Anna KHNYCHENKOVA / Mark MAGYAR (HUN) - Music seemed to just drone on and their program was uninteresting...I can't even remember if they hit their elements or not...that's how uninteresting it was.
Felicia ZHANG / Taylor TOTH (USA) - Felicia completely missed her footing on the side-by-side jumps and never left the ice. Pretty program though. Into the lead despite technical issues.
Klara KADLECOVA / Petr BIDAR (CZE) - Seemed green. Petr made me think of Brian Joubert circa 2001 if he was a pairs skater. Also, totally missed a lift.
Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV (RUS) - Really pretty. Solid Russian basics make this program sing. Great job.
Maylin HAUSCH / Daniel WENDE (GER) - Really solid. Ten points behind Russians but good effort. Strong elements.
Mylene BRODEUR / John MATTATALL (CAN) - This team is so sterotypically Canadian! The music, their outfits, how they move across the ice...screams "Oh Canada!" Lots of Technical troubles...wamp wamp.
Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY (GER) - Great speed. Tight landing on the twist and Aliona had trouble on her sbs jump. Huge throw flip. Coin toss between them and Russians...I think the Russians should get it...a clean skate should be worth something right? Judges disagree with me.
Zoltan KELEMEN (ROU) - Kind of bland. Sat down on the back half of his lutz combo. Needs to pay more attention to performance.
Chafik BESSEGHIER (FRA) - Out of nowhere performance that included a quad triple and nice triple axel. Skating skills need work but the jumps look great! 70.33...impressive!
Peter LIEBERS (GER) - Clean program but he needs to loosen up. You can't skate to the blues and look so serious.
Anton KOVALEVSKI (UKR) - Looks undertrained. Needs to find some inner fight to make these performances happen...because they currently aren't happening.
Nan SONG (CHN) - *Yawn
Florent AMODIO (FRA) - Kind of brilliant. Not so much as an unsteady wobble in that program. Seems to be thriving under Morozov.
Kevin REYNOLDS (CAN) - Maybe some jump downgrades...not near the performance he had in Canada. He was confused a bit by the scores.
Brandon MROZ (USA) - Some awkward moments in the jumping. Muscled the quad combo and had a weird post-slip after axel. Program didn't flow as well as it did in China.
Takahiko KOZUKA (JPN) - Music is awful but he did the elements. Axel wasn't great but completed. He's pretty slick on his feet though and has solid skating skills.
Brian JOUBERT (FRA) - Messy. I am still loving his new programs but Brian is struggling technically this season. Only 5th place.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Grand Prix Crunch in Paris
As this season's final event, Trophy Eric Bompard will decide who is in for Beijing, and who is out. The last Grand Prix event is always interesting because I imagine skaters on the ice trying to make the final are perhaps as nervous as those watching at home hoping they've done enough to qualify.
Beginning with Ice Dance, three teams have sealed the deal as far as the Grand Prix Final goes: Americans Davis and White, Canadians Crone and Poirier, and Russians Bobrova and Soloviev. Competing in Paris with a shot at making the Grand Prix Final is Pechalat and Bourzat of France. Having won Cup of China they look to be in really good shape to make the final and are the CLEAR FAVORITES at this event. I think if they just stand on the ice and look good they win. Then it becomes a bit of a scramble. The dance field in France is the weakest thus far on the Grand Prix so it's somewhat unpredictable. American's Chock and Zuerlein are in the running for the Grand Prix Final after their bronze medal effort in Canada. Three more teams, with a win, could make the final in Paris: Riazanova and Tkachenko of Russia, Carron and Jones of France, and Huang and Zheng of China (a bit remarkable that we are still talking about a Chinese Dance team being in the running for the GPF...it's been one of those seasons!)...however it is a bit unlikely that any of these teams would win. Who is at home biting their finger-nails? With the best shot of any is Canadians Weaver and Poje who are on the better end of a tie-breaking situation and barring some very unusual results will likely qualify. Praying for miracles are Hungarians Hoffmann and Zavozin and Americans Shibutani and Shibutani.
The ladies competition has been so odd this season, I haven't known what to really make of it. Given that, 5 of the 6 spots for the Grand Prix Final have already been decided: Italy's Carolina Kostner, Miki Ando, Kanako Murakami, and Akiko Suzuki all of Japan, and American Rachael Flatt have all qualified. That means one spot is still open. Who can get after it? American Alissa Czisny has the best chance having won Gold at Canada. Should Alissa have big problems, and certain placements happen, three ladies are still in the running including Canada's Cynthia Phaneuf, American Mirai Nagasu, and Finland's Kiira Korpi. Needing a miracle to make the final is Japan's Haruka Imai. Even more interesting, mathematically Mao Asada of Japan and Mae Bernice Meite of France still have a shot...but they need more than a miracle...they need divine intervention. Not only would they have to win....but they also would need Nagasu, Korpi, Phanuef, and Czisny to finish TEB with little to no points (depending on the competitor). Not gonna happen. No real nail-biting at home...even though Ashley Wagner is on the bubble, she is unlikely to make the final...it would take one of those miracle scenarios.
