Madison Square Garden Experience: Rangers vs. Flyers
The yearly Ad:Tech show in New York was earlier this week and as usual the purpose of the trip was business. Thankfully this year, we were able to sneak a few hours to experience New York City at its best. New York is well known for its tall buildings, fashion district, great night life and of course passion for their sports team.
My colleague accompanied me this time around. He is one of the biggest hockey fans I know, for me not so much, I’m more of the Basket Ball type of guy. The New York Rangers had a scheduled game that Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers which of course was sold out. However, this did not stop him from purchasing tickets through a ticket broker paying twice as much as what they normally were going for, he ended up dragging me along.
At first I wasn’t excited to go, I was tired from the long day of non stop meetings, haven’t had dinner yet and I wasn’t in the mood to watch an NHL game live, because quiet frankly I don’t even watch it on TV. But once we arrived at the arena and made our way through the crowded fans outside the building, I began to feel a sense of excitement and thought to myself. ‘This was actually a big deal. I’ve never seen an NHL game live before and better than that I was watching the New York Rangers play at Madison Square Garden. Whoa!’
Once we got to the 17,000 seat arena to locate our seats (BTW, they were awesome seats) my excitement grew, I was in awe of the arena, as if I’ve never seen one before. Maybe it was the energy and vibe that the New Yorkers were oozing out into the air. Whatever it was, I knew at that time that I would enjoy the night.
We sat there, watching the players practice before the game started, talking about what a great experience this was, drinking our beers, eating hot dogs and having a good time.
It was a full house and the crowd cheered when the opening ceremony began. The roar of the fans was even louder as soon as the first period began. Within seconds of it, you heard the crowd chant ‘Let’s go Rangers, let’s go’ you just felt their passion, their support, dedication and we couldn’t help but join in.
The Rangers ended up Winning against the Flyers 2 – 0. It was my first NHL game and the experience itself gave me a different outlook on the sport of Hockey. It’s an experience I will never forget and I’m glad that my colleague dragged me out. I had a great time.
History’s 10 Most Undeserving MVPs
Here’s an article from Fox Sports on the 10 most underserving MVPs.
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Pity poor Dirk Nowitzki.
The guy had yet another outstanding season, leading the Mavericks to one of the best records in NBA history and now he has to apologize for being named MVP.
Perhaps the Mavericks’ first-round playoff implosion shouldn’t taint all that Nowitzki and his team accomplished from November to April, but it has and it will forever. Dirk Nowitzki, 2007 NBA MVP, will always conjure images of the first-ever No. 1 seed bowing to an 8-seed in a best-of-7 series.
But Dirk is in pretty good company. Here’s a Top 10 list of MVPs who might not have won their hardware had the voters waited until after the postseason to cast their ballots, starting with Nowitzki.
10. Dirk Nowitzki, 2007 NBA MVP
I thought Steve Nash should have won this award for the third straight year, but I take no joy in Nowitzki’s flameout against the Warriors. After a season in which he scored 24.6 points per game on 50.2 percent shooting from the floor and 41.6 percent shooting from behind the arc, Dirk scored 19.7 a game on 38.3 percent shooting from the floor and 21.1 shooting from deep against Golden State. Anyone want a do-over on their MVP vote?
9. Barry Bonds, 1990 National League MVP
No one in Pittsburgh will be cheering when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron’s home run record next month. He’ll always be remembered as the guy who couldn’t get a hit in the playoffs and couldn’t throw out slow-footed Sid Bream when it mattered. After winning his first of seven MVP awards in 1990, Bonds began his Pittsburgh postseason tradition of flopping in the playoffs by going 3-for-18 with one lone RBI in a six-game loss to the Reds in the NLCS. In 68 postseason at bats for the Pirates, Bonds drove in three runs.
8. Jose Theodore, 2002 NHL MVP
There may not be a more obscure most valuable player in professional sports history than the Canadiens’ flash-in-the-pan goalie who dominated the 2001-02 season with a 2.11 goals against, a .931 save percentage and seven shutouts while carrying the Habs to the playoffs. But once there, Theodore became something of a sieve. Four times in 12 playoff games he allowed five goals, finishing the postseason with three straight losses in which he allowed 14 goals on 84 shots, an .833 save percentage. His playoff goals against of 3.09 was almost a whole goal higher than his MVP-worthy regular-season mark.
7. Steve McNair and Peyton Manning, 2003 NFL CO-MVPs
Could this have set up any better for Tom Brady? After McNair and Manning shared MVP honors they both had to come to the House that Brady Built in the playoffs. Brady dispatched them both before winning the only MVP award that matters: Super Bowl MVP. Manning threw four picks in his loss at Foxboro.
6. Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, ‘93 and’97 NBA MVPs
Does anybody really think anyone other than Michael Jordan was the NBA most valuable player when M.J. was in his prime? Well, on two separate occasions when Jordan was at the peak of his powers the voters deemed another player MVP. And both times Jordan met that player in the Finals. In 1993 M.J. averaged 41 points a game, pulled down 8.5 rebounds per contest and dealt out 6.3 assists a game to lead the Bulls past Barkley’s Suns in six games and leave no doubt who the most valuable player in the NBA was in 1993. After the voters had another lapse in judgment and elected Karl Malone MVP in ‘97, M.J. posted a 31.0 ppg, 7 rpg, 6.3 apg Finals line as the Mailman was gacking clutch free throws and missing fallaway jumpers all series long. Jordan’s epic Game 5 while battling the flu should have made anyone who voted Malone MVP sick with regret.
