Rostelecom Cup: Ladies short program LIVE blog

1) Gracie Gold (USA)
  Music: Hernando's Hideaway

• Who doesn't love Hernando's Hideaway?
• Nice 3-3 Gracie, I love the speed
• So far so good, but I feel like she's speeding through the choreography and just ticking off the elements
• Now that's she's put down a clean short on the GP, that's a huge step
• Our girl looks thrilled
• 34.92 (TES) + 27.24 (PCS) = 62.16

2) Caroline Zhang (USA)
  Music: Rushing Wings of Dawn

• I love everything that she does with her face at the beginning of this piece
• I love this music so much
• Uh on, pupped the first jump, not a good sign
• That stretched out camel is wonderful, but the bent leg position looks rough
• The step sequence is lovely in this piece, it perfectly fits the tone of the music
• 21.84 (TES) + 324.31 (PCS) = 46.15

3) Polina Korobeynikova (RUS)
  Music: Romeo & Juliet

• I'm loving this braid into the bun
• I actually really love this dress
• Her body type reminds me of Alissa Czisny
• She seems like a very introspective skater to me, which is coming back to me now from the Junior GP
• 26.42 (TES) + 25.03 (PCS) = 51.45

4) Agnes Zawadzki (USA)
  Music: Sex and the City

• Agnes honey, what is this odd costume situation we've got going here?
• So, are you Carrie Bradshaw in Abu Dahbi?
• Well  I guess you can be whomever you want to be when you are jumping like this
• She is looking so slick today, so in a zone
• This is a great piece for a short program, it suits her energy
• I love all these arm variations in the combination spin
• 33.01 (TES) + 27.17 (PCS) = 60.18

5) Valentina Marchei (ITA)
  Music: Esperanza

• This program suits her fiery personality
• I feel like her spins and body positions are so improved this year
• Those swing programs last year didn't show of any of these wonderful things we are seeing from her this season
• The technical content is not at the level of the youngsters, but this is still a very solid program that will receive a good score
• 20.48 (TES) + 25.77 (PCS) = 46.25

6) Adelina Sotnikova (RUS)
  Music: Capriccio Espagnoi

• Nice 3-3
• Uh oh, baby popped her flip
• She is killing it in this footwork, you can tell that being at home helps her energy
• 29.11 (TES) + 18.00 (PCS) = 57.11

7) Kanako Murakami (JPN)
  Music: Prayer for Taylor

• Baby girl is killing it today
• I love that she reinvented herself into an artist, this is a beautiful piece
• Darn that fall, but still she's becoming quite the lovely skater
• 29.01 (TES) + 28.77 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 56.78

8) Viktoria Helgesson (SWE)
  Music: Poinciana

• I remember when it used to flip back and forth-who was better-between Viktoria & Joshi, but honestly it's not even close anymore
• That was just okay, iffy technique
• I like the short hair much better that last year's poofy up-dos
• Wait, doesn't her mom coach her anymore?
•  26.67 (TES) + 27.43 (PCS) = 54.10

9) Kiira Korpi (FIN)
  Music: The Girl with the Flaxen Hair

• This is my favorite costume of the season
• This is so delicate and soft
• That was pure enjoyment to watch
• 31.51 (TES) + 30.04 (PCS) = 61.55

10) Alena Leonova (RUS)
  Music: Slumdog Millionaire

• I never quite know what's going to happen when this one steps out onto the ice
• 
  
• (TES) + (PCS) =

Cup of China: Ladies Short Program LIVE BLOG

1) Ying Zhang (CHN)
  Music: Blue Light

• We are wearing a blue dress for Blue Light; that's a good start
• What a tiny little thing, she is very serious
• Very tough fall to start on the 3lz
• Solid 3F
• 2 jumps in and no combo, I hope she tacks it onto the 2A
• This program lacks drama for me
• Those overhead shots make me so dizzy, I can't handle it
• The lack of combo will hurt her
• Why is she sitting so far from the coach?
• 22.95 (TES) + 21.43 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 43.38

