchow flying camel – basic skating round into 3loop 2axel into sideways to catch – slightly travelling serpentine spiral sequence – level 3 but weak execution 3salchow – held, no flow out straight line step sequence – rotating both directions, slightly slow camel to catchfoot/sideways – quite slow long set-up into 3lutz – step out, hand down 3toe/turn/2toe camel/sit/sideways/catchfoot/upright finished behind music I have an impression that she has hardly improved at all since her successful appearance at Europeans in 2001. Basic quality and spins were slightly below average and although there was some decent interpretation in this program, she hasn’t really “matured” and the program looked rather junior-like. 12. Idora Hegel /CRO/ 3lutz/2toe/2loop 3flip 2axel flying camel to coe – didn’t fly 3salchow/2toe sideways leaning spin with catch – good serpentine spiral sequence – very poor extension 3loop 3toe – possibly cheated straight line step sequence – turning both directions, sold well long entry into 2salchow/1toe camel/sit/sideways/change sit/Y Poor basic skating and unfortunately she sacrificed the choreography this afternoon, and was just going from one jump to another for the large part of the program. During the Grand Prix series, the program looked great, and it’s a shame that she couldn’t present it here as well, as she was doing then. Fast spins but she really needs to improve the spirals, she has no flexibility at all. 13. Fumie Suguri /JPN/ long set-up into 3flutz/2toe – nice and soft 3flip 3toe/2toe choreography starts serpentine spiral sequence 3salchow – held flying camel to inverted position flying sit to coe 2flutz 3flip/2toe sideways leaning spin long set-up into 2axel straight line step sequence – good speed and flow camel to coe/sit/sideways/change sit/very fast upright Lack of transitions but nice interpretation, reacting to the music even when she is just skating into her jumps. An all-round skater with a beautiful quality of skating as well as on all the elements. Looking at her scores, now that the competition is over, I think she has been hard done by. I strongly believe that her component scores deserved to be one of the highest of the competiton. 14. Elena Liashenko /UKR/ 3lutz/2toe – strong 3flip – over the toe, lack of flow out into 3toe – lean, over the toe flying camel to inverted position to coe – quite slow sideways leaning spin – poor extension, changing position 1flip circular spiral sequence – with coe, positions just held 3salchow scratch butterflies into flying sit to coe 2.5 lutz – landed forwards straight line step sequence – 2axel flying camel/sit to coe/change camel(wobbly)/sit/sideways Spins and basic skating not of as nice a quality as Suguri’s. She didn’t interpret the music as well as at Europeans but she did a much better job, in this respect, than in the previous seasons. 15. Susanna Poykio /FIN/ 3salchow/2loop – beautiful 3lutz/2toe 3loop camel/sit/Y/change camel into doughnut/upright sideways leaning spin to catch 3flip/2toe – weak running edge 3toe circular step sequence – pattern possibly incomplete 2axel – slightly over the toe on landing flying camel/sit/Y 2flip serpentine spiral sequence flying sit Very fast across the ice, beautiful basic skating but as with most skaters, lacking transitions. Although I thought that her interpretation was better than at Europeans, she was just skating through the music a lot of the time. Skating gracefully but no really reacting to the powerful piece by Nino Rota, she has chosen for that routine. Her rotation on spins was slower, compared to most the girls in the top half. 16. Elena Sokolova /RUS/ 3lutz/2toe/2loop 3lip – very deep outside edge, Simon called it as lutz, possible touchdown 3salchow(over the toe)/2toe sideways leaning spin with catch – good extension 1lutz – foot down camel to doughnut serpentine spiral sequence – ended with back bielmann held long 3loop into 3toe – possibly cheated camel/sit/sideways/change sit/catchfoot/upright – very slow on catchfoot circular step sequence – powerful music overshadowing her and she seems completely off-beat 2axel – over the toe flying sit/fi upright Comparing this directly to Poykio who came just before, it seems extraordinary that the judges are giving higher components to Sokolova. Her stroking was poor, she seemed to have been off-beat throughout most of the performance, and on some jumps the free foot was very close to the ice. 17. Julia Sebestyen /HUN/ 3flip – huge 3lutz – pulled 2loop – messy flying camel to doughnut 2salchow/turn/2toe sideways with catch 3lutz/1toe – hand almost touched on lutz serpentine spiral sequence 2toe 1axel into 1axel combination spin with coe into doughnut into catchfoot at end serpentine step sequence – flying camel into catchfoot A total meltdown and to nail the coffin, she didn’t present the program well at all. If performed as choreographed, this is a great routine, suiting her strengths perfectly, but you wouldn't noticed it today. 