Chan's World and a Pairs Photo Finish!

First the men's short program...as expected it's Chan's ball game. As per all season he botched an element in the short program but his scores are so high across the board it hardly matters. A beyond squeaky clean Brezina is within two points of him though. Takahashi I think would have caught him had he not sat down on the a triple toe behind a quad. I was so excited he finally hit the quad in the short only to botch the triple behind it.

Que sera sera...



Joubert is back...I don't think the judges would have made it out of the arena alive had they not ranked him near the top. His short program is cleverly designed to hide his weakness and show his strengths. I see them but I have better eye than the majority of french skating fans that just want to see their star do well. I'd a put him behind Amodio but again, I sure the judges feared for their lives. Tough day for Abbott and Rippon...but they are by no means out of it and still have a shot, if not to medal, still earn 3 spots for the U.S. in London. They need to get their chins up and fight. Tough day for Kozuka as well...13th, ouchomagoucho!

Shout out to Christopher Caluza...go ahead with your bad yourself!



On to Pairs where it was a photo finish...Volosozar and Trankov were beyond brilliant earlier on the night, nobody could catch them despite the fact they were in 8th. Savchenko and Szolkowy, skated well...still placed 2nd behind the Russians...but because of the short program eeked the win by .11. Photo finish. Takahashi and Tran held on to third to become (I think?) the first team from Japan to win a pairs medal at the World Championships. Pang and Tong showed a bit more rust to only manage 4th. Marley and Brubaker make a respectable debut at World's placing 10th and Denney and Coughlin finish 8th despite a great skate (again, the judges were boo'd for their scores). Not sure why but the judges seem to be actively judging against the American's...strange.

U.S. Pairs...the little engine that could

With nothing better to do to pass the time, I've decided to post a quick blog post. I'm excedingly excited for the two U.S. Pairs Teams. They both skated great and I think outdid themselves. I was a bit peeved by some of the teams that got moved ahead of them (namely Bazarova/Lrionov and Duhamel/Radford) but the scores are tight and the standings are in no way locked. I'm calling U.S. pairs at this event the 'Little Engine That Could!'

Savchenko and Szolkowy didn't need to attempt that throw triple axel to win the short program. But they went for it anyway, wasn't horrible, and despite Robin's issues on the sbs jumps, took the lead. Pang and Tong looked barely rusty, and despite some minors miscues, are close behind in 2nd. Takahashi and Tran, with the best skate I've ever seen them do, are not far back in 3rd.



Shockingly, Volosozhar and Trankov are way down in 8th (behind Denney/Coughlin) and Kavaguti/Smirnov are in 11th (behind Marley/Brubaker)! Odd but very interesting event!

Grand Prix Musings...2

She Was Wearing What?

The ladies event came to an "uneventful" conclusion. As per I expected Kostner pulled off the win. I give her props...she did three events plus the final...that's not an easy schedule to keep. What I don't give her props on was her outfit...yeesh! Carolina, call me, we need to chat. Who also needs to call me...Alissa Czisny. Girl! What happened to Czisny 2.0? Czisny 1.0 showed up at this event. Find her again...please! Also, I was hoping Leonova would sport her Viktoria Helgesson "esque" do for the free skate...she went back to the usual hair...bummer.

No Way

Okay, I'm about to snap on the judges! Chan's Free Skate was scored higher than Daisuke's! How? And yes, I was in the building, and hands down Daisuke outskated Patrick on every level. The only component that Patrick really dominates Daisuke on is Transition/Linking Footwork. The rest...they're basically tied. And tonight, Daisuke was far superior in Interpretation (he does not miss a beat in his free skate), Skating Skills, and execution. What a shame the marks didn't reflect it. The crowd was cheering joyfully as Patrick won and I just sat there shaking my head...sad. On a more positive note...let's welcome Hanyu to the big boys club. What a skate! I think someone passed him my note, he tempered his performance just a bit and bingo! What an accomplishment for Fernandez as well (Canada appears to have adopted him as their own via Brian Orser). Finally Jeremy...oh he made my heart skip beats when he hit that quad! Shame there were problems that came later but I think he is on the right path as he heads towards San Jose...when he does that program clean it's going to be a gem.

So Close!

Savchenko and Szolkowy's MO this season has been to not do their best in the short but come rocketing back in the free. That's basically what they did here...only this time Volosozhar and Trankov kept up! The last two pairs free's of the night were absolutely amazing. Both teams had us on the edges of our seats. I think it came down to Tatiana's little wiggly landing on her throw salchow. Other than that it was an epic finale between the two.

p.s. Props to Jason Brown on a brilliant skate to take the Junior Men's Title...it was just awesome!

