This and That: 2019 Rostelecom Cup and Sectionals (Evgenia Medvedeva, Gracie Gold, Shoma Uno)

[@claudsk33]

TIMESTAMPS: **Sectionals** 01:05 - general discussion on Sectionals 01:58 - three ‘The Rose' programs / Bette Midler everywhere! + skaters who had interesting music 04:10 - Gracie Gold 12:41 - Polina Edmunds 14:37 - Sean Rabbitt 16:41 - Polina skating to Cats - Yes or No? 17:53 - Jimmy Ma 18:06 - Who gets the bye to Nationals? + history of bye rules **Rostelecom Cup Ladies** 22:51 - Evgenia Medvedeva ft. skating skills disucssion 27:15 - Alexandra Trusova ft. skating skills discussion 29:21 - Sonja’s book 30:47 - Quads being allowed in the ladies’ short? + judging systems + Trusova 32:08 - Dave giving all the love to Deborah Hagenauer (judge) + skating in the holiday season! 34:21 - back to Trusova 36:48 - comparing Evgenia with Tuktamysheva, 3As 37:59 - Alina Zagitova 40:05 - Grand Prix Final Ladies field discussion (Kostornaya, Kihira, Tennell) 42:17 - Mariah Bell 44:42 - Satoko Miyahara **Rostelecom Men’s** 49:42 - Dmitri Aliev ft. Mikhail Kolyada 51:53 - Shoma Uno and Stefane Lambiel 55:00 - PAUSE FOR GRACIE & POLINA 1:00:28 - back to Shoma 1:05:39 - back to Aliev + discussion on costuming ft. Shoma, Morgan Cipres 1:07:12 - PAUSE again for sectionals update 1:08:12 - Alexander Samarin + the GOE box on our screens 1:10:31 - PAUSE: Sectionals Update + Ashley Wagner and Jill Trenery 1:12:03 - Makar Ignatov 1:12:55 - Kazuki Tomono, Nam Nguyen, Deniss Vasiljevs 1:13:54 - PAUSE: Polina Edmunds **Rostelecom Dance** 1:17:04 - Sara Hurtado & Kirill Khaliavin + Zhulin teams and comparison with Olivia Smart & Adrian Diaz 1:20:31 - Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov 1:22:21 - Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier + Canadian skaters in all disciplines 1:25:20 - Madison Chock & Evan Bates 1:26:40 - General discussion on dance field **Rosetelecom Pairs** 1:27:48 - Evgenia Tarsova & Vladimir Morozov 1:30:15 - ISU Pairs requirements this season 1:31:10 - Aleksandra Boikova & Dmitrii Kozlovskii ft. Tamara Moskvina 1:34:02 - Ksenia Stolbova + Eteri’s face and fashion 1:35:36 - Miriam Ziegler & Severin Kiefer 1:36:54 - back to Ksenia Stolbova & Andrei Novoselov **Other** 1:38:25 - Russian Nationals 1:39:04 - Japan Nationals 1:39:25 - Summing this week in skating 1:39:51 - Dave’s MoM 1:40:20 - Jonathan's MoM 1:40:54 - Closing

[@BahamaWynters]

Much obliged with lots of cheers from deaf/hard-of-hearing communities. Grateful.

[@rywilk]

Thanks!

[@nvadqs]

Woww! You get this more professional each time! Thank you so much!!!!!!

[@TashNeon]

Thank you so much for compiling this! Such a great help!

[@erinpowers7217]

Oh God bless you for this!!!

[@hellsbellsmichelle]

The opening of Evgenia's short is phenomenal. It's the "opposite" of what the rest of the Russians are doing. She's doing one long backwards edge, followed by a second. And she's breathing, and she's showing that sometimes less is more. Sometimes, just demonstrating that beautiful edges, held spectacularly, are graceful and elegant.

[@Rachel-rs7jn]

Oh my gosh yes, exactly. A big part of artistry is the master of the pause. I hate the chock full fill-every-second-with-choreography-whether-it-makes-sense-artistically-or-not programs that Eteri's students generally have.

[@birgitangermair4483]

@Rachel: I totally agree! Most of the Eteri-Students Programms are packed to the Rafters with meaninglessly throwing the leg over the head, waving arms and dramatically sliding on the knees … facial overexpressions that make no sense and so on. The Programms are extremely difficult, but hardly ever well-executed. I am sorry, but I don`t buy what These Girls sell.

[@nenavujicin7882]

@@birgitangermair4483 , don't agree , it depends on the taste . I would "buy" almost all Eteri's programs , especially "Cleopatra" -it's magic . And ,don't forget , Averbukh ,who worked with Eteri and made for Evgenia many choreographies ,made this Short program for her. Btw, don't take me wrong ,respect mr Orser ,also.

[@birgitangermair4483]

@nenena sveks:Yes, of Course it is all a matter of taste in some way. And yes, I do like Alina`s Cleopatra Programm as well, it is really a cool piece of work. What I dislike are those meaninglessly stuffed Programms Gleikhengauz /Dudakov do for the Girls.

[@nomiddlenamenmn427]

Is Evgenia still competing?

[@Cami_2006.]

The best moments are Medvedeva for sure! Both her sp and fs, I was really happy for her! Even the k&c of the sp was amazing, when she asked the crowd to be silent for Mariah and then...absolute silence, she was running that show. Watching her succeed was such a feel good experience, I really look forward to keep watching her growth. Also, tiny queen Satoko, even with the mistakes she’s supremely enjoyable to watch, she’s on a different level from everyone else. And finally Shoma, just seeing him smiling and not sitting there alone was such a relief, he was definitely the most enjoyable men, his performance is on a different level as well.

[@manonairs]

Cami_2006 i got chills when she lowered her hand and it was like she was turning down a volume dial on the audience. Eerie and powerful!

[@emilytan4223]

The thumbnail was how I felt when evgenia had 2 clean programs

[@manonairs]

Emily Tan it’s like a 180 degree change of emotion to skate Canada 😆 so happy for her!

[@Cami_2006.]

Same!

[@marycoyne1889]

Emily Tan and how she felt :)

[@JackAShepherd]

Can I just say that Evgenia has the most lovely, charming personality, and she is also freakishly mature. I hope she sticks around a long, long time, if nothing else for her personal qualities.

[@FranTalksSkating]

I'm okay with allowing quads in the SP and raising the PCS to 50/100. However, if someone like Sasha continues getting 8.5s in PCS that will not only not make things more balanced, but it will make her lead even bigger because she will beat everyone in TES (fair if she has a quad, even if her GOE is disproportionate) but she will also be in top 3 PCS as she was at Rostelecom and this time it will weigh even more. I don't see this issue being solved anytime soon however, wether they allow quads in SP or not. Imo as long as TES lead = good PCS and good GOE regardless of execution/quality, there is no PCS or GOE that can fight that - and this is often true in the men's field too, not just for quad-jumping ladies.

[@TheSkatingLesson]

Fran we are in agreement here!

[@lc4822]

I agree that PCS has to be judged better for everyone, including Trusova. But I dont understand the problem with her winning everything for a while. No one in America has a problem with Simone Biles being as dominant as she is. Trusova will push all the more beautiful skaters to learn quads as well and the sport will be elevated. I really believe this is a transition period for ladies skating, and we'll be better for it in the end.

[@FranTalksSkating]

@@lc4822 i agree it's clearly a transition period and I dont have an issue with anyone having dominance if it's deserved, like in Simone's case. I think Trusova could very often win taking out the PCS and GOE inflation because her BV is so much higher than everyone else, and I find it discouraging that those who could get close thanks to quality/pcs won't be able to because of it :) in Simone's case, she has both difficulty and incredible quality, while I think that so far Trusova has obviously got difficulty but still lacks quality and refinement. Hope that makes sense!

[@mustyfan1584]

@@lc4822 Plenty of Americans take issue with Simone Biles being as dominant as she is. Just so we're clear.

[@snowangel7980]

Musty Fan who?!

[@annfotlyan8655]

Medvedeva is inspiring...win or lose. And her FP was probably one of her best ever...loved it.

[@ursula9275]

Well if she starts losing then she won't make any money.

[@nvadqs]

She said so, that it is her best program so far.

[@ursula9275]

@@nvadqs how is it, she didn't break any world record.

[@meltemt0245]

Ursula you don’t have to break records. The program is beautiful itself, coreo, costume, spirit...

[@ursula9275]

@@meltemt0245 same old coreo, just different music, she has lost her performing ability

[@dinifroggy]

It is unbelievable the way Shoma stands out. I wonder if he knows how extremely talented he is.

[@TheSkatingLesson]

He is great!

[@Nillaluna]

I'm sooo happy for Zhenya!