5. Joe Thornton, 2006 NHL MVP
After winning his first Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2006, Joe Thornton continued his career-long habit of putting up disappointing playoff numbers. In 11 games he scored only two goals and posted a -4 plus/minus rating. After taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round series against the Oilers, the Sharks lost four straight, going out with a whimper in a 2-0 loss at Edmonton in Game 6 in which Thornton was on the ice for both Oiler goals.
4. Julius Erving, 1981 NBA MVP
Doc had a great season in 1981, averaging 24.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists. But was he really more valuable than Larry Bird who put up a 21.2, 10.9 and 5.5 line? Or for that matter were either of the Hall of Fame forwards more valuable than Rockets center (and two-time MVP) Moses Malone who was second in the league in scoring (27.8) and first in rebounding (14.8)? It would have been tough to make a case for Erving after Bird buried the game-winning shot in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Sixers and Moses carried Houston all the way to the Finals, where he lost to Bird’s Celtics in six. Bird raised his game in the playoffs, scoring 21.9 a game, pulling down 14 boards a game and dishing out 6.1 assists per game. Erving dipped to 22.9/7.1/3.4. Two years later Moses would arrive in Philly to carry J to his lone NBA title.
3. Peyton Manning, 2004 NFL MVP
Manning had perhaps the greatest regular season of any quarterback ever, throwing an NFL record 49 TD passes and posting an obscene 121.1 rating. But once again his playoff run was halted abruptly in the snow in Foxboro. After leading the Colts to almost 33 points a game during the regular season, Manning could only put up three points and a 69.3 QB rating in a 20-3 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champs.
2. Mo Vaughn, 1995 American League MVP
There was a lot of controversy surrounding Vaughn’s selection as MVP since Albert Belle pretty much outdid him in every category for the Central champion Indians. Belle hit .317 with 50 home runs and 126 RBI. Vaughn hit .300 with 39 home runs and 126 RBI. But, well, the voters liked Mo a whole lot more than Albert and the Red Sox slugger edged Belle, 309-300, in the voting. Vaughn then went out and laid an egg in the playoffs, going 0-for-14 with 7 Ks as the Sox got swept by Belle’s Indians in the first round.
1. Alex Rodriguez, 2005 American League MVP
There was spirited debate about who deserved the 2005 American League MVP, Alex Rodriguez or David Ortiz. Their numbers were comparable and their teams finished tied so voters had to look deeper to pick a winner. A-Rod, they concluded, was a complete player while Big Papi was one-dimensional. Ortiz supporters pointed to the ultimate intangible: his clutch factor. Big Papi voters sure seemed vindicated when Rodriguez went 2-for-15 (.133), made a critical error and grounded into a huge double play in a five-game loss to the Angels in the playoffs. A-Rod, of course, would be even worse in the ‘06 playoffs.
Live Blog: 2007 Wolds Figure Skating Championship Ladies Long Program
This will be a live blog covering the ladies long program at the 2007 Worlds Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo, Japan. The ladies compete on March 24, 2007. The live coverage in North America begins at 3:30 a.m. CST (1:30 a.m. PST/4:30 a.m. EST), it is then I will begin my live report on the competition.
Here are the skating order. Stay tuned! 
4:30 a.m. EST - Here we go. Group 1 is on the ice for their warm up. They are showing Ito and Honda again. 
, they are waving to the camera. They look so happy commentating. 3:30 a.m. EST - Warm up is over. Here we go!
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GROUP ONE
Tamar Katz - ISR
Tamar from ISR is up first. She opens the program with a 3Z, Slow on the landing. Pops her 3L, ends up doing a bad single loop. Nice speed on her back sit spin, with change of position. Clean and easy 2A. Setting up for the 3Z, Ends up being a double. 3T, Skates to her 2A-1T-1L, comboniation. Goes into her combination spin. Nice spiral sequence, steady with great extension. 2F-2T combination, sloppy. Spin combination with change of foot was slow. Now working on her straight line step sequence. Simple and easy. She ends her program with a back sit spin. TE Score 40.74, PC Score 36.11, Total FS score 76.85, TS score 122.51.
Elena Glevoba - EST
She opens her program with foot work into a 3Z, falls on it lacking height. Now setting up for her 3F but turns it into a double. Nice entry into her back camel changes to sit spins with great speed. Clean 3S than goes into a clean 2A. Traveling on her spin slightly. “I like her music”, Goes into another combination spin, kind of weak not diffciult as some of the ladies. Spiral sequence has some momments of nice speed. Goes into a 2A-3T slight touch down on the T, steps in between and throws a 2T. Nice circular step sequence. Now goes into another 2A-3T clean. 3S-2T again clean. Closes her program with her final combination spin with good change of position. TE Score 47.53, PC Score 38.55, Total FS Score 85.06, TS Score 131.18.
