Canadian Ladies 2017-18 season news & updates

[vesperholly]

On the flip and lutz, Gabby's technique isn't very good. Shes powerful, but those jumps are often extremely tight on the landing.
Kaetlyn's landings are spectacular, and the fact that she makes them that way, when she's sideways and upside down in the air is mindblowing.

Agreed on Gabby's jumps - the lutz should be getting e every time and both toe jumps have a really "slammy" pick with a bent knee. She also tends to wrap. Power, height and speed all fantastic.

Kaetlyn has the best jump technique I've ever seen (OK, the lutz isn't perfect). The drawback on the pick jumps, the spring and perfectly straight legs, quick rotation with a tiny bit of a delay, the landing just as fast the takeoff ... ugh I just love her jumps. But, if you can't land them ...

 

[aftershocks]

Always so much snark and agressiveness. I wish you serenity and inner peace for The next Olympics.

I simply respond in kind. Snark and aggression has existed here for awhile and not because of aftershocks, believe it or not. Wishing you the same serenity and inner peace @ChiquitaBanana, for every Olympics.

 

[Erin]

Agreed on Gabby's jumps - the lutz should be getting e every time and both toe jumps have a really "slammy" pick with a bent knee. She also tends to wrap. Power, height and speed all fantastic

This is the first I've heard of Gabby flutzing. If anything, I've seen her get calls for lipping on her flip. But the lutz edge is generally good. The wrapping comment I also don't understand.

If I had a complaint about Gabby's lutz and flip (and I do), it's that they tend to go more up and down rather than travel across the ice the way her triple toe does. As a result, she doesn't carry a lot speed out of those jumps, which is why she hasn't been able to pull off a successful triple lutz-triple toe in competition.

 

[Dobre]

Do you all think Daleman and Osmond have the best jumps in the business?

I find the power & height in Gabby's & Higuchi's jumps to be very impressive, but I have only seen Wakaba's on television. Osmond's jumps often feel wild and uncontrolled on the landing. Medvedeva & Sotskova also have very nice height when I have seen them perform live. Perhaps it depends upon the type of jump as well.

 

[tylersf]

Canada is lucky to have Gabby AND Katelyn!
Down here in the US, Ashley Wagner's hissy fit is drawing a lot of attention versus the skaters who performed well and made the team! I'm disappointed that one of my favorite skaters behaved badly in the media.

 

[Dobre]

Perhaps, then, we should say that Canada is lucky to have Alaine. My very best thoughts for Alaine right now. She has had a tough season, and it is hard to see someone come so close and miss out on an Olympic dream. My best hopes for her in the future!

 

[Rafter]

Just watched Aurora Cotop’s SP on tape. My goodness her stroking (esp back crosscuts) look even worse on TV than live in the rink. Her coaches must work on it. I’m actually surprised Tracy Wilson didn’t comment on it, it’s so bad.

I also felt her SP had too much superfluous arm movements. Too busy.

That said, she is quite stylish and musical and the jumps are there. Just get working on those edges and stroking.

 

[wickedwitch]

Just watched Aurora Cotop’s SP on tape. My goodness her stroking (esp back crosscuts) look even worse on TV than live in the rink. Her coaches must work on it. I’m actually surprised Tracy Wilson didn’t comment on it, it’s so bad.

I also felt her SP had too much superfluous arm movements. Too busy.

That said, she is quite stylish and musical and the jumps are there. Just get working on those edges and stroking.

Ted Barton commented on how stroking which says everything.

Despite that, I like her.

 

[Catherine M]

Yeah Aurora Cotop's stroking is some of the worst I've seen in a long time for a up & coming skater. She will need to fix that ASAP if she is to have any chance at a senior international career. Best of luck to her at jr worlds.

 

[honey]

I think someone made the comment a few months back that watching Aurora, you have the impression that you’re watching a feed that was buffering. The stroking is so jerky that it’s true. Initially I thought the feed was just poor quality.

However, she is a real talent. She has the jumps, musicality and overall some very respectable choreo for this age. I think she should spend from the day after junior worlds until June doing nothing but work on her skating skills. If she can fix that, I see a big future for her. I also see a bit of a competitor. I was impressed by how well she came back after the disaster in the short.

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

I did comment on Cotop's stroking in the fall. Debbie Wilkes IIRC said something along the lines she would have liked to see more variation of speed and tempo in her stroking. She only does one type of crossovers : small and fast.

That is said, she has a je-ne-sais-quoi that makes me cheering for her. one can see their is potential there. Some issues need to be addressed at this very point in her career, but if she overcomes them, she has a bright future ahead of her.

 

[mag]

I think what bugs me most, and it isn’t Cotop’s fault, is the 6 in skating skills. That is just beyond ridiculous. A skater who fails on the jumps but has nice skills does not get +GOE for a fall. Cotop should not be getting anywhere near a 6. The best thing for her would be a 3 in SS. That would force the issue and we would see an improvement.

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

I think what bugs me most, and it isn’t Cotop’s fault, is the 6 in skating skills. That is just beyond ridiculous. A skater who fails on the jumps but has nice skills does not get +GOE for a fall. Cotop should not be getting anywhere near a 6. The best thing for her would be a 3 in SS. That would force the issue and we would see an improvement.

Won't happen at Canadians... unfortunately. That is said, she seemed to have gotten good PCS on the JGP this fall, despite it all. I totally agree though it must be address soon.

 

[Winnipeg]

I don't see the wrap with Gabi.........??? and I am a wrap hater too!

