Okay...so NHK Trophy starts in less than 12 hours (how many of you will be snuggled up to your computer at 1:30 am on Ice Network?) so I need to get the previewing done. NHK, is of course, the last of the Grand Prix Events, then it's on to Korea for the Final.
The heavy favorite to win amongst the women would definitely have to be Mao Asada. However, her recent meltdown in Paris makes me think her Japanese teammate, Yukari Nakano may have a fair shot at the title. Either way, if these two ladies are "on" they will dominate the leaderboard. A pair of American ladies look to try to make the podium. Ashley Wagner will attempt to better her 4th place Cup of China finish, while Nagasu will attempt to do the same after her 5th place Skate America finish. I'd also keep an eye on Laura Lepisto...the judges seem to like her skating despite her lack of difficult technical skill.
The Ice Dance competition is a bit weakened since Virtue and Moir have withdrawn from the Grand Prix season. This is a prime opportunity for Italians Faiella and Scali to earn their first Grand Prix gold. They'll be chased by Pechalat and Bourzat of France and Samuelson and Bates of the United States. Look for these three teams to compose the podium.
The mens event also features a big withdrawl. Without Takahashi in the field, Nobunari Oda becomes the big Japanese star in the event. He'll be challenged by a couple of Americans, Weir and Carriere, who both are looking for tickets to Korea. Nobunari will, no doubt, have to deal with the relentless Japanese press at the event, that may be a distraction as well. Kevin Reynolds of Canada and Adrian Schultheiss of Sweden will also look to skate well.
The pairs competition will feature veteran Chinese team of Pang and Tong who will attempt to skate better than they did in China. They will be challenged by Dube and Davison of Canada, who skated well at their last event. Americans Inoue and Baldwin will look to improve upon a poor skate in Everett.
Sorry for the lateness of this post but I've been watching the news in horror. A short time ago there were several coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India targeting westerners. Many have been hurt, killed, and hostages have been taken. One of the locations bombed was the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. I was in India this summer for my masters program and actually spent three days in that hotel. It is bone chilling to see a place associated with good memories in flames and ruin on the television. The staff there are some of the nicest, most wonderful people I meet in India. Please pray for all the people affected by this terrible act of terrorism.
But the world must continue to turn and so to my blog, so I present this pic of the week.
Actually this picture is 16 months ago when poor, poor Nobunari Oda apologized before the Japanese Press for his much publicized drunken moped incident.
But bad boys sometimes get a second chance, and after winning the Nebelhorn Trophy earlier this season, Oda is set to make his grand return to major ISU competition this weekend at the NHK Trophy.
And luckily for him he has decided to return now as this may be his best (last, only?) chance to reestablish himself as Japan's leading man. Takahashi has withdrawn from competition this season and Kozuka's stock is on the rise!
Nobunari enters this weeks competition with a mission, restore his pride before the people of Japan. And Nobunari...no more moped incidents, okay?
Here's a clip from this years Japanese Dreams on Ice
With the conclusion of Cup of Russia, I always like to crunch how things look for the Grand Final.
It would appear fairly set in stone in dance with the following ice dance teams having qualified:
Delobel and Schoenfelder, Domnina and Shabalin, Khokhlova and Novitski, and Davis and White.
Now Belbin and Agosto should qualify assuming Faiella and Scali win NHK (and they are the hands down favorites) but if Pechalat and Bourzat can upset the Italians (huge if...seems unlikely...but you never know when an unforseen fall can happen) than it becomes a tie breaker between Faiella and Scali and Belbin and Agosto, most points wins. I don't forsee this happening and my guess is that both Belbin and Agosto and Faiella and Scali will be in Korea.
In pairs, four teams have already qualified:
Savchenko and Szolkowy, Zhang and Zhang, Kawaguchi and Smirnov, and Volosozhar and Morozov.
Things don't look good for McLaughlin and Brubaker as they have gotten the bad end of a tie breaker. They would need for a really major shake-up at NHK to qualify for the final. That puts Mukhortova and Trankov on the bubble. If Dube and Davison win and Pang and Tong place second, Dube and Davison will qualify bumping McLauglin and Brubaker to seventh and pitting Pang and Tong against Mukhortova and Trankov for the final seat. If you reverse the standings, Keauna and Rockne are still bumped and Jessica and Bryce battle the Russian's. The only way Keauna and Rockne can make the final is if Inoue and Baldwin (or one of the lesser known teams) win, Pang and Tong win the silver, and Dube and Davison the bronze. Then, Keauna and Rockne have to hope that they have higher combined scores from their events than either the Canadians or the Chinese. It's hard to say who those final two teams will be in the final.
Amongst the women, only two ladies can definitively say they've made the final, Yu-Na Kim and Joannie Rochette. Four ladies, on paper have a shot at making the final who are competing at NHK:
Mao Asada, Yukari Nakano, Laura Lepisto, and Ashley Wagner.
While four are still in Limbo:
Kostner, Ando, Suguri, and Flatt.
Ashley Wagner would need a win, and Lepisto at least a silver. Asada and Nakano would just like to do better than a bronze or else they have to deal with tie breakers. My guess is that Asada and Nakano will make the final, joining, Kim, Rochette, Kostner and Ando...effectively bumping Suguri and Flatt. We'll just have to wait and see if that is how it all plays out.
Three men have effectively qualified for the final:
Chan, Kozuka, and Joubert gets in becuase he's on the high end of tie breaker.
