The Pass List

Inevitably, after any Olympics, there is a swath of competitors who opt-out of the World Championships to follow. Here is the "Pass List" as it currently exists:

Evan Lysacek - The Olympic Champ is focusing on "Dancing with the Stars." Perhaps he can add a Mirror Ball Trophy to his illustrious collection. Replaced by Ryan Bradley.

Johnny Weir - I think just too much post-Olympic press and not enough preparation. Vowing to comeback next season...but he vowed to compete at World's too so...anyway. Replaced by Adam Rippon.

Shen and Zhao - Back into retirement for these two having won everything including that elusive Olympic Gold Medal. Sometimes it is a fairy-tale ending. Replaced by Dong and Wu.

Stéphane Lambiel - Like Shen and Zhao, he's opted to retire from eligible skating and will be on ABC's "Thin Ice" later this month. Replaced by Jamal Othman.

Belbin and Agosto - While they've made no formal announcement concerning the end of their competitive careers, prior to this season they said after these Olympics would be "it." They were vague about their future in post-Olympic Press but their withdrawal would seem to indicate they are moving ahead as planned. Replaced by Navarro and Bommentre.

UPDATE:
Domnina and Shabalin - We can add them to the pass list. They say they are resting and taking care of their health but it "isn't goodbye." Replaced by Rubleva and Shefer.

Who isn't on the pass list? The entire women's podium from Vancouver including Kim Yu-Na! (Scratch that...Joannie Rochette is taking a pass). Evgeny Plushenko will attempt to win another World Title, a feat he hasn't accomplished since 2004. Virtue and Moir are also slated to compete in an attempt to win their first World Title and complete a medal set (Silver in '08, Bronze in '09).

Spilling the Beans...

Everything I wanted to say in Vancouver but didn't...

So, I'm going to say it, yell at me if you want..."I'M OFFICIALLY SICK OF EVGENY PLUSHENKO! I'M DONE!" In the aftermath of his not so shocking loss at the Olympics, I just kept saying in my head..."Will he shut up already?" I hate nothing more than a sore loser. And Elvis Stojko's nonsensical babble about how figure skating is hurt by Plushenko's loss didn't help the situation either. Fine Elvis, go watch hockey. If that's the boost of testosterone you need and it gets you out of my hair...more power to you! I get that Plushenko and Stojko think the quad is like the 'Holy Grail' of figure skating but after the quad, Plushenko's technical performance was not great in the men's free skate...it wasn't great at all. But of course none of that should matter because if you do a quad you should win...ugh. Did anyone notice that he did two triple axels in his exhibition...just to show he could land them without a struggle. I think just to infuriate me he was threatening to make another comeback in Sochi. It's bad enough he'll be in Torino at World's. Good grief!

What was up with Belbin and Agosto missing out on the Bronze medal? What? And they couldn't even be upset about it because it was their training mates that edged them. Even their coach, Natalia Linichuk, had that look in her eyes..."You guys were clearly way better but the judges are propping them up...sorry." The even sadder part about it was that everyone (media, announcers, press) just went with it...like it was an agreed upon deal. "Okay, we won't complain that Tanith and Ben get screwed so long as North America goes 1-2." Ummm...North America should have went 1-2-3! Rogge will have to forgive me if I disagree with his assertion that the figure skating judging in Vancouver was "impeccable."



Finally, Grades of Executions were making me so mad at the Olympics. Why is that when a skater from, oh I don't know say, Turkey, does a perfect triple salchow she gets no positive grades on the jump? But when a skater from, oh I don't know say, U.S. or Japan or Canada or Korea or Finland, does the same jump, the positive GOE's flow like Manna from the Gods. While in Vancouver a "very knowledgeable voice" showed me some shocking trends and revelations in the current judging system. I'm going to go on record now and say that I think the point system is, while flawed, not a totally bad system, but the people behind the judging monitors from all corners of the globe, are often greasy scoundrels!

That is all...I'll get off my soapbox now.

XXI Olympic Winter Games Figure Skating Dance Preview

The fact that we've finally come to the Olympics is unbelievable! It's what so many athletes have worked so hard far! Over the next four days I'm going to break down who to watch in Vancouver beginning today with Ice Dance.

The Ice Dance competition will be the first time we get to see all the World's best in one competition this season. Odd viral infections, bum knees, newborn babies, and even teeth have kept the best from going head-to-head this season but it all changes in Vancouver. Who are the six teams I think we need to watch?

