Skate Canada Afterglow

So Skate Canada is in the books. I have to apologize for not posting flashes. I was actually intending on watching most of Skate Canada on demand but ended up watching most of it as it happened. The flip side I was at work and couldn't watch, blog, work simultaneously. However...you can read what I thought about the action by checking my Twitter profile.

What were the Skate Canada highlights for me? Let's start with the amazing performance given by Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch in the free skate. I'm always down for a good Les Mis program and they rocked it. You didn't even care about the bobble Kirsten had on her Salchow because any memory of it was erased by the two fantastic lifts they did at the end to pull the crowd out of their seats. They won the free skate and took the silver overall but the were desparately close to catching the Russians Iliushechkina and Maisuradze for the Gold. Kirsten were joined on the podium by their young teammates Lawrence and Swiegers.The Americans Castelli and Shnapir were so close to medaling after a fantastic short but the free got the better of them. I do love their Avatar free skate though.

I also loved the unpredictability of the dance event. This season it seems like nothing is a done deal and all the teams can't put it on cruise control like they did before. Kerr and Kerr of Great Britain have a lovely free skate and were on their way to victory when they had a slip on lift and it didn't really go as planned. That one mistake was enough to let Crone and Poirier of Canada slip past them for the win with a Beatle's number choreographed by Christopher Dean (so in the end...I guess Great Britain still wins out!). The Canadians are really putting pressure on these Grand Prix Podiums. Paul and Islam, another Canadian Team at this event, was actually 2nd in the free dance and finished 4th overall. It was the Americans Chock and Zuerlein that snuck in for the bronze after after a fun dance set to Cabaret.

The ladies event was so unpredictable start to finish. I actually pegged the Junior World Silver Medalist Agnes Zawadzki to win it because I though at the least she would be consistent and that would win the day. Well Agnes was hot and saucy in the short but nerves got the better of her in the free and she fell to 6th. The podium was quite a roller coaster. Amelie Lacoste 5th after the short, managed the bronze. She didn't have a great free but it was good enough on the day. Johnny Weir tweeted several times that we should all pray for Ksenia. The prayer must have worked because she worked her Evita free skate enough to earn the silver medal. She seemed happy with her skate and Johnny tweeted he almost cried his lashes off! The Gold Medal, however, went for the second time in her career, to Alissa Czisny (video below). She came back from 4th in the short to take it all with a gorgeous program set to George Winston's Winter and Spring. Are good things ahead this season for Alissa?

Finally the men. I took some heat on Twitter for defending the judges at this event. Patrick Chan had a terrible short program and many felt he should have been further back than what he was (4th). In the free skate, he came roaring back (quad included) to take the title. Nobunari fans in particular harped on the "Canadian Bonus" Patrick got in the short. I will be the first to call out any point padding. I think Kevin Reynolds (who hit two quads in the short!) and Amelie Lacoste in particular were beneficiaries of some point bumps at this event. Chan, I felt was marked fairly. His tech score wasn't padded at all, the protocols show that, and he is one of (if not the) the best skaters as far as the component score. A better way of looking at it is like this...so you think Patrick was over scored in the short, so you think he should have been ranked behind Alban Preaubert, Javier Fernandez, Yasuharu Nanri? Even on a bad Patrick Chan day, you have to admit his skating skills are certainly going to keep him ranked ahead of those skaters. On the flip side, you can say Adam Rippon and Nobunari Oda weren't given the component scores they deserved. But as good as they are (and I love both of them!), Patrick is still far superior to them in the component mark. In the end...rationally...I think the judges did get it right and there were just some mad fans. I think Nobunari's silver and Adam's bronze were right. Should I prepare for more egg dodging?

You can see the full results here.

I can report that I am 0 for 8 on accurate podium predictions. I have to improve this. I did do better on my fantasy picks though. Tied for 197th (better than the 365th last week) and have improved to being ranked 175th overall. I just keep telling myself slow and steady... Cup of China next week!

Raising Breast Cancer Awareness...on the Ice!

On the eve of Skate Canada International, I wanted to focus some attention on a cause important to me and the work I do outside of figure skating...while featuring figure skating!

As many of you know or at the least are about to learn, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can visit the Susan G. Komen websitee to learn more about Breast Cancer but the fact is we need to focus more attention on it. In the U.S. alone, 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will occur among women in 2010.

But Breast Cancer isn't just an issue in the United States, it's a global issue, and a group of men from Canada do a fantastic group of not only bringing attention to Breast Cancer, but also raising money for Breast Cancer research. If you haven't heard of The Ice Men...you will now!

The Ice Men bill themselves as "an all male comedic precision skating team." I asked Tyler Cochrane who is the Captain of The Ice Men, what's one thing the world should absolutely know about The Ice Men; "We love to skate, we love to laugh, and we especially love "OLD SCHOOL PRECISION" was the answer!

Another thing I think the world should know is that this talented group of men have raised nearly $25,000 for Breast Cancer Research. How does a 'comedic precision skating team' accomplish such a feat? By delighting audience members across to amazing performances and then donating the money to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. It's important to note that all proceeds go towards fighting breast cancer. All their outfits, their training facilities, and even practice ice are donated to them. In fact, even now, they are looking for some practice ice for the upcoming season. Talk about commitment!

I wondered what the motivation for doing such amazing work and Tyler shared that a vast majority of the team has known someone directly affected by cancer. He summed their motivation up brilliantly, "The reality is cancer effects everyone one way or another." And with such dedication comes high praise. "There is rarely a show that goes by where someone hasn't made some sort of comment towards our cause and how much they appreciate what they are doing. It is such an added bonus knowing that we are supporting such a great cause considering how much fun and enjoyment we all get out of performing each number." According to Tyler these accolades are continuously pouring in and that he recently received a very personal e-mail from someone who had recently lost a loved one to breast cancer and thanked them for the work they do for Princess Margaret Hospital.

And these guys keep busy. In fact, you'll see several of them competing this weekend at Skate Canada including Dylan Moscovitch (with partner Kirsten Moore-Towers) and Mitch Islam (with partner Alexandra Paul). Tyler says a majority of the Ice Men have or currently are competing at the Junior and/or Senior National/International level. "We are lucky to have the talent we have."

