Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
An Irish New Years Toast: In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The Op-Ed: This Feud MUST End
I'm calling for an immediate cease fire! As head of the Axels, Loops, and Spins International Council on Skating Affairs...I have such authority to do so...Those in Japan...Those in Korea...anyone else that is feeding into all the conspiracy theories about Japanese skaters attempting to block Kim Yu-Na on warm-ups, or Korean news agencies purposefully being asked to write negatively about Japanese Skaters, or Japanese news agencies being accused of writing negatively about Kim Yu-Na, or any of this hulabaloo...STOP!
The ugliness of this fight is getting in the way of the beauty of their skating. Yes, BOTH OF THEM skate beautifully. We are all devoted to our favorites and want them to win and succeed, but when we resort to this pettiness it doesn't help them or motivate them at all...it just makes the person making these accusations look like an idiot.
So just enjoy skating, stop making unfounded accusations, stop tagging Jeremy Abbott in bogus You Tube videos, just stop! The world will then be a much happier place.
I have a feeling I'm going to get pummeled in the comments of this post...I don't care. BRING IT!
Pic of the Week
Dear Ottavio Cinquanta,Really Speedy...really?
Is it really appropriate to send an e-mail to the head of a skating federation asking them to have a skater compete to raise the profile of an event so the event is more profitable?
Trying to cover your ass are you? I pray the head of the Korean skating federation flat out says "no." I take enjoyment from seeing you fail...not sure why.
I assume you sent similar notes to the skating federations of China, US, Japan, and Canada. If you didn't...well that would make you lame!
It's an Olympic Year so competitors aren't going to exhaust themselves with this very poorly timed and placed event. In an Olympic Year this event needs to be moved...I don't know where but move it somewhere...
And stop begging...it's unbecoming of an ISU President.
Monday, December 28, 2009
A Tale of Two Nationals
Two big national championships took place this past week(end). Japan and Russia put their best foot forward and named national champions, solidified Olympic Teams, and gave us a few (very few) dramatic pauses.
Before the competition most had predicted that it would be smooth sailing for Kozuka, Oda, and Takahashi to make the Japanese Olympic Team but what wasn't so sure was how the three would place coming out of Nationals. Most assumed that Kozuka would get the bronze with the real fight being between Oda and Takahashi. Kozuka surprised all by sneaking into second place after Oda fell on a triple flip in the short. But in the free the world righted itself, with Kozuka slipping back to third and Oda and Takahashi going against each other. In the end Takahashi held on to win with clever choreography and some pretty spectacular (and some not so spectacular) jumping. All three men are Vancouver-bound.
4666 Miles Away in St. Petersburg Russia, the Russian ladies were a hot mess on the ice. Russian upstart, Alena Leonova who was the easy favorite to win this championship, faltered...repeatedly...and found herself hanging on to a silver medal. She almost fell to the bronze after Elizaveta Tuktamisheva won the free skate from 10th place and pulled all the way up to the bronze. The overall winner, Ksenya Makarova, was only third best in the free. Makarova recently placed fourth at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Tokyo.
The men's competition in St. Petersburg was a bit of a spectacle. Evgeny Plushenko, despite a flawed short program, scored a whopping 100.09 points. Everyone is quick to point out that scores at a national championships are inflated. But there is point inflation...and there is ridiculous...I file that score under ridiculous. Plushenko breezed his way to an easy victory with another flawed performance that earned a large score. The actual fight here was between Artem Borodulin and Sergei Voronov. Voronov had a flawed free skate and was beaten by Borodulin but managed to hang on to the silver. Voronov, too, had a huge score from the short program. I'd file that one under...excessive.
Also sealing up victories in St. Petersburg were Domnina and Shabalin who finally had a chance to show off their new programs. They were quite sloppy, understandably after being out of competition up until this point, but also pulled in a big ole score. I filed that one under...exaggerated. I'm a big fan of their Aboriginal OD though...it's fun. Bobrova and Soloviev were second, Rubleva and Shefer third. Khoklova and Novitski withdrew prior to the event. Kavaguti and Smirnov won another Russian Title. Mukhortova and Trankov were second with Bazarova and Larionov placing third.
Back in Osaka, I should note that Cathy and Chris Reed along with Takahashi and Tran won the Ice Dance and Pairs competition respectively.
The biggest of all the showdowns was the Japanese ladies competition which has been a bit of a cliff hanger to this point as to whom would make the Japanese Olympic Team along with Miki Ando (who secured a berth following her silver medal Grand Prix Final performance). Oddly, Ando finished fourth, off the podium at Japanese Nationals only adding to the intrigue of the Olympic selection. Securing the first spot was Mao Asada who breezed her way to an easy victory in the deep field. Triple axels in both the short program and the free skate put her well ahead of the field. Yukari Nakano and Akiko Suzuki were left to fight it out for the last spot. Yukari turned in a conservative free skate hoping to use her short program advantage over Akiko but Akiko turned up the heat and turned in another solid performance to surge ahead of Nakano for the silver, and earn a ticket to Vancouver.
The next big national showdowns come next month with Canada and the United States stepping up to the plate.
Before the competition most had predicted that it would be smooth sailing for Kozuka, Oda, and Takahashi to make the Japanese Olympic Team but what wasn't so sure was how the three would place coming out of Nationals. Most assumed that Kozuka would get the bronze with the real fight being between Oda and Takahashi. Kozuka surprised all by sneaking into second place after Oda fell on a triple flip in the short. But in the free the world righted itself, with Kozuka slipping back to third and Oda and Takahashi going against each other. In the end Takahashi held on to win with clever choreography and some pretty spectacular (and some not so spectacular) jumping. All three men are Vancouver-bound.
4666 Miles Away in St. Petersburg Russia, the Russian ladies were a hot mess on the ice. Russian upstart, Alena Leonova who was the easy favorite to win this championship, faltered...repeatedly...and found herself hanging on to a silver medal. She almost fell to the bronze after Elizaveta Tuktamisheva won the free skate from 10th place and pulled all the way up to the bronze. The overall winner, Ksenya Makarova, was only third best in the free. Makarova recently placed fourth at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Tokyo.
The men's competition in St. Petersburg was a bit of a spectacle. Evgeny Plushenko, despite a flawed short program, scored a whopping 100.09 points. Everyone is quick to point out that scores at a national championships are inflated. But there is point inflation...and there is ridiculous...I file that score under ridiculous. Plushenko breezed his way to an easy victory with another flawed performance that earned a large score. The actual fight here was between Artem Borodulin and Sergei Voronov. Voronov had a flawed free skate and was beaten by Borodulin but managed to hang on to the silver. Voronov, too, had a huge score from the short program. I'd file that one under...excessive.Also sealing up victories in St. Petersburg were Domnina and Shabalin who finally had a chance to show off their new programs. They were quite sloppy, understandably after being out of competition up until this point, but also pulled in a big ole score. I filed that one under...exaggerated. I'm a big fan of their Aboriginal OD though...it's fun. Bobrova and Soloviev were second, Rubleva and Shefer third. Khoklova and Novitski withdrew prior to the event. Kavaguti and Smirnov won another Russian Title. Mukhortova and Trankov were second with Bazarova and Larionov placing third.
Back in Osaka, I should note that Cathy and Chris Reed along with Takahashi and Tran won the Ice Dance and Pairs competition respectively.
The biggest of all the showdowns was the Japanese ladies competition which has been a bit of a cliff hanger to this point as to whom would make the Japanese Olympic Team along with Miki Ando (who secured a berth following her silver medal Grand Prix Final performance). Oddly, Ando finished fourth, off the podium at Japanese Nationals only adding to the intrigue of the Olympic selection. Securing the first spot was Mao Asada who breezed her way to an easy victory in the deep field. Triple axels in both the short program and the free skate put her well ahead of the field. Yukari Nakano and Akiko Suzuki were left to fight it out for the last spot. Yukari turned in a conservative free skate hoping to use her short program advantage over Akiko but Akiko turned up the heat and turned in another solid performance to surge ahead of Nakano for the silver, and earn a ticket to Vancouver.The next big national showdowns come next month with Canada and the United States stepping up to the plate.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Have an "Off the Hook" Christmas
From Axels, Loops, and Spins...here's wishing you an "Off the Hook" Christmas and a "Bangin" New Year!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
100.09
Here is Evgeny Plushenko's Short Program he performed today at the 2010 Russian National Figure Skating Championships. He scored 100.09. That is the highest total ever achieved by a male skater...nationally or internationally.
100.09...worth it? You tell me?
100.09...worth it? You tell me?
10 Most Tagged
I took a look at the skaters that I've tagged the most since I began writing this blog (way back in 2005...I know, right?!?!?!). Who has grabbed my attention, the news headlines, the spotlight, etc. Cool thing I might do at the end of every year.
As a pre-notation...I'm equally intrigued by the skaters that aren't on this list (no pairs, no ice dancers, no Europeans). It gives me some ideas on where to spread my blogging to.
#10 Kimmie Meissner - The majority of my coverage on Kimmie has been, sadly, focused on her downward spiral that began at the 2008 U.S. Nationals and just continued from there. She is one of my favorite skaters so it stands to reason she'd be among the top. Here's wishing her a better next year!
#9 Evan Lysacek - A recent heavy hitter, he was nowhere near being in the top ten until last March when he won the Gold Medal at World's and has continued to be a huge force to be reckoned with this season. Evan has slowly won over my graces...my love of his skating hasn't come easy...but I'm getting there (I don't think Aunt Joyce will approve though...).
#8 Patrick Chan - He moved into the Senior ranks well and I am constantly impressed with his talents and abilities. If he doesn't get his time to shine at home in Vancouver, I have little doubt he'll be a major factor in Sochi.
#5 Daisuke Takahashi, Sasha Cohen, and Johnny Weir - Three way tie here. Johnny and Daisuke are two skaters that I admire for their artistic sensibilities. No surprise that Johnny Weir grabs one of the top spots...he's a headline grabber for sure with his quick wit, quotable soundbites, and reality television show on the horizon. Sasha was tagged in lots of posts in the wee early days of my blog in her run-up towards Torino and has recently been tagged a lot as she attempts (attempts...) to make her comeback.
#4 Kristi Yamaguchi - Perhaps a fluke of Reality T.V...Kristi was tagged in tons of the Kristi Can Dance posts during her winning run on Dancing with the Stars. I think she was a Face of Influenza too...
