Year End Wrap-Up

2011 Draws to a close...I call it the "Year of Chan." He certainly had a great year...a Canadian Title, a World Title, another Grand Prix Title, and recently named Canadian Press Athlete of the Year. He's going to win another Canadian Title (take it to the bank!)in Moncton next month (short of a withdrawal) and probably another World Title in Nice. I've been very critical of the judges overmarking of Chan this season, let's see if it continues into the Championship span of the season.

Speaking of Championships, several have taken place naming top skaters around the world National Champions. In France, Brian Joubert won another National Title. Take a look:



He went back to his "Matrix" program that brought him success in the mid 2000s. I am a bigger fan of the more artistic Brian that tried to peek out over the last couple of years but he was having no luck with results so he's gone back to what works for him. Trouble is, there aren't any "component boosters" to speak of in this program so it doesn't have a hope or prayer outside of Europe. Pechalat/Bourzat also captured another French Title last week.

In Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tomas Verner bested Michal Brezina to win another Czech (and Slovak and Polish) Title:



One of the better skates from Verner in a while. Beauty of a quad off the top.

In Saransk, Plushenko did it again, I have no words.:



The ladies standings at Russian Nationals were a hot mess. Sotnikova won. Leonova (who looked to be on track this season) could only muster 3rd, Makarova was 4th, and seemingly immune to defeat Tuktamysheva was just 6th. Both Volosozhar/Trankov and Kavaguti/Smirnov skipped the event giving Bazarova/Larionov an easy win. Bobrova/Solviev took the Dance Title.

Finally to Osaka, Japan which had the most contested titles up for grabs. On the Men's Side, Takahashi held on to win after being bested in the free skate by Kozuka who finished 2nd and Hanyu who finished 3rd (Hanyu won the free skate). Nobunari Oda, whose had a terrible season after recovering from injury, did not compete. Despite the win, Takahashi's skate was marred by several errors. Here are all three performances:







On the ladies side Mao Asada, in what must have been a very difficult week after the recent passing of her mother, turned in a beautiful performance to win another Japanese Title:



While not perfect, you all but forgive her the last two jumping passes given the circumstances. Akiko won the silver and Murakami took the bronze.

Hope 2012 is great to everyone! Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

The Sushi is Good

Pic of the Week

As we approach the World Figure Skating Championships, the one competitor I have serious questions about is this guy...Brian Joubert.

What in the world happened at the Olympics? It was like a terrible fall from grace that nobody wanted to see. I'll be the first to admit Joubert is not my 'cup of tea' but he does make a competition more exciting and was shocking to see him way down there (with Abbott too!) in 16th at the Olympics.

Yeeeeesh!

He blamed it on his personal life away from the rink, saying he was distracted and not himself.

He's seemed distracted and not himself all season. When he lost the French Masters waaaaaaaayyyyyy back at the beginning of the season to upstart Florent Amodio I smelled trouble. Poor showing at Eric Bompard Trophy, an untimely foot injury, a bad beat at Europeans from Plushenko and Lambiel, and then the Olympic fubar, has put his season, to this point, in the FAIL column. I don't think he can (or would want to) hang his season on NHK Trophy alone.

The French Federation was so worried they made him pass a test skate before they added him to the World Team.

I'm an optimist, I think he'll be in better shape at the World Championships. He's one of a dwindling list of competitors that can challenge Plushenko (if he can realistically be challenged at all) for the title. This will be the second time he will be in a position to bounce back after Olympic disappointment (he won the Silver at Worlds in 2006 after a poor showing in Torino)...can he do it again?

UPDATE: Perhaps Joubert is a Gold Medal Favorite afterall...Plushenko has withdrawn from Worlds.

XXI Olympic Winter Games Figure Skating Mens Preview

An extremely deep field of men will vie for the title of Olympic Champion in Vancouver. Who do I see as the top 12 contenders? There is:

Jeremy Abbott (USA) - Jeremy enters this event as the reigning U.S. National Champion, a title he successfully defended in Spokane. Every time he has competed this season he has looked stronger and stronger. The move from Colorado Springs to Detroit to train with Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen is paying dividends. He has shown when he skates clean he is a force to be reckoned with. Not only does he have solid technical ability (including a quad which has looked rock solid in his free skate) but his component scores are always some of the best in the field. If he repeats what he did in Spokane, he might be the guy to beat.

