2023 Grand Prix Final - Womens FS: “Splat-uhachi”

[victorskid]

The expressions on the judges' faces at the end was priceless

Captured in a photo https://twitter.com/maoyanzheng/status/1733461117857599504

 

[Holy Headband]

Wrong thread, sorry!

 

[zigzig]

Sakamoto - LOVE her. LOVE her jumps. But frankly can't wait to see this program go bye bye at the end of the season. I'd take her Matrix or girl power program over this any day. This program goes nowhere. But still class of the field.

Loena - generous calling and GOE on extremely sketchy elements but what else is old. Guess it pays to be hot in skating as in life. Should have been third overall. This is another program I can't wait to see the back of.

Yoshida - should have been second overall and would have been with more fair judging but whatever. Love the little swan toy she got at the end. Def the highlight of the event for me.

Nina - I give up here - the overscoring is just insane. If she was a Japanese or Korean skater she would be getting a q or < on every jump. Besides the jumps, she didn't have her usual verve today. Seemed tight and nervous.

Levito - dress is fug but at least an improvement over her toilet paper mess she was wearing earlier. Glad to see her have a redemptive skate. She's had a wonky GP season for someone at her level but hoping she's building toward her peak from here on out.

Rion - her rotations are better than Nina but gets dinged more severely. Seems like the tech has their favorite sacrificial lambs they like to pick on.

 

[Vagabond]

Will the U.S. ever be as good at figure skating as Belgium?

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

What is this weird choice of music? It sounds like Nina Simone without being Nina Simone.

Lauryn Hill

 

[Coco]

Will the U.S. ever be as good at figure skating as Belgium?

Forget Japanese and Korean, if the Belgian ladies were called like the US ladies, this wouldn't be a question.

 

[toddlj]

Well, Isabeau finished third in the free here and with an even slightly better short could have medalled. So, yeah, too soon to write her off, folks. The negativity towards her is repetitive and tiring.

 

[kwanette]

I love Hana..I spotted her last yr during JGP..not your 'cookie-cutter" girl.She has a spark..and some "IT"..

 

[Matryeshka]

I still hold out hope for Anastasiia Gubanova on the Euros podium The catsuit deserves a medal.

The ladies LP was much better than I expected it to be. I thought of half-watching it as I was trapped in a hotel in Baton Rouge with 400 screaming teenagers all weekend (Youth and Government Legislature Conference), but decided to wait to watch so I could give it my full attention and am glad I did. And, umm, mimosas help.

 

[MacMadame]

Her technique reminds me the most of Caroline Zhang and we all know how that turned out.

I'm happy to see this because I was thinking that for every jump in the FS but I thought I was nuts because Levito doesn't have that horrible very visible mule kick. But her toe jumps are mule-kick adjacent. At least to me.

 

[Wyliefan]

Man, "____ is mule-kick adjacent" would have made such a great rep level.

 

[Karen-W]

Finally got around to watching this...

Isabeau – much better than the SP, and the new dress is a tremendous improvement. LOL at Mark gently breaking it to us that the tech panel probably didn’t give her 2nd lutz an edge call.

Rion – hmmm… scary that I half-agree with @Andrey aka Pushkin – she has no sophistication or charisma, though I can’t say I find her any more energetic than Levito. Meh. She keeps qualifying for the GPF because other skaters falter. Can the Korean women and/or Thorngren/Ziegler step their game up next season and place high enough to keep Rion out of the GPF, please?

Hana – If you wanna be a bird, then fully commit to the look and don’t leave off the feathers, please. Nice 3a! Apparently it’s getting a q. I like the choreo seq to Savchenko/Massot’s music.

Nina – not exactly nervous but maybe subdued and careful from her today; not her best but still decent enough and one of the odds on favorites for a medal at Euros.

Loena – how have I missed that the underside of her skirt (or is it the lower half of her leotard?) is blinged up? Bit messy on the jumps in the 2nd half. Yeah, this program is rather empty. Plus, she really needs to limit herself to one club program per season.

Kaori – I really do not care for her choreo seq in this FS – it’s so inelegant and feels crass – the music calls for a more sophisticated style. That’s really my only complaint.

Results feel right based on the entire competition, though I’m decidedly lukewarm about almost all of the women’s FS offerings this season. Glad I dozed during this yesterday morning and watched it when I was fully awake though.

 

[Vagabond]

Man, "____ is mule-kick adjacent" would have made such a great rep level.

We did have "_____ is doing the mule kick with Caroline Zhang." Apparently, this Board goes all in on mule kicks and doesn't do merely adjacent.