In Pairs, four teams have sealed the deal for the final already. China's Pang and Tong, Canadians Moore-Towers and Moscovitch, Russians Iliushechkina and Maisuradze, and China's Sui and Han (the latter two teams on the good end of a tie-breaker). Only two teams competing in Paris have a shot at making the final. Germans Savcehnko and Szolkowy who won Skate America and Russia's Bazarova and Larionov who took silver in Japan. Those two teams should have no problem going 1-2 and nabbing the last two spots at the final. But...should disaster strike, mathematically Takahashi and Tran of Japan and Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin are still viable...it's a stretch though. Takahashi and Tran have a better shot if Bazarova and Larionov have troubles.
Finally the men...what a season so far! Four guys have secured spots in Beijing: Daisuke Takhashi of Japan, Patrick Chan of Canada, Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic, and Nobunari Oda of Japan. A whopping five men competing in Paris have a shot at making the final yet. With the best opportunity is Takahiko Kozuka of Japan. American Brandon Mroz has the next best shot after finishing right behind Takahiko in China. Trickier but still with a decent chance is Florent Amodio. And even more tricky but still possible is Brian Joubert and Kevin Reynolds. The REAL nail-biting is being done by Jeremy Abbott who is on the serious bubble! He still has a shot at the Grand Prix Final depending on how the guys finish in Paris...it'll be close. Poor Adam Rippon...after his hiccup at Skate America he has hardly any shot at all for the Grand Prix Final. This will be the crunchiest of all the numbers in Paris!
Fantasy picks...take a look below. I'm determined to move up the standings after the Dance event in Russia killed me! Am I crazy to go with Asada?
Beginning with Ice Dance, three teams have sealed the deal as far as the Grand Prix Final goes: Americans Davis and White, Canadians Crone and Poirier, and Russians Bobrova and Soloviev. Competing in Paris with a shot at making the Grand Prix Final is Pechalat and Bourzat of France. Having won Cup of China they look to be in really good shape to make the final and are the CLEAR FAVORITES at this event. I think if they just stand on the ice and look good they win. Then it becomes a bit of a scramble. The dance field in France is the weakest thus far on the Grand Prix so it's somewhat unpredictable. American's Chock and Zuerlein are in the running for the Grand Prix Final after their bronze medal effort in Canada. Three more teams, with a win, could make the final in Paris: Riazanova and Tkachenko of Russia, Carron and Jones of France, and Huang and Zheng of China (a bit remarkable that we are still talking about a Chinese Dance team being in the running for the GPF...it's been one of those seasons!)...however it is a bit unlikely that any of these teams would win. Who is at home biting their finger-nails? With the best shot of any is Canadians Weaver and Poje who are on the better end of a tie-breaking situation and barring some very unusual results will likely qualify. Praying for miracles are Hungarians Hoffmann and Zavozin and Americans Shibutani and Shibutani.
The ladies competition has been so odd this season, I haven't known what to really make of it. Given that, 5 of the 6 spots for the Grand Prix Final have already been decided: Italy's Carolina Kostner, Miki Ando, Kanako Murakami, and Akiko Suzuki all of Japan, and American Rachael Flatt have all qualified. That means one spot is still open. Who can get after it? American Alissa Czisny has the best chance having won Gold at Canada. Should Alissa have big problems, and certain placements happen, three ladies are still in the running including Canada's Cynthia Phaneuf, American Mirai Nagasu, and Finland's Kiira Korpi. Needing a miracle to make the final is Japan's Haruka Imai. Even more interesting, mathematically Mao Asada of Japan and Mae Bernice Meite of France still have a shot...but they need more than a miracle...they need divine intervention. Not only would they have to win....but they also would need Nagasu, Korpi, Phanuef, and Czisny to finish TEB with little to no points (depending on the competitor). Not gonna happen. No real nail-biting at home...even though Ashley Wagner is on the bubble, she is unlikely to make the final...it would take one of those miracle scenarios.
In Pairs, four teams have sealed the deal for the final already. China's Pang and Tong, Canadians Moore-Towers and Moscovitch, Russians Iliushechkina and Maisuradze, and China's Sui and Han (the latter two teams on the good end of a tie-breaker). Only two teams competing in Paris have a shot at making the final. Germans Savcehnko and Szolkowy who won Skate America and Russia's Bazarova and Larionov who took silver in Japan. Those two teams should have no problem going 1-2 and nabbing the last two spots at the final. But...should disaster strike, mathematically Takahashi and Tran of Japan and Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin are still viable...it's a stretch though. Takahashi and Tran have a better shot if Bazarova and Larionov have troubles.