Both Weir and Carriere are competing at NHK, both have won silver medals and only need to medal to make the final. That might be a little easier given the fact that Takahashi has withdrawn. Nobunari Oda will also be in the competition and that makes things a little interesting. He cannot make the final himself, but his placement can make or break it for some of the other guys. Abbott should make the final, barring a win from Yannick Ponsero, then he'd have to win a tie breaker. Kevin Reynolds and Adrian Schultheiss may also thicken the plot as far as the podium goes. The cool part is that three American men have a decent shot at making the final (almost as good as Operation Pummel the Podium which also included Bradley and Lysacek!). On the bubble is Verner and Preaubert...they need slight miracles to make the final, especially Preaubert. Poor Lysacek and his two bronzes didn't hold up...he lost the tie breaker to Preaubert (not exactly sure how that happened?). Maybe in the time between now and Nationals he can find a way to get those jumps all the way around.
My goodness! Starting with the Ice Dance, what a crazy ride that was! The OD my goodness! I gasped when Charlie missed that first twizzle sequence and my heart sunk. Then when he feel on that second smaller twizzle section I just had to turn it off! I didn't even finish watching the OD! When I returned much later and found they were only in 4th I was slightly relieved. Again the Italians had a prime opprotunity to hit the podium that just didn't pan out. The judges aren't feeling the 'Love Story' program as much as they'd like. Despite the 8th place finish in the OD Davis and White managed to get themselves back on the podium into that third position with a solid free skate that was ranked 2nd best. Had it not been for the horrible OD, they might have gone toe-toe for the title! Shockingly, well not shockingly but unexpectedly Domnina and Shabalin only got the silver after a free dance that was unispired, slow, and only ranked third best on the night. Khoklova and Novitski, who were expected to be the #2 Russian team took the title in a bit of a surprise.
On a side note, I have many issues with the judging system but it has done wonders for Ice Dance, I love hove you never know what will happen and the results aren't predetermined.
No big shocks in the Pairs but how about Kawaguchi and Smirnov becoming the second team to hit the throw quad salchow in competition! I wasn't even expecting it...it just sort of floated out of nowhere and I looked and thought to myself "I think I just saw a quad?" I rewound and thought "I did just see a quad!" Despite winning the free skate they had to settle for the silver. The bronze went to Volosozhar and Morozov who couldn't quite match their silver medal performance from Cup of China...big problems for Stanislav on the side-by-side jumps. Zhang and Zhang took the title after a healthy lead going into the free skate. Gorgeous throw jumps and overall better skating than last season...they appear to be one of the teams to beat this season (as they usually are anyway!). This is the only discipline I managed to correctly predict...drats!
I am now at a loss of words about Kimmie Meissner. After what looked like a decent short program I was shocked to see how low she was ranked. To the element sheet I went and she got little credit for what was considered a double loop and the majority of her footwork and spins were only given level ones. Then that free skate that started strong but faded fast. I just feel bad for her and hope that something can change. Czisny moved up a spot to claim fourth place after an up and down program, but the spins and spiral sequence continue to amaze me. Suguri settled for the bronze despite leading after the short program. I think the nerves crept in a bit but what she did do she did very well. Rachael Flatt simply shined in an amazing performance that, more importantly, had no downgraded jumps. I thought she was great and I think she deserved the win! Poor alas, Carolina Kostner took the title with a better performance than she turned in at Skate Canada but still some issues. However, she creamed Flatt on the component score (and I can't figure out how) and won that way. Sigh....
I was so confused by the men, I just never got my head around it. Adam Rippon had a much better skate here than he did in Everett and finished 5th. He seemed pleased with his effort. Jeremy Abbott pulled up to 4th after a great free skate. Something to note about Abbott...if he has a solid short program, watch out (ala Cup of China) because the judges are loving his programs. He actually finished second in the free to get to fourth. Alban Preaubert did it again as the frenchman earned his second bronze of the series after another fantastic skate. He managed to hold off Abbott. Tomas Verner earned the silver despite winning the free skate. He looked better than he did in China opening his program with a gorgeous quad toe. Joubert took the title despite finishing fourth in the free. He just had a big lead after the short. It's not even that he skated bad he just didn't seem to get the tech credit of the other skaters. This could be a problem for Brian later in the season. If he doesn't turn in a stellar short, he could be in trouble because his free skate lacks staying power (kind of like when Buttle won World's last season...I'm just saying).
So it's that time of the week when we figure skater bloggers all start blabbing about and predicting results for the next Grand Prix Event. This time it's Cup of Russia taking place in Moscow. And like another one of my fellow bloggers, I will not base my predictions on hair-do's.
The deepest field is the men. If you had asked me before the Grand Prix started who was going to win this one, I would have told you easily Joubert. Now I'm not so sure given the results we've seen this season but I think he still has to be the favorite. Joubert always finds a way to skate great (that rhymed!) in Russia so plus I'm sure he's not happy about what went down in Paris...I give him the edge. Challenging him will be several men, chief among them, American Jeremy Abbott who tango'd his way to victory in China. His component scores are great this season and if he hit's the jump, he could easily upset Joubert. Kevin Van Der Perren makes his return to competition after sitting out of Skate America (never found out why he withdrew?) and could challenege as well. Tomas Verner is in the field but limped his way to Bronze in China. He'll have to improve to challenge. Alban Preaubert who was amazing in France, beating Joubert for the second time this season, is also among the competition. He appears to be having an "up" year so he's one to watch. Finally, Russian Sergei Voronov will look to steal the show in his own back yard. This will be a good one to watch for sure...there are even people I didn't mention who might be in the mix as well!
