BackStage Barbie: joshi helgesson

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Sunday, October 23, 2011

2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Skate America Ladies Free Skate [LIVE BLOG]

1) Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO)
Music: Phantom of the Opera

I really like that costume, something about it is very Victorian, yet very modern
Solid triple lutz-double toe to start off, great speed in and out
Pops the triple flip into a single
Really fast rotation on the double axel-double toe-double toe
Popped planned triple toe to a double-double toe
She is a very mental skater, looks to come out guns ablaze and focused, but melts down much too often
She really fought on that second 3lutz
Nice catch foot spiral, covering a lot of ice
Triple toe, two-footed
I really like this program and it has a lot of potential is she can get more consistency on the jumps
I really like the footwork sequence
Nice flying camel, good position changes
She won't be happy with that program, no falls, but so many points given back

FS Score: 48.15 (TES) + 49.46 (PCS) = 97.61
Total Score: 42.51 (SP) + 97.61 (FS) =140.12

2) Valentina Marchei (ITA)
Music: Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy

This is shaping up to be a fun program!
Two-footed triple lutz, looked under-rotated
Good triple flip
The dress would be much better without those gloves
This pace is so fast, I wonder if she'll be able to keep the energy up
Bent legs on the spins
I hate when music changes mid-spin, but that's just me
Fall on a triple salchow
She is getting very wild, losing some of her control on the program
I like her sit spin variations

FS Score: 44.21 (TES) + 48.11 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 91.98
Total Score: 43.19 (SP) + 91.98 (FS) = 135.17

3) Joshi Helgesson (SWE)
Music: Romeo and Juliet

FS Score: 43.57 (TES) + 45.38 (PCS) = 88.95
Total Score: 45.03 (SP) + 88.95 (FS) = 133.98

4) Ksenia Makarova (RUS)
Music: Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend, I Wanna Be Loved By You

FS Score: 45.20 (TES) + 52.52 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 96.72
Total Score: 45.94 (SP) + 96.72 (FS) = 142.67

5) Joelle Forte (USA)
Music: 13th Warrior

FS Score: 45.43 (TES) + 46.41 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 90.84
Total Score: 48.86 (SP) + 90.84 (FS) = 139.70

6) Viktoria Helgesson (SWE)
Music: Sunset Boulevard

Oh lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, I hope Patti LuPone isn't watching this event
Love the costume, very reminiscent of Norma Desmond
Hard fall on the triple lutz, legs very wrapped up
She is coming out fighting, looks very edgy and unrelaxed
This is a lovely program if she can hit the rest of it
Hand down on a triple salchow
Foot needs to point harder on the fly into the sit spin

FS Score: 44.41 (TES) + 51.21 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 94.62
Total Score: 51.13 (SP) + 94.62 (FS) = 145.74

7) Haruka Imai (JPN)
Music: My Fair Lady

This is an interesting choice of dress for My Fair Lady
She is graceful and elegant, but doesn't have the powerful jumps of the top Japanese ladies
This is such an odd arrangement
Fall on a triple toe, not sure if it was rotated or not
Stumble out of a triple loop
Stumble out of a triple salchow, her timing is very off today
None of her jumps have good flow out of them
I wonder why her choreographer put all her spins right in a row here

FS Score: 39.08 (TES) + 50.19 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 88.27
Total Score: 43.67 (SP) + 88.27 (FS) = 143.94

8) Caroline Zhang (USA)
Music: Allegro, Cello Concerto in B Minor by Dvorak

Struggle on the lutz, let's hope she doesn't unravel after this
She looks like all the confidence is gone from her face
Triple loop-double toe
She is losing speed, she really needs to pick it up
She could use more stretch in her spiral
Very hard fall on the triple flip, she took a very long time to get up
Another fall, she struggled to get up again, she seems as if she could be injured
She's really having a hard time staying in the program
All the energy has been zapped out of her
Good double axel to end it on a good note, and of course her signature Pearl spin

FS Score: 38.81 (TES) + 49.84 (PCS) - 3.00 (DED) = 85.65
Total Score: 55.05 (SP) + 85.65 (FS) = 140.71

