The Final Free

The men closed the competition today. While they were good, I wouldn't say it was as exciting as the Ladies.

Brandon Mroz wasn't able to back up his strong short with a solid free. After some jump mistakes he found himself in 8th place. The first two Canadian men to skate were fantastic. Jeremy Ten just took off (the speed he skates with!) in his program and went on a jumping spree! His teammate Vaughn Chipeur took Jeremey's energy and used it to turn in a near perfect skate of his own. His triple axel is one of the best ever. The crowd just wowed when he did it. These two finished 7th and 6th respectively. Jeremy Abbott was fifth. He doubled his opening quad and fell on a late triple lutz. He looked under the weather to me at this competition. Despite the mistakes, his program is still pulling good component scores and I think he still has to be considered a contender in L.A. Nobunari Oda was 4th. He fell on his opening quad and had some little jump issues here and there. He, like Ten, skates with tremendous speed and almost made it to the bronze medal. That medal went to his teammate Takahiko Kozuka. Takahiko also crashed and burned on his opening quad but managed a decent program after that point. Evan Lysacek, however, did not crash and burn on his opening quad...he nailed it. His only mistake came when he had to put a hand down on a triple axel, however, he hit his second in combination in the back half of the program. Like the short, it would seem the old Evan is back. He looked great in the free skate and seemed very confident. This is an Evan that can compete with the best and I hope he shows up in L.A. However, the day went to Patrick Chan. The only error he had came when he popped his second axel. That didn't stop him though...his footwork, spins, and transitions more than made up the difference and he easily won the free skate. He will be tough for anyone to beat if he skates this well in L.A.

One thing to note, the jump police were asleep on the job here. On the jumbo-tron when they showed the replays, some of those jumps the men were doing were clearly under rotated but they were given full credit. Wonder if they've backed off the nitpicking?

Tomorrow is the exhibition and then I fly back to the States so no posts tomorrow. I did make some great observations here that will be the topic of my next Op-Ed. Until then...

What a day!

Wow...what a day of skating!

The Ice Dance competition took me by surprise. Navarro and Bommentre stayed down in 6th and were unable to make up any ground. I suggest a summer figuring out how to increase the technical difficulty for them. Canadians Weaver and Poje were very good. Their Dr. Zhivago program was very well received by the crowd. They finished 5th while their teammates Crone and Poirier also skated a solid free dance to finish 4th. Samuelson and Bates were very good. I was happy to see the dance spin was fixed and they came in a very solid 3rd. The shock came when Virtue and Moir had a couple tiny glitches in their Free Dance (which, part of the music is the same as Delobel and Schoenfelder's free) and the Davis and White had a flawless Free Dance...and...Davis and White won! I thought I was going to die because as the result went up...everyone sighed and I went 'Yes!' Needless to say, Davis and White's breakthrough season continues. Furthermore, I think Davis and White might have the goods to get over Belbin and Agosto at Worlds...

The ladies final was quite exciting. Unfortunately Alissa Czisny slipped to 9th after a free skate that had several errors in it. I hope the pressure of being American Champion isn't getting to her. Rachael Flatt moved up to finish 7th after a technically solid free skate, however, she having trouble connecting with the audience and it's showing in her component scores. Suguri came in 6th after a program that fell off in the second half. Cynthia Phaneuf finished 5th, however she was quite pleased with her program and got a standing ovation. She certainly looks stronger than she has in years. Caroline Zhang turned in a fantastic free skate! She landed all her triple jumps and had a little more speed. You can tell she has worked on that. Despite finishing 4th, she seemed overjoyed with her performance and marks. Mao Asada took the bronze despite winning the free skate. She just had a little too much ground to make up after the short program. After popping her opening axel she did a second, triple axel perfectly. Mao also skated with tremendous speed. Joannie Rochette took the silver after another solid free skate. She's making quite the habit of that this season and I think will contend for the World Title in L.A. She, also received a standing ovation. Yu-Na Kim was able to win on the strength of her short program. She had a little technical issue with her triple loop but skated well. Everytime she landed a jump the crowd went crazy. She had so much support here in Vancouver it was just amazing. I haven't seen a crowd so in love with a certain skater since the 2003 World Championships and Michelle Kwan.

One more to go, the men skate tomorrow morning!

Another Day in Vancouver

The rain came today and foiled my plans of going to see some of the Olympic Venues...but it is the Pacific Northwest. So I've decided rain or shine I'm making the rounds tomorrow.