Finally the men...what a season so far! Four guys have secured spots in Beijing: Daisuke Takhashi of Japan, Patrick Chan of Canada, Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic, and Nobunari Oda of Japan. A whopping five men competing in Paris have a shot at making the final yet. With the best opportunity is Takahiko Kozuka of Japan. American Brandon Mroz has the next best shot after finishing right behind Takahiko in China. Trickier but still with a decent chance is Florent Amodio. And even more tricky but still possible is Brian Joubert and Kevin Reynolds. The REAL nail-biting is being done by Jeremy Abbott who is on the serious bubble! He still has a shot at the Grand Prix Final depending on how the guys finish in Paris...it'll be close. Poor Adam Rippon...after his hiccup at Skate America he has hardly any shot at all for the Grand Prix Final. This will be the crunchiest of all the numbers in Paris!Fantasy picks...take a look below. I'm determined to move up the standings after the Dance event in Russia killed me! Am I crazy to go with Asada?
Monday, November 22, 2010
Bland Weekend in Moscow
In General, I was very BLAH about Rostelecom Cup this past weekend. Very little actually got my blood pumping. I felt the ladies competition was boring. Miki Ando skated a clean but safe program to win. Akiko skated a pretty program peppered with little errors for the silver, and Ashley Wagner nabbed the bronze after a better but still not amazing free. Half the dancers didn't even compete leaving a field of medalists nobody would have predicted. The men failed to excite with Tomas winning with his less than spectacular MJ Medley (The choreo Hugo...the choreo!). We learned that Chan is beatable, he just has to fall like 3 or more times. And Jeremy may have missed his shot at Beijing with just a bronze.The only thing that DID excite me about Rostelecom Cup was Kavaguti and Smirnov's Free Skate. GUSH! It's a thing of beauty and they skated it brilliantly. Tamara Moskvina has really put something special together there. Not sure on the outfits (Sasha's in particular) but the skating gets an A+.
How did I do fantasy wise...don't ask. The Men's and Dance events killed me! But somehow I keep moving up the overall standings...156th overall...meh!
Later this week a Grand Prix Final Crunch pre Trophy Eric Bompard.
Also, bare with me...my work schedule has become haphazard so blogging and working has become...interesting. But...I'm still committed!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Portland to Moscow
It's been another one of those work weeks and I fear there are more to come. But nonetheless I will get my blogging in!Some quick thoughts on Skate America. I am horribly depressed about Savchenko and Szolkowy's Free Skate, they had such a gorgeous program last season and this Pink Panther diddy just seems like a let down. And I continue to wait for the day when Denney and Barrett are going to bust through...it will happen. I was basically underwhelmed by the men except Armin who exceeded expectations and was amazing. I loved the Alex and Maia snagged another bronze medal. Glad to see Rachael keep it together to get the silver and likely make the Grand Prix Final for the first time. We wont talk about my fantasy team...
So we turn our attention to Russia for Rostelecom Cup. I'm really excited about the mens event, there is a pretty deep field. I'm rooting hardcore for Jeremy but there are plenty of skaters that can get in his way there! Ice Dance doesn't look very exciting at all...it will be fun to see how it shakes out. I'm going to go on a limb and predict Kavaguti and Smirnov win the Pairs event...not too exciting there either. In the ladies field, I'd guess the Japanese women are favored, but I'm most interested to see he places higher between Alena and Ksenia. And can Ashley muscle her way in there?Here are my fantasy picks for Rostelecom Cup...I hope I get somewhere with these!
And Drumroll...I WILL be tweeting tomorrow during the competition! I have the morning off because I told my boss I deserved it...she couldn't argue that point!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Skate America
The Grand Prix makes its annual stop in the U.S. this week. A quick rundown on who to watch (blogging on the quick!):
Men:
Nobunari Oda (JPN) - Silver Medal at Skate Canada
Adam Rippon (USA) - Bronze Medal at Skate Canada
Shawn Sawyer (CAN) - Strong components scores
Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) - Won NHK Trophy
Denis Ten (KAZ) - When on has few weaknesses
Kevin van der Perren (BEL) - Solid jumper (at times)
Pairs:
Denney and Barrett (USA) - Technical consistency
Moore-Towers and Moscovitch (CAN) - Silver Medal at Skate Canada
Savchenko and Szolkowy (GER) - Olympic Bronze medalists. Veteran competitors
Stolbova and Klimov (RUS) - Solid Russian basics equaling strong pair skills
Sui and Han (CHN) - Silver at Cup of China, has solid throw quad salchow
Ladies:
Rachael Flatt (USA) - Silver Medal at NHK Trophy
Carolina Kostner (ITA) - Gold Medal at NHK Trophy
Kanako Murakami (JPN) - Bronze Medal at NHK Trophy
Ice Dance:
Crone and Poirier (CAN) - Gold Medal at Skate Canada
Davis and White (USA) - Olympic Silver Medalists. Gold Medal at NHK Trophy
Shibutani and Shibutani (USA) - Bronze at NHK Trophy
Weaver and Poje (CAN) - Silver at NHK Trophy
I've posted my fantasy picks below...hoping for the best!
