Maofan7
10-15-2011, 11:56 PM
Fantastic performance by Gracie. What a shame she won't be in the JGPF. I just think its ridiculous that with Lipnitskaya and Gold being the two class acts to emerge from this years JGP series, that one of them won't be in the final simply because she was not assigned a second competition. However, Gracie should be at Junior Worlds and that will be a competition to savour. I think the Russian newbies are fantastic, but at least we now have another great junior from somewhere on this planet of ours other than from Russia. As with all sports, figure skating requires diversity. Obviously, the reason why so many are emerging from Russia at the moment is the fact that the Olympics are being held there in 2014 - so a lot of work has been done.
As for Gracie, I think she is the best American ladies figure skater to emerge since Sasha Cohen (who happened to be my favourite skater between 2001 and her practical retirement in 2006. In fact, my number 1 most upsetting figure skating moment was her losing out to Arakawa at the 2006 Olympics. After such a great Short Program, the disastrous start to her Free Skate was just gut-wrenching. If only...However, you have got to hand it to Sasha - she fought back from that disastrous start to claim the Silver). Apologies Mirai, Alissa, and Rachael fans, but I just think that it will be Gracie who will be the main American challenge for the Olympic title come 2014 (unless somebody else also comes out of the Junior ranks). The only caveat I would add in relation to that is that if only Mirai could find greater consistency (i.e. stop messing up her Free Skates), then she certainly has the ability to launch a major challenge for the Olympic title in 2014. However, maybe after living through watching Sasha struggling to put two clean programs together in competition, perhaps I find Mirai just tooo exasperating...
Result & videos from the ladies event at the JGP Tallinn Cup 2011:-
1st Gracie Gold - USA - 172.69
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04eVuX_mbI)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enfbO9TTbU8)
2nd Risa Shoji - JPN - 157.83
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6y7X86ESBQ)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HUDgpKeJY)
3rd Samantha Cesario - USA - 145.96
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERy3JmnnNjY)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHcVw2pFw4k)
4th Gerli Liinamae - EST - 140.30
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkVMFoYuepQ)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W2tTH2nF_k)
5th Yuki Nishino - JPN - 132.40
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vRSMMTNfzQ)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHxjQNAM6hA)
Highest Points Scorers In The Heats
1. Julia Lipnitskaya - RUS - 183.05 (JGP Milan)
2. Gracie Gold - USA - 172.69
3. Julia Lipnitskaya - RUS - 172.51 (Baltic Cup)
4. Satoko Miyahara - JPN - 162.20
5. Risa Shoji - JPN - 157.83
6. Polina Shelepen - RUS - 157.61 (Brasov Cup)
7. Vanessa Lam - USA - 156.58
7. Zijun Li - CHN - 156.40
8. Samantha Cesario - USA - 153.84
9. Polina Shelepen - RUS - 153.40 (Volvo Cup)
10. Courtney Hicks - USA - 151.91
Comparisons With The 2010/11 Season (Top Scores For Each Skater Only)
1. Julia Lipnitskaya - 183.05 - RUS
2. Adelina Sotnikova - 178.97 - RUS
3. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva - 172.78 - RUS
4. Gracie Gold - USA - 172.69
5. Christina Gao - 167.14 - USA
6. Satoko Miyahara - 162.20 - JPN
Love Yuki Nishino's short program. Every time I see it, it takes me back to the very first time I watched the film, A Room With A view. Great film and great music. Its O Mio Babbino Caro from the opera, Gianni Schicchi, by Puccini. Just as an aside, here it is from the film - A Room With A View (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKxMv3xFZAg). The singer is Kiri Te Kanawa. I know its been done before by other skaters, but I think that Yuki Nishino has done a very good job with it. Here is great version by Kristi Yamaguchi - O Mio Babbino Caro - Kristi Yamaguchi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsjY_uOE-gI&feature=related). And another version by Josée Chouinard - O Mio Babbino Caro - Josée Chouinard (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXzGEz5J0VA). And another version by Gretchen Donlan & Andrew Speroff - Gretchen Donlan & Andrew Speroff - O Mio Babbino Caro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMUx-03ovbs) And here is a compilation re my favourite skater, Mao Asada, to the music - O Mio Babbino Caro - Mao Asada (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIVnOKylRDM) (replacing the music to her 2008-2009 Short Program, Claire de Lune, in a pretty imaginative way). Caroline Zhang also did a version of it, but not been able to find a video for it.