9) Carolina Kostner (ITA)
Music: Concerto No. 27 by Mozart

So far so good for Caro
Very solid double axel
I like this costume on her so much better than the short
She is not nearly as fast as she usually is
Her jumps are rotating very quickly
I like this program much better than the short as well, her upper body is much more fluid
Triple sal-double toe-single loop
Good first free skate for the first event of the season, she'll certainly improve from here
This program is classic figure skating

FS Score: 55.45 (TES) + 61.67 (PCS) = 117.12
Total Score: 60.23 (SP) + 117.12 (FS) = 177.35

10) Alissa Czisny (USA)
Music: Valse Triste

Loving this costume and the stark contrast to her short program dress
Now that is how you wear illusion fabric, matched to your skin
Will we see the triple triple?
Her hairstyle from last season looks lovely with this dress
I love the intricacies of the choreography off the top and the expression
First jump is crucial
Triple lutz-triple toe, second jump looked two-footed and under-rotated
Stumble on the triple flip, I don't know if it was a fall or not
She looks a little unsettled
This spiral sequence should calm her down hopefully
Just going for the triple-triple hitting it, even with downgrades is a big step in the right direction
Great interpretation of the choreography
Nice second triple lutz, not great flow out
She's turning out of a lot of these jumps
Good quick thinking on her feet, adding a 3rd jump to her double axel-double toe combination
She doesn't look as confident as she did yesterday, but she'll improve throughout the season

FS Score: 51.37 (TES) + 62.92 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 113.28
Total Score: 64.20 (SP) + (FS) = 177.48

Saturday, October 22, 2011

2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Skate America Ladies Short Program [LIVE BLOG}

Here we go, what is always called the headlining event, the ladies short! Zhang looks happy, let's hope that continues over into the skating.

1) Joelle Forte (USA)
Music: O from "Cirque do Soleil"

This is going to be touch and go to see how she does in her debut
Her arms and hands are very stiff, I'd like to see them loosen up
Stumble out of the lutz
Triple salchow-double toe is an interesting combination, many of the top skaters will have flip or lutz in the combo
She needs to pick up the speed a lot in this foot works sequence
Would love more stretch in that Ina Bauer
Very pleasant skater, she seems so happy just to be out there in her Grand Prix debut
She'll be happy with that relatively clean skate, she's like the Douglas Razzano of the ladies event

SP Score: 26.61 (TES) + 22.25 (PCS) = 48.86

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

Gorgeous fluidity in her upper body from the beginnin
Gorgeous triple flip-triple toe, and no big donkey kick
Lovely spread eagle
Nice triple loop, one of her favorite jumps
She has great flow out of those triples tonight
Her spiral even looks better too and it's so good to see her smile
Step out on that double axel
She's always been a good spinner and she looks solid here
She just looks so happy in this step sequence, I"m beaming for her from my chair
And the pearl spin is back
Just a glorious program for her

SP Score: 29.36 (TES) + 25.69 (PCS) = 55.06

3) Joshi Helgesson (SWE)
Music: The Man with the Golden Arm

Family affair again at Skate America with both Helgesson sisters and their mom the coach
I prefer Joshi to Viktoria, I just like her on-ice personality more
Was that 3lutz two-footed?
Popped the toe-loop and missed the combination
I like the jazzy accents
She could work on her posture
I wish she would've added a jump onto the end of the double axel
She kind of ran out of gas toward the end

SP Score: 22.15 (TES) + 22.88 (PCS) = 45.03

4) Haruka Imai (JPN)
Music: Song Without Words opus 109 by Felix Mendelssohn

I love the dress, but the eyeshadow I'm not feeling so much
Triple lutz-double toe
Very elegant, I love the fluidity of her arms
She has nice spin positions, but really needs to straighten out that standing leg
Great use of the whole body in this step sequence
Nice to actually see a scratch spin after all the ugly, I mean innovative positions we usually see

SP Score: 28.75 (TES) + 25.92 (PCS) = 54.67

5) Valentina Marchei (ITA)
Music: Johnny's Mambo, Ronny's Mambo

Fall on an under-rotated triple lutz is not a good way to start out
That braid in her hair is driving me nuts, I don't know why
I like her attempt at hip action, and that she is committed to the performance
That won't be a score she'll be too happy with

SP Score: 20.30 (TES) + 23.89 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 43.19

So far I'm so proud of Caroline Zhang and loving the beauty and elegance of Haruka Ima. This will be an exciting group. Czisny looks fantastic and Gedevanishvili looks to have her game face on!

