Once again, the half eleven highlights program. Starting at 11.45...gotta
love punctuality.

Chris tells us that both qual groups were of a low standard...read, a
splatfest.

Galina Maniachenko UKR
21, one of the few who went clean...Schindlers List...nice pale blue
dress....lutztriple double toe....inabauer on the way out...very graceful
skating...stepstriple flip...steps not going into it..flyinfg camel....hands
joined behind her back....rounds she goes...spiral....v close to
judges...nice back spiral but not holding the positions for long....axeland
she leaned on that and had to put a hand down...layback...legs very close
together, joined at the ankle, perfect centering though...streps....on the
daigonal....into a camel to sit laybackchange camel cathc foot camel and
seh's done....and that was lovely. Very pretty, very smooth, very clean
skating....kept it simple and elegant....nicky thinks that there was a
rhythm in the steps before the flip, but I'm with Chris, I thought there was
a big long pause there....and he tells us that she did a lutz really because
she changed edge....very strong skater, were it not for the mistake on the
flip..,nicky points that the diag step was all on the same foot...kpet it
going well....
marks that's dmitri dmitrenko with her...i'm sure that's who it
is....5.0-5.5...Chris tells us she skated pairs until they had an accident
and her partner cut her face... 5.3-5.8. in first at the moment

Sylvia Fontana ITA
And you all know I love this girl! Black dress, flowers in front of it,
red/orange sparkley trhings...ponytial in her hair...another cha cha is the
music...and she starts vamping right away...and great flow across the
ice...triple lutz double toe....and that was great...she's got a very high
wrapped free leg, but she didn't get it wrong there....and neitehr on the
flip! that wa sgreat! great movement tot he music....and theaxel is clean!
yes! fabulous position in layabck but it does travels...and she stops and
now it's sell baby sell....dacning on cetnre ice....crwod get into it and
seh's doing her steps circular and she's having a ball...big smil...stars
into sa flying sit.....much better centering....came up early chris
says...rounde she goes...spirals....fantastic....great flexibiltiy....camel
half bieelllamn...laybacj change to shotgun...and she's done! and she is
dancing and in tears! that was great! loved it! lots of travel on the spins
but wehn seh's jumping up and down on the ice like that, big beaming smile,
do you tihnk I care? do you think I care? And once more C&N go on about the
American infuence on her skating - as regards her whole look and her
presentation and her spirals, I totally agree.....good girl good girl! and
she lived every moment of that program! Chris talks about her high free leg,
which will knock her down...but who cares??? Chris makes a comment about
waterproof mascara...and I'd have this in front of Galina.
marks 5.0-5....chris tells us they reflect the jumping tech...5.3-5.6...4 1,
a 2, a 5, 2 6ths and a 7th!
for me she was first! loved it!

Viktoria Volchkova RUS
Wow! Her hair is up her makeup is done, her dress is black and sparkley with
buits of red, her music is MOonlight Sonata.....sleeveless, with long black
half sleeves....lots of speed...3lz 2toe...huge and she made it look
easy....very long limbed and elegant looking...triple flip looked like it
had a little lean but no, she got it...camel spin...well centred....around
she goes....spiral and look at the extension.....point your toe on that one
irly.....and arch your back on the ina bauer...2ax...layback...travels all
over the ice but gets it back....not sure about the position of her legs but
I'm picky.....circular steps....good flow along the ice...camel yo layback
change sit to shotgun spin...crossfoot and she's done, hands over head. And
there's your leader says Chris and I cna't dispute it. I may have loved
Sylvia more, but technically that was better. Jumps were huge, effortless
and Chris is lauding hte speed which of course, we don't get here on
tv...nicky praises the running edges as Chris writes sonnets about her
ankles...and no I'm not making that up, soemthing about how they're soft yet
strong....textbook stuff he calls it....she's looking well I must say. Never
seen her better
marks 5.5-5.8....3 bronze medals at Euros....5.4-5.7...Nicky makes fun of
the 5.4 from judge no 1...

Maria Butyrskaya RUS
And she's in blue. Deeper blue than Galina, see through on top, but with
blue nad mauve flowers to preserve her modesty...tune of the white knights
so of course she's wearing blue....steps to begin...flip....not much running
edge? ....triple lutz double toe, late getting the free foot around on the
lutz, even later on teh toe...flying camel....nicely centred.....axel was
fine....allows a litte smile....turns on the ice in her steps....into camel
to layback change sit with teavel to half biellamn....back spiral....spiral
with bent leg and that was n't meant.....back spiral with grabbing skate
blade....layback.....travels towards the end....and she's done. And it was
lovely, but it didn't have the oomph of Volchkovas for me....there was
something missing, even if as nicky says she is very elegant with great
arms. He comments on her flow across the ice, not the same as Volchkovas and
I agree. But you can't deny her presence onthe ice. I'm just thinking, and
its a personal thing, that this is the same program I've seen from her for
the last god knows how many years....different music but very samey.
marks 5.4-5.8....5.8-5.9...3 2nds the rest first and she leads overall.

Irina Slutskaya RUS
And another blue dress for her...was the material on sale? A bulk order?
Serenade is the music....more sparkles on the front of her dress...not as
much netting as Maria....taking her time....here wer go....lutz triple,
double loop....made it look easy! ouble axel out of nowhere....and shes down
on the flip....and that was a hard one...layabck where her skate blade
touches her head...and I don't think she moved on that....diagonal
step....flying camel.....back sprial has great position....rest isn't too
bad either....camel to sit to layabck...o bieelman change biellman....and
screatch....lots of travel on the final spins, lost much of hte centreing.
Hmm..what will they do with thta? Chris tells us about the controversial
qual skate, 2 falls incl 2ax...and in short, only the person in 8th (Vanessa
Gusmeroli) was the last person to fall....NIcky praises her artistry and
wehn you think of wehre she was on that score four years ago, it boggles the
mind that she's come so far.....we see the layback again and indeed, she did
not move on it.
marks 5.3-5.5...5.7-5.9...3 seconds the rest third which is wehre she is

So - Butyrskaya, Volchkova, Slutskaya, Maniachenko, Fontana, Poykio (FIN)
Kettunen (FIN) Liashenko, Gusmeroli Sebestyn is the top ten.