2) Sofia Biryukova (RUS)
  Music: Seven Years in Tibet

• She is a gorgeous young lady
• Very understated, glamorous costume compared to Russian ladies of the past
• Great speed off the top
• Fall on the 3lz
• Gets right back up and into the program
• 3loop into a funky leg postion layback
• Nice musical accent for that double axel
• This combination spin is underwhelming given it's placement on the most recognizable piece of the music
• I love the drama in the step sequence
• 21.42 (TES) + 23.97 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 44.39

3) Bingwa Geng (CHN)
  Music: Scene d'amour

• She is a gorgeous skater who lacks confidence
• See, she had that 1st jump but she bailed; a little close to the boards too
• Another turn out, she just doesn't seem to have the guts to nail these programs like she can
• I kind of like this music, but the performance is flat for me
• That was just okay, there was nothing extraordinary about it and it seemed there was no passion
• 16.27 (TES) + 21.26 (PCS) = 36.53

4) Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS)
  Music: Sabre Dance

• The moment we've all been waiting for, the newest Russian baby makes her senior debut
• Wow that just started out of nowhere
• Clean 3lz-3t
• She attacks the jumps
• Signature Julia spiral into the 3F
• She comes from the Sasha Cohen school of never hitting a bad position
• Sharp, quick 2A
• Feed froze for the spin, but it loked lovely
• She is killing the footwork, very agressive; she's leaving it all out on the ice
• This girl has no bones in her body, I love it
• That was a totally jam-packed program; let's see if she maintains that intensity in the free
• 35.35 (TES) + 27.71 (PCS) = 63.06

5) Zijun Li (CHN)
  Music: Dark Eyes

• She was another little diva baby on the Junior GP last season, let's see if she debuts like Julia
• She is lovely, she has better line and more grace than Julia
• She eeks out the jumps, not the command of Julia, but she hits them nonetheless
• She is so joyful in this footwork
• She has very long arms and once she learns to use them in a really expressive way, that will be a huge asset to her skating
• It is so wonderful to see a young lady from China doing well at home; good for the home fans
• 33.79 (TES) + 25.42 (PCS) = 59.21

6) Joshi Helgesson (SWE)
  Music: Mystere & Taiko

• That one-arm-over-head variation should be left for those with superb jumping technique
• I like this music, but not enough drama in the program
• I like the costume, but it seems more like a gypsy dance costume
• Nice attitude position on the exit of the 2A
• Overall this was just so-so for me
• I want her to really amp up the diva like her sister
• 25.93 (TES) + 24.74 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 49.67

7) Amelie Lacoste (CAN)
  Music: The Feeling Begins

• I missed most of the program due to my feed freezing, not sure how she's doing
• I like that the steps and the arm movements are in the character of the piece
• I missed all the jumps, but this is a well composed program that should take her far this season
• Wow, much improved from her last outing; she'll have a very long break between this and nationals so let's see what she does with it 
• 30.25 (TES) + 27.18 (PCS) = 57.43

8) Mirai Nagasu (USA)
  Music: Downhill Special

• She looks so grown up!
• She looks ready to kick som ass here
• Did she get taller, look at those long legs!!
• She is jumping up a storm here so far (I'll ignore the 2-foot landings)
• She has some new zip and attitude to her skating
• I thought that leaving Frank would be the best thing she ever did for her skating
• This is a cute little short program, I just love it; suits her so well
• She looks so carefree, nothing looks labored like it did the past two seasons 
• 31.04 (TES) + 28.72 (PCS) = 59.76

9) Mao Asada (JPN)
  Music: I Got Rhythm

• Please Mao go into 1st!
• I love her ease across the ice
• Way to cut that pesky 3A, she really doesn't need it with her precisions and PCS
• Way to go Mao, choosing a piece outside of your comfort zone is a great strategy
• She hits the accents so strongly and yet is so soft with her arms the rest of the time
• Leaving Tarasova was the best thing she ever did, all of her programs were so labored then
• Wow, I just noticed she's not wearing sleeves!
• This program is divine, it really shows off her personality and dance ability, a totally new side of Mao
• This is so charming and endearing!
• Great ending, just a really nice button on the end!
• 31.83 (TES) + 31.06 (PCS) = 62.89