[@BrentWolgamott]

At 36:00, Jonathan wonders why Trusova doesn’t ditch the 4Salchow, and just do two 4Lutz’s and two 4Toes. It’s because after the 2018 Olympics, the ISU made a rule specifically about quads: only one may be repeated, and it has to be in combo. It was approved (in my opinion) in response to Yuzu doing 4 quads in his FS in Pyeongchnag, but only doing two types: two quad Salchows, and two quad toes.

[@danibellerika]

Yuzuru only did that once. Nathan benefited with more skates where he repeated more than one type of quad. I personally think it's too strict. Guys struggle enough doing what they already have. I think it was also due to them shortening the free skate time as well.

[@BrentWolgamott]

Agree on all counts. But I do think the OGM was in their mind when they made the rule change. He only did it once but it was at the biggest stage in the sport.

[@danibellerika]

@@BrentWolgamott but he lost the free to Nate who did 6 quads because of the benefit of being able to do two types of quads. And then Nate did it again at Worlds. I think they were thinking about the next four years more than that, especially because Yuzuru had to forgo doing a second 3a in place of that second toe or sal, which is worth almost as much as a quad anyway, at least for him. And they removed a jumping pass as well which I'm sure also factors in some way.

[@BrentWolgamott]

Ya. I see that too. :-)

[@morena6717]

I don't know about technique, but I think Lambiel can give Shoma the emotional support that he needs and the right environment for him to train and keep improving. And Shoma seems to trust him and enjoy his presence.

[@Julia-js7bs]

Re: adding Quads to the SP. Honestly, I don't want it. Just because the judges apparently hand out GOE like there is no tomorrow to female Quads. Anna's Quads are barley Quads tbh with that amount of pre-rotation she is doing. But apparently calling something a Quad is enough. Sasha's look impressive but they aren't +4 GOE (like she almost got on her 4Lz). The judges never give that much GOE on any other jumps, even if they have the most beautiful transitions in and out. Figure skating should be about jumps and artistry. However, with the way PCS works now, everyone who who doesn't have a Quad could just give up any hope of winning. The field would be entirely made out of skinny russian teenagers who have one to two good years and then disappear. If you re-work the scoring system so that PCS is worth more and given separately (!!!) to the technical content (not like now where skaters who have good jumps automatically get more PCS) then fine, add Quads. Or raise the senior age to 16. But since that won't happen any time soon, I say no thanks.

[@JackAShepherd]

Julia SAME! (Same first name, same thoughts about it.)

[@fsmilka8021]

Nobody spoils other skaters to learn quads

[@garysimmons1485]

Julia ,,,denying only the female skaters to do quads is crazy ! ,,,,the reason???

[@vitalysuper3631]

In your opinion, in other countries, teens are always fat and can't learn quadruples?

[@fsmilka8021]

Vitaly Super so where are they?

[@xiangnibian8473]

Moskvina is an amazing coach for she is still active at the age of 78!!! I think she has a way of pairing two skaters and get them committed to each other for the partnerships. I mean it is not easy, people tend to be tensed being face to face hours a day, almost every day for years.

[@jjh2456]

Xiangni Bian That’s cause Moskvina knows what she is doing unlike that other Russian coach.

[@helenamargot0403]

Will you guys ever say anything good about Evgenia and Alina nowadays? Can’t you see they may have different goals for now instead of winning everything, and that they may not retire just because the field has become more difficult in Russia? Evgenia clearly had the best performances of the weekend among the ladies, her programs were beautiful. Yes, she’s on a path to improve skating skills, jump technique (have you noticed the improved 2A?) and the fans are not saying she has the best skating skills, but it seems like you just don’t like her and never appreciate the improvements, which are very noticeable. Before worlds, you were already predicting the end of Alina’s career, and then she goes and wins. I usually love your videos, and agree on many things, but you seem to have this bias against Alina and Evgenia, and it harms the credibility of your evaluations.

[@danielarifaiova3345]

Agree, Dave looked like he couldn't hide disappointment that she did well and fast turned the discussion purely into negative things. And they do same with Zagitova. And they always do wrong predictions about them, yet never say "I was wrong, she killed it".

[@nikolaika7777]

Totally agree. Dave in particular is very biased and it makes me not want to watch TSL. The only reason I do is because there aren’t that many structured KZbin channels that talk about figure skating. At this point I’d rather watch Frans channel than TSL.

[@moondim7]

@@nikolaika7777 Ha Fran is super biased against Alina too Lol

[@danielarifaiova3345]

​@@evanperilstein5308 Why do you watch and comment on skaters you don't like?

[@danielarifaiova3345]

@@evanperilstein5308 However, to answer your question. I used to enjoy their videos in the past, I used to laugh listening them and sometimes they had some inside information. Not anymore, they are just too rude and biased. I suspect it's based on some personal conflict they might have with people around Evgenia in Canada, but that's just a speculation. I don't like Eteri as a person, but at this point they are bullying her too. I'm not subscribed to TSL anymore, yet KZbin offered me this video anyway so I made a mistake and listen to it (that clickbait photo did it, my bad). I told to myself not to comment because it's not worth the time but I do, because I can't stand "injustice". It's the last time I watch them though. I find Fran much more fair and constructive. I'm not Canadian, US nor Russian or Japanese. I don't care about anyone's nationality. I love skaters whose skating speaks to me, no matter what their passport or coach is. I'm following figure skating since childhood and don't like people being rude and cruel towards skaters, as this sport is super difficult both physically and mentally. Constructive criticism is not talking 99 percent of time about how bad someone is. It makes no good, just harm those people if they watch it.

[@brian4084]

Did anyone realize that Judge 8 gave Trusova a 9.25 in Skating Skills and a 9 in Transitions, higher than both Satoko and Mariah? It's really disheartening to see such outrageous judging. I know that PCS and scoring in skating is subjective on some level, but there is definitely a line that the judged crossed. There needs to be more defined and written rules for each of the categories of PCS, so that PCS isn't just this nebulous concept, and so that people can be held accountable when straying outside the rules. Repercussions for such outrageous scoring deserves a short suspension from future ISU competitions and retraining on what constitutes high-quality skating.

[@brian4084]

@mish098aimer Imo they shouldn't, especially for two falls.

[@thebutlerdidit7659]

Lambiel is a good fit emotionally for Shoma I think. I dont think we have a clue about the technical abilities of Shoma. He might not be having problems with the flip at all in practice. And this is where Lambiel's comments may be coming from. Also, Lambiel has a big focus on his students being happy and having structure. Sounds like this is what Shoma needs.

[@RakuRadio]

Shoma said after the event something about his foot slipping inside his boot during the FS and it messing up his jumps and rhythm so he had to extemporise. He was happy overall though because he felt he did a reasonably good job and had good focus, inspite of his boot mishap.

[@DesiraeGraham]

I wish they would have a separate panel for PCS. Experienced skating people with backgrounds in music, dance, choreography, etc (like Joe Inman).

[@DesiraeGraham]

Evan Perilstein regardless of the system I think there is simply too much to assess if you are really going into detail. The judges have to make some notes as the skater is performing so how can they accurately mark jumps, spins and footwork and assess the skating skills, performance, etc. I’m dance competitions the judges either record their critiques or have a writer so the can continuously watch the dances.

[@DesiraeGraham]

Lucky gem the separate panel would have only be focused on the PCS and like the technical specialist panel would have specific training on the components. Of course there is implicit bias but right not the judges are not differentiating between good jumpers and skaters with good components. I’m not going to name specific skaters but we all can see those who are given PCS because of the impressive nature of the jumps. The judges wouldn’t be as able to manipulate the PCS (and I turn the results).

[@DesiraeGraham]

@Lucky gem Then I guess we need to clamp down on the cheaters. We need to get the Russians out of power in the ISU and have some more honest people at the top.

[@DesiraeGraham]

Lucky gem Give me specific examples. We know and have proof of Russian judges cheating and the athletes doping. I’m sure other countries have favouritism when judging but the Russians are blatant about not following and bending the rules.

[@DesiraeGraham]

Lucky gem so you argument is Russian cheated in the past but they won’t in the future? Yes other counties have engaged in cheating (France and Ukraine for example) but I don’t know any specific example of the US cheating (which is why I asked for any example). I’m not defending the US, I legitimately want to know when they cheated. I’m against anyone cheating but Russian has gotten away with a lot over the years. If they weren’t a powerhouse country in the ISU they would have had a lot more banned athletes and officials.

[@Karlinberlin1]

I am happy Evegenia is having the progress she is. But, particularly in thee long program, she just power-skated through everything.

[@Cami_2006.]

I don’t completely agree but I totally understand what you mean, I don’t think she power skated through the whole program but I think they did a poor decision choosing some of the music cuts specially for the step sequence, it’s very fast paced and on the beat, that doesn’t help her at all, her ss and stamina are still not there to pull that off imo, I think they should have chosen something more lyrical and slower paced for that part, it would look calmer and better executed, but on the other hand, having this program the way it is really pushes her and forces her to improve her ss and stamina so in the end, even though it’s not good now it may be a great practice/experience for the future, I hope they are able to make smarter choices for her next season.