Mira Leung - CAN
Mira is up, hope she does well. She opens her program with a nice and easy 3F. Now setting up for her 3Z-2L combination-It’s clean. Nice 3S. Nice speed and position in her combination spins. Camel, Sit, Layback and ends in a Beilman. Great extensions on her spiral sequence. Oh.. falls on the 3T. Clean 2A-2T combination. Nice flying back camel spin. Now working on her straight line step sequence working well with the music. Touch down on the 3Z, falls on her last jump element 3F which should of been followed with 2L-2L. Closes her program with her final combination spin. “Not the best I’ve seen from Mira, she is usually good with her jumps, but tonight she under rotated a few of them.” TE Score 36.88, PC Score 38.81, Total FS Score 73.60, TS Score 120.74.
Joannie Carter - AUS
Joannie Carter is on the ice. She opens her program with a 2F. Clean 3Z, and also a clean 3L. Nice position on her first combination spin. Kind of slow. Nice speed and flow throughout her spiral sequence. 3F-1T. Has problem on the landing of the 2A. Combination spin, again is slow but has some nice variations. Series of 3turns into a clean 3T. Clean 2A into her lying camel spin. Now working on her straight line step sequence. Slow and not as difficult as the top ladies. Closing her program with her final spin combination finishing slightly after the music. TE Score 39.96, PC Score 38.75, Total FS Score 78.71, TS Score 127.17.
Idora Hegel - CRO
Idora is up and she opens her program with 3Z falls on it, didn’t hold the landing edge. Now setting up for her 3F, lands tight but holds on. Goes into her flying camel spin with change of edge and position. Spread eagle into a clean 2A. Skates around and does 2A, 3L series. Goes into her combination spin, lackign a bit of speed. Now working on her spiral sequence, some great speed but ugly positions. 3Z-2T combination, not a lot of speed after the lutz. Going through her straight line step sequence, kidn of slow but goes well with music. Problems on the 3L, two foot landing with hands down. Slow entering the 2T-2T combination. Ends her program with her final combination spin, loosing speed near the end. TE Score 43.24, PC Score 38.51, Total FS Score 80.75, TS Score 125.66.
Yan Liu - CHN
Yan Liu from China is up next currently in 21st place entering the long program. She opens her program with a 3Z-2T combination. “I like this music”. Lots of speed entering her 3F, falls of the landing. Very nice 3L. Nice sequence of 3L, hop, 3S. Loosing speed on her flying camel. Clean 3T-2T combination. Falls on her 2A. Slow on her layback spin. Straight line step sequence is simple and easy but well used with the music. Has nice variations on her combination spin, but looses her centering. Not a lot of speed on her spiral sequence, slight bobble too. Clean 3S and ends her program with a layback spin, loosing speed and also traveling. TE Score 38.22, PC Score 39.41, Total FS Score 76.63, TS Score 123.22.
Current standings so far can be found here. Group 2 is now on the ice for their warm up.
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GROUP TWO
Joannie Rochette - CAN
Joannie is up first, hopefully she does a clean program. She now needs to crack the top 10 to secure two spots for Canada at next years worlds. Music is ‘Don Juan’, she opens her program with a strong 3F-2T-2L combination. Nice clean 3Z-2T great speed out of the jumps. Yes pulls off a nice 3L. Strong variations of positions in her combination spins. Striaght line step sequence beautifully timed withe music. Oh.. falls off the landing on the 3F, hands down. Nice 2A, 3T sequence. Great speed on her sit spins. Good flow through out her spiral sequence. Pops the second 3Z only does a single. Clean 3S, and strong combination spin and flying spin to close her program. “It wasn’t her best, but I’m proud of her. I’m sure she wanted a clean skate after a dissapointing short” TE Score 58.74, PC Score 50.39, Total FS Score 109.13, TS Score 158.98.
Valentina Marchei - ITA
From Italy, Valentina is up next. She opens her program with a huge 3Z. Does her 3Z-2T combination. Skating with a lot of speed. Goes into her 2A-2T with variation on the arms. Nice flying sit spin with change of edge, variation and foot. Great speed through out that spin combination. Clean 3S-2T. Nice extensions on her spiral sequence. Very nice 3T. Good speed and center on her combination spin. Singles the 2A. Clean 3S and right away into her combination spin with change of foot, losing a little bit of speed. Nice straight line step sequence leading to her final element a flying sit spin. She is happy with her skate. TE Score 53.92, PC Score 47.80, Total FS Score 101.72, TS Score 153.60.
Elene Gedevanishvili - GEO
17 year old, Elene from Georgia is up next. She opens her program with huge 3Z but falls on the landing. Now setting up for her 3F-3T combination, nicely done. Nice syle and speed in her flying camel spin. Nice 2A-3T combination with great speed out of the jumps. Great speed and flow on her spiral sequence. Pops her second 3Z only singles it. Very nice 2A, leading to her combination spin. Pops her 3F, ends up 1F-2T-2L, singles her 3S. Nice layback spin, now working on her straight line step sequence. Has great speed and turns in both directions. Closes her program with her final combination spin, has nice variations. “She looks dissapointed, I’ve seen her skate before and I know she can do much better than that.” TE Score 44.62, PC Score 46.81, Total FS Score 90.43, TS Score 144.40.
