#midnight blues
somewhere by the han river, midnight
a breeze flows past her and she wraps herself inside the sweater she brought with her. she glances at her phone to look at the time—12:00.midnight. once again, she finds herself overlooking the river. she knows better; she probably shouldn’t be outside at this time but there’s a few people roaming around the park as well. she’s been there for a few hours, mind moving at a hundred miles per hour. she feels everything yet nothing.
her heart was heavy when she arrived at the park around nine. it’s too much for her to think, so she decided to people watch. forgettable faces, save a few. there was an old man who was speed-walking. can’t sleep either? he asked as moves past her. she just nods. there was a young woman walking her dog. there was a couple, slightly secretive in movement. an idol couple?
jungeun almost winces as the thought enters her head. idol.the word seems distant, although she was so close to it. the simple thought of that word causes the girl to sit in silence for hours, until she saw the 12on her phone’s clock. there’s no longer anyone near her. she chuckles at the fact. there wasn’t anyone near her at this instant but there wasn’t really anyone near her at all.
her friends were trainees. some idols.where was she? alone. back at square one? how many weeks has it been? was it one? no, two. or three? she winces everytime she thinks about her elimination. she winces everytime a new question enters her head. so many what ifs.
the embarrassment subsides, traded for heaviness. she wraps her sweater around her once more, hoping it would bandage the heaviness she feels. am i being dramatic? she thinks to herself. no,she replies to the voice in her head.
am i just being blue?
maybe.
”it’ll pass,” she speaks for the first time in a while. there isn’t anyone around her, so she scoffs at her attempt to comfort herself. “it will pass.”
Interesting findings looking closely at the top 7 team’s execution of step 9 of the Midnight Blues, the RBO leg tuck. As you would expect the 4 best teams when it comes to skating skills (P/C, S/K, H/D, G/F) have the correct RBO edge. However, S/K & G/F’s execution is superior. Not surprisingly the 3 weaker teams skating skills wise (S/B, G/P, C/B) all had flat RBO edge attempts. S/B actually have one of the closest Kilian holds, but Vanya’s edge attempt is actually the weakest. C/B have the weakest & furthest apart “Kilian” hold if you can even call it that.
I already explained what made S/K’s execution of step 9 excellent & frankly the best execution by any team of just specifically this step ever here. Power, deep knee bend, deep edges, close & creative hold, matching lines, controlled free legs, etc.
G/F don’t have as much personal flair as S/K, but they have the best traditional execution. Correct Wd-RFI (Charlene) & deep Wd-LBI (Marco) in step 9a. Smooth RFI-Three Turn from Charlene, clear RBO edges, close Kilian hold, matching free legs in unison on the leg tuck in step 9b.
H/D try to go for a creative variation with Madi going around Zach, but the execution is sloppy as a result. Zach cheats the Wd-LBI in step 9a. Both Madi & Zach manage a shallow RBO & close hold in step 9b, but their free legs in the leg tuck are at different heights & angles.
Gabi like Vika has very neat & controlled free leg & arm movements already in the RFI-Three Turn even before the RBO leg tuck. Gui also shows a deep Wd-LBI in step 9a unlike Zach. Like H/D they manage a shallow RBO, but their free legs are unmatched in the leg tuck in step 9b.
H/D & P/C both have the same problem of different free leg heights & angles in the leg tuck. H/D are closer in hold than P/C though. Madi & Gabi’s free legs are higher above the knee & behind the skating leg, which is a creative choice, while Zach & Gui try traditional leg tuck. Free leg is supposed to be just below the skating knee like Zach/Gui (Zach’s position should be tighter & closer to skating leg though). Teams do have creative liberty for different variations. However, both partners should either go for traditional or creative to avoid unison issues.
Sasha has correct Wd-RFI & Vanya has correct Wd-LBI in step 9a, their Kilian hold is very close, & their free legs match in the leg tuck in step 9b. However, both, especially Vanya, have very flat RBO edge attempts.
Piper’s Wd-RFI is fine, but Paul’s Wd-LBI is flat in step 9a. Both have flat RBO edge attempts in step 9b. Their free legs do match in the leg tuck, but their Kilian hold isn’t as close as S/B. It is closer & more established than C/B’s though.
Madi Wd-RFI is flat, her RFI-Three Turn is wobbly, & her RBO is flat. Since both entry & exit edge are flat, I wouldn’t even consider it a 3 turn, but simply a change of direction. Evan Wd-LBI is correct, but his RBO is flat. Their free legs in leg tuck match, but their fake one arm “hold” is the furthest apart & worst.
Post link
S/K have the best Midnight Blues pattern of the season, one of the best Midnight Blues patterns ever, & my favorite part of it is their execution of step 9, the RBO leg tuck. Most teams do the leg tuck by lifting their free legs very lightly, but S/K choose to do it with a lot of power instead. They showcase deep knee bend, deep edges, close holds, & matching lines accompanied by a lot of personal flair.
Vika does not have to rely on Nikita at all & has complete control of her arm & free leg. She already initiates very neat free leg movement in the RFI-Three Turn before the leg tuck, while most ladies free legs are looser until the leg tuck.
Perfect Kilian hold with no space between them made more difficult by Nikita’s head resting on Vika’s arm, deep right back outside edge, & free legs matching in perfect unison on the leg tuck.