#3 Michelle Kwan - My favorite skater ever! She has been a constant on this blog. Her attempt to compete in Torino, her grace as she withdrew, her happenings in the in-between, the mystery behind 2010, her recent skating appearances in Korea. She'll always be featured here...ALWAYS!
#2 Mao Asada - The rise, the fall, the axels. She's one of the most tagged skaters because she's just that good. She's also given us a dramatic storyline this season as she has struggled a bit.
#1 Kim Yu-Na - No question about it...she's the skater with the most global buzz. Isn't she Korea's Person of the Year...again?
As a pre-notation...I'm equally intrigued by the skaters that aren't on this list (no pairs, no ice dancers, no Europeans). It gives me some ideas on where to spread my blogging to.
#10 Kimmie Meissner - The majority of my coverage on Kimmie has been, sadly, focused on her downward spiral that began at the 2008 U.S. Nationals and just continued from there. She is one of my favorite skaters so it stands to reason she'd be among the top. Here's wishing her a better next year!#9 Evan Lysacek - A recent heavy hitter, he was nowhere near being in the top ten until last March when he won the Gold Medal at World's and has continued to be a huge force to be reckoned with this season. Evan has slowly won over my graces...my love of his skating hasn't come easy...but I'm getting there (I don't think Aunt Joyce will approve though...).
#8 Patrick Chan - He moved into the Senior ranks well and I am constantly impressed with his talents and abilities. If he doesn't get his time to shine at home in Vancouver, I have little doubt he'll be a major factor in Sochi.
#5 Daisuke Takahashi, Sasha Cohen, and Johnny Weir - Three way tie here. Johnny and Daisuke are two skaters that I admire for their artistic sensibilities. No surprise that Johnny Weir grabs one of the top spots...he's a headline grabber for sure with his quick wit, quotable soundbites, and reality television show on the horizon. Sasha was tagged in lots of posts in the wee early days of my blog in her run-up towards Torino and has recently been tagged a lot as she attempts (attempts...) to make her comeback.#4 Kristi Yamaguchi - Perhaps a fluke of Reality T.V...Kristi was tagged in tons of the Kristi Can Dance posts during her winning run on Dancing with the Stars. I think she was a Face of Influenza too...
#3 Michelle Kwan - My favorite skater ever! She has been a constant on this blog. Her attempt to compete in Torino, her grace as she withdrew, her happenings in the in-between, the mystery behind 2010, her recent skating appearances in Korea. She'll always be featured here...ALWAYS!#2 Mao Asada - The rise, the fall, the axels. She's one of the most tagged skaters because she's just that good. She's also given us a dramatic storyline this season as she has struggled a bit.
#1 Kim Yu-Na - No question about it...she's the skater with the most global buzz. Isn't she Korea's Person of the Year...again?
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Pic of the Week
Domnina and Shabalin missed the fall season completely due to Maxim's pesky knee. I think that they are back in action this week in St. Petersburg at the 2010 Russian National Championships. They don't necessarily have to compete this week (having a bye to the Olympics) but it would certainly be a good idea to work off some rust prior to Europeans and the Olympics.In Oksana and Maxim's absence (as well as Delobel and Schoenfelder), North American teams have taken control of the ice dance situation. Davis and White, Virtue and Moir, as well as Belbin and Agosto are posting high scores this season and dominated the Grand Prix Series. The reigning World Champs have some catching up to do!
But last season, they were in and out with injury and pulled through to win Worlds. So whether they compete or not this weekend I get the feeling they'll be just fine. They also have legacy on their side...Russian teams have medaled in how many of the last Olympic Ice Dance competitions...??? That's right...ALL OF THEM!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Showdown in Osaka
My title sounds like a Quentin Tarantino movie!
So this week brings about one of the most highly anticipated National Championships of the season. Of course I'm talking about Japanese Nationals.
I predict that Reed and Reed will win the Ice Dance competition and Takahashi and Tran will win the Pairs competition. But that's the easy part...
What isn't easy to predict is arguably the deepest singles fields in the world. A Clash of Titans, if you will, are set to do battle in Osaka. Here's who to look out for:
Fumie Suguri - She hasn't had the best season this far but she is a veteran and she's won this event before. Also, aside from Ando, she's the only other competitor in the field that has Olympic experience. It's worth noting that she has a track record of skating very well at the Olympics; 5th in Salt Lake City and 4th in Torino. I think to make the Olympic Team she'll assuredly HAVE to win and even then she may yet have to prove herself at the Four Continents Cup. Don't count her out...her experience may serve her well.
Yukari Nakano - She's kind of been the ugly step child of Japanese women's skating (figuratively...not literally). She tends to be consistent enough to always place decently in competition but never seems to breakthrough and be the shining star (except at the 2008 Worlds where I feel she was positively robbed!). Her jump technique gets her in trouble often. Last season at this competition she won the short program only to fall apart in the free. Like Suguri, I think a win is a MUST in order to even be considered for the Olympic Team.
Akiko Suzuki - She's been the surprise this season. A win in Beijing put her on the map. She squeaked into the Grand Prix Final and then did it again with a show stopping performance at the Grand Prix Final landing her on the podium there with the bronze medal. She's proven this season she can be a contender but we are all still wondering if she can keep this up? She seems to be the sentimental favorite this season and most people are pulling for her. I think if she hits the podium at Japanese Nationals she will have made a strong case for herself.
Mao Asada - The other surprise this season...but unfortunately the exact opposite of Suzuki. By her standards, a disastrous finish in Moscow coupled with a failure to make the Grand Prix Final all have us scratching our heads. She's had an extended period of time to train and get her head together. I have a sneaky suspicion she's is going to come out like gang-buster's at National's and be back on form. If she falters, however, her disastrous season may continue. She needs to prove that this fall was a fluke and it's all behind her.
Miki Ando - She doesn't have the Olympic pressure the other ladies have as she already has a guaranteed ticket to Vancouver but she does have the pressure of expectation as the top Japanese woman this season. Miki, I think mostly for herself, needs to win this competition to bolster her self confidence in being the top Japanese woman this season. If she gets beat here, especially a bad beat, it might crumble her confidence and we could see a Torino repeat where she went to pieces. She has the goods...she's a World Champion, she was very close to Kim at the Grand Prix Final, she beat Asada at the World Championships to make the podium. She needs to own this and I think the sky is the limit...a failure could prove costly.
The men seem less dramatic with most believing that Kozuka, Oda, and Takahashi will assuredly make up the Olympic Team. But the order of their finish at Nationals seems up for grabs...
Nobunari Oda - He needs to just keep doing what he's been doing. His program is charming and it works. If he manages to get that tricky 3-jump Quad Combo in and skates clean, I get the feeling he wins. If he struggles at all, the others will have an opportunity to capitalize.
Takahiko Kozuka - He hasn't had the season like he had last year but he's still a threat. He has those solid basics that make him formidabble. "A skater's skater" as Scott Hamilton would say. Quad has eluded him to this point but he often gives it a valiant try. If he can just stay steady and consistent he'll be just fine. I love his music choice this season, it's one of the most imaginative and original picks.
Daisuke Takahashi - Hot and cold this season. He was cold at NHK Trophy, hot at Skate Canada, and both at the Grand Prix Final (won the short...lost the free). Stamina would appear to be an issue this season. Coming back from an entire season off due to injury can't be easy and the rust has shown. But, he is one of the most gifted skaters on the scene and has every ability to lay down stunning performances. If his conditioning is good I believe Takahashi is the one to beat. May come down to the quad...if he hits it he's in good shape. Missing it could be the deal breaker.
I'm not as up on the Japanese 'B-Listers' but I'm sure, as with any national championship, there is the opportunity for a spoiler or two.
So this week brings about one of the most highly anticipated National Championships of the season. Of course I'm talking about Japanese Nationals.
I predict that Reed and Reed will win the Ice Dance competition and Takahashi and Tran will win the Pairs competition. But that's the easy part...
What isn't easy to predict is arguably the deepest singles fields in the world. A Clash of Titans, if you will, are set to do battle in Osaka. Here's who to look out for:
Fumie Suguri - She hasn't had the best season this far but she is a veteran and she's won this event before. Also, aside from Ando, she's the only other competitor in the field that has Olympic experience. It's worth noting that she has a track record of skating very well at the Olympics; 5th in Salt Lake City and 4th in Torino. I think to make the Olympic Team she'll assuredly HAVE to win and even then she may yet have to prove herself at the Four Continents Cup. Don't count her out...her experience may serve her well.
Yukari Nakano - She's kind of been the ugly step child of Japanese women's skating (figuratively...not literally). She tends to be consistent enough to always place decently in competition but never seems to breakthrough and be the shining star (except at the 2008 Worlds where I feel she was positively robbed!). Her jump technique gets her in trouble often. Last season at this competition she won the short program only to fall apart in the free. Like Suguri, I think a win is a MUST in order to even be considered for the Olympic Team.
Akiko Suzuki - She's been the surprise this season. A win in Beijing put her on the map. She squeaked into the Grand Prix Final and then did it again with a show stopping performance at the Grand Prix Final landing her on the podium there with the bronze medal. She's proven this season she can be a contender but we are all still wondering if she can keep this up? She seems to be the sentimental favorite this season and most people are pulling for her. I think if she hits the podium at Japanese Nationals she will have made a strong case for herself.
Mao Asada - The other surprise this season...but unfortunately the exact opposite of Suzuki. By her standards, a disastrous finish in Moscow coupled with a failure to make the Grand Prix Final all have us scratching our heads. She's had an extended period of time to train and get her head together. I have a sneaky suspicion she's is going to come out like gang-buster's at National's and be back on form. If she falters, however, her disastrous season may continue. She needs to prove that this fall was a fluke and it's all behind her.
Miki Ando - She doesn't have the Olympic pressure the other ladies have as she already has a guaranteed ticket to Vancouver but she does have the pressure of expectation as the top Japanese woman this season. Miki, I think mostly for herself, needs to win this competition to bolster her self confidence in being the top Japanese woman this season. If she gets beat here, especially a bad beat, it might crumble her confidence and we could see a Torino repeat where she went to pieces. She has the goods...she's a World Champion, she was very close to Kim at the Grand Prix Final, she beat Asada at the World Championships to make the podium. She needs to own this and I think the sky is the limit...a failure could prove costly.The men seem less dramatic with most believing that Kozuka, Oda, and Takahashi will assuredly make up the Olympic Team. But the order of their finish at Nationals seems up for grabs...
