Post Nice Reflections

I've had time to digest all of what I saw in Nice at the World Figure Skating Championships... re-watched lots of the skates...re-read what I wrote in blog posts and not to toot my own horn...I think I called square.

Right after the competition was over, Paul from Jumping Clapping Man sent me some questions and thoughts via Facebook that I promised a blog post on. I'll do my best to give my take:

"Virtue/Moir were given that SD result. Meryl/Charlie beat that at least in the SD." - I'm assuming, like many, that Paul thought Meryl and Charlie were better in the Short Dance. For me, I'm actually okay with Tessa and Scott winning the Short Dance. I think the difference that gives the Canadians a slight advantage in Latin dances is Scott's Latin abilities. He moves precisely like a Latin dancer and I think the judges respect the purity of his movements.

"What happened to the House of Sato/Dunjen? Are they just exhausted from a too long season? Or, is there something going on behind the scenes that knocked their confidence?" - I think it was different for each skater. Alissa and Jeremy both competed in Europe a couple of weeks prior to Worlds so burnout may have been a factor. Jeremy, Alissa, and Adam all have been known to be slight headcases at times. Alissa, more than any of them, seemed just exhausted and unprepared. There was also some chatter that Yuka and Jason had asked Alissa to add a few pounds and that may have messed with her jumping technique. All three need to find "killer" instincts so they can get the job done.

"Were Kavaguti/Smirnov decked for their public commentary on the ice? I actually think they deserved a higher FS score (at least 130s). They only made one mistake, as I remember." - That one mistake led to others. After Yuko missed the second double axel in sequence, they had to bail on a lift which left lots of points on the table. Those little mishaps seem to always happen to them...they need to figure out how to skate perfect because when they do, they'll be tough to beat.

"WHY, oh WHY is Chan always scored above Takahashi? Am I missing something? Takahashi is one of the finest dancers/footwork specialists of all time, so when he lands his jumps, shouldn't he prevail, when Chan falls?" - When you find the answer, let me know.

"I was thrilled to see Kostner have her moment. For years I watched as she was overscored, and now that she remade herself and her look, she earned/deserved it. Beautiful! I hope this gave Ashley some momentum for next season...way to go girl!" - Yes, the field of ladies made it so simple for Carolina that we can't even be mad about her watered down content as it was still some of the most difficult content performed (I joke but not really...she could have seriously phoned it in!). I do pray she never wears a body outfit like that ever again though. And Ashley took my breath away. She has that "killer" instinct that some other Team USA members desperately need.

"Did Weaver/Poje deserve the bronze? Their FD was so beautiful. Perhaps I'm just biased against The Mummy." - So Weaver and Poje's Free Dance is brilliant and if Pechalat and Bourzat had skated as they had all season up to this competition I would say yes, Weaver and Poje would deserve the bronze. But Pechalat and Bourzat (as was Joubert) were energized I think by the amazing swell of crowd support they were getting and it elevated their performance level. In the arena, that Mummy program was rockin' out and they had everyone in the palm of their hand. I say at this competition, the judges were fair in awarding the Bronze to Nathalie and Fabian.

Fireworks in World Arena!

Today capped the end of the single events and the beginning of the team events in Colorado Springs.

The day kicked off with the pairs short program. Right off the bat Denney and Coughlin killed it! And then right behind them Marley and Brubaker have a solid skate and for the longest time they were 1-2 in the standings. But Sui and Han came along and spoiled the party. They breezed through their short program like it was nobody's business and slipped just ahead of Caydee and John. Those would remain the top three. Skating later Takahashi and Tran, despite a couple wonky technical errors, managed 4th place ahead of Evora and Ladwig who for the first time in a while stood up on their side by side triples (still a little two feet for Amanda but I'll take it). Certainly an improvement from Nationals. Full Results here.



The Dancers took the ice next and in a very close race Meryl and Charlie bested Tessa and Scott by less than a point. Both gave inspired short dances. The two of them will no doubt have an epic race to the gold. The bronze medal race is tight as well with Weaver and Poje inching ahead of Team Shibby. And the crowd was not happy about Maia and Alex's scores...many felt they were way under marked, twitter blew up, and the judges in arena were super booed. Some even thought they should have challenged for the lead. I don't know about all that but I think maybe a touch under marked. After the top four the scores take a super dive, see full results here.