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (USA) - The 2006 Olympic Silver Medalists had a great Grand Prix season with two wins at Samsung Anycall Cup of China and Cancer.Net Skate America but hit a road bump when they had to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final due to a tooth infection from Tanith. The team hit another hurdle when they were unable to win back their U.S. Title in Spokane, settling for Silver. Even still, they have tons of experience to bank on including the fact they've managed Olympic Pressure before. Despite the loss at Nationals it was an extremely close race and I suspect they'll be right in the thick of it in Vancouver.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White (USA) - They enter these Olympics as the team to beat. Two wins on the Grand Prix at Rostelecom Cup and NHK Trophy, a win at the Grand Prix Final (becoming the first American team to win that event), and a win at Nationals has put the target squarely on their backs. With success comes expectations and pressure and this team doesn't have the base of experience to fall back on that many of the others have but they seem to be in a groove. At U.S. Nationals they skated one of the best Free Dances I've ever seen and had the audience out of their seats instantly. If they can hold up under pressure they may find themselves with some hardware around their neck...the bling bling kind.

Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder (FRA) - The 2008 World Champs have been out of competition for over a year now due in large part to Isabelle's pregnancy. They enter the Olympics as the complete wildcard...nobody knows how they will perform, if they are prepared, how their programs will stack? They stated they were ready to compete at the European Championships but the French Skating Federation opted to not send them to Tallinn wanting to keep their programs a "secret." It will be interesting to see how this team re-enters the mix. I'm still convinced they are a Gold Medal threat...they have so much experience that cannot be ignored. They have been skating together the longest of anyone in the competition...20 years! 16th in Salt Lake City, 4th in Torino, Gold in Vancouver?

Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin (RUS) - The Olympics haven't yet begun and already there is controversy. Domnina and Shabalin have been all over the skating headlines due to their controversial Original Dance they are set to compete in Vancouver. People are already speculating as to what the fall out would be should the reigning World Champs win Gold in Vancouver with what many are calling a highly offensive dance. Everyone will be watching to see if they've made the modifications that Aboriginal Leaders have asked them to make. Many in the skating world fear this controversy will be the black cloud that hangs over the figure skating event in Vancouver. To be sure, it will be an interesting game of 'Public Relations Chess' to watch. Having won at Europeans, they enter this competition as the top seeded Europeans.

Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali (ITA) - I thought this team was toast after a disappointing finish at World's last season. Despite a bumpy beginning to this season which included some illness and minor injuries, this team is surging at just the right time. While only second overall at Europeans, they did manage to beat Domnina and Shabalin in both the Original Dance and Free Dance at the competition. This team has an amazing ability to tell stories, something they do brilliantly in their programs this season. This veteran team which, like Delobel and Schoenfelder, are entering their 3rd Olympics and are looking to land on the podium this time.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (CAN) - They'll have the crowd behind them and they have looked great this season. They traded season best scores back and forth on the Grand Prix with Davis and White and came desperately close to winning the Grand Prix Final, less than two points behind Davis and White. They recently gave a performance at Canadian Nationals that was equally impressive to Davis and White's U.S. Nationals performance. I'm not certain if having the crowd on their side will be helpful or put un-nerving pressure on them. I suspect this team will do very well here in Vancouver and I wouldn't be surprised in the least bit if they managed to nab the Gold right at home.

I promise you, Ice Dance will be one of the (if not the most) closest competitions in Figure Skating at the Olympics. It promises to be exciting. There is quite a cast of second string players that may factor in if teams at the top make critical errors. Don't forget to keep an eye on: Pechalat and Bourzat, Khoklova and Novitski, Cappellinni and Lanotte, Zaretski and Zaretski, Kerr and Kerr, and Crone and Poirier.

U.S. Nationals Preview (Dance)

The Ice Dancers are set to take the ice tomorrow in Spokane. There are three Olympic berths up-for-grabs in Spokane. Well, up-for-grabs is maybe a strong terms as it seems pretty cut and dry who will and who won't be making the trip to Vancouver, but there are six teams to keep a watchful eye on nonetheless.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White - One of the 'Big Three' teams, they have been on a roll this season. They won both their Grand Prix Events and went on to become the first American Ice Dance team to win the Grand Prix Final. They are expected to go neck and neck for the title here in Spokane.

Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre - This team seems forever stuck knocking on the door. They are, perhaps, the best chance to spoil what I'll call 'The Big Three.' This team has everything it takes to be one of the best but they have been unwilling or unable to load their programs with the extra difficulty the other teams have. They are always crowd favorites though.

Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell - This brother/sister duo was 4th last year in Cleveland in their senior debut but haven't been able to capture the same sizzle this season (although some sparks fly with their American Woman Free Dance). If other teams make grave mistakes, this may be one of the teams that capitalize on them.

Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates - Another 'Big Three' team, most believe this team will manage the third Olympic berth. They've shown a few signs of weakness however this season. At Skate Canada, a team slipped past them they have easily beaten in the past keeping hope alive for the other Ice Dance Teams.

Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein - Last season's Junior World Champs, I had this team pegged as shaking things up this season but they've had some trouble cracking into the top ranks in senior. Still, this is a talented team that shouldn't be counted out.

Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto - The other 'Big Three' team, this team had an equally impressive Grand Prix season as Davis and White winning both their events. They had to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final due to some dental issues but look prepared to recapture their national title (they missed the '09 Championship with injury). It should be a very close race between them and Davis and White and it's anyone guess at this point who'll come out victorious.

Belbin and Agosto on Today

In case you missed it, here is Tanith and Ben's performance this morning on Today.

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LAME!

I'm just going to go on record and say that Tanith and Ben's withdrawal from the Grand Prix Final is lame.

An infected tooth? Really, an infected tooth? I remember when Maria Butyrskaya competed at the Grand Prix Final like a week (maybe even less) after having her Appendix out.

Pony up! At least say the reason you are withdrawing is because you know you'll loose to Virtue and Moir and very likely even Davis and White.

I pray at National's after their performance people throw toothbrushes onto the ice.

The worse part about all of this...we now have to endure Khoklova and Novitski's disaster on ice at the final. Pass the Vodka please...

UPDATE: We are sparred the revival of Bolshevist Era Muisic...Khoklova and Novitski have passed on the opporotunity to compete in Tokyo. Therefore we get Crone and Poirier, who I feel need the competition the most. I get the idea they'll be in a close race for that second Canadian Olympic Ice Dance Birth come January with Weaver and Poje.

I got a couple e-mail's yesterday from people telling me that Tanith really does have a tooth problem. I get that...I just think they (she?) should 'suck it up,' deal with it, and compete. People have gotten on the ice with far (far!) worse problems.

Cancer.Net Skate America Head Scratchers

This weekend I did lots of head scratching. I mean, I couldn't believe some of what I was seeing.

First, Ice Dance. The shake up that was the free dance. I thought coming in this was a no-brainer with Tanith and Ben winning, Khoklova and Novitski placing second, and the Italian's Cappellini and Lanotte placing third. Well things went crazy in the Original Dance with the Russians placing 5th in that portion of the free skate (they did manage to stay in 2nd overall however). Then things got even more tricky in the Free Dance with Zaretski and Zaretski charging forward to place second in the free dance allowing the Italians who were third in the free to slip in for the silver (and surprisingly locking them a spot for the Grand Prix Final) and the Russians dropped to third...excuse me...fourth overall (and enter the Grand Prix Final bubble zone as a result...more on this in another post later this week). Oy vey (thus the head scratching)! Completely above the fray, however, were Belbin and Agosto who breezed their way to victory.

The men here, I mean really? Conventional wisdom on how I perceive the way these competitions will play out I think must be thrown out the window. First the mess that was Verner in the short program. He came back a wee bit in the free but still who could think that would happen (somewhere Johnny Weir is jumping up and down happily having been saved for the Grand Prix Final)? And then Amodio and Mroz basically botching a golden opportunity to medal here and getting sub-planted by Shawn Sawyer and Ryan Bradley? Can I get another Oy vey! I watched the men's competition the whole time with my mouth open in disbelief. Again, much like ice dance, Evan Lysacek skated to an easy victory waltzing over the competition making only a small mistake on his triple salchow.

More head scratching in pairs where, I had predicted quite the competition, but got the "Little Engine that Barely Could" instead. The American teams were frustratingly underwhelming. Zhang and Zhang pulled in (barely) for the bronze with a program that was peppered with uneasy moments and devoid of any emotion whatsoever. The funny thing is that effort was actually second best in the free. Volosozhar and Morozov, equally uninteresting, managed the silver. And Shen and Zhao, who I was ready to anoint as the clear favorites for Olympic Gold, spit and sputtered their way to Gold with a program containing mistakes. All of a sudden I'm looking at Pang and Tong and thinking...maybe, just maybe...