Nobunari Oda - He needs to just keep doing what he's been doing. His program is charming and it works. If he manages to get that tricky 3-jump Quad Combo in and skates clean, I get the feeling he wins. If he struggles at all, the others will have an opportunity to capitalize.
Takahiko Kozuka - He hasn't had the season like he had last year but he's still a threat. He has those solid basics that make him formidabble. "A skater's skater" as Scott Hamilton would say. Quad has eluded him to this point but he often gives it a valiant try. If he can just stay steady and consistent he'll be just fine. I love his music choice this season, it's one of the most imaginative and original picks.Daisuke Takahashi - Hot and cold this season. He was cold at NHK Trophy, hot at Skate Canada, and both at the Grand Prix Final (won the short...lost the free). Stamina would appear to be an issue this season. Coming back from an entire season off due to injury can't be easy and the rust has shown. But, he is one of the most gifted skaters on the scene and has every ability to lay down stunning performances. If his conditioning is good I believe Takahashi is the one to beat. May come down to the quad...if he hits it he's in good shape. Missing it could be the deal breaker.
I'm not as up on the Japanese 'B-Listers' but I'm sure, as with any national championship, there is the opportunity for a spoiler or two.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Results Round-Up
As I discussed last week, this past weekend was a bit of a National's Marathon for a good deal of Europe. Here is some of the notable results and happenings...
Italy: Faiella and Scali won with Cappellini and Lanotte right behind. National scores tend to be inflated but Federica and Massimo's scores where right in there with the best in the world; about on par with what Belbin and Agosto have produced. Contesti skated to an easy victory. The big news is Carolina Kostner was unable to beat Valentina Marchei for the title. The plot thickens as Kostner's L.A. meltdown last season only provided one Olympic berth for Italy...??? Both ladies will be at European's...this might get scrappy!
Germany: Stefan Lindemann won as expected but he surprisingly had to come from behind to do it, third after the short he had to sweat it out against Peter Liebers. Both will compete at the European Championships. Savchenko and Szolkowy opted to not compete in Mannheim.
Sweden: Viktoria won the battle of the Helgesson's defeating Joshi. Kristoffer Berntsson bested Adrain Schulteiss in the men's division. That was hotly contested as Sweden only gets to send one guy to Vancouver. Both will be at the European Championships.
Czech Republic/Slovakia: Michal Brezina continued his breakout senior season with a win over Tomas Verner. Brezina bested Verner by just over 20 points.
Finland: The ladies competition unfolded as most predicted with Laura Lepisto slipping in for the win with Korpi behind in second. Pöykiö could only manage the bronze. All three women will compete at the European Championships.
France: Ice Dance newbies Carron and Jones won their first French National Title. However, neither reigning National Champs Pechalat and Bourzat or 2008 World Champs Delobel and Schoenfelder competed. Only two Olympic berths open for France in Ice Dance. James and Bonheur defeated Canac and Coia for the Pairs title. The French men continue to be wildly unpredictable this season. Joubert opted to not compete. Florent Amodio came out on top managing to get past Yannick Ponsero. Preaubert who looked great at Skate Canada only managed the bronze. Two Olympic berths open for the men and it's still up in the air who besides Joubert will get in? Some are reporting that Amodio gets the ticket to Vancouver. Did the French Federation make that decision before European's?
Italy: Faiella and Scali won with Cappellini and Lanotte right behind. National scores tend to be inflated but Federica and Massimo's scores where right in there with the best in the world; about on par with what Belbin and Agosto have produced. Contesti skated to an easy victory. The big news is Carolina Kostner was unable to beat Valentina Marchei for the title. The plot thickens as Kostner's L.A. meltdown last season only provided one Olympic berth for Italy...??? Both ladies will be at European's...this might get scrappy!Germany: Stefan Lindemann won as expected but he surprisingly had to come from behind to do it, third after the short he had to sweat it out against Peter Liebers. Both will compete at the European Championships. Savchenko and Szolkowy opted to not compete in Mannheim.
Sweden: Viktoria won the battle of the Helgesson's defeating Joshi. Kristoffer Berntsson bested Adrain Schulteiss in the men's division. That was hotly contested as Sweden only gets to send one guy to Vancouver. Both will be at the European Championships.
Czech Republic/Slovakia: Michal Brezina continued his breakout senior season with a win over Tomas Verner. Brezina bested Verner by just over 20 points.
Finland: The ladies competition unfolded as most predicted with Laura Lepisto slipping in for the win with Korpi behind in second. Pöykiö could only manage the bronze. All three women will compete at the European Championships.France: Ice Dance newbies Carron and Jones won their first French National Title. However, neither reigning National Champs Pechalat and Bourzat or 2008 World Champs Delobel and Schoenfelder competed. Only two Olympic berths open for France in Ice Dance. James and Bonheur defeated Canac and Coia for the Pairs title. The French men continue to be wildly unpredictable this season. Joubert opted to not compete. Florent Amodio came out on top managing to get past Yannick Ponsero. Preaubert who looked great at Skate Canada only managed the bronze. Two Olympic berths open for the men and it's still up in the air who besides Joubert will get in? Some are reporting that Amodio gets the ticket to Vancouver. Did the French Federation make that decision before European's?
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Cake and Candles: Fabian Bourzat
He's turning 29.
Fabian, vous souhaite un merveilleux anniversaire! (Working on my French!)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Last Minute Christmas Dash!
Christmas is just a week away...I know right!?!?! Seriously...it's next week. Ready? Well, if you're not I'm here to offer you some help. Full disclosure...I'm totally promoting sites and products of some of my favorite skating friendly peeps. I don't think that makes me a bad person...
First, everyone needs a calendar! So why not get them 2010 Figure Skating Calendar! This calendar is awesome! Don't take it from me...take it from the creator: "This calendar is a 12” x 12” full color calendar featuring a uniquely decorated figure skate each month."
Also, buying this calendar helps Mojo. If you don't know Mojo's story...well...you should. You can read about this Calendar at Mojo right here!!
Second, can't find the perfect something for that skater in your life. Try some of Ice Mom's Ice Girl Skate Wear. "Will Babysit for Ice Time," ingenious! Hoodies, cap sleeves, ringers, v-necks,organics...she has it all with several different designs. What a cool and original gift, right?
Finally, a news site that will fully premier in March, but worth mentioning now, MySkatingMall.com. The Website, does have links to partner stores that offer skating products and might help you brainstorm some last-minute gift ideas. This sites creator, Ryan Jahnke (might know a thing or two about him!), had the ingenious idea of creating a place where skaters could go to buy new or lightly used skating gear, sell their unused skating gear, and skating clubs get 5% of the proceeds. It's a win-win...win for all!
Know of other skating related places people can go for gifts...post them in the comments!
First, everyone needs a calendar! So why not get them 2010 Figure Skating Calendar! This calendar is awesome! Don't take it from me...take it from the creator: "This calendar is a 12” x 12” full color calendar featuring a uniquely decorated figure skate each month."
Also, buying this calendar helps Mojo. If you don't know Mojo's story...well...you should. You can read about this Calendar at Mojo right here!!Second, can't find the perfect something for that skater in your life. Try some of Ice Mom's Ice Girl Skate Wear. "Will Babysit for Ice Time," ingenious! Hoodies, cap sleeves, ringers, v-necks,organics...she has it all with several different designs. What a cool and original gift, right?
Finally, a news site that will fully premier in March, but worth mentioning now, MySkatingMall.com. The Website, does have links to partner stores that offer skating products and might help you brainstorm some last-minute gift ideas. This sites creator, Ryan Jahnke (might know a thing or two about him!), had the ingenious idea of creating a place where skaters could go to buy new or lightly used skating gear, sell their unused skating gear, and skating clubs get 5% of the proceeds. It's a win-win...win for all!Know of other skating related places people can go for gifts...post them in the comments!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pic of the Week
The fall international competitions are over and we are delving deep into National Championship Season. Just last week Sarah Meier and Stéphane Lambiel were named Swiss Champs and this week seven European Nations are holding their national championships. Russia, Japan, Canada, and the U.S. are around the corner.
One of those European countries holding their Nationals this week is Finland. I look at Finland as Europe's "Canary in a Cold Mine" as far as ladies figure skating. I can't remember a point in time when women's figure skating in Europe had so few high level competitors. But Finland actually has three women that, on a good day, might put a 'wee bit of a fight' in Vancouver.
But, poor alas, Finland is in the same boat as the U.S., they only get to send to women to Vancouver. So of these three talented women: Laura Lepisto, Kiira Korpi, and Susanna Pöykiö...one is going to miss the train.
A betting person says that Lepisto looks good to make the team. She's the reigning European Champ (albeit in protest by Carolina Kostner) and has easily been the top Finn this season. She's also added this season those harder triples in her free skate. Great musicality, strong components, and clever choreography will certainly get her to Vancouver.
But what about Pöykiö and Korpi? Both have been kind of just so so this season. Korpi did pull that out of nowhere silver in Beijing this season (I mean really? Where did that come from) while Pöykiö has huffed and puffed to poor finishes (11th at Skate America...eeeek!). But Pöykiö is the only one out of the three that has Olympic experience. Correction: A blog reader correctly noted that Kiira Korpi also has Olympic experience, finishing 16th in Torino. Thanks for keeping me on my toes!
Anyway, there is an opportunity for epic Finnish skating this weekend. I'm not entirely certain that this competition will be the final deciding factor for their Olympic Team (the European Championships in Tallin might be a more useful decision maker for the Finnish Federation) but it will likely begin to bring the picture into greater focus.
One of those European countries holding their Nationals this week is Finland. I look at Finland as Europe's "Canary in a Cold Mine" as far as ladies figure skating. I can't remember a point in time when women's figure skating in Europe had so few high level competitors. But Finland actually has three women that, on a good day, might put a 'wee bit of a fight' in Vancouver.
But, poor alas, Finland is in the same boat as the U.S., they only get to send to women to Vancouver. So of these three talented women: Laura Lepisto, Kiira Korpi, and Susanna Pöykiö...one is going to miss the train.A betting person says that Lepisto looks good to make the team. She's the reigning European Champ (albeit in protest by Carolina Kostner) and has easily been the top Finn this season. She's also added this season those harder triples in her free skate. Great musicality, strong components, and clever choreography will certainly get her to Vancouver.