Great bit of skating today. The Ice Dance couples took to the ice for their original dance and there were some hum dingers! Not among the OD's that sizzled were Navarro and Bommentre. Their struggles continue as Kimberly had some problems in her footwork and the found themselves again trailing the top pack of dancers. Despite a solid program, Canada's Crone and Poirier slipped from 3rd to 4th after Samuelson and Bates of the U.S. showed some fancy footwork and moved ahead of them. Canada's Virtue and Moir continue to lead the competition, however Americans Davis and White are not letting them run away with it; they are staying close on their heels. Tessa and Scott are going to have to work for this title.

The Pairs Final took place. While the American teams skated better than they had in the short programs, they still found themselves in 5th, 6th, and 7th. Inoue and Baldwin were 7th. Again John was unable to complete a triple toe (please work on this) and later in the program Rena fell on throw triple loop. The bright spot for the U.S. team was Denney and Barrett who threw down another clean free skate! They are starting to make a habit of this. The were just behind Keauna and Rockne who skated similarly to their performance at Nationals in Cleveland. Duhamel and Buntin weren't able to back up their clean short with a clean free and finished 4th. I had pegged Zhang and Zhang of China to win this competition but they huffed and puffed their way to third. This team usually is sharp this time of the season but they didn't look sharp at all here. The top two teams, however, were on top of their game. Canadians Dube and Davison gave the Canadian crowd a treat with a solid free skate. Their 'Carmen' program brought the crowd too it's feet. China's Pang and Tong rebutted with an outstanding program of their own to take the title. Pang and Tong are on quite a roll this season and at this point have to be considered the favorites in L.A.

The day ended with the men. Nobunari Oda (who incidentally won my Quick Vote Poll) struggled and found himself in 6th. That will actually put him in the penultimate group of skaters in the free skate. Brandon Mroz continued to be Mr. Cool Calm and Collected; he put down a clean skate and is currently in 5th. Jeremy Abbott is in 4th, after a gorgeous opening to his program he fell on his triple lutz and then stumbled in his foot work. Even still, he had very strong component scores. Japan's Takahiko Kozuka is in 3rd after a solid short. Just a little over a point separates 3rd - 6th so it will be interesting. Evan Lysacek seems to have found his mojo. He was his old self again, ripping through his short program with more speed and vigor than I've seen from him in a while. He posted a solid number and is in second place. The night, however, belonged to Patrick Chan who posted an even bigger (88.90 wow!) number to take the lead. He delivered every element with speed and precision, it was really amazing to watch. The crowd went nuts for him and they (well, we...I was up too!) were out of their seats instantly.

What ever Patrick Chan and Yu-Na Kim were drinking before their shorts...it worked!

Ladies and Dance Free tomorrow!

Pic of the Week

So tonight after Yu-Na Kim's short program, she was simply mobbed by fans for pictures and autographs as can be seen in this picture (see both sides of the Kiss and Cry)...incredible! She's like a rockstar here!

Day 1 at Four Continents Cup

I love being here in Vancouver. It's among my favorite places and it always feels like a home away from home. The people here are 'my people!'

But, my flight was late getting into town. Then, I decided to get a rental so I could travel up to Whistler later this week and ended up getting stuck in traffic. Needless to say I missed the Compulsory Dance and the first half of the pairs short.

I can report that there are no real shocks yet in Ice Dance with Virtue and Moir leading the way ahead of Davis and White. Currently Crone and Poirier have a point lead over Samuleson and Bates. Original Dance is tomorrow (wait it's late...today!).

I did get to see the top pairs and both Pang and Tong as well as Dube and Davison were impressive. They're 1-2 right now after strong skates. Zhang and Zhang as well as Duhamel and Buntin are close behind with solid performances of their own. Personally, I though Duhamel and Buntin should have had the winning short...but who am I, right? Trouble for the Americans...Inoue and Baldwin find themselves in 5th a few points back from the teams ahead of them and McLaughlin and Brubaker are way down in 7th, just ahead of Denney and Barrett. Team USA will be playing catch up in the free skate.

The ladies short program lasted for what seems an eternity. So many ladies competing that really aren't as technically proficient as most of the elite skaters in the world. It wasn't until the final two groups that we saw consistent triple jumps. Bit of a shocking result in that event though. Czisny and Flatt are in 7th and 8th respectively. Czisny struggled with the jumps, and Flatt skated okay, just didn't any points. The next shock is Mao Asada in 6th after a glitched short program. It reminded me of Grand Prix Paris when she had similar problems. Caroline Zhang is actually ahead of Mao after a clean program (albeit a little slow). The top four skated very well. Fumie Suguri put down a solid program and is in the mix in 4th. Cynthia Phaneuf too had an amazing short and surprised herself by placing 3rd. Joannie Rochette kept her momentum from Canadian Nationals by putting down a clean program and putting herself in second. However, the night belonged to Yu-Na Kim. She was amazing and the crowd was out of their seats before she was even done skating. The Korean superfans are back and they lead the applause that filled Pacific Coliseum.