Skate America Day Three

The final day of competition. I've gotten used to this weather here in Southern California....it'll be hard to go back to Illinois where the weather is...not as nice.

The Pairs in general I thought skated very well. Savchenko and Szolkowy made a great recovery to jump from 5th to the win. Their free skate is awesome and very different. Zhang and Zhang were not able to bring the expressiveness they had in the short and dropped to second after a lifeless program. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch had an amazing performance to take the bronze. Loved the Henry V music choice. Finishing 4th was Denney and Coughlin who had a gorgeous skate and I thought...wait for it...should have won! There was some Twitter back and forth about how their skating comes across on T.V. versus in person. In the arena they brought the house down...but somehow that didn't translate to broadcast. In any case, they were fantastic and I'm scratching my head about their placement. The rest of the pairs field was somewhat lack luster. Poor Mary Beth Marley learned a lesson in tough competitions today...she had real trouble keeping on her feet on the jump elements.

The ladies began with the battle of the pinks which Ksenia Makarova won despite the fact her program (and music choices) were a hot mess. In the final group Caroline Zhang and Haruka Imai had poor performances, Haruka managed to stay in fourth despite finishing 9th in the free...Caroline dropped to 6th. Viktoria Helgesson turned in a lovely skate set to Sunset Boulevard. The choreography was impressive and I think she outdid herself by snatching the bronze medal! The battle for the gold was desperately close between Kostner and Czisny. Carolina skated first and turned in a wonderful program. Again, she picked a piece of music that works with her style and she didn't seem like she was trying too hard. Czisny skated last and had several technical mistakes but also managed some good content as well (again she seems to be fighting better than she has in past seasons which is good). When the scores went up she had lost the free to Carolina but had enough left in the gas tank from the short to take the title.

Results here.

The exhibition performances were quite good. Highlights included a positively beaming Kevin Van Der Perren, a simplistically beautiful Savchenko and Szolkowy, an awkward mambo from Denney and Coughlin, and stunning beauty from Alissa Czisny.

The first Grand Prix event is out of the way...five more to go. The next time I blog from an event will be the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City, Canada.

World Championships Pairs Rundown

A year late I finally watched the Pairs Free. For the record, I made sure to have all the hard work taken care of at my job by this week and sure to form it has piled back up as if they somehow knew Worlds was this week. Ugh!

Anywho I don't think there was a lot of surprise amongst the Pairs. For me, the performance of the night was by far Volosozhar and Trankov...I love this team...LOVE THEM! They made my Prokofiev filled heart leap! I would have given them the win as I find Savchenko and Szolkowy's Pink Panther juvenile and beneath them but I'm not a judge so I guess I'll go with it.

Other highlights included Yankowskas and Coughlin's very nice performance. 6th place...not to shabby for the Americans, the best finish for the U.S. in some time. Loved Kavaguti and Smirnovs's performance despite the technical mistakes, Moskinva is brilliant with interpretation.

Lessons learned from these Worlds in Pairs: Land your side-by-side jumps, have bright blonde hair will skate well, and Russia is back in Pairs (China...what happened?).

I'm not going to even try to give a Dance rundown until the competition is over...I think we all know how that one will play out...I think.

Win, Lose, or Draw in Beijing

Some big winners in Beijing...some big losers in Beijing at the Grand Prix Final...and a few draws. See all the results here.

Winners
First and foremost, Alissa Czisny! She said after her free skate in Beijing "I almost feel like this is a new beginning for me. The past is gone - over and done with. I almost feel like I am a new skater." If it goes from almost to a certainty, none of the other girls have a chance at U.S. Nationals. We've all known for a few years now that if Alissa Czisny can put together a short program and a free skate in the same competition, she'd be formidable. Well...point proven! In Ice Dance and Pairs it was kind of what most people expected. Davis and White have virtually no competition currently with Virtue and Moir out so it was no shock to see them win. I think Savchenko and Szolkowy have refound their thunder (it was totally stolen by Shen and Zhao last season) and are back on track (despite a rather cheesy free skate to Pink Panther). Patrick Chan clobbered the field with a strong skate and huge component scores. Patrick has consistently brought in the biggest PCS score this season and now armed with a quad is the toughest guy to beat. The only skater currently in Patrick's neighborhood on PCS is Daisuke Takahashi and he was seven points back. Food for thought...