Men:
Nobunari Oda (JPN) - Silver Medal at Skate Canada
Adam Rippon (USA) - Bronze Medal at Skate Canada
Shawn Sawyer (CAN) - Strong components scores
Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) - Won NHK Trophy
Denis Ten (KAZ) - When on has few weaknesses
Kevin van der Perren (BEL) - Solid jumper (at times)
Pairs:
Denney and Barrett (USA) - Technical consistency
Moore-Towers and Moscovitch (CAN) - Silver Medal at Skate Canada
Savchenko and Szolkowy (GER) - Olympic Bronze medalists. Veteran competitors
Stolbova and Klimov (RUS) - Solid Russian basics equaling strong pair skills
Sui and Han (CHN) - Silver at Cup of China, has solid throw quad salchow
Ladies:
Rachael Flatt (USA) - Silver Medal at NHK Trophy
Carolina Kostner (ITA) - Gold Medal at NHK Trophy
Kanako Murakami (JPN) - Bronze Medal at NHK Trophy
Ice Dance:
Crone and Poirier (CAN) - Gold Medal at Skate Canada
Davis and White (USA) - Olympic Silver Medalists. Gold Medal at NHK Trophy
Shibutani and Shibutani (USA) - Bronze at NHK Trophy
Weaver and Poje (CAN) - Silver at NHK Trophy
I've posted my fantasy picks below...hoping for the best!
Cup of China Wrap
A very fast wrap-up of Cup of China. I'm on limited blogging time!Ice Dance was a runaway for Pechalat and Bourzat of France. They had a nice lead out of the Short Dance and just extended it in the free. Bobrova and Soloviev of Russia surprised many by taking the silver. Faiella and Scali had to settle for the bronze after a nasty slip in the free dance. Three bland programs at this point for the top three teams but I think Faiella and Scali's Flamenco has potential.
Pang and Tong put experience to good use in Beijing besting their Chinese teammates Sui and Han for the win. It was as unusual meeting of experience vs youthfulness as the senior most competing Chinese team took on the youngest. Sui and Han provided some fireworks with a very solid throw quad salchow attempt and a flair for performance rarely seen in Chinese competitors. Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin improved their 4th place finish at NHK to a bronze in Beijing and have a slim shot at making the Grand Prix Final, also in Beijing. Pang and Tong are the first skaters to earn a trip to the Grand Prix Final.
It was Japan full steam ahead in the ladies competition. Miki Ando showed a jumping clinic to take the ladies title. Akiko Suzuki was in tow in second with a solid effort and a beautifully choreographed program. Russia's Alena Leonova backed into the bronze medal after Mirai Nagasu, leader after the short, tanked in the free to finish 4th overall.Japan again was on top in the men's division as Takahiko cruised to an easy victory with two programs chock full of strong components. American Brand Mroz surged in the free skate with a tremendous skate that included a clean quad to take the silver.
Tomas Verner managed to hang on for the bronze with an entertaining (but somewhat lacking) skate to Michael Jackson. The big story in the men's field was Brian Joubert, with a decent performance, dropping down to 4th due in major part to only receiving level 1's for his spins.
My Fantasy picks weren't horrible...I tied for 222nd for Cup of China which doesn't sound great...but I moved up to being ranked 139th overall. I'm just going to stick with it...
You can see the full Cup of China Results here.
Skate America starts tomorrow.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Jeremy Abbott is one of my favorite skaters, but it looks like he's had a rough start to his season. (still in old boots, unable to train fully, unable to train the quad plus a SP that has not been well received) How much trouble is he really in?
Full disclaimer...HUGE @jeremyabbottpcf FAN so likely a biased answer is ahead...
I don't think he's in any trouble. All skaters have gone through equipment issues. While it is an annoyance, most are prepared to handle it and I think Jeremy is no different. Even now he has, for the most part, worked out those problems.
Who hasn't received his SP well...I thought it has been very well received? I for one LOVE it and it seemed like the judges at NHK liked it too. His only deduction was on a silly spin issue. Crowds at All That Skate in Korea ate it up. I think his SP is easily one of the best out there.
Certainly we can't call a silver medal at a Grand Prix event a "rough" start, right?
As for the quad, it isn't like Jeremy is starting from scratch with this jump, he's been doing it for years. So even with limited training time, once the boot issues are corrected he can just reintroduce it to his program, polish it up, and I think it's all good.
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Cup of China Free Skate Flash
Diane Szmiett (CAN) - Brutal. Needs to go home and "figure it out."
Min-Jeong Kwak (KOR) - Big piece of music for the mini Yu-Na...too big. No connection to the music.
Kristine Musademba (USA) - Program was filled with jump errors and lacked spark. Could be great a future date but needs greater content.
Amanda Dobbs (USA) - Again no spark. Jump errors. And needs harder content.
Joshi Helgesson (SWE) - First skater to land multiple triples. Lost steam at the end but easily the best to this point but behind Dobbs due to a jump not counting.