And then the women, who shocked me most of all, with the big shocker being Kim Yu-Na is in fact human (who knew?) and can possibly (that's possible with a question mark behind it!) be challenged this season. I don't know that I've ever seen her have a performance so bad...I was speechless. Many have been going crazy to know how many points Rachael Flatt left on the table with the spins in her free skate and the fall in her short program. Well...13.07 was the difference between Flatt and Kim. At Cup of China Rachael received a combined total of 7 points for those spins at the end. In the free skate at 2008 Rostelecom Cup of Russia she earned 9.10 points for a triple flip triple toe combo...2.60 more points than she received in the short here. Add it up and she's still 3.47 points short (but that's well within the wiggle room of a GOE here and level there!). Even still, the fact that Rachael even beat Kim Yu-Na in the free skate is a major (MAJOR) accomplishment in itself. She may be the only skater who'll get to say "I beat Kim Yu-Na (kind of...) this season!" It's like global news when she makes even one mistake and to make three huge mistakes on the three toughest elements in her free...unusual. Still, she handled the failure with class and I suspect she'll bounce back quickly. 'Queen' Yu-Na will get the chance to re-substantiate her throne in Tokyo in December at the Grand Prix Final having clinched a spot in Lake Placid.

Full results are here. Later this week I'll crunch the numbers on the Grand Prix Final...Skate Canada will be exciting to say the least!

Blood, Sweat, and Tears in Beijing

First, blood. There was a lot of hand slicing in Beijing. The funny part is I never saw how it happened. I kept going..."Oh, where did they cut their hand?" I always wonder if there is some special cleaning trick when you get blood on your nice (read: expensive!) competition outfit. Ice Charades...any tricks?

Sweat. A lot of skaters were working hard in Beijing. First, congrats to all the winners. Shen and Zhao skated great. Hongbo made me a little nervous on a couple of his side-by-side elements but in the end held it together. There was clearly no one close to them at home in Beijing. Nobunari Oda had another great performance to become the first skater to clinch a spot at the Grand Prix Final. I think he has a gem in Charlie Chaplin. Belbin and Agosto came out on top in Beijing adding to the complex situation that is bound to exist in dance this season...their are so many teams in contention for the top. Perhaps the skater who sweat the most was Japan's Akiko Suzuki who not only pulled up from fourth to take the ladies title with a sassy skate to West Side Story, but did a little double time in impressing the Japanese Federation. She certainly made a case for herself as far as the Olympic Team is concerned.

Tears. Poor Mirai Nagasu. She was the leader after the short and it looked like her troubles might be behind her. Then, her free skate happened and it was back to more of the same. In the kiss and cry she told her Frank Carroll, "I just want to go home and practice again." Rachael Flatt was less than impressive as well with a free skate peppered with little jump errors. Perhaps a few tears for Zhang and Zhang who, I'm sure, were hoping for a betting showing against teammates and rivals Shen and Zhao. Rather than shining they labored their way to a silver medal. Joannie Rochette who entered this competition the favorite found herself way down in 7th after the short. She might have saved herself by managing the bronze overall after a free skate that, while not perfect, pulled her up a bit.

You can check the full results here. This week the figure skating world stays in the region with a trip to Nagano, Japan for the fourth Grand Prix event, NHK Trophy.

BREAKING NEWS: Well crud!

I log in this morning for my daily dose of figure skating and I see the news that several of my blogging compatriots have already reported...Tanith and Ben have withdrawn from Nationals.

This is not good news for them. It gives their closest American competitors (Davis and White) a chance to shine and steal the spotlight in a season where Meryl and Charlie were already stealing some of the spotlight. Tanith and Ben were unable to win a Grand Prix Event, Meryl and Charlie did (Skate Canada). Tanith and Ben had to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final due, in part, to the same injury that is forcing them out of Nationals, Meryl and Charlie won the bronze. Seems to me it would have been in their best interest to stop the momentum of Davis and White right there on the ice in Cleveland...but we must listen to doctors...and doctors say no.