The fireworks really came with the ladies free when Ashley Wagner...ASHLEY WAGNER...killed it and took the title! So confident, so trained, she not only won, but she beat Mao Asada on both the technical and component mark. Talk about a step up! She flew across the ice and owned it hardcore. I had to stop tweeting I was going crazy! In fact Caroline Zhang got the fireworks started with the performance of her life to open the group. Caroline has done a complete reversal from her poor performances the last two seasons. With her skate she nabbed the bronze and the U.S. went 1-3. The tweets started flying in, U.S. ladies are back! I hope that Ashley can usher in a new era of American women champions, she (along with Caroline) was just amazing. Full Results Here.

Christmas Came Late (or a little early!)

Sorry, crazy schedule so this is a little late.

OMG...Nationals could not have gone any better if I was to have scripted it myself! You should have seen me screaming during all the free skates! I was a hot mess...turns out I win the San Jose 2012 'Queen Out' Award!

As far as dance, I found it kind of boring and all so predictable. My heart really got pumping however in the free dance. First, huge props to Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt! What amazing strides they have made in just a year! For a second there I thought they were going to hit the podium and make the world team. What an effort! I think I tweeted after Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue's dance I needed a cigarette. That was hot. For Maia and Alex, their Free Dance is still leaving a little bit to be desired...it feels safe and I want them to take big risks. The improved short dance I think puts them back in the running for a possible bronze at worlds but they are going to have to find a way to be more exciting in the free. and Meryl and Charlie...what can I say...Virtue and Moir can 'fuhgetaboutit!'

Pairs couldn't have gone more perfect. I'm a huge Rockne Brubaker fan...huge! I didn't expect him and MaryBeth to win, so I was really shocked when they won the short! While the free didn't pan out as expected (it was odd to see him make the mistakes) I was please as punch when they placed second and punched their ticket to Nice! My goal is to find them in Nice and get a picture with them because I'm a fan! I also don't care what people say...Denney and Coughlin's free skate is beautiful...I smell what they are cooking! Evora and Ladwig...I love them too but they can't continue to get a pass on the poor technical elements. They've got to figure that out...it's a must! I'll be rooting for them in Colorado Springs...Amanda...land a sbs jump!

The ladies event was very exciting. Can I just gush for a few moments about Caroline Zhang! This girl has transformed...I was shocked at how well she competed here...shocked I say! Still some work to do but the difference is magnificent! I'm uber excited I get to see her at 4CC...I'm going to make lots of noise! I've never been so happy to see someone place 4th in my life. Agnes...oy! You know, I partly blame NBC for tinkering with the skate orders (had it been a true open draw and not simply a draw amongst the top three she might not have drawn last); Agnes is notorious for skating poorly last and stated she hates it. Even still, I think she's come far since the disaster that was the Grand Prix series and I think she now has a place to grow from. Alissa, again, was fragile not fierce. I wonder if she's still not extra healthy (as she isn't competing at 4CC). I love her but I still doubt her...and that's not a good thing. And Ashley Wagner...she's the one I was rooting for and she didn't disappoint...at all! Love her free skate...LOVE HER FREE SKATE. I wanted to pinch her for messing up the salchow but I guess I'll forgive her. Add a triple triple, put that triple toe behind the double axel on one foot, and pray for world medal. I'll be a mess in Nice should that happen.

And I was screaming during the men's free skate. Forget the rest, Jer Bear! I was pacing around skating his free with him. That quad off the top was the most swish thing I've ever seen. I love what Scott Hanilton said when he was worried that Jeremy might skate perfect like he did in 2010 and peak to soon. He was relieved it was a good skate but not a perfect one so he has room to grow. That is so true. Each time Jeremy has hit the ice it has been steadily better. He's building towards Worlds which is perfect. I'm gonna say it...if both Patrick and Jeremy are completely clean at Worlds, I think Jeremy is better because he feels his music better and is less robotic. There it's out there...take it or leave it. Happy that Rippon was second with a good skate. Johnny Weir was correct in stating we need to send the two guys with the most experience and that is definitely Abbott and Rippon (perhaps because he needs them to earn him a berth next season?).

U.S. Nationals Preview (Ladies)

Finally, we have reached the ladies competition at Nationals. Seems like it took forever to get here. More than any other discipline, this one is completely up for grabs with lots of ladies with a shot at taking it (or second place which secures the other Olympic Berth).

