XXI Olympic Winter Games Figure Skating Pairs Preview

The Pairs are the first to hit Olympic ice a week from tomorrow, on Valentines Day actually. There are nine teams that each bring unique aspects to this competition. Experience, ingenuity, consistency, athleticism, beauty, and fearlessness are some of the many things we can look forward to in the Pairs competition.

Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett (USA) - Many, in fact probably most, don't expect this extremely young and inexperienced team to be a podium threat...but I think they are. The reigning U.S. Champs have three things working in their favor; their ridiculous consistency, the fact they are fearless in competition, and they have nothing to lose by going for broke. That's a recipe for success if you ask me. The one thing that will hamper them is the fact that they don't have the little details such as toe-point, line, extension, etc. mastered. At U.S. Nationals Sandra Bezic made the comment, "There's no box for magic" when discussing the scoring system. This team may knock the socks off of everyone and find themselves still playing catch-up. I hope this isn't the case.

Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison (CAN) - This team will enjoy the support of the crowd as they are Canada's best hope at a medal in this event. The 2008 World Bronze Medalists have had trouble living up to their potential. They failed to make the Grand Prix Final this season. But at this year's Canadian Nationals they turned in a stellar free skate that left everyone, myself included, speechless. When this team is 'in the zone' they are stellar. If they can recreate that magic again in Vancouver and couple it with a clean short program, this team will not only be in the hunt for a medal, it will be for Gold.

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov (RUS) - History is on this teams' side. When was the last time a Russian or Soviet Team wasn't on the Olympic podium in Pairs Figure Skating? 1960. And since then, a Russian or Soviet team has won every single time (they did have to share in 2002). Four of those Olympic Champions were coached by Tamara Moskvina. Sound familiar? Yuko and Alexander also just won the European Title, desperately close to cracking the highest score ever..even with some little mistakes. This team brings ingenuity and cleverness to the ice coupled with infectious personality and charisma. If this team is 100% clean...I believe the Russian legacy of Pairs Figure Skating Champions will live on.

Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov (RUS) - This team is the Russian Yen to Kavaguti and Smirnov's Yang. They bring a more traditional Russian style to the ice than their teammates. This team has also been very consistent this season, taking medals in almost everything they've entered (the Grand Prix Final was the lone hiccup where they finished 4th despite a near clean performance). What this team doesn't seem to have is that extra bit of 'pizazz' that really gets the judges behind them. They've had good luck this season against some tough teams so if they can continue to be consistent they may sneak onto the podium. Hitting every element and finding a way to make their performance more transformative will be key.

Qing Pang and Jian Tong (CHN) - Part one of the Chinese juggernaut, this team has looked solid this season. Easy wins on the Grand Prix and a very solid Silver at the Grand Prix Final has them in position to be one of the main challengers for a medal, if not Gold, in Vancouver. With loads of Olympic experience to fall back on, this team will know exactly what to expect out there. Their Man of La Mancha free skate has been very well received this season. Like Mukhortova and Trankov, their biggest set back is their sometime lack of extra spunk to set them apart. If they are clean, they'll make a great case for the podium.

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy (GER) - Along with the Chinese, these two are seen as one of the road blocks in the way of continued Russian domination of Pairs Figure Skating. The reigning World Champions have had the oddest season however. They looked out of sorts in Paris at the Grand Prix Opener winning only a bronze. They went back to the drawing board and created, I think, the most gorgeous Pairs Free Skate...ever (I know that is a big claim but it's how I feel!). They blew the competition away at HomeSense Skate Canada and set a new high score for Pairs Figure Skating. They then watched that score fall at the Grand Prix Final where their problems (and the Bronze Medal) returned. They were still not fully with it at Europeans when they lost to Kavaguti and Smirnov. What does all this mean? It means they need to get their heads together or they are going to miss their shot at Olympic Gold. They have the vehicle to win this, they just need to bring their 'A' game.

Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao (CHN) - The veteran team comes to Vancouver looking for the Olympic Gold that has twice eluded them. When it comes to experience this team has more than any other as they prepare to compete in their 4th Olympics (Nagano, Salt Lake City, Torino, Vancouver). Part two of the Chinese juggernaut, they are the sentimental favorites and could be the team to put an end to Russian domination of this sport. At 31 and 36 respectively, it seems unfathomable that they recently nabbed the highest score ever for a pairs team at the Grand Prix Final. Even as two of the oldest competitors, they are solid as a rock technically. They are also two of the most expressive skaters on the ice. If these two win I don't think anyone would be upset and should they lose many will be heartbroken.

Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov (UKR) - I've said it plenty of times before and I'll say it again...this team is stuck in the zone of mediocrity. They are generally good enough to mention them here as medal contenders, but often find themselves pulling in for 4th, 5th, or 6th place. They didn't help their case at Europeans when they finished off the podium in 4th. Their free skate set to Pearl Harbor seems to labor on and on and you just wish it would end. Despite these shortcomings, they know how to construct a program to earn points and should other teams falter they might back into a medal...but I'm not holding my breath.

Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang (CHN) - Part three of the extremely powerful Chinese team, they actually have the best Olympic credentials of the three teams having won Silver in Torino. This season, however, they have been completely overshadowed by their teammates and have had really lack luster performances. Just last week in Korea, however, they put the train back on the tracks at the Four Continents Cup to win the title with two very solid performances. They didn't have to compete with their teammates in Korea and that might have given them the breathing room they needed to succeed. Trouble is, they aren't afforded that breathing room in Vancouver. Team China is exactly the same as it was in Torino yet completely different outcomes are expected of the three teams. What a difference four years makes!

Canadian Nationals Recap

The U.S. has now picked half of it's U.S. Olympic Figure Skating team, the other half (Dance and Women) to be choosen next weekend.

Canada wrapped up it's Nationals yesterday in London and have made their Olympic Figure Team selections. Canada had two available berths in every discipline.

In Pairs, Dube and Davison who won the Gold medal will be joined by silver medalists Langlois and Hay in Vancouver. Duhamel and Buntin took the bronze and will be the first alternates.

No shock or surprise that Patrick Chan won his second consecutive national title to gain a spot on the Olympic Team. He'll be joined by silver medalist Vaughn Chipeur in Vancouver. Kevin Reynolds is the first alternate after winning the bronze.

In Ice Dance, Virtue and Moir destroyed the competition on their way to qualifying for their first Olympics. It was a very close competition for second with Crone and Poirier barely sneaking ahead of Weaver and Poje for the second Olympic berth. There was less than a point difference between the two teams.

Amongst the women, Joannie Rochette skated the free skate of her life to silence critics and take a resounding 6th National Title, tying her with Jennifer Robinson. Wrapping a young but solid team for Canada is Cynthia Phaneuf who took the silver. Myriane Samson was third and the first alternate.

A good looking team I say!

2010 Canadian Nationals Preview

Special by Guest Blogger Stephanie V.

On January 14, the Canadian Championships will start in London (Ontario). For the 2010 Olympics, Canada has two spots in each category. Who will be the skaters to watch?

Ladies Contenders:

Joannie Rochette - Back in the city where she got her first national title, the 2009 World silver medalist is on her way to get her 6th title in a row. The last skater who won six national titles is Jennifer Robinson (1996, 1999-2003). Joannie had a somewhat drab Grand Prix season compared to last year : a disastrous short program at the Cup of China, a not-so-great free skate at Skate Canada, and a Grand Prix Final to forget...nevertheless, she is the sure value of the ladies competition.

Cynthia Phaneuf - The 2004 national champion had her share of ups and (mostly) downs in the years that followed her national title. Her Grand Prix seasons were not so great. This season, she was 6th at the NHK Trophy, then Skate Canada was a disaster where Cynthia fell four times and finished 7th. At Nationals last year, she surprised everyone by finishing first in the short program. Despite her averge performances at the Grand Prix, she could be the one to take the second spot on the Canadian Olympic team.

Amélie Lacoste - Amélie won her first national medal (a bronze) in the seniors ranks, four years after she won the junior national title. In 2008, she did some try-outs to skate in pairs, but it didn't work out. This season was her first appareance in the senior Grand Prix circuit. She finished 7th at the Rostelecom Cup and 6th at Skate Canada just in front of Cynthia Phaneuf.

