#2019 gpf

[yuzu-all-the-way]

[boysinblades]

2019-2020 Grand Prix Final Qualifiers - Men

[polishedjellyfish]

[lazuliblade]

2019 GPF Men’s SP

I’m waking up at 5am for this. I may have missed everything else, but I can at least catch Men’s before work. Liveblogging while watching a stream:

Kevin Aymoz SP score: 96.71 (Personal Best) 4T, 3Lz3T, ChCSp4, 3A, FSSp4, ChCoSp4, StSq4. He did it! Clean! And everything landed well! I’m so happy for him. This was such a great performance. He was so overjoyed that he could barely hold his ending pose. (By the way... they started the wrong music for him at the beginning. I wonder if it broke his nerves or simply didn’t affect him.) Boyang Jin SP score: 80.67 3Lz(pop), 4T3T held on, 3A beautiful, FCSp4, ChSSp4, StSq3, ChSp4 The first half looked a bit jump-focused, but he interpreted the music nicely afterward with an expressive upper body and some delicate movement. I love the split jump in his Step Sequence. I’m just so glad we have the chance to see him in this year’s GPF. Dmitri Aliev SP score: 88.78 4Lz2T, 4T, FCSp3, 3A, StSq3, ChSSp3, ChCoSp4. He almost fell in his Step Sequence, which is likely why he only earned a level 3. It looked like he was running out of energy toward the end - the spins seemed a bit slow - but he held on. I love the moment in the program where the music has a change of pace choreographed to a deep breath. Nathan Chen SP score: 110.38 4Lz easy, 3A, ChCSp4, 4T3T, StSq4, FSSp4, ChCoSp4. He had some really nice speed on his spins. There were some nice parts in the StSq - he uses his hands well. What I really appreciate is how he skates somber to fit the tone of the music.  Alexander Samarin SP score: 81.32 4Lz double hand down - missed his combo, 4F<turn 2T, FCSp4, 3A nice, ChSSp4, ChCoSp4, StSq2 The unfortunate thing about this music, is that I can’t help remembering another skater who performed to this and now I expect so much. Samarin did a good job of holding it together after the mistakes on the first couple of jumps. Yuzuru Hanyu SP score: 97.43 4S gorgeous, 3A beautiful, 4T (step out) he missed his combo, FCSp4, ChSSp4, StSq4, ChCoSp4. Even with the missed combo this was such a beautiful program to watch. I can never rehash enough how much of a difference it is seeing him skate. The attention to detail, the way he seamlessly adds steps in between elements - one of my favorite parts is that spread eagle after the 4S, and then there’s the high note after his twizzle-3A-twizzle where it looks like he breaks the tension with a lift of his wrist. He’s skated this program pretty much error-free all season, so I knew this would be coming at some point. My heart kind of hurt seeing him unaccompanied in the Kiss&Cry with a sober expression and calculating something on his fingers. I’m sure he’s very kuyashii about his program...

[vikaandnikita]

how did i not know this existed before omg this is the cutest thing ever🥰😭😍💕

[huhwhereshouyou]

Happy 25th Birthday, Yuzuru! I hope the GPF Free Skate goes well and that he has a satisfying Bday <3

[fieryrondo]

Can you give me your honest assessment on the men who made GPF this year? Who do you think will win?

I’m not sure I’m the best person to be answering this question but I’ll do my best to give an objective answer.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: there may be six qualifying men in the Final but there is a gap in scoring potential based on this season’s results. The majority of the media spotlight will be on the top two qualifying men, Yuzuru Hanyu and Nathan Chen. 

Yuzuru Hanyu, reigning Olympic champion, 2x Worlds champ, 4x GPF champ, etc, etc, a skater who’s made waves and continues to make waves in the sport for the better part of ten years. With competitive experience unmatched by any other currently competing skater, his dominance in the sport has been marred by injuries (fans will struggle to think of a season during which he hasn’t been injured). His approach to his programs is that of an unyielding master craftsman--quality of execution above all else. His programs are among the most complex and in my opinion, he is the most complete skater, having achieved mastery both technically and artistically. His jumps, in particular, are among the most aesthetically pleasing to behold. Huge and airy, with feather-light landings, Yuzuru’s jumps are a work of art on their own, but it is ultimately his commitment to a balance of musically sensitive and complex choreography with exquisite jumps that make his programs masterpieces that have inspired a plethora of tribute programs from young skaters.

He has yet to skate a clean free program this season (he came very very close at Skate Canada). Provided he can stay healthy and injury free, he will be very tough to beat. That being said, Yuzuru is not immune to mistakes. In terms of technical difficulty, he has fewer quads at his disposal compared to Nathan, and mistakes are far more costly. A clean short program will be critical to his path to gold. When Yuzuru is on, however, he is ON, and a wonder to watch. There is a reason why thousands of fans, not just from Japan but all corners of the world, flock to his competitions.

Nathan Chen, up and coming skater, has been undefeated after a disastrous Olympic debut back in 2018. At the tender age of 20, he is currently the reigning Grand Prix Final, Four Continents, and Worlds Champion. He has won every major title except for the coveted Olympic title. A fierce competitor, there is no denying he will be Yuzuru’s biggest competition this season. What he lacks in artistic maturity, he makes up in sheer jumping firepower. He has shown himself capable of skating a six-quad layout and has landed five quad types in competition. While jumps are certainly not everything, the timing of Nathan’s ascent to the top has been advantageous for him, especially under a scoring system that rewards jumping difficulty with a program components and GOE boost (please note this is a scoring phenomenon that is NOT exclusive to Nathan, but he is one out of many skaters who have benefited from this). A few mistakes from Yuzuru could spring an opportunity for Nathan to defend his titles. He has clearly learned a lot from his competitive experiences over the past couple of seasons and is able to remain calm under pressure.

As for who will win - it will most likely be down to Yuzuru vs Nathan. Just based on judge scoring patterns from this season and the last, Nathan has a slight edge in terms of scoring. Since Pyeongchang, his PCS score has increased at least 8% while Yuzuru’s has remained mostly stagnant. Judges clearly like what Nathan presents. However, this will be only the second time Nathan will be facing a healthy Yuzuru and a healthy Yuzuru is leagues different from an injured one. 

What’s more interesting is who will take bronze. My gut feeling says it will be one of the Russians- Alexander Samarin or Dmitri Aliev, but the other two skaters in the mix including China’s Boyang Jin may surprise. France’s Kevin Aymoz, with only one quad under his belt, is outclassed technically by everyone else here, but he is not looking to podium. Instead, he’ll be using GPF to gain competition experience and set himself up well for the latter half of the season.

[yuzu-senshu]

WTF JUST HAPPENED??????????????