Re-scoring the 2011 Worlds: 2

I like Ando's skating.

At least she seems skating like a top skater. But Ando's physiological disadvantage is something she can't easily overcome.

Skating skills significantly lack in her skating compared to Mao Asada or Yuna Kim, but what most crucially lacks in Ando's skating is her body control.

Say, Ando is a skater of jump consistency as opposed to Ashley Wagner whose jump accuracy always frustrates her skating.

But in comparison with Ando, Wagner has better edge and proficient body control, which enables her to skate more smoothly than Ando. So the two skaters are technically equal in the average PCS. Therefore Ando's PCS in her skating above qualifies her for 8.0.

Of course, accurately speaking, Wagner is a better skater and if the two compete, I will have to put Wagner 0.5 or 0.25 average PCS ahead of Ando, but it depends on how Ando and Wagner perform.

I don't like the general quality of Ando's jumps; her jumps are landed without much flaw, compared to other skaters, but if you compare Ando with Kim, hers are just sublevel of ratification in most cases.

Yes, in Ando's skating, jumps are not yet incorporated into aesthetic line and flow; that is her jump execution remains detached from the entire program.

In other words, she has polishing issue. That's quite obvious when you see her bad habits before takeoff. But in competition, I may be lenient on that, depending on who she is competing with.

I will award her with +1 for the first jump and another in the later part, while the rest are subject to -3 to 0. Her spins are -GOE. But her overall move is good, considering she is not particularly a skater of balance.

My verdict is 56 for TES and 64 for PCS which make 120.

I have an issue with this program. I don't like the way its music was cut. It could have been more figure skating friendly.

I am not for voice-used programs. That may be my prejudice. Nothing wrong with voice in music in general, but in figure skating, the medium is skating. The less we have foreign elements, the better.

If you want to try a cheap trick, say using voice, that's how you defeat the purpose of the sport.

I may be too allergic here but what we are trying to accomplish through figure skating is aesthetics purely by skating. Add-ons are not necessary.

Why do you think we are expressing something artistic while skating? If the current tools you are using are not sufficient enough, or even deficient to evoke art, it would be easier to modify its technical degree or its modes rather than rely on cheap trick.

Isn't it better if we just sing with our beautiful voice if that helps, instead of skating? Isn't it better if we just cry to tell how sad we are, rather than making a puppy looks?

What are you there for? If we need voice or other special effects other than skating, why do we bother skating, perhaps the most art-hostile medium ? What can be worse than falling while skating only to shatter what we are trying to build, unless we are aiming at artistic athleticism?

Again, art or aesthetics in the higher level always prefers indirect, subtle, intangible and unseen, yet profoundly present and poignant.

Great skater can evoke aesthetic without those tricks. True artistic ability in figure skating enables a skater to express all different emotions and aesthetic dimensions only with his or her body language.

Strictly speaking, you don't have to smile; you don't have to laugh; you don't have to frown to tell the audience what you feel. Your skating has to express all those.

I am more for classical ideal, especially from a skater in Kim's scale; after all this is not gala.

I am not impressed by Kim's step sequences. Especially that doesn't serve the musical interpretation well. I may be wrongly opinionated at that.

But I am surprised more with myself than Kim. I distinctly remember those programs in 2011 were the kind of programs I was unable to give a thumb up. Even now I may still find fault with a few things, but I am amazed at Kim's conditions.

Yeah, it's definitely because the current figure skaters' level is so low but at the same time, Kim looks very healthy in her moves.

Well, I think that also stems from a fact that my eyes remember Kim in Sochi. Yes that's it. We can't expect Kim in 2014 stronger than in 2011.

Kim has chopped her triple-salchow combo by half and popped another, but her skating is just as strong. You've got to skate like her even if you fall.

Her jumps are mostly +1 to 0 except the first jump for +2.

My verdict is 60 for TES 68 for PCS which makes 128 in total. I conservatively marked her PCS.

In conclusion, Ando cannot beat Kim in 2011 Worlds.

I think Ando's general over-scoring is due to judging incompetence and it may be a presage of the ISU fraud in retrospect, or maybe not.

Of course, Ando of the 2011 Worlds definitely deserves most points she received unlike 2007 Worlds, but still not enough to beat Kim or close to beat Kim.

Although Ando's case is not necessarily designed or premeditated to defraud people, awarding a horde of points without due merits and qualities is not prudent.

That serves nothing but destroy credibility of figure skating judging.

At least, you know now what will happen if the judges are not discrete and quality-oriented to correctly position skaters according to their level, and diligently adhere to quality control.

In conclusion, I don't object if judges award Ando +GOE for her jumps, but Ando's average PCS should have been at least 0.5 or 0.75 PCS lower than Kim's.