But what about Pöykiö and Korpi? Both have been kind of just so so this season. Korpi did pull that out of nowhere silver in Beijing this season (I mean really? Where did that come from) while Pöykiö has huffed and puffed to poor finishes (11th at Skate America...eeeek!). But Pöykiö is the only one out of the three that has Olympic experience. Correction: A blog reader correctly noted that Kiira Korpi also has Olympic experience, finishing 16th in Torino. Thanks for keeping me on my toes!
Anyway, there is an opportunity for epic Finnish skating this weekend. I'm not entirely certain that this competition will be the final deciding factor for their Olympic Team (the European Championships in Tallin might be a more useful decision maker for the Finnish Federation) but it will likely begin to bring the picture into greater focus.
Monday, December 14, 2009
"One Winter, Five Dreams"
With the Olympics less than 60 days away, we often get caught up in the drama in the race to the Gold Medal. "Who's going to win the ladies Olympic Title? Kim Yu-Na, Mao Asada, Joannie Rochette perhaps?"
While the race for the medals is certainly an exciting aspect of the Olympics, it's not the only aspect worth following. I love the personal stories of triumph we often are treated to during the Olympics. The athlete's personally stories often bring a smile to my face or have me reaching for kleenex. Some medal contenders...some just there for the opportunity to represent their nation...all amazing!
Panasonic is doing something extraordinary; they are giving five athletes who will compete in Vancouver a voice. These five athletes all have an amazing story to tell:
Robel Teklemariam who grew to love Cross-Country Skiing in Lake Placid far from his native Ethiopia.
Katharine Eustace who only began her sport, Skeleton, two years ago and is unsure if her country, New Zealand, will qualify 1 or 2 spots in Vancouver...she has to sweat this out.
Kazuhiro Koshi who will attempt to medal as the oldest Japanese competitor in Vancouver.
Clyde Getty, the veteran Argentinian Freestyle Skier whose vocabulary doesn't include the word "retirement."
But I'm most excited for Figure Skating's own Tuğba Karademir. Tuğba, who is the face of figure skating in Turkey, has an amazing story. She dreamed of being a skaters as a little girl and her parents have dedicated everything to her training. They moved her to Canada to train and in 2006, a lifelong dream was realized when Tuğba became the first figure skater to represent Turkey at the Olympic Games in Torino, Italy.
Visit the One Winter, Five Dreams website and follow the dreams of these fine athletes, including Tuğba Karademir. You can read up on their individual stories and follow their blogs as they move ever closer towards their Olympic Dreams.
While the race for the medals is certainly an exciting aspect of the Olympics, it's not the only aspect worth following. I love the personal stories of triumph we often are treated to during the Olympics. The athlete's personally stories often bring a smile to my face or have me reaching for kleenex. Some medal contenders...some just there for the opportunity to represent their nation...all amazing!
Panasonic is doing something extraordinary; they are giving five athletes who will compete in Vancouver a voice. These five athletes all have an amazing story to tell:
Robel Teklemariam who grew to love Cross-Country Skiing in Lake Placid far from his native Ethiopia.
Katharine Eustace who only began her sport, Skeleton, two years ago and is unsure if her country, New Zealand, will qualify 1 or 2 spots in Vancouver...she has to sweat this out.Kazuhiro Koshi who will attempt to medal as the oldest Japanese competitor in Vancouver.
Clyde Getty, the veteran Argentinian Freestyle Skier whose vocabulary doesn't include the word "retirement."
But I'm most excited for Figure Skating's own Tuğba Karademir. Tuğba, who is the face of figure skating in Turkey, has an amazing story. She dreamed of being a skaters as a little girl and her parents have dedicated everything to her training. They moved her to Canada to train and in 2006, a lifelong dream was realized when Tuğba became the first figure skater to represent Turkey at the Olympic Games in Torino, Italy.
Visit the One Winter, Five Dreams website and follow the dreams of these fine athletes, including Tuğba Karademir. You can read up on their individual stories and follow their blogs as they move ever closer towards their Olympic Dreams.
Happy Chanukah
Chag chanukah sameach ve-shana tova.The Pond at Bryan Park is hopping these days! Tomorrow, what better way to enhance your Chanukah celebrations than to head down to the Pond and see Israeli Ice Dance Champions and bronze medalists from the recent Cancer.Net Skate America, Alexandra and Roman Zaretski, perform.
Aside from performing, Alexandra and Roman will also be giving a master-class to a selected group of inner city youth and will share soufganiot and Chanukah gelt with them.
Alexandra and Roman, the children, and special guests will all be available for interviews at the event (Lifeskate?).
The fun begins tomorrow (December 15th) at 4:00 PM.
Make sure to always keep up with what's happening at The Pond at Bryant Park!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
What’s up with Sandhu ?
By Guest Blogger Stephanie V.
Emanuel Sandhu is still not doing skating competitions for the third year in a row. His last appearance was at the 2007 Worlds, where he placed 16th. After that, he looked for other projects. During the summer 2008, he did the auditions for the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada. He made it somewhat easily to the final audition, although Sandhu didn’t make it to the top 20 to be on the show. Even if the judges were impressed by his potential, they thought that he was relying too much on his tricks (like doing a triple Axel) and that he had some negative attitude.
Summer 2009, Emanuel tried again. He was the first dancer to do the audition in Toronto. His solo did great impression… One of the judges, Mary Murphy, did her famous scream of appreciation and Emanuel got a boarding pass to the final audition. Still in Toronto for the final audition, Emanuel passed through all the rounds to make the top 20.
Sandhu has a big background in ballet, as he studied for 10 years at the National Ballet of Canada. For the first five weeks of the show, Emanuel was paired with Kim Gingras, a hip hop dancer. Despites their different dance background, Emanuel and Kim got a great chemistry and passed through two hip hop routines and also theatre style, Jazz Funk and contemporary dances. They got a standing ovation from the judges for their Jazz Funk routine they did for the week number 3, choreographed by Blake McGrath. Their second hip hop dance (and their last dance together) made some great impressions as well. Emanuel and Kim made their way easily to the top 12 without being in the “bottom 3”.
After 5 weeks, the dancers had to change partners every week till the end of the show. Also, the dancers had to do a solo to get some votes. So, he did a Samba with Tara-Jean Popowich. His solo of the week 6 is surely my favorite, where he showed that he was at ease in many different styles. The week 7 got a bit hard on Emanuel. Still dealing with 2 broken fingers since the week 2, he sprained an ankle during the rehearsals for the Tuesday show. Although, he hit a contemporary piece and a disco routine with his partner of the week, Melanie Mah, which got average comments.
For the week 8, where the top 4 of the show would be decided, Emanuel was paired with Jayme Ray Dailey. They had Quickstep and Jazz Funk routines. If the Quickstep had some great starting, the judges pointed out that the real Quickstep part suffered a bit. But the Jazz Funk routine didn’t impress much and didn’t look that great on Sandhu… I’m not a pro in dance, but I blame mostly the choreography for that. Sadly, it came to an end for Emanuel who didn’t get enough votes this time to make the top 4. Sandhu accepted the verdict and he said, before to thank everyone, that he never thought that he would get that far .
Although, being eliminated of the show wasn’t the end of Sandhu’s dancing career. Since November 25 till December 22, Emanuel is doing a Canadian tour with the top 10 of the show. They are visiting 18 cities from Kelowna (British Colombia) to Halifax (Nova Scotia). After that, who knows what Sandhu will do : Keep dancing or return to skating ?
Videos and pictures of the season 2 can be seen on the following web site : http://www.ctv.ca/mini/dance2009/ (Sorry, Canadians only can see the video...sad face).
Stephanie wrote the first of what I hope to be many guest blogger submissions. You can follow her musings via Twitter by following @Einnaf.
Have something you want to blog about? Pitch me the idea by sending me an e-mail (top of the page on the right), writing me on Facebook, or tweeting me on Twitter!
Emanuel Sandhu is still not doing skating competitions for the third year in a row. His last appearance was at the 2007 Worlds, where he placed 16th. After that, he looked for other projects. During the summer 2008, he did the auditions for the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada. He made it somewhat easily to the final audition, although Sandhu didn’t make it to the top 20 to be on the show. Even if the judges were impressed by his potential, they thought that he was relying too much on his tricks (like doing a triple Axel) and that he had some negative attitude.Summer 2009, Emanuel tried again. He was the first dancer to do the audition in Toronto. His solo did great impression… One of the judges, Mary Murphy, did her famous scream of appreciation and Emanuel got a boarding pass to the final audition. Still in Toronto for the final audition, Emanuel passed through all the rounds to make the top 20.
Sandhu has a big background in ballet, as he studied for 10 years at the National Ballet of Canada. For the first five weeks of the show, Emanuel was paired with Kim Gingras, a hip hop dancer. Despites their different dance background, Emanuel and Kim got a great chemistry and passed through two hip hop routines and also theatre style, Jazz Funk and contemporary dances. They got a standing ovation from the judges for their Jazz Funk routine they did for the week number 3, choreographed by Blake McGrath. Their second hip hop dance (and their last dance together) made some great impressions as well. Emanuel and Kim made their way easily to the top 12 without being in the “bottom 3”.
After 5 weeks, the dancers had to change partners every week till the end of the show. Also, the dancers had to do a solo to get some votes. So, he did a Samba with Tara-Jean Popowich. His solo of the week 6 is surely my favorite, where he showed that he was at ease in many different styles. The week 7 got a bit hard on Emanuel. Still dealing with 2 broken fingers since the week 2, he sprained an ankle during the rehearsals for the Tuesday show. Although, he hit a contemporary piece and a disco routine with his partner of the week, Melanie Mah, which got average comments.For the week 8, where the top 4 of the show would be decided, Emanuel was paired with Jayme Ray Dailey. They had Quickstep and Jazz Funk routines. If the Quickstep had some great starting, the judges pointed out that the real Quickstep part suffered a bit. But the Jazz Funk routine didn’t impress much and didn’t look that great on Sandhu… I’m not a pro in dance, but I blame mostly the choreography for that. Sadly, it came to an end for Emanuel who didn’t get enough votes this time to make the top 4. Sandhu accepted the verdict and he said, before to thank everyone, that he never thought that he would get that far .