10) Kiira Korpi (FIN)
  Music: The Girl with the Flaxen Hair

• Wide swinging free leg on both jumps in the combo
• Her upper body is looking very stiff today
• This costume is GORGEOUS and it matches the music and the skater perfectly
• Once she gets more comfortable and relaxes, this program is going to be like buttah!
• This is a beautifully composed program, all of the in between movements are so specific and spot on
• That was simple and elegant, like a glass of fine wine
• 29.26 (TES) + 30.43 (PCS) = 59.69

2012 US Figure Skating Championships: Senior Ladies Short Program LIVE Coverage

 1) Yasmin Siraj

  Music: Daphnis et Chloe

• Yasmin has the highest score from Sectionals of anyone who went through the qualifying rounds
• She is a beautifully elegant skater
• I love this short program on her, gorgeous costume
• 3t-2t combination, she usually does a 3-3, but she's battling an injury
• She has a ton of speed 
• Fall on the triple lutz, very tilted in the air
• I love that back and forth Ina Bauer
• Nice position in the traditional layback
• She picked up some extra points in the entrance to that double axel

  28.58 (TES) + 24.38 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 51.96

2) Mirai Nagasu

  Music: Danzarin

• Come on Mirai!
• Mirai is looking to be in really good shape
• Nice calm intensity in this opening section
• That was a very funky landing on that triple loop, she really fought for that one
• 3lz-2t was very close to the wall
• Nice double axel
• She gets so far back on that layback, that is something that was not affected by the growth spurt
• Great variation on that back camel
• Good footwork, but I really want more fire out of her
• She is intense, but I'd like a little more excitement

 30.17 (TES) + 28.85 (PCS) = 59.02

3) Haley Dunne

  Music: Tosca Fantasy

• Nice 3t-3t, second jump was probably short of rotation
• I really like her style, she is very passionate
• This is a very graceful and elegant performance
• Nice clean double axel
• Wonderful free leg position on the layback
• Great skate from her overall

  26.79 (TES) + 24.62 (PCS) = 51.41

4) Morgan Bell

  Music: Assassin's Tango

• Very aggressive from the start
• That was a fierce opening
• Spread eagle into a good double axel, pitched forward just a bit
• Triple-single I think that was?
• This started out so well, but there are definitely some rough spots
• She was a break out star in the short program last year

 19.06 (TES) + 20.49 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 38.55

 5) Alissa Czisny

  Music: La Vie en Rose

• She looked very settled in warm-up
• Looking very calm
• Nice 3lz-2t combination
• I love the arrangement of this music
• Very tilted in the air on that second jump, but held it up
• Popped that axel into a single, caught an edge, that was really a fluke thing
• I always say it, but she looks like she's in fast forward when she spins

  31.94 (TES) + 31.20 (PCS) = 63.14

6) McKinzie Daniels

  Music: Love Story

• That blush is just a lot
• Good spring on that opening combination
• She is really a very fast skater
• This costume doesn't scream Taylor Swift to me
• Landed all the jumps
• I really love hearing a contemporary music

   (TES) + (PCS) = 49.96

 7) Nina Jiang

  Music: Man with the Golden Arm

• Great triple lutz from our youngest competitor out there
• I loved that hydroblade moment
• Nice Rippon variation on that 3t-2t combination
• She is very elegant and stylish skater
• She is only 14, she'll be someone to watch in the upcoming years
• I love seeing a youngster make such a splash

  28.39 (TES) + 25.27 (PCS) = 53.66

 8) Joelle Forte

  Music: Cirque du Soleil

• She was a surprise standout last year, so she'll have a little more pressure this year
• She fought that 3lz-2t
• She doesn't look completely over her legs today, she seems a little stiff
• Nice clean double axel, she's settling into the program a little more after the halfway point
• I really like her skating, she seems more elegant this year than in the past
• I think doing Skate America and getting some exposure did wonders for her self-confidence

  26.54 (TES) + 21.59 (PCS) = 48.13

9) Angela Wang

  Music: A League of their Own

• That is quite a fierce dress out there
• That was an odd fall, she seemed to have it, but didn't check to stop the rotation
• I love the look of that costume out on the ice, it's so different
• Really crisp double axel, not a lot of height, but quick rotation
• This program is a little slow moving for me
• She doesn't look pleased, but she did have some great moments despite the fall

  27.24 (TES) + 22.74 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 48.98

10) Aimee Buchanan

  Music: 

• It has to be touching coming in at the last minute to replace another skater
• She is really looking down at the ice a lot, open up your chest and smile!
• She looks really uptight and nervous, which I totally get
• She has a nice stretch in that back camel
• Now we get a nice smile!
• I love that she is thrilled just to be there, good for her for having a good attitude!