Possible Spoilers:

Diane Szmiett, the 2006 junior national champion, has finished a suprising 4th place at the 2009 Nationals, when she was 10th in 2008 and 13th in 2007. This season, she participed in her first senior Grand Prix competition, Cup of China, where she placed 8th.

Mira Leung is still in the race, despite her absence from international competition in 2009. National silver medalist from 2006 to 2008, she had a disastrous performance last year and finished in 6th place and was overtaken by two skaters who were still skating in the junior ranks on the international scene. So the question is: Will Leung fight back or just sink to the bottom?

Myriane Samson, the 2004 junior national champion, was 5th in 2007 and 2008. Last year, she had a very disappointing 11th place finish, which prevented her from getting Grand Prix assignements. She finished 4th at 2009 Finlandia Trophy behind Kiira Korpi, Laura Lepisto, and Alena Leonova.

Men's Contenders:

Patrick Chan - The 2009 World silver medalist is on his way to his 3rd national title in a row. Chan had a difficult start this season. An injury prevented him from skating at Rostelecom Cup. At Skate Canada, he finished 6th place after a free skate where he fell three times. On January 8, Chan announced that he and his coach since 2007, Don Laws, ended their association. His choreographer, Lori Nichol and coach Christy Krall will now help Chan till the end of the seaon.

Shawn Sawyer - Sawyer finished 5th at the 2009 Nationals, after being the bronze medalist from 2005 to 2008. He went to the Torino Olympic Games, where he placed 12th. This season, after an 8th place finish at Rostelecom Cup, he won a surprising silver medal at Skate America... his first medal on the Grand Prix circuit.

Vaughn Chipeur - National silver medalist last year, Chipeur hasn't had a great season so far. His 12th (last) place finish at Trophée Éric-Bompard and his 11th place finish at NHK Trophy don't look great on his record. He will need to skate his absolute best at these championships.

Jeremy Ten - The 2007 junior national champion got a surprising bronze medal last year at the Canadian Championships. Like Chipeur, Jeremy hasn't had a great season so far: 10th at NHK Trophy and 12th at Skate Canada.

Kevin Reynolds - Reynolds almost had his place on the Canadian World team, last year but Jeremy Ten slipped past him. He's not the most exciting skater of the circuit, but he's had some relatively good results on the Grand Prix: 8th at Cup of China and 6th at Skate America.

Possible Spoilers:

Joey Russell, the 2006 junior national champion finished 6th at the 2009 Nationals. He received his first assignment on the senior Grand Prix this season. He placed 10th at Skate Canada, ahead of Jeremy Ten and... Kevin Van Der Perren!

Marc-André Craig returns on the national scene, after being absent last year. His last appearance on the Grand Prix was in 2006 where he finished 8th and 11th.

Ian Martinez was 7th last year. His single appearance on the Grand Prix was in 2008 at Skate America, where he placed 10th.

Pairs Contenders (Pairs are probably the most open division where anything can happen...):

Meagan Duhamel / Craig Buntin - Skating together since summer 2007, Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin have achieved good placements quickly. Buntin already went to the Torino Olympics with former partner, Valerie Marcoux. The pair finished 11th. Duhamel/Buntin placed 3rd at the 2008 Nationals and 2nd last year. This season, they had a good start, finishing 4th at Cup of China. They had to withdraw at Skate America, following Duhamel's nasty fall during the free skate. Now the question is: Has Duhamel returned to top form?

Jessica Dubé / Bryce Davison - The national champions in 2007 and 2009 went to the Torino Olympic Games where they finished 10th. Dubé/Davison had very good placements on the Grand Prix : 2nd at Trophée Eric-Bompard and 3rd at Skate Canada. They narrowly missed the Finale, finishing 7th in the Grand Prix standings. They will face fierce competition with the return of the 2008 national champions, Anabelle Langlois/Cody Hay, and also the presence of Meagan Duhamel/Craig Buntin.