Losers
Oh Rachael Flatt. It was so unfortunate to see her come undone like that. Let's not even talk about the scores (I'll leave that to Phil Hersh). A lingering leg injury is partially to blame but she was dealing with that same issue at Skate America and skated much better there. This performance has many doubting her chances in Greensboro: "I'm going to go home, regroup and start over from scratch on a few things. I need to use the time to build up my confidence in my training again." The only other big loss I think was dealt to Miki Ando who finished ahead of Rachael in 5th. After a disappointing short program (a new short program), she rallied to win the free skate...and didn't move up a single spot despite out skating everyone ahead of her. She came in the favorite and leaves empty handed...and behind two of what promises to be tough competitors at Japanese Nationals; Akiko Suzuki and Kanako Murakami (who took the bronze).

Draws
I think Pang and Tong had a draw here. Coming off of last season where they won the Olympic Silver Medal and World Title, I expected them to push Savchenko and Szolkowy a bit more here. They didn't skate bad...but where not up to the level they need to be to keep pace ahead of the Germans. A draw for Carolina Kostner who continues to be awarded for easy programs...but not a win this time. And Nobunari Oda who has a Patrick Chan problem this season (the monkey on his back). He has to figure out how to 1) get all the way through his free skate clean and 2) figure out how to raise his PCS score. He's skating good...he needs to find a way to skate great.

And how about this video...definitely affected both of their performances. A nasty crash between Kozuka and Takahashi in practice. Kozuka had to fight for the bronze and Daisuke ended up off the podium (his doctor advised he withdraw but he chose to compete anyway).



Also, take a look at the winning performances!









Bonus Video! Check out American Richard Dornbush kill it in the Junior Men's Free Skate!

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!

2009-2010 Top 10 Performances

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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


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

#6 - Daisuke Takahashi - 2010 World Championships Free Skate


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

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


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

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


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

#3 - Evan Lysacek - 2010 Winter Olympics Free Skate


Olympic Gold Medal...enough said.

#2 - Joannie Rochette - 2010 Winter Olympics Short Program

Joannie Rochette 2010 Olympic Games SP Vidéo Flutz2508 sélectionnée dans Sport

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

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


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

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

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!

European Championships Preview (Pairs)

My series of event previews continues with the Pairs event for the European Championships in Tallinn. This is one of the less dense fields in Tallinn. It's clear who the top teams will likely be, we'll just have to see how they finish. There are five teams to watch:

Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov - The Ukranian duo has been stuck in perpetual mediocrity for some time now. They are consistent enough to usually place amongst the top contenders but never good enough, it seems, to break through to the top. They just don't seem to have the same spark as their training mates Savchenko and Szolkowy. If they have any aspirations of making it to the podium at either this event or the Olympics they are going to need some more 'get-up in their gusto.' Without it, they're doomed to finish 4th-5th-6th ish. They did alright on the Grand Prix, placing 3rd at Samsung Anycall Cup of China and backing into a silver medal (after some terrible free skates) at Cancer.Net Skate America. Better days ahead?

Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov - This team has been skating very consistent this season. While they did not win Russian Nationals, they've looked good on the Grand Prix. This team is known for, in the past, really not liking one another. But ugly stares, cold shoulders, and quick exits from the Kiss and Cry have been replaced with warm hugs, kisses, and high fives. Whatever they are doing to improve the relationship, it's working. In three Grand Prix outings (Eric Bompard Trophee, HomeSense Skate Canada, Grand Prix Final) they've had near clean free skates. They managed to win in Paris, a silver at Skate Canada, and beat their main Russian competition at the Grand Prix Final. Russian Pairs have a legacy to hold up as far as the Olympics are concerned and this team looks like they're willing to do their part.

Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov - This young Russian team has pushed through to take that pivotal third Olympic berth. While they don't have a lot of experience they've shown an ability to be pretty consistent under pressure. The 2007 Junior World Silver Medalists have only ever competed in two Senior Grand Prix events. In their first senior event, they won the bronze medal (2007 Skate America) and was 4th at this seasons' Rostelecom Cup. Again, Russian teams, no matter how experienced, have a way of being 'on' in Olympic seasons. This team has the added advantage of not having to live up to the expectations the other Russian teams have and can 'go for broke.' This event is their debut at a major Senior ISU Championship and it comes literally just days before the Olympics...heavy stuff.