Patrick Chan (CAN) - When he hits the ice the roar will be deafening! He enters these Olympics as one of Canada's top Gold Medal hopefuls and will have the support of the Canadian people. Like Abbott, he has a knack at grabbing top component scores but his technical ability has come into question recently as he has been working his way back from an injury early in the season. He also had a recent coaching shake-up with he and Don Laws parting on iffy terms. Patrick has reported that the quad will not be in his programs in Vancouver, nonetheless, he remains a threat for the top spot on the podium because of his artistic skill. Again, the home-crowd advantage can help or hurt; it will be interesting to see how Patrick handles the pressure.

Samuel Contesti (ITA) - While he hasn't had the season he had last year with a surprise European Silver Medal and a top 5 finish at Worlds, he continues to skate consistently and could be a dark-horse medal threat. He has crowd pleasing programs that will no doubt go down well in Vancouver and a new found consistency on triple jumps, but he lacks in the component score department. Still, if he skates clean, gets the crowd on his side, and others make mistakes he may find himself in the running for a medal. He has nothing to loose and everything to gain and that may be his biggest asset.

Brian Joubert (FRA) - He looked positively angry on the podium at the recent European Championships where he managed only the bronze medal. Since winning the world title in 2007 it seems like he can't catch a break. He lost Worlds in 2008 despite a clean skate with a quad. Dropped down to 3rd last year after some odd mistakes. He's had to pull out of two consecutive Grand Prix Finals. If all that wasn't enough, he had to deal with a foot injury in December. Oy! Still, he comes to Vancouver with one of the most consistent quads and loads of Olympic Experience. Hopefully, he learned some hard lessons from his failures in Torino that will serve him well in Vancouver. If he is as mad as looks about losing European's, he may come out in Vancouver swinging!

Takahiko Kozuka (JPN) - Part of arguably the strongest men's team (some might contend that Team USA is the strongest), Takahiko is one of several skaters that is easily capable of playing the role of spoiler at these Olympics. This season, however, hasn't been his best. He failed to qualify for the Grand Prix Final (an event that he took Silver in the prior year) and was just third at Japanese Nationals. Despite the recent downturn, his greatest strength is a lack of a weakness. He's solid technically as well as artistically. This season he's fiddled with putting the quad in his free skate, I think sensing he needs a little extra 'umph' to really be a medal threat. If he can complete that jump and skate well...watch out!

Stéphane Lambiel (SUI) - A member of club comeback, Stéphane enters the Olympics coming off a successful European Championships. While he only won the silver medal there, he debuted a well received free skate to music from the opera La Traviata. Lambiel's technical ability is suspect without a triple axel, but he is a brilliant artisan who can rake in the points in the component scores. He is also the most gifted spinner in the competition. He's proven himself to be a clutch competitor, often times pulling off great performances when the lights are on and the chips are down. Like many of the top competitors he has dealt with injury in the run-up to these Olympics. If he can get through the gauntlet of triple jumps, complete his quads, and charm the audience, I don't see how he isn't on the podium.

Evan Lysacek (USA) - The reigning World Champ has looked Olympic ready all season. The only time he looked vulnerable was at the recent National Championships in Spokane where a late decision to rearrange his free skate and add a quad led to some inconsistencies and just a Silver Medal. Nonetheless, he has stated over and over that his goal this season is Vancouver and it is there he wants to peak. Up until nationals he was simply cruising along with big wins at Cancer.Net Skate America as well as the Grand Prix Final. Many are touting Evan as the best chance the U.S. has at a Gold Medal and he is certainly garnering the most American media attention. If he can continue to be as steady as he has been most of the season, he'll give everyone a run for their money in Vancouver.

