Missed the start.....Not sure where I picked it up ....Susanne Stadlmuller
is in Kiss and Cry.....marks of 4.5-4.8 for tech.....4.8-5.1 for
presentation. she's second overall.

final skater in this group is Karen Venhuizen NED
Variations by Andrew Lloyd Webber.....dark dress with one sleeve.....kinda
dark purple...music of the night.....turns out of 3loop....can't hold the
landing.....back spiral....double sal....flying camel......slow......but
ended with the music......all I ask of you......3toe double toe very
good!...lovely spiral,a again with the music....ina bauer which was also
nice, good arch....back spiral again.....2ax....music speeds.....circular
step as Joanne calls the program junior....double
flip.....layback....travels...double footed on double toe..Dont cry for me
argentina...another jump opened in midair and doublefooted...spins and she
looks tired.....sit spin change sit...to upright with leg in
front....crossfoot spin and she's done. ...J&C each sing the song of lack of
pizzazz and memories of times when you want the ice to swallow you.....
marks....3.8-4.4.....4.1-4.5....she's tenth.

This is the halfway point......top two groups are still to go...Alisa Drei
is 8th now, Zoe Jones is 6th, Vorobieva 12th Hegel 11th.....

Soldatova has withdraw from the next group.....Slutskaya goes last of
all....

Nicky and newboy are in the studio...Zoe Jones GBR got 4.0-4.5 for tech,
4.2-4.6....they agree that she did well but Nicky feels she just needs more
attack.

Group three are warmed up and ready to go....

Sylvia Fontana ITA
And you all know that I love this girl! Which usually spells disaster for
most people, but there you have it. Sparkley dress...with blue and green
flames going up it...Time to saygoodbye....lutz.....and she puts an hand
down...leaning on it.....clean on the triple flip...although there wasn't
much height.....better on the toe!....spiral....great choice of music for
her says Joanne....double footss the second lutz and turns out of
it....spins incl catch foot half biellman.....running steps
backwards...steps into double toe....clean double axel and a gorgeous
layback.....she stands and the crowd holler.....lovely spural in Y
position.....into baiul catch spiral....doubles the sal......butterflies
into flying sit which was centred and quite low.....double sal
.....camel...to layback...change sit...to galindo spin.....and she's done!
And she looks tired and she shakes her head....just couldn't find the triple
jumps. That being said, she gave it all she had and it was lovely to
watch....she's a beautiful skater, she's still shaking her head as she comes
off the ice. Chris calls the position of her right leg on the lutz and
flip...it's way higher than it is on the toe and that's what causes her
problems he reckons. He continues by talking about how the second mark will
go up. ..
marks...4.5-4.8...4.7-5.1....she's in second overall. 5th on the free and
she's not happy. at all.

Galina Maniachenko UKR
Who I believe had a great short. She's 8th. In a kinda jungly
costume....tassles galore.....brown orange gold sparkles.....she turns out
of the triple lutz but landed it clean.....triple loop was clean...she's
flying around the ice....drums begin to beat....tribal vocals....down hard
on the 3flip....flying camel.....illusion spin on the exit...triple toe and
she falls off it.....layback which is really fast....Zoe Jones is in the box
with Chris and they mention about the heat and the lights....as she does a
back spiral in the biellman....more steps....triple flip, turn turn to
2toe....2sal....stands and steps....straight line
step.....2ax....2toe...with linking steps betweenn...combo spin...camel to
sit to layback change foot to galindo spin which looks ugly...more spins and
shes done. Heya Heya by Oliver Shanti is the music (although more than
likely not the spelling)
marks....4.5-4.9....4.5-5.4...3rd on the free...in the lead overall.


Elina Kettunen FIN
Pea green dress. Ugly colour. Which doesn't suit her. Music is Reflections
of Passion by Yanni a piece I personnally love.....nice steps to
start....she nails the 3lz2toe..long wait for the lutz.....triple loop just
falls off it...and she waited to wind it up....steps...triple flip.....and
that was lovely...plenty of elevation....triple toe...into flying
camel....have I mentioned that I love this music? lutz....yes! nailed it
bang on time! Nice layback too.....this is great!...spiral...extenstion!
please! back spiral biellman....brutal musical edit ....double sal....coach
applauds as she passes....single axel....heats getting to her....camel to
sit to biellman...to camel....with bent up leg......steps....double axel
good girl! into flying sit and she's done! I really really enjoyed
that.....Chris thinks she felt the pace and heat in the second half of the
routine....she's in 9th at the moment and wants to stay in the top ten....
marks....4.8-5.2....4.6-5.3...she's in the lead right now on the free and
overall.