Anabelle Langlois / Cody Hay - The 2008 national champions return after missing the whole 2008/2009 season, because of Anabelle's injury. Anabelle went once at the Olympics in 2002 with former partner, Patrice Archetto. They placed 12th. Langlois/Hay nearly missed the 2006 Olympic team by finishing 3rd when Canada had only 2 spots. This season, Langlois/Hay had one Grand Prix, Skate Canada, where they placed 4th. They also did the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, where they won the bronze medal behind Savchenko/Szolkowy and Volosozhar/Morozov.

Mylène Brodeur / John Mattatall - National bronze medalists last year, Brodeur/Mattatall went to the Four Continents and Worlds for the first time where they placed 8th and 10th. They had good results this season on the Grand Prix : 6th at Rostelecom Cup and 5th at NHK Trophy.

Possible Spoilers:

Paige Lawrence / Rudi Sweigers finished a suprising 4th place last year. They did only one Grand Prix competition, NHK Trophy, where they placed 7th.

Kirsten Moore-Towers / Dylan Moscovitch are a new team since spring 2009. Previously, Dylan was skating with his younger sister, Kyra. The new pair had Skate Canada as their first international competition and they placed 6th.

Monica Pisotta / Michael Stewart didn't do any Grand Prix competitions this season. They are a team to watch as they finished 5th at their first senior Canadians championships last year.

Anne-Marie Giroux / Eric Radford are a new pair since summer 2009. Previously, Radford teamed with Rachel Kirkland. They probably won't have a shot at the Olympics but it will be interesting to see what kind of promise this new team has.

Ice Dance Contenders:

Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir - The 2009 World bronze medalists will be seeking their 3rd national title in a row. They missed the entire 2008/2009 Grand Prix season, after Virtue had surgery on her legs. In 2006, they narrowly missed the Olympic selection as Meagan Wing/Aaron Lowe placed ahead of them. They had an excellent season on the Grand Prix this year: 1st at Trophée Eric-Bompard and Skate Canada and 2nd at the Finale behind their training teammates, Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

Kailyn Weaver / Andrew Poje - Weaver/Poje were bronze medalists last year, behind Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier. They didn't go to Worlds, after making the world team in 2007 and 2008. They had a somewhat good Grand Prix, this season: 6th at Cup of China and 3rd at Skate Canada... their first medal on the Grand Prix circuit. Weaver got her Canadian citizenship in July 2009, which makes this team eligible for the Olympics.

Vanessa Crone / Paul Poirier - At their second showing at the senior Canadian championships, Crone/Poirier won the silver medal. The 2007 junior national champions and the 2008 Junior World silver medalists had a great Grand Prix season with a 4th place at Rostelecom Cup and 3rd place at NHK Trophy... and a surprise qualification at the Grand Prix Final after the withdrawal of Belbin/Agosto and Khokhlova/Novitski. They placed 6th at this competition.

Possible Spoilers:

Andrea Chong / Guillaume Gfeller are a team since 2007. They finished 4th, last year. They did one Grand Prix this season, Skate Canada, where they finished 8th.

Allie Hann-McCurdy / Michael Coreno, the 2006 junior national champions finished a disappointing 6th place last year. In 2008, they won the bronze medal. They switched coachs at the end of the 2008/2009 season, leaving Victor Kraatz for the team of Marina Zoueva/Igor Shpilband. They participed in one Grand Prix, NHK Trophy, where they placed 8th.

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And half of the long story...

I can tell you that Joannie Rochette and Dube and Davison have won their respective Canadian National Titles.

Joannie Rochette defeated Cynthia Phaneuf by a huge margin...nearly 34 points. Amélie Lacoste was third.

In Pairs, Dube and Davison had a free skate that was nearly 10 points better than Duhamel and Buntin allowing them to take the title. Brodeur and Mattatall were third.

Full Results Here...

UPDATE: Below (Until the Powers that Be Swoop In) is Joannie's perfect Free Skate from the 2009 Canadians.

1st Annual Loop Axel Awards!

