ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Cup of China Ladies Free Skate

1) Diane Szmiett (Canada)

    Music: Phantasia

• I'm so sleepy, if we keep going with music like this that I like it will help me stay awake
• Tough fall on opening jump
• Its interesting to me that she uses the same music as Patrick Chan, two skaters from the same federation
• Pops second jump and singles the third
• This poor girl must be nervous, three jumps in and none are clean
• Pops 4th jump and steps out
• Lands the 5th jump cleanly, or so it seems
• Oh wow her feet totally slid out for under her on that last jump, she may be in pain
• Such beautiful music, its a shame
• I don't know what else really to say abou this program
• FS Score: 24.90 (technical) + 34.36 (presentation) -2.00 (deduction) = 57.26
• 38.17 (SP) + 57.26 (FS) = 95.43

2) Min-Jeong Kwak (Korea)

    Music: Caprice Bohemian

• Tough fall on first jump, this is not starting off well for the ladies
• Fall on second jump too
• This poor girl is really struggling to make it to the end and stay in the performance
• FS Score: 42.24 (technical) + 35.91 (presentation) - 3.00 (deduction) = 75.15
• 38.83 (SP) + 75.15 (FS) = 113.98

3) Kristine Musademba (USA)

    Music: Africa Fantasy, The Muse and the Poet

• I love this costume so much and it looks so good on her
• Stumbles out of opening jump, but saves the landing
• I'd like to see her foot pointing  harder in her spins
• Oh a hard fall there for Kristine
• I didn't realize she trains with Frank Carrol
• Nice clean triple, double combination
• I'm finding I don't have a lot to say during this event, maybe because I just watched Ice Dance, or maybe because I'm so sleepy
• Hand down there on that jump
• I really like this music a lot, I'd love to see her pick up her speed to match its intensity
• Its sad to see the crowd so empty
• FS Score: 39.24 (technical) + 40.41 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 78.65
• 40.80 (SP) + 78.65 (FS) = 119.45

4) Amanda Dobbs (USA) **

    Music: Concierto de Aranjuez

• Oh heeeey Todd Sand, I loved him back when he was skating pairs with his wife Jenni Meno
• Werrrrk Amanda!
• Nice clean opening jump, now if she can just stay calm and collected
• Oh thats a tough fall there on jump 2
• I can tell this is going to be a "survival of the fittest" type free skate
• Her feet got caught up there on that landing and she tripped herself, but I think that was just a hand down, not a fall
• Did Michelle Kwan skate to this before?
• I love this costume
• If I'm correct, Amanda also used to skate pairs as well
• You known I'm not seeing a lot of jumps past the halfway point to get extra credit in the program here on the Grand Prix this season
• Despite the fall and the hand down, she should be safe in first for now with her good short program score
• FS Score: 43.17 (technical) + 43.55  (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 85.72
• 46.73 (SP) + 85.72 (FS) = 132.45

5) Joshi Helgesson (Sweden) **

    Music: Palladio, Feeling Good

• That opening jump was maybe two-footed, but clean by this evening's standards
• This is an interesting mix of music, but surprisingly it works well
• Severely tilted in the air on that jump and had to put a hand down to save it
• I wish she would use her legs more in her footwork since they are so long
• I'm not a huge fan of this skater's style, she doesn't finish her lines or her movements
• She is two-footing and stumbling out of landings, but at least she stayed on her feet
• FS Score: 39.53 (technical) + 43.04 (presentation) = 82.57
• 48.83 (SP) + 82.57 (FS) = 131.40

7) Alena Leonova (Russia)

    Music: The Witches of Eastwick

• Holy costume this is a lot for me to handle
• Wow she reminds me so much of Irina Slutskaya in the way that she just throws herself into her performance with sheer intensity
• Wow the end of that combination was a serious two-foot 
• Oh wow she takes a hard fall, looks like she lost concentration
• By the end of the footwork she looks as if she's completely lost control of her own body
• FS Score: 49.49 (technical) + 49.33  (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 97.82
• 50.79 (SP) + 97.82 (FD) = 148.61

8) Bingwa Geng (China)

    Music: Red Violin

• That was a good clean opening jump
• She looks settled and relaxed
• I spoke too soon, she takes a fall on her third jump
• So far Joshi is the only skater without a deduction for a fall
• These overhead camera shots are weird
• That last donut spin was amazing
• Despite the fall, that was a gorgeous program
• Scores for Bingwa, and then time for the big 3!
• FS Score: 47.76 (technical) + 44.63 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 91.39
• 51.09 (SP) + 91.39 (FS) = 142.48

9) Miki Ando (Japan) **

    Music: Piano concerto in A minor by Grieg

• Triple-double to open
• Remember when Miki was the first woman to land a quad in competition
• This program looks slow, and I dont love how it stops in the middle during the transition, or lackthereof
• Its amazing how much more expressive she is now than when she came onto the scene a few years back
• If anybody is going to be technically sound tonight, it will be Miki
• Thats a good clean skate from Miki to start the sason
• FS Score: 60.50 (technical) + 55.60 (presentation) =116.10
• 56.11 (SP) + 116.10  (FS) = 172.21

10) Akiko Suzuki (Japan)

      Music: Fiddler on the Roof

• Yet another musical theatre program! I love it!
• Akiko is such a cutie
• She two-foots the second jump of her combination, that could be costly in this tight race
• I don't like her spiral positions, I think she hikes her hip up too much
• Triple-double-double combination is pretty solid
• Wow opened up on a jump there, probably a loss of concentration
• Just stepped out of another jump
• Just opened up on another
• I'm not going to say falling apart, but she is definitely losing the precision from the beginning of the program
• I'm happy she maintained her excitement though and didn't let go of the performance
• I prefer to watch Akiko over Miki any day, but nonetheless, Miki's program was cleaner
• FS Score: 48.76 (technical) + 56.13 (presentation) =104.89
• 57.97 (SP) + 104.89 (FS) = 162.86

11) Mirai Nagasu (USA)  **

      Music: Memoirs of a Geisha

• Opening triple-double-double is clean
• Opens up on the second jump
• Two foots a jump and steps out
• One more mistake and Miki has this in the bag
• She looks tentative out there
• Two foots a landing, I guarantee she does not win after that
• Takes a fall
• I don't know what it is about her, but when she leads after the short, she just falls apart in the long
• Thankfully this is not as bad a meltdown as I've seen her have in the free skate on other occasions
• I want to know, if you're Frank Carroll, what you say to her at this point
• At this point gold is gone, and its more about whether she held of Akiko
• FS Score: 34.83 (technical) + 53.64 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 87.47
• 58.76 (SP) + (FS) = 146.23

Final Standings:
1) Miki Ando                   172.21
2) Akiko Suzuki               162.86
3) Alena Leonova             148.61
4) Mirai Nagasu                146.23
5) Bingwa Geng                142.48
6) Amanda Dobbs             132.45
7) Joshi Helgesson            131.40
8) Kristine Musademba      119.45
9) Min-Jeong Kwak            113.98
10) Diane Szmiett               95.43