2011 World Figure Skating Championships: Ladies Free Skate Live Blog

1) Irina Movchan (UKR)
  Music: Verano Portento

• I've not seen this skater before, she is gorgeous
• She seems  very young and inexperienced
• I wish we could see more passion and intensity in her performance
• She kind of looks like she is just in practice right now
• Popped a double axel to a single
• She seems to be running out of steam
• In her combination spin, it doesn't seem she is holding each position long enough to achieve top levels

  FS Score: 39.87 (TES) + 37.90 (PCS) - (DED) = 77.47
  Total Score: 45.68 (SP) + 77.47 (FS) = 123.15

2) Elena Glebova (EST)

  Music: Cappricio Espagno

• She had a lot of highs and lows in the warm-up
• She is a very sassy skater, especially in her Sex and the City short program
• Decent opening 3z
• Fall on 3lo
• Good double axel, singles the combination jump
• Another shaky 2a
• "shaky" is a good word for this program, she doesn't look confident in her landings
• Even her spins look wobbly and she is traveling
• I admire her effort and her flair in the choreography between elements
• Elena isn't thrilled with that overall

  FS Score: 38.29 (TES) + 41.21 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 78.50

  Total Score: 46.28 (SP) + 78.50 (FS) = 124.78

3) Viktoria Helgesson (SWE)

  Music: The Drummer/Sad Romance/ August Rhapsody

• The Helgesson sisters are coached by their mother; Joshi had the better short program here
• Popped her opening jump, not a good way to make up ground after a poor short
• Hand down on 3F, adds two doubles to make a series
• Nice strong 3lo to recover
• This is a gorgeous musical selection and it suits her style very well
• I'd love to see more freedom in this footwork sequence, she is concentrating so hard
• That spiral could use a lot more stretch
• Good 3T
• Another strong 3lz, but hardly any speed coming out to get into the 2T
• I love this August's Rhapsody section, she seems to be hitting her stride here
• She saved a lot of jumps for the second half so she'll get extra credit

  FS Score: 49.94 (TES) + 47.18 (PCS) - (DED) = 97.12

  Total Score: 45.40 (SP) + 97.12 (FS) = 142.52

4) Juulia Turkkila (FIN)

  Music: Don Quixote

• I have Juulia on my fantasy team so I'm pulling for a great skate
• Good opening double axel
• I'd like to see her pick up the speed
• Nice 3lo-3T combination
• A solid 3s-3t combination
• The speed isn't great, but so far a clean skate
• She has nice posture and the look of a ballerina on the ice
• She is only 16 so this is a good youthful musical selection for her
• Good double axel
• She is replacing the injured Laura Lepisto at worlds and she is doing a fine job
• It is great to see that Finland is building a talented ladies field
• She is fizzling off toward the end, needs to keep her energy up
• That crossed leg sit spin position was really interesting
• The crowd is getting behind her in this footwork
• Great clean skate overall, she is very pleased!

  FS Score: 46.91 (TES) + 44.07 (PCS) - (DED) = 90.98

  Total Score: 45.70 (SP) + 90.98 (FS) = 136.68

5) Bingwa Geng (CHN) 

  Music: Red Violin

• Bingwa has been up and down all season so I'm hoping for a solid skate from her
• Yuna Kim is her idol so it must be quite an experience for her to skate in the same competition
• A fall on the opening 3z
• Good strong 3T
• Nice 2A to recover
• Let's hope she's found her stride now
• Two solid 3-2 combinations with only slightly shaky landings
• It's good to see her finally finding her stride
• I wish she could pick up some more speed
• She is really trying to use her entire body for expression in this footwork
• She is concentration so hard and that shows on her face; I'd like more of a performance
• Her 2a covers a decent amount of ice
• Slow camel spin, but it picks up speed when she hits the donut position

  FS Score: 50.93 (TES) + 42.96 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 92.89

  Total Score: 47.89 (SP) + 92.89 (FS) = 140.78

6) Jenna McCorkell (GBR) 