[@snowangel7980]

Cami_2006 my opinion is that a program should appear have some elements that are uncomfortable at the beginning of the season. As it progresses, then we can see some development of new skills and it forces the skater to work on their weaknesses.

[@Angel-xe2tl]

im wondering if its because shes lost so much weight and that shes just going back to old habits. her legs are the same size as sashas. shes lost the weight so fast, its scary.

[@snowangel7980]

Angel It’s really been a whole season. She had all summer, and she said in interviews she’s much more focused on her nutrition and on gaining muscle and losing excess fat so she can get the quads. If you’ve not been exercising with proper nutrition and then suddenly you start focusing on those things like lowering your body fat percentage, especially for professional athletes which exercise so much it’s not surprising she’d lose that weight.

[@Angel-xe2tl]

​@@snowangel7980 But shes legit lost at least 5kg or MORE within *TWO WEEKS!* Its not over this whole season, but within TWO WEEKS. The only way she lost that amount of weight which she did 9just look at her body. Its Sasha's size within a short period of time) is starving herself like she used to when she was back in Russia. Or are we forgetting when she restricted water at the olympics. Legit WATER. Im sorry but no amount of training would make anyone lose that much in 2 weeks in a healthy way. Its very clear shes actually starving herself like she used to with her old coach. Just look at how much her body has changed within two weeks. Its actually horrifying.

[@vncntd3962]

Not sure why Jonathan is placing so much emphasis on Stephane's comments in the kiss-and-cry with Shoma Uno. Besides the fact that Stephane has only been working with Shoma for a brief amount of time (they are still feeling each other as student and coach), it's not clear to me why anyone would expect the kiss-and-cry to be the place where serious/substantive coaching takes place. The idea that Shoma should now rush off to another coach because Stephane says inane things in the kiss-and-cry is ridiculous, especially since there has been a notable improvement in Shoma's focus and performance level from the Internationaux de France (where he finished 8th) to Cup of Russia (where he finished 4th). I also don't agree that Shoma should water down his routines. At the end of the day, winning a bronze medal at the Cup of Russia, versus finishing 4th place, is a minor issue. What Shoma needs to show the Japanese Federation is that he still has the content to compete for world medals; and he does. And who exactly among the other Japanese male skaters is threatening to keep Shoma off the world team? Hanyu is first, of course. But among the remaining contenders Shoma can still out skate Keiji Tanaka or Kazuki Tomono (who finished 8th at Cup of Russia). Is there a possibility that Shoma could have a bad skate at Japan Nationals and end up off of the World team? Yes, but watering down his routines is not the solution. What he needs is to have a more structured environment where he can train and be more disciplined. And this seems to be what has happened for the moment.

[@KseniaSemenovaFan]

@R J I don't think that'll happen, because both top Japanese men in one place I am not sure JSF would lead the power to one team only. And Orser has enough other students to care about. If Yuzu retires that may look different.

[@lwinaye4617]

Send him to Raf.

[@cheryldee9240]

@Vncnt D, I rarely disagree with Jonathan but when I do it's usually his misunderstanding of comments overheard in the K&C (e.g. Kevin Aymoz) So I agree with your assessment. According to a statement by Shoma: "What I look for in a coach is not technical advice but more mental, emotional support. I felt I would be happy working with him; felt really close to him." - Shoma Uno on working with Stephane Lambiel. Source: www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/news/amp/shoma-uno-lambiel-link-grand-prix-rostelecom-tears/

[@meaganbooks179]

@R J I think their are just rivals not really friends like friendly each other

[@Xosidhe]

You guys are killing it with the content this season 😁

[@karolinap4498]

About Shoma, I agree with almost everything that Dave's said. Although, have you seen Shoma at practice with Stephane? On Thursday he had a clean run through and then the day of the free he nailed his all jumps in practice (except the 4F I don't think he attempted it too much though). And all those jumps looked effortless too. I thing the Champery environment is really going to do him some good, Koshiro and Deniss seem to be really nice kids and I think it will be a chance for him to make some real friends. And with the right mindset I think the technical results will come, Shoma is a genius so. Fingers crossed.

[@PtolemyXVII]

Shoma is great, but I hate watching programmes where men continually fall again and again on the quad and put themselves at high risk for repeated injury. Shoma should just stick to triples, which is what he excels at. However, due to the current scoring system, I think men feel pressurised to do quads, but the quads are all very messy and every single skater except for Makar had a problem with quad jumps. We should have an alternate combo jump that can elevate technical scores without having to do quads.

[@kirstenneville1934]

Dave did you see the Rostelecom interview with the three top ladies? It was very telling to hear Evgenia talk about her frustration with interview questions and her quad training and progress. Would love to hear what you think

[@CL-er4cn]

Also loved that she said outright that her health was the most important thing to her, that her body is fragile and that she would never skate on a broken bone again. Really shows maturity and her determination to succeed with longevity

[@BrentWolgamott]

Dave, I really take issue with you continually saying Boikova/Kozlovskii have no personality. Or like “meat with no salt or pepper”. You said it at Skate Canada too. I ain’t mad about it, I just think you’re wrong! LOL. THEY HAVE TONS of personality and pizazz. I fell in love with them at Skate Canada LAST year, where they skated perfect, and Dmitrii literally LOST IT. Like where does one see THAT MUCH HUNGER TO WIN from any of the Russian pairs? None. They don’t speak a ton of English, so maybe you just haven’t gotten to know them. But they are zesty with a splash of spice. Not to mention they have classic Russian lines, with classic Russian holds, and modern transitions in and out of elements. Give them more love!!

[@RocketCandyColored]

Brent's Lucky Slot Channel I agree with a lot of what Dave says usually, but yeah, I think Boikova is a total star. I can’t Believe she’s 17

[@BrentWolgamott]

Exactly. Compare their faces in their performace to T/M or even Z/E. NO comparison. And IMO, HE Is the star. He just wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s SUCH a ham. The little face he made when they got over 80, like a cat that swallowed the canary. :-)

[@stephenvalentinemusi]

They really ought to weight spins and skating skills on more of an equal footing to jumps. They don't have to be a 1:1 point getter, but like a 1:0.75 might make it more equitable. Like, a choreographic sequence really ought to be worth maybe 5 points instead of 3. A combination spin could be worth more too. It would allow the girls who are good skaters really an avenue to be competitive so that there's a diversity of skating.

[@nicholasliu5788]

And a choreographic sequence needs to be worth the full 5 points in base value. Have you seen how inanely simple some of these choreo sequences are?

[@stephenvalentinemusi]

Nicholas Liu I agree but are there any more levels above 1 in choreographic sequences??? If not, that’s another change. I would not agree that Evgenia, Satoko, Rika and Anna would receive the exact same base value of choreographic sequence

[@nicholasliu5788]

@@stephenvalentinemusi nope, no levels. They're all 3 points atm, and that's ridiculous.

[@stephenvalentinemusi]

Nicholas Liu Id make ChoreoSq1-4. Each with explicit steps and turn styles explained so that there’s not (as much) fudging.

[@rop888]

I don't see how that would change anything. They give horrible spins more GOE than they deserve already. It wouldn't help those people like Satoko and Mariah who have gorgeous spins.

[@gtestkey]

About what Tusova said to Eteri: there was a discussion in russian forums and conclusion was she said this about one of spins. BTW she said this in quite angry mod, like "I was tired, OK?"

[@RocketCandyColored]

Lala La it’s the anorexia and the bad skating skills and the jumps that don’t last. Obviously. Not rocket science, girl. But she produces a lot of amazing results and feats, and none of the girls look like clones despite how many talented skaters she has.

[@gtestkey]

@Lala La Had you been born after May 2018 that you ask yourself what did Eteri do? She's pinnacle of unethical, unprofessional behavior.

[@JackAShepherd]

Lala La No outcry about Orser torturing young women ‘cause there’s never been any evidence of that. You sound like a Trumper - re: whatabout HillaryComeyStzrokPaige?!?