Alena Leonova (RUS) - Hot mess. But the best hot mess of the day and into the lead. Witches of Eastwick...really?
Bingwa Geng (CHN) - Not much here but landed the most jumps. Transition non-existent.
Miki Ando (JPN) - Vintage Ando. She put on a jumping clinic and never looked back. Huge tech score, hard to beat.
Akiko Suzuki (JPN) - Lovely program. Some jump issues here and there but fought through to the end. Two triple lutzes this year! Behind Ando.
Mirai Nagasu (USA) - Geisha program fell flat. Lots of jump errors and under-rotations. Exact same thing as last year at this event. 1st to off the podium.
Peitong Chen (CHN) - Rough. Lacked content and pizaaz.
Jialiang Wu (CHN) - Terrible. Falls on jumps, footwork, spins. Problems the whole way through...
Peter Liebers (GER) - Awkward Sherlock Holmes program. No flow...not pop.
Samuel Contesti (ITA) - Version 2.0 of Andes Panpipes. Very slow but hit most the jumps. Liked Version 1.0 better.
Jinlin Guan (CHN) - Overused version of Turandot. Failed quad and uninspiring program.
Tatsuki Machida (JPN) - Crash and Burn on Quad. Rushed! Needs to make his movements mean something rather than rushing through them.
Ross Miner (USA) - Improved from NHK. Needs to find some more connection with this music. Judges pounce on him a bit though.
Sergei Voronov (RUS) - Bailed on quad and then stops program. Knee injury...withdraws.
Brandon Mroz (USA) - Nailed it! Great piece of music and solid jumps including the quad. Into the lead big time!
Tomas Verner (CZE) - Cheap Michael Jackson Medley. Like Amodio...too much dancing not enough skating. Behind Mroz.
Brian Joubert (FRA) - Biq quad to open. This is my favorite Joubert program ever. Poor spins which cost him in tech score and into 3rd overall. Ouch!
Takahiko Kozuka (JPN) - Hangs on to most of his jumps and has beautiful spins. Program is bland but it gets the job done. Easy win.
Hole and Johnson (CAN) - Green!
Dong and Wu (CHN) - Disaster. Jumps, throws, lifts were a mess.
Della Monica and Kocon (ITA) - Not bad. Music kind of went nowhere but they managed most of their elements.
Evora and Ladwig (USA) - Pretty. Great lifts. Needs more excitement. Decent score though.
Iliushechkina and Maisuradze (RUS) - Nice elements. They have all the hallmarks of a great Russian Team but I don't feel they sell it. More umpf please.
Yankowskas and Coughlin (USA) - Lovely. Fall on Salchow but still a gorgeous performance. Into medal position.
Sui and Han (CHN) - Messy SBS but gutzy attempts at throw quad salchow and quad twist. Big tech score and comfortable lead. They have a performance factor that only comes naturally.
Pang and Tong (CHN) - Botched SBS jumps but smooth flowing from that point. Experience kicked in and they rode that wave of "know how" right to the win.
Min-Jeong Kwak (KOR) - Big piece of music for the mini Yu-Na...too big. No connection to the music.
Kristine Musademba (USA) - Program was filled with jump errors and lacked spark. Could be great a future date but needs greater content.
Amanda Dobbs (USA) - Again no spark. Jump errors. And needs harder content.
Joshi Helgesson (SWE) - First skater to land multiple triples. Lost steam at the end but easily the best to this point but behind Dobbs due to a jump not counting.
Alena Leonova (RUS) - Hot mess. But the best hot mess of the day and into the lead. Witches of Eastwick...really?
Bingwa Geng (CHN) - Not much here but landed the most jumps. Transition non-existent.
Miki Ando (JPN) - Vintage Ando. She put on a jumping clinic and never looked back. Huge tech score, hard to beat.
Akiko Suzuki (JPN) - Lovely program. Some jump issues here and there but fought through to the end. Two triple lutzes this year! Behind Ando.
Mirai Nagasu (USA) - Geisha program fell flat. Lots of jump errors and under-rotations. Exact same thing as last year at this event. 1st to off the podium.
Peitong Chen (CHN) - Rough. Lacked content and pizaaz.
Jialiang Wu (CHN) - Terrible. Falls on jumps, footwork, spins. Problems the whole way through...
Peter Liebers (GER) - Awkward Sherlock Holmes program. No flow...not pop.
Samuel Contesti (ITA) - Version 2.0 of Andes Panpipes. Very slow but hit most the jumps. Liked Version 1.0 better.
Jinlin Guan (CHN) - Overused version of Turandot. Failed quad and uninspiring program.
Tatsuki Machida (JPN) - Crash and Burn on Quad. Rushed! Needs to make his movements mean something rather than rushing through them.
Ross Miner (USA) - Improved from NHK. Needs to find some more connection with this music. Judges pounce on him a bit though.
Sergei Voronov (RUS) - Bailed on quad and then stops program. Knee injury...withdraws.