"We love to skate, we love to laugh, and we especially love OLD SCHOOL PRECISION." My guess Ice Men...a lot of people love you!

You can find lots of information about Breast Cancer at the Princess Margaret Hospital website and you can make a donation to the Princess Margaret Hospital by clicking this link. Also follow The Ice Men on Twitter @The_Ice_Men and on flickr.

Pic of the Week

He wowed the socks off me at the recent Japan Open competition and he may just do the same at Skate Canada!

Adam Rippon is armed with some confidence this season. After winning the Four Continents Cup last season (video below), he went on to finish in the top six at World's. Now armed with two solid programs he's looking to make his mark this season.

It won't be easy...he faces stiff competition at this event from both Nobunari Oda and Patrick Chan who plans to add the quad into his program this season.

This is the first season where Adam is looked at as one of the top men in the world and a certifiable contender. On Adam's Official Website he says his "number one goal for this season is show maturity, consistent, clean, and passionate skating every time I go out to compete." I hope he achieves his goal!

Skate Canada Kicks off Friday

So part two in our Grand Prix Soap Opera unfolds this weekend in Kingston, Canada. In my estimation, this is one of the more watered down fields but should be exciting none-the-less.

The Pairs field is by far the weakest in the event with no Olympic or World Medalist in sight. The strongest team in the field is the 2009 World Junior Champions Iliushechkina and Maisuradze of Russia, but i think this is completely open for almost any team in the event to nab a medal here. Past that team it's a quite a hodge podge of competitors. Two American teams have had some competitive success in the past but never at a Senior Grand Prix events. The British team have knocked on the door before but never walked through. The three Canadian teams have never medaled at a Grand Prix event however Dylan Moscovitch and partner Kirsten Moore-Towers skated well at this event last season and Megan Duhamel has medaled on the Grand Prix with former partner Craig Buntin. A young Chinese team rounds out the mix. Your guess is as good as mine as to how this will shake out! Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Iliushechkina and Maisuradze, (SILVER) Dong and Wu, (BRONZE) Simpson and Miller

The women's field is interesting as there are some veterans in the field mixed in with some of the young up and comers...a clash of experience vs youthfulness if you will. For the veterans you have Japan's Fumie Suguri and Switzerland's Sarah Meier. For the youngn's you have Agnes Zawadzki of the U.S., Haruka Imai of Japan, and Russia's Ksenia Makarova. The story may be told, however, by the skaters in between such as Cynthia Phaneuf and Alissa Czisny. It's such a weird field to attempt to predict outcomes with. Alissa has a tendency to skate well at this event so I suspect she will do well here but the experience a competitor such as Suguri brings to the table can't be overlooked...but is she "over-the-hill" so to speak. In the end I have to look at results when I make my predictions so I'm going to go with perhaps an unorthodox approach here. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Agnes Zawadzki, (SILVER) Fumie Suguri, (BRONZE) Alissa Czisny

The Dance field took a blow when Virtue and Moir had to withdraw due to Tessa's surgery. That does allow the opportunity for Crone and Poirier of Canada to set themselves apart. In order to win they'll have to get past the Kerr's of Great Britain and that won't be easy. The British duo are consistent crowd favorites but lost a little cred with the judges last season so the door is open for the Canadians. The bronze battle will likely come down to 2009 Junior World Champs Chock and Zuerlein of the U.S. and 2010 Junior World Silver Medalists Paul and Islam of Canada. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Kerr and Kerr, (SILVER) Crone and Poirier, (BRONZE) Chock and Zuerlein

The mens field is definitely where there are the most fireworks. World Silver Medalist Patrick Chan leads an impressive group of men including Japan's Nobunari Oda, Adam Rippon of the U.S., Spain's Javier Fernandez (a name you may not have heard but a impressive skater you'll hear more of this season!), and France's Alban Preaubert. I'm thinking Nobunari will have put his World Championship disaster behind him (he failed to make the free skate) and skate well on the Grand Prix as he did last season. Chan enters this event healthy unlike last season adding to the dynamic of the competition. Some outside shots at the podium may come from the always entertaining Kristoffer Berntsson of Sweden and Canada's jumping machine Kevin Reynolds. In the end, I think this one will be told by who can land jumps with solid components...I think that makes this a three man race for the Gold. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Nobunari Oda, (SILVER) Patrick Chan, (BRONZE) Adam Rippon

I will not be live tweeting during the majority of the competition this weekend. I will post my flash comments as I watch the events on demand and of course will keep up with twitter when I can. Plenty of people will be tweeting though! Follow in particular @FSOnline, @Xanboni, and @JoyousJulie

Skate Canada Fantasy Picks

So another Grand Prix event, more Fantasy Picks...here's what I've come up with:

Ladies

I think Ladies A was the hardest of all my decisions. I went with the veteran Fumie Suguri. Maybe this is the year veterans strike back with Carolina's win last week as evidence. Chose another veteran with Ladies B although Meier has rarely been on form this early in the season. Ladies C was a no brainer with the Junior World Silver Medalist...I actually think Agnes is my favorite for the win!

Dance

Dance A seemed an easy choice but Crone and Poirier could put up a fight and surprise at home. Chock and Zuerlein seemed the easy choice for B and Paul and Islam looked like the easy choice for C as the Junior World Silver Medalists. No brainers...

Pairs

Really watered down field...so much so that the choice for A is de facto. No idea who to pick for B so went with a Chinese Team...they'll likely land throws, right? Blind picked C and went with the energetic Americans...I've seen them skate well before!

Men

Watching Nobu land those quad triples with such easy on YouTube makes me think he's going to do well here...that was a tough choice between he and Chan but went with Nobunari. Alban skated so well at this event last season so picked him for B. Another dice roll as far as my C pick is concerned...Japan seems to be skating well so went with Nanri.

Thoughts? Skate Canada preview coming tomorrow.

UPDATE: News that Sarah Meier may have injured herself in practice made me nervous so a quick change of the fantasy picks...I've gone with Haruka Imai of Japan for Ladies B instead.

NHK Trophy Roundup

So about the 2010 installmenmt of the NHK Trophy...