The ladies event features yet another trio of American ladies (Why is it that the U.S. got so many ladies entries for the Grand Prix). Meissner will attempt to rebound, again, after performing poorly at Skate America. Alissa Czisny will attempt to sizzle once more after a great program that earned her a bronze medal at Skate Canada. Rachael Flatt will attempt to get some respect from the judges and hit the podium. Challenging the Americans will be Fumie Suguri, who had a bit of a resurgence at Skate Canada, winning the silver and looking like a contender once more. Julia Sebestyen is amongst the competitors, but sometimes she's not much of a competitor. Carolina Kostner will look to rebound from her slight meltdown in Canada and actually make the podium this time.
The top three teams here are pretty established and should have no problems medaling. The Chinese, Zhang and Zhang, look to impress again after a solid victory at Cup of China. Russians Kawaguchi and Smirnov look to take the spoils in their own back yard. Volosozhar and Morozov look to improve upon their silver in China. These three teams, barring craziness, will be the podium, but who knows the order?
In Ice Dance, the Russians are looking for a one-two punch. Clear favorites are Domnina and Shabalin who squeaked by Americans Belbin and Agosto in China. It's a little tighter for silver and bronze with Russians Khoklova and Novitski and Americans Davis and White looking evenly matched. Cappellini and Lanotte of Italy might surprise, but they would have to squeeze every piece of 'Love Story' mojo out of the program, a tall order indeed.
My Medal Call(I'm not sticking with the original predictions!)
As usual when I went to see the results of the ISU in Paris, there were no results of the figure skating competition printed in The Examiner. Skating is more than hockey sticks.
Our Canadian figure skaters received two golds, one silver and one bronze in Ottawa two weeks ago. In Paris, our Canadian skaters received more medals this past weekend. Why is The Examiner not covering these events? They are heading to the Olympics in 2010. Let's give them some support.
If a hockey team won a game it would be all over the sports pages. Please give equal press to figure skating.
It was a bloody mess in Paris this past weekend...but it was fantastic all at the same time!
Craig Buntin gets the Pic of the Week...simply because he's a stud! That's right...a stud!
So he totally slices his hand in half 30 seconds into he and partner Megan Duhamel's free program at Grand Prix Paris! Craig and Megan stop their program and run over to the referee...blood going everywhere! He tells them they have two minutes to regroup then it's a quick trip to the boards where a medic is rapidly wrapping Craig's hand.
Meanwhile, the crowd is cringing at the multiple replays of how the incident happened playing on the jumbo tron above center ice.
Then it's back out onto the ice, with this still heavily bleeding hand that the wrapped bandage is really not doing much for, and they can't seem to get the music in the right spot. Bleeding continues...
Finally the music is right and into their program they go. A little bit rattled you think...naw! Beautiful throw triple loop, beautiful throw triple lutz. The lifts, which you think would be hampered by this huge bloody bandage on Craigs hand, excellent!
At the end, Megan's dress was covered in blood, Craig's bandage was now crimson red, and the audience was on their feet! I give him so much credit for keeping it together in this crazy (and I'm sure painful...stitches were required later that day!) situation. And they got the bronze medal (I think they should have got the silver but I digress...) out of it all.
If you missed the drama...here it is for you (I just love the British Eurosport commentators).
Oh another one is out! I'd been reading bits here and there but tis true. The Japan Times in Tokyo is reporting that Daisuke Takahashi has a torn ACL and will undergo surgery. He will also sit out this entire season.
Oh goodness what terrible timing. This is not the season where Japan wants its best male skater on the sidelines...there's spots at the Olympics to be earned in L.A! Japan will have to hope Oda and Kozuka are up to the task.
Speaking of Oda, what an opportunity for him to steal back the limelight...trouble is Kozuka is currently basking in it!
It's hard to believe but another season of Dancing with the Stars has almost come to an end. Tonight, Kristi and Mark take the dance floor one last time as reigning DWTS champs.
I think I may shed a tear.
I have to tell you though...I'm completely rooting for Lance and Lacey to win this one!
So I'm a day behind on my posts...you'll have to forgive me. Earning a Master's Degree has a tendency to occupy my time. Having a cold doesn't help either, but, tis the season.
But what an exctining Trophee Eric Bompard was. First can I say what a stud Craig Duhamel is! There was blood everywhere but that wasn't stopping him at all. After the unfortunate finger slicing which caused the program to stop, he just went out there and gave it everything. I actually thought he and Megan looked better in the second half. I was kind of under the impression that maybe they should have won the silver instead of the bronze, but, I guess that's just me. Mukhortova looked a little better than they did at Skate America. They seemed to improve technically as the program went on but that choreography is still dreadful. Silver for them. German Savchenko and Szolkowy again took the gold but had mistakes of their own including a throw triple salchow that just never happened. The Germans may have big problems when they finally face Zhang and Zhang later in the season. Also, I have to gloat...I called the podium!
Big upset for Joannie Rochette who takes another title! She turned in another solid program on her way to Gold. She wasn't quite as good as she was in Ottawa, but it was far better than Mao Asada who just didn't seem quite ready for her season to begin. A free skate plagued with errors left her in second. Caroline Zhang bettered her performance from Ottawa to pick up the bronze, however, her performance is lifeless and the technique on the lutz and flip seem worse than last year. Also, she is still being hit with downgrades here and there. Lots to work on before Nationals in Cleveland. Way off the podium was Emily Hughes who was a disaster. Poor thing went down three times. Hopefully she can pull herself together for Nationals.