  Music: Voice of Violins/Allegro from Music for Strings

• Jenna has been up and down all season but she looked good in warm-up
• She is  married to Kevin Van Der Perren
• She is taller for a skater and can build good speed with those long lets
• Awkward 3Z, but solid 3F to follow
• Hands down and turn out of 3T
• None of her landings are really happening correctly for her today
• She doesn't seem to be working to interpret this music, all she is doing is smiling
• She looks exhausted by the end of this footwork and her limbs are flailing
• She is not happy with that performance at all

  FS Score: 33.55 (TES) + 42.22 (PCS) - (DED) = 75.77

  Total Score: 45.99 (SP) + 75.77 (FS) = 121.76

7) Cheltzie Lee (AUS) 

  Music: Yentl

• Is she going to channel Barbra?
• She took it easy in the warm-up, which is understandable for skating first
• She is very expressive, particularly with her upper body, straight from the top
• Good 3f-3t-2t from the beginning
• Bails out and two-foots the 3z
• Could use more speed in that sit spin
• She is really focused; she'll need more reckless abandon to channel Barbra
• Good 3T
• She looks very unsure in all of her jump landings
• Step out of 3S-2T
• She needs to stretch in her neck and drop her shoulders
• Needs much more stretch in spiral
• 2a is the very las movement of the program, hand down

  FS Score: 42.85 (TES) + 42.60 (PCS) - (DED) = 85.45

  Total Score: 48.20 (SP) + 85.45 (FS) = 133.65

8) Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO) 

  Music: Phantom of the Opera

• Nice solid 3z-2t to open
• She has good speed and flow across the ice
• Strong 3z
• She is so hit or miss because right now she looks strong
• I clearly spoke to soon because she fell on the 3F
• I hate Andrew Lloyd Webber
• 2a into a 3 jump series
• 4 of her jumping passes are out of the way in the first minute
• She is very expressive with her face and arms
• She needs to shake out her hands before she skates so they don't clench up like claws
• Good strong solo 2a
• I adore this costume
• The Masquerade music is a good choice for the foot sequence
• She is definitely showing that she is a fighter with this program
• There is nothing tentative about her skating and she attacks everything

  FS Score: 54.66 (TES) + 50.97 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 104.63

  Total Score: 51.61 (SP) + 104.63 (FS) = 156.24

9) Amelie Lacoste (CAN) 

  Music: Sheherazade

• I hate how she stays still for those opening notes, they are so dynamic and are dying for movement
• 2 strong 2a's with a stumble on one
• Popped open the 3z
• I love the wally entrance into the 3F, her feet get tangled and a hand must go down
• She could use a lot more stretch in the spiral
• I love that she uses her arms well and is so strong, but I want to see more on her face
• Fall on 3T
• She made such a strong debut this season with a bronze at Skate Canada; such a shame she couldn't find that magic the rest of the season

  FS Score: 44.58 (TES) + 48.20 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 92.78

  Total Score: 51.98 (SP) + 92.78 (FS) = 144.76

10) Ira Vannut (BEL) 

  Music: Children of Dune

• Very tilted in the air on her opening 3z, couldn't save the landing
• This costume is too over the top for me, with the gloves and all its too much red
• I want to see some expression on her face
• I want her to turn out that foot on the layback spin
• She is in dire need of some ballet to help her skate more elegantly
• Is that pink underneath her costume? Why is that necessary?
• I feel that she is just going through the motions and is not engaged at all with the performance
• She really needs to stretch through those fee in her spins so they don't look like they are just hanging off of her legs

  FS Score: 47.31 (TES) + 42.74 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 89.05

  Total Score: 49.23 (SP) + 89.05 (FS) = 138.28

11) Joshi Helgesson (SWE) 

  Music: Palladio/Feeling Good

• I love Joshi, she's had a great season so far
• She takes a very  hard fall on her opening 3z
• Nice 3S to get back into it
• I admire that she didn't let the fall hurt her and she is still putting 100% into the performance
• She seems to really enjoy this footwork
• She needs to keep her speed up because its one of the best things about her skating
• She is definitely the more athletic of the Helgesson sisters while Viktoria is more elegant
• She seems to have the crowd on her side
• I love the way she attacks every element
• Aside from the fall, what a great free skate
• She and her coaches seems so pleased

