2000-2001 Junior Grand Prix Final - Ladies

Gold - Ann-Patrice McDonough (USA)

Short Programme
Her music was a fast violin piece I've heard skated to a lot before, according to the programme it's called "Ziguenweisen". Flying camel; 3lutz2toe; serpentine spirals with nice position and flow; good layback; fall on 2axel; 3flip; circular steps; good combination spin, well centred.

4.7 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.6
5.2 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

Free Programme
3lutz2toe; 3loop; 3toe; stars into flying camel/combination spin without change of foot; Russian split into 3flip; 2axel; lovely layback where she pulls her foot up next to her head; 2salchow; fall on 3lutz; spiral in a Biellmann position covered half the rink; another catchfoot spiral into 3flip2toe; combination spin.

5.0 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.0 5.2 5.2
5.2 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.2 5.3 5.3

General comments
She has a really nice style, very smooth with good flow. She doesn't give the impression of being fast, and she certainly lacked a lot of power compared to the other skaters at the event, but she still seemed to cover the ice as well as anyone. I have to confess I was surprised (and pleased) to see an American lady with a true lutz. In practice she was landing 3lutz2loop.

Silver - Kristina Oblasova (RUS)

Short Programme
She wore a black and white checked dress which I really liked. 2axel right at the beginning; fall on 3flutz; flying camel; 3flip; really cool catchfoot layback where she leans way, way back; very nice step sequence; serpentine spirals, one with a RFI-RFO change of edge; combination spin with Biellmann. French-sounding accordion music, which lent itself to a fun programme, it really suited her.

4.9 4.6 4.8 4.9 4.5 4.7 4.9
5.4 5.2 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.2 5.5

Free Programme
2axel right at the beginning; 3flutz2toe; 3flip half-loop 3salchow; layback (without the catchfoot this time); spirals; 2toe; flying camel; 3loop two-footed; 2flutz2toe; straight steps; 3toe; 3salchow; combination spin with Biellmann. The music was generic vaguely classical-ish stuff, not as good a programme as her short.

5.2 5.2 5.2 5.4 5.1 5.0 5.0
5.1 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.0 4.8 5.2

General comments
Her skating is quite typically Russian. She reminds me a lot of Slutskaya, especially in the way she hold her upper body in back crossovers, and in her double axel. I wish she didn't have the flutz, it's very blatant. She raises her picking foot very high on both the lutz and flip and that would appear to be the cause of the flutz. She always seemed relaxed, laughing and smiling, and often loudly cheering on her team-mates from the stands. I love her skating, she was my second favourite of the ladies there.

Bronze - Yukari Nakano (JPN)

Short Programme
3lutz2toe; 2flip; serpentine spirals; flying camel; layback; 2axel; combination spin not as fast as the other skaters'. The music was apparently called "Perhaps Love".

4.7 5.1 5.4 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.9
4.8 5.0 5.5 4.6 4.8 5.1 4.9

Free Programme
2axel; 3lutz2toe; flying sit; straight steps; 3flip2toe; 1lutz; layback a little slow; spirals not good positions, not held for very long and a lot of stroking between them; loop one and a half rotations landed forward on two feet; 3flip; 3salchow; 2axel; combination spin. The programme said her music was "Times Square".

5.1 5.1 5.1 5.3 4.9 4.9 5.2
5.3 4.9 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.1 5.1

General comments I don't really have that much to say about her, her skating was pretty unremarkable. She has a *really* bad leg wrap, her left leg seems to stick out at a right-angle from the knee, and I found it very distracting. No sign of a triple axel at any point - admittedly, I didn't see every practice, but I went to most of them, and she seemed to be struggling with her jumps the whole time.

4th - Sarah Meier (SUI)

Short Programme 3lutz2toe; 3flip; layback; serpentine spirals, good, covered a lot of ice with the first; 2axel; flying camel a little slow; straight steps; combination spin. Apparently the music was "Reflection" - the programme didn't say who it was by but it sounded like Vanessa Mae, starting off with a slow piece (which I think Shen/Zhao have used) and changing to a faster one with an oriental sound.

5.2 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.0 5.0 5.2
5.3 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.3

Free Programme 3lutz2toe; fall on 3flip; 2toe; fall on 3loop, looked dodgy right from the takeoff; spiral held in almost a complete circle; 3loop2toe; layback; 2axel several turns 3toe; 2salchow hopped out; combination spin; nice circular steps; deathdrop into upright spin.

4.8 4.8 4.9 5.0 4.7 4.7 5.2
5.0 5.1 4.8 5.0 5.0 4.9 5.2

General comments I'd seen Meier skate before, at Europeans this year - I found her rather dull then, and had hoped to find her more interesting this time - unfortunately I didn't. She's a very nice skater, everything is clean and well done, she doesn't have any particular problems on anything - but there's nothing to make her stand out. One thing that did stand out - she always finishes her off-ice warmup with a handstand :o)

5th - Tamara Dorofejev (HUN)

Short Programme
3lutz2toe, 2flip, combination spin; serpentine spirals OK, didn't really hold the positions; fall on 2axel; flying camel; nice circular steps; good layback. Her music was "Violin Concerto in F Minor" - though the programme didn't actually say whose violin concerto...anyway, it's been skated to lots of times before. Her dress was neon yellow...

