U.S. Nationals - Goosebumps

The skaters that walked away yesterday as Champions all gave me goosebumps as they performed!

In Pairs, Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin put a spell on the audience. Their Ave Maria free seemed to float an inch above the ice. It was like watching two clouds move wistfully around the rink...just gorgeous! "Masterful" I believe was the word I tweeted. There were even some tears here and there. I've never seen them skate so in tune with each other and the audience...it was an absolute joy to watch! My favorite moment was John grabbing Caitlin at the end and just turning her around having her look at the crowd and the love they were pouring on them. Yep...I was one of the people with tears!

Meryl Davis and Charlie White really had no competition here so they had to find a way to motivate themselves. I was awestruck by the fact that they could have come to Greensboro and just did okay and still won...but didn't. They gave 1000% in their free dance on route to their 3rd title. This has been the year of the Tango and it has taken some time for that Free Dance to grow on me. However, seeing it in person made me appreciate it even more.

Alissa Czisny has been a different skater this year. I was beyond nervous before she skated. She looked confident in the warm-up but we all know the history with Alissa. She skated just like she has been skating all season...with good speed, landed jumps, and a level of artistry few in the field posses. We took a breath with each jump she landed...we didn't dare breathe before hand. You could feel the crowd behind her, wanting her to do this. As she began her final spin, the crowd was already getting to it's feet. I'm calling her Alissa 2.0...the old Alissa seems gone and a new, confident, prepared, and competitive Alissa is here (did you see the fight for that triple loop...Alissa 1.0 would have went down). In 2009, I was like "Did Alissa just win Nationals?" This year I am, "Oh yeah, Alissa won Nationals!"

Other noteworthy performances included Denney and Barrett's bronze. Their year continues to be a little off...but they got a little redemption in the free. The other two Ice Dance teams on the podium, Maia and Alex Shibutani and Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein, both had excellent programs and I think them along with Davis and White represent a very strong Ice Dance presence in Tokyo. And if you get a chance to see...watch Joelle Forte's free. She is so fun to watch and you can tell she really loves what she does.

U.S. Nationals - The Shorts

So I will pass on blogging about the ladies and pairs short programs...I wasn't there. But I can tell you I completely forgot Rockne was in fact competing here in Greensboro with Mary Beth Marley...I had to get reminded on Twitter. They are in fact in 3rd place behind Evora and Ladwig who are second...Yankowskas and Coughlin lead. Reigning Champs Denney and Barrett needing a comeback in 4th.

For the ladies Mirai Nagasu leads the way, followed very closely by Czisny and Flatt. Nice three way battle for the two available World Team spots.

I'll blog in full about the Pair and Ladies Free Skate as I will be at the events.

But I will talk a bit about Ice Dance...no shock here that Davis and White lead big after a satisfying effort in the Short Dance. They were obviously the class of the field. I was very surprised at how well Maia and Alex Shibutani did at keeping up with Meryl and Charlie. The judges didn't quite give them the due I thought they deserved but nonetheless they skated great. Chock and Zuerlein are currently in line to nab the bronze. Barring big problems I'm near certain that will be your dance podium in that order.

The men were very exciting. The leader is Ryan Bradley who went for broke and brought the house down. Huge Quad/Triple Combo and Triple Axel, cute choreography, and audience repoire that wouldn't quit was just the recipe to nab the top spot. Jeremy Abbott had the lead for a good chunk of the short program nailing his skate (but no quad). Brandon Mroz is currently third after hitting a quad of his own. Young Keegan Messing impressed his way to 4th place and Douglas Razzano hit another quad to make the top 5. Adam Rippon finds himself in 9th after a disappointing skate.

Where I was sitting there was some discussion about Ryan's marks and if he should have actually won the short. I believe that Jeremy's program is far more complex but Ryan delivered the jumping goods...so long as it's close, I'm okay either way.

Tomorrow brings our first round of frees...get excited. I'll keep tweeting from the arena even though I can't respond back to your messages.

Men and Pairs in Greensboro

The Senior events begin tomorrow and my next blog post will be from Greensboro! Be sure to follow me here as well on Twitter for updates!

The Pairs competition in Greensboro could be close. The prevailing faves, Denney and Barrett, have not skated up to par this season despite having more sophisticated programs from David Wilson (perhaps that's the issue). Their rock solid consistency is brought into question and we are left to wonder if they will deliver. If you ask me, the good money is still on them, but they may be challenged here. One of those challenging teams will likely be Yankowskas and Coughlin who have looked their best this season with strong results on the Grand Prix. Artistically they are the class of the field but consistency has been an issue in the past. If they are clean, they can waltz past Denney and Barrett. The other team in the mix is Evora and Ladwig, Denney and Barrett's former training partners and Olympic Teammates. They represent the middle ground of technical content and artistry amongst the three top teams and perhaps that steady consistency between technicality and artistry may prevail.