Wonderful ice dancing. The Kerrs looked sharp in their free dance. I just love the speed and abandon they skate with. Another bronze for them. I was a bit worried when I say Maximo come out in this Pagliacchi outfit but the music was 'Moonlight Sonata' but I must say I thought it was brilliant. I loved how the concept for the program wasn't difficult to understand and the lifts were amazing on their way to silver. I'm finding myself really liking Delobel and Schoenfelder's Free Dance the more I see it. It's easy, light, and easy on the eyes while still managing to be crazy difficult. Another Gold for them and a very happy French crowd that got their money's worth! Got this podium right too!
Operation Pummel the Podium has failed. Ryan Bradley didn't pull off an upset...he didn't pull much off at all. Jumps that were his friend in Canada betrayed him here and hell fell down the standings. Joubert didn't fare well either. I don't know if it is equipment issues or mind games but he turned in a lack luster program as well and failed to make the podium. My advice to Brian is to avoid this event. I know it's your home event but you rarely compete well here and usually compete very well elsewhere...stick with what works! His teammate, Preaubert, however was stellar and pulled up to win the Bronze. I loved how excited he was at the end of that program! Takahiko Kozuka again showed some amazing skating skills with an even better program than he did in Everett to take the silver. Patrick Chan successfully defended his title to win. He looked much stronger than he did in Canada and made good on his promise of actually 'earning' his win this time.
All that fun and the GP Final is starting to take some definite shape. Savchenko and Szolkowy have locked a spot and Mukhortova and Trankov look good to make it as well. Joannie Rochette is in. Delobel and Schoenfelder have qualified and the Kerr's are on the fence. Good thing for them is that Crone and Porier who won the silver in Canada were fourth in Paris so the Kerr's look okay. Both Chan and Kozuka have also locked up spots in the Final. Lysacek is still hanging in and got some help with Joubert's fourth place finish but it's still a rocky road ahead for him.
Ahhh...the City of Lights. Paris is where we find ourselves this week for the Trophée Eric Bompard Cachemire, or, Grand Prix Paris if you like! Very good field of competitors indeed.
The reigning World Champions, Delobel and Schoenfelder, who will be competing at home look to take their second title. A bit of a tussle may ensue for the silver between the veteran Italian team of Faiella and Scali and the British team of Kerr and Kerr. These three teams, barring disaster, will comprise the podium.
The ladies field will give us our first look this season at reigning World Champ Mao Asada. Mao looks to be perhaps the only competitor that can stand between Yu-Na and a world title. If Mao isn't on top of her game, Joannie Rochette could capitalize after a dazzling win at Skate Canada. Speaking of Skate Canada, two American ladies look to erase the bad memories of that event. Both Caroline Zhang and Bebe Liang are competing in Paris. Emily Hughes looks to put last seasons hip injury behind her and get a fresh start (is it me, or have there been a lot of events with three American women in them?). I always enjoy watching Georgia's Elene Gedevanishvili as well...what a little powerhouse!
The pairs field is quite reminiscent of Skate America, half of the field from that event is competing in Paris. The Germans Savchenko and Szolkowy look to win again while Russians Mukhortova and Trankov look to improve their free skate to stay competitive with the Germans. Canadians Duhamel and Buntin will be trying to move themselves onto the podium after finishing 4th in Everett. Look again for Americans Vise and Trent to attempt the throw quad salchow, this event where they became the first team to land it in competition last season.
The men's event is chock full of competitors. Sadly, this was to be Lambiel's second Grand Prix Event which would have made the field more exciting...poor alas. Takahiko Kozuka and Patrick Chan have each won a Grand Prix event and look to hit the podium here and solidify a spot at the Grand Prix Final. Chan is the defending Champion of this event. Ryan Bradley, surprise silver medalist at Skate Canada looks to repeat the same success here and make it to the final for the first time in his career. But France puts forward a strong team of it's own. Alban Preaubert, while unpredictable, has been known to skate well and sneak onto podiums. Also, Brian Joubert makes his Grand Prix debut. He has a shaky history with this event, having won it only once, but looks to be dominant. Let's hope he's resolved his blade issues. Because of a plan I put forward in a previous post, let's also hope Brandon Mroz of the U.S. has an amazing skate as well! Okay U.S. men...it's time to activate OPERATION PLUMMEL THE GRAND PRIX FINAL PODIUM! It all begins (and perhaps ends) in Paris!
Pairs GOLD - Savchenko and Szolkowy SILVER - Mukhortova and Trankov BRONZE - Duhamel and Buntin
Men GOLD - Joubert SILVER - Chan BRONZE - Kozuka Understand that none of these predictions make OPERATION PLUMMEL THE PODIUM a success...so really I'm rooting against myself here!
Dance GOLD - Delobel and Schoenfelder SILVER - Faiella and Scali BRONZE - Kerr and Kerr
Ladies GOLD - Mao Asada SILVER - Caroline Zhang (I'm an optimist!) BRONZE - Joannie Rochette (And a pessimist!)
So I have a little tool on blog that let's me know what google searches bring people to my blog and one google searcher was looking for the location of 2009 Skate America.
I myself would actually like to know the answer to this so I decided to embark on a little research. I in fact did a google search myself to no avail. I decided to rummage through the US Figure Skating site...nothing. So then I decided to try the ISU website and I found the most unusual schedule!
So the host city for 2009 Skate America hasn't been named quite yet but the Grand Prix events have been reshuffled! Hardcore skating fans know that there is an order for the Grand Prix events that is rarely deviated from: Skate America, Skate Canada, Cup of China (formerly Nations Cup in Germany), Trophee Eric Bompard, Cup of Russia, NHK Trophy. This is the way of things, right? Wrong!