They do intend to compete on the World Team and I see no reason why US Figure Skating wouldn't put them on the team so whoever gets the Bronze in Cleveland, well, sorry. I have a feeling that will be a battle royale between Samuelson/Bates and Navarro/Bommentre.

Across the pond, it appears the reigning World Champs, Delobel and Schoenfelder, are dealing with injuries of their own and won't compete at Europeans. Similar story for them with teams like Khoklova/Novitski and Faiella/Scali nipping at their heals, in addition to Domnina and Shablain that have always been a thorn in their side...not a great time to be sidelined.

Well I hope for a speedy recovery for all teams that are 'under the weather.'

The new Tanith and Ben

From The Everett Herald by Rich Myhre

The new Tanith and Ben

Back in the spring of 2006, fresh from winning silver medals at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto were near the pinnacle of international skating. All they needed, it seemed, was to take one final step to the top.

Instead, barely two years later, the American tandem -- he is native born, she is a naturalized citizen -- took a deliberate step backward.

It happened after the World Figure Skating Championships last March in Goteborg, Sweden, where favorites Belbin and Agosto failed to medal after an inexplicable fall by Belbin in the compulsory program. It was a hard-to-fathom moment, akin to Tiger Woods needing only a 2-foot putt to win the Masters -- and missing.

But for Belbin and Agosto, who will be in Everett this week for Skate America, their problems at the world championships were more significant than a onetime stumble.

"I think we'd been feeling slightly dissatisfied with our skating leading up to that point," Agosto said by telephone last week. "And we weren't really sure what it was."

Belbin's fall in Sweden and the duo's subsequent fourth-place finish were "definitely a slap in the face," he said. "That was a wake up call. We had to stop and look at what was going on, and then decide what to do."

And they decided to make changes.

First, they ended their working relationship with coach Igor Shpilband and choreographer Marina Zoueva, with whom they had trained in Detroit for 10 years. Their new coaches are Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov, the gold medalists in ice dancing at the 1980 Olympics, and a married couple who live and coach in the Philadelphia area, where Belbin and Agosto now live.

But changes of personnel and geography were just the beginning. Under the tutelage of Linichuk and Karponosov, Belbin and Agosto committed themselves to relearning the rudiments of ice dancing.

"We've been working so hard to really break down the fundamentals we've been practicing for 10 years," Agosto said. "We'd been skating one way, and with our new coaches they've been trying to get us to learn new techniques with basic skating."

"Our training is above and beyond anything we've ever experienced," Belbin said. "We took a long time this spring and early summer going back to the basics with our new coaches."

Weeks passed, in fact, and Belbin and Agosto were beginning to wonder when they would start choreographing new routines for the coming season.

"We were very, very nervous about the difference in the timing of our preparation," Belbin said. "But our coaches just said, 'Trust us, you need this. We can't just cover up your weaknesses in choreography anymore. We have to fix them."

It was a sobering message, but one Belbin and Agosto came to understand and appreciate.

"Without doing that," Belbin said, "we'd be just trying to get lucky like we always have. We needed to fix the problems so that we can stand on our two feet confidently on the ice, and really feel that we are the best skaters out there."

Indeed, with emphasis on the proper techniques and training, their new coaches have told Belbin and Agosto that they can go into the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., with "a chance of being unbeatable," she said.

Belbin and Agosto have dominated American ice dancing in recent years, winning the past five U.S. championships and the past four Skate Americas they entered (they did not compete at Skate America in 2006).

Still, for all their accomplishments and fame, certain successes have eluded them. In addition to their runner-up finish at the 2006 Olympics (just weeks after Belbin, who was born in Canada, received her U.S. citizenship), they have yet to win a world championship in eight tries.

The Olympics, of course, are the foremost event on any figure skater's calendar, with the world championships a close second. With that in mind, Belbin and Agosto are planning and preparing "100 percent long-term," she said, although in the meantime events like Skate America are a chance to polish routines and identify areas of weakness.

In Everett, Agosto said, "it's going to be really exciting for us to go out and show this new way of skating for us. It'll be a chance to debut the new Tanith and Ben."

Because Belbin and Agosto are such gifted and charismatic skaters, their performances are often highlights of any event. They will skate three times this coming weekend -- a compulsory dance on Friday afternoon, an original dance on Saturday afternoon and a free dance on Sunday morning -- and they are hoping to generate an enthusiastic response.

