SENIOR EVENTS

Ladies

Men

Pairs

Dance

JUNIOR EVENTS

Ladies

Men

Pairs

Dance 

Quotable

Senior Ladies Short Program

Christina Gao

“I’m a little disappointed with my short. Obviously, it wasn’t the best I can do. I’m really happy to be here among these skaters. I’d like to take the opportunity to prove myself in the long.”

“I want to skate well. I’ve been training well. I think I can do well in the free skate.”

“I’m just really happy to be here, and to get a chance to be at the Grand Prix Final is great (even with only one week to train for this competition). I’d like to skate better in the long and make the most of my time here.”

“I’ll probably be disappointed for a little bit about this short. I’m going to have to get over it by tonight and forget what happened and go into the free skate with confidence. No excuses, but I didn’t have much time to prepare. I’ve been well-trained all year and today my legs were a little shaky. The same thing happened at my Grand Prix in Paris and I missed the triple-triple. I think I didn’t get a good entrance again which is disappointing.”

“It’s a great opportunity (to be in Sochi). However, I don’t like to think about anything in the past or anything in the future. I’m here now so I’m going to enjoy it.”

“Sochi is amazing. I walk two minutes and I’m on the beach and seeing palm trees. It’s a lot warmer than Boston, it’s like vacation.”

Ashley Wagner

“Like I’ve said before, I’m taking it day by day (when it comes to adding triple-triples to the programs). I said earlier this week that I think the one who is going to be on top of the podium is the one who skates the cleanest. I have to figure out if that (triple-triple) is what’s going to help me get there. It comes down to if Mr. Nicks thinks it’s going to be clean and solid tomorrow.”

“I prefer to go out onto the ice and compete a program that I’m 100 percent confident in. After today’s performance, seeing that I was able to get all level 4s on all of my elements and do only a triple-double and score where I am, it’s almost better for me to skate a clean, solid short program.”

“This season, I have had three really solid long programs. If I can continue on that trend, I will be very pleased. The last two competitions, I didn’t have my spin levels. I proved to myself that I’m capable of doing it in competition here in the short. Hopefully I can make that happen in the long program.”

“It was a great (short) program. All this season, I have had solid performances. Today I was able to squeeze three more points out of that short program with better spin levels and a footwork sequence. I’m really happy.”

“I live in California and there are palm trees and then mountains right there so it’s (Sochi) a little bit like home. The arena is gorgeous. I’m so excited to be here and hope I will be back here next year. It definitely gives the competitors here an advantage because they can get used to the surroundings and the setting before the craziness of the Olympics comes in. I’m trying to soak it all up.”

“Team USA is very lucky. We have a bunch of great kids to be part of the team. It’s part of our culture to be a little bit loud. I’m happy that my teammates are here to cheer me on.”

(9 December 2012)  Sochi, Russia.

New Era for Mao Asada – Winning Without Triple Axel.  Gao Puzzled by Low Marks.

U.S. Champion Ashley Wagner gets silver but is injured during her Free Skate. She completes the routine but is forced to leave the press conference in tears due to so much pain, and is forced to withdraw from the Exhibition.

1. Overall 196.80; 1.SP 66.96 (35.02+31.94); 1.FS 129.84 (63.45+66.39); Mao Asada, JPN, won both sections to reestablish herself as a top Olympic contender. The now 22-year old, made a stunning U.S. debut in 2004 when she won Skate Long Beach, a Junior Grand Prix in which she adorably performed to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.

She has finally abandoned trying the triple Axel, a jump which she famously demonstrated when she won the 2008 World Championship, a title she subsequently regained in 2010 shortly after winning the Olympic silver medal. But as she grew, Asada lost her ability to dazzle with the triple Axels, and her international standing plummeted as she refused to give up trying it.

The five-time in the past six years, Japanese Champion (dethroned in the 2011 season) came into this event with a fleet of Japanese reporters in her wake. After her first practice, she complained, “It’s very hot at the field of play. I’m afraid the high temperatures my affect the quality of ice. My coach advised me to reduce the number of steps before my jump in the Short Program and the steps themselves had to be shorter. At my previous Grand Prix events (winning in China and, controversially over her teammate, Akiko Suzuki, in Japan) I had some difficulty with the jumps. I have fallen several times. That’s why we are focusing on the triple Lutz here. I haven’t taken part in a Grand Prix Final for four years so, now, is like it’s the first time for me. Of course, I want to show my best.”