[@comment6864]

@Lala La seems quite objective to me

[@comment6864]

@@lfmesquite4548 all this disagreement, but no comments yet on the facts of what was said. Lack of deep knees and edges, for example is quite obvious if you look closely at the feet. For example Anna Scherbakova's ankles look very wobbly. They're good at jumps, but other skaters are better at other technical aspects of the sport, that's all that is being said here. Both need to be rewarded equally, and many people feel that is not happening. They stuff in the elements, but they are not necessarily done with great quality. Of course quantity is what gets the points, which is why they do it. Nobody can deny that Eteir is very good at getting points

[@lenavinogradova950]

I am starting to think that you guys have something against Medvedeva. I mean all you said was that her skating skills are so bad, and that's pretty much all you have to say about her in most of your videos recently. And I get it, her skating skills are not stellar, but she is the only lady at that event who had two clean skates. Yes she does have a lot to work on, but there was already some improvement on her speed, jumps and presentation, and even those skating skills you seem to hate so much. Not to mention the fact that she continues to medal at the top level international competitions for the fifth year in a row! Just this fact alone is very impressive. From the current ladies field only Satoko can say the same for herself. Yes she won't go to the final (because of her disastrous short at Skate Canada) and yes she is unlikely to make the Europeans or world team this year (I expect the former juniors to make the team), but were she to go she would have still been a podium contender at those events.

[@danielladuban871]

I honestly think she's a good skater, except I do think she is still being overscored, especially in the short program. 37 for PCS? If Med. is getting those PCS, Kostornaia and Japanese skaters should be getting HUGE PCS. The skating Lesson is Right, she is overscored. She's medalling because she is biasly favored.

[@lenavinogradova950]

@@danielladuban871 First of all some of the Japanese skaters have pretty bad skating skills too, even worse than Medvedeva's. I mean have you seen Yuna Shiraiwa skate? Or Mako? Take a look and honestly tell me that those skaters deserve higher PCS. Satoko's skating skills are pretty solid, but she doesn't have the jumps. Like at all. And let's not even talk about her Lutz edge, running it may be, but definitely not outside though. I honestly can't say that her Lutz is better than Medvedeva's flip. That aside she also gets away with a lot of underrotations. That fact alone is the reason her PCs are lower than Medvedeva's, it's not just one jump she is struggling with, it's all of them. Medvedeva gets podium places because she is a better all around skater, her skating skills are okay to get by, she does have a technical content to back her up (or did until the juniors joined the stage), and her interpretation is pretty solid too. Not to mention that more often than not she delivers. Yes she did have quite a few meltdowns in the past year and a half, but she changed a coach, a country of residence, and she still gets a lot of hatred from Eteri fans for not bringing the flowers. So a few meltdowns here and there are understandable really. The only thing that I would really love her to work on more (aside from the skating skills that is) is her spins, they are not that bad compared to Elizaveta, but they used to be pretty good. Nowhere near Liptnitskaya or Zagitova level of course, but still pretty solid.

[@naa7898]

@@lenavinogradova950I would say that Rika, Kaori, Satoko, Wakaba & Mai have stronger skating skills than Zhenya (if we're including juniors, then I would also put Tomoe & Azusa on that list). I don't think Zhenya has bad skating skills & they've definitely improved but there are quite a few Japanese skaters who have strong skating skills IMO. I agree with you re: Zhenya's spins.

[@lenavinogradova950]

@@naa7898 I am sorry, but I wouldn't put Wakaba above Zhenya on the skating skills, to me they are at the same level. Yes Wakaba is pretty fast, but the speed is not the only thing that should be judged when the skating skills are concerned. And as far as I am concerned it's Yuna's second season at the senior Grand Prix level, same for Mako, if they compete at senior level to me they are seniors, so no I am not including the juniors in that list.

[@lenavinogradova950]

@@evanperilstein5308 Yes the speed is important as far as the skating skills are concerned, but you know what's even more important, edge work, ice coverage. If you are looking for skaters with great skating skills, look at Keegan Messing, Jason Brown, and dig up some old videos of Patrick Chan. Watch their feet and see the difference. For female skaters it's Kostner, take a look. Japanese skaters are good, and Wakaba's speed in particular is pretty impressive, but the edge work is not. Plus I didn't underestimate her, I just said that her and Zhenya are roughly at the same level, and I did say in my comment that I think that Zhenya's skating skills are okay to get by, definitely not as bad as the TSL guys think. I see a lot of improvement even from last year, hard work is starting to pay off.

[@claudsk33]

getting onto timestamps :)

[@rachellee9718]

Claudia you’re literally the nicest person ever for always doing this!!!

[@faithn7294]

You're the best Claudia!

[@claudsk33]

@@rachellee9718

[@hbattagl]

I agree with Dave on Lambiel for Shoma. I saw a documentary on Koshiro in which Lambiel was doing an incredibly beautiful job, playing the role of not just a skating coach but a father, looking after Koshiro when he was mentally struggling. I think that is the kind of coach Shoma needs. I mean, the way he looked at Shoma before the performance (and the kiss on Denis’ head) just tells us how much Lambiel cares about them, doesn’t it? BTW Shoma’s stress seems to have started last year when he almost neurotically voiced ‘going for results’ and‘responsibilities’...no doubt due to the pressure imposed upon by his old coach/JSF/sponsors? But he must have known that that was counterproductive (he was sooo grounded and unaffected until then!) and the WC confirmed that. That , along with little technical guidance for his quads, has caused him leaving the old coach, then, Eteri was even more mismatched, then everything got delayed and left him coachless...? Shoma after all is an intelligent and gifted athlete and, including the negative consequences such as lack of results or mental state, he probably knew what could happen, and he is dealing with it in his own way, which can sometimes be self-destructive...? I mean who would not get affected in such a situation?

[@lwinaye4617]

The pressure got to him, especially after post-olympic with Yuzuru being injured/ possibility of retiring. Plus post-olympic slump. Regarding coaching situation, my guess is he wanted to work with North American coaches, even to Orser camp. But right now, Raf could be the best for him. He does not need Lambiel’s mothering, imo.

[@princesstorre5615]

"BTW Shoma’s stress seems to have started last year when he almost neurotically voiced ‘going for results’ and‘responsibilities’... no doubt due to the pressure imposed upon by his old coach/JSF/sponsors?" - IT WAS SHOMA'S TRAINER DEMI-SAN WHO SUGGESTED TO HIM THAT ITS ABOUT TIME TO GET RESULTS

[@gtestkey]

They should allow quads in short for ladies and make PCS 1.0 and 2.0. If Jason Brown without quads could win over Dmitriy Aliev, who made 4 quads in 2 programs, then Kostornaya should have a chance to win over Trusova with proper judging.

[@Julia-js7bs]

-Evgenia: The only lady who did both clean programms. I definitely see a lot of improvements, her jumps have gained height (especially her 2A). The judges did help her out but had Sasha not been so ridiculously overscored then Evgenia would have won. The skating skills are better but not yet where they need to be. She has to work on her spins. Overall, I was so happy for her, I really enjoy watching her skate and I hope she makes it to Europeans/Worlds. -Sasha: Overscored. Both of her skates were rough to watch and boring, despite all the Quads. The choreo doesn't do her any favors but it is clear that she lacks basic skating skills and doesn't connect to the music at all. She is a jumping machine. And she made quite a few mistakes here. Some of the GOE was just way to high and don't even get me started on the PCS. Only 2-3 points lower than Satoko in the free...WHAT, HOW? I don't like watching her skate, it looks choppy, she also has the weakest spins out of all the Eteri girls. She should have been second. I feel bad saying that because she seems to be such a lovley girl. -Mariah: I really like her FP. Her movements look beautiful on the ice and she sells her programms, even her SP (which I don't love). Her spins are also very nice. I would have given her more PCS but overall, I'm happy she came third. -Satoko: Ugh, I love both of her programms so much. I kinda prefer the SP tbh. She is the most graceful skater. Again, so underscored in PCS, she should have had the highest in this field. Her jumping isn't very impressive tho.

[@ramitodevioletas575]

Julia : sorry but Evgenia didn’t skate better than Sasha. The only difference this time was , Evgenia didn’t fall, but rest is the same. Terribles jumps and the worst spins...ah, plus when she holds her leg, seams like she is carrying a heavy stick.

[@il654]

sorry but have u seen sasha and evgenia. evgenia was also overscored in pcs. have u seen her skating skills, weak. as. hell. get a reality check.

[@laihiuvivian]

I feel sorry for Satoko. Even though we know that she will be docked points with those jumps and both Alexandra and Evgenia will be pumped in PCS for sure, I don't expect that much was to be taken off. I assumed that she will scored 132~134 in her fs.

[@yayaharu3114]

@@ramitodevioletas575 Have you seen Sasha's skating skills? Not jumps, but her general skating and interpretation? It's the poorest I've ever seen from someone who got 9.25 on PCS. (Is it even technically allowed to give that high for someone who had two falls?) Admit it, Evgenia was better.

[@goldburnm]

It's 1:40AM but I'm here! Thanks TSL!

[@simplyvenom8367]

goldburnm they have me losing sleep here!

[@meltemt0245]

22.54 Evgenia Medvedeva❤️✨

[@arthurtheaardvark13]

Samarin’s high PCs were RIDICULOUS. I’m so furious

[@joejoematic8206]

The entries for this event were weird. This opened the door for the Russian sweep and those PCS.