I think both Daleman and Osmond are fantastic and I hope they do well at Olys. I also like the way Larkyn fought for the 3rd spot.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Russian sports newspaper "sports.ru" gives special praise to Daleman winning the Nationals with pneumonia. personally, i think EVERY sports newspaper, which covers figure skating, should give a front page news to an athlete who wins major event with pneumonia. as we say in Russia - "this is how the iron is forged!"
https://www.sports.ru/figure-skating/1059187717.html

 

[vesperholly]

It's not an Ito wrap but the lutz and flip tend to have it: https://occasionallycoherent.files....dies-fs-group-4-gabrielle-daleman-6-of-29.jpg

 

[tylersf]

Do you think it could be a concentration issue? I don't follow Canadian skating a lot, but for the most part, I've watched Osmond lose it at the 2 minute mark more than once.

It keeps being the same thing with Osmond.. stellar first half of free skate and then the 2 mistake minimum starts on the exact same jump in the second half... I wonder how her sports psychologist is helping her with this because like clockwork it keeps happening..

I mean she could be Oly Champ if she found a way to keep it together....

 

[coppertop1]

The moment Kaetlyn sets up her loop, I get nervous. Then she misses it and breaks her concentration.

 

[screech]

It's not an Ito wrap but the lutz and flip tend to have it: https://occasionallycoherent.files....dies-fs-group-4-gabrielle-daleman-6-of-29.jpg

Not quite a wrap. Many ladies have that kind of position as they are coming out of their jumps on the landing. Just loosening the legs to pull out.

On the flip and lutz, I find she is too late to loosen her legs, and she gets jerky and two-foots.

 

[vesperholly]

Not quite a wrap. Many ladies have that kind of position as they are coming out of their jumps on the landing. Just loosening the legs to pull out.

On the flip and lutz, I find she is too late to loosen her legs, and she gets jerky and two-foots.

She does wrap on the flip and lutz but not the axel, toe, sal or loop. Strangely the wrap is at the beginning of the jump and gets better toward the end.

Watch these in 0.25 speed (click the gear icon) because the video quality isn't that great. The lutz wrap is easier to see in real time.
Flip: https://youtu.be/N00CY3-Svsc?t=1m48s
Lutz: https://youtu.be/N00CY3-Svsc?t=2m48s

Stills from the middle of the jumps: https://imgur.com/a/fhP5d

 

[coppertop1]

Any word on retirements among the ladies?

 

[kwanfan1818]

Kaetlyn Osmond tweeted a great photo along with this:

The last 4 years have been an absolute rollercoaster. And to be completely honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Between the highs and the lows I get I to represent Canada again at the Olympics with this amazing team!! Thank you for all your support!​

 

[RoseRed]

I think what bugs me most, and it isn’t Cotop’s fault, is the 6 in skating skills. That is just beyond ridiculous. A skater who fails on the jumps but has nice skills does not get +GOE for a fall. Cotop should not be getting anywhere near a 6. The best thing for her would be a 3 in SS. That would force the issue and we would see an improvement.

On the JGP she's gotten 5.64, 5.89, 5.50 and 5.71 in SS, so of course she's not going to get 3s at Nationals. 6.11 and 6.00 at Nationals aren't that crazy unreasonable given her international scores.

But yeah, she needs to fix that stroking.

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

She does wrap on the flip and lutz but not the axel, toe, sal or loop. Strangely the wrap is at the beginning of the jump and gets better toward the end.

Watch these in 0.25 speed (click the gear icon) because the video quality isn't that great. The lutz wrap is easier to see in real time.
Flip: https://youtu.be/N00CY3-Svsc?t=1m48s
Lutz: https://youtu.be/N00CY3-Svsc?t=2m48s

Stills from the middle of the jumps: https://imgur.com/a/fhP5d

She has an open hip position, yes, but the definition of a wrap is when the free leg is above the landing knee, which she does not have.

 

[coppertop1]

Kaetlyn Osmond tweeted a great photo along with this:

The last 4 years have been an absolute rollercoaster. And to be completely honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Between the highs and the lows I get I to represent Canada again at the Olympics with this amazing team!! Thank you for all your support!​

What a great attitude! I worried after her injuries in 2014-15 she might regain her form. Watching her win the silver medal at Worlds was sweet.

 

[vesperholly]

She has an open hip position, yes, but the definition of a wrap is when the free leg is above the landing knee, which she does not have.

Whatever you call it, it's not attractive nor is it good technique.

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

Whatever you call it, it's not attractive nor is it good technique.

I agree with you! Under COP, wrapping should get a -1. I wanted to point out it was not such a case. As for the techhnic, this is why she more than often lands with her free side outside the circle. It has much improved since she has switched to Orser. She had it worse when she won the junior title in Moncton in 2012.

 

[Rock2]

I think what bugs me most, and it isn’t Cotop’s fault, is the 6 in skating skills. That is just beyond ridiculous. A skater who fails on the jumps but has nice skills does not get +GOE for a fall. Cotop should not be getting anywhere near a 6. The best thing for her would be a 3 in SS. That would force the issue and we would see an improvement.

PCS follows tech. Goes back to the conversation about changes in the judging system. Until PCS is properly marked and independent of TES I don't want more weight on PCS.

This issue goes right up to the highest level. Medvedeva and Zagitova don't have SS anywhere near 9 and def not better than Osmond but...they skate cleaner....so.... * shrug *

 

[Winnipeg]

I always get nervous as Osmond approaches the loop...........

I recall Lipinski missing a flip jump in the SP at 98 US Nationals and then going back home and training it to bits so that she got it right at the olys...which she did!

Hope Osmond gets the glitches fixed between now and SK. If she skates without error, she could be Gold and certainly podium.

 

[Zazy]

I've always wondered why Kaetlyn doesn't just take out the loop, since the risk rarely pays off for her.
Still, I hope she finally lands it in Sochi, it looks beautiful in practise.