More skating tomorrow...stay tuned!

As promised...

Okay, I'm shortly off to Vancouver but before I go I did want to put down my Four Continent's Cup predictions. Amazingly, no withdrawls (yet) from this event...all the big boys and girls are in town!

Men
GOLD - Chan (CAN)
SILVER - Oda (JPN)
BRONZE - Lysacek (USA)

Dance
GOLD - Virtue and Moir (CAN)
SILVER - Davis and White (USA)
BRONZE - Samuelson and Bates (USA)

Pairs
GOLD - Zhang and Zhang (CHN)
SILVER - Pang and Tong (CHN)
BRONZE - McLaughlin and Brubaker (USA)

Ladies
GOLD - Yu-Na Kim (KOR)
SILVER - Mao Asada (JPN)
BRONZE - Joannie Rochette (CAN)

My rationale for the men is that Patrick Chan is gonna feed off the energy that Vancouver is gonna give him. I think Nobunari Oda will continue his solid comeback season, and I think Lysacek is going to be mad about his National's skate and do better. But I'm almost sure I've got something wrong here as I didn't even put Kozuka or Abbott on the podium. Really, it's a crap-shoot.

In Dance, I think Virtue and Moir will pull it off but I do think it will be closer than it was last year...Davis and White have a lot of mileage on that program. I was tempted, like others, to put Crone and Poirier ahead of Samuelson and Bates because they're at home but I think Samuelson and Bates are smidge better. Should be interesting.

Zhang and Zhang and Pang and Tong kind of bounce back and forth as far as international victories, I think the Zhang's are due for a win. Like Lysacek, I think McLaughlin and Brubaker are not going to be happy about their recent performance in Cleveland and want to show everyone (including an international judging panel!) they have what it takes!

For the ladies, I think Yu-Na is going to rock out in Vancouver...just a feeling. I also feel Mao Asada will skate well but I think this season the judges are giving a slight (very slight!) nod to Yu-Na. I hope Joannie can hit the podium and again send the Canadian crowd through the roof!

2009 Four Continents Cup

So next week (Wednesday to be exact) the 2009 Four Continents Cup begins in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

I'm beyond excited...why? For the first time I get to attend this event (I arrive Wednesday and am there for the entire event)! Also, it's the Olympic Test Event (I couldn't score 2010 Tickets so it's the next best thing). And, this event is bringing crazy talent...it's like a mini Worlds (I suspect competitors want to get a feel for the Olympic venue and ice).

So usually the competitors at this event are slightly watered down, but it appears this year this will be a jam-packed! No news of any withdrawals or substitutions yet...fingers crossed!

Solid Pair's field that will include our reigning National Champs McLaughlin and Brubaker. This will be their first big senior international as Keauna was too young last season. The event will also feature Denney and Barrett who almost upset McLaughlin and Brubaker in Cleveland. Also competing for the U.S. will be Inoue and Baldwin. China is sending an extremely strong team including Pang and Tong and Zhang and Zhang. Both teams have won this event in the past, recently went 1-2 at the Grand Prix Final, and have to be considered the favorites in Vancouver. The crowd in Vancouver will have to strong teams to cheer for. Canadian Champs Dube and Davison look to keep the momentum going from their win in Saskatoon and Duhamel and Buntin look to continue their solid season. Both teams are capable of doing very well here.

The Men's event looks to be sensational! First, Patrick Chan looks to wow them at home. He's coming off a nice win at Canadian Nationals and hopes to erase the bad memories of the Grand Prix Final. Team USA looks extremely strong as well. Jeremy Abbott, who has been a roll lately, will look to continue to dominate the leader board. Brandon Mroz looks to recreate his success in Cleveland and get some more experience before L.A. Evan Lysacek will hope to do better than his bronze medal from Nationals and last years Four Continents Cup, he has an opportunity to put himself back into the spotlight internationally after a somewhat dull fall. As if that wasn't enough, Japan also has an amazing team with Takahiko Kozuka, who has also been superb this season, and Nobunari Oda who recently won the Japanese National Title. Talk about a competition!

