Warm-up Group 2
Yet again Eurosport chacked the first hour - so much for seeing Drei's new programme, and I wish I'd been able to see Dorofejev, too, it seems she skated really well.
Zoe Jones (GBR) - We didn't get to see her skate, grr. Apparently she landed a 3lutz, and in the replays we saw 3toe into 2toe, and a fall on 3loop. 4.0 to 4.5, 4.2 to 4.6, third to seventh, into fourth.
Vanessa Giunchi (ITA) - Schindler's List, nice white and grey outfit with a headscarf. 2salchow; 3toe; 3loop; 3flip half a turn underrotated; into a rather bad charlotte; layback; straight steps; 3salchow; changefoot camel; 2axel; butterfly into back sit; circular spirals; 3salchow turn 2toe; good combo spin. She's in tears, she looks like she can't quite believe how well she's done. 4.6 to 5.1, 5.0 to 5.4, first to third, into first place.
Idora Hegel (CRO) - 3flip hand down; 3lutz spun/stepped out; 2toe; 1salchow stumbled out; into 2axel fall, underrotated; 3loop; into changefoot upright spin; serpentine spirals with a stop and some posing in front of the judges; layback; 1flip into 2toe; flying camel; 3salchow; 2axel turns 2flip; combo spin. The music was Carmen, but at least she didn't wear red or black (white and purple, in fact). 3.9 to 4.4, 4.0 to 4.5, fifth to tenth, into ninth.
Susanne Stadlmüller (GER) - Blues Brothers 2000. 3lutz hands down; 3toe; 3loop hand down 2toe; layback; 2axel; changefoot upright spin; 3flip; into flying camel to catchfoot; 2lutz; circular steps; 2salchow; combo spin. Wheee! She didn't get all the jumps, and she didn't sparkle in quite the way she sometimes does, but I don't even care, because she was just wonderful to watch. This is a great programme, too, the music really suits her. "She's going to be a star" says Chris - yes, she most certainly is :o) 4.5 to 4.8, 4.6 to 5.1, German judge has her first LOL, a couple of thirds, but mostly fourths, didn't see the overall ranking, oops...
Karen Venhuizen (NED) - 3loop stepped out; 2salchow; flying camel; 3toe2toe; serpentine spirals; 2axel; circular steps; 2flip; layback; 2toe stepped out, "Triple salchow, not managing to make the third revolution" says Joanne, I do wish she'd stop talking such nonsense; 1salchow landed on two feet (I don't get that - if you bail out of a jump, why not at least try to make it look nice?); combo spin; into another combo spin. Music from Lloyd-Webber musicals. 3.9 to 4.4, 4.1 to 4.5, eighth to twelfth, into tenth.
Whaaat? They just said Soldatova withdrew...well that means Stadlmüller will hold 13th place - I predicted she'd finish in the 10- 15 range, so I'm pretty happy with that result :o)
Now they're showing Butyrskaya's SP again, and Joanne says "She looked very tense, normally she's very relaxed, but she just seemed to stiffen up..." Normally very relaxed?!
Group 3
Silvia Fontana (ITA) - Time to Say Goodbye, with *that* dress - I actually really like the colours, but there's too much flesh fabric, and too many sparkles. 3lutz just held, leaning forward; 3flip; 3toe, without that horrible wrap of hers; 3lutz underrotated, stepped out; flying camel; 2toe from steps; 2axel; into layback; 2salchow; stars into butterfly into back sit; 2salchow; combo spin. 4.4 to 4.7, 4.7 to 5.1, first to fifth, fifth on the free, second overall.
Galina Maniachenko (UKR) - 3lutz spun out; 3loop; 3flip fall; flying camel, good fly; 3toe stepped out; layback; serpentine spirals; 3flip turns 2toe; 2salchow; straight steps; 2axel into 2toe; into combo spin. 4.5 to 4.9, 4.5 to 5.4, firsth to sixth, third on the free, into the lead overall.
Elina Kettunen (FIN) - 3lutz2toe; 3loop step out; 3flip; 3toe; into flying camel; 3lutz; layback about two revolutions, hmm..; serpentine spirals; 2salchow; 1axel; combo spin; circular steps; 2axel, just; into some kind of flying sit spin, I missed the entry but I think it was probably a death drop...4.8 to 5.2, 4.6 to 5.3, first to fifth, she goes into the lead both on the free and overall.