Next season the Grand Prix kicks off...in Paris! Cup of Russia is next, then Cup of China, NHK Trophy, Skate America (the 5th event!), and Skate Canada will close the show! Also, the Grand Prix season starts a week earlier, beginning October 15th.
Also, I hadn't even noticed...but beginning this season, the Junior and Senior Grand Prix Finals have been combined into one big event! How did I not catch that?
I'm giving this Pic of the Week to Ashley Wagner because despite her failure to medal at Cup of China, I thought she was great!
As promised I did look at those judges scores (I'm loving how Ice Network makes them so accessible...they're converting me!) between Lepisto and Wagner and I was again completely confused. Despite the wrong edge deductions, Wagner should have blown Lepisto away technically yet she beat her by just over a point. Why is that Yu-Na Kim's wrong edge take-off was given a positive GOE of 0.40 while Wagner's was met with a negative GOE of -1.20?
And don't get me started of the Component Scores. Lepisto's program was a snoozefest (I'm not trying to be mean...just calling it like it is!) yet she outscored Wagner on all the Component Scores. Really? Okay, calling all judges...again! What makes Lepisto's program better in the component sense?
What do you think? Here's the direct comparison below...
Also...I've been fiddling with music on the site. For your enjoyment...here's a bit from Khachaturian's Spartacus, Ashley Wagner's Free Skate music this season.
An amazing thing is starting to happen this season. If we look at the men's event, overall the American men have been doing very well.
On paper, five American Men have a shot at making the Grand Prix Final. While it still seems a bit of a stretch at this point, it is possible that Lysacek, Weir, Abbott, Carriere, and Bradley could all qualify. When was the last time any of us saw the American men showing this kind of force internationally? To answer that, I can't remember a time!
Okay, time to get greedy and really think about how this could happen...I think it would be amazing. We'll, we've already been helped by the fact that Van Der Perren, Takahashi, and Oda are now only competing in one event. Kozuka, Chan, and Joubert are still in the way but the good part about that is the fact that all three are competing in Paris...and all three can't win! Best case scenario is that Ryan Bradley surprisingly wins, Preaubert a surprising silver, and the aforementioned three crash and burn! I hate to root against skaters, one of which is among my favorites, but desperate times call for desperate measures when pulling for team USA!
Looking ahead to Cup of Russia, Verner again becomes a concern as does Joubert. Abbott will need to pull out all the stops in his tango, but I think he can do it! This would be a great time for Van Der Perren, Voronov, or Chipeur to have a crazy amazing performance. Really, I'm mapping this out!
If all this has played out (that is the biggest if ever!), Carriere and Weir have to take NHK. That's asking a lot but it's within their grasp.
Okay, but really! Wouldn't five U.S. guys at the Grand Prix Final be awesome! Lysacek is the most vulnerable to this plan (uh oh...two bronzes!)...he needs lots of flubs from Kozuka, Joubert, and Chan and needs his teammates to really come through in the remaining Grand Prix events
Amongst the women...some of these ladies need to get their head around attempting the harder triples. I know many of them are not comfortable with lutzes and flips but I think you need to try it anyway. You're probably not going to place well without it so why not try it, get used to it, and when you hopefully make it to bigger competitions you have that experience under your belt? I say you're probably not going to place well because apparently Laura Lepisto doesn't need them in her program to medal. I'm completely baffled at how Lepisto was ranked ahead of Ashley Wagner...completely! I'm going to scrutinize those judging sheets and try to figure it out...I may post a separate post on that. Speaking of Wagner...I just love the opening minute of that 'Spartacus' program...talk about off and running! No shock about the top two, however, I think Miki Ando needs to get her head around doing a little choreography in her program. If she continues to just focus on the jumps she won't get close to the Kim's and Asada's of the world. Again Yu-Na Kim won easily, but less spectacular this time. You get so caught into her performance that it's easy to forget she fell out of her first triple lutz and has again omitted the triple loop. Food for thought...
In the pairs I was completely impressed with the artistic strides the Dan and Hao Zhang have made in their skating. I've never been their biggest fans but I really enjoyed their skating here and very much felt they deserved the win. I was really impressed with the Volosozhar and Morozov as well. I'm a sucker for the 'Pearl Harbor' soundtrack and I thought they turned a beautiful performance for the silver. On the flip side, I'm a huge fan of Pang and Tong and I didn't like either their short or free skate. I think they should rethink the music choices...it don't think it suits them. Maybe I'll give it some time to settle in. Shout out to Evora and Ladwig for landing that gorgeous throw triple lutz!
I don't know how I feel about the Ice Dance competition. We'll I know I do feel that the Italians Cappellini and Lanotte should have won the bronze, even if their free dnace was just a little too reminiscent of Jamie and David's 'Love Story,' costumes, choreography, and all. However, I thought their dancing was far superior to Khoklova and Novitski's. I love the power the Russians exhibit and they have amazing "tricks" but I feel they really lack in the inbetween stuff. Just my opinion I guess. Very, very close at the top. But it was the Russians, Domnina and Shabalin, who got the slightly (just slightly) bigger sliver of the pie. They defeated Americans Belbin and Agosto by 0.36. That's close. But to be truthful I was unimpressed with both teams. I have come to the personal conclusion that I'm not a fan of the new Tanith and Ben. I'm reminded of Angelika Krylova who had this amazing expression and all that caked on drama worked (see 'Carmen' 1998 Olympics), it doesn't work for Tanith and I'm finding myself less and less impressed with them each time I see them...so sad for a team I love. I was also unimpressed with Domnina and Shabalin. Their 'Spartacus' bit (wow... Spartacus is in this season!) was, in my opinion, completely uninspiring. I know I'm being critical but I expect more from these top teams!