  FS Score: 53.47 (TES) + 46.36 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 98.83

  Total Score: 50.25 (SP) + 98.83 (FS) = 149.08

12) Cynthia Phaneuf (CAN) 

  Music: Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini

• She needs to do well here to hold onto 2 ladies spots for Canada at 2012 worlds
• Nice strong 3T
• Very tilted in the air, falls on 3z
• I wish she would've picked a stronger piece of music; her short is much better suited for her
• She has really good speed
• She is popping jumps now, she is losing her concentration
• This won't be the 5th place finish she had last season
• It has to be a lot of pressure to go out and know that your teammate didn't skate well and that it falls on  your shoulders to hold onto the spots

  FS Score: 47.94 (TES) + 53.22 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 100.16

  Total Score: 52.26 (SP) + 100.16 (FS) = 152.78

13) Sarah Hecken (GER) 

  Music: Zazdrosc i Medycyna/Smuga Cienia/Revolutionary Etude

• Sarah is probably the surprise of this group
• A fine opening so far
• Her entrances are very long, I'd like to see more choreography into the jumps
• She really needs to concentrate on pointing her feet, they are especially noticeable in spins
• She is really committing to this footwork which is great to see
• Some of her spin positions are truly heinous, skaters shouldn't sacrifice beauty for levels

  FS Score: 53.88 (TES) + 50.22 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 103.10

  Total Score: 52.73 (SP) + 103.10 (FS) = 155.83

14) Kiira Korpi (FIN) 

  Music: Evita

• Nice 3t-3t; redemption from the short program
• Great jump on that flying sit spin
• After a doubled triple and a fall, this will not be the clean free that she wanted
• That spiral position really needs to be stretched out
• I would have worn a white dress rather than purple
• Another double
• The catch foot is a nice spin position, but that ending was very abrupt

  FS Score: 52.65 (TES) + 58.06 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 109.71

  Total Score: 55.09 (SP) + (FS) = 164.80

15) Kanako Murakami (JPN) 

  Music: The Mask of Zorro

• So she changed her fabulous short program costume but kept this mess?
• Nice 3-3
• Now this looks like the Kanako we've been seeing all season, very solid
• She has nothing to lose, starting in 10th, so its good to see her going all out
• Fairly nice stretch on her spiral
• A single flip, that certainly won't do
• I wonder how she feels about skating before her idol Mao
• She looks pleased and if she is happy, I'm happy

  FS Score: 55.62 (TES) + 56.62 (PCS) - (DED) = 112.62

  Total Score: 54.86 (SP) + 112.62 (FS) = 167.10

16) Mao Asada (JPN) 

  Music: Liebestraum

• Here comes one of the two headliners
• The 3a looked two-footed to me
• This lyrical program suits Mao so much better than her short
• Does Mao always wear long sleeves?
• You can tell Mao has a ballet background by looking at her arms
• A bit wild on the camel spin, but she controls it by the sit spin
• 2a-3t (two-footed)
• Mao you can't pop jumps like that if you want to move up; she's letting it get away
• Nice spiral position
• I can see she isn't completely happy
• Nice to see a little smile though

  FS Score: 54.19 (TES) + 59.94 (PCS) - (DED) = 114.13

  Total Score: 58.66 (SP) + 114.13 (FS) = 172.79

17) Mae Berenice Meite (FRA) 

  Music: Concertino pour guitare/Hable con ella/Fiesta Flamenca

• Wow after a great short, she is struggling with a fall and a huge stumble in the opening sequence of jumps
• Her footwork seems so slow
• Her leg is wrapped very high in these jumps which slows rotation
• Another stumble, this just is not her day
• But either way, that good short shows she can hang with the top skaters and sets her up well for next year
• The faster part of this music suits her better than the opening

  FS Score: 50.63 (TES) + 47.55 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 97.18

  Total Score: 53.26 (SP) + 150.44 (FS) = 150.44

18) Rachael Flatt (USA) 