  19.49 (TES) + 18.28 (PCS) = 37.77

 11) Agnes Zawadzki

  Music: Harlem Nocturne

• Her hair and makeup are so harsh
• She looks so much more mature this year, more polished and better packaging
• Fantastic 3t-3t with great speed and precision
• Easy 3lz
• She is looking ON tonight
• I'm loving her right now!
• I love that every gesture and movement is exactly with the music and nothing is wasted
• This is a very well composed short program and she's showing more confidence than we've seen all season from her
• I feel like doing a double axel toward the end of the short is kind of her thing
• I'm obsessed with her toe point on that final spin!
• Leaving Tom Z was the best thing she ever did for herself

  35.65 (TES) + 30.59 (PCS) = 66.24

 12) Vanessa Lam

  Music: Con te Partiro

• She was a "breakout star last year" but if you've been following the Junior Grand Prix, she's been great for years
• I love her elegance, she is a quiet, subtle skater
• She is fantastic in her expression
• She is a good jumper, but where she draws you in is with her face and her expression
• Point that toe on the sit spin

 30.43 (TES) + 24.14 (PCS) = 54.57

13) Caroline Zhang

  Music: Rushing Wings of Dawn

• Keep the momentum going!
• Very nice 3lo-3lo combination!
• I'm dying over that combination right now
• Nice flying camel, I don't love the broken leg position
• Give us some face Caroline, we want to see your smile
• Huge smile erupted once she knew she landed all the jumps
• Needs just a tiny bit more stretch in that leg catch spin 
• Phenomenal job on that final layback spin, as per the usual for her
• Karen Kwan and her magic braid have fixed Caroline Zhang!

 31.53 (TES) + 28.65 (PCS) = 60.18

14) Ashley Wagner

  Music: Pollock

• I love this costume on her, such gorgeous beading and detail
• She has a great upper body, who is her trainer?
• Fantastic speed
• 3flip-2toe in the Adam Rippon variation
• I love this music, it's very postmodern
• I love her relationship to the music and the audience
• Great triple loop
• Perfect double axel, and now she can just sell the rest
• I'm so glad she's gotten over that hump of struggling in the short
• She is in control out there, nobody is getting between her and what she wants
• Great job engaging the audience in eye contact on that spread eagle

 32.63 (TES) + 30.63 (PCS) = 63.06

15) Rachael Flatt

  Music: East of Eden

• I loved this program last year at Nationals because it was so out of character for Rachel
• 3lz-2toe with a nice glide out of it
• Good 3flip, she is finally smiling!
• Singled the axel, that's going to hurt her scores big time
• I love that Ina Bauer
• She is building some nice speed here
• I wish that her face would match the expression in her body in that step sequence

  24.96 (TES) + 27.75 (PCS) = 52.71

16) Sophia Adams

  Music: Music of Hope

• I like her expression a lot, both on her face and in her upper body
• Really nice spiral position, almost a complete split position
• I haven't seen this skater before but I like her a lot! She looks so happy just to be out there on the ice!