The Dance event will be a duel between the U.S. and Canada (nothing wrong with a little friendly border rivalry!). Virtue and Moir will make their international season debut here, attempting to assess where they are in the judges eyes. They will face stiff competition from newly crowned U.S. Champs Davis and White who are in the midst of a 'dream season' and look very strong. Given the mileage Davis and White have on their programs compared to Virtue and Moir, it may be extremely close between the two. I expect the battle for the bronze to come down between Samuelson and Bates of the United States and Crone and Poirier of Canada. Both teams have had similar results internationally this season. Navarro and Bommentre of the U.S. will try to make up some of the ground lost to Samuelson and Bates in Cleveland.

The ladies event looks to be a preview of the World Championships. First from Japan, Mao Asada, Fumie Suguri, and Akiko Suzuki are quite capable of sweeping the podium. Asada and Suzuki were apart of the Japanese sweep of the NHK podium and Suguri is skating as well as she has in years. Also, both Suguri and Asada have past experience with this event; both have netted victories here. Let's not also forget that this season Asada has made Triple Axels look easy! Suzuki is attempting to make the case that she deserves a spot on the Japanese World Team. How deep is skating in Japan...Ando and Nakano aren't even competing! But there are many that stand in their way, for instance, Yu-Na Kim! Yu-Na trains in Canada and might have a slight advantage from the shorter travel distance (and having one of Canada's favorite sons as a coach...shout out to Brian Orser!). She also, arguably, can bring in the highest point total in the event. Even with technical errors at the Grand Prix Final she was able to go toe-to-toe with Asada. The U.S. will put its best foot forward with our new National medalists. Caroline Zhang will hope to continue to be consistent with her jumps and increase her speed in her skating. Flatt, who hasn't had a problem with consistency, will look to break into the top bracket of elite skaters at a big international event. Alissa Czisny will look to prove that her National title was deserved and that she can hang with the 'big girls.' And finally, I know the crowd will go nuts for Joannie Rochette, who just gave the performance of her life at Canadian Nationals and has looked fantastic this season. This event could be the perfect springboard to L.A. for her.

The schedule for this event is very relaxed so I'll have plenty of time to post reactions and pictures once I get settled in Vancouver. I will post predictions too but I'm gonna wait until Tuesday to make sure I have the most up-to-date athlete list. Stay tuned!

Yipee!

Um...best day ever! So, I was casually reading my e-mail when VANOC, the people organizing the Olympics in 2010 send out an e-mail...

What's in this e-mail you ask...just an invitation to purchase 2009 Four Continents Cup Tickets before they go on sale!

Naturally I scream and run for my wallet, click the link on Ticketmaster, enter the little secret code for early purchase, enter my information, hold my breath...connection timed out!

So I go back and it tells me their holding tickets would I like to purchase them, I click yes, hold my breath again...and success! And I'm only four, count them...1,2,3,4 rows from the ice!

So excited...I'm going to the Olympic Test Event for Figure Skating...and all the big names will want to compete to get a feel for the arena! I know I'm using lots of exclamation points but I'm so happy! Vancouver, here I come!

Four Continents Cup Tickets

I have been whining for months now about Tickets to the 2009 Four Continets Cup in Vancouver. I've been stalking the website ever since it went up. Unfortunately for the organizers they put a Contact Us link on their page so I could continue to bother them via e-mail.

But to my surprise I received a response! This was the response:

Hello Aaron,
Thank you for you interest in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2009. Tickets will go on sale in mid to late September. Please keep checking the event website for more information.
Kind regards

So, beginning Spetember 15 I'll begin restalking the website! I may not make it to the Olympics...but I have every intention of making it to the Olympic Test Event so I can at least say I was in the building!

UPDATE: No need to stalk...I received an e-mail from Skate Canada regarding ticket sales. They'll be available at 10:00 am (PST) on Saturday, September 20th through Ticketmaster!

Tickets please...

So I'm putting together my competitive figure skating travel plans this season. This season, I think I'm going to stake claims on Skate America, Four Continents Cup, and Worlds. I'm a little sad about missing Nationals...I never miss Nationals...but I really want to see the Olympic Arena in action and there is little to no chance I can score tickets for Vancouver 2010, thus 4CC, and of course Worlds are in the U.S. so my budget had to give somewhere and Nationals was the concession, sorry Cleveland (I think that was the worst run on sentence ever!).

But, while I have already purchased my Skate America Tickets and plan to purchase my Worlds tickets as soon as I can figure out my airfare, I can't seem to find Four Continents Cup Tickets (or even a schedule anywhere).

To my friends up north, I need some info! I've looked all over Skate Canada's website for info and searched Google and Ticketmaster.ca. I've even visited the Vancouver 2010 website wondering if they would sell the tickets since it's the Olympic figure Skating test event.

My friends in Canada...I'd love to spend a few days with you in Vancouver next February, let me know how to get there!