Carolina Kostner

chapis wrote:

Carolina modified her Sherezade program and it looks a lot better,     .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cIoOnHw31g

although I don´t know her intentions, because it last as 3min 20 sec, and few jumps, may be she modified it to be only ex program   

Thanks for the video. Carolina looks beautiful in the ice. Even you remove her jumps, her skating looks beautiful.

Iceriver wrote:

That was quite something   . Incredible improvement in terms of choreography since her last appearance.

I've always preferred Mao and Yuna over Caro, but I honestly think that technically she is the most complete of the three. Just as shar has said, her problem is her inconsistency, but her jumps are one of the best, not to talk about her skating skills. I think that sometimes people confuse good technique with consistency or jumping ability/easiness. Caro is not consistent with her triple-triples recently because of her age (not saying she's old but obviously jumping becomes more difficult with age) but not because her technique is inferior to Yuna's. Thinking about Caro's jumps, they are all great: her double axel is really beautiful with great flow and speed, toe loop fine, loop very good, salchow one of the best, the same for the flip and the lutz, as she proved last season, is among the very very best. Spins are not extraordinary, but spiral sequences are decent and steps sequences (when the choreography is adequate to her type of skating) are gorgeous IMO.

I wish her the best in Sochi. I hope she can get a medal, she deserves it after so many years of good skating  

A few things to add about Carolina's jumps: For a lady of her physique, she controls her body really well. When her jumps are on, they have that 'spring' that gives it a look-at-the-height factor regardless of the jump type (edge or toe jump). Note the tight and neat air position (that solid cylinder without the elbow jutting out the sides), and the check out position of the landing (that extension and pointed free leg!). The poise and finish of her positions are a winner when Carolina does her jumps well. I think Mirai had a similar poise and finish in her jumps, but she had UR problems among others.

Hands down, Carolina's skating skills are just lovely to watch. Right up there with Ekaterina Gordeeva's.   

Abdiel wrote:

A few things to add about Carolina's jumps: For a lady of her physique, she controls her body really well. When her jumps are on, they have that 'spring' that gives it a look-at-the-height factor regardless of the jump type (edge or toe jump). Note the tight and neat air position (that solid cylinder without the elbow jutting out the sides), and the check out position of the landing (that extension and pointed free leg!). The poise and finish of her positions are a winner when Carolina does her jumps well. I think Mirai had a similar poise and finish in her jumps, but she had UR problems among others.

Hands down, Carolina's skating skills are just lovely to watch. Right up there with Ekaterina Gordeeva's.   

Thanks Abdiel. I don't know that Mirai's jumps have so much potential. Does that mean that it's possible to fix her UR problems and once she's done that, she can be someone to watch out?

pearlyriver wrote:

Abdiel wrote:

A few things to add about Carolina's jumps: For a lady of her physique, she controls her body really well. When her jumps are on, they have that 'spring' that gives it a look-at-the-height factor regardless of the jump type (edge or toe jump). Note the tight and neat air position (that solid cylinder without the elbow jutting out the sides), and the check out position of the landing (that extension and pointed free leg!). The poise and finish of her positions are a winner when Carolina does her jumps well. I think Mirai had a similar poise and finish in her jumps, but she had UR problems among others.

Hands down, Carolina's skating skills are just lovely to watch. Right up there with Ekaterina Gordeeva's.   

Thanks Abdiel. I don't know that Mirai's jumps have so much potential. Does that mean that it's possible to fix her UR problems and once she's done that, she can be someone to watch out?

I have complete confidence that she can. If she steels her nerves to pump out the effort that comes with it, then it could happen. [The judges might think otherwise, though.] Post-Vancouver Mirai has had to deal with the effects of puberty; her body has changed a lot, and her skating suffered with it. She's most likely fighting in adjusting her skating to her different body.

How am I going to master using the muscles I have developed?
How am I going to find my new center of balance so I don't travel when I spin?
How am I going to get height with the right timing so my axis isn't off and I don't lose flow in landings when I jump?
How do I control my knees, hips and back to land my jumps, center my spins, and do footwork properly?