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

I love this song, hoping for a good performance
Triple toe-double toe, not as difficult as the other skaters' combinations
So I'm not loving this Latina version of this song, Rogers and Hart would not be pleased
I love headless spins, but that transition to layback was not so great
Her arms are very stiff, she needs to work on her fluidity
Very tight rotation in the double axel
Trouble in the flying sit, the foot touched the ice, that will cost her points
Nice camel into heel stretch position
I can't tell how she feels by her facial expession

SP Score: 26.10 (TES) + 25.03 (PCS) = 51.13

7) Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO)
Music: Tango Jalousie

Girl has a fire in her eyes like I've never seen from her
She looks to be in amazing shape
Doubled the lutz, added on a double toe
Doubled the salchow as well
She needs to get a grip before she throws this away
Death drop into a great sit spin
Wow, eeked out the landing of that double axel
She has the right technique and timing on all these jumps, something inside her head is just telling her to bail early
That layback has great speed
That fire in her eye is rapidly turning to disappointment
I like this choreography a lot but it requires 100% attack and commitment
Very ugly flexed foot on that sit spin
I love that knee slide at the end!

SP Score: 17.78 (TES) + 24.73 (PCS) = 42.51

8) Ksenia Makarova (RUS)
Music: Selections by Yann Tiersen

Is it me, or does she look slimmer than last season
I love her flow across the ice in this opening
That was a really hard fall on the triple toe, no way to save that
Triple loop-single toe
She is not even attempting the harder jumps
Step out of the double axel
She looks like she is on very wobbly legs
What a shame, because she seems to have grown oh so much artistically, but her jumps are just not happening today
Her spin positions are looking lovely today
I love that music so much, I'd love to listen to it in yoga class or during meditition

SP Score: 20.84 (TES) + 26.11 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 45.95

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

Come on Alissa, we need a hit program to salvage this event
That is the most gorgeous figure skating costume I've ever seen
Loving the Balanchine bun by the way
Beautiful selection of music
The posture, the carriage, its all delightful
Triple lutz, double toe with great flow out of it
Triple flip, she's hitting all the difficult triples
Nice double axel
She looks so confident going into the program, like she knows she is going to land them
No uncertainty
I want to watch this program everyday of my life
Everything about this looks easy
With this program you see the performance, not the effort behind it
Those spins look like they are in fast forward
Btw she has such perfect teeth
Jason Dungjen looks like a proud dad!

SP Score: 33.03 (TES) + 31.17 (PCS) = 64.20

10) Carolina Kostner (ITA)
Music: Allegretto from Trio No.2 by Shostakovich

This costume is heinous, she always goes overboard on the fake skin
Triple toe-triple toe, the only 3-3 of the night
Really low landing on the triple loop
Slow entry into some pretty ugly spin positions
She has such long limbs and I always wish she'd use them gracefully instead of flailing about
This musical choice merely accents how choppy her natural movements are
That program did nothing for me, but she is clearly happy

SP Score: 30.66 (TES) + 29.57 (PCS) = 60.23

Sunday, October 16, 2011

2011 Skate America: Ladies Preview

The 2011-2012 Grand Prix circuit kicks off this weekend, and though this may not be the most loaded ladies field of the series, there is one key battle to watch for. The ladies take the ice Saturday at 11:25pm (EST) for their short program and 5:40pm on Sunday for their free. I'll be live-blogging all 8 events this weekend so be sure to check back for all my thoughts and feelings! Welcome back and let's have a great season!