"We really feed off of that energy," Belbin said. "Being a skating fan myself and from watching other skaters in those moments when they capture the audience, you can feel it. There's a different atmosphere when those great skaters take the ice and give that special performance. And when we connect with the audience on that level -- and it's only happened to us a very few times in our competitive career -- you can feel it and the judges feel it."

"One of the most important aspects of skating for us is the interaction we have with the audience," Agosto added. "The audience plays a really, really large role in our performance, and it's kind of give and take. The more we can give to the audience and the more that they respond, that gives us even more energy to work with."

"While we're required to perform our elements for the judges, I think for our own satisfaction we really want to perform for the fans," he said. "So we're excited to come to Everett. We've skated there a few times on Champions on Ice, and we've always had great crowds. There's a lot of knowledgeable fans in Everett, and they seem to have a great time and really enjoy the competition."

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Best Friends?

Another great piece from our friends in Russia at Skating Translations.

It chronicles how Maxim Shabalin (of course the other half of the Ice Dance team with Oksana Domnina) is adjusting to life in the U.S. Oksana and Maxim no live and train in the Newark area with Natalya Linichuk.

"My son lives in a college town close to New York in a simple two-room apartment", says Olga Vasilievna, Maxim's mother. "However, whereas the living conditions are quite comfortable, Maxim still hasn’t gotten used to American produce. My son especially misses fermented dairy products. You can’t even find basic kefir in America!"

Among other things noted in the article, it talks about the friendship that has developed between Domnina and Shabalin and Belbin and Agosto, despite the fact that they are direct competitors on the international scene. Tanith and Ben are also coached by Linichuk. "Maxim is not adversarial person", smiles Olga Vasilievna. "He is pleasant with everybody. Also, Natalya Linichuk pays equal attention to her Russian and American teams."

What's up next for these two teams? Belbin and Agosto debut at Skate America in Everett while Domnina and Shabalin begin their season at Cup of China in Beijing, against Belbin and Agosto. Should be interesting

Coaching Swap!

After working with Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband for 10 years, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto will begin training with Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov at the IceWorks Skating Complex in Aston, PA.

Hard to imagine Tanith and Ben not in Detroit but I guess change is sometimes needed. However, if you're going to change coaches they didn't pick bad ones! The duo has coached champions such as two-time Olympic champions Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov, two-time World champions Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, and two-time World champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski (pre murder trial!).

You have to wonder if things were just getting a little crowded amongst Shpilband trainees. To put it in perspective, he and Marina coached half of the top six at World's this year! You also have to wonder if training mates, Virtue and Moir of Canada, silver medal to their fourth place finish jolted them a bit?

In statements from the duo, "They are a remarkable coaching pair, and we have great admiration for them," Agosto said. "We never would have achieved our current level of success without Igor and Marina, and we are very grateful for their friendship and their guidance over the past years," Belbin said.

Bigger picture, for the first time in a long time, the top six Ice Dance teams in the U.S. will all be coached by different coaches! Take a look:

Belbin and Agosto: Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov
Davis and White: Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband
Gregory and Petukhov: Priscilla Hill
Navarro and Bommentre: Robbie Kaine
Samuelson and Bates: Iouri Tchesnitchenko and Yasa Netcheva
Wester and Barantsev: Nikolai Morosov

This is really unusual for U.S. Ice Dancing!

UPDATE: More on this story can be found by following this link!

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!

Oh no!

Don't know the ins and outs of it...and I won't spoil results here. But Tanith and Ben hit a bump in the ice (perhaps literally) in the Compulsory Dance and what I thought would be a path towards victory just got a bit harder. I can't remember the last time I saw Belbin and Agosto botch a CD. Eeeeek!

U.S. Nationals Day 4

What a day! So much to report...it was incredible! But I have to first start with some boos. The way the ladies were split into a morning and evening group for their free skates was just unfair and it sucked (I guess we blame NBC for that!). The fans didn't like getting up that early and it showed because the attendance in the morning was very low. It sucked for the competitors because their practice was at 6:10 a.m. and also it just plain sucks to skate early in the morning. The arena didn't have breakfast food and I was just plain miserable...but I got over it! Three finals today and all were spectacular in their own way.