But the men really saved the day for me! For the first time this season I looked at a guy and thought, YES! Jeremy Abbott was fantastic. I don't think there was a bit of that tango music (tango's are big this season too!)that he didn't hit. Talk about working the system for every point your worth! A very much deserved win...long time in the making. I was impressed by Carriere as well! I don't think anyone, certainly not me, expected the U.S. to go 1-2 in the men's event, well done gentlemen, well done! Verner salvaged a bronze medal after an iffy free skate...nice quad though. I was so hoping Vaughn Chipeur would skate well after that great short program and that gorgeous triple axel (I mean...it was just pretty!), hopefully he can put two together soon because he has great potential.
I think we can say Belbin and Agosto and Miki Ando have made the Grand Prix Final and we can definitely say Yu-Na Kim has. Looking at the men, Lysacek now has new troubles with Abbott and Carriere's finish here and nothing definitive yet in the pairs event. Next week the Grand Prix lands in the beautiful Paris where we'll get a look at heavy hitters Asada and Joubert.
A mother's plea to save the ice...I always feel like these stories should get published!
I'm writing in regard to the city's proposal to purchase the Vacaville Skating Center, aka Vacaville Ice Sports ("Meeting to discuss ice rink purchase," The Reporter, Oct. 22).
My main concern -- whether the city decides to purchase the center or not -- is that the programs currently in place, especially the youth hockey and figure skating programs, are not adversely affected by this transaction.
Those involved should be aware that reducing the number of rinks as discussed from two to one would be devastating to the youth athletic programs currently being conducted at the facility.
Practice time for figure skating and hockey teams would be greatly reduced, forcing some of these activities into early morning or late evening hours and possibly driving families away from the rink altogether to partake in programs in Sacramento or the East Bay. That essentially could kill the hockey and figure skating programs completely.
Youth in the Vacaville area deserve a place to play hockey and competitively figure skate, just as much as they deserve access to other sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball and the like.I urge the City Council to consider the area's youth (and those youth out of the area who travel to Vacaville several times each week to use the facility) when deciding whether to purchase the rink and, subsequently, whether to reduce the number of ice surfaces.
In an age when so many children are obese or living unhealthy lifestyles because of a lack of physical activity and participation in team sports, why would we want to reduce the number of avenues for them to remain healthy, active and competitive?
Cean Burgeson, West Sacramento
The author is a parent of a youth hockey player and a figure skater.
Okay, I've been looking over the judges sheets for the women's short program at Cup of China (don't worry...no spoilers here). I fully understand how the technical score works. But I remain a bit confused on the Component Score...here's the plain explanation from the ISU:
Program Components
In addition to the Technical Score, the Judges will award points on a scale from 0.25 to 10 with increments of 0.25 for the Program Components to grade the overall presentation of the performance.
These Program Components are for Single and Pair Skating (Short Program and Free Skating
- Skating Skills - Transitions, Linking Footwork and Movement - Performance/Execution - Choreography/Composition - Interpretation of the music
The Judges panel’s score for each Program Component is reached by calculating the trimmed mean of the scoring Judges’ results for that Program Component. The panel’s scores for each Program Component are then multiplied by a set factor and the results are rounded to two decimal places.
* * * * *
My question is how do they determine the Component Score? What warrants a 5.25 versus a 7.50? Are skating skills quantifiable? I'm really trying to understand this. How exactly are the components placed on a 10 point scale...judges discretion? Calling all judges and judging junkies!
Cup of China begins today with several skaters making their Grand Prix debuts.
In the men's field. Tomas Verner gets his Grand Prix season underway. With Takahashi late withdrawal, Verner looks to take the crown in a slightly watered-down field that also lost Jeffrey Buttle. However, Verner has been known to self-destruct (see 2008 World's Free). Americans Jeremy Abbott and Stephen Carriere, who also get their Grand Prix underway, might have the best shot at taking Verner down if they can tuen in great programs. Abbott is known to achieve high component scores while Carriere is consistent on his jumps. I would also keep an eye on Sweden's Kristoffer Berntsson, who can score well if he turns in a great skate. Also, never count out the home team, three Chinese men will attempt to spoil the podium.
A solid field in Ice Dance looks to make for a great event. I'm torn on who to call the favorites here...so I'm going to go with Americans Belbin and Agosto...but maybe they're co-favorites with Russians Domnina and Shabalin. But wait...Domnina and Shabalin didn't compete at World's and a team that beat Belbin and Agosto at Worlds is also competing, Russians Khoklova and Novitski, so maybe they're the favorites. Should we go by ISU World Rankings? My head is spinning! But to be sure, it will be a very close competition. In my opinion, any of these three teams have an equal shot at winning. A couple of teams that might surprise and slip in for a bronze include the Italians Cappellini and Lanotte and the Israeli team of Zaretski and Zaretski (whom Lifeskate reported some unsettling news on).
The ladies event at Cup of China will again feature Skate America Champion, and apparent Korean Megastar, Yu-Na Kim as well as 2007 World Champ Miki Ando for another face off. These two will not have to contend with Nakano as the main challenger to these two (as if anyone is really challenging Kim) hails from Switzerland, Sarah Meier. Ashley Wagner makes her first appearance this season on the Grand Prix and might surprise by pushing her way into the medals, especially if she's as consistent on her jumps as she was at last season's National Championships. The two Finnish entries, Lepisto and Poykio could also play a role in the medals, as could Canada's Leung. This event also gives Katrina Hacker of the U.S. a chance to prove her top six finish at U.S. Nationals was not a fluke by putting down a decent performance.