Her Short Program, which she skated to Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythmn”, fifth of the six competitors, began with her double Axel, which earned +2 from all nine judges. Her triple flip to double loop was good but not quite as good, and the following two spins, the layback and the flying camel, both received the maximum Level 4 with both earning +0.50 GoE. Her components ranged from one 8.75 down to one 7.50.

She said, “I’m very glad I performed all my jumps well. While preparing for the competition, I tried to get rid of all my negative thoughts and skate the way I always do. The main goal is for me to focus on the upcoming Free program and to tackle pre-skate jitters. The main thing is not the technique but the moral condition. (“Moral” was obviously a translation error for “morale”.)

Her Free Skate was set to music from “Swan Lake”. She opened with a triple loop, good enough to earn 1.30 points over its base value of 5.1. But then came four flawed elements. Her sequence of double Axel to triple toe loop received an arrow for slight under-rotation on the second jump. The following triple flip also got an arrow, and the triple Lutz which was next in her presentation was saddled with an “e” for wrong edge takeoff.

A good Level 4 change foot combination spin was next up, which the judges decided was good enough to earn a full point over its base value of 3.50. (One judge awarded the maximum +3 GoE, and another +1, which, as they were the highest and lowest, were thrown out. The seven remaining officials punched in +2.)

But then Asada doubled her Salchow. Somewhat strangely things got much better at the half-way point.

She earned 10.37 points for her triple loop to double loop to double loop; 4.29 for her Level 4 change foot combination spin; 8.51 for her triple flip to double toe loop; and 3.77 for her Level 4 flying camel.

The highlight of her routine was the Level 4 steps. In the ballet’s “Black Act”, the Prince is deceived by the magician’s daughter, who seduces him with a dazzling show of 32 fouettes. This music seemed fire up Asada, who rose to the challenge, earning 5.70 points for her Level 4 steps. Five judges were moved to give their maximum +3 for this element, and the other three punched in +2. It was Asada’s last move before her choreographed sequence (which only has one Level, 1) but which elicited another four +3s from the judging panel.

Asada’s technical score was 0.20 lower than Tuktamysheva’s but her component marks totaled 66.39, 3.83 points higher than those presented to Wagner, who gained second place in this category.

Afterwards, Asada admitted, “I need to work on my level of accuracy. I want to show this is a good program and to skate the best I can. I am relieved because I had some problems during the season, not having enough speed for my long program, and there were other things that needed to improve. In the warm-up here, I did not feel quite good and I was concerned I was not in the right condition. But after the six minute warm-up, I decided I have very strong will for my performance and that helped. For the moment, I feel relieved. I will work hard for my next competition.”

2. Overall 181.93; 2.SP 66.44 (34.95+31.49); 4.FS 115.49 (54.93+62.56 -2); Ashley Wagner, USA, came in as the leading qualifier, which earned her the right to skate last. Performing her Short Program to “Red Violin” by John Corigliano in a deep red outfit, she opened with nice triple flip to double toe loop, which was so light and airy, that the judges rewarded this with one +3, seven +2s and one +1, which meant she earned an extra +1.2 points for this jump combination over the base value its base value of 1.30.

That was followed by two Level 4 spins. The layback earned all +2s apart from one +3, which was not from the judge who gave the +3 for the jump combination. The other spin, a change foot combination, earned two +2s and the rest +1. Wagner added a nice touch doing a split jump as the entry to her double Axel which was rewarded with six +1s and the rest +2s. Her triple loop was set past the half-way point taking advantage of the 10% bonus, and she was given two +2s with the rest of the judges punching in +1. Her final two elements, were the step sequence and the flying sit spin, which both got the top Level 4, with +1.20 and +0.50 respective GoEs. Her components ranged from one out-of-line 6.50 (no other judge gave a 6) up to one 8.75 (which was not out-of-line since there were three 8.50s and some 8.25s.)

Wagner, who is 21, said, “I’m very excited about getting my season’s best score. I wanted mainly to improve upon my spin levels from the last competition in Paris. I consider I did that. This time I was able to improve my Short Program score by three points. I think I’m in a great place going into tomorrow. I think the one who stands on top of the podium will be the one who skates the cleanest. I have to figure out whether it will be worthwhile to try a triple-triple or not. I think I’m currently in a great place (only 0.52 behind the leader).”