What I Liked
NHK Trophy gave us a good peak at some of the young and up-and-coming talent from Japan. In the short program especially, Yuzuru Hanyu and Kanako Murakami came out like gang busters...very impressive. And while not perhaps their best performance, Takahashi and Tran did a nice job of putting Japan on the Pairs radar as far as seniors go. I loved some of the new programs out there including Daisuke Takahashi's short, Jeremy Abbott's short and free, Denney and Barrett's free, Shawn Sawyers, free, Yankowskas and Coughlin's free, Ilinykh and Katsalapov's free dance, and the Shibutani's free dance. I also loved that the Shibutani's nabbed a bronze medal in their Senior Grand Prix debut! While I'm not jumping for joy over the programs (yet), I love the class and sophistication Davis and White and Pang and Tong brought to their victories.

What I Didn't Like
I was not a fan of the short dances. One of the things I asked Ice-Dance.com on Twitter was what should we look for with these and one of the most important things was the transition between prescribed steps from the old compulsory dance to the original choreography. I felt like few of the teams managed this well. It seemed like there was a compulsory dance, and then there was a mini original dance, and all the teams were huffing and puffing around the rink trying to get all the requirements in on time. Only Davis and White I felt managed a smooth transition between the two types of 'ice dancing' required in the short dance. I also didn't like the result of the ladies competition. I think Rachael Flatt should have had an easy win here and yet she found herself second behind a watered down Carolina Kostner. I poured over the judges protocol and on the technical side, the judges were slightly more generous with positive grades on the things Carolina did well vs the positive grades for what Rachael did well. Carolina had 1's and 2's where Rachael had 0's and 1's. Also, a near seven point gap between Carolina and Rachael on the PCS scores seems ridiculous to me. I think in some areas (some!) Carolina may have a slight advantage...but overall I feel their skating is quite even on a component scale. I would love for a judge to sit down with me and explain point-by-point how Carolina is that much better. In general, I don't feel the judges were very forthcoming with scores for any of the American competitors.

What I Hated
First, watching Mao Asada have an utter meltdown! Nothing worked for her here, either in the short or free. And with an 8th place (yes 8th!) finish, a trip to the Grand Prix Final in Beijing is near impossible. I hated the ridiculous number of Tango's this season. Not just in dance, but in all the disciplines so many competitors have a Tango! The best Tweet during NHK Trophy was from @icedancecom! Only Daisuke Takahashi's Tango passes the Axels, Loops, and Spins overused music test and gets a pass. I even still have to warm-up to Davis and White's Forever Tango/Il Postino. The final thing I hated was the scoring amongst the top three in the mens competition. First I had a hard time with Amodio sneaking past Abbott in the free skate (even though he placed behind him overall). The sophistication of Abbott's program coupled with the fact he only had one major jump error led me to believe Abbott would sail past Amodio but not the case. To be fair it was the technical score that got Amodio past Abbott but still. I mean standing at center ice for 11 seconds doing Michael Jackson isn't exactly skating. On the flip side, Takahashi was scored nearly 7 points better than Abbott in the PCS score on his way to a win. No way is Takahashi 7 points better than Abbott in PCS...at best they are about dead even. Like the women, I want someone to sit down and explain how Daisuke is 7 points better...anyone? I'll get off my soapbox!

As for my fantasy picks...wamp wamp! I'm tied for 365th place. Get em' next time!

You can see the full results here. Next week, Skate Canada!

NHK Trophy Free Skate Flash

Jeremy Ten (Canada) - Great comeback. Love Queen Symphony and glad he kept the program. Solid skate.

Kevin van der Perren (Belgium) - Big jumps! Came back huge from the short program. Needs more Mummy in the program set to The Mummy soundtrack.

Adrian Schultheiss (Sweden) - Weird. Multiple versions of Romeo and Juliet. Odd hand movements. Not a fan of this program...I want the crazy Schultheiss back.

Takahito Mura (Japan) - Good speed...good presentation. Was working hard at making the program work. Into the lead.

Jialiang Wu (China) - Pretty music choice but poor choreo. Nice jumps but program was flat.

Ross Miner (United States) - Great senior debut. Looked like he was thinking his way through the program but managed most of the jumps. Liked the circular footwork at the very beginning. Kurt Browningesque.

Denis Ten (Kazakhstan) - Really rough skate. Lots of silly stumbles. Needs to lighten up...always so serious.

Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan) - Talent in the making. Good program but ran out of gas. Needs a bit more mileage.

Florent Amodio (France) - Rocked choreo. Michael Jackson and Black Eyed Peas medley. Spent a lot of time standing in place dancing. Entertaining but 11 seconds at center ice mimicking Jackson movements I think is a a bit much! Judges love it though...new leader!

Shawn Sawyer (Canada) - Awesome program to Alice in Wonderland. But pesky jump issues continue. Abrupt ending. Skating skills aren't strong enough to hold him up in the free.

Jeremy Abbott (United States) - Masterful program. Only mistake is popped second axel. Really gets the character of the music. Roberto Benigni on ice! Takes the lead but is actually second behind Amodio in free, puzzling?

Daisuke Takahashi (Japan) - Great start with quad. Program was crusing along until a late popped salchow and fall on a lutz combo. Still managed to win big which confused me even more. He beat Jeremy on both the technical and component scores. His Tango, however, is the best of them all!

Diane Szmiett (Canada) - Complete splatfest. Nothing went right. Sad

Lena Marrocco (France) - She is more like a junior skater. Program didn't have a lot of depth. Some Rachael Flatt-like choreo.

Viktoria Helgesson (Sweden) - So rushed. She never settles into her programs. The only thing not rushed was the ending which was three seconds late because she had to finish up a spin.

Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia) - Phantom of the Opera...second most used music to the Tango. Okay, nothing special.

Mao Asada (Japan) - Complete disaster. Missed opening axel and never got it together. Behind Elene...shocker!

Jenna McCorkell (Great Britain) - Another splatfest. Geez...

Caroline Zhang (United States) - Labored performance. Lots of missed jumps. Behind Gedevanishvili.

Kiira Korpi (Finland) - Not great but not a disaster. Nabs lead by default. Evita is perhaps an iffy choice.

Ashley Wagner (United States) - Malaguena is great choice but the program looks like it needs more mileage. Jump issues throughout, behind Korpi.

