Here are the thoughts that went through my mind as I watched the ladies tonight. It was a looong night and a roller coaster ride for me!
Tatyana Khasova: the first skater is when the commentators get all the rules out. Also, when my boyfriend makes all his figure skating jokes. Hope they both stop soon. Meanwhile, a nice performance, but she really ended that biellmann spin on zero speed at all.
Rebecca Stern: augh fall on first triple...and double axel...err...but pulled out that last triple loop and nice response from the audience. Oh, well...you have to start somewhere. She looks happy to be here.
Rachael Flatt: if I have to hear about Flatt's AP classes one more time...YAY Sing Sing Sing...love. YAy, held onto the triple flip/triple toe!!! Just hung onto the lutz as well. What an adorable step sequence. Have I mentioned I love this? Solid double axel - job well done by Rachael Flatt. 69.35, big score.
Alissa Czisny: fall on triple lutz. annnnd I assume that might be the end of her Olympic dream. sigh...so pretty. Ugly DOUBLE flip. beautiful spiral. Gorgeous finish to the program, of course. I am kind of sad now. 54.18
Samantha Cesario: Go New York! err...sits down on the triple lutz. But regrouped with a nice triple sal/double toe. Nice double axel. I am now envisioning the Muppets bohemian rhapsody...so thanks for that, Samantha! I like her! Too bad about the jump:(
Christina Gao: Brian Orser...the man is all over the place! She is so cute and just gangly enough. Triple toe/triple toe - kind of stepped down at the end but it was clean. Nice triple flip. She is looking slightly awkward coming out of the spin. Nice double axel. She does not seem to be able to end the spins so well, but she is impressive. 56.26...ahead of Czisny.
Mirai Nagasu: Wow, cannot believe she's only 16 still. Lots of speed to start. Nice triple lutz, double toe! Great triple flip. Double axel out of ina bauer...this is great. THese spins are amazing. This was an AMAZING SKATE!!! She looked mature, and I often think she looks young so that is high praise!! 70.06 - no triple/triple but superior execution and performance.
Chelsea Morrow: Hard for me to pay full attention as Nagasu's skate is still in my head!!! Hand down in the combo...Nice skate but Nagasu was a tough act to follow.
Alexe Gilles: I like this program...nice and light! And she looks like cotton candy. Popped the triple lutz...triple flip/double toe, nicely done. She is lovely, but could use a bit more speed in the steps here. Very nice, but too bad about the pop. 53.54. She is in fifth place.
Ellie Kawamura: RAINBOW BRITE! Senior debut for Ellie. This song is a surprise. Argh, a fall on the triple lutz...how sad. ANOTHER fall, not her day. Or her costume, for that matter. Or the right program.
Caroline Zhang: turns out of triple flip so only a double toe at the end. Sits down on the triple loop. So typical of Zhang's season, even if she's been practicing well. No Olympics yet, but she really is beautiful. And not as slow as she has been. This is sad. 49.94.
Amanda Dobbs: Competed the other day in pairs - finished seventh! Such a pretty smile. Yikes, triple toe/double toe all over the place but landed! triple salchow. Obviously not a very difficult program...knee bent on the spiral. I wonder how long she will be skating both pairs and singles. Nice job. 56.11 - wow, much higher than I would have expected! Good for her.
Laney Diggs: Aw she is shaking!!! Aaand falls on the first jump, just could not settle in? She is so smiley though, and beautiful spin. The rest of the program is well-performed, but I guess the nerves got to her. 42.87...she's into 10th place. And crying, so sad.
Melissa Bulanhagui: Must be an odd spot to be skating, knowing everyone cannot wait for Sasha!!! Don't tell me she can do a triple axel unless she is going to do one, commenters. Good lutz! Nice going so far...but turned out of the double loop on her combo. Attacking the footwork. Double axel - check. Crowd is pretty loud. She looks so happy! Yay. 45.60....9th place.
Sasha Cohen: And here we go...WOW a little late to retie those boots. ooohh tight but landed? not sure about the points but GREAT triple flip. Double axel done, now SELL IT. Spiral sequence/split jump...perfect. Spins...superb. Wow...a little shaky on that first combo but she is still IN IT!!! Great job. She looks so relieved. 69.63 - and look at that - edges out FLATT but Nagasu is in first. Was not expecting Flatt to be in third right now!
Christina-Maria Sperduto: Ooh I love her last name, it reminds me of mine! Slow into that triple loop.double toe...might be downgraded? Fought for triple sal and put foot down at the end...clean double axel..YIKES something happened at the end of that spin, not good. The commentators are comparing her to Cohen, which is kind of rough for anyone. And she is not particularly quick. OMG her score is so low!!!?? 12.59 for technical...wowee. Downgrades? GOE? That spin? Lack of speed? Total of 31.62. last place for now.
Beatrisa (Bebe!) Liang: She has been here so many times. Nailed the combination landing...ugh then a triple flip fall. So another Olympic dream dies. Kind of a roller coaster night. 51.98.
Emily Hughes: I'm nervous again! Well, say what you want Scott, but that combo was solid. Argh doubled the lutz and close to the boards. But got the double axel to close. I am wondering what the placement could be...Nice layback. On the bright side, much better than her Skate America short program. But the points from that double lutz would have been very valuable! Disappointing. 53.75...not good...seventh place. I'm a little surprised she's behind Czisny but Czisny's components and grade of execution are superior.
Becky Bereswill: She is such a lovely skater, but a hand down on that triple toe. She looks like such a grown-up among little girls. Nice triple flip! Oh geez, now Scott Hamilton is saying the same thing as me. I hate when that happens! hee. Well, this is pretty pretty. But the technical score will not be high enough. 44.60 - she is in 13th place.
Blake Rosenthal: Falls right off the bat on the triple flip. Pulls off the triple/double toe combo. And then the double axel. Thumbs down on this program. I may be getting cranky because it's so late. But I am not feeling this music. 43.43 - 15th place. I cannot wait for Ashley Wagner.
Kayla Howey: Competing with a stress fracture, ack! Triple toe...into a sequence for the double toe. Hand down on the triple salchow. Nice layback. Another light and airy program. Popped what was supposed to be a double axel on no speed. She looks nervous...but hopefully this will be a good experience for her. Wow- just checked the standings and Dobbs is still in fifth! I would never have thought that back when she skated, but a lot of the big names have faltered (not unsurprisingly). Anyway, Howey gets a 35.59 for 19th place.
Kristiene Gong: Triple lutz, tano toe loop combo. Nicely done! saved that triple flip...Her components are not going to be as high as some of the other ladies but she is doing a good job here. I love that she saves her double axel for later. ER but she almost could not hold onto it. Ah, well. Great spin at the end here. She is quite slow on the footwork. 48.11 for 11th place.
Ashley Wagner: ACK I AM SO NERVOUS!!! OK, solid triple flip/double toe, but maybe deductions somewhere?? DARRRRRN fall on the triple lutz. Oh, I am so sad. I am glad she's last because now I'm depressed. She is doing so nicely in the rest of the program. She has difficult jump entries and a nice double axel. I really did not expect her to fall...I guess those are the breaks. 62.55, Fourth place, not too bad...
TO BE CONTINUED ON SATURDAY!!!!