I think people confuse honesty with whining. "I think in an ideal world, my SP lead and clean performance in the LP should carry more weight in the final placements. Now that I have consistency down, I'll be able to get my GOE and PCS in a place that prevent something like that happening again." <- Honest, not totally canned or PC, yet in spite of a preference for a certain way of scoring, takes personal ownership over her wins/losses and shows awareness of what can be done to take her skating to the next level. The problem with Polina's quote is that it's one in what seems to be a seasonal tradition of complaining about a result/call and totally shifting blame to everyone and anyone but her or the people directly responsible for her skating's development. As has been pointed out, the biggest issue with this is that is that it calls to question the ability of her and her team to see the areas of improvement that are needed to be put her on par with a Gracie that skates lights-out. One slip in a quote when disappointed is forgivable, but you can't deny the pattern that has developed here between the edge calls, URs, and now -- important of the SP in proportion to the LP or something.
I honestly didn't understand the gushing over Polina's SP this season; I think it was the first program since 13-14 that had a clear purpose behind it, however, and I think it succeeded in the sense that it did have people talking about her presentation in a more positive light (despite the best attempts at ruining that via GWTW). What more obvious vehicle is there to show off your musicality, clean basics and SS, and mature presentation than 'Moonlight Sonata' is there? I may be giving too much credit in assuming that after being scrutinized for the immature impact of her LP last season and brouhaha over her edges and what not, that this was a calculated move; while that may be true and may also seem to prove the thinking explained in the last paragraph false (i.e., her team does see her problems and addresses them), for me -- it only reinforces my belief that she needs a new choreographer at the very least. This wasn't the year for choosing the most obvious choice; it didn't push her in a way that is needed at this stage of the cycle. It merely showed that she has followed the expected trajectory one would have assumed she was on after seeing her 13-14 LP. It was obvious then and is obvious now that she has a lot of special qualities but unless you are going to reinvent the wheel (see: V/M's 'Carmen,' which had it not been done already, would be fantastic for an Edmunds' LP), warhorses are not the way to climb when you're stuck in the bottom half of the top 10 with clean skates.
I loved her 13-14 programs. They showed versatility and an above-average relationship to different musical rhythms for someone her age. The fast-paced SP felt more like a SD and its speed and energy did well to minimize the appearance of any URs or slight awkwardness that may have otherwise been more obvious at that point, while the LP showed that her feeling for the music was natural and the rather unfamiliar backdrop enhanced that since it was clear it wasn't a case of emulation/imitation. It really shouldn't have been that difficult to get her PCS into the top tier by now after that debut, but instead of building momentum, a deafness to the chatter about her LP packaging last year sent them into 'safe mode' for this season and it's all just very underwhelming. I want to see a high-energy SP next year, whether something fast again like the Cha-Cha or something more understated like a 'Hip Hip, Chin Chin,' with a modern LP complete with unitard. 'Rite of Spring,' maybe? Again, I'm thinking of something along the lines of Carolina's Mozart or V/M's 'Carmen.' I think she was capable of pulling these kinds of programs off as early as last year, and will be disappointed if the safe route is chosen once more.
) significantly better than Polina in the FS that she was able to overtake her.
