2017 U.S. International Classic
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| The newbie takes the gold! |
The final results:
Marin Honda (JPN): 198.42 - 1st
It was great to see Marin debut so strongly at this event. In the past she's struggled a little with getting her jumps consistent, especially at the beginning of the season so it was a refreshing to see her get a strong start at her first event of the season. Marin is such a beautiful all-around skater: smooth edges, soft knees, great flow across the ice, strong jumps, beautiful spins and gorgeous presentation. Aside from a doubled salchow she was magnificent and easily ran away with this competition. I hate that Japan only has two spots for the Olympics this season but I do think it will foster some extremely fierce competition and force everyone to be on top of their game. Congrats to Marin for a strong debut and her first senior title.
Mirai Nagasu (USA): 183.54 - 2nd
Mirai has been on everyone's radar this summer thanks in large part to the triple axel which she has been working on seriously for about a year or so (if not longer). She attempted it at an earlier competition this summer but did not get credit for it. Well, Mirai did two here and got credit for both. Mirai made history at this event becoming the 8th woman in history to land the jump in international competition and only the 2nd in U.S. history to do so (the other being Tonya Harding). While Mirai got credit for the rotation of her triple axels she struggled to get the rotation on her other jumps. The FS was riddled with under-rotations (and a fall) which lost her a ton a points. The good news is she went for everything and this is something she can build on...and she has a lot she needs to build: speed, performance and more choreography wouldn't hurt. This could be a great program but it just needs more. Hopefully Mirai can deliver.
Karen Chen (USA): 182.32 - 3rd
Let me start by saying Karen has a wonderful set of programs this season. Both her SP & FS are fabulous and showcase her power and fire. Even though she's relatively tiny Karen skates very big and leaves a great impression on the ice which is perfect for an Olympic season. Like Mirai, Karen had a decent showing at this event but still has a lot to work on moving forward. She got hit with multiple under-rotations as well as an edge call on her flip. Nothing spoils a seemingly solid performance more than under-rotation calls. Every single point is crucial this season so she has to work on that. Also Karen needs to work on not unraveling after a mistake. Towards the middle of her FS she fell and never fully regained control of the program. That's a bad habit she has that she needs to break ASAP. Issues aside Karen is looking strong. I'm hoping to see stronger jumps and better focus as the season progresses.
As for the rest...
Kaori Sakamoto (JPN; 169.12, 4th): Kaori didn't have the best senior debut. She had falls in both programs and also lost points on doubled jumps in the FS. Kaori skates with wonderful speed, great edges and a lot of energy. Next to Marin or Wakaba she's not nearly as refined but she's very powerful. When she lands her jumps she can post big numbers so if she can shake these newbie jitters and nail her content she could be in the mix.
Mariah Bell (USA; 168.66): Mariah is still struggling to get any kind of momentum. She went back to her "Chicago" SP (which I really love) but I wasn't as impressed with her FS. I think it may grow on me later...regardless, the jumps are still not the best. Mariah doesn't suffer as badly from under-rotation issues as Mirai and Karen (only one under-rotated jump and it was attached to a fall) which is a great thing. Nor does she have edge call issues which is another great thing. Her goals as we head into the season should be focusing on getting the jumps consistent and earning the levels on her non-jump elements. She only got a level 2 for her step sequence and got no credit for one of her spins. She's a pretty good spinner so those are easy points she's giving away. She's got all of the goods to have a breakout season. We'll see if this is her year to step it up...
Great performances from Marin, plenty to work on for everyone else. Moving on...
2017 Lombardia Trophy
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| Newbie takes the gold! |
Alina Zagitova (RUS): 218.46 - 1st
I don't think anyone is surprised to see Alina win this competition; however, the fact that she won by less than a point is what's shocking. Alina had some troubles in her SP, falling on her double axel which cost her points and left her in 3rd heading into the FS. I'm still not a fan of Alina's FS; it's borderline boring until she starts jumping and she doesn't start jumping until half of the program is over, but the jumps were nicely done here. I have A LOT to say about the scores Alina received, particularly in the FS, but I'm going to save that for another post. For now I'm going to commend Alina for bouncing back after the mistake in the SP. She won the FS (with a score of 147+
Wakaba Higuchi (JPN): 217.63 - 2nd
It looks like that momentum from last season's World Team Trophy has carried over through the summer. With the exception of a ding on her 3F in the FS, Wakaba was flawless. Without mistakes marring the performance the judges can finally see just how strong she is when she delivers the entire package and, even better, they're rewarding her for it. Wakaba won the SP and had her best FS performance to date in my opinion. I'm really digging her "Bond/Skyfall" FS and I think it's going to get better as the season progresses. Wakaba came up just shy of what she needed for gold and had to settle for silver here, but she did her job. Her TES are World podium level and her PCS should increase if she continues to skate the way she did here. The bar is set for the Japanese women vying for those 2 spots to Pyeongchang. Wakaba just served notice that she ain't playing this season.
Carolina Kostner (ITA): 198.36 - 3rd
Carolina Kostner is still getting it done. The content isn't there for her challenge the younger girls with all of the 3-3s, tanos and backloading, but to say she's the old grandma of the skating world she's still got some zing in her step. The fact is Carolina is still able to nearly score 200 points when most younger skaters aren't capable of hitting that number. Her programs are the height of elegance, artistry, maturity and class. I looooved her SP (really beautiful interpretation and choreography) and her FS was gorgeous too. Having Carolina at the event just classes it up. She has the kind of presence and command of the ice that only comes with age and experience. It's what skaters like Alina and Wakaba should aspire to. Ms. Kostner placed 2nd in the SP and 5th in the FS to finish 3rd overall and win the bronze medal.
As for the rest...
Bradie Tennell (USA; 196.70, 4th): So Bradie just earned herself a dark horse pick at nationals this year. She's been around for a while and usually skated well at her events but she hasn't been on my radar. Bradie's performances here just put her on quite a few radars. There is something about the way she performs that keeps me entertained. Solid jumps, great content, good speed...she stood out here. Bradie just made a strong case for the host pick at Skate America this year and if she keeps the momentum going, she can make strong case for the Olympic team in a few months too.
Other Competition Notes: Yura Matsuda (JPN; 195.56, 5th) had a very strong competition. I really loved her spiral sequence. Nothing beats a nicely positioned and sustained classic arabesque spiral...Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS; 184.75, 6th) struggled in the SP but had a much stronger FS. The jumps weren't as good as they looked at the test skate but I do second my initial impression of her programs this season. This is the strongest pair of programs she's had since her Bolero/Sandstorm combo back in 2015...Amber Glenn (USA; 149.96, 8th) continues to make me shake my head in frustration. She's got so much talent and could be a real contender but her nerves are killing her.
Next week the Challenger series will continue with the Autumn Classic on September 20-23. The headliners at this event will be Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN), Mai Mihara (JPN), Courtney Hicks (USA), Alaine Chartrand (CAN), Elizabet Turzynbaeva (KAZ) and more. Also the JGP series will pick back up with JGP Minsk Arena Cup in Minsk, Belarus on September 20-24. We'll see Alexandra Trusova (RUS) and Riko Takino (JPN) in their second event of the season as well as the debut of Stanislava Konstantinova (RUS), Ye Lim Kim (KOR) and Tessa Hong (USA).
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