Evgeny Plushenko (RUS) - The 2006 Olympic Champ is looking for second helpings here in Vancouver and he is, for many if not most, the favorite to win Gold. He made his comeback at Rostelecom Cup with the confidence that only Plushenko can display. Many were unsure of how solid he would look after being away from competition for nearly four years and he waltzed back on the scene...with quad and arrogant #1 finger waves. He has been plagued with some slight difficulty with his knee but it didn't stop him from winning Russian Nationals and Europeans. Despite, in my opinion, having a one dimensional approach to choreography, the judges love him and if he manages a clean skate I can't imagine him not winning.

Nobunari Oda (JPN) - When Nobunari debuted his new free skate at Trophee Eric Bompard, I was impressed! Nobunari has found his stride this season with a beautiful Charlie Chaplin program that suits him brilliantly. He's one of only two skaters that have been successful at getting past World Champ Evan Lysacek; he did so at Samsung Anycall Cup of China. Even though he enters this competition as the #2 ranked man from Japan, I think he is a legitimate Gold Medal threat, especially if he attempts and lands the quad in his free skate. He missed making the Olympics in 2006 because of a scoring snafu at Japan's National Championships that ended up reversing the placement at the top and leaving him at home. This time, he gets to show the world what he's got.

Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) - He has had a roller coaster season to this point. A poor skate at home at NHK Trophy followed by a great skate at HomeSense Skate Canada. He then had another meltdown at the Grand Prix Final but rebounded with a great skate at Japanese Nationals. It's hard to predict where Takahashi will come out in Vancouver. The early season issues were attributed to his being off last season with a meniscus injury but stamina issues have continued to plague him. However, when he is in top form, he is hard to compete with. His program is also well suited to him and full of character and his footwork is some of the best in the world.

Tomas Verner (CZE) - I almost considered not including Tomas in this post and instead focus on his teammate Michal Brezina. Tomas started the season promising but it has been down hill ever since. After winning the Silver Medal at Trophee Eric Bompard, he was just 4th at Cancer.Net Skate America. Then he finished last at the Grand Prix Final, lost the Czech Championship to Brezina and finished a disappointing 10th at Europeans...a far cry from the win he was able to produce in 2008. It would be easy for anyone to write him off at this point but Tomas has an amazing resilience to adversity and an ability to put himself back together after disappointing performances. He's humpty-dumpty if you will. If he stays on his feet and rotates his jumps he has a shot at a medal, if he falters...he's toast.

Johnny Weir (USA) - He has already made the headlines and he hasn't even stepped on the ice. Johnny will take the ice with the distraction of having to deal with Friends of Animals, an animal protection group that slammed Weir for his use of real fox fur on his Free Skate outfit. He's decided to replace the fur with faux fur. In a statement he said:

I made this decision after several threats were sent to me about disrupting my performance in the Olympic Games and my costume designer, Stephanie Handler, was repeatedly sent messages of hate and disgust. I do not want something as silly as my costume disrupting my second Olympic experience and my chance at a medal, a dream I have had since I was a kid.

So far this season Johnny has been okay...not stellar. He barely made the Olympic Team with a 3rd place finish at U.S. Nationals. If he is going to be a medal threat in Vancouver he will have to up his game. He does have a flair for the dramatic so he may shock us all yet.

European Championships Preview (Men)

The oldest skating event on the books, the European Championships will be happening concurrently with U.S. Nationals. Like the men's field in Spokane, the men's field in Tallinn is equally impressive. An Olympic Champ, two Olympic medalists, three World Champions, three European Champions, two Junior World Champs, and too many national champions to mention will all battle to become Europe's best. As I see it, ten men (seriously...ten!) have a shot at taking this title (or at least medaling). Who are the ten I'm watching?

Kevin van der Perren - Poor KVDP has had a really rough go this season. At HomeSense Skate Canada he looked absolutely disgusted with figure skating. Hopefully a bit of break from competitive skating and the Olympics just around the corner can put him back on track. European's offer Kevin a chance to reintroduce himself as a serious contender prior to the Olympics. Kevin finished 5th at Rostelecom Cup and a devastating 11th at HomeSense Skate Canada.