[@simtopia2334]

YES! Seeing his components ahead of Vasiljevs and Aliev was like the kiss of death to artistry in figure skating. His FP has no transitions, no choreography: it's all crossovers (with sloppy posture) and setting the jumps. (which are beautiful, best 4ltz-3t but at what cost?)

[@nicholasliu5788]

I mean, Rusfed was angry at how their skaters were being judged...

[@chipperterri]

I'm with Jonathon on Aliev love both his programs..Men's skate of the night for me..

[@vncntd3962]

As someone who has a nerd-like fascination with the Grand Prix qualification process, I just want to point out that - like Aliev - Nam Nguyen's strategy going into Cup of Russia seemed to be to play it safe and qualify to the finals. Let's not forget, in this context, that Nguyen finished 2nd at Skate Canada and only needed to finish 3rd (possibly even 4th) to squeak his way in to GPF. The problem is that not only did he play it safe but he under-performed, especially in the FS - or was he just tired? He seemed very slow and uninspired during the second half of his (already not very interesting) FS. His 5th place finish more or less guaranteed that he won't make the final regardless of what happens at NHK Trophy because he is currently fifth in the standings but there are four skaters left - Hanyu, Brown, Aymoz, Ignatov - who can move ahead of him with a podium performance (or not even on the podium in Hanyu's case; even Brown could potentially qualify with a 4th place finish depending on the other placements). This, BTW, is also what I appreciated about Samarin's skate at Cup of Russia: he was the one GPF contender who went for it here. He played to win, not to qualify. So congrats to him. And I agree with Jonathan about his routines: while they are still not my favorite, they sure are a heck of a lot better than the ones he did last year.

[@cheemengsee490]

Deniss Vasiljevs' free skate, after a difficult start, was the stand out performance for me. It was as if he finally believed in himself to be able to skate big and free. Pity the PCS correlates too subjectively with technical content and a skater's reputation (or country of origin). Samarin's quad lutz is breathtakingly humongous but his jumping technique is rather 'scary'; reminds me of Brian Joubert. Evgenia skating clean was very touching, after all her sturggles, but her lutz was still a deep inside edge. Shoma is a beautiful skater and hopefully he's found a coach finally. But I do wonder if his odd jump technique is in part to blame for his lacklustre performance last and this season.

[@yosily]

i actually like satoko’s short. much much more than rika’s...

[@nenavujicin7882]

Rika's short is very cute ,

[@tb4522]

Sorry if this has been answered before and I forgot. But do we think Satoko would jump higher if she hadn't been forced to jump the "wrong" direction for her? Learning to jump the opposite of what feels comfortable has got to be so hard!

[@elizabethhenningsen104]

I have questioned this too

[@Cami_2006.]

Is she a leftie?! 😧

[@tb4522]

@@Cami_2006. Yeah, if I remember correctly, she learned to skate in the US when her family was working here and she jumped clockwise. But when her family moved back to Japan, she was forced to learn to jump counter-clockwise, because no one jumps clockwise there. I forget why.

[@Cami_2006.]

TB omg! That’s so bizarre! Thanks for answering 🙏🏻

[@PeiwenTanbassoon821]

TB I heard that it’s because Japanese rinks are too crowded which makes it difficult for clockwise-rotating skaters to practice with opposite patterns.

[@rainee7951]

Maybe Canada should give its two women's places at Worlds to Japan and Russia Sadly we really dont have anyone to send 😉

[@nenavujicin7882]

Sadly , but true. After Osmond retired, Canada has no female skaters for the main competitions. Let Canada adopt Evgenia (she's almost Canadian) ,and be fair, thought her programs are excellent , she has no chance among all Eteri's quads girls + triple axels Alyona & Alina with beautiful "Cleopatra" program ..

[@JackAShepherd]

I reallyyy don’t get why they allocate Worlds/Olys spots this way! As much as I really like her personality, sending Larkyn to PyeongChang was crazyyy, and it would’ve been only slightly less crazy to send Alaine. Why don’t they allocate spots based on World standing - e.g., if you only have two Ladies with X standing, you only get two spots? In general I think more placements should be decided by World standing because of the nature of the sport... Like, sending Karen over Ashley? C’mon! It would’ve been dumb to send Ross over Adam... But I also think they should’ve sent Jason :-/

[@DSQueenie]

You might be reading too much into Lambiel’s comments off the ice. Because when you saw him last season in France you can tell him is quite an intense coach but obviously that doesn’t translate to what he says.

[@cheryldee9240]

DSQueenie, I rarely disagree with Jonathan but when I do it's usually his misunderstanding of comments overheard in the K&C (e.g. Kevin Aymoz) So I agree that Jonathan is reading too much in the off ice comments. According to a statement by Shoma: "What I look for in a coach is not technical advice but more mental, emotional support. I felt I would be happy working with him; felt really close to him." - Shoma Uno on working with Stephane Lambiel. Source: www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/news/amp/shoma-uno-lambiel-link-grand-prix-rostelecom-tears/

[@magnoliabranca5149]

My goodness Mariah Bell components compared to Medvadeva were beyond unfair. This scoring is based on reputation rather on what you’re skating that day. As usual you guys are great! Also you always informe me of people like Edmunds and Gold which I do have an interest on I do love their skating still besides of all the issues ❤️🥰🇵🇹😘

[@JackAShepherd]

Mariah is always underscored

[@JackAShepherd]

Lucky gem Please see: “except in the pcs department”... That’s exactly my point :-)

[@fashionmwah]

Oh my gosh when you guys mentioned Mao and basically the rest of the legends (25:50), I was like 😭😭😭😭😭 my heart! My heart! I miss them so much!

[@dkeinow]

I love listening to you guys and always look forward to the new episodes after each grand prix event. I only stumbled upon your channel last July and wished I had started to subscribe before that.

[@blinky7046]

I agree about Satoko's short. Expanding her range is a good idea but now would be a good time to reevaluate if this program is really the answer. The music is also odd where the audience can't really clap along to it, so if Satoko does feel a bit nervous or awkward performing this program (or stressed about missing her lutz), it's not like she can channel the audience's energy or get reassurance that they're into her performance. I would totally understand if she goes back to last season's Song for the Little Sparrow (which I'll never get tired of watching) so that she can focus on her jumps.

[@msmo2060]

Can we please talk about the real star of Rostelecom- Eteris LV coat? I bet she bought that in Vegas.

[@harveygirl95]

Miss Mo 😂😂👏🏼👏🏼

[@annfotlyan8655]

Why constantly bring up Evgenia's SS? If Trusova is getting those PCS then Evgenia should be much higher. Satoko has better SS but virtually no jumps

[@annfotlyan8655]

@@evanperilstein5308 yes I am actually .....does that matter?

[@stevebruier8497]

I consider Evgenia for best skater and I'm Sweden. Do you have some special explanation for that too?

[@pamela7297]

@@evanperilstein5308 Lol I love Evgenia & I'm Peruvian, aparently only Armenian people can support her & like her? That's stupid. And don't make me start on people who are obsessed w Asian skaters & hate on Russians, the truth is you also have a bias & probably support another skater. I for one do believe that if you don't have anything nice to say about a skater you should shut up, bc the truth is none of the skaters in the field, maybe w the exception of Yuzuru have all 6 perfect jumps or correct technique in all of their elements & most of people criticizing are couch experts, these "experts" are people who wouldn't be able to make one jump, so what makes you an expert?

[@DesiraeGraham]

I agree with Dave about Shoma staying with Stephane. He seemed (at least to look at him) happier then before. I’m not sure if Stephane can fix his technical issue however couldn’t he be the head coach/manager and seek out a jump coach?

[@ColonelGreen]

He already has a jump coach, Takeshi Honda.

[@DesiraeGraham]

@@ColonelGreen If he is training in Switzerland, he should probably have a coach in the same country.

[@lwinaye4617]

He went to America for jump training in the past.

[@snowangel7980]

I just got an email that the deadline for my homework due tomorrow was pushed back and then I opened KZbin to find this video, what a lovely Sunday.

[@faithn7294]

Gracie really gave me hope! Her improvement is slow but it is real. This competition proved to me that the potential is there. Dress is not fantastic but it was far better than the one she wore to Rostelecom last year which was truly hideous!

[@jjh2456]

Faith N absolutely. With Gracie, I’m glad they are paying the long game with her. Gracie was not ready last year and her people realized that.

[@JackAShepherd]

But I dun get what happened to her Regionals dresses... They were lovely! She ditched the Yuna-looking one from the long and is now skating in thaaaat?

[@faithn7294]

@@JackAShepherd Maybe these dresses were part of a sponsorship of some sort? It's the same dress different color way for each program. I'm comforting myself by assuming she will wear something else for nationals. I just hope she does not go back to the black dress from last year which I thought was very unflattering.