Confirmation that Soldatova BLR has retired due to injury.

Sabina Wojtala POL
Polish national champion.....black dress with sparkley curliques...Rhapsody
on a theme by Paginini......that dress is most unflattering.....and she
pops the lutz to a single....doubles the flip..flying camel with travel
galore.....15th in short, 3rd in qual.....lutz..and she pops it to another
single. Consistent in practice weeps Zoe.....has the bad short wrecked her
confidence?....nice layback...fast and centred.....spiral....more
spirals....double axel....triple loop...biellman......hop and lunge and hop
and lunge.....and she's down on the triple toe......stop as the music speeds
and changes......circular step.....double sal.....doublefoots the triple
sal.....sit change sit...and she's done. One of those days says Chris and
that just left me cold....there wasn't a lot between the jumps as far as I
could see, and there wasn't a lot of those either.
marks... long long wait....4.0-4.4...and Chris mentions that the program
wasn't well constructed artistically....4.0-4.7.....she's 8th overall but
dropping.

Julia Sebestyn HUN
Glass Mountain SDTK from Nina Rota.....white dress with blue and white
flamey things on the front and back.....huge and flying 2ax.....huge 3lz
2toe.....steps...triple flip ...striaght in to a triple toe....flying camel
as Joanne raves about the quality of the jumps and quite right
too.....spiral step....including ina bauer where legs weren't nearly arched
enough.......triple something which wasn't the best.....steps into a triple
lutz.....layback where her skate touches her head....triple sal....flying
sit...to butt spin....run!....triple toe.....camel to sit to butt spin..
change foot into a biellman....and she's done. That was great and she pumps
her fists....covers her face.....she was great!.she's 11th at the
moment......look at the height on those jumps!...Chris mutters something
about cats and pigeons....
marks....5.3-5.6.....as Chris talks of the strength of Hungarian figure
skating...she was second in nationals behind Tamara Dorofieva, and Diana
Poth was third. Cue brief exerpt of the ballad of the love of Diana from
Chris...I was wondering when he'd get to that.....5.2-5.5 for presentaion
and a row of firsts heading into the final group.

FINAL GROUP!

Sarah Meier SUI
Wearing an orange dress....with sparkles....not sure about the colour
though. Music is from Miss Saigon....I love it already!....huge 3lz
2toe.....triple flip....into a triple toe......flying camel........hand down
on the 3loop and she was a long time waiting on it.....spiral.....just
dropping the hip on 3lz and not holding the landing....layback
spin.....double axel....triple sal....not much height.....camel to
layback..to sit....change half biellman as the crowd clap....Joanne exhorts
her to sell it....triple toe...from steps...split jump...more steps...flying
sit which travels but she gets it back and she's done!....A rare talent
Chris calls her...I must say, that didn't seem like 4mins long! Chris tips
her for greatness. Joanne calls it excellent but isn't sure that it's enough
for bronze, Chris agrees citing the strength of the Russians. She was 16th
last year in Vienna....4th in JGP finals, won Czech skate, second in
Nebelhorn, bronze in St Gervais.....not a bad season. A pretty good one I'd
say!
marks..5.0-5.4....4.9-5.4...second on free behind Julia but first overall.

Maria Butyrskaya RUS
And on with the roars!...Nice white dress...halter necked, with straps X-ing
at the back....sparkles on the bodice....17 Moments in Spring (Russ
sdtk)....lutz was double footed with 2toe at the end....nailing the
3flip...that was great she flew into it....flying camel......well
centred....as she pauses....steps..builds speeds...triple toe half loop
triple sal and she's down on the sal.....she's taken some bad falls says
Joanne.....and she gets the lutz!....such a fighter says Chris as the
layback spin travels 6miles or so.....leaning on the loop and she falls off
it and she's down again.....lovely program says Joanne but it;s not looking
good...spiral is fantastic, now that's what I call extenstion!.....I just
feel from her that her hearts not in it....alhtough she nailes the loop and
double axel so what do I know?...flying sit....very nice position and speed
on the sit....slides across the ice on one knee.....up and into a combo
spin....including a half biellman to finish. And "oh well" is written all
over her face. Chris calls it a gutsy performance.....she doesn't just fall
Joanne says, she really goes for it! She calls Maria's fall the worst she's
seen all week......and that was a bad fall on the triple sal!....and the
loop never looked on....
marks...such a pity says Chris.....5.2-5.6...2
5.6s....comeon!....5.5-5.....2 have her second the rest first. She leads at
the moment.