Although, being eliminated of the show wasn’t the end of Sandhu’s dancing career. Since November 25 till December 22, Emanuel is doing a Canadian tour with the top 10 of the show. They are visiting 18 cities from Kelowna (British Colombia) to Halifax (Nova Scotia). After that, who knows what Sandhu will do : Keep dancing or return to skating ?Videos and pictures of the season 2 can be seen on the following web site : http://www.ctv.ca/mini/dance2009/ (Sorry, Canadians only can see the video...sad face).
Stephanie wrote the first of what I hope to be many guest blogger submissions. You can follow her musings via Twitter by following @Einnaf.
Have something you want to blog about? Pitch me the idea by sending me an e-mail (top of the page on the right), writing me on Facebook, or tweeting me on Twitter!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Breaking News: Plushenko Injured
Uh oh, did State of the Skate get her prayer request answered?Evgeny Plushenko has reinjured his knee. Torn ligaments and a sore foot according to this site.
The injury forced him to miss a show as he and coach Alexei Mishin have decided to treat the injury and hopefully be prepared for Russian Nationals and ultimately the Olympic Games. "I hope that everything will be fine and I managed to recover to the championship of Russia" Plushenko told press.
Cheers and Jeers
The fall competition season is behind us and what lay ahead are the major championships (including the Winter Olympics). I'm taking a mid season pause to praise and pounce upon some of what we've seen to this point.Cheers for a Grand Prix Season that kept us guessing to the very end! Lots of the events gave us unexpected twists and turns that none of us saw coming. There was lots of winners this season as opposed to the usual three or so skaters dominating the events and lots of surprises. I loved that the final Grand Prix event (HomeSense Skate Canada) was a true nail-biter and crunch to see who would make the final...exciting!
Jeers for HomeSense. I didn't even see a single HomeSense commercial during Skate Canada but the amount of tweets that were coming from people saying "If I see one more HomeSense Commercial..." had me sick of them!
Cheers for exciting competitive comebacks from Lambiel, Takahashi, and Plushenko. Anytime skaters make comebacks I'm wary that they'll be out of shape from injury or just plain out of shape for not competing. But these three, Plushenko especially, have done it right.
Jeers for Plushenko's cockiness at Rostelecom Cup...complete with ridiculous finger waving at the end of the program. You jumped well, no question about it, but was the show at the end REALLY necessary? Frankly, I think while you out-jumped the field, Kozuka out-skated the field (yourself included).Cheers for masterful choreography this season! There are some true gems, especially amongst the dance, pairs, and men.
Jeers for unmasterful outfit choices this season. Taking the top prize is most definitely Russia's Khoklova and Novitski. I don't think, at any point during a competition, they looked like anything other than a hot mess. Their outfits made me want to do shots of vodka...perhaps that was the point? I can honestly say I was relieved when they decided to pass-up on the Grand Prix Final.Cheers for a beyond exciting season of men's competition! The top men in the world are really digging deep and putting on a show!
Jeers for an unexciting season of ladies competition. The high point was the first competition of the season and its been a steady downward decline since. That isn't the way it's supposed to happen.
Cheers for Ice Network! Amazing access to basically every skating event (sans commentary) has been refreshing.Jeers for Andrea Joyce commentary on NBC. They have got to come up with somebody better than this.
Final cheers for North American Ice Dance Teams for, like the first time in history, seemingly being in complete control of the competition situation. Of course, this may all change when Delobel and Schoenfelder as well as Domnina and Shabalin return...we'll just have to wait and see.
Final jeers for Sasha Cohen an her, thus far, non-comeback.
What cheers and jeers do you have?
Cake and Candles: Massimo Scali
Today is Massimo Scali's, 2009 European Silver Medalist and Italian Ice Dance Champion (with partenr Federica Faiella), Birthday!It's the big 30!
Massimo, hanno un grande compleanno! Rendono la giornata migliore di sempre! (How was my Italian?)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Belbin and Agosto on Today
In case you missed it, here is Tanith and Ben's performance this morning on Today.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The Op-Ed: Don't Be the Crazy Skating Fan!
Xan, who writes the blog XanBoni! sent me a blast from the past this week; an article published Sunday, January 9th, 1994.
Need a history refresher? Tonya Harding had just won U.S. Nationals in Detroit, Kerrigan was sidelined because of a mysterious attacker, and we were in Kerrigan/Kwan limbo as to who would represent the U.S. in Lillehammer (aside from Harding).
The article discusses the drama and intrigue often associated with figure skating and how, to may fans, that is as as interesting (if not more so) than a skaters performance on the ice.
The part that really got me thinking was the part that correctly notes that fans of figure skating have ridiculous access to figure skaters. We greet them at the boards after a performance, hand them gifts, hug them sometimes!
Now in this world of Web 2.0 that access goes even further than it did in 1994. We tweet directly with top level skaters. I just created a Facebook devoted entirely to this blog and figure skating and the skaters have graciously accepted me into their lives...their personal Facebook accounts!
As much as things have changed over the last 15 years they've stayed the same. Local news reporters, columnists, and yes...even Bloggers can get press credentials to cover events such as Nationals, show fundraisers, and meet and greets. The figure skating world has been very generous with granting access...such access is virtually unheard of in other sports.
And as a skater becomes more successful and popular, it means there are more and more people willing to do anything they can to get to them! Think about it...it's kind of scary.
That means, as fans, we have a responsibility. Don't be the crazy skating fan! Don't be the person that tries to grab Katarina Witt off the ice (I had no idea that even happened!), don't abuse the access you've been granted to your favorite skaters. Be appreciative of what they do, cheer for them, champion them, congratulate them, but don't stalk them or go crazy to meet them!
Most importantly, understand, just like you and I, they are just regular people too.
Need a history refresher? Tonya Harding had just won U.S. Nationals in Detroit, Kerrigan was sidelined because of a mysterious attacker, and we were in Kerrigan/Kwan limbo as to who would represent the U.S. in Lillehammer (aside from Harding).
The article discusses the drama and intrigue often associated with figure skating and how, to may fans, that is as as interesting (if not more so) than a skaters performance on the ice.
The part that really got me thinking was the part that correctly notes that fans of figure skating have ridiculous access to figure skaters. We greet them at the boards after a performance, hand them gifts, hug them sometimes!
Now in this world of Web 2.0 that access goes even further than it did in 1994. We tweet directly with top level skaters. I just created a Facebook devoted entirely to this blog and figure skating and the skaters have graciously accepted me into their lives...their personal Facebook accounts!
As much as things have changed over the last 15 years they've stayed the same. Local news reporters, columnists, and yes...even Bloggers can get press credentials to cover events such as Nationals, show fundraisers, and meet and greets. The figure skating world has been very generous with granting access...such access is virtually unheard of in other sports.And as a skater becomes more successful and popular, it means there are more and more people willing to do anything they can to get to them! Think about it...it's kind of scary.
That means, as fans, we have a responsibility. Don't be the crazy skating fan! Don't be the person that tries to grab Katarina Witt off the ice (I had no idea that even happened!), don't abuse the access you've been granted to your favorite skaters. Be appreciative of what they do, cheer for them, champion them, congratulate them, but don't stalk them or go crazy to meet them!
Most importantly, understand, just like you and I, they are just regular people too.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Pic of the Week
Dear Joannie Rochette,I love your skating, your style, and the passion you exude on the ice. Please never, ever loose that.
You've come on some bad luck recently and it breaks my heart. At Cup of China you had to scrap and scrape for a bronze medal. You won Skate Canada with a free skate I know you're not happy with. At the Grand Prix Final, you struggled the whole way through and found yourself in fifth place in a field of women, given the performances, in which you frankly should have easily beaten.
I know this is so frustrating...especially with the Olympics 64 Days away on home ice.
Some have suggested (well...I suggested) that perhaps you return to last season's free skate. It's amazing, it's battle tested, you know it can compete with the best in the world (you do still have that World Silver Medal tucked somewhere...right?), and it's at the bottom of this letter!
After the Grand Prix Final you told reporters you can go home, retrain this program, and make it work. If you feel this is the best route I support you and hope you can get things together. Fingers crossed that at Canadian Nationals in London you come out and rock it!
More than any skater, I want you to have the Olympics of your life! Getting the opportunity to skate at home in the Olympics when you are in your competitive prime is not a chance afforded to many. Go for it!
Winston Churchill said, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Take those words to heart. I'm in your corner and rooting for you everyday.
With belief in you,
Aaron @ Axels, Loops, and Spins.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
To Facebook and Beyond!
I'm always looking for a sly way to further connect with fans of figure skating out there!I've had a personal Facebook account for eons but something struck me...why not have a Facebook account devoted entirely to skating? Like Twitter, it's another way to connect not only with fans of figure skating, but the figure skaters themselves!
So, as an extension of my blog I've created the Axels, Loops, and Spins Facebook Page. If you feel so inclined to add me as a friend, you'll now see my badge there on the right hand side of the screen.
Yay for Social Media!
Monday, December 07, 2009
Grand Prix Final Afterthoughs
I must say there were plenty of surprises at the Grand Prix Final. I think I'm just going to be done predicting this season...I'm getting nowhere with it!
Ice Dance was close at the top. Davis and White squeaked ahead in the Original Dance while Virtue and Moir slimly won the free skate. When the dust settled Meryl Davis and Charlie White held on by the skin of their teeth to take the win (and become the first American Team to do so!). In the Free Dance, Davis and White had the highest component score where Virtue and Moir had the highest technical score. In any case, it's tight between these two teams. Pechalat and Bourzat meandered their way to a bronze after a free dance that seemed less interesting than the last time I saw it. Interestingly, Crone and Poirier and Cappellini and Lanotte had the same exact score in the Free Dance...84.30.
The ladies event was a continuation of what we've seen all season...less than exciting. Leonova and Rochette coming completely undone was just sad to watch. The lone exciting moment in the ladies event was Akiko Suzuki's free skate. She lit up that room like a Christmas Tree! I was so excited for her. While her bronze does not guarantee her a spot on the Olympic Team, it should help her case. Also doesn't hurt that she had the highest technical score of all the women. Miki Ando had a golden opportunity to landing a major upset but she let it slip away from her. Her Cleopatra program, which is still severely lacking in interesting choreography, wasn't clean enough to get past Kim Yu-Na. Perhaps she was just trying to do her best to stay ahead of Akiko. Her silver did clench her the first berth on the Japanese Olympic Team. It was rather shocking to see that Kim Yu-Na's component score was barely higher than Miki's. Even on an off day, Kim Yu-Na's components are way better than Ando's. Kim Yu-Na, while she won, didn't land that blow to the field that would have set her up as the commanding favorite in Vancouver. Now, the buzz amongst the skating world is that she CAN be beat. Suddenly, the Rachel Flatt's and Mao Asada's don't seem so out of the equation.