[@pmcbride2052]

Gracie showed true joy live in the rink, if you were there you could see it. She is amazing! Beautiful both inside and outside. Not everyone is able to see that about her.

[@burythecastle97]

I absolutely think Satoko's short program from last season was stunning, but if I remember correctly the judges started to not give it as much points during the last half of the season last year. So I would love it if she brought it back but I don't know if it will actually have the scoring potential that you guys are hoping for unfortunately

[@annfotlyan8655]

who had Carolina SS? And Yuna had her weaknesses as well-she never pointed her free leg and it was quite unacttractive really. Zhenya has improved a lot in her SS, speed, flow and performance and interpretation were also very good

[@annfotlyan8655]

@@evanperilstein5308 My point was very few have Carolina SS and I found Yuna's lack of toe point very unattractive and it detracted from her overall skating. Kostornaia has good SS but Evgenia has other aspects of PCS that are stronger such as interpreation, choreo.. She also has a quality that is hard to describe...the "it" factor

[@hikkirocks]

@Ann Fotlyan, the problem is that Zhenya is getting the PCS scores of Carolina when her skating skills are not at that level as you admit. Mind you I'm so happy for her success. What a recovery from Skate Canda.

[@stevebruier8497]

Agree, Evgenia has 'it' factor like no other

[@chayaavtzon1507]

I honestly feel really bad for Evgenia. If not for her coach’s insistence that she do the lutz in the short program at Skate Canada she would have very likely made the final.

[@ColonelGreen]

Hase/Seegert take Fear/Gibson's place as the season's most unlikely Grand Prix medalists. I was pleased for them, since they're lovely short program skaters who pretty much never deliver in the free, and when the door was left wide open here they were able to walk through (even with him struggling mightily to get that last lift up, he got it done; which is good because if he hadn't he'd have handed the medal to the Austrians). Plus, the last time a German competitor/team that wasn't Aljona Savchenko won a Grand Prix medal was almost a decade ago.

[@joejoematic8206]

It was Stefan Lindemann in 2004.... German Figure skating really suffers

[@ColonelGreen]

@@joejoematic8206 How soon we forget Hausch/Wende's bronze medal at 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard.

[@Helen-me1vn]

Sasha does two 4Ts, and two 3Lzs; those are her two repeated jumps. And I believe you can only repeat one quad, so she can't do two 4Lzs. Regarding whether Alina makes the GPF, all medalists at NHK should make GPF (if they're Alina, Rika, and Alyona - and it will be unless there is some disaster).

[@rahelhorvat1471]

all three will qualify.

[@Lily0713]

I used to be indifferent about Evgenia up until the start of this season but I think I am liking her more and more now. Technically, I think she did improve a lot and I hope to see a clean triple lutz from her. I also liked her strategy of adding 3loop instead of lutz in her SP.

[@Lily0713]

@@evanperilstein5308 Yeah I kinda knew that she has been using poor jumping techniques. At least she is working to try to fix now :)

[@dinchik19]

Anna, she had this strategy in Eteri’s time. No idea why Brian kept putting it in. As soon as she dropped lutz from SP and one lutz from LP, it all got better. But, unfortunately, she under-rotates a lot of jumps now.

[@Lily0713]

@@dinchik19 Yeah.. I didn't pay much attention to her under-rotarions this time. She sure does have alot of things to work on.

[@dreybella5309]

I agree, as much as Evgenia has charisma, she needs to improve on her skating skills. There is just so much commitment on the step sequence but the execution is...somewhat....suffering. Also the spins seems to be an issue or one of them. She got a level 3 on one of them. At this point I think she should be maximising on every spin and GOE to get higher points.

[@linamory544]

didn't she have a back injury? but yeah i generally agree

[@dreybella5309]

@@evanperilstein5308 Her skating and jumps are MILES better since she changed to Orser but as how the field is now she can't afford to get lower levels on he spins. The speed is one, some of it looks a bit rough TBH. Every point counts right now. She has to hit the positions and gain speed on those spins or she has to change some positions to better suite her. 😀

[@dreybella5309]

@@linamory544 I think she did have an injury before the olympics or around that time. I'm just concerned on the speed of her spins lately. 😀

[@nvadqs]

She can't make a Biellman again. She had a back injury that prevents her from having a nice back spin, this is why it doesn't look aesthetically...

[@amberelibrennan]

Trusova does do two 4T & one 4S & 4Lz

[@mikeokubo7061]

Who’s the best skater overall to you guys?? Including the skaters who retired. I personally think it’s Yuna, she had the jumps and skills, you know pretty much everything. What’s everyone’s opinion??

[@rywilk]

Yuna for me too.

[@mikeokubo7061]

Evan Perilstein yeah true, Kostornaia is definitely among one of those but I am just not so sure for her FS... who would be the best choreographer for her in your opinion??

[@mikeokubo7061]

Ryan Wilkinson Is Yuna had the loop she would of been maybe the double Olympic champion. Although I personally do like Adelina as well.

[@il654]

yuna or michelle

[@mikeokubo7061]

What do we think of Kaytlen??

[@rahelhorvat1471]

Evgenia had two clean programs and that's really great, a big improvement, however, I don't see great improvement in her skating, she basically just came back to her clean skating, so compared to where she was last year, this is a big improvement, but that's all, also, she is skating all her programs with that robust look, whether she is geisha or exogenis, so I don't really see much artistry in her either, and she is seriously inflated for her clean programs, more than any other skater. I mean her combined score from both gp events is 435 and I just don't see how she is this much better than Tuktamisheva, Bell, Satoko, Kaori, Tennell, etc. I think judges want to inflate her to create an illusion of her being better than she actually is, for whatever reasons there are to do so.

[@iris7484]

doesn't it seem like figure skating can kind of get swept up in a narrative? Like, Medvedeva performing/scoring well makes for a feel-good story, like how they pushed Brezina last season. I'm not saying that that's a good way to judge a competition lol but it looks to me like that's kind of what's happening. The rise, the fall, the struggle, the dramatic comeback - it's like something out of a Hallmark movie. I don't agree with her PCS but I am kind of enjoying the "story," tbh haha

[@rahelhorvat1471]

@@iris7484 yes, you might very well be right, it does look like some movie script, success-failure-struggle-comeback. If you check senior level this year, we have Tuktamisheva, Bell, Satoko, Kaori, You, Tennell, Zagitova, Medvedeva, Rika, and all are able to pull of a clean back to back program in at least one event, but Medvedeva is the only one hitting the roof with 435 points overall when she goes clean, but even when she has a bad skate like in Canada, they give her like huge inflation, which others cannot count on.

[@nicholasliu5788]

@@rahelhorvat1471 435 for two skates really isn't that impressive. Rika scored 230 with one skate with two watered down programs with no lutzes because of a foot injury and a missed 3A. Clean skates with her lutzes is 240. Clean skates with her 4S is approaching 250.

[@snowangel7980]

Nicholas Liu but when does Rika ever skate clean?

[@nicholasliu5788]

@@snowangel7980 Rika doesn't need to skate clean to beat 435 in two skates. That's the main point I'm making.

[@nicholasliu5788]

Regarding PCS scoring, making 1.0 + 2.0 PCS factoring doesn't even do much. Rika on 74 vs Sasha on 67, you mark that out of 100, Rika is on 92.5 and Sasha is on 83.75. The gap widened from 7 points to about 9. That's really not that big of a difference. Rather, non-jump elements need to be weighted more. Step sequences aren't worth enough. Spins aren't worth enough. There aren't enough levels for step sequences and spins. Choreo sequences are too cheap and too easy to get marks.

[@vncntd3962]

Not sure why Dave keeps advising skaters to dump their new routines for older ones, especially Miyahara. There is nothing wrong with her SP routine at all; she just had trouble adjusting to her new approach to the technical elements. (Comparatively speaking Miyahara's SP is far superior to Mariah Bell's, which is barely a routine at all; it's just skating with slinky pop music playing in the background. There is no real integration of the skater's movements with the music, nor is there any real sense of development over the course of the 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Miyahara's, by contrast, is fantastically choreographed, full of surprise and wit.) The only skaters who really should dump their new program IMO are Hubbell and Donohue, but that is also because Ice Dance competitions are won/lost by a point here and a point there. Hubbell and Donohue's problem is that their FD skate last season was almost as disliked as their new one.

[@mattcastg5170]

“She’s skating slow as hell.. but she knows how to point” 😂😂😂

[@JackAShepherd]

I put a spell on YOU. Ya, YOU, right THERE.

[@Rachel-rs7jn]

@@JackAShepherd And all of YOU. On my left and on my right. And YOU at the ends, don't think I forgot about you.