Brandon Mroz (USA) - Nailed it! Great piece of music and solid jumps including the quad. Into the lead big time!
Tomas Verner (CZE) - Cheap Michael Jackson Medley. Like Amodio...too much dancing not enough skating. Behind Mroz.
Brian Joubert (FRA) - Biq quad to open. This is my favorite Joubert program ever. Poor spins which cost him in tech score and into 3rd overall. Ouch!
Takahiko Kozuka (JPN) - Hangs on to most of his jumps and has beautiful spins. Program is bland but it gets the job done. Easy win.
Hole and Johnson (CAN) - Green!
Dong and Wu (CHN) - Disaster. Jumps, throws, lifts were a mess.
Della Monica and Kocon (ITA) - Not bad. Music kind of went nowhere but they managed most of their elements.
Evora and Ladwig (USA) - Pretty. Great lifts. Needs more excitement. Decent score though.
Iliushechkina and Maisuradze (RUS) - Nice elements. They have all the hallmarks of a great Russian Team but I don't feel they sell it. More umpf please.
Yankowskas and Coughlin (USA) - Lovely. Fall on Salchow but still a gorgeous performance. Into medal position.
Sui and Han (CHN) - Messy SBS but gutzy attempts at throw quad salchow and quad twist. Big tech score and comfortable lead. They have a performance factor that only comes naturally.
Pang and Tong (CHN) - Botched SBS jumps but smooth flowing from that point. Experience kicked in and they rode that wave of "know how" right to the win.
Friday, November 05, 2010
Cup of China Short Program Flash
Bingwa Geng (CHN) - Pretty...but a snoozefest.
Qiuying Zhu (CHN) - Lacked technical content and speed. Fall on double axel not good. :-(
Min-Jeong Kwak (KOR) - Almost went through the barrier on fall on lutz. SLOW!
Kristine Musademba (USA) - Watered her content down and struggled. Slow. Fall out of flip and fall on axel. Claire de Lune program is lovely though.
Diane Szmiett (CAN) - Meh...better than NHK.
Amanda Dobbs (USA) - Slow. Lovely program to Moon River. Needs harder content.
Joshi Helgesson (SWE) - Again...slow (broken record here). Repetitive arm movements in choreo but clean jumps.
Mirai Nagasu (USA) - Good gusto! Had to work the flip a little but got it done. Excellent spins. Nice program.
Alena Leonova (RUS) - Shaky. Lots of jumping glitches (no falls though). Program seems a bit...junior?
Akiko Suzuki (JPN) - Step out of lutz but otherwise great. I'll forgive her Tango as well because she skates it so well.
Miki Ando (JPN) - Big triple lutz triple loop to open. Weird hip-hop Plushenko like choreo...didn't get it. Judges put her in third after silly slip on double axel.
Peitong Chen (CHN) - Bland.
Jinlin Guan (CHN) - Bland again. Quad attempt failed.
Ross Miner (USA) - Attacked the program. Kind of rushed. Held on to all the jumps though. Watch the axel take off.
Peter Liebers (GER) - Fun program. Blues is such an American piece of music great to see a German pull it off with ease. Axel didn't work.
Jialiang Wu (CHN) - Bland #3. China must find choreographers.
Tatsuki Machida (JPN) - Quick, frantic at times. Botched lutz will hurt. Good overall.
Brandon Mroz (USA) - Much improved from last season. Quad-triple to open. Needs a bit more spunk but on his way.
Sergei Voronov (RUS) - A tango. Quad issues but otherwise okay.
Takahiko Kozuka (JPN) - Needs more "soul." But he knows how to work the component mark and he hit the jumps.
Samuel Contesti (ITA) - Interesting to begin with but then the jump mistakes started happening and all the character left the program. Ended with slow footwork and rough spin.
Brian Joubert (FRA) - Great Flamenco choreography...really superb. Lacked transitions though. Coupled with botched axel lead to 2nd behind Kozuka.
Tomas Verner (CZE) - Charming Singin' in the Rain program. Fall out of axel and no quad mean's 3rd place.
Qiuying Zhu (CHN) - Lacked technical content and speed. Fall on double axel not good. :-(
Min-Jeong Kwak (KOR) - Almost went through the barrier on fall on lutz. SLOW!
Kristine Musademba (USA) - Watered her content down and struggled. Slow. Fall out of flip and fall on axel. Claire de Lune program is lovely though.
Diane Szmiett (CAN) - Meh...better than NHK.
Amanda Dobbs (USA) - Slow. Lovely program to Moon River. Needs harder content.
Joshi Helgesson (SWE) - Again...slow (broken record here). Repetitive arm movements in choreo but clean jumps.
Mirai Nagasu (USA) - Good gusto! Had to work the flip a little but got it done. Excellent spins. Nice program.
Alena Leonova (RUS) - Shaky. Lots of jumping glitches (no falls though). Program seems a bit...junior?
Akiko Suzuki (JPN) - Step out of lutz but otherwise great. I'll forgive her Tango as well because she skates it so well.