The pairs event gave me my second wow moment of the season. Shen and Zhao blew me away with their free skate. Every moment in that program was brilliantly timed to the music...it was just amazing. They've made the case for themselves...they are the ones to beat. Pang and Tong did a nice job of keeping their head's together and not letting the pressure of competing against their teammates for the first time in a while get to them. They, too, had a lovely performance. Savchenko and Szolkowy ran into a few problems at the top of their free skate. Once they settled down it was fine but those early problems were enough to keep them out of the hunt for Gold and stuck them with the bronze. Mukhortova and Trankov were solid in placing fourth. Less than four points separated 2nd thru 4th so it was very close.
The men, by far, were the most exciting here. Even without Lambiel, Plushenko, Chan, and Joubert...these guys put on an epic showdown! Weir, Oda, Lysacek, and Takahashi were stunning in their short programs. In the free skate, Abbott had to dig himself out of a hole after mistakes in the short, and did so with a fine effort that saw only one fall on the quad. Important to note that his score was less than a point away from winning the free skate and got him to fourth place overall. Johnny Weir kept it together to skate a solid (slightly tentative) free skate and pull himself up to the bronze medal for the second consecutive season. Nobunari Oda also skate well despite two silly popped axels and managed the silver after charming the crowd with his Charlie Chaplin free skate. Reigning World Champ Evan Lysacek showed he is a force to be contended with this season after a solid free skate (another silly popped axel) that not only won him the gold medal, but nabbed him the highest men's score of the season...and he did it without a quad (food for thought for Plushenko?). Takahashi, who had the lead after a brilliant short, went to pieces in the free falling all the way to fifth. Some would argue that the men's scores were somewhat inflated here...I'm not sure myself. In general I have a hard time understanding and relating scores from one competition to another so I'll leave that argument to the pundits.
A very talented group of Juniors took the ice this weekend as well. Congrats to Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu and Kanako Murakami for winning the Junior singles titles, China's Sui and Han for taking the Pairs competition, and Russia's Monko and Khaliavin for taking the Dance title. Maia and Alex Shibutani, Christina Gao, and Ross Miner all won bronze medals for the United States.
Full set of results for both the Senior and Junior events can be seen here.
Ice Dance was close at the top. Davis and White squeaked ahead in the Original Dance while Virtue and Moir slimly won the free skate. When the dust settled Meryl Davis and Charlie White held on by the skin of their teeth to take the win (and become the first American Team to do so!). In the Free Dance, Davis and White had the highest component score where Virtue and Moir had the highest technical score. In any case, it's tight between these two teams. Pechalat and Bourzat meandered their way to a bronze after a free dance that seemed less interesting than the last time I saw it. Interestingly, Crone and Poirier and Cappellini and Lanotte had the same exact score in the Free Dance...84.30.
The ladies event was a continuation of what we've seen all season...less than exciting. Leonova and Rochette coming completely undone was just sad to watch. The lone exciting moment in the ladies event was Akiko Suzuki's free skate. She lit up that room like a Christmas Tree! I was so excited for her. While her bronze does not guarantee her a spot on the Olympic Team, it should help her case. Also doesn't hurt that she had the highest technical score of all the women. Miki Ando had a golden opportunity to landing a major upset but she let it slip away from her. Her Cleopatra program, which is still severely lacking in interesting choreography, wasn't clean enough to get past Kim Yu-Na. Perhaps she was just trying to do her best to stay ahead of Akiko. Her silver did clench her the first berth on the Japanese Olympic Team. It was rather shocking to see that Kim Yu-Na's component score was barely higher than Miki's. Even on an off day, Kim Yu-Na's components are way better than Ando's. Kim Yu-Na, while she won, didn't land that blow to the field that would have set her up as the commanding favorite in Vancouver. Now, the buzz amongst the skating world is that she CAN be beat. Suddenly, the Rachel Flatt's and Mao Asada's don't seem so out of the equation.
The pairs event gave me my second wow moment of the season. Shen and Zhao blew me away with their free skate. Every moment in that program was brilliantly timed to the music...it was just amazing. They've made the case for themselves...they are the ones to beat. Pang and Tong did a nice job of keeping their head's together and not letting the pressure of competing against their teammates for the first time in a while get to them. They, too, had a lovely performance. Savchenko and Szolkowy ran into a few problems at the top of their free skate. Once they settled down it was fine but those early problems were enough to keep them out of the hunt for Gold and stuck them with the bronze. Mukhortova and Trankov were solid in placing fourth. Less than four points separated 2nd thru 4th so it was very close.
The men, by far, were the most exciting here. Even without Lambiel, Plushenko, Chan, and Joubert...these guys put on an epic showdown! Weir, Oda, Lysacek, and Takahashi were stunning in their short programs. In the free skate, Abbott had to dig himself out of a hole after mistakes in the short, and did so with a fine effort that saw only one fall on the quad. Important to note that his score was less than a point away from winning the free skate and got him to fourth place overall. Johnny Weir kept it together to skate a solid (slightly tentative) free skate and pull himself up to the bronze medal for the second consecutive season. Nobunari Oda also skate well despite two silly popped axels and managed the silver after charming the crowd with his Charlie Chaplin free skate. Reigning World Champ Evan Lysacek showed he is a force to be contended with this season after a solid free skate (another silly popped axel) that not only won him the gold medal, but nabbed him the highest men's score of the season...and he did it without a quad (food for thought for Plushenko?). Takahashi, who had the lead after a brilliant short, went to pieces in the free falling all the way to fifth. Some would argue that the men's scores were somewhat inflated here...I'm not sure myself. In general I have a hard time understanding and relating scores from one competition to another so I'll leave that argument to the pundits.
A very talented group of Juniors took the ice this weekend as well. Congrats to Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu and Kanako Murakami for winning the Junior singles titles, China's Sui and Han for taking the Pairs competition, and Russia's Monko and Khaliavin for taking the Dance title. Maia and Alex Shibutani, Christina Gao, and Ross Miner all won bronze medals for the United States.Full set of results for both the Senior and Junior events can be seen here.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Grand Prix Final Free Skate Flash
Crone and Poirier (Canada) - Pretty program, lovely edges. I worry for them though. This program is very nice but lacks fireworks...at Canadian Nationals Weaver and Poje will have fireworks!
Cappellini and Lanotte (Italy) - Program seems slower every time I see it. This had been the one Requiem program that I actually liked until I see it in Tokyo...now it's just bland. Into the lead but actually lost Free Dance to Crone and Poirier...oooooh!
Kerr and Kerr (Great Britain) - Linkin Park is a nice original choice but they need to make this program a little cleaner and sharper. Some sloppy moments, especially on the part of John, throughout. Love the lift where she lifts him!
Pechalat and Bourzat (France) - The other Requiem program...lacked punch. Last 30 seconds was hard to watch! The music reaches its climax at the end but they choose to go on for about 5 more seconds with this drone-like tick-tock...end the program already! Also, did an illegal lift...not sure if the judges caught it/cared?
Virtue and Moir (Canada) - Near perfection. Twizzles were stunning...perfect unison, excellent position, and close together. The lifts they do are unreal. Big score!
Davis and White (USA) - Amazing speed and equally unreal lifts. Almost perfect Twizzles (Charlie got a touch out of sorts but held it together). Davis and White have blazing fast dance spins (might have been the difference). Another big score, barely lost to Virtue and Moir in the Free Dance but hang on to become the first U.S. Dance team to win Grand Prix Final.
Kavaguti and Smirnov (Russia) - Lovely performance. Yuko had a couple close landings, hard to tell if there were tiny two foots or not. Couple of place the intricate choreography in the transitions seemed sticky. Yuko is so flexible.
Zhang and Zhang (China) - Struggles continue. They couldn't leave the ice and get out of there quick enough. Dan never seemed over her feet in the jumping department botching the side-by-side triple toe and throw salchow...complete fall on throw loop. I will say, the first half of the program there was a glimmer of emotion coming from Dan so maybe a slight improvement in that department...trying to find the positives here.
Pang and Tong (China) - Solid performance. Only error was a slight hand down on Jian's toeloop otherwise fine. Throws at the end of the program are like a dream. Awesome. Into a big lead.
Mukhortova and Trankov (Russia) - Something has clicked this season. Again, a beautiful performance. It's subdued and just lovely. Maria's landing edge on those throws were amazing. Love that they sneak Cinema Paradiso into this program. I was surprised they went behind Pang and Tong...thought they were at least "as good" and shoudl have maintained their lead over them.
Savchenko and Szolkowy (Germany) - Tough opening. Bailed on the toeloops, awkward landing for Aliona on throw flip (but she fought and held on) and then awkward landings on the double axels. After the opening jump weirdness though it was gorgeous. Amazing choreography. Throw salchow at the end was masterful. Judges REALLY LIKED Pang and Tong...they still have the lead!
Shen and Zhao (China) - Wow! The rise and fall in this program is so brillantly choreographed to the music. The explosive moments...the tender moments all brillantly woven together. Hongbo did single his first of two double axels but it hardly matters. For the first time this season that program blew me away. Only concern I had was the side by side spins...those need to be 'spiffier' but, details...details. Love the fist pump from Bin Yao! Gigantic score!
Tomas Verner (Czech Republic) - Doubled his opening quad but came back with another one and two lovely triple axels...then the program went to pieces. Fall on the lutz and then he couldn't even rotate jumps. Totally head case, he's so capable of competing with the best and so often lets mistakes get to him.
Jeremy Abbott (USA) - Has a new outfit every time he does this program! Missed the opening quad but was amazing after that. Two triple-triple combos (one a three jump deep in the program)...amazing footwork and spins...big ovation at the end. Nice work! Get's a 'two thumbs up' from Yuka!
Johnny Weir (USA) - Lots of drama in this program. Kind of scary on the first axel, was really leaning outside the circle but somehow landed it and corrected so that it flowed out. Everything else solid. I feel like the choreography isn't as intricate (point grabbing?) as say Abbott but he really feels the music and draws you in. Another big ovation from the crowd...American's are stepping up to the plate, swinging, and connecting! Slips just past Abbott.