Michal Brezina and Tomas Verner - Both of these Czech skaters have had quite different seasons thus far. Tomas, who was the 2008 Champ of this event, has struggled here and there this season. He made the Grand Prix Final (after Joubert withdrew with injury) only to finish last. Brezina, on the other hand, has made steady improvements and nearly made the Grand Prix Final himself. He went on to defeat Verner for the Czech National Title. Verner needs to turn his season around and Brezina needs to continue his upswing.

Brian Joubert, Yannick Ponsero, and Alban Preaubert - Team France is easily the strongest in the field. Europeans offers Joubert the chance to do two things: test his skating after coming off of mid season foot surgery and also test himself for the first time since Torino against both Lambiel and Plushenko. Joubert is without question one of the leading men heading towards Vancouver, a status he'll hope to keep coming out of this event. For Ponsero and Preaubert, this is likely the end of their season as neither is slated to compete in Vancouver or Torino (one may go to Torino but it's too early know). Both were bested by young upstart Florent Amodio at French Nationals and failed to gain an Olympic berth (Amodio isn't competing in Tallinn). Both, however, are solid competitors and may surprise here.

Samuel Contesti - Last season's surprise European silver medalist is hoping to continue his emergence into the top ranks of men's figure skating. He kept it together at last World's in L.A. to place in the top five and while not perfect has skated fairly consistently on the Grand Prix. He'll need to bump it up a notch to compete with the heavy hitters here in Tallinn. His programs are unique crowd pleasers but he'll need to hit all his jumps and improve his levels to make a run at the title.

Evgeny Plushenko and Sergei Voronov - Plushenko is no stranger to this event. Ten years removed from his first European Title (2000) he's going after win number six. He made his comeback at Rostelecom Cup earlier this season with great ease but has since struggled with some knee problems. Even still, he enters this event as the Russian National Champ and skating fairly well. One thing many people will be looking at is the score Plushenko receives for his programs. At Russian Nationals his (and teammate Voronov) scores were very (very!) inflated...it'll be interesting to see what his actual international scores look like and if that knee continues to hold up. Voronov is still looking to crack into the top echelon of European men, he's been knocking at the door for several seasons now.

Stéphane Lambiel - It's a complete mystery to me that he has never won the European Title. Like Plushenko, he has made a rather impressive comeback this season, albeit he was only gone for one season to Plushenko's three. Lambiel, as a result of Jamal Othman's dismal performance in L.A. hasn't been afforded the chance to really pit himself against any of the world's best skaters this season. This competition will be the first time to see how Lambiel fits into this complex mix of skaters. Lambiel has a knack at being seemingly unprepared but looking rather prepared when you least expect it. He's also a very organic skater that likes new challenges and competes well given those challenges. He's planning a new free skate, we may (or may not) see it in Tallinn (We will! La Traviata). I look at Lambiel as the wildcard here.

Interesting, the top three big names are all entering this event nursing some sort of injury. Joubert has his foot, Plushenko his knee, and Lambiel his hip. This may throw a wrench into things...then again it may not affect things at all.

Another Withdrawal

Hope your Thanksgiving is going well. At my parents' house and every woman in my family is zooming around the kitchen at warp speed so I stole away upstairs to the computer and I discover that Brian Joubert has withdrawn from the Grand Prix Final.

He injured his foot in a training session yesterday...apparently is serious enough that he'll need an operation and his viability for the Olympics is in question (Eeeeeek!).

"The 2009 World bronze medallist was training in Poitiers on Wednesday when he landed awkwardly while attempting a triple lutz and sustained a deep cut to his right foot, his federation said Thursday."

That would mean, should he accept the invitation, that Tomas Verner has now made the final.

UPDATE: Brian Joubert has successfully underwent surgery after sustaining an injury while training a triple lutz. It was determined that Joubert's foot was not broke and all the ligaments were fixed. FFSG president Didier Gailhaguet added: "It is a serious injury. The blade touched the bone. Brian told me he could see bone. It's not the first time. It is a technical fault which often happens to him with new skates. In addition, he is in good form and hence is less vigilant on his technique"

Hopefully this is good news and Joubert can be on form in time for the European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia and ultimately the Olympics in Vancouver.