Well this season has mostly come to a close and it's time to let loose and award those skaters that I feel have performed the best in each of the following categories:

* Best Mens Free Program
* Best Ladies Free Program
* Best Free Dance
* Best Pairs Free Program
* Best Short Program
* Best Coach
* Best New Face
* Hottest Skater
* Best Fall
* Skater of the Year

* Best Mens Free Program goes to Daisuke Takahashi's free program at the 2008 Four Continents Cup! He blew the lid off the competition and got the highest score ever achieved for a male competitor. He beat his competition by like 30 points and it was ridiculous. Other's I considered for this award was Buttle's World's Free Skate and Tomas Verner's European Championships Free Skate.

* Best Ladies Free Program is easily Mao Asada's free program, also from the Four Continents Cup. She hit it all including a picture perfect Triple Axel. It was smooth and elegant and just delicious. Other programs of consideration were Yukari Nakano's World's Free and Yu-Na Kim's Free from the Grand Prix Final.

* Best Free Dance was a tough one because this has been a fantastic season for Ice Dance but I must give this award to the Americans Belbin and Agosto for their Free Dance at U.S. Nationals. I have never seen them skate so well in my life and I had the privilege of being in the arena...you could hear a pin drop during that performance. Other programs I considered, Domnina and Shabalin's European's Free Dance and Delobel and Schoenfelder's NHK Free Dance.

* Best Pairs Free goes to Dube and Davison's Skate America free skate. It wasn't perfect but it had heart and they completely upset the Chinese Team of Pang and Tong. "The Blower's Daughter" was such a perfect choice of song for them. Other programs for consideration were Vise and Trent's Grand Prix Paris Free (throw Quad Salchow!) and McLaughlin and Brubaker's free skate from U.S. Nationals.

* As if there was any competition, best short program goes to Takahashi for "CyberSwan!" I don't think anyone had ever put something like that out there on the ice. I mean...it had a nickname for cryin' out loud! By far the coolest short program I had ever seen, and I think he gave his best performance of it at Japanese Nationals. Other programs for consideration were the Kerr's Scottish themed OD and Evan Lysacek's "Zorro."

* There were so many great coaches this year but I have to give this award to a duo that worked wonders this year, Galina Zmievskaya and Viktor Petrenko. Johnny Weir was like a completely different skater this season and when anyone did interviews with him he'd credit how tough they were on him. Structure, structure, structure and they took a skater who was a loose cannon and made him a Champion! Other coaches I thought about for this award were Igor Speilband, who coached half of the top six at Worlds in Ice Dance, Brian Orser for creating a magic all season with Yu-Na Kim, Nikolai Morozov for his awesome coaching of Daisuke Takahashi, and Ingo Steuer for persevering with Savchenko and Szolkowy without the support of the German Skating Federation and Government!

* Best New Face award goes to Canada's Patrick Chan. He stepped onto the senior level this season and looked like he belonged. He wowed us with his maturity and ability to interpret music with great choreography and we all just fell in love with him. His talent really showed win he won the Canadian National title. Other new faces to look out for include Rachael Flatt, Caroline Zhang, and Mirai Nagasu.

* Hottest Skater Award is tough because their are so many bombshells this season! But after conferring with my friend Elaine, we decided to go with Alexander Smirnov! We saw him (along with partner Yuko Kawaguchi) at Skate Canada and if he had any more muscles he would have ripped through his outfit! We also considered Kiira Korpi for her classic female good looks, Tanith Belbin for the same reason, and Brian Joubert (obligatory shirtless pic...thank you Terry Gannon)...need I say more!

* Best fall award was a no brainer! If you were at U.S. Nationals and saw the mens free program you saw a horrific fall from Michael Villareal on a Triple Axel...I mean he just went splat when he hit the ice. For a moment I thought he was knocked out cold. He got back up, somehow, and finished his program. Other noteworthy falls include Mao Asada's recent spill on Triple Axel at the World Championships and Kimmie Meissner's fall on her second Triple Lutz (not so much that it was a horrid fall, but rather she had fallen on both lutzes) at U.S. Nationals.

* Time for skater of the year! So many to choose from this season. Do you pick a skater who won a lot, jumped a lot, a skater who learned something about themself? I'm going to choose a skater that did all of those things...Johnny Weir. He was a completely different skater this season...completely different. He won competitions, he stayed consistent, when he didn't win he kept it in prospective. In the past he would throw little hissy fits about skating, criticising others when he had shortcomings of his own. In a previous post I exclaimed "I'm sick of Johnny Weir...guess what, you have shortcomings as well!" Well I can say that I am very happy to have Johnny skating for the U.S. He has been tremendous this season and really came through for us at the World Championships. Well done!