As for Gracie, I think she is the best American ladies figure skater to emerge since Sasha Cohen (who happened to be my favourite skater between 2001 and her practical retirement in 2006. In fact, my number 1 most upsetting figure skating moment was her losing out to Arakawa at the 2006 Olympics. After such a great Short Program, the disastrous start to her Free Skate was just gut-wrenching. If only...However, you have got to hand it to Sasha - she fought back from that disastrous start to claim the Silver). Apologies Mirai, Alissa, and Rachael fans, but I just think that it will be Gracie who will be the main American challenge for the Olympic title come 2014 (unless somebody else also comes out of the Junior ranks). The only caveat I would add in relation to that is that if only Mirai could find greater consistency (i.e. stop messing up her Free Skates), then she certainly has the ability to launch a major challenge for the Olympic title in 2014. However, maybe after living through watching Sasha struggling to put two clean programs together in competition, perhaps I find Mirai just tooo exasperating...
Result & videos from the ladies event at the JGP Tallinn Cup 2011:-
1st Gracie Gold - USA - 172.69
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04eVuX_mbI)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enfbO9TTbU8)
2nd Risa Shoji - JPN - 157.83
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6y7X86ESBQ)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HUDgpKeJY)
3rd Samantha Cesario - USA - 145.96
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERy3JmnnNjY)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHcVw2pFw4k)
4th Gerli Liinamae - EST - 140.30
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkVMFoYuepQ)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W2tTH2nF_k)
5th Yuki Nishino - JPN - 132.40
Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vRSMMTNfzQ)
Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHxjQNAM6hA)
Highest Points Scorers In The Heats
1. Julia Lipnitskaya - RUS - 183.05 (JGP Milan)
2. Gracie Gold - USA - 172.69
3. Julia Lipnitskaya - RUS - 172.51 (Baltic Cup)
4. Satoko Miyahara - JPN - 162.20
5. Risa Shoji - JPN - 157.83
6. Polina Shelepen - RUS - 157.61 (Brasov Cup)
7. Vanessa Lam - USA - 156.58
7. Zijun Li - CHN - 156.40
8. Samantha Cesario - USA - 153.84
9. Polina Shelepen - RUS - 153.40 (Volvo Cup)
10. Courtney Hicks - USA - 151.91
Comparisons With The 2010/11 Season (Top Scores For Each Skater Only)
1. Julia Lipnitskaya - 183.05 - RUS
2. Adelina Sotnikova - 178.97 - RUS
3. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva - 172.78 - RUS
4. Gracie Gold - USA - 172.69
5. Christina Gao - 167.14 - USA
6. Satoko Miyahara - 162.20 - JPN
Love Yuki Nishino's short program. Every time I see it, it takes me back to the very first time I watched the film, A Room With A view. Great film and great music. Its O Mio Babbino Caro from the opera, Gianni Schicchi, by Puccini. Just as an aside, here it is from the film - A Room With A View (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKxMv3xFZAg). The singer is Kiri Te Kanawa. I know its been done before by other skaters, but I think that Yuki Nishino has done a very good job with it. Here is great version by Kristi Yamaguchi - O Mio Babbino Caro - Kristi Yamaguchi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsjY_uOE-gI&feature=related). And another version by Josée Chouinard - O Mio Babbino Caro - Josée Chouinard (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXzGEz5J0VA). And another version by Gretchen Donlan & Andrew Speroff - Gretchen Donlan & Andrew Speroff - O Mio Babbino Caro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMUx-03ovbs) And here is a compilation re my favourite skater, Mao Asada, to the music - O Mio Babbino Caro - Mao Asada (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIVnOKylRDM) (replacing the music to her 2008-2009 Short Program, Claire de Lune, in a pretty imaginative way). Caroline Zhang also did a version of it, but not been able to find a video for it.