In the pairs, Vise and Trent were unable to land their history making throw quad salchow but they were good enough to make it to fourth place with a respectable free skate. Castile and Okolski nabbed the bronze (and a spot on the world team, more on this in a moment) with a good free skate. For it being their first competition of the season they looked fairly well trained with a beautiful program set to "Sheherazade." It's clear however if they wish to improve their world ranking they'll have to add in side-by-side triples in addition to their double axels. The silver went to the veteran team of Inoue and Baldwin. They were also unable to land their history maker (throw Triple Axel) but were still able to have a decent performance (a bit slow at times...I still think they should be better trained than this) and also make the world team. For the first time in forever John hit his triple toe! The winners and easily so were McLaughlin and Brubaker. They had some minor glitches but showed great speed, excellent throws, and solid lifts. The only problem for them is despite the win they didn't make the world team. Keauna is still to young to compete at the event...get this...Rockne is now too old to compete at the Junior Worlds so I guess their competitive season will end at the Four Continents Cup. Big news though! At the end of their free skate John Baldwin proposed to Rena Inoue...and she said YES! The crowd went crazy and Rena burst into tears of joy...it was quite a moment!

In Ice Dance the standings amongst the top four remained unchanged after the free dance. Samuelson and Bates made a case for themselves by having a fantastic dance (except for a freak fall on an easy lift...but it barely disrupted the program). However, they weren't able to close some of the gap between them and bronze medalists Navarro and Bommentre. Speaking of which, they had a loose, jazzy free dance that put the crowd in an ultra calm and them on the world team! Davis and White came out with a free dance and held nothing back at all. They had great speed and unison and twizzles like you wouldn't believe. They solidified themselves as a team to watch as the season progresses. Tanith and Ben were simply the class of the field. None of the silly mistakes from the OD happened in the Free Dance. They were simply amazing and posted numbers that would be tough for anyone in the world to get close to. Really amazing skating!

The ladies...oh my gosh the ladies! If you didn't watch this on NBC you missed out on what was one of the most thrilling and shocking finals ever in U.S. Figure Skating history. Did NBC pick a great time to begin hosting this event or what! Two stories were playing: who would win the medals and who would make the world team (because so many of the top competitors are too young for Sr. Worlds)? Let's start with Alissa again as she found herself staying in 9th place. She just couldn't seem to stand up on her jumps falling on several of them. Now lets talk about the 7th place finisher...prepare yourself for this one...Kimmie Meissner. Kimberly was unable to land either a flip or a lutz and went down on all three attempts at them. You could see how dejected she was from her performance and you got the sense she just wanted to get off the ice, get on a plane, and go home. As she awaited her marks in the Kiss n' Cry she fought back tears as the crowd cheered for her and screamed remarks and adoration's for her to help cheer her up...all she could muster was a lipped, "Thank You." This performance not only leaves her well off the podium but in jeopardy of not even making the world team as three of the ladies that finished higher than her are old enough to go to the World Championships.

One of those competitors that defeated Kimmie is 6th place finisher Katrina Hacker. Katrina didn't have a flawless skate, but she didn't bomb either and was in fact better than Meissner this night. The USFSA will have to decide whether to send her or Kimmie to Sweden. The USFSA's rules are clear that the winner of the event earns a spot and then the USFSA picks the rest. Almost always it is in line with the standings at Nationals but the USFSA is not bound to those placements. Given Kimmie's competitive record (even this season she has twice medaled in Senior Internationals) I don't think it would be out of line for the USFSA to pick her over a competitor with no international experience...we'll wait and see. One competitor that knows she is going to Sweden is 5th place finisher Beatrisa Liang. Despite a couple of singled jumps, Beatrisa turned in a strong performance and earned a spot on the world team.

The top four skaters were near perfect. It was a thing to behold and can I say if this is the program we have right now...the United States' skating prospects look very bright! Caroline Zhang pulled up from 7th to 4th with a flawless performance that instantly brought the crowd to their feet! Her trademark move "The Pearl" drew the largest ovation for a non-jump element I've ever heard. I honestly thought with that performance she was going to rise all the way up to the top and win the title. Little did I know of the performances to come. Ashley Wagner nabbed the bronze with a tremendous performance which included a perfect triple lutz triple loop combo. Her only error came when she slightly overrated a double loop on the back end of a combination, no biggie. When her scores came up and she was ahead of Zhang she just looked shocked! Ashley is also old enough to compete at Worlds and can certainly pack her bags as the highest finisher that meets the age requirement. The silver went to Rachel Flatt who skated perfect (she in fact won the free skate!), triple/triples and all. There wasn't a single flaw to this program and she just beamed the whole way through, what a show stopper! However the night belonged to Mirai Nagasu, who despite falling on her opening double axel, came on strong to win her first senior ladies title. After her opening miscue she went on to land six more triples and despite placing third in the free (both Flatt and Wagner beat her), her lead from the short was sufficient to hold her to the title...what a new face on U.S. ladies skating.