Alysa Czisny - USA
Ok Alysa fans, she is on the ice. She opens her program with a nice solid 3Z-2T combination. Great 3F-2T. Goes into her back sit spins with great speed. Now setting up for her 3L, double footed. Nice positions in her flying camel spins. Very nice 3F. Secure 2A. “She’s doing well so far”. Nice 3T-2T-2T combination. Excellent straight line step sequence working well with the music. Amazing extensions on her spiral sequence. Wow. On no, she falls on her 3Z. Great speed in her layback and combination spins to end her program. “Almost a perfect program. But overall she is pleased with her skate considering it is her first tip to the worlds.” TE Score 47.68, PC Score 51.65, Total FS Score 98.31, TS Score 147.74.
kiira Korpi - FIN
Kiira Korpi representing Finland is up. She opens her program with a nice 3L. (”hate that lime green dress she is wearing”) Nice clean 3Z-2T-2L combination. Lots of speed entering her 3F, leaning ot the landing but still holds on to it. Nice speed through out her spiral sequence. Nice variations on her upright spin. Clean 3L-2T combination. Nice edge work entering her 3S-2T, falls of the landing on the Toe. Nice 2A and goes into her combination spin, not alot of speed on them, her flying sit spin is a little better. Now working through her circular step sequence. 3S leaning and falling off the landing edge with hands down. Nice final combination spin to end her program. TE Score 50.66, PC Score 50.18, Total FS Score 99.84, TS Score 149.47.
Anastasia Gimazetdinova - UZB
Anastasia is on the ice as the last skater from Group 2. She opens her program a huge 3Z, landing forward on the landing. Nice 3T, 3T sequence. Second 3T had a slight touch down with the free foot. 3S poor landing needs to add turns in between to do the 2T. Secure 2A. Doubles her second 3Z. Poor speed on her flying spins, traveling a bit. Much better speed on her layback spin. Doubles her 3S. Again having problems on her combination spins. Nice and steady spiral sequence. Now working on her straight line step sequence, nicely timed with the music. Slow entering the 3L, only manages to do a poor 2L. Final element is her combination spin. TE Score 39.34, PC Score 41.11, Total FS Score 80.45, TS Score 130.44.
So far here are the current standings after two groups. We are now taking a short break while they flood the ice for the final groups.
6:31 a.m. EST - We are back with Group 3 on the ice warming up.
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GROUP THREE
Susanna Poykio - FIN
Susanna from Finland is on the ice. She opens her long program a clean and easy 3Z. Goes into her 3Z-2T-2L combination. Nice clean 2A, 3T sequence. Well centered but lacking speed on her sit spin. Doubles her 3F-2T combination. Nice positions on her combination spin. Lean on the air and falls on the 3L. Clean 3S. nice positions on her layback but lacks speed again. Nice flow and stretch on her spiral sequence. Secured 3T. Good variations on her combination spins, again loosing speed near the end. Nice use of music on her straight line step sequence leading to her final pose. TE Score 52.47, PC Score 51.49, Total FS Score 102.98, TS Score 160.12.
Arina Martinova - RUS
Arina from Russia is on the ice entering the free skate in 12th place. She opens her program with a nice strong 3Z-2T combination, falls out on her 3T. Footwork into a 1F. Pulls off the 3S, landing tightly. Nice variations in her combination spins. It looked like she two footed on her second 3Z. Losing speed on her flying camel spin. Clean 3T-2T combination. Good speed through out her spiral sequence. Nice 2A-2T combination, leads to her back upright spins. Great speed on her circular step sequence, but not as difficult as some of the top skaters. Closes her program with her combination spins. TE Score 44.85, PC Score 46.74, Total FS Score 90.59, TS Score 145.28.
Sarah Meier - SUI
Sarah Meier is in 9th place entering her free skate. She begins her program and opening with a nice 3Z-2T-2L combination. Nice entry into her 2F-2T, flip was supposed to be a trilple. Does the second 3F nicely done. Nice centering and speed on her combination spin, with change of foot. Nice variations on her upright spins. Beautiful 3Z, nice and soft landing. Great speed through out her spiral sequence. “I love this part of her music.” Nice 2A, light on the landing. Double her 3S, and adds the 2T for combination. Again nice positions on her combination spins. Great use of music through out her step sequence. Now setting up for her final combination. Oh.. Falls on the 3T, and can’t execute the second jump. Closes her program with a final combination spin. TE Score 50.30, PC Score ,52.98 Total FS Score 102.28, TS Score 160.80.
Elena Sokolova - RUS
From Russia, Elena Sokolova is on the ice. She opens her long program with solid 3Z. Doubles a planned 3T, but adds the 3T for the combination, slight two foot on the landing. Nice 2A. Doubles her planned 3S. Not a lot of speed on her layback spin. Clean 3L-2T-2L combination. Nice a very good combinatin spin, lacking speed and centering. However, good speed on her spiral sequence. Clean 3L and 2A. Much better on her camel spin at the start of her combination spin. Good energy on straight line step sequence, showing turns on both directions. Traveling on her final spin to end the program. TE Score 43.58, PC Score 50.36, Total FS Score 93.94, TS Score 149.77.