NHK Trophy Afterthoughts

I know it feels like some time has passed since this event ended but I did want to post some thoughts.

First, the underwhelming ladies field. Miki Ando won with an uninspiring performance to Cleopatra (although I felt the character was a bit improved). Also, surprisingly, Miki was the only Japanese competitor to win a medal at the event. For me, the only two bright spots in that event was Ashley Wagner's win of the short program and Alena Leonova's charming free skate (silver medalist), the rest, for me, was a bathroom break.

Second, the Ice Dance competition. I only watched the top three (again, given my hectic week thus far a detailed watch simply wasn't possible) but no surprises here. I will say I don't think that Crone and Poirier have that something special they had last season. And the winners, Davis and White, posting their personal best and again the highest dance total this season. Are they the ones to beat this year? The gap between them and the rest of the field in Japan was...cavernous!

In Pairs, Pang and Tong did it again with a lovely free skate. Kavaguti and Smirnov went for that quad salchow (which they always try with no speed?) and had that nasty fall. I thought they were going to withdraw when they went over to the referee. They said she suffered injury and had three minutes, I suspect she just needed to get her wind back (and perhaps pop a shoulder back in place?). Even still, they were only about six points back. I think this team, if they can get a clean competition together, will be formidable. Inoue and Baldwin nabbed the bronze ahead of Denney and Barrett who made unusual mistakes.

And the men, who by all accounts, were stunning in the short program, all but fizzled in the free skate. Joubert's win was unimpressive...he smartly played it safe because the rest of the field wasn't up to par and a win would more than likely get him to the final. Abbott, who was brilliant in the short, went to pieces in the free...as did Takahashi and Kozuka. The huge bright spot for me was Michal Brezina who put down, for me, the best performance of the night and moved up to capture the bronze. Johnny Weir's silver medal performance was much better than what he did in Russia.

So you check out all the results here.

The Globe Trot

It's been busy times in the world of figure skating!

Starting here in the U.S., we are still reeling from the two big announcements that came down this past week. First, Kimmie Meissner's withdrawal from the Grand Prix and almost by default withdrawal from the entire figure skating season due to her inability to compete and qualify for Nationals. Second, Sasha Cohen's last minute decision to withdraw from Grand Prix Paris. Sasha's withdrawal is being met with some skepticism as she performed in Improv Ice with "an injury" prior to her withdrawal from a major international event. Lots are doubting if her comeback is for real; she'll have the opportunity to redeem herself at Skate America. Also, big news for figure skating fans, we're getting more television figure skating broadcasts than we have in years thanks to a deal inked between U.S. Figure Skating and NBC Universal...WIN!!!

Japan is jumping for joy as Daisuke Takahashi made a successful return to competition last week by winning the 2009 Finlandia Trophy. While there is some work to be done on the free skate yet (he lost that portion of the competition to Russian Sergei Voronov), his short program turned heads and earned an impressive score in it's competitive debut. Japan was not jumping for joy when it lost the 2009 Japan Open (actually finishing last in 3rd) behind an impressive Team Europe and Team North America. Even more disheartening was Japan's high-flyer Mao Asada, not looking her best, and losing more ground to Canada's Joannie Rochette. Asada was just third among the women, losing not only to Rochette but also Finland's Lepisto.

In Canada, they are beginning to ramp up for the Olympic Games full throttle. Leading men's contender, Patrick Chan, was recently dubbed "Ice Prince" by the Toronto Star. Who would this Canadian Prince's dream date be asked Toronto Star sports reporter Randy Starkman? "Jessica Alba. Definitely. I wouldn't even talk the whole date. I'd just look at her with my jaw dropped." Enough said. The city of Vancouver is starting to get a picture of what traffic will be like during the Olympics...chaos. Businesses are being urged to have their employees either walk to work, take public transportation, or better yet...stay home.