4.8 4.2 4.4 4.3 4.2 3.9 4.1
5.2 5.0 5.1 5.0 4.9 4.6 4.5

Free Programme
3loop from running three turns; fall on 3flip; 3salchow; good combination spin; 3lutz into great layback, long, fast, centred, with good position; straight steps; 3toe3loop stepped out quite early; fall on 2axel; OK on spirals straight into 2axel but fell (in practice that had been 2axel2toe); flying camel into illusion spin. The music was Malaguena - I wouldn't mind it being over-used if it wasn't for the fact that I hate the piece to start with - and this was a very bad arrangement of it. The programme is OK, it's just rather bland and unoriginal.

5.0 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.0 5.1 4.7
5.1 5.1 5.2 5.2 4.9 4.9 4.6

General Comments
Her 3toe3loop was very consistent in practice, I must've seen her try it a dozen times and she only missed a couple. But I have to say I'm rather disappointed with Dorofejev. When I saw her skate for the first time at the beginning of this year I was distinctly unimpressed, but the more I watched my tapes the more I came to like her - she has a natural feel for the music, but so far has been given little chance to shine in this respect. Her programmes last season were to over-used music with cliched choreography, and I was hoping that there would be an improvement this season - unfortunately not, there's just more of the same. I really think she's capable of a lot more, and I just hope that in the future we will have the chance to see that.

6th - Susanna Pöykiö (FIN)

Short Programme
3lutz2toe, just held onto the lutz; layback; 3flip put free foot down soon afterwards; nice serpentine spirals; 2axel stepped out; flying camel into kind of a layover camel; circular steps. She finished noticeably behind her music, so I looked at the clock and it was stopped at 2:41...

3.9 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.2 4.3 4.1
4.7 4.9 4.9 5.1 4.7 4.8 4.7

Free Programme
3lutz2toe; 3flip; 3toe2toe; flying camel into a layover as in the short; spirals; step out of 3loop (had sort of been 3loop2loop in practice, when she actually managed to land the triple...); 2axel; 2salchow; combination spin with nice positions. A lovely programme to violin music, apparently called "Movements". I love her dress, it's a beautiful dusky green colour.

4.7 4.6 4.9 5.0 4.8 4.7 4.9
4.9 4.5 4.9 5.1 4.9 4.8 5.0

General Comments
She has wonderful flow and style, and is so elegant - she had a much more mature look to her skating and her programmes than the other skaters at this event. But she was struggling with the jumps all week, especially the loop which she was working on over and over again, rarely falling but usually stumbling out. She attempted 3toe3toe several times in practice but without success, and I think she might even have tried 3flip3toe, though I didn't look down that end of the rink until she was on the point of takeoff and it took me by surprise, so don't quote me on it...anyway, whatever it was, it was underrotated and two-footed.

7th - Susanne Stadlmüller (GER)

Short Programme
Fall on 3lutz; layback OK; 2flip; serpentine spirals; flying camel; 2axel; combination spin good, well-centred. The music was a tango, "La Cumparsita", and she really used it well, with good expression.

4.6 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.3
5.2 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.9 5.1

Free Programme
3lutz2toe; 2toe; 3loop 2toe; layback; spirals used well with the music; 3salchow landed on an inside edge, stepped out; 2flip; flying camel into catchfoot; fall on 3lutz; 2axel just held; circular steps; combination spin. This is such a fab programme, to music from Blues Brothers 2000, it really suits her and once again her expression was great.

4.8 4.3 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.8 4.6
5.2 4.7 5.1 4.9 4.7 5.0 4.8

General Comments
I love Stadlmüller's skating so much. I saw her for the first time in the Oberstdorf New Year gala a year ago, I really liked her skating and was waiting anxiously for a chance to see her again - though I never imagined that the next time I saw her I would be at the event! I was so looking forward to seeing her skate that I was worried she couldn't live up to my expectations - but she did. Well, obviously the results weren't what I was hoping for, but even with the problems she had I really enjoyed watching her skate. She's quite a bit taller than the other skaters and that gives her an impressive look on the ice, with long lines that she uses well, and this extra height doesn't seem to affect her jumping - I saw her land 3lutz3toe in practice, and it was perfect and beautiful, one of the highlights of the event for me. Now once again I'm eagerly awaiting my next chance to watch her!

8th - Svetlana Chernyshova (RUS)

Short Programme
3lutz2toe (mohawk entry to the lutz); 2flip; 2axel; layback; serpentine spirals; flying camel slow; straight steps; combination spin. She had nice positions on the spirals, good amplitude and extension, but outside of the positions they were unremarkable. Music was Albinoni's Adagio.

4.1 4.7 4.7 4.4 4.2 4.0 4.3
4.4 4.9 4.7 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.7

Free Programme
3lutz; 3flip nearly held but stumbled out; 3salchow; layback; 2loop; serpentine spirals OK, nice positions; 3loop; straight steps; flying camel rather slow; combination spin. Her music was the "Phantom on Ice" music that Slutskaya used for her free in '97, and I've watched her Worlds performance of it so many times that I kept losing concentration and imagining Slutskaya skating instead...

4.6 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.5
4.7 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.7

General Comments
To me Chernyshova just looked completely outclassed in this field. She's very slow, and very noticeably slows down even more going into the jumps, which she lands almost at a standstill. She also has virtually no flow. She does have very graceful arms and she uses them well, but of course that doesn't begin to make up for her deficiencies.