Racahel Flatt (United States) - First girl to manage a decent complete program. Slaughter on 5th Ave. program feels a little old fashioned though. Leader with two left to skate.

Kanako Murakami (Japan) - Totally tanked! Crazy. Program seems a bit mature for her. Behind Rachael.

Carolina Kostner (Italy) - Again super watered down technical content. Hardest jump completed was a loop. However, as per usual, Carolina pulls points out of nowwhere to win. Unbelievable! I'll call it...she deserves the silver at best and received a huge undeserved gift from the judges.

Zhang and Wang (China) - Some strengths technically but not much else. Kind of one dimensional performance.

Hausch and Wende (Germany) - Don't know how much they captured the theme of Prince of Persia but they skated okay. Not great ride out out on throw landings but no disasters.

Yankowskas and Coughlin (United States) - Gorgeous program set to Ave Maria. Technical issues for Caitlin. Still waiting for them to be brilliant.

Brodeur and Mattatal (Canada) - Lots of technical issues. Program lacks attack, just kind of this sweet thing on ice...needs more.

Denney and Barrett (United States) - Program needs some work. Like the choreography but they don't look comfortable in it yet. Little technical issues too. Behind Caitlin and John.

Takahashi and Tran (Japan) - Small disaster. Missed most jump elements. Still managed to nab the lead because of short program points.

Bazarova and Larionov (Russia) - Near clean but lifeless. Man in the Iron Mask is supposed to be exciting...they were not.

Pang and Tong (China) - Not even close despite problems of their own on sbs jumps. Kind of feel like this program is a little slow. Might grow on me.

Turoczi and Major (Hungary) - I really liked this program. They seem to like it too so I guess that's what matters most.

Yu and Wang (China) - Pleasing performance. Lift entrances seemed sticky. Nothing to go bezerk about.

Coomes and Buckland (Great Britain) - The Lion King. Okay...

Reed and Reed (Japan) - Lovely number to Josh Groban piece. Technical issues but still lovely.

Mysliveckova and Novak (Czech Republic) - Hot mess!

Shibutani and Shibutani (United States) - Gorgeous program! Came back like gangbusters from their problem in the SD.

Cappellini and Lanotte (Italy) - Issues all over the place. Lifts, twizzles, spins, all a mess. Behind the Shibs.

Ilinykh and Katsalapov (Russia) - Solid performance. Liked their attack. Good music choice with Don Quixote. But, not as solid as Shibs and into second they go.

Weaver and Poje (Canada) - Great program to Moulin Rogue. Really get into the choreo and it comes across. Not as strong as the Shibs but enough to stay ahead of them overall.

Davis and White (Unites States) - I'm not a huge fan of this program (yet) but you can see just how amazing it is. It's a Tango and there are tons this season...maybe that's why I'm turned off...? Still, magnificent skate, huge score, easy win.

NHK Trophy Short Program Flash

Turoczi and Major (Hungary) - Whole thing kind of felt like a compulsory dance. Not much emotion on Balazs part. Twizzle oopsy.

Yu and Wang (China) - First half moved well across the ice. Good transition from Waltz to Tango. So so on presentation.

Coomes and Buckland (Great Britain) - Seemed to move quick across the ice. Felt frantic at times. Twizzles seemed out of sync and off balance. Meh.

Reed and Reed (Japan) - Clearly looked the most put together of the teams this far but unfortunately Chris slipped on his twizzle. Clever music and costuming.

Ilinykh and Katsalapov (Russia) - Breezing through until Nikita had a little trouble with some turns in the straight-line footwork. Blazing fast twizzles! Still, leaps ahead of the rest at this point.

Mysliveckova and Novak (Czech Republic) - Felt like they could slip at any moment. Twizzles were kind of a hot mess, barely managed. Whole routine felt "barely managed."

Shibutani and Shibutani (United States) - Crusing along...beautiful. But Alex got caught in Maia's skirt and a tumble ensues. Darn...still lovely though.

Weaver and Poje (Canada) - Just pushed through the program with great speed. No major problems and nice presentation. Sneak ahead of the Russians by a smidge.

Cappellini and Lanotte (Italy) - Save some unison and quality issues on the twizzles...clear sailing. Great music choices for them...really sold it. Fun steps and lifts. But then only third place...hmmmmm.

Davis and White (Unites States) - Obvious class of the field. Amazing Twizzles and speed. First place by heaps!

*In general, I found the short dances rushed. All the teams seemed as though they were frantically trying to complete all the required elements in time.

**I don't like how the prescribed dance steps seem stiff and then the original choreography seems less stiff...doesn't mix well.



Bazarova and Larionov (Russia) - Nice job. No fireworks but they put down a decent performance. Solid Russian basics.

Hausch and Wende (Germany) - Nice sbs triple toes. Not quite the level of skating skills as the Russians but nice job overall.

Yankowskas and Coughlin (United States) - Nice performance. Lift was spectacular as always. Timing issue on the sbs spins. Into second but good job.

Zhang and Wang (China) - Lifeless...lacked polish. Nice throw though.

Brodeur and Mattatal (Canada) - Effervescent performance. Lacked some umpfh though. Not bad for last minute entries. Got ahead of Yankowskas and Coughlin by a hair.

Denney and Barrett (United States) - New sophistication. David Wilson choreo works. Solid elements as always. Puzzling to see them go behind Russians.

Takahashi and Tran (Japan) - Some fun quirky moments and interesting transitions. Sync issues here and there. Even more puzzling to see them go ahead of Denney and Barrett...huh?

Pang and Tong (China) - Clean as a whistle...program felt like it wouldn't end though. Kind of slow music that goes nowhere. But of course a huge lead.



Lena Marrocco (France) - Green. Lacked spark and flow.

Diane Szmiett (Canada) - Jumps didn't work. Almost fell on footwork. Another uninspired program. Seemed like she didn't want to be there.

Viktoria Helgesson (Sweden) - Lovely piece of music that she rushed all the way through. Excessive arm movements killed the program for me. Fall on Flip didn't help.

Jenna McCorkell (Great Britain) - She's never been a very elegant skater so I love the "muscle" music. Nice lutz combo. Spins and footwork need some speed.