The men is what I'm looking forward to the most. Up front and center...Jeremy Abbott. He is the class of the field...hopefully with equipment issues behind him he can successfully defend his title and go for the 3-peat. Toughest competition will likely come from Adam Rippon who has shown flashes of brilliance this season. If he can keep his composure and skate well...he'll figure in nicely. The other guy that could give Abbott a run for the money...Brandon Mroz. He has looked solid this season, especially so in Beijing when he had the skate of his life. If he has the success with the quad he had in China, he may be the one to spoil Abbott's party. Behind these three is a talented group of men that includes Ryan Bradley (is he really there...couldn't believe it when I saw him on the list!), Armin Mahbanoozadeh (great showing at Skate America), Ross Miner (junior turned senior on the rise), and several other successful junior level skaters. It'll be fun!

Next stop Greensboro!

Greensboro Bound!

Tomorrow I embark for Greensboro...it feels good to be going back to Nationals (and to take a few days off work). Missing Nationals last year killed me. People who read my blog know...I don't miss Nationals!

So looking at Nationals, things seem fairly up in the air as far as the ladies are concerned. I see it as a 7 lady race...with Alissa Czisny the 2009 Champ and Rachael Flatt the reigning champ coming in as the co-favorites. Czisny is coming off a huge win at the Grand Prix Final and seems to be skating better than ever. Flatt, struggled at the Grand Prix Final while dealing with an injury, says she now healthy and ready to compete in Greensboro. Chasing these two are five other ladies including the 2008 Champ Mirai Nagasu. While she missed making the Grand Prix Final, she did nab a medal in Paris for the first time on the Grand Prix and looks to be skating fairly well. Also in the mix is Ashley Wagner, Agnes Zawadzki, Christina Gao, and Caroline Zhang. Ashley has a shot at winning if she can put her jumps down cleanly rotated and on one foot. Agnes has been stellar in the short program this season only to come undone in the free...she'll need to put to programs together to be competitive. Christina turned heads last season as the junior turned senior on the rise...will she continue her forward momentum? Finally, Caroline has had better days on the ice but she seems to have made great strides artistically...hopefully she's made strides technically as she has attempted to manage a growth spurt.

Dance...barring cataclysmic seismic events...Davis and White should grab the Gold with no trouble whatsoever. They've looked impressive on the Grand Prix with no one even close to be competitive with them. The interesting battle will be the silver/bronze race between the Shibutani's, the Hubbell's, and Chock and Zuerlein. I give the upper hand to the Shibutani's, but Chock and Zuerlein have looked good this season as well. The Hubbell's...some make up work to do.

Later, I'll preview the Pairs and Men.

Back to B.C.

Canadian Nationals just wrapped in Victoria. Victoria is hop across the water from Vancouver which still (always) has a warm place in my heart.

There was very little in the way of surprises at Canadian Nationals. In Ice Dance, it was a really close battle between Crone and Poirier and Weaver and Poje. Barely over a point separated the two teams with Crone and Poirier barely squeaking the win with their much heralded Beatles Free Dance. Paul and Islam did a nice job in capturing the bronze...but they will likely be the odd ones out assuming the Olympic Champs Virtue and Moir return to competition next month.

No big surprise amongst the women either with Cynthia Phaneuf capturing another title (she last accomplished the task in 2004...7 year gap, that's patience). With Rochette not competing she was the easy front runner. Not an especially difficult program but good enough on the night for the win. Cynthia spends so much time trying to be a pretty skater...I wish she would stop trying to cut against the grain and just be channel her inner Slutskaya and be a muscle skater...it suits her better.

Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch easily won the pairs competition. With Dube and Davison out due to Bryce's knee it was clear sailing for the Canadian duo that has turned heads this season with big tricks and unexpected presence. I think this team has the real possibility of cracking the top six at World's.

Finally, the big story of the event was Patrick Chan. Patrick, who didn't just win (as we all expected), but rather won with a flawless performance that rivals some of the best performances ever put to ice. If he skates like this in Tokyo...I don't know that anyone can catch him. He looks better every time he takes the ice and those quads are impressive. Bravo Patrick Chan, bravo!



Check the full results here.

