Internationaux de France Highlights 2017 - Staying Calm (Ladies SP)
The ladies' SP taught me one main lesson: hierarchy in Russian female skating is as fleeting as a castle of leaves in the October wind. Okay, maybe that's being a bit over dramatic, but the thing is a world champion finished last, Cup of China's winner is not even close to the podium and there is a third Russian lady in a silver position. So, here are some of the best performances that caused this ranking:
I'll start with Nicole Schott, who was in no way a threat, but had a lot of grace which came through in the alignment and use of arms in her spins. She skated to Nella Fantasia. A fall on the 3Loop hindered her score, which was 55.54 points.
Mae Merenice Meite did a great job, but didn't quite hit the mark for me, probably because I couldn't find the conenction between her two songs, except, of course, for the fact they were both by Beyonce. She's bound to get the crowds going all season long with this theme though, so it's a great choice for the atmosphere. Her score: 58.96.
This was my first time seeing Yuna Shiraiwa. I found her lovely, but again, I am looking forward to her developing a more personal trademark style. She made no mistakes in Grenoble, skating to The Girl with Flaxen Hair. She earned 66.05 points.
Having all your jumps in the second half of the programme is a gamble, and it didn't pay off for Alina Zagitova today. She fell on the 3Lutz and stepped out of the 3Loop. Loved the step sequence though and the way it was peppered with turns that followed the frantic violin. Her score: 62.46.
Laurine Lecavelier stepped out of the 3Toeloop, but otherwise did a pretty good job here on home ice. She always has interesting themes, and this season she's using Summer of 42 for the short. Her pink costume is probably going to be one of my favourites of the season. She earned 60.68 points.
Mai Mihara's performance was far from bad, but she hit the boards at the end of the jump combination, which disheartened her. This made her lose the drive to transmit the passion of Libertango. In the end, her score was 64.57.
Elizabeth Tursynabaeva singled the 3Lutz, but made a magnificent comeback after it. I'm not a big fan of the shiny gloves in terms of costume, but I am a fan of how the routine builds in intensity as it progresses. She seemed so joyful though that I'm not sure she was really trying to portray Carmen or just skate to the music. She earned 62.29 points.
Maria Sotskova over-rotated the 3Flip, but jumped all the other jumps with the arms aloft and landed them cleanly. I liked how her choreography gave the impression she was waltzing in a ballroom. Also, she might be the only skater I've seen to skate to Swan Lake without trying to be a swan. Her score: 67.79.
Kaetlyn Osmond maintained her calm even after doubling out of the 3Toeloop and putting her hand down for the 3Lutz. I couldn't help but compare her to Mae Berenice - they both skated to queens of music and their routines were a superb contrast of modern power versus vintage sophistication. She took the lead with 69.05 points.
So, the highest ranking Russian in Grenoble is merely two points away from the gold. It'll be interesting to see if she can advance or if Canada's best will keep the gold in her grasp.
I'll start with Nicole Schott, who was in no way a threat, but had a lot of grace which came through in the alignment and use of arms in her spins. She skated to Nella Fantasia. A fall on the 3Loop hindered her score, which was 55.54 points.
Mae Merenice Meite did a great job, but didn't quite hit the mark for me, probably because I couldn't find the conenction between her two songs, except, of course, for the fact they were both by Beyonce. She's bound to get the crowds going all season long with this theme though, so it's a great choice for the atmosphere. Her score: 58.96.
This was my first time seeing Yuna Shiraiwa. I found her lovely, but again, I am looking forward to her developing a more personal trademark style. She made no mistakes in Grenoble, skating to The Girl with Flaxen Hair. She earned 66.05 points.
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| Alina Zagitova skated to Black Swan Photo: Jean-Pierre Clatot / AFP |
Having all your jumps in the second half of the programme is a gamble, and it didn't pay off for Alina Zagitova today. She fell on the 3Lutz and stepped out of the 3Loop. Loved the step sequence though and the way it was peppered with turns that followed the frantic violin. Her score: 62.46.
Laurine Lecavelier stepped out of the 3Toeloop, but otherwise did a pretty good job here on home ice. She always has interesting themes, and this season she's using Summer of 42 for the short. Her pink costume is probably going to be one of my favourites of the season. She earned 60.68 points.
Mai Mihara's performance was far from bad, but she hit the boards at the end of the jump combination, which disheartened her. This made her lose the drive to transmit the passion of Libertango. In the end, her score was 64.57.
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| Japan's Yuna Shiraiwa is currently on 3rd place |
Elizabeth Tursynabaeva singled the 3Lutz, but made a magnificent comeback after it. I'm not a big fan of the shiny gloves in terms of costume, but I am a fan of how the routine builds in intensity as it progresses. She seemed so joyful though that I'm not sure she was really trying to portray Carmen or just skate to the music. She earned 62.29 points.
Maria Sotskova over-rotated the 3Flip, but jumped all the other jumps with the arms aloft and landed them cleanly. I liked how her choreography gave the impression she was waltzing in a ballroom. Also, she might be the only skater I've seen to skate to Swan Lake without trying to be a swan. Her score: 67.79.
Kaetlyn Osmond maintained her calm even after doubling out of the 3Toeloop and putting her hand down for the 3Lutz. I couldn't help but compare her to Mae Berenice - they both skated to queens of music and their routines were a superb contrast of modern power versus vintage sophistication. She took the lead with 69.05 points.
So, the highest ranking Russian in Grenoble is merely two points away from the gold. It'll be interesting to see if she can advance or if Canada's best will keep the gold in her grasp.
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