The Pairs event will be big for the hometown crowd as Chinese pairs continue to be very dominant (the Germans are about the only ones that have been in their way!) in competition. It will be a great showdown between Pang & Tong and Zhang & Zhang. Both teams are about equally matched and it will be fun to see who comes out on top. It's a bit of an open race for the third slot on the podium. The Ukraine team of Volosozhar and Morozov have the best shot on paper (given a 4th place finish at Worlds in 2007). The Canadian team of Brodeur and Mattatall just placed 4th at Skate Canada in Ottawa. Americans Evora and Ladwig can be very good as well. We'll just have to wait and see.
Men GOLD - Verner SILVER - Carriere BRONZE - Abbott
Dance GOLD - Belbin and Agosto (The last two seasons the Americans have won this event) SILVER - Domnina and Shabalin BRONZE - Khoklova and Novitski (Might surprise us though!)
Ladies GOLD - Kim SILVER - Ando Bronze - Meier
Pairs GOLD - Zhang and Zhang SILVER - Pang and Tong BRONZE - Volosozhar and Morozov
We'll have to wait until later in the season to get our first look at Japanese Champ Daisuke Takahashi. If you haven't already heard the news, he's withdrawn from Cup of China citing a knee injury he sustained last Friday. He was the heavy favorite to win the event. That banner is now passed to Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic, although both Americans in the field could be a factor.
Takahashi is planning on having some tests to see when he'll be able to compete again. His next scheduled event is the NHK Trophy November 27th. That event features the much anticipated match up between he and Nobunari Oda.
This withdrawal really helps Evan Lysaceks chances at making the Grand Prix Final, as Takahashi is only competing in one event, he cannot outscore Lysacek. Also, the combined force of Oda and Takahashi (should he compete at NHK) could drastically affect who makes the final pending on their placements at NHK...will be interesting to watch.
How can you not love this guy! He can light up an audience quicker than flipping a light switch on (well that might be a stretch...but he's good!). This past weekend, he did just a little bit of lighting and won the Skate Canada International Silver Medal...of course I'm speaking of Ryan Bradley!
Now, I have been saying for a couple of years now, "I wish Ryan would try something serious other than schtick...maybe Henry VIII (I still think that would be a brilliant piece of music for him), but he is so good at the sly humor and witty moves on the ice that maybe he's going with the mantra, 'If it ain't broke...don't fix it!'
And he's made improvements this season. The jumps are improved (still some crazy technique on the axel...but it's better!), spins are stronger, little quicker on the feet, improved consistency...big strides.
Is Ryan ready to roll with the big players in the world of international figure skating? Maybe his performance this past weekend was his big coming out party!
So for the first time I watched an event on Ice Network.com. I have just a few thoughts on how this went, what I experienced, and other bits of excess trivia.
First, I'd like Ice Network to somehow provide a page with the video links that doesn't spoil the results. I didn't watch in real time, but in clicking my way to the ladies free skate, I was forced to notice because of the huge picture and headline, that Rochette had won Gold. I guess silver and bronze were still a mystery. I found myself attempting to not look at headlines as I tried to click to the videos...but I couldn't see the screen because I was trying to not see results...it was kind of a comedic mess. An idea...how about e-mailing all subscribers a spoiler free link to the videos the day before the event. I've already bookmarked the Cup of China event page because it's easier to avoid the headlines on those pages versus the big ones on the home page!
Speaking of the videos...why was it that the pairs short program video was not available before the pairs free skate? Was this a fluke on my computer only? In the end...I never watched the pairs short because I couldn't stand to wait to see how Keauna and Rockne would fair.
I thought that having no commentary would be weird...turns out I love it! Now I know why the people who watched Skate America on Universal Sports were raving about the coverage. It was refreshing to just watch...almost like being at the event.
Hmmmm...unfettered mic and camera on certain skaters...hilarious. Did anyone else catch Ryan Bradley's zingers in the Kiss n Cry? For the short, it was, "That three-turn, I was like S$#^!" And for the free skate he added, "Look mom...I'm not gay! She'd be so proud of me." That comment was followed by a look of consternation from Tom Zakrasjek! My french is not good but I know Yannick Ponsero was rattling off a list of 'colorful metaphors' after his disappointing free skate!
State of the Skate mentioned this as well, but at times there was this weird sound distortion that made the music sound like the track was playing at half speed. Perhaps the more people logged on the more distortion you get? Increase bandwidth Ice Network.
Last bit then I'll get off my soapbox. I managed to get very good a moving the tiny little slider at the bottom of the video screen to advance the video through the official announcement, warm-ups, etc. I guess this only applies if you watch after the event had been recorded (as I did), but it would be nice if the video was segmented by skater...or at least a choice to watch the skater segments or the video as a whole. Am I getting to demanding? I expect my $19.95 to stretch as far as I can make it stretch!
Let me begin with stating that this is the first event I've ever watched on Icenetwork.com...I'll adress this in a second post.