Nobunari Oda (Japan) - DEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP breath before start of program. Took out that 3-jump quad combo and instead focused on a clean skate. Crusing along until second triple axel which he popped. Popped a silly double axel at the end as well. He has the character of Charlie Chaplin down perfect though! I don't feel those two mistakes really hurt the program as a whole, the quality of everything he did well is amazing.
Evan Lysacek (USA) - Same as Oda. Cruising along until that second axel which he also pops. Trouble for Evan is that he planned to do his combo there. Still an amazing performance. What happened to the see-through shirt? Still a season's best...get's the lead!
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan) - Iffy opening. Crashed and burned on the quad. Then bailed on his second triple axel and followed it up with a messy spin. Then he missed the back part of the lutz combo. Oh my. I was shocked when he slipped heading into that second lutz that he got the jump off and managed it in combination. All the jump errors kept this program from singing like it did at Skate Canada. At the end he seemed out of gas. Way down to 5th...eeeeek!
*WOW Evan and Johnny! Gold and Bronze! Nice comeback too for Abbott!
*Trying to watch the women but it wont load at Ice Network....aarrgh!
*Opting to just wait until tomorrow NBC telecast...the ladies free skate link is been removed entirely from the site.
Ashley Wagner (USA) - Beautiful program. She has to figure out how to get those jumps on one foot to really pull up into the medals. I think this event definitely puts her square in the picture in Spokane.
Akiko Suzuki (Japan) - Bingo! Squeaky clean. I'm absolutely sick of this music yet she makes me love it! She could have stood on that ice for ten years and the audience would have kept screaming. Amazing!
Joannie Rochette (Canada) - Scott Hamilton said something that was very telling during her performance..."Timing seems off." I think this program is weird for her and she has never gotten her timing together. If I were her...Canadian Nationals and Olympics...I'd go back to last season's free. It's battle tested and it works. That or completely re work this program. She needs to do something!
Alena Leonova (Russia) - Kind of a learning experience. Bit of shock to find herself in this field of women and in the thick of it. Pressure finally got to her here. Without the jumps the life goes out of this program and it becomes unimpressive. Too bad.
Kim Yu-Na (S. Korea) - Tentative. Easier lutz combo and the two footed triple toe behind the double axel was unusual. Again, this program doesn't blow me away...but then again I expect so much more from her because she is truly far more advanced than the others. Nice to see the flip landed...now how about the loop?
Miki Ando (Japan) - Before she skates I'm thinking she can totally win this on the strength of her jumping ability. She came so close...really needed the triple loop behind the lutz and the triple salchow to be cleaner. But she did a nice job of at least keeping it close. Both Miki Ando and Rachael Flatt have given hope to the rest of the ladies field!
Cappellini and Lanotte (Italy) - Program seems slower every time I see it. This had been the one Requiem program that I actually liked until I see it in Tokyo...now it's just bland. Into the lead but actually lost Free Dance to Crone and Poirier...oooooh!
Kerr and Kerr (Great Britain) - Linkin Park is a nice original choice but they need to make this program a little cleaner and sharper. Some sloppy moments, especially on the part of John, throughout. Love the lift where she lifts him!
Pechalat and Bourzat (France) - The other Requiem program...lacked punch. Last 30 seconds was hard to watch! The music reaches its climax at the end but they choose to go on for about 5 more seconds with this drone-like tick-tock...end the program already! Also, did an illegal lift...not sure if the judges caught it/cared?
Virtue and Moir (Canada) - Near perfection. Twizzles were stunning...perfect unison, excellent position, and close together. The lifts they do are unreal. Big score!
Davis and White (USA) - Amazing speed and equally unreal lifts. Almost perfect Twizzles (Charlie got a touch out of sorts but held it together). Davis and White have blazing fast dance spins (might have been the difference). Another big score, barely lost to Virtue and Moir in the Free Dance but hang on to become the first U.S. Dance team to win Grand Prix Final.
Kavaguti and Smirnov (Russia) - Lovely performance. Yuko had a couple close landings, hard to tell if there were tiny two foots or not. Couple of place the intricate choreography in the transitions seemed sticky. Yuko is so flexible.
Zhang and Zhang (China) - Struggles continue. They couldn't leave the ice and get out of there quick enough. Dan never seemed over her feet in the jumping department botching the side-by-side triple toe and throw salchow...complete fall on throw loop. I will say, the first half of the program there was a glimmer of emotion coming from Dan so maybe a slight improvement in that department...trying to find the positives here.
Pang and Tong (China) - Solid performance. Only error was a slight hand down on Jian's toeloop otherwise fine. Throws at the end of the program are like a dream. Awesome. Into a big lead.
Mukhortova and Trankov (Russia) - Something has clicked this season. Again, a beautiful performance. It's subdued and just lovely. Maria's landing edge on those throws were amazing. Love that they sneak Cinema Paradiso into this program. I was surprised they went behind Pang and Tong...thought they were at least "as good" and shoudl have maintained their lead over them.
Savchenko and Szolkowy (Germany) - Tough opening. Bailed on the toeloops, awkward landing for Aliona on throw flip (but she fought and held on) and then awkward landings on the double axels. After the opening jump weirdness though it was gorgeous. Amazing choreography. Throw salchow at the end was masterful. Judges REALLY LIKED Pang and Tong...they still have the lead!
Shen and Zhao (China) - Wow! The rise and fall in this program is so brillantly choreographed to the music. The explosive moments...the tender moments all brillantly woven together. Hongbo did single his first of two double axels but it hardly matters. For the first time this season that program blew me away. Only concern I had was the side by side spins...those need to be 'spiffier' but, details...details. Love the fist pump from Bin Yao! Gigantic score!
Tomas Verner (Czech Republic) - Doubled his opening quad but came back with another one and two lovely triple axels...then the program went to pieces. Fall on the lutz and then he couldn't even rotate jumps. Totally head case, he's so capable of competing with the best and so often lets mistakes get to him.
Jeremy Abbott (USA) - Has a new outfit every time he does this program! Missed the opening quad but was amazing after that. Two triple-triple combos (one a three jump deep in the program)...amazing footwork and spins...big ovation at the end. Nice work! Get's a 'two thumbs up' from Yuka!
Johnny Weir (USA) - Lots of drama in this program. Kind of scary on the first axel, was really leaning outside the circle but somehow landed it and corrected so that it flowed out. Everything else solid. I feel like the choreography isn't as intricate (point grabbing?) as say Abbott but he really feels the music and draws you in. Another big ovation from the crowd...American's are stepping up to the plate, swinging, and connecting! Slips just past Abbott.
Nobunari Oda (Japan) - DEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP breath before start of program. Took out that 3-jump quad combo and instead focused on a clean skate. Crusing along until second triple axel which he popped. Popped a silly double axel at the end as well. He has the character of Charlie Chaplin down perfect though! I don't feel those two mistakes really hurt the program as a whole, the quality of everything he did well is amazing.
Evan Lysacek (USA) - Same as Oda. Cruising along until that second axel which he also pops. Trouble for Evan is that he planned to do his combo there. Still an amazing performance. What happened to the see-through shirt? Still a season's best...get's the lead!
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan) - Iffy opening. Crashed and burned on the quad. Then bailed on his second triple axel and followed it up with a messy spin. Then he missed the back part of the lutz combo. Oh my. I was shocked when he slipped heading into that second lutz that he got the jump off and managed it in combination. All the jump errors kept this program from singing like it did at Skate Canada. At the end he seemed out of gas. Way down to 5th...eeeeek!
*WOW Evan and Johnny! Gold and Bronze! Nice comeback too for Abbott!
*Trying to watch the women but it wont load at Ice Network....aarrgh!
*Opting to just wait until tomorrow NBC telecast...the ladies free skate link is been removed entirely from the site.
Ashley Wagner (USA) - Beautiful program. She has to figure out how to get those jumps on one foot to really pull up into the medals. I think this event definitely puts her square in the picture in Spokane.
Akiko Suzuki (Japan) - Bingo! Squeaky clean. I'm absolutely sick of this music yet she makes me love it! She could have stood on that ice for ten years and the audience would have kept screaming. Amazing!
Joannie Rochette (Canada) - Scott Hamilton said something that was very telling during her performance..."Timing seems off." I think this program is weird for her and she has never gotten her timing together. If I were her...Canadian Nationals and Olympics...I'd go back to last season's free. It's battle tested and it works. That or completely re work this program. She needs to do something!
Alena Leonova (Russia) - Kind of a learning experience. Bit of shock to find herself in this field of women and in the thick of it. Pressure finally got to her here. Without the jumps the life goes out of this program and it becomes unimpressive. Too bad.
Kim Yu-Na (S. Korea) - Tentative. Easier lutz combo and the two footed triple toe behind the double axel was unusual. Again, this program doesn't blow me away...but then again I expect so much more from her because she is truly far more advanced than the others. Nice to see the flip landed...now how about the loop?
Miki Ando (Japan) - Before she skates I'm thinking she can totally win this on the strength of her jumping ability. She came so close...really needed the triple loop behind the lutz and the triple salchow to be cleaner. But she did a nice job of at least keeping it close. Both Miki Ando and Rachael Flatt have given hope to the rest of the ladies field!
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Grand Prix Final Short Program Flash
*When I watch live skating from Japan I learn how much I love coffee!
Zhang and Zhang (China) - Fosse program still lacks pizazz but it was a little better. Dan has to figure out how to emote...she looks like a limp log out there...the music is Fosse...cut loose!
Kavaguti and Smirnov (Russia) - Lovely program with little awkward moments sprinkled in. Iffy toe loop landing for Yuko, slight collison on split twist, bad landing on throw, slight stumble at the end...not their best.
Savchenko and Szolkowy (Germany) - Beautiful choreography. Robin put his hand down on toe loop...that might be the difference between them and Shen and Zhao...will have to wait and see.
Mukhortova and Trankov (Russia) - Lovely! This team seems to be getting it together at just the right time.
Pang and Tong (China) - They breezed through their program like it was easy. Conservative scores from the judges...puzzling.
Shen and Zhao (China) - Again outclassed the field but a little roughness on a lift exit kept them from running away with it.
Crone and Poirier (Canada) - Good attack. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain so I say go for it 200%!
Kerr and Kerr (Great Britain) - Rushed a bit. John had some weird unfinished edges that made the program look sloppy at times. Good energy though.
Cappellini and Lanotte (Italy) - Charming program. Clean as a whistle but not that difficult.