Miki Ando (JPN) - Big triple lutz triple loop to open. Weird hip-hop Plushenko like choreo...didn't get it. Judges put her in third after silly slip on double axel.
Peitong Chen (CHN) - Bland.
Jinlin Guan (CHN) - Bland again. Quad attempt failed.
Ross Miner (USA) - Attacked the program. Kind of rushed. Held on to all the jumps though. Watch the axel take off.
Peter Liebers (GER) - Fun program. Blues is such an American piece of music great to see a German pull it off with ease. Axel didn't work.
Jialiang Wu (CHN) - Bland #3. China must find choreographers.
Tatsuki Machida (JPN) - Quick, frantic at times. Botched lutz will hurt. Good overall.
Brandon Mroz (USA) - Much improved from last season. Quad-triple to open. Needs a bit more spunk but on his way.
Sergei Voronov (RUS) - A tango. Quad issues but otherwise okay.
Takahiko Kozuka (JPN) - Needs more "soul." But he knows how to work the component mark and he hit the jumps.
Samuel Contesti (ITA) - Interesting to begin with but then the jump mistakes started happening and all the character left the program. Ended with slow footwork and rough spin.
Brian Joubert (FRA) - Great Flamenco choreography...really superb. Lacked transitions though. Coupled with botched axel lead to 2nd behind Kozuka.
Tomas Verner (CZE) - Charming Singin' in the Rain program. Fall out of axel and no quad mean's 3rd place.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Beijing Bound
The Grand Prix continues this weekend in Beijing at the Samsung Anycall Cup of China. Stop #3 I believe gives us our deepest fields yet. Who should you keep your eye on?
In Ice Dance, the top two teams look to be Italians Faiella and Scali and the French team of Pechalat and Bourzat. The Italians got the better end of it last season with a top five finish at the Olympics and a Bronze at the World Championships. Both teams, however, are very experienced teams and the Grand Prix has shown us anything is possible in Ice Dance. On their heels are several team including the Russians of Bobrova and Soloviev who have made steady gains the last two season, the Hungarians Hoffman and Zavozin (Matthew Zavozin actually used to compete for the U.S.), and Americans Hubbell and Hubbell who begin their second season on the Senior Grand Prix. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Faiella and Scali, (SILVER) Pechalat and Bourzat, (BRONZE) Bobrova and Soloviev
The men's competition could be very exciting. Brian Joubert of France gets his major competitive season underway in Beijing. The Frenchman is looking for redemption this season after a somewhat disappointing season that saw Olympic hopes dashed (again). He's revamped himself, taken on a North American choreographer, and seems mentally prepared. He'll be pushed by several competitors including Japan's Takahiko Kozuka, Italy's Samuel Contesti, Czech Republic's Tomas Verner, Russia's Sergei Voronov, and American Brandon Mroz. All of these men (except Contesti who is a European Championship medalist) have won a medal on the Grand Prix and could challenge for a medal here. Verner, Voronov, and Mroz in particular are looking to turn around very disappointing seasons last year and get things started on the right foot. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Brian Joubert, (SILVER) Takahiko Kozuka, (BRONZE) Tomas Verner (Am I crazy...)
The Ladies event looks to be a fun three way fight between Japan's Miki Ando and Akiko Suzuki and American Mirai Nagasu. These three women kept criss-crossing each other in the standings last season and seem very evenly matched. Akiko was stunning at this event last season and burst onto the skating map with a big win. Ando had a solid Grand Prix season culminating in a silver at the Grand Prix Final. Nagasu, of course, had a solid U.S. Nationals and was fourth at the Olympics. Any of the three women could easily take the event with two solid performances. On their heels will be Russia's Alena Leonova who seemed to come unglued last year as the season progressed. She has shown competitive aptitude however and if she can get her head around landing jumps she'll be in good shape. I'm also interested to see how American Kristine Musademba does in her Senior Grand Prix debut, she was a successful Junior competitor. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Miki Ando, (SILVER) Mirai Nagasu, (BRONZE) AKiko Suzuki
The Pairs field is interesting as you have one super veteran team going up against a slew of youngsters! The veterans (and of course favorites) are Pang and Tong of China. They skated to an easy win in Japan and I see no reason why they wouldn't do the same here at home...but they will be slightly more challenged. The top challenge coming from one of the young teams, their one teammates Sui and Han. This young team actually was just recently given credit for landing a throw quad salchow in competition and will attempt it in Beijing. They swept the Junior ranks last season and look to make a successful move to the Seniors. Skate Canada Champions Iliushechkina and Maisuradze have made the trip from Kingston to Beijing adding depth to the field. Cup of China will be our first look this season at American Silver Medalists Evora and Ladwig who had a breakthrough season last year and a second shot at the podium for Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin who barely missed the podium at NHK. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Pang and Tong, (SILVER) Sui and Han, (BRONZE) Iliushechkina and Maisuradze
I'll be live Tweeting during (at the least) the men's and ladies short programs early tomorrow morning and during all the free skates and the free dance early Saturday morning. Also, don't expect tweets from the competitors in China as Twitter is blocked by the Chinese Government (sad face). On Fantasy Picks, I've posted my choices below. Oddly, Pang and Tong weren't listed in any category so you couldn't pick them...?