Julia Sebestyen - HUN
Julia from Hungary is up next entering the free skate in 8th place. She opens her program with a 3S-2T-2L combination, nicely done. Nice height on the 3T-2T combination. Pops the flip to only do 1F. Not a lot of speed on her flying camel spin. Good speed on her spiral sequence. Completes the second 3F, steps in between for the 2T. Much better speed on her upright spin. Doubles her planned 3Z. Falls on her 3T. Singles her 2A. Nice beilman spin. Weak straight line step sequence. Slow and lacking difficulty. Nice power on her combination spin to end the program. TE Score 44.59, PC Score 49.93, Total FS Score 93.52, TS Score 153.50.
Yukari Nakano - JPN
Yukari Nakano from Japan enters the free skate in 7th place. She opens her program with an attempt on the 3A, fully rotated but falls on the landing. Nice 3Z-2T combination. Great speed on her combination spin. Nice edge work entering her 3F. Beautiful 3S. Great positions and centering on her combination spin. Nice 3F-2T combination. Problems entering her back sit spin. Clean 3S-2T-2L combination. She has great speed and positions in her combination spins. Now working on her step sequence, great use of the music she is selling it to the audience. Good speed and flow through out her spiral sequence. She is skating with confidence. Nice 2A at the end of her program. TE Score 54.56, PC Score 54.74, Total FS Score 108.30, TS Score 168.92.
After three groups, here are the current standings. The final flight is on the ice warming up. This is it! Who will become World Champion? I hope the final flight all skates well to make it a very competitive and interesting competition.
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Warm Up Notes: Mao does a nice 3F-3L combination. All six ladies looks really focused. Emily and Mao almost bumped into each other. 1 minute left for the warm up.
GROUP FOUR (Final Flight)
Carolina Kostner - ITA
Carolina Kostner from Italy enters the free skate in 3rd place. She opens her program with a fall on the 3F. Now setting up for her 3Z, but doubles it and doens’t do the combination. Clean 3L. Flying camel spin, kind of slow but nice variations. Problems on the landing of her second 3F, forced to step out of it. Series of 3 turns leading into her 3L, half loop, 1L. Nice positions on her combination spin with change of foot. Great speed on her spiral sequence, nice stretch. Goes into a nice 3S. Completes the 2A with a slight touch down. Nice speed on her step sequence. Slow on her final combination spin to end her program. “It’s not what she wanted, but with this skate gives Kimmie a better chance to medal now” TE Score 45.50, PC Score 57.27, Total FS Score 101.77, TS Score 168.92. Currently in 2nd place.
Emily Hughes - USA
Emily Hughes enters the free skate in 6th place. She opens her program with a nice and clean 2A. Falls on her 3F, can’t do the 3 jump combination that she had planned. Does it on the 3Z-2t-2l combination instead. Nice energy on circular step sequence. Good position on her flying sit spin. Good back on the layback spin. 3T-2T combination was nicely done. Clean 3F-2T combination. Beautiful extension on her spiral sequence. Arabian into a back camel, loosing speed near the end. Nice second 3Z on the last half of the program. Completes the 3S and immediately goes into her final combination spin to end her program. TE Score 46.79, PC Score 52.39, Total FS Score 98.18, TS Score 159.06. Currently in 5th place.
Yu-Na Kim - KOR
Yu Na enters the free skate in 1st place. She opens her program with a nice and airy 3F-3T combination. Skating with a lot of emotion and feel of the music. Beautiful ina bauer into a 2A-3T combination. Excellent positions on her upright spins. Nice and easy 2A, goes into her back camel, wonderful transitions on her positions. Great musicality through out her step sequence. OH.. Falls on her 3Z. Nice change of positions on her sit spins. Again falls on her second 3Z. “It looks like the pressure is getting to her.” Come backs with a nice 3S-2T combination. Great flow and speed on her spiral sequence. Nice 2A and goes into her final combination spin to end the program. “Awww, she looks dissapointed in herself, it wasn’t clean. Two falls both on the lutz.” TE Score 54.55, PC Score 61.64, Total FS Score 114.19, TS Score 186.14. Currently in 1st place.
Mao Asada - JPN
Mao Asada enters the free skate in 5th place, she now has a chance to catch up to Yu Na Kim. She opens her program with a 3A. Nicely done. Wow. Now setting up for her 2A-3T combination, slight lean and two foot on the toe. Excellent 3F-3L combination, the jump she missed in the short program. Great straight line step sequence, goes well with the music. Nice variations of positions through out her combination spins. Nice and easy 2A, setting up now for her 3Z, nicely done. Beautiful stretch on her spiral sequence. She skates so lightly on the ice. Again, beautiful 3F, with great speed in and out of the jump. Nice combination spin. Successfully completes the 3Z-2L-2L combination jump. Wonderful bielman spin and death drop to end the program. The crowd is on it’s feet. “Wow, what a great skate for Mao. Aww, she is crying right now and smiling. She is feeling emotional after that on.” TE Score 69.64, PC Score 63.49, Total FS Score 133.13, TS Score 194.45. Currently in 1st place. “Kimmie has a hard act to follow.”