Pechalat and Bourzat (France) - Solid. Similar to the Kerr's but a touch cleaner. Very close...very close.
Virtue and Moir (Canada) - Sizzlin'! That Flamenco has to be the best I've ever seen put on ice. Epic battle heating up here!
Davis and White (USA) - Looked nervous prior to beginning program but turned it up once they got going. Meryl Davis is so in tune with the character of this dance it's scary. Basically amazing, a season's best score, and the lead!
Akiko Suzuki (Japan) - Not sure if the Grand Prix Final is where you should be watering down the content. Took the lutz out of the program. Slightly under-rotated loop. Good attack though.
Ashley Wagner (USA) - Great performance but technical issues on the jumps...lots of two feet, under-rotations, and edge calls. She had great energy though.
Alena Leonova (Russia) - Whimsical. She manages to get the funky chicken in her program. Struggled on the lutz but lots of personality. Surprisingly solid score.
Joannie Rochette (Canada) - Seemed lifeless. Fell out of the back end of her combination and had to hang on to the flip. Still hasn't found her groove this season. BEHIND Leonova...wow.
Miki Ando (Japan) - Solid jumps but little else. Something weird happened during her layback (forgot a position/transition...not sure) and she had to redo a little choreography. Seemed to get a decent number from the judges.
Kim Yu-Na (S. Korea) - Seemed on her way until she singled her triple flip. Despite amazing choreography only made it to second place. Thinking she may have got downgraded on the triple toe as well. It's like "Stop the Press...Kim doesn't lead a short program!"
Tomas Verner (Czech Republic) - Opened with a gorgeous quad/triple combo and then singled his axel and lutz. Who does that?
Johnny Weir (USA) - Came out with gusto! Beautiful jumps and a big ole score in the mid 80s! Wowza!
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan) - Double wowza! Huge jumps, amazing footwork! He so close to catching the highest SP score of all time!
Jeremy Abbott (USA) - Great combo but iffy axel and a fall on the lutz. Still had strong components though.
Evan Lysacek (USA) - OMG! Amazing triple jumps and he sold that footwork like no other! Right behind behind Takahashi...I'm talking less than a point! Both are in the 89's!
Nobunari Oda (Japan) - The hits keep coming! Beautiful! His knee flexibility is enviable. Huge ovation. Into third just ahead of Weir.
*Weir, Oda, Lysacek, and Takahashi put on a short program for sure! The four of them are close! Who needs, Plushenko, Joubert, Chan, and Lambiel!?!?
Zhang and Zhang (China) - Fosse program still lacks pizazz but it was a little better. Dan has to figure out how to emote...she looks like a limp log out there...the music is Fosse...cut loose!
Kavaguti and Smirnov (Russia) - Lovely program with little awkward moments sprinkled in. Iffy toe loop landing for Yuko, slight collison on split twist, bad landing on throw, slight stumble at the end...not their best.
Savchenko and Szolkowy (Germany) - Beautiful choreography. Robin put his hand down on toe loop...that might be the difference between them and Shen and Zhao...will have to wait and see.
Mukhortova and Trankov (Russia) - Lovely! This team seems to be getting it together at just the right time.
Pang and Tong (China) - They breezed through their program like it was easy. Conservative scores from the judges...puzzling.
Shen and Zhao (China) - Again outclassed the field but a little roughness on a lift exit kept them from running away with it.
Crone and Poirier (Canada) - Good attack. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain so I say go for it 200%!
Kerr and Kerr (Great Britain) - Rushed a bit. John had some weird unfinished edges that made the program look sloppy at times. Good energy though.
Cappellini and Lanotte (Italy) - Charming program. Clean as a whistle but not that difficult.
Pechalat and Bourzat (France) - Solid. Similar to the Kerr's but a touch cleaner. Very close...very close.
Virtue and Moir (Canada) - Sizzlin'! That Flamenco has to be the best I've ever seen put on ice. Epic battle heating up here!
Davis and White (USA) - Looked nervous prior to beginning program but turned it up once they got going. Meryl Davis is so in tune with the character of this dance it's scary. Basically amazing, a season's best score, and the lead!
Akiko Suzuki (Japan) - Not sure if the Grand Prix Final is where you should be watering down the content. Took the lutz out of the program. Slightly under-rotated loop. Good attack though.
Ashley Wagner (USA) - Great performance but technical issues on the jumps...lots of two feet, under-rotations, and edge calls. She had great energy though.
Alena Leonova (Russia) - Whimsical. She manages to get the funky chicken in her program. Struggled on the lutz but lots of personality. Surprisingly solid score.
Joannie Rochette (Canada) - Seemed lifeless. Fell out of the back end of her combination and had to hang on to the flip. Still hasn't found her groove this season. BEHIND Leonova...wow.
Miki Ando (Japan) - Solid jumps but little else. Something weird happened during her layback (forgot a position/transition...not sure) and she had to redo a little choreography. Seemed to get a decent number from the judges.
Kim Yu-Na (S. Korea) - Seemed on her way until she singled her triple flip. Despite amazing choreography only made it to second place. Thinking she may have got downgraded on the triple toe as well. It's like "Stop the Press...Kim doesn't lead a short program!"
Tomas Verner (Czech Republic) - Opened with a gorgeous quad/triple combo and then singled his axel and lutz. Who does that?
Johnny Weir (USA) - Came out with gusto! Beautiful jumps and a big ole score in the mid 80s! Wowza!
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan) - Double wowza! Huge jumps, amazing footwork! He so close to catching the highest SP score of all time!
Jeremy Abbott (USA) - Great combo but iffy axel and a fall on the lutz. Still had strong components though.
Evan Lysacek (USA) - OMG! Amazing triple jumps and he sold that footwork like no other! Right behind behind Takahashi...I'm talking less than a point! Both are in the 89's!
Nobunari Oda (Japan) - The hits keep coming! Beautiful! His knee flexibility is enviable. Huge ovation. Into third just ahead of Weir.
*Weir, Oda, Lysacek, and Takahashi put on a short program for sure! The four of them are close! Who needs, Plushenko, Joubert, Chan, and Lambiel!?!?
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Grand Prix Rewind
So we've come to the final...decided to rewind the clock and remember some of the highlights from each event.
Trophée Eric Bompard Cachemire - The big thing that stuck out to me was Kim Yu-Na's win and that big ole' score! Nobunari Oda made a smashing debut with his Charlie Chaplin free skate. Virtue and Moir impressed with inventive lifts in the free skate. Mukhortova and Trankov put down the best performance of their career to take the pairs title. Side notes: Inoue and Baldwin nailing a gorgeous throw triple axel and what are Savchenko and Szolkowy thinking about with that SP outfit/face paint choice?
Rostelecom Cup - Plushy's back! Davis and White just upped the ante for Ice Dancing this season. Side notes: Did Johnny just skate that SP with a pink corsett on? Alena Leonova knows how to light up a room!
SAMSUNG Anycall Cup of China - Shen and Zhao look as unbeatable as Kim Yu-Na. Akiko Suzuki...who knew?!?! Oda does it again. Side notes: Belbin and Agoto are impressive, but not as impressive as their main North American contenders. Evan Lysacek looks amazing...whoever is his tailor, nice work.
NHK Trophy - Brian Joubert re-found his swagger...so did Johnny Weir. Pang and Tong are not going to let their countrymen walk away with this! Davis and White bring it again! Side notes: Did Ashley Wagner just win that SP? The ladies have got to get it together this season! Japanese men's meltdown...not a single one on the podium...eeek!
Cancer.Net Skate America - That's an Evan Lysacek that could be dangerous in Vancouver! Kim Yu-Na as well as Shen and Zhao are human...for the first time they look vulnerable. Belbin and Agosto bump it up a notch. Side notes: Props for Rachael Flatt...you beat Yu-Na! What's going on in the men's competition? Sawyer? Bradley? Cappellinni and Lanotte...surprise...You just made the Grand Prix Final!
HomeSense Skate Canada - Abbott nailed that quad and won...clutch! Savchenko and Szolkowy show how to win a competition...do I spy perfect 10s? Virtue and Moir...another big ole' score! Side notes: Again, the women...underwhelming. Weaver and Poje...out of nowhere! Patrick...you can't do that! Finally, what's up with the Canadian scoring bump?
What were some of your favorite highlights from the Grand Prix?
Trophée Eric Bompard Cachemire - The big thing that stuck out to me was Kim Yu-Na's win and that big ole' score! Nobunari Oda made a smashing debut with his Charlie Chaplin free skate. Virtue and Moir impressed with inventive lifts in the free skate. Mukhortova and Trankov put down the best performance of their career to take the pairs title. Side notes: Inoue and Baldwin nailing a gorgeous throw triple axel and what are Savchenko and Szolkowy thinking about with that SP outfit/face paint choice?Rostelecom Cup - Plushy's back! Davis and White just upped the ante for Ice Dancing this season. Side notes: Did Johnny just skate that SP with a pink corsett on? Alena Leonova knows how to light up a room!
SAMSUNG Anycall Cup of China - Shen and Zhao look as unbeatable as Kim Yu-Na. Akiko Suzuki...who knew?!?! Oda does it again. Side notes: Belbin and Agoto are impressive, but not as impressive as their main North American contenders. Evan Lysacek looks amazing...whoever is his tailor, nice work.
NHK Trophy - Brian Joubert re-found his swagger...so did Johnny Weir. Pang and Tong are not going to let their countrymen walk away with this! Davis and White bring it again! Side notes: Did Ashley Wagner just win that SP? The ladies have got to get it together this season! Japanese men's meltdown...not a single one on the podium...eeek!Cancer.Net Skate America - That's an Evan Lysacek that could be dangerous in Vancouver! Kim Yu-Na as well as Shen and Zhao are human...for the first time they look vulnerable. Belbin and Agosto bump it up a notch. Side notes: Props for Rachael Flatt...you beat Yu-Na! What's going on in the men's competition? Sawyer? Bradley? Cappellinni and Lanotte...surprise...You just made the Grand Prix Final!
HomeSense Skate Canada - Abbott nailed that quad and won...clutch! Savchenko and Szolkowy show how to win a competition...do I spy perfect 10s? Virtue and Moir...another big ole' score! Side notes: Again, the women...underwhelming. Weaver and Poje...out of nowhere! Patrick...you can't do that! Finally, what's up with the Canadian scoring bump?
What were some of your favorite highlights from the Grand Prix?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)