  Music: Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

• This new costume adds a level of elegance
• 2a-3t (maybe under-rotated and stumble, hand down)
• Popped 3F
• She needs perfection from here on out to help team USA
• 2a was nice
• She needs to eek out every fraction of a point right now
• Another popped Flip; has to be related to the injury
• This score is just not going to be pretty at all
• And she will not be held up by PCS like some of the other skater

  FS Score: 45.45 (TES) + 51.94 (PCS) - (DED) = 97.39

  Total Score: 57.22 (SP) + 97.39 (FS) =154.61

19) Miki Ando (JPN) 

  Music: Piano Concerto in A minor by Grieg

• I think Miki is going to give this all she possibly has in the tank
• I don't see her letting go of any easy points
• I think her flexibility has improved
• She is so focused, but I'd love to see a bit of that smile we saw in the short
• She started doubling some jumps, so she definitely did not give her best performance of the season

  FS Score: 65.75 (TES) + 64.46 (PCS) - (DED) = 130.21

  Total Score: 65.58 (SP) + 130.21 (FS) = 195.79

20) Alena Leonova (RUS) 

  Music: The Witches of Eastwick

• The costume, hair, gloves, it all looks like a tacky drag show
• Very solid triple-triple
• She has hit everything so far
• I don't like anything about this program or performance, but must admit she is looking solid
• This is the tackiest thing I've ever seen, but she landed the jumps and she'll score well
• Its great to see such unbridled happiness; Irina Slutskaya loved it too

  FS Score: 62.35 (TES) + 61.82 (PCS) - (DED) = 124.17

  Total Score: 59.75 (SP) + 124.17 (FS) = 183.92

21) Yuna Kim (KOR) 

  Music: Homage to Korea

• THE QUEEN
• This program is an homage to Korea, the homeland
• Amazing 3z-3t
• Such gorgeous flow and glide across the ice
• That was what, 2a-1t?
• This is a gorgeous piece of music
• 1F
• 2a-2-2 sequence
• This is the Yuna Kim we should have seen at the first grand prix of the season, not at Worlds
• Her basic skills are so fantastic that she can afford jumping mistakes and still be okay
• It looks like she has lost flexibility in her spiral
• I would love to see more passion on her face since this piece is so near to her heart

  FS Score: 61.72 (TES) + 66.87 (PCS) - (DED) = 128.59

  Total Score: 65.91 (SP) + 128.59 (FS) = 194.50

22) Alissa Czisny (USA) 

  Music: Winter and Spring by George Winston

• Come on Alissa!!
• I love that opening moment where she just takes her time to breathe
• Fall on the opening jump, this cannot bode well
• Nice 3-2 combination
• 3-2-2 sequence
• She looks very nervous, I want to see her face light up
• If the opening jump was fully rotated and she can avoid edge calls, she may be able to hang in
• Old Alissa would have crumbled after one fall, but this is new Alissa
• Gorgeous despite that one pesky fall

  FS Score: 60.65 (TES) + 61.13 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 120.78

  Total Score: 61.47 (SP) + 120.78 (FS) = 182.25

23) Carolina Kostner (ITA) 

  Music: Afternoon of a Fawn

• This program is so unbelievably boring
• There is no drama to the music so you need a very nuanced performer, which she is not
• She normally tanks the free skate but she's been unusually clean today aside from a few bobbles
• If she medals I'm going to vomit

  FS Score: 60.30 (TES) + 64.63 (PCS) - (DED) = 124.93

  Total Score: 59.75 (SP) + 124.93 (FS) = 184.68

24) Ksenia Makarova (RUS) 

  Music: Evita

• Yay so far so good!
• She has really grown up as a performer this season!
• I want her on the podium so bad!!
• She needs to keep fighting for every fraction of a point
• Very hard fall 
• Nice 2a-2-2 sequence
• She may still hang on for a medal
• She is such a little fighter out there
• Nice 2a to end her jumps
• Her spins are positions are much improved this season
• I like when she goes into the Buenos Aires section for footwork
• The sound design of her Evita is far superior to that of Korpi

  FS Score: 46.52 (TES) + 60.08 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 105.60

  Total Score: 61.62 (SP) + 105.60 (FS) = 167.22