Viktoria Volchkova RUS
Angelic white dress....although there's nothing angelic about the amount of
cleavage that it exposes. Free Choice is the music.....and woah! Where's the
back of that dress??? she crawls into a 2ax but nails
it.....3lz2toe....flying camel.....nicely done....and she pops the
flip...nails the 3toe....female begins to wail on the music....wonder if
it's Maria......spiral steps including a nice spreadeagle.....3loop with a
long wait.....layback....she stops, looks heavenward....builds up speed
again....double flip....leaning on the sal and had to work the landing but
its a triple and it counts.....camel to sit...to layback to half biellman
change and combo....moves across for an upright spin , scratch spin and
she's done. It wasn't flawless said Chris...will that be enough to hang onto
bronze and make it three in a row? He thinks it will beat Maria, Joanne
isn't sure...she thinks it lacked in between the jumps....I've given up
trying to call this sport. We;ve just seen the lutz again and it was just a
monster!...she's been struggling with tendonitis at the beginning of the
season...no sign of it there.
marks....5,1-5,7....she's gonna be 3rd onthe free.....5.1-5.7....second
overall behind Butyrskaya, with Meier in bronze. so far.

Vanessa Gusmeroli FRA
Looking fantastic it must be said, in a dark red dress....totally no
back....sequins on the bodice but well spaced out.....she looks up as the
music starts...slow build up....hand down on the 3lz....pops the loop
badly..didn't wait long enough on the takeoff.....triple flip and she's deep
on thelanding and turns out...nails the toe<?>,...doublefooted on the triple
sal.....flying camel...goes into leaning position on it......drums begin to
beat......circular step.....piano starts up....slow step sequence....steps
into a doublefooted triple lutz, short on rotation and she's all but
down.....spirals....including an inside spreadeagle into layback...nice
layback position....she pops the 2ax badly...and she does it again and does
the same....combo spin to finish.....what a shame says Chris. Oh dear me.
That's the way she's been in training all week we're told...the short came
out of nowhere but this is how it's really been. 5triples in qualifying, not
all perfect.
marks...4.2-4.8...I'm wincing but I don't know why I'm surprised. She
doesn't want to look. 4.5-5.1...she's 7th overall with 2 to go.

Elena Liashenko UKR
This is the girl who nearly fell on her spiral in the short. No, I kid you
not. 5th going into the free Another white dress....and pinkily pink
lipstick. That's not a nice dress.....pale white netting and white flamey
inserts....triple lutz (df?) to start, 2toe loop combo......and she pops the
flip to an open single...nails the triple toe.....steps..speed...and she
underrotated the triple loop and it's doublefooted.....flying camel...music
changes and she smiles at the judges....spiral in catch foot postion...a
couple of them, each on opposite feet...upright spin....Joanne waffles about
the great musical interpretation...triple sal was
fabulous....layback...triple lutz and it was clean....straight line
step.....doublefooted the 3flip..into 2ax clean as a whistle.....fantastic
fast combo spin to finish. Tremendous shouts Chris. now...if she beats
Volchkova on the free, and they both think she will, she can win the bronze
medal. Chris does the math, I type. I'm gonna trust him. The second lutz was
crucial they agree....bravery of the triple flip at the end, what with the
heat and all.
marks.....she won bronze in Euros in 95.....5.0-5.4...it's not gonna
happen....5.2-5.6....3 have her first but she's 3rd overall. with one to go.
0.2 behind Volchkova.


Irina Slutskaya RUS
Fabulous dress. Nice dark red, which suits her. Amrs are kinda netty....wide
red threads the same as the dress and sparkles in a nice way? ...Don
Quixote.....crowd clap from the start!...double lutz......triple sal double
loop....flying camel.....change of music to slow part.....double flip!.what
the heck is going on here??? flying camel.....triple loop......no problem
there.....spiral....she has a lovely back spiral too.....triple flip and she
needed that!....triple lutz!...layback spin aside from the movement on it is
the best we've seen as regards postion and speed....triple toe.....double
axel ....steps...circular step ...30secs left.....crowd right behind
her......camels pin to sit to layback..to biellman change......to biellman
on other foot...and she's done! She kinda looked a little emm...err.. at
the end there....I'm pretty sure she's done enough. On the down side she
doubled two jumps. On the upside, she didn't fall, great spins and artistry
and she's skating last. Joanne and Chris seem to have gone momentarily
because Nicky is here talking.....she looked at ease he says...will know she
didn't have to do too much to win. That much is true. Balance of the whole
routine is wonderful...
marks....5.5-5.8....5.6-5.8....unamimous decision, first across the board.

So. top 11.....Sluteskaya, Butyrskaya Volchkova Liashenko Meier Sebestyen
Kettunen Maniachenko Gusmeroli Giunchi (ITA) Fontana.