Rachael Flatt - She's winning my poll on who people think will win the title. She's been the runner up for two straight years now and looks poised to finally take the crown. Her big moment this season so far was at Cancer.Net Skate America where she upset Kim Yu-Na in the free skate. Kim went on to take the title but Rachael proved she could be a heavy hitter. She has a crowd pleasing short program that could vault her ahead of the competition. A betting person would put their money on her...will they cash in?

Alissa Czisny - The defending champion has had an up and down season to this point. She did nab the silver medal at HomeSense Skate Canada but it wasn't off a great performance. Alissa is one of the most gifted skaters as far as artistry is concerned in the competition. Holding her back is those nerves; something she and her mentor, Brian Boitano, have been working on. If she can keep the nerves under check, land her jumps, and most importantly rotate her jumps, she'll have a great chance of making the Olympic Team.

Mirai Nagasu - She arrived in Spokane in good spirits. The 2008 Champ has looked far more confident this season but she is still getting those pesky jump downgrades from under-rotating her jumps. The only thing between her and an Olympic berth is a quarter turn cheat. She admitted during a USOC Presser in Chicago earlier in the season that she was a bit 'intimidated' by the presence of Sasha Cohen in the event. She'll need to get over the 'fear factor' and trust her training has prepared her for this moment.

Caroline Zhang - She's had a rough season to this point. She was late settling on a coach going from Li Mingzhu to Charlene Wong...then back to Li. After a so-so start in Paris she landed a devastating 8th place at HomeSense Skate Canada after numerous mistakes and jump downgrades. Along, with jump downgrades, Caroline is often slow and also receives edge calls on lots of her jumps. Her coach, Li, has also stated that she enters this championship with a back injury that will require constant therapy...further setbacks indeed. She'll need to do several things to be competitive for an Olympic berth in Spokane...land jumps, skate faster, and find a way to connect with the audience. When Caroline is on she has a natural way of relating to the crowd but if she's off, it just doesn't work.

Sasha Cohen - A good portion of the skating world (myself included) doubted she would even make it to this event. After withdrawals from Trophee Eric Bompard and Cancer.Net Skate America and continued talk of injury and unsuccessful triples...the writing 'seemed' to be on the wall. But her coach John Nicks said she has worked harder in the several weeks leading up to this event than she has ever worked in her life. We all took a deep breath when she actually arrived in Spokane and then our jaw dropped when in her first practice session she looked amazing! Now translating a solid practice to a solid competition is another issue. Artistically she can't be touched. People keep talking about her inexperience with the IJS but in fact she is one of the most experienced skaters, posting some of the systems top scores after its inception (her 2003 Skate Canada score is still #6 on the top score list). I had a sneaky suspicion that if she showed up in Spokane she'd be up to the challenge. Olympics bound for the third time?

Emily Hughes - Finally making it back to Nationals after a two year hiatus, she's kind of the wildcard in the bunch. Spokane ice has been good to her, the last time she was at Nationals was here (2007) and she was the silver medalist. A silver medal here would send her back to the Olympics again. At Cancer.Net Skate America she looked a tad rusty but was giving it good attack. If she worked out the rust and is rotating her jumps fully (that is what did her in at Skate America) and can bring that spark that comes natural to her (all Hughes'?), I suspect she'll be in the hunt for a medal and perhaps a trip to the Olympics.

Ashley Wagner - Ashley was the lone American woman to make the Grand Prix Final where she placed a respectable 4th. She's looked solid in practice leading up to the event and has seemed very focused. She's stated that rather than attempting lots of tricky triples, she's just trying to do what she can do well and earn positive GOE's. Third in 2008, fourth in 2009, is 2010 her year? In my poll she is in second place for those predicting who will win this competition. She's been the U.S. leading lady so far this season...does it continue with a trip to Vancouver?

Rostelecom Cup Surprises

Rostelecom Cup surprised me a bit. There were many unexpected moments.

Surprise #1: Pang and Tong. I thought their free skate was awesome. Maybe I’m a sucker for Man of La Mancha but I just loved this program. I feel they are in their comfort zone this season with their programs and I suspect they’ll be able to keep up with their Chinese counterparts. I thought they might get bested by the Russians here but they prevailed.

Surprise #2: Evgeny Plushenko. While I always thought he had a decent shot at winning this competition, I expected there to be a little rust after not competing at this level for so long. Well, he showed no rust at all and after his performance he has to be considered the early favorite for Olympic Gold. I was simply astounded by his performance level (see video below).