  27.00 (TES) + 24.40 (PCS) = 51.40

 17) Kiri Baga

  Music: Piano Fantasy

• She is fighting for these jumps, but landing them nonetheless
• She has a lot of strength to hold onto some of those landings that others would let go of
• Some nice, unique positions on those spins
• That use of one leg on the footwork was great
• Really solid performance from Kiri, showed a fighting spirit

  26.01 (TES) + 24.14 (PCS) = 50.15

 18) Christina Gao

  Music: Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

• 3f-2toe combination
• She's struggled every since she went through the growth spurt
• 3loop is a very popular jump tonight
• She needs to really straighten out her legs and use those long limbs to her advantage
• She is really coming into her own and getting better throughout the program
• I love her unique spin variations
• Very nice job from Christina

  28.78 (TES) + 25.85 (PCS) = 54.63

19) Leah Keiser

  Music: Intro and Rondo Capriciosso

• Unfortunate fall on that combination after a great warm-up
• That triple flip was clean as a whistle
• This costume is fantastic
• She is so spunky, I love her personality out on the ice
• She has potential and the right attitude, just needs a little time and some more refinement

  29.58 (TES) + 23.86 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 52.44

Start No.	Name	Score
1	11	Agnes Zawadzki, Broadmoor SC	66.24
2	5	Alissa Czisny, Detroit SC	63.14
3	14	Ashley Wagner, SC of Wilmington	63.06
4	13	Caroline Zhang, All Year FSC	60.18
5	2	Mirai Nagasu, Pasadena FSC	59.02
6	18	Christina Gao, Northern KY SC	54.83
7	12	Vanessa Lam, All Year FSC	54.57
8	7	Nina Jiang, TX Gulf Coast FSC	53.66
9	15	Rachael Flatt, Broadmoor SC	52.71
10	19	Leah Keiser, All Year FSC	52.44
11	1	Yasmin Siraj, SC Of Boston	51.96
12	3	Haley Dunne, WA FSC	51.41
13	16	Sophia Adams, All Year FSC	51.40
14	17	Kiri Baga, FSC of Bloomington	50.15
15	6	McKinzie Daniels, Broadmoor SC	49.96
16	9	Angela Wang, Salt Lake Figure Skating	48.98
17	8	Joelle Forte, SC of NY	48.13
18	4	Morgan Bell, Rocky Mountain FSC	38.55
19	10	Aimee Buchanan, Colonial FSC	37.77

2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Trophee Eric Bompard Ladies Short Program LIVE BLOG

1) Sonia LaFuente (ESP)
     Music: Cry Me A River

• I love this costume! The coloring on the straps is so interesting
• Nice triple lutz to start off
• Triple loop-double toe
• Spiral into a double axel
• All her jumps are landed, but none of them get a lot of height and they rotate pretty slowly
• She needs to really straighten that leg on the camel spin
• Decent footwork, but I wish she'd show a little more expression on her face
• She needs to look up and out instead of down at the ice
• She needs to straighten her knee on the I-Spin

SP Score: 27.43 (TES) + 22.08 (PCS) = 49.51

2) Yretha Silete (FRA)
     Music: Black Swan

• Interesting to use this this music for the short, it's been mostly a free skate piece all season
• She can jump, but there's not much style there
• Stumble out of the double axel
• This is somebody who shouldn't be doing a Bielmann spin, if you can't do it great, then don't do it at all

SP Score: 26.60 (TES) + 21.65 (PCS) = 48.25

3) Lena Marrocco (FRA)
     Music: Minnie the Moocher

• This is a very different sort of program, grabs your attention right away
• Doubles the flip, that will hurt
• Turn out of the lutz, double toe on the end
• Nice double axel
• Her hands are very stiff, that breaks the arm line
• I appreciate her attempt at performance, she should take some acting classes to teach her how to relax her face while still expressing the music
• This step sequence showcases the nuances of the music
• The whole thing looks a little frantic to me
• Hits her last pose slightly after the music
• That was a decent outing, not terrible, not great

SP Score: 22.95 (TES) + 21.00 (PCS) = 43.95

4) Elizaveta Tuktamisheva (RUS)
     Music: Tango by Piazzolla

• Go Liza!
• Nice 3-3 combo, get it girl!
• She is looking stronger that Skate Canada, going to give those top ladies a run for their money
• Her jumps just look so easy
• This program looks more mature that at Skate Canada

SP Score: 34.99 (TES) + 27.05 (PCS) = 62.04

5) Mae Berenice Meite (FRA)
     Music: Derniere Lettre du Prince

• She always wears such loud flashy costumes
• Solid opening combination, she rotated very quickly
• I think she would have done quite well under the 6.0 system
• Did she go through a growth spurt in the off season?
• She is going through the motions really slowly in this step sequence
• Love the music by the way
• Some one of her muscular build should FLY across the ice
• Very nice stretch in the came spin
• I don't know that that costume is the best for showing off her body line