[@Rachel-rs7jn]

Yeah I had to go watch this program immediately to understand why they were talking about the pointing so much heh heh. Umm, yeah....I'm happy for Gracie but the pointing is a little out of control.

[@fsmilka8021]

Well, it's a little bit difficult for me to write it cuz of the "language barrier" but I feel that I have to. It's some words in defense of Sasha. Of course, I know that no one cares about it but why you, TSL, and lots of other people are so into looking for flaws in all the skaters not only Sasha. I can't say that I love all of them just cuz everyone deserves it and bla bla bla. But how you discuss skaters, we can find only in crazy person's comments. Sasha is so unique. (I'll compare her with Hanyu now. Be ready) Most of the men are powerful. It's the thing which distinguishes them from girls. And that's ok and no one complains. But when we see Hanyu with his power, of course, but at the same time with an artistry, we just can't breathe cuz it's something special. The same thing with Trusova. She stands out from the total mass of princess on the ice. It becomes dull to see only beautiful and what is more important identical Barbie dolls. And Sasha is like a breath of fresh air. She has so much power. You always ask who will love her without quads. And I'm sure that I'm not the only one who enjoys her gala performance, for example. It's without quads, but I love it so much. I feel her speed, energy, her passion. And people can see she's crazy about what she's doing. She's one the few skaters who has this fire in the eyes. It's only my opinion but I just can't understand why people try so much to ignore these things and see only her lack of the quality in other aspects. It's so sad to watch and hear how two adult men say such awful things about 15 y.o.girl. Maybe you also can say that she doesn't deserve these victories. Why don't you just watch how Sasha gets better, just give her time and don't discuss in such way. It's your channel and it's your right, but I can't respect it

[@jiejie8555]

fsmilka I agree with Trusova standing out by her power but if she doesn’t clean up her performance, watching her is just difficult, she seems so heavy. Also, she is one of the top senior ladies fighting for that world title, she SHOULD be judged on basics such as skating skills, if she wanted to improve and grow then stay in juniors

[@fsmilka8021]

Sancho Panza I agree that she has to improve a lot, but I wrote only about hate. I think she deserves better comments about her

[@shawnamessinger8077]

Let me tell you the senior event at Easterns was a plethora of female pop artists, we had Jessica Simpson, Bette Midler x 2, Sarah Barreillis x2, Barbara Streisand, Alanis Morisette, and the list goes on... Gracie in person was clearly in better form, and her programs were faster and more refined than Regionals. It's apparent she has been doing more run-throughs. I saw some good improvements- not major, but she's getting better each time. She was also very emotional and the arena was there for it. It was a real moment in person- all the feels. Meeting her briefly, she was also very sweet and she had tears in her eyes as she just found out she made it!

[@shawnamessinger8077]

Also, Dave in response to your twitter comment, Gracie didn't actually stay for her marks. In the short, she took right off backstage and in the long, she stayed for a while to collect her stuffed animals then left before her marks. Vincent and associate (don't actually know who he is), hung off to the side to hear the marks. So no one was actually in the kiss and cry for Gracie. Vincent's other skater, a junior lady, didn't stay for her marks either....

[@10skyblue]

The sound quality from Jonathan is not the best this time ☹️

[@JohnnyOpera1]

Elena .Ch I think it was the Internet quality at my hotel. I’ll try to find another solution for next week!

[@10skyblue]

Jonathan Beyer thank you, Jonathan! And I am so with you on Dmitry Aliev 👋, find him totally amazing 😊

[@josephroberson5414]

"Wait wait wait wait" I love you guys so much! Love the friendly fact checking.

[@TheSkatingLesson]

Joseph Roberson 😘😘😘

[@clairp2716]

Loved your commentary on Instagram this weekend! :)

[@FluteElenlin]

Kazuki Tomono's short program is derived from the ballet Chroma by Wayne McGregor. You can see the clip he's adapting here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/aISwnn9soK6rY9k). That's where the weird choreographic sequences are coming from. I love it, but it does seem like a risky move. I do think some of the Moscow audiences knew it - it's been performed to a lot of acclaim in Moscow - but it's hard to imagine that audiences elsewhere will recognize it.

[@hikkirocks]

1. Agree completely about Lambiel's presence... The Japanese media are making easy headlines like "Lambiel saves Uno" yada yada yada, but his kiss & cry comments lacked substance and he still comes across as someone who enjoys the spotlight on himself than his pupils. JFS asked him to just accompany Uno and nothing more. He didn't need to accept that request, so that's nice. 2. OMG again ITA about Satoko. Stunning. And yes bring back last season's SP for strategic reasons.

[@christinebordes9991]

It's very sad that a large majority of people in this world are not able to understand the simple sincerity of people, and equate it with something overplayed and used for their own purposes. In my eyes, Mr Lambiel shows only the face of a caring and sincere person, probably the only person he wants to be. Why would it be the opposite of what it is, just to silence the bad languages that it insupports? I also think that given the heavy atmosphere he has reigned in this sport for some time, "the generosity" of the people who post private videos on skaters "the heart filled with good intentions"...Maybe it would be good to send in internship at mr Lambiel a good part of the world that gravitates in the middle of skating. If Mr. Lambiel could share even a small part of his benevolence with some of these people, the world would be better off. :)

[@Xosidhe]

Stephane does seem really supportive and nurturing, and that’s something Shoma seems to have responded well to in the past. I don’t disagree about anything Jonathan said about him, especially the weird-looking relationship with Deniss, but it also seems like a coach like Stephane is totally what Shoma needs rather than trying to go it alone.

[@Xosidhe]

mish098aimer In the interview book with his brother, they talked about how they moved out from their parents’ and mom has to come over to help them take care of the house, the brother cleans etc because when Shoma has tried to help he’s screwed things up. Based on that, he’s too childish to go and train on the other side of the world. He’s not comfortable with English and has never made an attempt to try and speak English in interviews, and when people try to speak English to him, he freezes. That was something people cited as an issue Marin Honda had with training-that she couldn’t speak enough English and instead of saying she didn’t understand she’d just nod and not do what she was told.

[@Xosidhe]

mish098aimer I can see that about the cultural difference and being agreeable, but even though Yuzuru isn’t great at English, he always tries. It’s the same how Evgenia always made an effort to speak English even when it was limited but Alina was never comfortable to try. People like Yuzu and Evgenia are able to go and train on the other side of the world when someone like Alina or Shoma is less outgoing and not so comfortable with the language and culture difference and being away from home m, and it might not be the right thing for them. If Shoma can’t even wash his clothes in Japan without his mom coming to help, he’s not really independent enough to live in Canada and manage training, meals, and housework. I say this as someone who’s a huge baby who still has to get help from my mom and had to go to University in town while living at home. That’s just how it is for some people.

[@Xosidhe]

Lucky gem a year ago, November 2018

[@ScoutFinch713]

Tara's group of friends...we all know them bc she had to say hi to them in the kiss and cry at every event as well as every member of her extended family

[@TheSkatingLesson]

ScoutFinch713 omg yes!

[@TheSkatingLesson]

Sasha did that too!

[@Eeyora1]

The two Erins!

[@maim3819]

You guys are the best! Thank you!

[@nvadqs]

Thank God, Tarasova got rid of her "bed gown" costume....

[@BillyWhaler]

Satoko’s jumps get lower and lower every event but she is still the most interesting performer on the ice. Quads & smoke breaks don’t translate well on TV.

[@pwetty4r4]

Trusava's personality is adorable, love the girl its a shame about the skating skills

[@Ciro65Sr]

Since Gracie getting sponsorship she move back to the Midwest and train in Buffalo Grove with Brandie. This will help Gracie get that extra push.

[@David.Aragona]

Dave, your face when Jonathan trots out that "I don't wanna see if it she doesn't want it" line... Amazing. Thanks for multi-tasking this week to get the show out early!

[@davidfaz2435]

Samarin's 4Lz was huge, but had the worst body position, it would have been a +2 at best, not +5.

[@aliecatze4922]

Wow, I'd somehow blissfully completely forgotten about that moment in skating time where every other skater was doing a program to Bette Midler's The Rose. And then like a bad flashback all those repressed memories came rushing back to me this weekend. Thanks for the talk therapy TSL. ;)

[@TheSkatingLesson]

[@KateKay28]

alie catze Having skated in that era where every program was to “The Rose” or “The Electric Horseman”, the Sectionals resurgence of this one gave me flashbacks too. Please no to these. Not again!

[@ColonelGreen]

Of note for dance in the Grand Prix Final, Gilles/Poirier qualified for the Final in what will be third position, behind Papadakis/Cizeron and Sinitsina/Katsalapov, because they had a higher aggregate score than Hubbell/Donohue. That means they get to skate in the second mini-flight of the RD, which, because of how the scoring works, will probably give them a boost versus the American teams and Stepanova/Bukin.