In Ice Dance, the top two teams look to be Italians Faiella and Scali and the French team of Pechalat and Bourzat. The Italians got the better end of it last season with a top five finish at the Olympics and a Bronze at the World Championships. Both teams, however, are very experienced teams and the Grand Prix has shown us anything is possible in Ice Dance. On their heels are several team including the Russians of Bobrova and Soloviev who have made steady gains the last two season, the Hungarians Hoffman and Zavozin (Matthew Zavozin actually used to compete for the U.S.), and Americans Hubbell and Hubbell who begin their second season on the Senior Grand Prix. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Faiella and Scali, (SILVER) Pechalat and Bourzat, (BRONZE) Bobrova and Soloviev
The men's competition could be very exciting. Brian Joubert of France gets his major competitive season underway in Beijing. The Frenchman is looking for redemption this season after a somewhat disappointing season that saw Olympic hopes dashed (again). He's revamped himself, taken on a North American choreographer, and seems mentally prepared. He'll be pushed by several competitors including Japan's Takahiko Kozuka, Italy's Samuel Contesti, Czech Republic's Tomas Verner, Russia's Sergei Voronov, and American Brandon Mroz. All of these men (except Contesti who is a European Championship medalist) have won a medal on the Grand Prix and could challenge for a medal here. Verner, Voronov, and Mroz in particular are looking to turn around very disappointing seasons last year and get things started on the right foot. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Brian Joubert, (SILVER) Takahiko Kozuka, (BRONZE) Tomas Verner (Am I crazy...)
The Ladies event looks to be a fun three way fight between Japan's Miki Ando and Akiko Suzuki and American Mirai Nagasu. These three women kept criss-crossing each other in the standings last season and seem very evenly matched. Akiko was stunning at this event last season and burst onto the skating map with a big win. Ando had a solid Grand Prix season culminating in a silver at the Grand Prix Final. Nagasu, of course, had a solid U.S. Nationals and was fourth at the Olympics. Any of the three women could easily take the event with two solid performances. On their heels will be Russia's Alena Leonova who seemed to come unglued last year as the season progressed. She has shown competitive aptitude however and if she can get her head around landing jumps she'll be in good shape. I'm also interested to see how American Kristine Musademba does in her Senior Grand Prix debut, she was a successful Junior competitor. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Miki Ando, (SILVER) Mirai Nagasu, (BRONZE) AKiko Suzuki
The Pairs field is interesting as you have one super veteran team going up against a slew of youngsters! The veterans (and of course favorites) are Pang and Tong of China. They skated to an easy win in Japan and I see no reason why they wouldn't do the same here at home...but they will be slightly more challenged. The top challenge coming from one of the young teams, their one teammates Sui and Han. This young team actually was just recently given credit for landing a throw quad salchow in competition and will attempt it in Beijing. They swept the Junior ranks last season and look to make a successful move to the Seniors. Skate Canada Champions Iliushechkina and Maisuradze have made the trip from Kingston to Beijing adding depth to the field. Cup of China will be our first look this season at American Silver Medalists Evora and Ladwig who had a breakthrough season last year and a second shot at the podium for Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin who barely missed the podium at NHK. Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Pang and Tong, (SILVER) Sui and Han, (BRONZE) Iliushechkina and MaisuradzeI'll be live Tweeting during (at the least) the men's and ladies short programs early tomorrow morning and during all the free skates and the free dance early Saturday morning. Also, don't expect tweets from the competitors in China as Twitter is blocked by the Chinese Government (sad face). On Fantasy Picks, I've posted my choices below. Oddly, Pang and Tong weren't listed in any category so you couldn't pick them...?
Monday, November 01, 2010
The Florent Factor
Where do you draw the line in figure skating between what is a competitive program and what is an exhibition?At NHK Trophy I was somewhat critical of Florent's free skate...pointing out that at many points in the program he gets so caught up in the showman aspect of the performance that he forgets to skate.
A reader e-mailed me today, having watched his performance on television this weekend and wondered what in the world I thought was wrong with the program. Scott wrote: "That program was amazing. I saw on Twitter you didn't like it. I though he should have won the competition. What in the world did you find bad about that program?"
First I must say I love Florent to pieces and I think what he does on the ice is amazing. He's a gifted dancer. But I also have to call a spade a spade. And while he is a gifted dancer...the sport is figure skating. Take a look at the video below:
While his program is great and he hit the jumps, you really shouldn't be burning 40 seconds standing and doing Black Eyed Peas or Michael Jackson choreography. It's entertaining, it's fun, the crowd ate it up, but I think it sets the bar too low for a competitive program.
That's why I was critical of Florent at NHK Trophy.
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