Ashley Wagner (United States) - Nice presentation. Close jump landings and lutz still looks a little "flutzy." Good speed throughout.

Kanako Murakami (Japan) - Sold the choreography brilliantly. Lots of fun and great jumps. Nabbed the lead and gave a big smile in the K&C.

Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia) - Promising start with triple lutz, but missed her combo and singled the axel. Life went out of program to Cell Block Tango.

Caroline Zhang (United States) - Showed much improved technique on jumps and a wee bit more speed. Also more expression in the choreography. Tried easier content but she did it pretty well! Nice job. Third behind Kanako and Ashley...seems fair.

Racahel Flatt (United States) - First half of the program is vintage Flatt...safe, secure, solid. She cuts loose a bit in the back half of the program after she "strips." Another hot wave included. Behind Murakami, I think they didn't like her lutz a lot.

Kiira Korpi (Finland) - Pleasant. Nothing special. One of those skaters that seems to get points from the "nether regions" above. Slips in just below Ashley.

Carolina Kostner (Italy) - Way easy jump content. Somewhat "forced artistry." Good footwork and spins. Somehow gets the lead...I cannot fathom how! Murakami, Flatt, and Wagner where easily better. Easily I say! Why do the judges love her so.

Mao Asada (Japan) - Technical meltdown. Missed triple axel and then singled the flip. Tomorrow's newspaper headline..."World Champ Asada in 8th Place After Short!"



Jeremy Ten (Canada) - Great choreography. After nice triple axel missed his next two jumping passes. Great program artistically but sorely lacking technical content.

Ross Miner (United States) - Good energy. Hand down on triple axel but smooth sailing from that point. Busy choreography...program feels a little rushed at times.

Takahito Mura (Japan) - Huge quad toe triple toe to open program but the next jumping passed missed a bit. Great selection of music but no real connection to it in choreo.

Jialiang Wu (China) - Lots of times Chinese skaters don't give much attention to artistry and Wu did. Clean program and nice presentation I thought.

Florent Amodio (France) - Crazy good! Fast and super solid triples. Footwork is sick!

Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan) - Super fast! Almost headbutted the ice on his lutz but managed to keep it on one foot and cranked a triple toe behind it! Huge triple axel. Close behind Amodio. Nice senior debut.

Shawn Sawyer (Canada) - Killer choreo as always. I want him to get that triple axel under his belt once and for all! Nabs the lead with ridic skating skills.

Denis Ten (Kazakhstan) - Tight. Stepped out of the opening axel and spins lacked some speed. Not the usual Denis Ten pop. Also, what is it with Frank Carroll skaters and the funeral atire?

Adrian Schultheiss (Sweden) - Bland music that droned on. Double his flip and the program never went anywhere. Way down in the standings.

Kevin van der Perren (Belgium) - Slow program to a remix of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet didn't work. Kept doubling jumps...way near the bottom. Looks to hate skating again.

Daisuke Takahashi (Japan) - Botched his axel a bit but then sold it to no end. Footwork was out of control amazing. Looked like he had fun. Decent score and into the lead.

Jeremy Abbott (United States) - Controlled and confident! Program looked super polished and was amazing start to finish. Crazy attention to detail in choreo. Everyone is shaking their heads why he is second behind Takahashi.

Calling All Grand Prix Attendees!

Work is keeping me from attending any of the Grand Prix events this season. I know...wamp wamp. But I know many of you will be out there in the crowds cheering the skaters on!

Have some in person reactions to the performances...snap a cool picture...meet someone interesting...I'd love to feature you on my blog!

Just send it too my e-mail, skateblog102@gmail.com, and I'll do a post where I feature...you!

Calling all in-the-field Grand Prix Attendees!

Pic of the week

I feel like Carolina Kostner is the pink elephant in the middle of the NHK room. Figuratively not literally of course.

She's a veteran of the sport, she's a two-time World Medalist, three-time European Champion, and has a sprinkling of medals from various Grand Prix events (including Grand Prix Finals), and yet no one is talking about her winning this weekends NHK Trophy in Nagoya, Japan.

The last two seasons have been rough for Carolina. After taking the Silver Medal at the 2008 World Championships betwixt Mao Asada and Kim Yu-Na, she had a disastrous 09-9 season that culminated in a 12th place finish at Worlds where she skated a free skate where she failed to land a single clean triple. At that point she left coach Michael Huth, moved to L.A., and began working with Christa Fassi and Frank Carroll.

Despite the coaching change, her rocky road continued. Two six place finishes in her Grand Prix events left her out of the Grand Prix Final and then she lost the Italian Championships to Valentina Marchei, and with only one Italian berth at the Olympics in Vancouver (due in large part to her poor performance in L.A.), she was in Jeopardy of not even making it to the Olympics.

The skating stars aligned somewhat for Carolina and after one of the weakest set of skates from the top ladies at the 2010 European Championships, Carolina managed to take the European title and earn a trip to Vancouver. But disaster struck again and Carolina Kostner finished an unimaginable 16th in Vancouver. She saved face a bit by placing 6th at the World Championships at home in Torino, but the damage was done.

So, Carolina enters NHK with, I think, no one expecting much from her. Fans, judges, media. She is far more decorated than many of the girls getting better press than her: Ashley Wagner, Rachael Flatt, and Kanako Murakami to name a few. She quietly left Frank Carroll this spring and returned to Micahel Huth, perhaps looking for familiarity.

I think Carolina must land on the podium at this competition or she might as well hang up the skates. It's do or die for her career.

Fantasy Figure Skating Basics

Per request, here are the basics about how U.S. Figure Skatings Fantasy Figure Skating works. It's pretty simple

About the Game
There's 11 rounds, one for each Grand Prix Event, the Grand Prix Final, U.S. Nationals, Four Continents Cup, Europeans, and Worlds. For each event you'll manage a team of 8-12 skaters, chosen by you prior to each event. Skaters have been divided into two or three pools. Higher ranked skaters are in the A pool...lower ranked skaters in the B and C pools. You pick a skater from each pool in each discipline and that is your team. Below are my choices for the ladies at NHK. I chose Mao Asada for Pool A, Kanako Murakami for Pool B, and Diane Szmiett for Pool C.