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov - The third part of the Russian powerhouse, this team is teetering on greatness. As with all Tamara Moskvina teams, this team exudes an originality and lightness that none of the other teams posses. Their route to greatness has been hindered, however, with little ill timed mistakes and minor glitches. Such issues kept them off the podium at the Grand Prix Final. We all know Tamara Moskvina teams have a way of just 'getting it done' at the Olympics but time is waning. I know they have the ability to be the best, but they have yet to prove they can deliver it when it really counts. Coming to Europeans as the Russian Champs should be a confidence booster as should silver medals from both their Grand Prix Events in Russia and Japan.

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy - Quite the up and down year for this team who attempt to defend their European crown. A dismal beginning to their season after a poor free skate in Paris sent them back to the drawing board on their free skate. They showed up at HomeSense Skate Canada a brand new team with a brand new free skate (Out of Africa) that sent chills through my spine. They not only re-established themselves as the team to beat, but set a new record score in the process nabbing some perfect 10s (although several were handed out at the event) for their components. The roller coaster continued when problems hit again at the Grand Prix Final and they had to settle for a bronze and watch their new record score fall to Shen and Zhao (the Chinese bettered it by nearly 8 points). European's offer Savchenko and Szolkowy the opportunity to reapply some pressure on the Chinese team of Shen and Zhao who are now seen as the favorites heading into Vancouver. Aliona and Robin need to make the judges believe they have as much a chance as the others or they'll lose the expectations race. When done perfectly, I believe Savchenko and Szolkowy have the superior program (by just a smidgen) and it will take perfection, I think, to win the Olympics this time.

HomeSense Skate Canada: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly!

HomeSense Skate Canada wrapped up literally moments ago but I decided to go right to work on this post because it's all so fresh in my mind.

The Good: Some of the performances! Jeremy Abbott, Daisuke Takahashi, and Alban Preaubert put on quite a performance in the men's free. I have never seen Alban skate so well in my life, putting on a jump clinic. Daisuke came back from his NHK Meltdown with conviction. His free skate is rife with character, solid jumps, and great footwork (he actually won the FS by a smidge). And Jeremy Abbott, who took me by surprise enroute to his necessary win. He skated with conviction and even after a couple of little jump errors proved he could still compete with the big boys. Virtue and Moir captivated the crowd at the "Aud" with a gorgeous free skate...you could here a pin drop in there...well, until they did a lift and then the place erupted in applause. They set the new high mark and set a clear (crystal clear I think) message to Davis and White, Belbin and Agosto, and any other team that has their sights set on Olympic Gold. Shout-out to Weaver and Poje who were amazing here and actually found themselves on the podium! I spy Denney and Barrett throwing down another clean free skate! Finally, Savchenko and Szolkowy impressed me to no end with their new free skate to Out of Africa. For me, it gave me that same feeling that Dubreuil and Lauzon's Somewhere in Time did. This one may be a tear jerker for me and they set a World Record (206.71) in the process. I've added the video at the bottom of this post.

The Bad: I hate to mention a win in the bad column but Joannie Rochette was not on top of her game here. She was the benefactor of one of the weakest ladies free skate's I've seen in a while. Lots of doubled jumps and little landing errors. Her closest competition came in the form of Alissa Czisny who, herself, crashed and burned on two triples. Laura Lepisto had some clever choreography but didn't land many triples either to take the bronze. Mirai Nagasu actually had the highest technical score of all the ladies in the free but was hammered in the component score and failed to hit the podium. Dube and Davison didn't look sharp in their bronze winning performance. Poor Denis Ten lost all gas from the short program...we have to wait another day for brilliance via Kazakstan. Samuelson and Bates lost some big time ground here, not only falling behind Weaver and Poje but also Bobrova and Soloviev (Navarro and Bommentre...there's still hope!).