Next Post: Ladies and Dance rundown of U.S. Nationals

Revisiting Russian Nationals

Ah Saransk...

City of few hotels, cheap taxis, and adjoining rivers...how interesting thou are. Even more interesting is the fact that last month the city played host to the Russian National Championships.

If you look at the results I don't think there is a whole lot that one wouldn't expect. The men's winner, Konstantin Menshov, reeled off two quads in a Plushenkoesque Michael Jackson free skate that brought modest applause from the audience at the end. My favorite part is the 45 seconds or so you spend in an Aviary...



In pairs, new champions were crowned when newly formed team of Volosozhar and Trankov threw done a very solid program to Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. The two sets of side-by-side triple jumps were super impressive. This team can't compete internationally just yet but when they do they'll be top contenders.



For ice dance, Bobrova and Soloviev have solitified themselves as the top Russian team moving forward. I'm not sure they are quite yet ready to be considered top contenders yet (although they did place 4th at the Grand Prix Final), they are certainly a team to watch going forward (as are the gazillion Russian Junior Teams). Russia barely hit the ice dance podium in 2010...lots of work to do before 2014 when the Olympics are in Russia.



Finally the ladies, where young Adelina Sotnikova jumped her little butt off on her way to a win. She's only 14 so we wont see her at Europeans or Worlds but there is a spark here! In other news, Ksenia Makarova finished 5th...wamp wamp.



Someone did a nice job of organizing the full results on Wikipedia...take a peak.

Next Post: Back to B.C.

Swiss Chocolate Anyone?

When in Switzerland...eat Chocolate! I've heard it's perhaps why Swiss skaters tend to spin well on the ice.

Perhaps not...

Anywho, the European Championships kick off next week in Bern. They'll run simultaneously with the U.S. Championships (how will I keep my head together!) and will determine Europe's "Cream-of-the-Crop."

Who's in the running? For the ladies I'll throw out 6 names but I have a sneaky suspicion there will be some surprises amongst the ladies. You've got Kiira Korpi, Elene Gedevanishvili, Carolina Kostner, Alena Leonova, Ksenia Makarova, and Sarah Meier. To be blunt, not an extremely impressive field but Europe's best nonetheless. Even with only three triples I think it will be hard for Kostner to not win this. Past her it's a crap-shoot. I'm still trying to figure out how Ksenia Makarova is in the event given a 5th place finish at Russian Nationals...more on that in another post. Meier has been injured since forever, Leonova's programs are a hot mess, Korpi is very inconsistent, and Elene Gedevanishvili likes to double jumps. Forgive me, I'm not expecting fireworks...I'd love for them to prove me wrong.

I'll give you 5 ice dance teams to watch. Pechalat and Bourzat, Kerr and Kerr, Faiella and Scali, Bobrova and Soloviev, and Hoffman and Zavozin. Pechalat and Bourzat have really set themselves apart as the best Europe has to offer this season however I feel that both Kerr and Kerr as well as Faiella and Scali can really push them if they really go for it. The other two teams raised their cred by back-dooring into the Grand Prix Final but I think they'd be happy with a top four or five finish. It's been 11 years since there wasn't a Russian on the ice dance podium at Europeans...some food for thought.

Could see some real fireworks amongst the men! I'll mention 8 guys. Kevin van der Perren, Michal Brezina, Tomas Verner, Florent Amodio, Brian Joubert, Samuel Contesti, Javier Fernandez, and Artur Gachinski (both Schultheiss and Preaubert get honorable mentions). Given what we've seen this season...I'd put the good money on Verner. I love that Brezina is back in the mix now that Verner has stole back some the lime light...who could of predicted such a Czeck rivalry?!?! Good rivalry between Joubert and Amodio shaping up as well. The others...well they need to bring it hard to compete. Can't wait!

In Pairs you basically have the Germans vs the Russians. I wouldn't be surprised if the top five were the teams from these countries. Reigning Champs Kavaguti and Smirnov are back to defend with Bazarova and Larionov and Gerboldt and Enbert in tow. Savchenko and Szolkowy (who are looking good this season) want their title back. Hausch and Wende, also from Germany looked darn good at TEB and might factor in as well. I say the Germans win this by a mile. What I am most bummed about is not being able to see the Russian National Champs compete here. The new team of Volosozhar and Trankov aren't here...wamp wamp (for the love of Nationality changes!).

I'm still craving Swiss Chocolate.

Next Post: Where is Saransk?

The Nagano Rundown

My Deep Dive continues this week with a rehash of what went down at Japanese Nationals.