Picking Your Team
The idea is to pick skaters you think will place the highest in the competition. You look at each group and predict who will finish the highest and choose them. This can be tricky as many skaters in each pool are evenly matched. For example, at NHK Trophy this week, Daisuke Takahashi and Jeremy Abbott are in Pool A...a tough choice. Make sure you pick your teams before the event begins. Once the event begins you cannot change or add skaters. Also, from time to time, a skater you may have picked withdraws from the competition. Make sure to check often to make sure your team is complete. Stay on top of skaters progress through the season. How they are skating may affect your choices later down the road...

Earning Points
You basically get as many points your skater earns in the competition. If, for example, Ross Miner earns 210.45 points at NHK, you get 210.45. Add up all the points for your entire team and that is your score for the competition. If a skater(s) on your team withdraws before or during the competition, they earn 0 points. You'll have a competition score, and a total score from all your events. If you don't have the highest score after one event, don't fret! There are 11 competitions for you to gain points! Remember the story about the Tortoise and the Hare...?

Prizes?
There will be competition winners and an overall winner. Competition winners (team that scored the highest points at a particular competition) will get a $25 credit to the U.S. Figure Skating Online Store. The overall winner (most total points at the end of the season) will get a $100 credit to the U.S. Figure Skating Online Store, $75 for second, $50 for third.

What are you waiting for...JUMP IN!!!

Any Questions? If so, ask away!

Fantasy Figure Skating

In an attempt to make myself be more vigilant about staying on top of my Fantasy Figure Skating account, I've decided to add it to my blogging repetoire. If I put my choices out there each week it will be areminder for me to do it. So here are my choices:

2010 NHK Trophy Event

Ladies:
A-Mao Asada, JPN / B-Kanako Murakami, JPN / C-Diane Szmiett, CAN

Men:
A-Jeremy Abbott, USA / B-Yuzuru Hanyu, JPN / C-Ross Miner, USA

Pairs:
A-Pang/Tong, CHN / B-Takahashi/Tran, JPN / C-Zhang/Wang, CHN

Ice Dancing:
A-Davis/White, USA / B-Weaver/Poje, CAN / C-Mysliveckova/Novak, CZE

Analysis: The women for me was pretty easy. Despite Mao Asada's troubles at the Japan Open, I have a hard time imagining her not winning. The person who I feel has the best chance of besting her is her teammate Murakami that's why I picked her as well. I picked Diane Szmiett because I like her style...one of those head vs. heart situations. The men was a complete toss-up between Jeremy and Daisuke but many have smartly pointed out he often isn't hot in the early season so I went with Abbott. Men's B was tough but I think the young Japanese up and comer will prevail here, but Ten, van der Perren, Amodio, and Sawyer could all surprise me I think...kind of crossed my fingers. I'm hoping Ross' natural performability makes my C choice a success. Pairs seemed pretty cut and dry...I'll be shocked if I don't get that one near dead on. The only wiggle I think is with my B choice, if Yankowskas and Coughlin are on they might sneak up. Dance was easy too except for B. I think it will be very close between the Canadians and the Russians.

Who did you pick?

NHK Trophy Kicks Off Grand Prix

Yay! And so the Grand Prix begins with the first stop in Nagoya, Japan for NHK Trophy. So excited!

In Ice Dance I predict very smooth sailing for Davis and White. I'm excited to see their new programs. Last season we got an early sneak peek at Nebelhorn but have had to wait in suspense this season. Tessa Virtue's surgery have, by default, made this team the front runners this season. It will be interesting to see how they go about motivating themselves without a real competition push (at least yet). I suspect Marlie will be just fine! The real interesting part about dance I think will be the podium scramble for second and third. Canadians Weaver and Poje, Americans Shibutani and Shibutani, Russians Ilinykh and Katsalapov, Italians Cappellini and Lanotte, and even the Czech team of Mysliveckova and Novak have a shot at the podium (Hell...I'll even throw in Reed and Reed of Japan! Long-shot but you never know...). Who's mastered the short dance and who can get through their free dance the cleanest I think will tell the story. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Davis and White, (SILVER) Cappellini and Lanotte, (BRONZE) Weaver and Poje (I do think the Russians will be hot on the Canadians tails!)

The ladies competition could be dynamite. NHK Trophy provides one of the deepest fields we'll see on the Grand Prix this season with all eyes on World Champ Mao Asada. She debuted her free skate at the Japan Open and had a terrible skate. It will be interesting to see if she and new coach Nobuo Sato have had time to clean it up and be ready for this competition. If so, she becomes very tough to beat. A strong trio of U.S. women will make the trip to NHK including National Champ Rachael Flatt, the only U.S. women to make the Grand Prix Final last season Ashley Wagner, and Grand Prix wildcard Caroline Zhang. Any of the three could spoil Mao Asada's party if they skate well. I'll be looking to see if Rachael has upped her artistic game with better connection to her music, if Ashley Wagner has smoothed out some of her technical issues (including that flutz), and if Caroline Zhang can get some speed going in her performances. Also in the mix is reigning European Champ Carolina Kostner who is coming off a rough season. The only bright spot was her win at Europeans and even that wasn't a great performance. She's gone back to Michael Huth (who seriously leaves Frank Carroll?) hoping to recapture some of her former glory? Also hailing from Europe is fire-cracker Elene Gedevanishvili from Georgia and Finland's Kiira Korpi. Kiira competed in two early season competitions winning Nebelhorn and placing second at Finlandia so she looks ready to go. Elena will hopefully have upped her technical game to compete with the best. The biggest story at the event may end up being Kanako Murakami. The Japanese junior star is making her senior grand prix debut after sweeping the junior events last season with the cool confidence of a skater far more experienced than she. She might make a splash if she manages to steal the show in Nagoya. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Mao Asada, (SILVER) Rachael Flatt, (BRONZE) Kanako Murakami

Just like Ice Dance, the Pairs event looks to be a complete runaway for World Champs Pang and Tong of China. The field offers little resistance to them barring a complete meltdown. But should that meltdown occur, the very consistent U.S. Team of Denney and Barrett could capitalize. They've got new programs this season choreographed by David Wilson and have been working with former American Champ John Zimmerman...a possible recipe for success? The Japanese team of Takahashi and Tran have been skating well on the Junior Grand Prix this season and hope to duplicate those efforts on the Senior Grand Prix. Two other teams of note are the Russians Bazarova and Larionov and the other American team of Yankowskas and Coughlin. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Pang and Tong, (SILVER) Denney and Barrett, (BRONZE) Bazarova and Larionov