[@ColonelGreen]

@Lucky gem Unless they somehow beat Papadakis/Cizeron and get a gold medal to match Gilles/Poirier and Hubbell/Donohue, it doesn't matter what they score. S/B can only be fifth or sixth.

[@ColonelGreen]

@Lucky gem Uh, you apparently did not read my post at all, since not only did I not forget about those teams, I specifically mention them. That's the whole point, in fact, that qualifying in third probably gives G/P an advantage due to how it affects skating order, specifically that they skate in the second mini-flight.

[@ColonelGreen]

@Lucky gem H/D did not qualify in first. They qualified in what will be fourth, behind P/C (two gold, highest score), S/K (two gold), and G/P (gold + silver, higher score). It's well-known that skating later and in different flights generally grants a PCS advantage. It's not "supposed" to, but it does.

[@ColonelGreen]

@Lucky gem I didn't say it was guaranteed. I said it was a factor. It also helps to be from a powerful federation, which G/P are, and the Italians are not.

[@ColonelGreen]

@Lucky gem I said it "will probably give them a boost".

[@iosebdzamukashvili5360]

Trusova said during the press conference that she wants to compete with men. 😁 in the free I saw two loops under and I agree with you guys on that. How can you get the info about a skater who dates Gedevanishvili's brother? 😁

[@Galaclar]

@@evanperilstein5308 😂😂😂

[@kmt8528]

Fix her techniques and skating skills first. My eyes hurt when I saw the +3 for her “4Lz”

[@10skyblue]

At the end of the exhibition show Samarin , Dima Aliev, and also Shoma went for the quads but neither of them could land it. Guess who was the one who landed it with no problem?, 😊Sasha Trusova goes for the quad and nails it😊 👏👏

[@Jontor11]

My moment of the week was Elizaveta Nugumanova's short at Warsaw Cup!!! It's criminal that this girl with her performance qualities doesn't do a million GP events. I just loved her. If you haven't seen it, here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3PNqX-tdt2Gfck

[@rahelhorvat1471]

I have noticed this girl last year at nationals, she was superb, but Russian federation simply doesn't give credit to some of its athletes.

[@Jontor11]

@@rahelhorvat1471 And her long program today was wonderful too! :-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKG3c6xqopp9grM

[@MrChaseBlue]

But don't y'all think that those ladies with just triple axels can then compete technically with those with justs quads if they don't allow quads in the SP until at least 2022? Bc atm, no one besides Alysa Liu (albeit very small jumps) has both. It levels the playing field this way for the time being bc obviously the technique between the quads and the 3As are very different.

[@mariamrusishvili1724]

1. Papadakis/cizeron 2/3 chock/bates giles/porier (in any order depending if madison can hit the key points or not) 4/5 russians 6 Madison and Zach That’s what should be in a fair world But for sure zhulin won’t give up the second place and if Madison won’t get the levels in the rhythm dance bronze could go to Canadians. Worlds being in Montreal will help

[@olibritt8500]

You are forgetting the italians, G&F are ready to mess your ranking.

[@mariamrusishvili1724]

Olibritt they are so good in getting the levels ... it’s quite obvious that they get an individual attention unlike probably in Montreal but still, by the time the worlds come around all teams will be better trained, they will be getting levels and all will be about GOE and PCS unfortunately Italians do not get that good goes

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

Tarasova and Morozov needed to go to Moskvina. By the way, i like the music Charlie selected for the free

[@TraCarol83]

By the way, Dave, LOVE the shirt. Go Dawgs!

[@TheSkatingLesson]

Go GymDogs!

[@crystaldoherty8791]

12:15 am, I sure hope that excuses my spending a moment after the intro wondering how Hong Kong became part of Russia :S sad that I can’t push through & keep watching but grateful for your work, guys!!! A reason to get out of bed on a Monday morning, thank you both :)

[@propskov4882]

Eteri smiled because she was tired of being impersonated with Zhenya

[@shannawallace7855]

36:05 they changed the rules on repeating quads last season, skaters are only allowed to repeat one quad now. So she can do two 4T OR two 4Lz, she can't do two of both

[@JohnnyOpera1]

Shanna Wallace Such a silly rule

[@aileenanelson8601]

Skating is cool and all, but we need to focus on what's important: Where can I stream Jonathan's House Hunter's episode??

[@JohnnyOpera1]

Aileena Nelson kzbin.info/www/bejne/nafUYoinm8uYeZI

[@aileenanelson8601]

@@JohnnyOpera1 Thank you! "We're not really looking for new friends." Only 5 seconds in and your icon status remains unchallenged.

[@jimmyplank9824]

What’s up Dave “Medvedeva should quit” Lease

[@chayaavtzon1507]

I thought his name was Dave “Zagitova should quit” Lease

[@danielarifaiova3345]

@@evanperilstein5308 What does it has to do with her retirement?

[@danielarifaiova3345]

@@evanperilstein5308 ?? I didn't

[@jimmyplank9824]

Dave probably did

[@annfotlyan8655]

Why not talk about Evgenia's redemption skate, her fight, her clean skate .....so many great points to talk about. We've heard about her SS every time...we get it. She's not Carolina or Yuna. Yuna had virtually no transitions, her toes were not pointed (ugly).....

[@lyla3372]

Yes like no pointed toes directly matter to the component score🙄 skating skill is a very essence of this sport so people expect more to a skater like evgenia and that’s it

[@rop888]

I'm happy for her, but why are we supposed to celebrate every time she has a "redemption" skate after flopping. We already did that last year. Good for her, but people can still point out what's wrong with her skating especially when she's getting such massive PCS

[@stevebruier8497]

It's easier to have good jumps when you don't bother with transitions, difficult loop combos and are not trying to learn quad at the same time. She also didn't bother with tano nor rippon. You have no idea what her skating would be if she tried to do all that. Well, she for sure wouldn't have any loop combos as she didn't even jump triple loop.

[@annfotlyan8655]

@@rop888 it's the same criticism always without really acknowledging the improvements which are huge

[@stevebruier8497]

You ignored what I said. She might be able to do loop for short period of time but would hardly be able to do difficult loop combos, raised arms, have all the transitions skaters have now and try to learn quad on the top of that. I'm saying you have no idea what her skating would be if she was trying to keep up with all that. Especially, after 2010.

[@sashafan2]

What's up with Jonathan's video quality? It's like he is shooting on 12-year old phone.

[@TheSkatingLesson]

Олег Чистяков he is in a hotel in Hong Kong. Hotels can have rough internet.

[@sashafan2]

Shoma is wasting time with Lambiel. He can't help him with the jumps, and he doesn't have problems with artistry. Maybe he should go to Rafael?

[@rachelguapa11]

I think Ravi Walia would be the best choice for Shoma, if he is still planning to catch up on Nathan and Yuzuru. Ravi doesn't have any big name now, he can dedicate a lot one to one time to him and he did incredible job with Osmond's jumps after her injury.

[@rop888]

Raf would want to completely redo his jumps. He doesn't even have a proper lutz. Not exactly sure Shoma is up for that. He's talented, but doesn't have the work ethic to completely revamp everything he's learned.

[@TheAnnmjensen]

Courtney skated at Mids this year. I am exhausted from keeping up with all 3 sections and Russia.

[@twinkly666]

shoma's problem is not with training. did you even watch his official practice? his practice was very good, the landing was all super clean, it was clearly mental. also about he omitting his 4t, he said it was because his skates very slippery inside after he fell on the 4s (i don't know how exactly should i translate it but it's something wrong about his skates) and while thinking what should he do with the skates he just miss the jump

[@debbied2715]

joining the crazy people 1:47 am

[@arianagrymski2692]

If I remember correctly, Trusova can’t do two quad toes and two quad lutzes bc she does two triple lutzes, and I think the rule is that you can’t repeat more than two triple or quad jumps.

[@davidfaz2435]

They can't do 2 quads twice, and they can't do 2 triples twice if they already repeated a quad

[@Tigg90]

I was wondering if anybody else was going to notice how underrated Satoko M. Is when it comes to edges.

[@TheSkatingLesson]

100%

[@anaksimandran]

This is funny.. Zagitova probably goes to gp final and she is not not competitive. Medvedeva is second at home with a lot of help from judges and she is definitely improved. You are master minds))

[@Galaclar]

Sorry but the flutz was call

[@rahelhorvat1471]

I was also surprised how they made this big math, contemplating if Zagitova will qualify, whereas it is clear even without her skating in the last event that she will likely hit silver or bronze in Japan and will qualify regardless of the medal color.

[@iris7484]

pretty much every lutz she's done this season has gotten a hard edge call yall need to stay up to date if you want to talk

[@anaksimandran]

@@iris7484 OK, you are right

[@anaksimandran]

@@Galaclar OK you are right

[@kristenjunker1632]

Stay safe in Hong Kong, Jonathan!