SP Score: 28.71 (TES) + 21.78 (PCS) = 50.49

6) Viktoria Helgesson (SWE)
     Music: My Funny Valentine

• What lives under that hair
• I don't like this version of My Funny Valentine, but that's just a personal opinion
• So far so clean
• She looks like a new skater today, that Skate America medal has given her so much confidence
• Interesting spin variations
• I love that she skates like a woman and not like a little girl
• I liked this program much better here than at Skate America

SP Score: 28.13 (TES) + 26.03 (PCS) = 54.16

7) Kanako Murakami (JPN)
     Music: Violin Muse

• She needs to get the confidence back that she had last year on the Grand Prix
• She is in a similar situation to Mirai Nagasu, she had a rough 1st Grand Prix so now she can skate lights out here
• Funky second landing, but hits the 3-3!
• She is carrying good speed throughout!
• She is really looking good in this step sequence
• I'd love to see her look up and out more rather than down at the ice
• She is so happy, so different from her last outing!

SP Score: 28.88 (TES) + 26.89 (PCS) = 55.77

8) Alissa Czisny (USA)
     Music: La Vie En Rose

• I love this program on her
• Triple lutz, a little shaky on the landing, let's hope that's the only bobble
• Turn out of the triple loop-double toe
• Weird swing out of the double axel
• Her jumps are not there today, but at least she didn't fall!
• This is such an elegant program
• Her PCS and the spin levels should hold her up pretty close the top even though the jumps were off
• Not her best, but she recovered from early mistakes and didn't fall

SP Score: 27.49 (TES) +  (PCS) = 57.25

9) Carolina Kostner (ITA)
      Music: Allegretto From Trio No. 2 by Shostakovitch

• Awesome speed
• Triple toe-triple toe, very tight quick rotation
• Is he underlayer of her costume different
• Was that a hand down on that triple salchow?
• A lot of ice coverage on the double axel
• Oh goodness, a fall on footwork, a simple concentration break
• She had a dear in the headlights look there for a minute and had trouble finding where to restart it

SP Score: 29.88 (TES) + 30.82 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 59.70

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Elizaveta TUKTAMISHEVA	RUS	62.04	1
2	Carolina KOSTNER	ITA	59.70	2
3	Alissa CZISNY	USA	57.25	3
4	Kanako MURAKAMI	JPN	55.77	4
5	Viktoria HELGESSON	SWE	54.16	5
6	Mae Berenice MEITE	FRA	50.49	6
7	Sonia LAFUENTE	ESP	49.51	7
8	Yretha SILETE	FRA	48.25	8
9	Lena MARROCCO	FRA	43.95	9

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Elizaveta TUKTAMISHEVA	RUS	62.04	34.99		27.05	6.68	6.25	7.07	6.89	6.93	0.00	#4
2	Carolina KOSTNER	ITA	59.70	29.88		30.82	7.86	7.36	7.61	7.82	7.86	1.00	#9
3	Alissa CZISNY	USA	57.25	27.49		29.76	7.50	6.93	7.43	7.64	7.71	0.00	#8
4	Kanako MURAKAMI	JPN	55.77	28.88		26.89	6.86	6.39	6.79	6.79	6.79	0.00	#7
5	Viktoria HELGESSON	SWE	54.16	28.13		26.03	6.57	6.14	6.68	6.57	6.57	0.00	#6
6	Mae Berenice MEITE	FRA	50.49	28.71		21.78	5.61	5.18	5.50	5.57	5.36	0.00	#5
7	Sonia LAFUENTE	ESP	49.51	27.43		22.08	5.68	5.21	5.71	5.61	5.39	0.00	#1
8	Yretha SILETE	FRA	48.25	26.60		21.65	5.46	5.18	5.43	5.61	5.39	0.00	#2
9	Lena MARROCCO	FRA	43.95	22.95		21.00	5.32	4.93	5.32	5.43	5.25	0.00	#3