A very interesting mix of men are competing at NHK and I get the idea anything could happen. The favorite at the event is World Champ Daisuke Takahashi...but he has a habit of not looking great in his season openers...but he didn't look to shabby at the Japan Open. If he skates well I think he'll do well. He will be pushed by Jeremy Abbott who can go toe-toe with Daisuke technically and artistically. Jeremy has recently been plagued with boot issues so it will be interesting to see if that effects him in Japan. His Tweets (btw he is above 10,000 followers!) indicate he is ready to go. Behind these two is quite a group of men who could surprise at any instance. Cheif among them Frenchman Florent Amodio and Denis Ten of Kazahkstan. Both have the ability to light up audiences. Florent's free skate this season is a bit messy with tons of music cuts so I think he's at a disadvantage. Too much dancing on the ice and not enough skating. Kevin van der Perren is in the field. He didn't find his groove last season until Worlds which he announced was his farewell to eligible competition, but alas, he and wife Jenna McCorkell are again competing this season (both at NHK). Like Murakami amongst the women, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu makes his debut on the senior grand prix after sweeping the junior events last season. He looks poised to be one of the top contenders here. Also in the mix is Canadian Shawn Sawyer who can pull component scores like no other, Adrian Schultheiss of Sweden who is also interesting, and American young'n Ross Miner who also makes his senior grand prix debut. Should be interesting to say the least. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Jeremy Abbott, (SILVER) Daisuke Takahashi, (BRONZE) Yuzuru Hanyu

My plan is to tweet live during the events (yes...that mean's 1am CST Friday morning!)so be sure to follow me on Twitter @skating102. I also plan on posting my "flashes," basically my at first glance thoughts about the performances.

End of the Junior Grand Prix

The last two weekends brought about the end of the Junior Grand Prix. The last two stops were in Dresden, Germany and nearby Ostrava, Czech Republic.

The big winners included:
Pairs - Sui & Han of China (GER) and Yu & Jin also of China (CZE)
Men - Richard Dornbush of the United States (GER) and Han Yan of China (CZE)
Dance - Kosigina & Moroshkin of Russia (GER) and Pushkash and Guerreiro also of Russia (CZE)
Ladies - Elizaveta Tuktamisheva of Russia (GER) and Vanessa Lam of the United States (CZE)

Other American Medalists at the events included a silver for Christina Gao in Germany, a bronze for Lichthman and Copely in Germany, and a silver for Cain and Reagan in the Czech Republic.

Results for Junior Grand Prix Germany can be seen here and Junior Grand Prix Czech Republic here.

The final field is set for the Junior Grand Prix Final which will take place in Beijing December 9th-12th. Competitors include:

Ice Dance
1.Monko and Khaliavin (RUS)
2.Stepanova and Bukin (RUS)
3.Pushkash and Guerreiro (RUS)
4.Lichtman and Copely (USA)
5.Kosigina and Moroshkin (RUS)
6.Sinitsina and Zhiganshin (RUS)
7.Galyeta and Shumski (UKR)
8.Antipova and Kudashev (RUS)

Men
1.Andrei Rogozine (CAN)
2.Han Yan (CHN)
3.Joshua Farris (USA)
4.Keegan Messing (USA)
5.Richard Dornbush (USA)
6.Max Aaron (USA)
7.Zhan Bush (RUS)
8.Gordei Gorshkov (RUS)

Ladies
1.Adelina Sotnikova (RUS)
2.Elizaveta Tuktamisheva (RUS)
3.Risa Shoki (JPN)
4.Polina Shelepen (RUS)
5.Christina Gao (USA)
6.Yasmin Siraj (USA)
7.Kristiene Gong (USA)
8.Kiri Baga (USA)

Pairs
1.Stolbova and Klimov (RUS)
2.Sui and Han (CHN)
3.Yu and Jin (CHN)
4.Takahashi and Tran (JPN)
5.Purich and Schultz (CAN)
6.Silaeva and Minchuk (RUS)
7.Cain and Reagan (USA)
8.Steele and Schultz (CAN)

Russia came up WAY big in Ice Dance qualifying 3/4 of the field! US was the big winners amongst the men and the women with the most entries (but not the top qualifiers) and a smattering of countries qualified in pairs. Should be interesting.

News Round-Up

Surgery, new Skating shows, old commentators making comebacks...I have to dedicate myself to work for a week and the skating news cycle blows up!

Michal Brezina is out of Cup of China....wamp wamp. Universal Sports Tweeted that "he had surgery yesterday on a varicose vein in his stomach yesterday." Sounds kind of gross...but not too serious. The doctor has ordered two weeks rest, so the Czech Champ will miss stop #3 on the Grand Prix Final and will thus not be able to make the Grand Prix Final...darn. And while on the topic of Surgery, Tessa Virtue also had surgery associated with her CECS (Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome) condition. "Apparently the surgery went really well and I am confident that I have the most competent support team to help me with my recovery. I am excited to get back on the ice as soon as I can and look forward to training and competing pain-free" Tessa told Skate Canada. The Olympic Champ hopes that she and partner Scott Moir can be back on the ice and be ready to compete later this season.

Move aside Jennifer Gray (did I just put in an early DWTS winner prediction; yup!)...at the conclusion of this season of DWTS, Skating with the Stars will hit the ABC airwaves. From the Press Release:

You’ve seen what happens when celebrities take on the ballroom, now see what happens when they hit the ice on blades of steel, in “Skating with the Stars.” The new series from BBC Worldwide Productions pairs a celebrity with a world class ice skater as they prepare to compete in front of a live audience in a televised ice skating competition. The skating pairs will be critiqued by a panel of expert judges and will receive a set of scores based on artistry and technique and by viewers at home, with one couple being eliminated each week. “Skating with the Stars” will kick off its six-episode run with a live premiere episode on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Trainwreck or Triumph...we shall see.