Sabina Wojtala (POL) - Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini. 1lutz; 2flip; flying camel; 1lutz, no height at all; layback; serpentine spirals; 2axel; 3loop; Biellman; 3toe fall; circular steps, mainly just two-foot CCW turns; 2salchow; into 3salchow two-footed and turns out; combo spin. 4.0 to 4.4, 4.0 to 4.7, ninth to fourteenth, into eighth place overall.
Julia Sebestyen (HUN) - Glass Mountain soundtrack. White dress with royal blue bits, not flattering. 2axel, gorgeous; 3lutz2toe, lutz was absolutely huge; 3flip just floated, turns, 3toe; flying camel; spirals; 2loop; steps into 3lutz; into layback; circular steps; 3salchow; butterfly into back sit to some odd position; 3toe; wonderful combination spin, great positions. Wow! I love her skating, the height on those jumps is unbelievable. A boring programme, though, not a lot in it aside from the jumps and spins.5.3 to 5.6, 5.2 to 5.5, of course she takes the lead.
Group 4
Sarah Meier (SUI) - Miss Saigon. 3lutz2toe; 3flip turns 3toe; flying camel; 3loop hand down; nice spiral, held for a long time; 3lutz step out; layback; 2axel; 3salchow; 3toe; circular steps; into death drop. Chris calls her "a rare talent" - he said the exact same thing about Stadlmüller and Kettunen too, so clearly not *that* rare...5.0 to 5.4, 4.9 to 5.4, first to fourth, second on the free, first overall.
Maria Butyrskaya (RUS) - 17 Moments in Spring. 3lutz2toe, not the best landing; 3flip; flying camel, good flight but not as fast as it can be; 3toe half-loop 3salchow fall; 3lutz; layback; 3loop stumbled out and fell; spirals; 3loop; 2axel; butterfly into back sit; combo spin. I so hope she can skate this programme to its potential at some point. 5.2 to 5.6, 5.5 to 5.7, two judges have her second, but the rest first...
Viktoria Volchkova (RUS) - 2axel; 3lutz2toe; flying camel; 1flip landed on the wrong foot; 3toe; 3loop; layback, but she really doesn't lean back at all; 2flip; 3salchow, just held; circular steps; combo spin, some travel; upright to scratch spin. 5.1 to 5.7, 5.1 to 5.7, first to fourth, third on the free, into second place.
Vanessa Gusmeroli (FRA) - Last year's SP costume, hmm, wonder what's going on there...3lutz hand down; 1loop; 3flip fell out; 3toe; 3salchow two-footed; flying camel to layover, good; circular steps; 3lutz two-footed and fell out; ina bauer into slide spiral; layback; 1axel; 1axel; combo spin, back part first. 4.2 to 4.8, 4.5 to 5.1, sixth to fourteenth, missed the overall ranking...
Elena Liashenko (UKR) - 3lutz2toe; 1flip, very tentative approach; into 3toe; 3loop landed forward on two feet; flying camel; backspin; 3salchow; layback; 3lutz; straight steps; 3flip two-footed; into 2axel; combo spin. The same programme as last year. It looks like she might get a medal, I think she must've known she was in with a chance for her to come out and skate like that. 5.0 to 5.5, a few whistles, 5.2 to 5.6, first to sixth, into third place, she looks pretty disappointed. I'm disappointed, too, I don't like her skating but it would've been so good if she could've got a medal again after all this time.
Irina Slutskaya (RUS) - Don Quixote, in that new dress she wore at Russian nationals, it looks much better than it did in the photos I saw. 2lutz; 3salchow2loop; flying camel; 2lutz, yikes, what's going on here?!; butterfly into back sit, great flight; 3loop from running threes, just held; serpentine spirals with a change-edge spiral; 3flip; 3lutz; into layback, lovely; 3toe; into 2axel; circular steps, nice; fabulous combo spin, very well centred this time. Whew, she had me worried for a bit there...5.5 to 5.8, 5.6 to 5.8, first across the board.
Stadlmüller's up in twelfth, wheee! Overall, though, that really wasn't the best competition, a bit of a splat-fest, which is rather disappointing after the short went so well.