The Ugly: O goodness...Patrick Chan. From time to time he's been known to have a fall in his free skate...never would you expect three. Those falls, add in a doubled loop, and an iffy spin and it equals a disastrous 6th place finish. That was by far the shocker of the competition. Caroline Zhang got disastrous component scores after a slow, emotionless free skate where she fell on both triple flips. One judge gave her a 2.5 for skating skills...2.5!!!! Who could have ever predicted an 8th place finish for her, ouch. Same story for Phaneuf who finished ahead of her in 7th...four falls in the free and at home in Canada. She just cried in the Kiss and Cry, broke my heart. Kevin Van der Perren who is coming completely undone this season. I thought he was on his way to a better start when he did a three triple jump combo but after that all the energy went out of the program. After huffing and puffing his way to an 11th place finish, he looked like he hated skating and left the Kiss and Cry shouting curse words...oy! The last ugly is the scoring. In the short program especially, several skaters seemed to get boosts, most noticeably the Canadians. Joannie Rochette's short program scored a 70.00 without a triple-triple. Patrick Chan had the highest component score in the short despite a flawed performance. Virtue and Moir's OD score was off the charts. Amelie Lacoste and Cynthia Phaneuf made the final group of ladies despite the fact they had been clearly out-skated by Caroline Zhang and Akiko Suzuki in the short. In the free, Joannie Rochette again received some generous scores in the components given her performance while other skaters were grossly under-marked in components.

You can see full results here (including the judges protocol...I encourage you take a look).

So we have a list of those skaters making the Grand Prix Final. They are:

Pairs
Shen and Zhao (China)
Pang and Tong (China)
Mukhortova and Trankov (Russia)
Savchenko and Szolkowy (Germany)
Kavaguti and Smirnov (Russia)
Zhang and Zhang (China)

Ladies
Kim Yu-Na (Korea)
Miki Ando (Japan)
Joannie Rochette (Canada)
Alena Leonova (Russia)
Ashley Wagner (USA)
Akiko Suzuki (Japan)

Dance
Virtue and Moir (Canada)
Davis and White (USA)
Belbin and Agosto (USA)
Pechalat and Bourzat (France)
Cappellini and Lanotte (Italy)
Kerr and Kerr (Great Britain)

Men
Nobunari Oda (Japan)
Evan Lysacek (USA)
Brian Joubert (France)
Jeremy Abbott (USA)
Johnny Weir (USA)
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan)

2009 Nebelhorn Trophy

Thursday marks the beginning of the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. This is an important competition not only because top talent will be competing but many competitors are on a quest to attempt to qualify berths at the 2010 Olympic Games.

Two men have a realistic chance of qualifying berths for the Olympics (the qualifying process begins with Nebelhorn but it does not end here). Switzerland's Stéphane Lambiel begins his comeback bid here and realistically has to be seen as the clear favorite. It will be the first time we will have seen him in competition mode since the 2008 World Championships and give us a picture of how successful his comeback may be. Also with a solid chance of qualifying a berth for Azerbaijan is former Canadian competitor Fedor Andreev who recently won the Skate Detroit competition. His stock is on the rise and I expect he'll skate well. Plenty of other talent to keep an eye on including Czech skater Michael Brezina who won this event in 2007. France's innovative Yannick Ponsero is in the mix as is the 2004 World Bronze medalist Stefan Lindemann who'll be skating at home. Ryan Bradley from the U.S. will make his season debut in Germany.

This event has a fairly solid pairs and dance field. In Pairs, World Champions Savchenko and Szolkowy look to begin their season with an easy win. Also competing are Ukranians Volosozhar and Morozov, Canadians Langlois and Hay, and Americans Castille and Okolski. The Ice Dance competition gives Americans Davis and White a chance to get early feedback on their dances this season.

Amongst the women, three ladies I feel have a near equal chance at taking the title. Alissa Czisny, who won the title last season, Kiira Korpi, and Sarah Meier all have a shot, just depends who shows up with their jumping legs. Hungary's Julia Sebestyen, 2004 European Champion, is competing but unfortunately she hasn't been much of a factor in recent years.

UPDATE: Terrible news. Fedor Andreev will not be competing at Nebelhorn Trophy and thus will be unable to qualify for the 2010 Olympic Games. The reason...the Azerbaijan Skating Federation forget the paperwork! He and teammate Joelle Forte (who used to compete for the U.S.) were forced to withdraw because of the mishap. You can check out the full scoop at Jenny Kirk's blog. How unfortunate.

UPDATE #2: Sarah Meier has also withdrawn from Nebelhorn.

UPDATE #3: A quick update with the winners of this event. No surprises really. Switzerland's Stéphane Lambiel won the men's event. American Alissa Czisny took the ladies title (despite a sixth place free skate). Pairs title easily went to reigning World Champs Savchenko and Szolkowy of Germany. The dance title went to Americans Davis and White.

2009 Worlds - Day 2

Another really long day! But it's worth it...there was some great skating.