Kimmie Meissner - USA
Kimmie enters the free skate in 4th place. She opens her program with a touch down on the 3Z, can’t do the combination. Now setting up for the 2A, it’s clean. Completes the 3F-3T combination. Straight line step sequence goes well with the music minus her arms. Enters her combination spin with a camel, good speed and variations through out. Her artisty har improved from Nationals. Nice 3S. She still needs to work on her spiral sequence, she needs more stretch. Nice 3L, a little shaky on the landing. Good speed on her combination spins. Completes the 3Z, looks to be two footed. Very low 2A-2T-2A. She ends her program with a nice combination spin. “It was an ok performance, personally for me it lacked some emotional attachment and it really looked like that she had to fight through the performance.” I don’t think it’s enough to beat Yuna and Miki Ando hasn’t even skated yet” TE Score 55.79, PC Score 59.79, Total FS Score 115.56, TS Score 180.23. Currently in 3rd place.
Miki Ando - JPN
Miki Ando enters the free skate in 2nd place. She is the final skater. She opens her program 3Z-3L, nicely done. She is setting up for her attempt on the quad sal. She only does the 3S. Beautiful 3F and landing edge. Nice death drop into a back sit spin. Needs more work on he spiral sequence,she had good speed but poor stretch. Great 3Z. Beautiful 3T-2L-2L combination. Nice 3F-2L and 2A jump. She seems to be skating a little cautiously. Nice variations on her combination spins. Nice use of music on her step sequence. Good speed maintained on her combination spin. She ends her program with her layback spin into bielman. “She is pleased with that one. A great skate for Miki. I predict that she will finish in second place.” TE Score 67.66, PC Score 59.45, Total FS Score 127,11, TS Score 195.09. “OMG she is the new World Champion. Awww, she is crying, after the last couple of years of struggling, she finally lives up to everyones expectations. Congratulations Miki Ando!”
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Than concludes my coverage on the ladies free skate. Congratulations to Miki Ando, Mao Asada a very close second place finish, and Yu Na Kim. The sport has really shifted to the east. You can find the complete results of the ladies free skate here.
Live Blog: 2007 Wolds Figure Skating Championship Ladies Short Program
This is my live report on the 2007 Worlds Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo. I will be reporting live on the ladies short program begining at 4:00 a.m. CST (2:00 a.m. PST and 5:00 a.m. EST).
The warm up for Group 5 is begining, they have a total of 6 minutes, all five skaters are on the ice. They are showing Midoriti Ito ight now who is commentating for the Japanese network.
Here we go, warm up is now over up first is Kiira Korpi of Finland
Kiira Korpi - FIN
Opens her program with a nice 3L-2T combination. footwork into her 3F, steps out of her landing. nice layback spin. Her spiral sequence has great stretch. Her straight line step sequence works well with the music. She attempts a 2A, but only manages to do a waltz jump. It is followed by her flying sit spin and than into a combination spin, that leads to her final pose. Her TE score 25.97 and PC at 23.68 a total of 49.63 currently ranked 2nd.
Joanne Carter - AUS
Joanne opens her program with a 3F-2T combination, somewhat leaning forward on the landing. Skates with a series of 3 turns into her triple toe, clean. Nice flying camel spin. Nice speed on her spiral sequence. She completes her 2A, now working on her straight line step sequence turning on both directions. Now working on her combination spin which includes various position, closing with her layback spin into a bielman. She ends her program slightly behind the music. TE score 28.04, PC score 20.42, Total score 48.46, currently ranked 3rd in the short program.
Yan Liu - CHN
Yan Liu is on the ice. She opens her pogram with her combination jump 3Z-2T, clean. Her foot work into a 3L shaky on the landing but pulls it off. Her flying camel spin with variation in positions. Gorgeous 2A, light and easy. Her straight line step sequence well timed with the music. Her next element is the combination spin, slow but has great positions. Beautiful spiral sequence with great extension of the free leg. Closing her progam with her layback spin. TE score 24.85, PC score 21.74, Total of 46.59. Currently ranked in 4th place.
Mira Leung - CAN
Mira is next, sakting to ‘The Pink Phanter’. She opens her program with her combination spin. Followed by her 3Z-2L combination, nicely done. Her footwork into her 3F, clean. Nice positions in her layback spin. She goes into her flying back camel spin. Nice stretch on her spiral sequence, but almost loses her balance. Pulls off the 2A, looks like it might of been cheated. Combination spin kind of slow, but has nice positions. Her last element is her circular step sequence which works well with the music. ‘I like this short program from Mira’. TE score 26.17, PC score 20.88, Total of 47.05. Currently ranked in 4th place. which I don’t agree, but ok.
Valentina Marchei - ITA
Valentina is on the ice. She opens her program with a 3Z-2T, 3Z looks to be double footed. Nice 2A. Her combination spin with change of foot has nice speed. She is skating with great speed and into her 3S, a little shaky on the landing. Great extension and speed on her spiral sequence. Nice centered layback spin. Lots of energy in her straight line step sequence with turns in both directions. Her final element is the flying sit spit with change of edge. Falls on her bum right at the end. The crowd laughs, it was kind of cute. Let’s see if she will receive a deduction for it. TE score 29.39, PC score 23.49, Total of 51.88. Currently ranked 1st in the short program.
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On the ice right now is Group 6 warming up.
Tugba Karademir - TUR
Tugba opens her program with her a 3T, steps out of the landing. Nice flow and speed into her 3S, has the same problem falls out of her landing doesn’t do a combination. Nice flying camel spin. Great extensions on her spiral sequence. Completes the 2A cleanly. Nice centered spin on her layback. Circular step sequence working well with the music highlights. Closing her program with some nice positions on her combination spins. TE score 21.91, PC score 19.88, Total score 41.79. Currently ranked 10th in the short program.