Tomorrow the men skate and I don't know if my heart can take it if it's this dramatic!

Full results here.

Cup of China is in the Bag...

In a complete reversal from last week when not a single American made the podium at Skate Canada, an American was on every podium at Cup of China with either the Gold or Silver Medal.

In pairs, Pang and Tong got it together and won the gold, securing a place at the Grand Prix Final in Torino, Italy (Dube and Davison have also locked a spot). Reigning Junior World Champs McLaughlin and Brubaker skated to the silver and became the first U.S. pairs team to make a Grand Prix podium this season. Miller and Moram of Canada took the bronze.

Amongst the ladies, Yu-Na Kim of South Korea shattered the competition by winning by more than 24 points despite her 3rd place finish in the short program. American Caroline Zhang took the silver (she took two falls in free as well) and goes on the bubble for the Grand Prix Final. Leader after the short program, Italy's Carolina Kostner settled for the bronze.

In Ice Dance we almost thought the days of Russian dominance were back. Domnina and Shabalin were leaders over Americans Belbin and Agosto after the Compulsory Dance and then extended that lead after the OD. But a costly mistake on a dance spin causing no credit to be awarded on a later lift put them behind the Americans when all was said and done. Tanith and Ben are a lock for the Grand Prix Final with the max points (30) with their two wins. Italians Faiella and Scali (who in fact also beat the Russians in the Free Dance) took the bronze and go to the bubble for the Grand Prix Final...they'll have to wait and see if their two bronze performances hold up.

The closest competition was the men's event where Americans Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek went 1-2! Evan held the lead after the short program over Johnny by less than 2 points. A costly fall and Johnny's slightly higher component scores secured the gold for Johnny and Evan had to settle for silver...but again it was close, less than 3 points difference! Evan Lyscaek joins the list of competitors that have secured a spot at the Grand Prix Final. Two time World Champ Stephane Lambiel settled for bronze after a mistake filled free skate.

The Grand Prix moves on to the City of Lights, Paris, for Trophée Eric Bompard next weekend.

Skate America Report 3

It turned out to be another fantastic day! If you are ever in Pennsylvania, I suggest a trip to Gettysburg National Military Park. It was really moving walking where history has been made...history that really defines our nation. It was truly a site to behold.

The skating wrapped up today. I was able to chit chat some more with Amanda Evora's parents and Davis and White's family. They are really very nice people! I was a bit confused by the final standings of the ice dance competition. Davis and White finished 4th...I would have easily had them 3rd and maybe even second. I think the judges are not appreciating the super technical content White and Davis are executing; I certainly hope they are judged better in France. The bronze medal went to the Italians despite having a nasty fall mid program. They managed to recover but the program lost steam after that; the music of "Yentl" doesn't seem to match their personality. The French claimed the silver with a high energy new-age program that certainly felt french. This team has made big improvements since last season. Tanith and Ben of course won the gold and their Beethoven program is brilliant. This program may be the one that gets them to the top of the World Podium.

Let me be blunt...Caroline Zhang should be the 2007 Skate America Champ...she got short-changed by the judges, she was spectacular. She did win the bronze beating out Emily Hughes (who had big troubles with her jumps). Miki Ando captured the silver with a powerful performance. She had a couple minor jump issues but overall she looks well trained and ready to go this season. Kimmie Meissner won the gold...somehow. She too had some jump issues popping a planned triple lutz, again cheating the second half of her triple/triple and stepping out of a salchow. I can say her choice of music, Puccini's "Turnadot" is brilliant.

The night ended with the exhibition performances. Three times were treated to Timberlake's "I'm bringing Sexy Back." Once again Caroline Zhang brought the crowd to their feet with a brilliant performance, Daisuke Takahashi brought elegance and speed to the ice, Dube and Davison brought a tear to all our faces with their gorgeous skate, The Haydenette's stopped by for a performance and Tanith Belbin did indeed bring sexy back!

Skate America was a blast...thank you Reading, PA...it's been swell! Okay, time to hop on a plane and make my way to Quebec City, Canada!