Wagner’s Free Skate is set to Saint-Saens’ “Samson and Delilah”. She opened with an impressive triple flip to double toe loop to double loop, with the last jump executed with arms over her head, which earned a total of 9.30 points, with one judge rewarding her with a +3 and six of the other seven punching in +2. (The remaining judge gave a +1.) That was followed by a double Axel to double toe loop, which banked 5.46 points. So far, so good.

But then she slightly under-rotated her triple Salchow and fell. She popped right up and continued. She was given, by the judges, a score for that move of only 0.80, and that was more than eliminated by the 1.0 point penalty for the fall.

She accomplished a Level 3 flying sit spin and a Level 4 layback spin, both with +0.64 GoE. Her triple loop, set at the halfway point earned a total of 6.71. The following triple Lutz was saddled with an “e” for wrong edge take-off but she still banked 6.30 for it.

Then came disaster. After a triple loop, she went for a double Axel in sequence with the loop. The Axel got two arrows indicating clear under-rotation. The error really cost her and she splattered hard on hitting her knee and hip on the ice in a very nasty fall. It quite obviously completely took the wind out of her and it took a moment for her to catch her breath and stand.

Her next element, the straight line steps were, hardly surprisingly, only Level 2, but she then brought off a good +0.80 triple flip, and her choreographed sequence earned one +3 and six +2s (along with one +1 and one 0). She wrapped up the four minute ten second routine with a Level 3 change foot combination spin which earned an extra +0.36. Her components ranged from four 8.50s down to one 7.0.

Although Wagner’s component scores were second best, her technical score ranked fourth. Overall, she held second but was a total of 14.87 points behind Asada and only 1.16 ahead of Suzuki, the bronze medalist.

Later she said, “I am really proud of myself that I was able to pull myself together. After a fall like that, coming into the next jump you are pretty terrified that it will happen again. But I knew that I could either give this competition away or I could continue to fight and I’m happy that I was able to push through.

Asked about the injury, “I don’t think that it is anything long-term. I think that for the next couple of days I will be pretty sore. It has been a long season, and a down competition is bound to happen. Better here than at Nationals! I had a great Short Program here, a Season’s best, and I am definitely taking that away.”

3. Overall 180.77; 3.SP 65.00 (34.63+30.37); 3.FS 115.77 (56.79+60.98 -2); Akiko Suzuki, JPN, who won bronze in the world championship earlier this year, skated a dynamic Short Program set to “Kill Bill” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”, and ended her routine with a smile. She began very well, with a combination of two triple toe loops which earned a full point over the jump combination’s base value of 8.2. That was followed by a good triple flip which received +0.80 over its base value, and two spins. Her layback was good enough for the maximum Level 4 with an added +0.79 GoE. However, her flying camel was flawed and though it still earned Level 3, -0.39 taken off its base value.

The 27-year-old sprang back with a double Axel, set at the point the 10% bonus clicks in, which earned a total of 4.2 points. The remaining step sequence and change foot combination spin were both the maximum level with +1.40 and 0.43 added respectively. Her component scores ranged from one 6.5 up to three 8.50s. She said, “I like my Short Program. The music is very dynamic and cheerful so I try to be equally energetic. I tried not to think about how important this Grand Prix Final is. But I didn’t do well in the Short Program sections of my Grand Prix qualifiers and I had started to have a negative mindset about the fact of not doing it well. So I knew I had to be more aggressive, and I think I was today.”

Her Free Skate is to music from the show, “O” by Cirque du Soleil. She opened with a triple flip to double toe loop to double loop, followed by a double Axel to triple toe which banked, respectively, a total of 9.10 and 8.50. But then she singled her Lutz attempt, which was further “dissed” with an “e” for wrong edge takeoff, leaving her with a total of 0.47.

But then she rebounded, executing three Level 4 elements, the flying camel spin, her straight line steps and the change foot combination spin. They earned GoEs respectively of +0.36; 1.40; +0.86. The steps earned one maximum +3 with all but one of the other judges punching in +2. (The exception gave +1).

