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Skating Kitty: Official Mascot of Cat's Lair Skating Pages

Cat's Lair 2001 Skate America Diary

Oct. 25 - 28, 2001

Index	28-Oct-2001: Day 4
Updated: 02-Nov-2001 Cover Page 25-Oct-2001 Day 1 Pairs Short Ladies Short 26-Oct-2001 Day 2 Mens Short 27-Oct-2001 Day 3 Pairs Free 28-Oct-2001 Ladies Free	Skate America Day Four Ladies Free Skate Wow what a pretty warm up group. Every girl in the first flight is wearing a really pretty dress. Mikkeline Kierkgaard She looked very unhappy during the warm up, and looked very tired even before she started skating. This altitude is insane, and having to warm up and then skate at 6000 feet is cruel. She wore a lovely, pale blue dress. She started with a triple/double combination, then she did a triple salchow. Then a Charlotte spiral a triple loop/double toe, a big waltz jump that I think was supposed to be a double axel, though it was a lovely waltz jump. Then another triple and a double axel. Even though she seemed disappointed in herself, I thought she skated beautifully with lovely spins and spirals and a lot of successful jumps. Jennifer Robinson She wore a beautiful white dress that looked just like Nancy Kerrigan's wedding dress. Which is appropriate because the program is about her upcoming wedding. She starts out the program taking steps down the ice like a bride stepping down the aisle. She started out with a triple lutz/double toe. Her lutz takes off from an outside edge, but she glides into it on an inside edge, she does the opposite of a flutz. Still even though she takes off from the correct edge some probably think she flutzes, because of the inside edge entrance. She did a triple salchow, a pretty camel spin, a triple loop, two more triple jumps. She has a pretty layback spin. Then she popped a lutz jump, then did a double axel and a triple salchow/double toe combination. I think she was terribly robbed and should have been much higher. Especially considering how many mistakes Julia Sebestyn and Sasha Cohen made. Utako Wakamatsu She wore a pretty white dress. Skated to Nessum Dorma. Starts out with a gorgeous catch foot spin, lovely extension and position. Then she did a triple-1/2 loop-triple combination, wow that was great. She did a double axel, then an ina baur. She did a two footed triple, another triple, and a way cool split jump right on the crescendo of the music. Did a double loop, I think. Then another two footed triple. She fell on a triple salchow. A Kerrigan spiral right down the center of the ice. And ended with a Bielman/shotgun spin combination. A beautiful program and a lovely skater. Elena Sokolova Using last year's program to the Masquerade Waltz. She started out with a triple lutz, then she popped something, then she two footed a triple loop. She did a single axel, then her music stopped for a few seconds, she kind of looked like she was confused and was going to go to the referee, when her music came back on. She went right on with the program from there. She did double sal, then a triple sal, then a triple/double combination and a double axel. She actually skated better after her music glitched. Julia Sebestyn She did really high triple, that may have been too high because she had to put her hand down. Then stepped out of a triple. Successfully landed a triple jump then did a triple/double combination with a couple of extra steps between the two jumps. She did two double salchows and I am sure one of them was supposed to be a triple. Shizuka Arakawa Well she was seriously robbed! She way deserved to be on the podium. She started out with a triple/double combination, then did triple sal/triple loop. Then she did a triple ump then a double axel. She did a triple lutz, that started out and took off from an OUTSIDE edge, hurray!! Then another triple loop. She did a ina baur with a very deep arch, just lovely, into a triple jump. She was graceful and elegant and got a partial standing O. She would have gotten the silver if I was the judge. (oooo, me as the only judge of a competition, what a great idea!) Sasha Cohen Oh this was painful, the kid popped that quad sal and then popped or fell for two minutes. She ended up landing two triple jumps, her marks were ridiculous especially considering how high her presentation marks. All that flailing and falling should have cost her big on the second mark. My advice, and no one has asked for it, is she stop trying to quad her way over windmills and concentrate on clean triples. Michelle Kwan She landed a triple toe/double toe, a triple sal, triple lutz/double toe, a single axle, a triple flip, a two footed triple loop, a second triple lutz and a added on triple toe. Standing O. I think this program does not have footwork that is worthy of her. And it looks to me like the program still needs work, but so did Song of The Black Swan at last year's Skate America. She has the best line, expression, musicality and cleanest edges out there. Despite the flaws she was clearly the best skater here and only someone as stupid as Phil Hersh would disagree. Viktoria Volchokova Skated to Gone with the Wind. She doubled her first two jumps, but then landed a bunch. I don't have complete notes for her. She jumps very high but this girl really needs a choreographer. Her big movement to the crescendo of the music is standing still on the ice and raising her hands in the air. Yeah I know it worked for Vivien Leigh but she wasn't a skater. In between the jumps her program is a snooze. Sarah Hughes Last year when people said Sarah should have won, I thought they had a case, an incorrect case but still a case, this year I just don't get it, I have seen Sarah much better than this. That flutz take off is as bad as ever and it is the worst I have seen at this level of skating. She doesn't just take off from the wrong edge, she wobbles back and forth between inside and outside edge going all the way into the jump. And there was something wrong with that triple sal/triple loop. I couldn't tell exactly what but it looked like the loop was underotated and something was wrong with the sal as well. I got to replay the tape and look. She was also very slow. She did do a very cool combination spin where she did a flying spin when she changed feet very nice. Got a standing O. Some people booed when she was placed second, but most people clapped for Michelle's victory. Just don't tell those weasels in the press it would, not affect them at all, they don't mind being wrong. All in all I would have to say this was a really, really good ladies competition. Even though neither of the top two ladies skated their best, the rest of the field was really very nice.