The other big news in the world of skating comes from Paris, France where the Senior Grand Prix kicks off. Big match-ups are expected amongst the men and ladies fields. Korea's Kim Yu-Na departed for Paris today with her new programs (a "James Bond" themed short and Gershwin free) in tow. She's up against Mao Asada (who must skate better than she did at the Japan Open), Italy's Carolina Kostner, and American Caroline Zhang. The men are more of a mixed bag with Oda and Joubert looking like the front runners but the possibility of a surprise winner looms.

Pic of the Week

A Pre Disclaimer: I don't have any ill will against Brian Joubert and I wish him the best this season.

Let's rewind (once more) to Brian Joubert's remarks at the conclusion of the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships in Sweden when he blew off some steam in Jeffrey Buttle's direction after losing to a skater who didn't attempt a quad.

He did it again in L.A. this year at World's, complaining about Lysacek and Chan's unwillingness to put it in their free skates. This time, Chan fired back and brought attention to the need for complex choreography as well. Chan didn't say Joubert's choreography sucked...but it's 'kind of implied.'

This quad debate wont dissapear!

Just watched his French Masters Free Skate. It's exactly the type of program any of us would imagine Joubert would skate too in an Olympic Season. Powerful music, very Joubert type music.

I don't want to be the choreo police (actually I can't lie...I'd love that job!) but the program (you can see it below) doesn't cut it. We've seen a lot of this years top competitors in pre season competition and he's is going to have to step it up to compete for Olympic Gold. All the triples and quads in the world wont make up for the deficit he'll have on the component score. Even his own countryman, young upstart Florent Amodio, has better choreography than Joubert.

Joubert must stop pushing this idea that quads should win a competition and instead focus on improving his choreography. Better choreo coupled with amazing jumps should be his focus or he'll face the same fate this season that he's had the last two seasons.

I almost forgot!

With all the hub-bub about Nationals I almost forgot I never posted my final thoughts on Europeans!

So I already reported on Pairs but how interesting things turned out in the other three disciplines.

So in dance, after a crap CD, Domnina and Shabalin pull out citing injury. The French and Italian teams of Carron and Jost and Cappellini and Lanotte hovered down there in 5th and 6th place, no shock there. The other French Team of Pechalat and Bourzat had a solid free dance that really closed the gap between them and the podium. They were extremely close to getting on the podium. The British Team of Kerr and Kerr held on to the bronze. This team seems perpetually stuck with bronze medals this season. Just a little less than a point of ahead of the Brits were the other Italian Team of Faiella and Scali. They held onto the silver despite finishing 4th in the FD. Of course winning was the new power team on the block, Russian's Khoklova and Novitski. They won by a comfortable 10+ point margin and I think are the team to beat in L.A.

The men's final was great! I watched all the top guys on YouTube. Well, things were not so great for Tomas Verner...after a solid short, he feel apart in the free and was unable to defend his title. Alban Preaubert had kind of flat performance and found himself 5th. How about Yannick Ponsero winning the free skate from 9th place to place 4th overall. He was kind of amazing and when this guy puts two programs together, watch out, he'll be a world beater! Kevin Van der Perren, despite the lack of training and not knowing if he could get through his free skate without passing out on the ice turned in a respectable program to find himself with another European Bronze. Ummmmm...Samuel Contesti has vaulted himself into my favorites list! I had so much fun watching him! Nice to see a fresh face at the top and well deserved silver. Of course winning is Joubert, despite some technical miscues (including a fall on Triple Lutz). However, this new Matrix program is heavy on the arm movements and lacks depth. This is a program that many of the best in the world (Chan, Oda, Lysacek, Abbott) could easily beat, as his own countrymen Ponsero did!

Then the ladies. First Kiira Korpi who, God bless her, had that nasty slip right off the top of her program but came back to skate well. Of all the top finishing ladies I enjoyed her program the most and for the love of everything I can't understand how she didn't have the highest component scores. Nice job for Finland, she placed 5th. Russian Alena Leonova skated a program with some gusto and pulled a Ponsero by pulling up from 11th to finish 4th overall. Susana Poykio hit the podium for Finalnd after a performing a 'pretty' program. It lacked some speed and some content but was nice. Carolina Kostner finished second. Her short program did her in, despite winning the free skate, she couldn't make up the point difference to win overall. Laura Lepisto therefore became the first Finnish lady to win the European crown. And what better time to do it than in Helsinki? In fact, it is the strongest Finnish finish (no pun intended) that I can remember in recent history will all three ladies placing in the top 5.