However, she fell on her triple flip, executed at the half way point. She bounced back to bring off a +0.50 triple loop to double toe and a +0.70 Salchow. However, she fell a second time on a double arrowpunch in +3. Her final move, a Level 4 flying change foot combination spin, earned a total of 4.43 points. Her component scores ranged from three 6.75s up to two 8.5s given by one judge for the “Choreography” and “Interpretation” categories.

“I made some changes to the program,” Suzuki revealed later. “And that made led to all the mistakes today. It’s nice to have the medal but I have a lot of regrets about today’s performance. But there is still the rest of the season remaining. This has been my fourth continuous GP Final and I hope to learn from this experience.”

4. Overall 174.94; 4.SP 63.42 (32.67+30.75); 5.FS 111.52 (51.34+60.18) Kiira Korpi, FIN, skated to Debussy’s “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair”, which was very appropriate for the drop-dead gorgeous blonde. The 24-year old began her Short Program with a combination of two triple toe loops but the second jump was given an arrow for slight under-rotation. However, her following triple loop was rewarded with +0.80 over its base level. Her steps and two of her spins, the flying sit and the final change foot combination, earned Level 4. The layback was Level 3.

Korpi, who has been her national champion for three of the past four years, he admitted, “It was not perfect. The under-rotation of the loop was due to lack of speed going into the jump, but I think I did a good job overall. My preparation for this event was not good. At the Rostelecom Cup (Grand Prix) in Moscow (although she still won this event), I hurt my back, which took me off the ice for a week, and when I got back on the ice I had a stomach flu. I came her a day after I had planned. This was not my Personal Best score, but it was still my best result of the season (although she had won her own country’s Finlandia Trophy.) Her win in Moscow was the second time she had won a Grand Prix event. The previous GP gold medal came in Paris in 2010.

Skating her Free program to “Once Upon a Time in America”, Korpi opened with a planned combination of two triple toe loops, but she doubled the first jump. That was followed by a single Lutz. She got back on track with a +0.50 triple flip, a Level 4, +0.86 flying sit spin and a base value triple loop to double loop.

At the halfway stage, she executed a triple Salchow to double toe loop to single toe loop, followed by a double loop. Her layback spin was Level 3 with +0.50 and her Level 4 straight line steps earned an extra +1.20. A double Axel received an extra +0.50 and her choreographed sequence gained two +3s. She concluded with a Level 4, +3.50 change foot combination spin. Her components ranged from five 8.0s down to one 6.25.

She said, “It wasn’t my best performances but considering I was coming in after an injury and last week’s stomach flu, I’m pleased overall. I haven’t been able to do as many run-throughs as I would normally do before an event. So maybe that’s why I wasn’t feeling confident. The audience was really supportive of everyone. Even when I did a single Lutz, they applauded. Now, I have to think about the Finnish Nationals next week.”

5. Overall 173.75; 5.SP 56.61 (29.12+27.49); 2.FS 117.14 (63.65+53.49) Elizaveta Tuktamsheva, RUS, who trains in St. Petersburg with Alexei Mishin, will turn 16 on December 17. She presented a Tango to Astor Piazzolla’s famed “Adios Nonina” choreographed by David Wilson but doubled the second jump in her opening element, a planned combination of two triple toe loops, and got a minimal -0.10 removed from the base value.

The following triple loop was good enough to earn +0.50 over its base value, as was her next element, a Level 3 layback spin. Her double Axel, set in the second half in order to get the 10% bonus, got an extra +0.86 GoE. Her flying sit spin, as well as her steps, were Level 3 with +0.43 and +0.64 added. Her final spin, the change foot combination, earned the maximum Level 4 with +0.36.

Her components ranged from one 6.0 up to two 7.5s. She said, “To be honest, I didn’t skate very well so I didn’t expect to get high marks. I didn’t feel that well this morning and practice didn’t go as well as I was hoping for. I still feel the effects (of a cold). I wasn’t able to regain the good form I had in Paris (at the Eric Bompard Grand Prix, where she finished second). Being the only Russian in the (Ladies Senior) Grand Prix does make for more pressure. I try not to think about that.”

Tuktammysheva executed her Free Skate, dressed in a black outfit with bulky sleeves, to the Russian well-known folk tune “Dark Eyes”. She lost -0.70 off the base level of her first combination of triple Lutz to triple toe loop but still banked 9.40 points. She lost 1.40 off the base value of her second element, a triple Lutz, but earned +0.40 over the base value of 5.30 for her flip.