Surprise #3: Johnny Weir. On the flip side from Plushenko was Johnny Weir who didn’t look nearly as prepared as I expected him to be. While his programs are solid, I don’t think they have what it takes to be competitive with many of the other men this season. I was expecting a brand new Johnny this season and I feel I got more of the same. I’m feeling a bit short-changed here. He said he was mad in a post-event interview with David Pelletier…let’s see how mad he really is.

Surprise #4: Davis and White. Whoa! We had some stellar dancing last week in Paris from Virtue and Moir and people were already talking about them being shoe-in’s for Olympic Gold. Then, Davis and White bump it up a notch and hardcore bring it in Moscow. The lifts these teams are doing this season are crazy and I just love the competition that is being set up for Vancouver. Outstanding!

Surprise #5: Mao Asada. I just am sad for her. She probably is blessed with the most natural ability of any skater ever but something has gone terribly wrong for her the last year-an-a-half. There’s conflicting reports rather she will switch her SP or not (it would be a wise decision), she’s more than likely not going to make the Grand Prix Final after that 5th place finish, and even her spot on the Olympic Team looks iffy given that the Japanese Federation is doling out Olympic berths based upon the Grand Prix (Although I can’t imagine a scenario where she doesn’t make that team. Even at her worst she is capable of competing with the best.). Suguri and Suzuki all of a sudden are contenders here. Something has to give. I had her pegged as the easy winner here without Kim in the field and Miki Ando and four other skaters just waltzed over her like there was nothing to it.

Surprise #6: Ashley Wagner. Why she didn’t pull out the victory (Miki Ando did that with a rather bland performance to Cleopatra), she did put herself as a serious contender for one of the two Olympic berths the U.S. has for the women. She put down two great programs (work on those edge deductions) and not only earned some international props in the process but sub-planted the reigning National Champ Alissa Czisny (finished off the podium in 4th) in the process.

You can take a look at the full results here. This week the Grand Prix pit stops in Beijing, China.

Pic of the Week

Figure skaters are a charitable bunch!

While I can't speak for many skaters around the world (and I'm aware many of them are active in charitable work as well...yay!), I do know American Skaters are often doing their part to give back. Ronald McDonald House, Susan G. Komen, Muscular Dystrophy, Make a Wish Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, Skating in Harlem...I could keep going!

This past week, Ashley Wagner made all of her followers on Twitter aware of Love Our Children USA, and organization she is very supportive of. I checked out the site and it is an amazing organization; I can't help but applaud any organization that's looking out for children's best interests.

Their mission statement:

Love Our Children USA works to eliminate behaviors that keep children from reaching their potential. It redefines parenting and creates kid success by promoting prevention strategies and positive changes in parenting and family attitudes and behaviors through public education. Love Our Children USA honors and respects children and works to empower and support children, teens, parents and families through information, resources, advocacy, and online youth mentoring. Its goal is to keep children safe and strengthen families -- Its message is positive ... one of prevention, empowerment and hope.

Big thanks to Ashley Wagner for bringing the important work of this organization to our attention! Besides being awesome athletes, it's nice to be reminded that they are awesome people as well.

Want to hear more from Ashley, follow her on Twitter @AshWagner2010. And speaking of awesome...how about one of Ashley's awesome performances from this past season.

Wagner laying claim to Delaware's ice

From Delaware Online by Martin Frank

WILMINGTON -- For the past several years, figure skating in the state of Delaware has been about Johnny Weir and Kimmie Meissner.

Each won their share of honors, including national championships for both and a world championship for Meissner, and both earned spots on the U.S. team for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Both have moved on over the past year or so, with Weir moving to northern New Jersey and Meissner heading to Florida.

But the cupboard, so to speak, is not bare. Ashley Wagner, a 17-year-old from Alexandria, Va., moved to Delaware last summer to train with Priscilla Hill, Weir's former coach, at the Skating Club of Wilmington.

She placed fourth at last month's U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and is headed to the World Junior Championships in Bulgaria beginning Feb. 23. And she is among several women skaters who have a chance to make the U.S. Olympic team next year.

"That is definitely the goal," Wagner said. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get there. But it's also scary because all my life, it seemed so far in the distance. Now it's only a year away."