First the men's short program. I watched 50 of them! What an experience. Let me begin with the largest Christmas present under the tree...that would be Brian Joubert's placement. He leads the field despite a flawed program. He created all this pre event press about men not attempting quads. Four men out of the fifty that skated attempted a quad in the short. Of those four (Ponsero, Voronov, Verner, and Joubert), three landed the quad cleanly...Joubert was the one that didn't, putting his hand down on the landing. Even so, he is in the lead after a lot of meaningless hip shaking and arm flailing. But, I digress...

Evan Lysacek is in second after a stellar program that, again, was better than Joubert's. Evan's 'more free' footwork is impressive and definitely improves the program. Patrick Chan is just behind Evan in third and his placement confused me as well. Not that I don't think he deserved...he deserved the lead...but why didn't it get the points he received earlier in the season, this was his best performance? Czech frontman Tomas Verner is in 4th after a program that included a gorgeous quad combo. Japan's Kozuka is in 5th after a cool, calm, and collected short program. The surprise of the top group is perhaps Italy's Samuel Contesti who sits 6th. He's proving his European Silver was not a fluke.

Other points to note: Nobunari Oda (7th place) went into the boards on his jump combination (I can just hear Dick Button). Brandon Mroz (8th) had a fantastic short program. Jeremy Abbott (10th) did not.

In Pairs, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany successfully defended their World Title. The Germans had an almost entirely clean free skate except for a silly slip by Robin as he completed part of a footwork sequence. Nonetheless, they were the clear class of the field on their way to their second consecutive win. You could hear a pin drop in the Staples Center as they skated to the 'Schindler's List' soundtrack. Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang of China took the Silver Medal for the second year in a row. They pushed through some problems on the individual jumps and spins with powerful throw jumps and lifts to hang on to second place. Russians Yuko Kavaguti (formerly Kawaguchi...she received her Russian Citizenship in February and changed the spelling of her name) and Alexander Smirnov nabbed the bronze. They were in second after the short program and skated after the Germans. In an attempt to win the title, they tried a throw quad salchow. The quad attempt, however, didn't go as planned as Yuko landed face first on the ice. They were able to regain composure and go onto to skate fairly well from that point with solid unison and dynamic lifts.

While nowhere near the podium, the loudest ovation of the night was for Americans Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett. Despite finishing 9th, they had a completely clean program, upset their teammates McLaughlin and Brubaker (11th) who were expected to contend for a medal, and brought the crowd inside the Staples Center to their feet. Speaking of McLauglin and Brubaker, they struggled throughout their program, especially on the jump elements. Bit of an upset for them to finish behind their teammates.

Pang and Tong of China, Mukhortova and Trankov of Russia, and Volosozhar and Morozov of Ukraine rounded out the top six. Canadians Dube and Davison and Duhamel and Buntin were 7th and 8th respectively.

Original Dance and Mens Free tomorrow.

European Pairs Champions

German's Savchenko and Szolkowy have recaptured their European Title. Russian's Kawaguchi and Smirnov moved up to 2nd for the Silver, edging out their teammates Mukhortova and Trankov, leaders after the short program, who took the Bronze. Morozov and Volosozhar of Ukraine were 4th.

Day late and dollar short!

So I'm a day behind on my posts...you'll have to forgive me. Earning a Master's Degree has a tendency to occupy my time. Having a cold doesn't help either, but, tis the season.

But what an exctining Trophee Eric Bompard was. First can I say what a stud Craig Duhamel is! There was blood everywhere but that wasn't stopping him at all. After the unfortunate finger slicing which caused the program to stop, he just went out there and gave it everything. I actually thought he and Megan looked better in the second half. I was kind of under the impression that maybe they should have won the silver instead of the bronze, but, I guess that's just me. Mukhortova looked a little better than they did at Skate America. They seemed to improve technically as the program went on but that choreography is still dreadful. Silver for them. German Savchenko and Szolkowy again took the gold but had mistakes of their own including a throw triple salchow that just never happened. The Germans may have big problems when they finally face Zhang and Zhang later in the season. Also, I have to gloat...I called the podium!


Big upset for Joannie Rochette who takes another title! She turned in another solid program on her way to Gold. She wasn't quite as good as she was in Ottawa, but it was far better than Mao Asada who just didn't seem quite ready for her season to begin. A free skate plagued with errors left her in second. Caroline Zhang bettered her performance from Ottawa to pick up the bronze, however, her performance is lifeless and the technique on the lutz and flip seem worse than last year. Also, she is still being hit with downgrades here and there. Lots to work on before Nationals in Cleveland. Way off the podium was Emily Hughes who was a disaster. Poor thing went down three times. Hopefully she can pull herself together for Nationals.

