It was quite interesting comparing my scores at the Singapore Nationals in Mar and the Malaysia Nationals in April. Here's a quick analysis (results sheet below)...
Axel combination In both competitions, my opening 1A+1Lo+1T all became a +COMBO. *sigh* I really need to land my Axel clean, even if I am 1ft from the wall. What kind of choreography puts the Axel there anyway!?? Hopefully this program will fit better in a full size rink :-)
Spiral sequence I was ultimately disappointed that my spiral sequence was only called as a Level 1 at the Singapore Nationals. However, having looked at the video, I realised that I really didn't hold any of the positions long enough to get any features.
So, when I went to the Malaysia Nationals last weekend, I determined to hold my spirals for "long enough". However, my last spiral started to slip, and I had to let go. Though I wasn't that proud of the overall spiral sequence, I am pleased to see that it is now called as a level 3. (it is almost as if there is now some verification of the logic)
Sit spin The plan was for a sit-backsit - after all, that would pick up more base points. However, my backsit isn't exactly the best, and with competition "stress" it really doesn't go low enough to be a sit at all! At the Singapore Nationals, I "chickened out" and did just the forward sit. At the Malaysia Nationals, I thought, why not attempt the change of foot.
What happened? I picked up a couple of +1 GOE for my nice low simple forward sit spin at the Singapore Nationals, while the attempt at a not-good backsit at the Malaysia Nationals set me back with a -2 GOE! The final score for the sit spin with change of foot ended up lower than that for the plain ol' sit spin.
This is such a classic example of "don't try to do too much, rather do what you can well". Trust me to have to put it to test!
Overall The overall program felt terrible in both competitions, but for different reasons. The lack of practise at the Singapore Nationals showed just halfway through the program - I had no more energy for my jumps! At the Malaysia Nationals, I was actually feeling much better stamina-wise, but was kind of thrown off by the rink size and where the judges were sitting. Plus, I was a little taken aback when I found myself in preparation for a second flip right after doing one. I really should have gone ahead and done the second one, except that I was too busy wondering if I actually did the first one!
In any case, I have to focus on my next competition - Oberstdorf. This one should be a lot more fun!