Carolina Kostner - ITA
Ms. Carolina is on the ice. She opens her program with a nice 3F-3T combination. Nice 3Z, bot jump passes had great speed. Goes into a clean 2A. Nice footwork in her circular step sequence. Nice flying back camel spin, lacking speed. Love the music she is skating too, has great positions on her spiral sequence. Her combination spin with change of foot, traveling a bit. Closes her program with her layback spin. Beautiful and solid program from Carolina. TE score 38.38, PC score 28.77, Total score 67.15. Currently ranked in 1st place. A new PB for Carolina.
Idora Hegel - CRO
Idora is on the ice and she opens her program with a 2Z-2T combination. footwork into a clean 3L. Nice speed on her layback spin. Nice extension of the free leg on her spirals. Spread eagle into her 2A, clean. Flying camel spin and into her circular step sequence. Closing her program with her combination spin, lacking speed. TE score 24.37, PC score 20.54, total score 44.91. Currently ranked 9th in the short program.
Elena Glebova - EST
17 year old Elena Glebova is on the ice, opening her program with a 3Z, falling off the landing edge. Nice speed in her spiral sequence. She completes a nice 3T-3T combination jump. Nice layback spin with great speed and well centered. She singles a planed 2A. Nice speed and variation of position in her combination spins. Her last element is her step sequence, kind of slow and simple. TE score 25.86, PC score 20.24, total score 46.10. Currently ranked in 8th in the short program.
Elene Gedevanishvili - GEO
Elene another 17 year old skater, opens her program with 3Z, nice height but falls on the landing. Planed 3F, turned into a double, but manages to add a 3T for the combination. Nice positions on her flying spin. Great extension and speed on her spiral sequence. Beautiful 2A and into her layback spin with great speed and positions. Nice straight line step sequence. Closes her program with her combination spin. Great speed and well centered. TE score 30.40, PC score 24.57, Total score 53.97. Currently ranked 2nd.
Artina Martinova - RUS
Artina opens her program with into a nice 3Z-2T combination. Nice height on the 3F. Clean 2A. Nice extensions on he spiral sequence. Nice variation of positions in her combination spins. Good speed on her circular step sequence. Flying camel spin, traveling a bit. Closes her program with a nice strong layback spin. TE score 31.81, PC score 22.68, Total score 54.69. Currently ranked in 2nd place.
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Group 7 will be on the ice for their warm up after a break while they flood the ice (BRB, I need coffee). Here we go, Group 7 is on the ice warming up. “We have some of the big names and contenders in this group. “Will Joannie do a triple-triple in the short program? Will Kimmie show us why she is defending World Champion? Or will Yu-Na out shine all of them?”
Joannie Rochette - CAN
Joannie is up first, she opens her program with a 3F-2T combination, leaning a little forward on the 3F. 3Z also leaning forward on the landing. Flying sit spin, little bit of traveling. Nice clean 2A. Beautiful positions in her layback spin. Nice straight line step sequence. OMG she looses her balance causing her to fall. ‘Oh no’. Nice speed and extensions on her spiral sequence. Her combination spins has some nice variations. She looks dissapointed. It was not a clean skate for her considering some of the top names are still to come. TE score 26.73, PC score 24.12, Total 49.85. Currently ranked in 6th.
Kimmie Meissner - USA
Defending World Champion Kimmie Meissner is up, she is sporting a nice simple black dress. She opens her program with a solid 3Z-3T combination. Nice edge work into her 3F, clean with lots of speed. She goes into her layback spin. Her spiral sequence still needs more work, but better than Nationals for sure. Clean and easy 2A. Nice variations on her flying spin. Good flow on her straight line step sequence. Closes her program with a solid combination spin. “Great performance from Kimmie. I think it’s her best one this season and her presentation skills did improve from Nationals.” TE score 36.38, PC 28.29, Total 64.67. Currently ranked 2nd place. It’s a new PB for Kimmie.
Yu-Na Kim - KOR
Yu-Na is on the ice. She opens her program with a nice and easy 3F-3T combination. Beautiful spiral sequence with lots of speed and extension. Nice height in her death drop. Nice edge work into a beautiful 3Z, great speed out of the jump. Nice footwork in her straight line step sequence, using the music well. Beautiful layback spin, well centered and with speed. Nice ina bauer into a 2A. Finishing her program with a solid combination spin. The crowd is on its feet. “I like this program from Yu-Na, she really sells it considering she is only 16 years old.” TE score 41.49, PC 30.46, Total 71.95. WOW. Currently ranked 1st place. A new PB for Yu-Na.
Julia Sebestyen - HUN
Julia is up, she opens her program with a nice 3F. Hands down on the 3Z before adding the 2T for her combination. Slow on the flying camel spin. Nice extension of her free leg on the spiral sequence. Clean 2A. Nice layback position. Her cicular step sequence has nice energy. Her last element is the combination spin. “It wa s a solid skate for her standards, she is happy even with the mistake on combination jump.” TE score 33.10, PC score 26.88, Total score 59.98. Currently ranked 4th place.