I'll begin with Dance where I must tell you I'm completly at a loss of words for the results. Let me also say, I found the Free Dances at Skate America really good...I think the free dances on showcase here in Canada...I think they need some work. Also...anyone see those scores in the OD...talk about a close bunch up! I'll mention the Americans of Navarro and Bommentre who had bronze almost in their hands until that free dance to dance music circa 1999. Wow...really? They had me mesmerized last season and then this. Didn't go well with the judges either...rethink that. The French team of Pechalat and Bourzat fell from second to win the bronze after an uninspiring free dance. I have to eat my words...to quote myself, "Sadly, it would appear no Canadians are in medal contention in Dance...how very sad." Well, I cannot tell you how but Crone and Poirier won the silver in what was one of the weirdest ice dance finals ever. They had a charming program but I felt it lacked the depth of some of the other teams...but what do I know! But above the fray was Davis and White who made a clean sweep of the competition on their way to their first Grand Prix Gold! I really didn't like the first half of their Free Dance at all but loved how it picked up in the second half. I know Samson and Delilah has been used over and over but it's a piece I love and I felt they gave the second half of their program great energy. And those crazy twizzles! So fast!
I was sad after watching the pairs. I really wanted Keauna and Rockne to have agreat program but the side-by-side jumps wouldn't work for them. Even still they won an bronze medal and will most likely make the final (we can't say positively until a couple more events have taken place, but my guess is their in). Dube and Davison really had a great program, they looked very strong for early in the season. Despite losing to the Canadians in the Free Skate, Kawaguchi and Smirnov of Russia held on to the title after a pretty good program set to (correct me if I'm wrong) Pagliacchi. I loved the Tamara Moskvina flourshes sprinkled throughout the program! Neither the Russians nor the Americans (Vise and Trent) landed a throw quad salchow...the Russians took it out of the program and the Americans fell on their attempt.
Among the ladies I was quite impressed with the medalist. Not medaling, however, was a pair of Americans and the reigning World Silver Medalist. Beatrisa Liang and Caroline Zhang each struggled with their jumps and finished 6th and 5th, respectively. Is it just me or has Caroline Zhang's technique on her triple flip got worst? She just slams the leg down and it looks so awkward. Carolina Kostner finished 4th and it was a comeback of sorts as she had been in the first group of skaters, however, her program was still cluttered with jump errors. Even still, she is the queen of building programs that know how to gain points even if she doesn't skate great. A bit of a surprise but it was lovely to watch was Alissa Czisny's bronze medal. She gave a beautiful performance and I just love those spins and that spiral where she ducks her head all the way down. I had commented on how Fumie Suguri needs to either show up and compete or hang it up...well we got a glimpse of the old Fumie this weekend with a solid silver medal performance that included two lovely triple lutz's...maybe she's back on track to being competitive in a ridiculously deep Japanese field. But the star was Joannie Rochette. To quote Governor Palin, "she was so amazing (in that Alaska accent!)." What a performance and so early in the season. I kind of felt like her short program was given a little extra boost but she blasted the field in the free as well. Job well done!
On a side note...little message to Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen. If you either of you are really contemplating a return to competitive figure skating, there's prime real estate in the U.S. right now!
Amongst the men, I simply think it's gone from being a bit nitpicky to absurd! The judging is hijacking the sport and killing it! Here's a complete rundown of the top 6 starting with Voronov who had an up and down performance (still no triple lutz in the program)...I'm still quite impressed with his quad however. Shawn Sawyer finished 5th, but important to note he won the free skate! He had a bit of a two foot on his triple axel but went on to hit everything else...the program is very musical and he improved upon what was already a solid performance at Skate America. While I just love this program, I don't really think it was worthy of the highest score in the free skate. Yannick Ponsero who led after a brilliant short struggled through his free skate to finish only 4th. The young frenchman will have to wait another day for his big breakout. Lysacek won the bronze, again with the best program that just didn't earn the points. Looking at his element sheet you can see where he was downgraded on his second axel (the one in combination) and his triple loop. They also took GOE points on his first axel and his double axel. My goodness...anyone watching at home who doesn't know squat about this scoring system would say it's wack that he lost this competition. No wonder skating is going down the tubes in the U.S., who'd wanna watch this? Ryan Bradley, my goodness Ryan Bradley, got the silver with a, well, very Ryan performance. He, smartly I think, went back to his 2007 Free and wowed the crowd with a great program that included a quad! And despite his crazy technique...no downgrades...and surprisingly few negative GOE's. The winner of it all was Patrick Chan wo was just so so. He actually was third in the free and even commented in the Kiss n' Cry..."I'll deserve it next time" noting that his performance didn't necessarily match the high placement. Lysacek is now on the bubble for the Grand Prix Final. Two bronzes don't always get it done and we don't know yet how Joubert, Takahashi, Oda, Verner and others competing will fare. Plus he has to wait and see what Weir, Kozuka, Chan, and Bradley do in their next events. Not a fun place to be.
The heavy favorite to win amongst the women would definitely have to be Mao Asada. However, her recent meltdown in Paris makes me think her Japanese teammate, Yukari Nakano may have a fair shot at the title. Either way, if these two ladies are "on" they will dominate the leaderboard. A pair of American ladies look to try to make the podium. Ashley Wagner will attempt to better her 4th place Cup of China finish, while Nagasu will attempt to do the same after her 5th place Skate America finish. I'd also keep an eye on Laura Lepisto...the judges seem to like her skating despite her lack of difficult technical skill.
The mens event also features a big withdrawl. Without Takahashi in the field, Nobunari Oda becomes the big Japanese star in the event. He'll be challenged by a couple of Americans, Weir and Carriere, who both are looking for tickets to Korea. Nobunari will, no doubt, have to deal with the relentless Japanese press at the event, that may be a distraction as well. Kevin Reynolds of Canada and Adrian Schultheiss of Sweden will also look to skate well.