18. Joannie Rochette /CAN/ 3toe/3toe 3lutz – turnout with toe pick touching stroking into and out of ina bauer and later Russian splits 3loop – hand and foot down 2axel camel – basic and quite slow 3lutz – fall 3flip – fall camel to inverted/sit/sideways/change sit/Y sideways leaning spin fell entering serpentine spiral sequence, got up and stroked half of rink into one spiral 3salchow/2toe diagonal step sequence flying camel to bent leg The problem with that program isn’t just that there is even more plain stroking into elements, than most other ladies do, but that she only interprets the music in slow, posing sections and not while skating. Great combination to start with and a very gutsy combination to finish, considering the meltdown in between. She knew what she was capable of and after very good results this season, the pressure must have been very high, and she just wasn’t able to live up to it. But that’s an important learning experience and I’m sure she will be able to build on it next year. 19. Michelle Kwan /USA/ 2axel out of nowhere 3flip/2toe/2loop – weak landing on loop and foot down quick 3lutz/2toe scratch butterflies into flying sit 3lip camel – basic 3salchow – underrotated, fall flying camel/sit/Y camel/sit/Y/change sit/fi upright – insecure last position serpentine spiral sequence: coe, owen (not held), V 3flutz – double-footed 3toe/2toe – over the toe and no flow out on either jump straight line step sequence – good interpretation A general impression was exactly the same as after the short program. This is dated, belonging to the past era, and not suited to the new system very well. Lacking transitions, skating from one jump to another, and until the straight line steps at the end, there wasn’t much interpretation either. Furthermore her basic skating either got worse, or the others just improved, because it didn’t stand out, like it used to, anymore. I don’t think that Kwan is over yet but she will have to work very hard if she’s to think of challenging for a gold medal at Olympics next year. 20. Carolina Kostner /ITA/ 3flip/3toe/2loop 3lutz/2toe – scratchy landing 3loop straight line step sequence – detailed, turning both directions flying sit serpentine spiral sequence 2loop 2axel/half-loop/3salchow – almost had the salchow but stepped out 3toe camel into counter-clockwise camel to doughnut camel to illusion camel/sit/change camel to catchfoot/upright some footwork 2axel – turn out with toe-pick down She attacked the program and, unlike Europeans or last Worlds, kept fighting until the end. The program was also presented much better, than at any other competitions I’ve seen this season. Big question mark, however, over putting three spins one after another in the last section of the program. This is not balanced choreography. She should develop her own distinctive style now because those "flowery" programs are not doing much for her. I was surprised that her components were as high as they were. 21. Sasha Cohen /USA/ 3flip/2toe – I haven’t seen the outside edge at all 3flip/2toe/2toe 3loop flying camel/sit/catchfoot – slow 3lutz – turnout, very messy, hand just stayed off 3toe into 3salchow – step out 2axel sideways leaning spin to catch serpentine spiral sequence: coe, owen 3salchow into circular step sequence – flying sit into var camel to coe/sit var/sideways/change sit to var/Y Another program full of stroking into jumps and lacking transitions but, other than maybe Suguri, possibly best interpretation so far, consistently reacting to the music throughout this routine. I am sure that on the protocols the flips and lutzes will be called differently but I just wrote down what I saw. 22. Shizuka Arakawa /JPN/ catchfoot spiral into 3lutz/2loop 3salchow/3toe – toe cheated and downgraded 3lutz flying camel to doughnut 2loop – lean, over the toe ina bauer into 2toe – messy, landed on wrong foot catchfoot spiral into 2lutz/2toe/2loop serpentine spiral sequence 3toe sideways leaning spin with catch camel to doughnut straight line step sequence – difficult camel to doughnut/sit/change camel(wobbly)/sit/sideways with catch/sit/Y Didn’t have an axel type jump, which is required, so the triple toe at the end of her program was not counted. Spins were difficult but quite slow. Even more than in the short program, she was completely overshadowed by the music and there was hardly any interpretation at all, I though that most of the girls in the final two flights were better in that respect so the component marks seemed to reflect her last year’s gold medal more than anything else. I assume that the second triple lutz was scheduled to be a flip but she didn’t hold an outside edge at all so I would call it as a lutz. 23. Miki Ando /JPN/ 3lutz/3loop 3salchow 3flip – had it, then step out, hands down flying camel to inverted to coe 3loop off three-turns sideways to catch serpentine spiral sequence – held nicely 3lutz – on the slow-motion it looked cheated flying camel to inverted to coe/sit/L diagonal step sequence – lots on one foot and turning both direction, stumbling at the end charlotte into 3toe/2toe – foot down after the double 2axel camel/sit/sideways/change sit to var to coe/Y/fast upright Very strong jumps and an extremely difficult entry into the triple toe combination, but still looking like a junior skater, lacking interpretation, the “overall package”. 24. Irina Slutskaya /RUS/ 3lutz/3loop 3salchow/2loop/2toe 3loop from three-turns flying camel to inverted to coe to doughnut 3loop/2loop from three-turns layback into bielmann serpentine spiral sequence: coe/back – all in bielmann 3flip 3toe – just flying sit into doughnut into bielmann/fi upright – slow last position 2axel straight line step sequence – slow, seems tired camel/sit/sideways to catch to bielmann/change camel to doughnut Hard to believe that such an experienced and well prepared to the new system competitor could make such a mistake, but she repeated the loop three times, which meant the got zero points for the third loop, in combination with a double. Even with that error, the kind of superior skate she produced was enough to win in any case. This was probably a performance of her life, landing the triple lutz/triple loop combination for the first time in years. I thought she could have sold it better and she seemed to have run out of steam towards the end, but that’s understandable considering the physical effort landing all those jumps took. The quality of her jumps was easily the best of the night with huge elevation and strong landings, and nobody could match her on the difficult of the non-jump elements. Overall, a clear winner. |