Yukari Nakano - JPN
Yukari from JPN is on the ice. She opens her program 3Z-2T combination, it wasn’t pretty but clean. 3F, again not pretty, maybe it’s because of her free leg not wrapped tightly around when in the air. She goes into her combination spin, great speed and position. Nice speed and extension on her spiral sequence. Beautiful layback spin with nice variations of positions. Nice footwork with the music. Spread eagle into a clean and solid 2A. Nice positions on her flying camel spin to end the program. “She is happy with her skate and so is the crowd.” TE score 33.71, PC score 26.91, Total score 60.62. Currently ranked 4th in the short program. A new PB for Yukari.
Susanna Poykio - FIN
Susanna from Finlad is on the ice. She opens her program with a nice and solid 2A. Followed by a 3Z-2T combination, looks like her 3Z might have been double footed. Nice edge work into her 3F, clean. Nice and well centered layback spin. Spiral sequence is a little weak. She needs to hold the positions longer. Her combination spin has nice positions but lacking speed. She stubles lightly on her straight line step sequence. She closes the program with her flying spin lacking speed. Finishing the program slightly behind her music. The replay shows that she did not double foot the 3Z. TE score 31.51, PC score 26.65, Total score 57.16. Currently ranked in 6th place.
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The final group is on the ice warming up. Here we go…
Sarah Meier - SUI
Sarah Meier is up first. She opens her program with a solid and high 3Z-2T combination. Her 3F had a slight touch down with her free leg. Nice combination spin. Nice speed on he spiral sequence. Death drop into a back sit spin. Her straight line step sequence is simple but nicely done to the music. Slight bobble on the landing of her 2A. Nice centered layback spin to end her program. TE score 31.64, PC score 26.88, Total score 58.52. Currently ranked in 6th place.
Miki Ando - JPN
From Japan Miki Ando is up. She opens her program with a nice strong 3Z-3L combination. Great footwork into her 3F with lots of speed on the landing edge. Nice position on her layback spin. Nice and easy 2A. Her spiral sequence has great speed, but needs more extension and stretch. Great speed in her flying back sit spin with change of edge and position. Difficult and fast on her straight line step sequence, well timed with the music. She closes her program with her combination spin, solid with great speed and positions. The crowd is on it’s feet. Miki is happy with that one. TE score 38.67, PC score 29.31, Total score 67.98. Currently ranked 2nd in the short program.
Mao Asada - JPN
Mao Asada is on the ice. Can she beat Yu-Na who has the lead right now? I love thi program of hers. She opens with a beautiful 3Z, so easy and light. Now setting up for her combination jump. 3F-1L, huge error for Mao, it was supposed to be a 3L. The crowd was shocked. Nice extension and flow on her spiral sequence. Nice easy 2A. Beautiful positions on her combination spins. Great speed and flow on her footwork sequence. Nice flying sit spin, ending her program with a lovely layback spin. It was not a clean skate for Mao, she looks surprised, however she still smiles. TE score 31.20, PC score 30.12, Total score 61.32. Currently ranked 5th in the short progam. “She is about 10 points behind Yu-Na who is the leader right now”
Emily Hughes - USA
On the ice is Emily Hughes. She opens her program with a solid 3F-2T combination. Now setting up for her 3Z, landing tight and shaky. Great extension on her spiral sequence. Great speed on her combination spin with some great variation on positions. Clean 2A into her layback spin. Nice speed and position. Good energy on her straight line step sequence, not as difficult as some of the othe skaters. She ends her program with hery flying sit spin. She is happy with her skate. “Although it was a clean skate for Emily, there is something about the quality of her skating that I don’t like.” TE score 33.79, PC score 27.09, Total score 60.88. Currently ranked in 6th place with a new PB for Emily.
Alysa Czisny - USA
Aysa is on the ice, taking her time to get to her opening pose. Her smile is so beautiful. She opens her program with her flying sit spin. Setting up for her combination jump. She falls on her 3F. Pops the 2A, only manages to do a waltz jump. Beautiful spiral sequence with great extension of her free leg. Footwork into her 3Z, clean adds a 2T making it into a combination. Smart!. Great variation on her combination spin, well centered and fast. Nice flow and speed through out her straight line step sequence. Very strong layback spin to end her program. She looks dissapointed but smiles through it. “Sorry Alysa fans 
, I was rooting for her to also do well.” TE score 24.03, PC score 26.40, Total score 49.42. Currently ranked in 17th place.
Elena Sokolova - RUS
Elena is on the ice as the final skater. She opens her program with her 3Z-2T combination jump. Now setting up for her 3L, nice and clean. She goes into her flying camel spin, lacking speed. Her spiral sequence has good speed. Nice and easy 2A, immediately going into her layback spin again lackign speed. Her striaght line footwork well timed with the music. She closes her program with her combination spin. Nice positions but slow again. Finishing behind her music. TE score 29.51, PC score 26.32, Total score 55.83. Currently ranked in 11th place.
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That concludes the short program. Visit ISU for the complete results. Overall it was a great short program for the ladies, a few surprises among the top contenders but it will definitely be a battle during the free skate, it’s still anybody’s game.
I wan to thank MKforum.net and it’s members for their support on my first live report. Let me know your thoughts on today’s short program by leaving your comments.
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