That's not easy to do at all.  
She and her team must work out everything properly, else her whole package would fall apart. When things work out pretty well, I think we can have something like her 2013 CoR results. She only had 1 UR call (back end of 3Lo-2T) and her 2 Lips there. Not bad, considering her past showings. In that case, I have my fingers crossed that Mirai (and Liza) is just a late bloomer when it comes to post-puberty skaters.

Every skater has their own problem to overcome. Sometimes it just doesn't show through the media, or it's revealed much later. Like with our dear Mao.

News about Caro possibly being out of the Europeans Championship and changing both SP & FS to Ava Maria and Bolero. I hope this is true, as it will give Caro a  better chance to medal.

Itcaip wrote:

According to this article (unfortunately in Italian, so I give a short summary) http://altoadige.gelocal.it/sport/2014/01/04/news/europei-si-europei-no-questo-il-dilemma-della-kostner-1.8408855 Carolina might not be ready to partecipate in Europeans due to the lack of preparation because of her injury.
It is also reported that it might be the result of changing her programs. Before Christmas she was seen in Oberstdorf (where she trains) practicing "Bolero" for the FS and "Ave Maria" for the SP. Lori Nichol was also spotted at the ice rink.

She skated to "Ave Maria" around Christmas and it is indeed constructed like a SP, the spread eagle and the spiral substituting the 3L and 2A.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBELsejnlpk


Let's wait and see until official announcements are made.

shar wrote:

News about Caro possibly being out of the Europeans Championship and changing both SP & FS to Ava Maria and Bolero. I hope this is true, as it will give Caro a  better chance to medal.

Itcaip wrote:

According to this article (unfortunately in Italian, so I give a short summary) http://altoadige.gelocal.it/sport/2014/01/04/news/europei-si-europei-no-questo-il-dilemma-della-kostner-1.8408855 Carolina might not be ready to partecipate in Europeans due to the lack of preparation because of her injury.
It is also reported that it might be the result of changing her programs. Before Christmas she was seen in Oberstdorf (where she trains) practicing "Bolero" for the FS and "Ave Maria" for the SP. Lori Nichol was also spotted at the ice rink.

She skated to "Ave Maria" around Christmas and it is indeed constructed like a SP, the spread eagle and the spiral substituting the 3L and 2A.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBELsejnlpk


Let's wait and see until official announcements are made.

i hate Bolero   but if she feels more confident with it so good for her   i hope she recovery completly at time for The OG

chapis wrote:

shar wrote:

News about Caro possibly being out of the Europeans Championship and changing both SP & FS to Ava Maria and Bolero. I hope this is true, as it will give Caro a  better chance to medal.

Itcaip wrote:

According to this article (unfortunately in Italian, so I give a short summary) http://altoadige.gelocal.it/sport/2014/01/04/news/europei-si-europei-no-questo-il-dilemma-della-kostner-1.8408855 Carolina might not be ready to partecipate in Europeans due to the lack of preparation because of her injury.
It is also reported that it might be the result of changing her programs. Before Christmas she was seen in Oberstdorf (where she trains) practicing "Bolero" for the FS and "Ave Maria" for the SP. Lori Nichol was also spotted at the ice rink.

She skated to "Ave Maria" around Christmas and it is indeed constructed like a SP, the spread eagle and the spiral substituting the 3L and 2A.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBELsejnlpk


Let's wait and see until official announcements are made.

i hate Bolero   but if she feels more confident with it so good for her   i hope she recovery completly at time for The OG

If Caro wants to win, or at least medal, Bolero is her best chance. She has no hopes of getting close to the bronze medal with Scheherazade, let alone silver or gold.

shar wrote:

chapis wrote:

shar wrote:

News about Caro possibly being out of the Europeans Championship and changing both SP & FS to Ava Maria and Bolero. I hope this is true, as it will give Caro a  better chance to medal.