Wagner has done a lot to fulfill her goal. Wagner, her mother Melissa and younger brother Austin, who finished fifth in the novice competition, rented an apartment in Brandywine Hundred last summer so Wagner could train with Hill. She had left her longtime coach Shirley Hughes earlier in the summer.

Wagner takes online classes from her high school in Virginia, where she's a senior maintaining honor-level grades.

The Wagners head back to Virginia each weekend, where Wagner's father, Eric, lives.

Traveling long distances, however, is nothing new for Wagner. She's the daughter of a career military man. She was born in Germany and has moved nine times, including stints in Alaska, California, Washington, Kansas and Virginia.

She began skating at the age of 5 in Alaska, and was hooked a few years later when she watched former University of Delaware skater Tara Lipinski win the Olympic gold medal in 1998. In fact, her father chose an assignment in Kansas over Hawaii so she could continue skating.

"There weren't too many places to skate in Hawaii," Wagner said with a laugh.

Wagner trains about five hours a day during the week, then takes Pilates after her daily skating sessions.

It is during training where Hill sees the similarities with Weir, whom she coached for several years.

"When Johnny was at his best he was training non-stop, and I see that with Ashley," Hill said. "You see that with every elite athlete. That energy is so unbelievable and Ashley definitely has that."

The similarities end there, however.

Weir was, and is, known for his eccentricities and his outrageous comments, which have on occasion gotten him in trouble with the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

Wagner, meanwhile, just skates.

She showed her mental fortitude at the national championships, when she was 12th after the short program.

"It was a disaster," said Wagner, who had finished third the year before and was considered one of the favorites to medal this year. "I was a little shocked. I was going for a triple-triple, and when it didn't happen, I lost my focus for the rest of the program."

Wagner recovered to win the long program, which shot her all the way up to fourth. While it wasn't good enough to get a spot on the podium or the World Championship team, it did get her a spot on the World Junior team and gave her a tremendous boost of confidence.

"It showed me that when things are at the ultimate low point, I can pull myself out of it," Wagner said. "Granted, I never want to have to pull myself up like that again, but at least I know I can do it."

Added Hill: "She learned a lot about herself between the short and the long program. She learned to overcome her demons. In the long term, having to build back was very important to her, even more than if she had done two perfect programs."

But Wagner knows she can't have a slip like that next year at nationals.

The women's field is tremendously deep, as Wagner will compete for one of either two or three Olympic spots with national champion Alissa Czisny, runner up Rachel Flatt, third-place finisher Caroline Zhang and 2008 champion Mirai Nagasu.

There is also Meissner, who sat out nationals with a hip-flexor injury, and there are persistent rumors that past champions Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen might make one final bid for an Olympic spot as well.

"It'll be intense," Wagner said. "But I'm also looking forward to it."


read more | digg story

Pic of the Week

I'm giving this Pic of the Week to Ashley Wagner because despite her failure to medal at Cup of China, I thought she was great!

As promised I did look at those judges scores (I'm loving how Ice Network makes them so accessible...they're converting me!) between Lepisto and Wagner and I was again completely confused. Despite the wrong edge deductions, Wagner should have blown Lepisto away technically yet she beat her by just over a point. Why is that Yu-Na Kim's wrong edge take-off was given a positive GOE of 0.40 while Wagner's was met with a negative GOE of -1.20?

And don't get me started of the Component Scores. Lepisto's program was a snoozefest (I'm not trying to be mean...just calling it like it is!) yet she outscored Wagner on all the Component Scores. Really? Okay, calling all judges...again! What makes Lepisto's program better in the component sense?

What do you think? Here's the direct comparison below...





Also...I've been fiddling with music on the site. For your enjoyment...here's a bit from Khachaturian's Spartacus, Ashley Wagner's Free Skate music this season.

Summer of change continues...

Another skater has changed coaches!

This time it's Ashley Wagner. She has left Shirley Hughes in DC to train with Priscilla Hill. Hill also coaches Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov.

"I'm hoping this change helps bring a new maturity to my skating and brings me closer to my dream of competing in the Olympic Games," Wagner said. "I appreciate all that Mrs. Hughes has done for me; I wouldn't have made it to the World Championships without her. Right now I'm concentrating on my future and where this change will take me."

"I am very proud of Ashley and all we accomplished together," Hughes said. "I wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors." Nice to see them part ways amicably.

Geez, who's next...so many changes!