Index

28-Oct-2001: Day 4

Updated: 02-Nov-2001

Cover Page

25-Oct-2001

Day 1

26-Oct-2001

Day 2

Mens Short

27-Oct-2001

Day 3

Pairs Free

28-Oct-2001

Ladies Free

Skate America Day Four

Ladies Free Skate

Wow what a pretty warm up group. Every girl in the first flight is wearing a really pretty dress.

Mikkeline Kierkgaard: She looked very unhappy during the warm up, and looked very tired even before she started skating. This altitude is insane, and having to warm up and then skate at 6000 feet is cruel. She wore a lovely, pale blue dress. She started with a triple/double combination, then she did a triple salchow. Then a Charlotte spiral a triple loop/double toe, a big waltz jump that I think was supposed to be a double axel, though it was a lovely waltz jump. Then another triple and a double axel. Even though she seemed disappointed in herself, I thought she skated beautifully with lovely spins and spirals and a lot of successful jumps.
Jennifer Robinson: She wore a beautiful white dress that looked just like Nancy Kerrigan's wedding dress. Which is appropriate because the program is about her upcoming wedding. She starts out the program taking steps down the ice like a bride stepping down the aisle. She started out with a triple lutz/double toe. Her lutz takes off from an outside edge, but she glides into it on an inside edge, she does the opposite of a flutz. Still even though she takes off from the correct edge some probably think she flutzes, because of the inside edge entrance. She did a triple salchow, a pretty camel spin, a triple loop, two more triple jumps. She has a pretty layback spin. Then she popped a lutz jump, then did a double axel and a triple salchow/double toe combination. I think she was terribly robbed and should have been much higher. Especially considering how many mistakes Julia Sebestyn and Sasha Cohen made.
Utako Wakamatsu: She wore a pretty white dress. Skated to Nessum Dorma. Starts out with a gorgeous catch foot spin, lovely extension and position. Then she did a triple-1/2 loop-triple combination, wow that was great. She did a double axel, then an ina baur. She did a two footed triple, another triple, and a way cool split jump right on the crescendo of the music. Did a double loop, I think. Then another two footed triple. She fell on a triple salchow. A Kerrigan spiral right down the center of the ice. And ended with a Bielman/shotgun spin combination. A beautiful program and a lovely skater.
Elena Sokolova: Using last year's program to the Masquerade Waltz. She started out with a triple lutz, then she popped something, then she two footed a triple loop. She did a single axel, then her music stopped for a few seconds, she kind of looked like she was confused and was going to go to the referee, when her music came back on. She went right on with the program from there. She did double sal, then a triple sal, then a triple/double combination and a double axel. She actually skated better after her music glitched.
Julia Sebestyn: She did really high triple, that may have been too high because she had to put her hand down. Then stepped out of a triple. Successfully landed a triple jump then did a triple/double combination with a couple of extra steps between the two jumps. She did two double salchows and I am sure one of them was supposed to be a triple.
Shizuka Arakawa: Well she was seriously robbed! She way deserved to be on the podium. She started out with a triple/double combination, then did triple sal/triple loop. Then she did a triple ump then a double axel. She did a triple lutz, that started out and took off from an OUTSIDE edge, hurray!! Then another triple loop. She did a ina baur with a very deep arch, just lovely, into a triple jump. She was graceful and elegant and got a partial standing O. She would have gotten the silver if I was the judge. (oooo, me as the only judge of a competition, what a great idea!)
Sasha Cohen: Oh this was painful, the kid popped that quad sal and then popped or fell for two minutes. She ended up landing two triple jumps, her marks were ridiculous especially considering how high her presentation marks. All that flailing and falling should have cost her big on the second mark. My advice, and no one has asked for it, is she stop trying to quad her way over windmills and concentrate on clean triples.
Michelle Kwan: She landed a triple toe/double toe, a triple sal, triple lutz/double toe, a single axle, a triple flip, a two footed triple loop, a second triple lutz and a added on triple toe. Standing O. I think this program does not have footwork that is worthy of her. And it looks to me like the program still needs work, but so did Song of The Black Swan at last year's Skate America. She has the best line, expression, musicality and cleanest edges out there. Despite the flaws she was clearly the best skater here and only someone as stupid as Phil Hersh would disagree.
Viktoria Volchokova: Skated to Gone with the Wind. She doubled her first two jumps, but then landed a bunch. I don't have complete notes for her. She jumps very high but this girl really needs a choreographer. Her big movement to the crescendo of the music is standing still on the ice and raising her hands in the air. Yeah I know it worked for Vivien Leigh but she wasn't a skater. In between the jumps her program is a snooze.
Sarah Hughes: Last year when people said Sarah should have won, I thought they had a case, an incorrect case but still a case, this year I just don't get it, I have seen Sarah much better than this. That flutz take off is as bad as ever and it is the worst I have seen at this level of skating. She doesn't just take off from the wrong edge, she wobbles back and forth between inside and outside edge going all the way into the jump. And there was something wrong with that triple sal/triple loop. I couldn't tell exactly what but it looked like the loop was underotated and something was wrong with the sal as well. I got to replay the tape and look. She was also very slow. She did do a very cool combination spin where she did a flying spin when she changed feet very nice. Got a standing O. Some people booed when she was placed second, but most people clapped for Michelle's victory. Just don't tell those weasels in the press it would, not affect them at all, they don't mind being wrong.

All in all I would have to say this was a really, really good ladies competition. Even though neither of the top two ladies skated their best, the rest of the field was really very nice.

Updated: Friday, 02-Nov-2001 03:07:13 EST