Pic of the Week

So Skate America was a blast and to commemerate this past weeks' events I present you with this pic of the week!

Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison surprised us all with their charm on the ice, strong lifts, and beautiful choreography. Even more surprising, they upstaged the very strong Chinese team of Pang and Tong. I fell in love with this team at Skate America and am very excited to see them at Skate Canada.

I hope they show their exhibition on televison because it was truly beautiful (gorgeous rendition of "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice). Congratulations Jessica and Bryce and go get them at Skate Canada!

Skate America Report 2

I must say I completely enjoyed myself today! To begin, I slept in (and that was needed), went shopping at the local outlet stores, went to see the Pagoda, and had a blast at the Sovereign Center!

I was really shocked at the pairs outcome. Dube and Davison managed to hold off the Chinese team of Pang and Tong. Bazarova and Larionov won the bronze. But that wasn't the most exciting part...as it would happen I was sitting next to Amanda Evora's (Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig finished 4th) who was very knowledgeable and fun to chat with. Things got even more interesting when Mark and Amanda joined us in the stands. We had more fun talking skating, joking, and laughing then we ever should have...and they were there all night...good times. Please note, if you need to get a bear from your seat to the ice as a gift for a skater, Mark Ladwig can get it there 2 out of 3 times! Great skaters, great people.

No shock in the Ice Dance...Tanith and Ben still lead heading into the Free Skate. Their OD is this banjo, country thing that while technically difficult, it leaves me a little unimpressed. The whole folk music thing this year doesn't really do it for me. I wasn't a huge fan of most of the OD's except the French team of Pechalat and Bourzat; they skated to this Spanish piece that had lots of power, they're in second and the Italians are still third. Davis and White moved up to fourth. I was watching Meryl and Charlie warm up their twizzles in the warm-up and I said "very spiffy." A woman turns around in the seat in front of me, pats my leg, and says "I like you." Moments later enter two girls wearing white "Team Davis and White" t-shirts and I'm made aware that they are Charlie's sisters and she in fact is Meryl's mother...thankfully I like this team and was saying nice things!

The ladies short program was great! Very decent skating from the top six ladies. Looking at the standings the spread between 4th and 9th place is slim. Emily Hughes is in 4th after missing her opening combination, she then changed the program and added the combo later...that's a no no...and she suffered points. Caroline Zhang made her senior debut and it was stunning. She truly is a gem and several of us thought maybe she should be in the lead. Miki Ando is 2nd...she was cruising through her program until she went splat on the ice during her footwork sequence. Had it not been for that fall she would be the leader. Kimmie Meissner tops the leader board with her performance to "The Feeling Begins." Interestingly she lost no points for doing a triple lutz/triple toe in which the triple toe was cheated...it wasn't even downgraded yet Caroline Zhang's performance was nit picked to all hell by the judges...I'm just saying...

The men closed the night and Daisuke took the title with an up and down performance (his 14 point lead after the short helped!). He nailed is opening quad, fell on the triple axel. He went on to land several more jumps including a second axel but then fell on a triple lutz late in his program. It was good enough for a win. Evan brought the house down with his performance to "Tosca." His only problem came when he stepped out of his quad. Amazing footwork sequence in this program too. He won the free skate and placed 2nd overall and the program is fantastic, great job Evan. Patrick Chan of Canada made a splash with the bronze and seems very much like a skater on the move, he too had a great program. I have to mention the other two American Men who skated great as well! Ryan Bradley debuted his "Charlie Chaplin" number and it is Ryan at his best...but I still say work on those skating skills and he can place higher than 6th. Big night for Stephen Carriere, most of the people I was sitting near had no clue who this guy was (I informed them that he in fact is the reigning Jr. World Champ) and he skated great as well too finishing 4th...I'm thinking Nationals dark horse for the podium?

The weather broke today so I hope for lovely weather tomorrow here in Reading!