Wonderful ice dancing. The Kerrs looked sharp in their free dance. I just love the speed and abandon they skate with. Another bronze for them. I was a bit worried when I say Maximo come out in this Pagliacchi outfit but the music was 'Moonlight Sonata' but I must say I thought it was brilliant. I loved how the concept for the program wasn't difficult to understand and the lifts were amazing on their way to silver. I'm finding myself really liking Delobel and Schoenfelder's Free Dance the more I see it. It's easy, light, and easy on the eyes while still managing to be crazy difficult. Another Gold for them and a very happy French crowd that got their money's worth! Got this podium right too!

Operation Pummel the Podium has failed. Ryan Bradley didn't pull off an upset...he didn't pull much off at all. Jumps that were his friend in Canada betrayed him here and hell fell down the standings. Joubert didn't fare well either. I don't know if it is equipment issues or mind games but he turned in a lack luster program as well and failed to make the podium. My advice to Brian is to avoid this event. I know it's your home event but you rarely compete well here and usually compete very well elsewhere...stick with what works! His teammate, Preaubert, however was stellar and pulled up to win the Bronze. I loved how excited he was at the end of that program! Takahiko Kozuka again showed some amazing skating skills with an even better program than he did in Everett to take the silver. Patrick Chan successfully defended his title to win. He looked much stronger than he did in Canada and made good on his promise of actually 'earning' his win this time.

All that fun and the GP Final is starting to take some definite shape. Savchenko and Szolkowy have locked a spot and Mukhortova and Trankov look good to make it as well. Joannie Rochette is in. Delobel and Schoenfelder have qualified and the Kerr's are on the fence. Good thing for them is that Crone and Porier who won the silver in Canada were fourth in Paris so the Kerr's look okay. Both Chan and Kozuka have also locked up spots in the Final. Lysacek is still hanging in and got some help with Joubert's fourth place finish but it's still a rocky road ahead for him.

Skate America Report 2

LET ME BE CLEAR...I'M NOT AT ALL HAPPY WITH THE JUDGING TODAY!

Now that I got that off my chest, let me begin with the Original Dance (OD). Summersett and Gilles still find themselves in 8th place but they had a wonderful OD that the crowd really got behind. Although they are in 8th, the spread between 6th and 8th is nill so they have plenty of opportunity to rise. The French team of Carron and Jost slipped to 5th after Samuelson and Bates of the U.S. turned in a stellar OD, complete with fancy tap dancing. For me, this was the program of the night (afternoon actually) and by the crowds reaction, I think it was theirs as well. The Kerr's have closed the gap just a little on the top two, in part, because they placed second in the OD. The Kerr's had a very strong OD and actually beat Tanith and Ben who are in second still overall. While it's still close at the top, Tanith and Ben lost a wee bit more ground to the French Delobel and Schoenfelder. They seem to be heading the wrong direction but they have the Free Dance to redeem themselves. In my opinion, their OD lacked the spark we've seen from their skating in the past...seemed a bit...Russian? In defense of Tanith and Ben, I thought their program should have been good enough to get past the Brits...this was my first juding dissaproval of the day! The French did this crazy old man, naughty nurse program that lost me a little bit...but all the footwork, lifts, and dance spins were spot-on, so they remained in the lead.


The pairs event went basically as everyone thought it would. First, the young Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin put on quite a show. Skating to 'Dracula' they started their program with this amazing lift that went all the way around the arena and they never looked back. They were pumped after their program having skated so well. On the reverse, finishing one spot above their teammates in 5th, Inoue and Baldwin had a terrible skate. They are still using that hideous (yes...I used that word!) program from last season and it go them nowhere. In truth, they are lucky they beat Yankowskas and Coughlin, I certainly would have placed them behind them! Duhamel and Buntin stayed in 4th after an up and down program. The leaders after the short, Russians Mukhortova and Trankov had a complete meltdown and are lucky to have one the bronze medal, they were terrible. But, Keauna and Rockne were stellar. First, I was weary because they are using 'West Side Story' and all us skating fans know this has been used over and over and over and...you get the point. But they are using the best cut of this music I've ever heard. The choreography is great and they skated great! A little hand down on the triple salchows but otherwise good...they had everyone out of their seats. As expected, the German's breezed by everybody with an easy skate to victory, however, they did have a major error when she singled the throw salchow near the end of the program. I'd like to point out I accurately predicted the Pairs Podium!