Itcaip wrote:

According to this article (unfortunately in Italian, so I give a short summary) http://altoadige.gelocal.it/sport/2014/01/04/news/europei-si-europei-no-questo-il-dilemma-della-kostner-1.8408855 Carolina might not be ready to partecipate in Europeans due to the lack of preparation because of her injury.
It is also reported that it might be the result of changing her programs. Before Christmas she was seen in Oberstdorf (where she trains) practicing "Bolero" for the FS and "Ave Maria" for the SP. Lori Nichol was also spotted at the ice rink.

She skated to "Ave Maria" around Christmas and it is indeed constructed like a SP, the spread eagle and the spiral substituting the 3L and 2A.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBELsejnlpk


Let's wait and see until official announcements are made.

i hate Bolero   but if she feels more confident with it so good for her   i hope she recovery completly at time for The OG

If Caro wants to win, or at least medal, Bolero is her best chance. She has no hopes of getting close to the bronze medal with Scheherazade, let alone silver or gold.

I don't like the music Bolero, but I love her Bolero program. She's capable of turning boring music to exciting performance by her quality skating skills.  It's pity she fell on her last jump at 2013 worlds. I'm looking forward to her clean Bolero in Sochi.

It seems skaters are trying to avoid competition in order not to be watched and scrutinized by the judges multiple times before Sochi.  

Mehhh... I didn't like Caro's Bolero program not because of the program itself. I didn't like it because I hate the music hahah. Bolero (the music, not Caro's program) is so monotonous, repetitive, and just boring in general. Maybe I'll like the program more if Caro skates it clean.

I still think Mozart piece is her best LP to date, but no matter what we think, Bolero is really her best bet to win any Olympics medal.

pearlyriver wrote:

I still think Mozart piece is her best LP to date, but no matter what we think, Bolero is really her best bet to win any Olympics medal.

Same here, I think I'll always remember Caro with her Mozart LP when I saw it live during 2012 WC...she performed with such happiness and with all the audiences cheering for her!

Is Carol Lori's most beloved client? It's usually the client going to the choreographer's home base to work on the program. Carol is born to skate to classical music, but many of her programs don't do justice to her at all   

Thanks for the update, Itcaip. Interesting that Caro would go back to Bolero! If I remember correctly, Lori had to almost force Caro to use that music, while Sheherazade was Carolina's choice. I thought the Scheherazade skated in the recent shows looked great. I wonder if Caro will keep it as the gala number?

pearlyriver wrote:

It's usually the client going to the choreographer's home base to work on the program.

Not always - sometimes choreographers visit skaters at their home rinks (Claire de Lune was tweaked in Japan, IIRC), sometimes they go to training camps or rent rinks where they can tweak a few skaters' programs at once (Buttle/Dickson for the Mishin team, Morozov for his skaters), sometimes they go to work with one skater and another skater who happens to practice/compete somewhere close drops by. I think it all depends on the situation.

I think recently Lori doesn't have much work on her head as the USA/Canadian Nationals are so close that it's too late to tweak programs, and it was inconvenient for Caro to leave Europe because she was skating in shows.

Carolina is going to do two new programs for the Olympics? Well Bolero isn't new, but she hasn't skated it in competition in a year. She is not known for consistency so I am not sure if this is good idea, to debut programs at the Olympics.

ilovethai wrote:

Mehhh... I didn't like Caro's Bolero program not because of the program itself. I didn't like it because I hate the music hahah. Bolero (the music, not Caro's program) is so monotonous, repetitive, and just boring in general. Maybe I'll like the program more if Caro skates it clean.

For me it's exactly the oposite. I don't like Caro's Bolero because of the program, but I absolutely love the music. I hope she took out all that posing and put in some transitions.

@aoi88, I absolutely agree. If it's true that she's skipping Euros, then this is a very bad decision, which might cost her a big time in Sochi.

Ave Maria is the gala number 5 or 6 years ago? It's absolutely beautiful, but to make it into a SP and debut it at the Olympics is crazy   . Every time Carol messed up one jump, she started losing confidence and falling into pieces