UPDATE: Apparently Carolina is contesting the results of the free skate and the ISU is listening. Was it a sit spin...was it a combination spin? Oy vey!

And here's Samuel Contesti's free because it was so much fun!

Cup of Russia Recap

My goodness! Starting with the Ice Dance, what a crazy ride that was! The OD my goodness! I gasped when Charlie missed that first twizzle sequence and my heart sunk. Then when he feel on that second smaller twizzle section I just had to turn it off! I didn't even finish watching the OD! When I returned much later and found they were only in 4th I was slightly relieved. Again the Italians had a prime opprotunity to hit the podium that just didn't pan out. The judges aren't feeling the 'Love Story' program as much as they'd like. Despite the 8th place finish in the OD Davis and White managed to get themselves back on the podium into that third position with a solid free skate that was ranked 2nd best. Had it not been for the horrible OD, they might have gone toe-toe for the title! Shockingly, well not shockingly but unexpectedly Domnina and Shabalin only got the silver after a free dance that was unispired, slow, and only ranked third best on the night. Khoklova and Novitski, who were expected to be the #2 Russian team took the title in a bit of a surprise.

On a side note, I have many issues with the judging system but it has done wonders for Ice Dance, I love hove you never know what will happen and the results aren't predetermined.

No big shocks in the Pairs but how about Kawaguchi and Smirnov becoming the second team to hit the throw quad salchow in competition! I wasn't even expecting it...it just sort of floated out of nowhere and I looked and thought to myself "I think I just saw a quad?" I rewound and thought "I did just see a quad!" Despite winning the free skate they had to settle for the silver. The bronze went to Volosozhar and Morozov who couldn't quite match their silver medal performance from Cup of China...big problems for Stanislav on the side-by-side jumps. Zhang and Zhang took the title after a healthy lead going into the free skate. Gorgeous throw jumps and overall better skating than last season...they appear to be one of the teams to beat this season (as they usually are anyway!). This is the only discipline I managed to correctly predict...drats!

I am now at a loss of words about Kimmie Meissner. After what looked like a decent short program I was shocked to see how low she was ranked. To the element sheet I went and she got little credit for what was considered a double loop and the majority of her footwork and spins were only given level ones. Then that free skate that started strong but faded fast. I just feel bad for her and hope that something can change. Czisny moved up a spot to claim fourth place after an up and down program, but the spins and spiral sequence continue to amaze me. Suguri settled for the bronze despite leading after the short program. I think the nerves crept in a bit but what she did do she did very well. Rachael Flatt simply shined in an amazing performance that, more importantly, had no downgraded jumps. I thought she was great and I think she deserved the win! Poor alas, Carolina Kostner took the title with a better performance than she turned in at Skate Canada but still some issues. However, she creamed Flatt on the component score (and I can't figure out how) and won that way. Sigh....

I was so confused by the men, I just never got my head around it. Adam Rippon had a much better skate here than he did in Everett and finished 5th. He seemed pleased with his effort. Jeremy Abbott pulled up to 4th after a great free skate. Something to note about Abbott...if he has a solid short program, watch out (ala Cup of China) because the judges are loving his programs. He actually finished second in the free to get to fourth. Alban Preaubert did it again as the frenchman earned his second bronze of the series after another fantastic skate. He managed to hold off Abbott. Tomas Verner earned the silver despite winning the free skate. He looked better than he did in China opening his program with a gorgeous quad toe. Joubert took the title despite finishing fourth in the free. He just had a big lead after the short. It's not even that he skated bad he just didn't seem to get the tech credit of the other skaters. This could be a problem for Brian later in the season. If he doesn't turn in a stellar short, he could be in trouble because his free skate lacks staying power (kind of like when Buttle won World's last season...I'm just saying).