Ah the Glory days of figure skating coverage...aka the Michelle Kwan years. You know, before NBC took over and ABC ruled the skating roost? Well NBC has made one it's best moves yet, by grabbing a little old and making it new. Terry Gannon will join the likes of Scott Hamilton, Tara Lipinski, and Michael Weiss to cover this season's Grand Prix. I'm not even got to beat around the bush and tell you I am not a fan of Tom Hammond and his broadcast "style." If he never returned I'd be happy. Terry covered these skaters for a long time and really 'knew' them and it will be nice to have an actual broadcast voice of knowledge on the Grand Prix. I pray NBC keeps him for Nationals and Worlds!

Last, a little spying on skaters in training for the upcoming season. Take a peek at this spiffy Quad Toe-Triple Toe-Triple Loop from Nobunari Oda. Isn't he about to be (already is?) a dad? Update: Yup! A dad!

Twitter Wars

Whose winning the Twitter War? Who has the most followers? Whose every word are we hanging on too? I have been in a top 10 mood so here are the Top 10 Figure Skaters (by followers at time of posting) on Twitter:

#10 Jeremy Abbott (@jeremyabbottpcf) - 9,980

#9 Tanith Belbin (@TanithJLB) - 10,641

#8 Patrick Chan (@PChiddy) - 10,947

#7 Mirai Nagasu (@mirai_nagasu) - 11,644

#6 Evgeny Plushenko (@Evgeniplushenko) - 11,947

#5 Kristi Yamaguchi (@kristiyamaguchi) - 15,356

#4 Joannie Rochette (@JoannieRochette) - 18,698

#3 Evan Lysacek (@EvanLysacek) - 59,069

#2 Johnny Weir (@JohnnyGWeir) - 70,024

#1 Kim Yu-Na (@Yunaaaa) - 266,581

So my thoughts...

Pro vs Amateur - As far as skating goes, Twitter is dominated by eligible skaters with Kristi Yamaguchi being the only established professional/veteran in the group. Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton, and Brian Boitano did have followers in the thousands ranging from 5,072 to 7,484.

Johnny vs Evan - Johnny, despite not winning an Olympic Medal and a stint on Dancing with the Stars, has about 10,000 followers more than his arch nemesis (strong words?) Evan Lysacek. A credit to Johnny's inherent ability to simply create buzz and media sparkle. He seems perfect for Social Media.

Singles Club - All but one of the top 10 are singles skaters. Tanith Belbin is the only paired skater to break through. She must have done something right! And that begs the question...why is Tanith so much more popular than Ben and his 4,034 followers?

Vancouver was the Twitter Olympics - All the top 10 with the exception of Yamaguchi competed in Vancouver.

Boys vs Girls - Doesn't seem to be any gender bias on Twitter...5 boys and 5 girls make up the top 10. #equality

10,000 Threshold - Poor Jeremy Abbott is on the only skater in the top 10 not above 10,000 followers...can we get him there. Prove that Pigs Can Fly, follow Jeremy on Twitter! UPDATE: We ran a little Twitter campaign an voila...Jeremy is now above 10,000. Now he's going for 20,000...look out Joannie Rochette!

Popular! - Mirai Nagasu's appearance on this list suprises me. She came to Twitter a bit later than a lot of the top skaters yet has garnered quite a following in a short period of time. I love the 2008 National Champ and reigning U.S. Silver medalist...and apparently so do all of you!

Flag Representation - Twitter's top figure skaters are largely North American. 60% are American, 20% Canadian, and 10% each for Russia and S. Korea. Question...where's Japan?

The Queen - S. Korea's Kim Yu-Na really is the Queen. 266,581 followers and climbing. She destroys the rest of the Twitter competition!

2009-2010 Top 10 Performances

The 2010-2011 Season is underway but last season was so much fun I wanted to take one last trip down memory lane and remember my favorite performances.

#10 - Savchenko & Szolkowy - 2009 Skate Canada Free Skate


After their rather poor showing at Trophee Eric Bompard they ditched their free skate and came up with this fine diddy that I just gushed over for like a month. One of the best Pair Free Skates ever!

#9 - Denney & Barrett - 2010 U.S. Nationals Free Skate


These two always get my blood pumping! They went full out enroute to their first National Title and a spot on the Olympic Team.

#8 - Kim Yu-Na - Trophee Eric Bompard Short Program


When I first saw this short program I was hooked! David Wilson created a masterpiece and Kim Yu-Na brought it to life. She schooled us in "Sexy Assassin 101."

#7 - Shen & Zhao - Grand Prix Final Free Skate


I was just ho-hum about this program until I saw it performed here. It just clicked for me and I thought it was gorgeous. Love how they hit the beat of every note of the music.

#6 - Daisuke Takahashi - 2010 World Championships Free Skate


After he reeled off that Quad Flip we all perked up and took notice! With Lysacek and Plushenko out of the way he had free reign on this competition!

#5 - Davis & White - 2010 U.S. Nationals Free Dance


Really, Tanith and Ben had just ripped their Free Dance....and then these two came and pushed it to a whole new level. I remember watching and just going..."Oh they won."

#4 - Sasha Cohen - 2010 U.S. Nationals Short Program


With one skate she shut everyone up (including me!) that doubted the sincerity of her attempt at a comeback. Shame the Free didn't go as well. Que sera sera...

#3 - Evan Lysacek - 2010 Winter Olympics Free Skate


Olympic Gold Medal...enough said.

#2 - Joannie Rochette - 2010 Winter Olympics Short Program

Joannie Rochette 2010 Olympic Games SP Vidéo Flutz2508 sélectionnée dans Sport

I've never been so emotionally moved by a performance in my life (which is weird...because it was a tango...think it was the energy in the arena) and never rooted so hard for a skater to do well...not sure if I ever will be again.

#1 - Jeremy Abbott 2010 U.S. Nationals Free Skate


Masterpiece on the ice. My favorite performance by a men's figure skater...ever!

There were so many other great performances to mention so I have an honorable mention section including Akiko Suzuki's Grand Prix Final Free Skate, Kim Yu-Na's Olympic Free Skate, Stephane Lambiel's European Free Skate, Virtue and Moir's Olympic Free Dance, Mao Asada's Olympic Short Program, and Adam Rippon's Four Continents Cup Free Skate.