This event has two standouts in Alissa Czisny (USA) and Carolina Kostner (ITA) who will fight it out for Gold, and then an inconsistent rest of the field who could fall into place any number of ways. Czisny & Kostner had nearly identical seasons in 2010/11 with each winning Gold & Bronze on the Grand Prix. Czisny finished one notch ahead of Kostner to win the Grand Prix Final while Kostner finished two spots ahead of Czinsy when she won Bronze at Worlds. Both have been inconsistent in the past but if they are both on, I'd prefer to watch Czisny any day. Her spins are among the best in the World, and in my opinion her artistry is far superior with grace and fluidity to spare, while I have always found Kostner to be a bit robotic. Bronze will be key here and there is no favorite now that 2010 World Bronze Medalist Laura Lepisto has withdrawn. Ksenia Makarova (RUS) had an up and down 2010/11 season and she withdrew from Nebelhorn Trophy earlier this month due to injury so only time will tell if that was serious enough to affect her here. Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO) made a coaching change in the off-season and seemed to have settled down a bit when she debuted at Nebelhorn earlier this month with a Silver Medal. Sisters Viktoria Helgesson (SWE) & Joshi Helgesson (SWE) had strong showings last year and normally Joshi is the higher scoring athlete, though she has a habit of finishing lower when she competes directly against her sister. We'll see if that trend continues. Haruka Imai (JPN) finished as high as 5th last season at Skate Canada, and though she is a nice skater, she has never reached the level of the top Japanese Ladies. Valentina Marchei (ITA) is a nice skater when she can land her elements and she too finished as high as 5th last season at Rostelecom Cup. At 25, she is pushing the age envelope for a singles skater and this could be her last season. Last but not least, America's host picks Caroline Zhang (USA) & Joelle Forte (USA) are dark horses to say the least. Zhang was a Junior phenom but never achieved success as a senior and you have to wonder if this may be the last year that US Figure Skating gives her International assignments unless she produces results. Forte is a pleasant skater, though I don't see a hugely successful career ahead of her given that she is making her International debut this season at age 25.

My Podium Predictions:
1) Alissa Czisny (USA)
2) Carolina Kostner (ITA)
3) Ksenia Makarova (RUS)

My USFSA Fantasy Picks:
A) Alissa Czisny (USA)
B) Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO)
C) Joshi Helgesson (SWE)

Competitive History:

Alissa Czisny (USA)-5th 2011 Worlds, 5th 2011 Four Continents, 1st 2010 Grand Prix Final, 3rd 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard, 1st 2010 Skate Canada; PB: 182.25 at 2011 Worlds

Joelle Forte (USA)-7th 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, 4th 2011 Gardena Spring Trophy

Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO)-2nd 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, 10th 2011 Worlds, 8th 2011 Europeans, 7th 2010 Skate America, 6th 2010 NHK Trophy; PB: 164.54 at 2010 Europeans

Joshi Helgesson (SWE)-3rd 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, 15th 2011 Worlds, 2nd 2011 Mont Blanc Trophy, 6th 2011 Nordics, 4th 2010 Skate America, 7th 2010 Cup of China; PB: 149.08 at 2011 Worlds

Viktoria Helgesson (SWE)-5th 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, 17th 2011 Worlds, 6th 2011 Europeans, 1st 2011 Nordics, 1st 2010 Merano Cup, 6th 2010 Skate America, 9th 2010 NHK Trophy; PB: 161.79 at 2010 Worlds

Haruka Imai (JPN)-3rd 2011 Gardena Spring Trophy, 2nd 2011 Asian Winter Games, 6th 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard, 5th 2010 Skate Canada, 1st 2010 O Nepala; PB: 155.29 at 2010 Four Continents

Carolina Kostner (ITA)-3rd 2011 Worlds, 1st 2011 Gardena Spring Trophy, 2nd 2011 Europeans, 3rd 2010 Skate America, 1st 2010 NHK Trophy; PB: 184.68 at 2008 Worlds

Ksenia Makarova (RUS)-7th 2011 Worlds, 4th 2011 Europeans, 7th 2010 Rostelecom Cup, 4th 2010 Skate Canada, 4th 2010 Finlandia Trophy; 171.91 at 2010 Winter Olympics

Valentina Marchei (ITA)-10th 2011 Europeans, 5th 2010 Rostelecom Cup, 8th 2010 Skate Canada, 2nd 2010 Coup de Nice, 2nd 2010 O Nepala; PB: 153.71 at 2010 Rostelecom Cup

Caroline Zhang (USA)-9th 2010 Skate America, 7th 2010 NHK Trophy; PB: 176.48 at 2008 Grand Prix Final