Let's start with the ladies and the fairly triumphant return of Mao Asada. She won the short program in Nagano and posted her best free skate this season by far. While she only captured the silver, it was the perfect medal at the perfect time for her. She seemed content...solid skate under her belt but not forced to be the perfectionist...having come to Nagano and completed her goal, two solid skates,; something she had yet accomplished this season. Kanako Murakami has been turning heads all season and she continued to do so by turning in a near perfect free skate to nab the bronze. That effort bumped her ahead of Akiko Suzuki...and likely bumped her on to the World Team. Top honors, however, went to Miki Ando who, if you ask me, turned in her finest performance ever. There was a definite sense of sophistication in that program that has been absent all season. Everything seemed under perfect control and she paid great attention to detail. If she turns in a program like that in Tokyo in March, she'll be tough to beat. Trivia: When did Miki Ando last win the World Title? Answer: 2007 in Tokyo. They do say "What goes around comes around..."



For the men, going in most people would have put the good money on a Nobunari Oda/Daisuke Takahashi showdown for gold...I would have. Instead, Takahashi had to get scrappy and fight his way back onto the podium. He pulled off a barn-burner, opening with that "almost trademarked" quad flip and never looking back. He was so in tune with the choreography it was ridiculous. His effort paid off with a bronze medal. The other co-favorite coming in, Nobunari Oda, did not skate his best. Despite taking the polar plunge on his opening quad and second axel, he managed to keep ahead of Takahashi and grab the silver. In the end, it was Kozuka who stepped away from the dust with a gold medal around his neck. Like Oda, he wasn't perfect, taking a spill on a quad and a salchow, but what he did do was delivered so well it made up for the other mistakes. Takahiko has shown a tendency to skate better in the front half of the season as opposed to the back half. Perhaps this win at Japanese Nationals will propel him forward to success in the upcoming ISU Championships.



Tomorrow: A rundown of the upcoming European Championships

The Deep Dive

Things have been moving and shaking on my end of the block. Focusing intensely on work to make sure I could make it to Nationals has kept me away from the blogging but I am back with a vengeance this week.

Lots to look forward, lots to look back at, this week is the Figure Skating Deep Dive where I rededicate myself to Figure Skating! What's ahead? A look back at Japanese and Russian Nationals, and a look forward to U.S. Nationals. I also take a look at the action scheduled in Bern at the European Championships and in Victoria at the Canadian National Championships.

Victoria, B.C. is where I'll begin my plunge this week where the Canadian National Championships are underway. Two big stories have topped the headlines...first Chan deciding to add a second quad to his free skate to compete technically with Kevin Reynolds (but his components are so far and away better he doesn't need it at all) and the withdrawal of Virtue and Moir from the event.

"Our training has been going really well, and we both were hoping to be in Victoria to defend our Canadian title. It’s a really important competition for us," Scott told reporters. "However, Tessa and I sat down with our coaches Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva late last week and together the four of us made the difficult decision not to compete in Victoria. We have been making huge progress every single day in training, so we are confident that we can really build our programs over the next four weeks and feel well prepared for the ISU Four Continents figure skating championships." Their withdrawal sets up a head-to-head battle between Crone and Poirier and Weaver and Poje. Crone and Poirier took the Bronze at the Grand Prix Final but weaver and Poje have been making improvements all season...should be close.

Joannie Rochette will also be absent from the competitors list as she has chosen to not compete this year. Cynthia Phaneuf comes in with the best credentials looking to win another National Title. She'll have Amelie Lacoste and Myriane Samson to contend with. In Pairs, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch will attempt to highlight a banner season.

Finally, for the men, its been all about the quad. Former quad hater turned quad skater Patrick Chan has upped the ante by adding a second quad to his free skate. "Hopefully, landing them will create a great buzz in the building," Chan said during a conference call from Colorado Springs. Looking to create more buzz will be the hometown hero Kevin Reynolds who made history last fall landing two quads in his short at Skate Canada...three more in his free skate. But Kevin has a long way to go artistically to compete with Chan. The only skate close to Chan artistically is Shawn Sawyer. Armed with an amazingly choreographed free skate to "Alice in Wonderland," Shawn continues to struggle with consistency. If he can get his jumps in order he could contend with the best.

The Senior hit the ice this Friday in Victoria. Details here.

Tomorrow: A look back at Japanese Nationals.

Coming Soon...

I'm back...

Coming this week and beyond...the Figure Skating Deep Dive and a full Nationals run down.

Oh yeah...get excited!