Between the end of the Pairs competition and the start of the Ladies short I went and grabbed some dinner. Upon returning to the Arena, I found a sea of Korean flags! I must tell you I've never been to an event where Yu-Na Kim competed. I asked a couple who was sitting near me who also travel to lots of skating competitions and they said "Oh yeah, she has a traveling entourage of superfans! Where she goes, they go!" Once we got inside the Arena, the walls were instantly decorated with Yu-Na signs and messages. It's like the Arena underwent an instant transformation. At the same time, all those people outside with the flags took seats bunched together in one corner of the arena...suddenly Yu-Na had a pep squad!

Speaking of the ladies short, this was where I went from being annoyed with the judges to full blown mad! The first of the U.S. ladies to skate was Rachael Flatt and she was stellar! Beautiful skating, spot on jumps, just amazing yet her score was just so so...huh? She's currently in 5th but she should be in second! Kimmie Meissner's big comeback hit a snag when she went down on her triple flip. I notice she's changed the entrance into the jump, I think to avoid taking off the wrong edge, but I don't think she's used to it yet. She's in 6th, but not all is lost, more on that in a moment. Mirai Nagasu took the ice and she had had problems too. She two footed the lutz, which was supposed to be in combination with a triple toe on the triple toe never happened. She had the frame of mind to make her solo flip jump into a combination, but it was only a triple/double. Despite the varied mistakes, she went ahead of Flatt...I was quite confused and dumbfounded by this! Yukari Nakano came out and made a couple boo boos of her own. Her triple/triple became a triple/double and then she doubled her triple lutz. But then she went ahead of Mirai and Rachael (at this point I'm wondering how the only skater to have a clean performance is now being pushed to third by skaters who aren't skating half as well)...puzzling? Miki Ando was just crusing through her performance until she took a spill during her foot work (I was watching Nikolai Morozov her coach during it and he winced as she fell!), yet she managed the lead. Between Miki in 2nd and Meissner in 6th there is less than three points separation so they all are still in the hunt for a medal. Speaking of medals, I think the Gold is wrapped up already. Yu-Na Kim was mesmerizing. She had a little flub up on her double axel but nobody cared because the rest was just so good! When the marks went up she was close to 12 points ahead of Miki Ando! The Korean pep squad went berserk! Yu-Na just sat there in the kiss and cry and shyly waved at the camera...geez! As soon as she left, the superfans quickly dispersed. I asked the couple behind who had some experience with the superfans and they noted they were now on their way to the hotel to stalk Yu-Na there!

And the men...ARRGGGHHHH! Adam Rippon stayed in 8th. I think his 'Pagliacchi' music is a bit heavy. Also, it appears to me that he has attempted to become Johnny Weir's clone, complete with sequined outfit with red broken heart on chest...just an observation. Two Canadian men turned in great programs. Shawn Sayer finished 5th with a program set to 'Amadeus.' There wasn't a beat of the music he didn't hit and he was one of the crowd favorites of the night. Kevin Reynolds placed 4th, he was also the only skater to land a quad (it was a salchow) on the evening. I think he surprised himself with his performance looking quite in disbelief in the kiss and cry. The podium was whack! What a joke! Evan Lysacek got the Bronze with the best performance on the night. He crashed and burned on the opening quad but went on to complete everything else yet his technical score was only 4th best on the night (I have no idea where the dinged him?). That was one of the loudest judges boo I've ever been a part of...how ridiculous. I ask everyone to watch his and Kozuka's performance and tell me who's better. I'd like to know which judges scored what, oh wait, I forgot, THEIR ANONYMOUS! Johnny Weir got the silver, which is what he deserved, but he too was better than Kozuka. Johnny, after stepping out of his quad attempt, went on to complete everything else. His new program, like his one from last season, back loads a lot of the triples in the second half of the program. Apparently, didn't matter. Takahiko Kozuka won it all with a so so program set to 'Romeo and Juliet.' I'm trying to understand where he amassed this huge technical element score...he didn't land nearly the jumps that Lysacek or Weir (or Reynolds for that fact!). I think he deserved the Bronze if not 4th place...big gift for the young man from Japan (that rhymes!) was given tonight! We'll be talking about this one for a while! The men's standing should have been flip/flopped with Weir staying in second...hands down poor judging!