Her Level 3 layback spin earned +0.71, and her Level 2 straight line steps got an extra +0.50. At the half way point when the bonus marks click in, she executed a +0.80 double Axel to triple toe loop sequence, and a triple Salchow to double toe loop to double loop. Including their GoE scores, she earned for these two elements, a total of 17.17 points. That feat was followed by a Level 4, +0.50 flying sit spin and a triple loop. Her last jump, a double Axel earned +0.79 over its base value and her final move, a spin, was a Level 4 change foot combination which received +0.64 over its base value.

Tuktamysheva earned the highest technical score, although that was only 0.20 ahead of Asada. But her components score was only fifth best, and she was unable to climb out of the fifth place she had been slotted into. “I was very happy with today’s performance,” Tuktamysheva said, “especially after no so good practices in the last few days. I didn’t feel that well and my knee was hurting quite a bit. I was even thinking of pulling out as I didn’t want to skate, to be honest. But, just before stepping on the ice, I was able to pull myself together mentally. I told myself that everything is not over. And when I did the triple-triple (Lutz to toe loop combination), even though it wasn’t pretty, I knew I still had a chance to turn in a good skate.” Her components for this routine ranged from three 7.50s, all given by the same judge, down to one 5.50 for the “Performance” category.

6. Overall 154.54; 6.SP 48.56 (22.30+26.26); 6.FS 105.98 (55.90+51.08 -1) Christine Gao, USA, said, on arrival in Sochi, that she was “a bit disappointed that I missed the Final by one spot but then I got this call (as a last minute replacement for the injured Russian, Julia Lipnitskaya). I will treat this this competition like another stepping stone, another chance to show the world that I am training really hard. So I will not treat it any differently. I go and do the same thing I always do.”

Gao, who is a freshman at Harvard University and is taught by Mark Mitchell & Peter Johansson, skated first up in both sections. Her SP, to “Close Without Touching” began with a planned combination of two triple toe loop jumps (with a base level of seven points) but she stepped out of the first and had to put a hand on the ice. That meant she scored only two points. The following double Axel was good and her first spin, the flying sit, earned Level 4. Her triple loop got an arrow for slight under-rotation. Her layback spin and the step sequence earned Level 3 and her final spin, the change foot combination was rewarded with the maximum Level 4.

She gave a sigh as she came off the ice. “I did not skate my best. That was pretty disappointing. But I am just really happy to be here. It’s great to be at the Final. I didn’t have much time to prepare but no excuses. It gets hard sometimes to find a balance between school and training, but I’m enjoying the challenge. Sochi is amazing, so warm and so beautiful. I walk 20 minutes and there is a beach.” The athletes stayed in a hotel, not in the Olympic Village because the housing, built in Alpine style in the “Ice Cluster” of nine venues, is only in its construction period.

Again, in the Free, Goa had to skate first, while does not allow the full time for practice. She said, “I felt much better than yesterday. It was hard. I did not get a good warm-up, but I am glad I pulled it together through the program and I know I am that tough and I am more consistent this season than I ever was before. The score was kind of low. I am not sure why. Overall, I am happy with how I did. In Paris (at the 2012 Eric Bompard Trophy, I also skated poorly in the Short and came back with a stronger Long. I did the same thing today. I still have to figure this out. I have to stop coming from behind after the Short.

Her Free was set to Piazzolla’s famed “Libertango”. She opened with a triple flip to triple toe which got an arrow for slight under-rotation on the second jump. That was followed by a +0.35 double Axel, and a triple Lutz to double toe, which got an “e” for wrong edge take off on the first jump. Then came a Level 4 change foot combination spin, which earned +0.43 over its base value, and a Level 3, +0.50 layback spin.

Unfortunately, she then fell on her second triple flip. The following triple Salchow and triple loop were fine, with +0.50 and +0.60 added respectively. Her triple toe to double toe to double loop earned its base value, and her Level 3 steps got an extra 0.29. After the choreographed section, she concluded in fine style with a Level 4 flying sit spin which gained +0.14. Her components ranged from two 5.0s from a judge, who also kept his/her mark for Goa in the other three categories in the 5s, up to two 7.25s.

Gale Tanger refereed the Ladies event.