Cup of Russia thread 2009 Plushenko vid

[AgnesNitt]

Evgeni Plushenko SP - Cup of Russia II Rostelecom Perm 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWL1A-Bi8KA

[sk8ergalgal]

I think he was overjudged in his program component scores as he did not really do much in between elements. He did have really nice jumps and he even doubled his triple lutz. You have to give him some credit i guess for coming back but hes no patrick chan.

[AgnesNitt]

I thought he was slow, stiff and dull.

[Schmeck]

Wasn't he the only one to get a quad in though?

[icedancer2]

His jumps all looked completely clean with excellent, confident landings and runout - his spins were great - footwork - meh, whatever - basically I thought he "owned" the ice whereas the others looked like amateurs.

He was still Plushenko, but I think a lot less flailing than back in 2006 - while the component scores may have been inflated (after all, it's an Olympic year, LOL) - we will have to wait and see him actually skate against Mr. Chan for us to accurately judge.

Onto the Freeskate!!

[MQSeries]

I saw Plush's LP on utube also. Plush's jumps were amazing. To be away competitively for 4 years and still be able to land the quad and 3A better than most of the current crop of current skaters is mind-boggling. Having said that, I would love to send Plushy to a choreographer who understand that less is more. The flailing arms and posings in the LP bordered on the ridiculous.

What in the heck was Weir wearing in the SP? The only thing missing was the skirt. The skating quality was superb though. Haven't seen his LP yet.

I appreciated that Brandon Mroz was trying to be more expressive with this year's SP, but it wasn't a convincing performance. It felt like he simply went through the motion. He did have nice flow in movements though.

KVP ... sigh. His general skating skills have been getting nowhere in the past few years.

[AgnesNitt]

Weir is the master of costumery. That little tassel really draws the eye when he spins when it's contrasted against they ice. He may not have been the first to use little costume tricks to drawn the eye into his spins and jumps, but he really uses it sooo well.

And could his spins get any better? A couple of years ago they travelled badly for an elite (okay I think all the men are cut slack on their spins travelling) but this year they were really nice.

Music was slow and uninspiring but he does the ballet side of skating really well. I like that.

My favorite performance of his was Cup of China LP 2007. Just Amazing

And he has the cutest tush in figure skating. Just sharin' an opinion.;)

[Mel On Ice]

I truly disliked Weir costume. It distracted me from watching his skating.

Pluskenko's jumps and spins were superb. Hate the flailing during footwork.

[Artemis]

Yes the jumps were superb, and the spins pretty great. Will he step up (!) the rest of the program between now and Feb? Well that's the big question. In addition to the wild arm flailing, I also found the finger pointing ("I'm number one") to be off-putting, and should have garnered negative marks. I only hope that was a one-off, reserved for his return performance before a home crowd. I'm pretty sure it won't win him any fans in Vancouver!

[Artemis]

And in other news ....

I think Mao really needs to go back to the drawing board. This program is doing her no favours at all. The music is far too heavy for her skating style, and all that emphasis on trying the two 3Axels is really detracting from the remaining 4 minutes.

I really enjoyed Davis & White's free dance (and I think her costume in particular is gorgeous) ... but what a shame they chose such a hackneyed piece of music. Perhaps they're counting on drawing in the audience with something familiar. But they skated it superbly -- the lifts in particular were phenomenal. Tanith & Ben better watch out!

[icedancer2]

Tanith & Ben better watch out!

Tanith and Ben and all of the rest of the dancers at the Olympics!!

[Isk8NYC]

Watching my recording from NBC this weekend, so I'm late to comment.

Wasn't he the only one to get a quad in though?I just saw Mroz - maybe his quad was marked down, but the commentators said he landed the quad toe cleanly. Too bad he fell on the triple axel.

[Plushenko's] jumps all looked completely clean with excellent, confident landings and runout - his spins were great - footwork - meh, whatever - basically I thought he "owned" the ice whereas the others looked like amateurs.

He was still Plushenko, but I think a lot less flailing than back in 2006 - while the component scores may have been inflated (after all, it's an Olympic year, LOL) - we will have to wait and see him actually skate against Mr. Chan for us to accurately judge.I always feel like Plushenko's skating to different music than the audience/judges are hearing. He still had a few footwork moments where he looked like he was being tasered.

I saw Plush's LP on utube also. Plush's jumps were amazing. To be away competitively for 4 years and still be able to land the quad and 3A better than most of the current crop of current skaters is mind-boggling. Having said that, I would love to send Plushy to a choreographer who understand that less is more. The flailing arms and posings in the LP bordered on the ridiculous.I think the choreographer thinks it adds drama or something - didn't Lysacek have the flail-and-seize footwork in a program last year that only lasted for a few competitions?

What in the heck was Weir wearing in the SP? The only thing missing was the skirt. The skating quality was superb though. Haven't seen his LP yet.What a waste of money. The guy could skate in a pair of sweats from JC Penney and win with his skills. The over-costuming detracts from his performances.

I appreciated that Brandon Mroz was trying to be more expressive with this year's SP, but it wasn't a convincing performance. It felt like he simply went through the motion. He did have nice flow in movements though.Love Mroz, hate his LP music and program. It just seems so OLD and boring for a young guy. I'm hoping Mroz will be the Cinderfella of these Olympics, ala' Sarah Hughes.

[Schmeck]

I was only commenting on the short program - the free program hadn't happened then, I think? Or did Mroz get a quad done in the SP too, and I missed it? Off to check!

ETA - Mroz was credited with a (GOE -3) 4T - he only got 5 points out of it, while Plush did his in combo, and got 15.

[Isk8NYC]

I was only commenting on the short program - the free program hadn't happened then, I think? Or did Mroz get a quad done in the SP too, and I missed it? Off to check!Oh, I only saw Mroz's long program, so I was comparing apples and oranges. Some point spread, huh?

I'm am SO pissed off right now. I recorded the NBC coverage on my DVR. When I watched it today, the screen went black after the 1hr mark. No picture for the rest of the coverage, which included all of the ladies events. Grrrr...

[herniated]

And in other news ....

I think Mao really needs to go back to the drawing board. This program is doing her no favours at all. The music is far too heavy for her skating style, and all that emphasis on trying the two 3Axels is really detracting from the remaining 4 minutes.

I really enjoyed Davis & White's free dance (and I think her costume in particular is gorgeous) ... but what a shame they chose such a hackneyed piece of music. Perhaps they're counting on drawing in the audience with something familiar. But they skated it superbly -- the lifts in particular were phenomenal. Tanith & Ben better watch out!

I heard from the commentators when Mao was performing that she was attempting the 3A because she took the 3lutz out/didn't have a 3lutz.

I LOVE Davis and White and at first when I read about what thier music was for the FD I was like, "NO NO NO, so overplayed" But when I saw it I felt they were able to make that piece of music fresh again. And it was a GREAT FD. And I agree about Meryl's dress(es) she is always very elegant.