You can check out Joubbie's Free right here:

Brian Joubert 08 Cup of Russia LP
Uploaded by fsqueen

Plushenko's Clone

It's been widely reported that Joubert has switched choreographers this season and gone from Kurt Browning to Evgeny Platov. Hmmmm...

This past weekend, Joubert competed in the 2008 French Masters competition. Quite shockingly he lost (all you Alban Préaubert fans can celebrate!), but that's not the point of this article. Take a careful look at the YouTube video below of Joubert's new short program. I know it's rough but you'll get the point.

Okay, I felt like I was watching Evgeny Plushenko out there on the ice. Joubert appears to have become Evgeny Plushenko...oh no! The footwork, the entrances into jumps, the quirky movements...everything. Aye, aye, aye! I usually try (try I said...try!) to make an attempt to bland my personal opinion and report facts but I can't help it here...in my opinion, BAD MOVE BRIAN...BAD MOVE! I'd ask Evgeny to re-work the "moves."

But...on the upswing...I love the longer hair!

UPDATE: I had originally blogged that Plushenko was Joubert's new choreographer (noting all the similarities) and not Platov...my apologies if I've confused anyone.

Uh Oh....

Joubert has with drawn from Trophee Eric Bompard, the 4th pit stop on the Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

Apparently his health was on the decline while competing at Skate Canada in Quebec City (might explain his less than stellar Free Skate). Upon return to France his practice sessions were becoming labored and his health continued to spiral downward. He checked into a hospital in Poitiers, France and, on advice from a doctor, made the decision to withdraw from Grand Prix Paris citing "health concerns."

His withdrawal makes it impossible for him to compete at the Grand Prix Final giving new hope to several competitors including Buttle, Chan, Carriere, Davydov, and Mabee. Buttle and Chan probably have the best possibility with 11 points thus far. If any of these guys can do well in their second events they can make the final given Joubert's withdrawal. Wild card Alban Preaubert can even make the final if he can win Trophee Eric Bompard. Who'd a thought the World Champ's withdrawal would make for such an exciting event.

Joubert, I certainly wish you a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you at Europeans.

Skate Canada Report 3

Ainsi nous venons à lui... le rapport final du Canada de patin!

The final day of Skate Canada was eventful for sure. It started with the Free Dance. During the warm-up, Americans Gregory and Petukhov were working on a rotational lift when he lost his grip on her and they went spiraling to the ice (think Dubrueil and Lauzon at the Torino Olympics). Melissa when down chest first and Denis went head first into the boards. The scene was terrible as everyone looked on and hoped she was okay. As the medical team removed her from the ice the crowd applauded. It was later announced she had suffered no injuries and we were all relieved. The competition continued with French team Carron and Jost capturing the bronze (realistically due to the fact Gregory and Petukhov withdrew), Italians Cappellini and Lanotte winning silver and Canadians Virtue and Moir shattering the competition and winning the gold (they also had a final score that was 4 points higher than Belbin and Agosto's Skate America total).

The Men's Free Skate was the final competitive event. All three American men were less than impressive. Jeremy Abbott finished 8th and highest amongst the Americans...Scott Smith was 9th and Varner was 12th. Important to note that despite the 8th place finish Abbott's free skate was judged 4th best on the night. Canadian Christopher Mabee brought the crowd to their feet with his fun Big Band inspired free skate, he finished 4th. Canada's Jeffery Buttle squeaked out the bronze medal despite a rather less than stellar program...it's a good thing he can spin and has good footwork because the jumps weren't on his side. Kevin Van Der Perren reeled off a gorgeous quad toe at the top of his program and never looked back. He was a little slow on his footwork but was determined to land every single jump and he did. With his Lawrence of Arabia program, he won the free skate, won the silver, and set a new level of excellence for his skating! Brian Joubert of course won despite a program that lacked energy and was peppered with jump mistakes, his lead from the short was simply to much for the other competitors to overcome.

Skate Canada ended of course with the Gala Exhibition where all the skaters got to strut their stuff one last time. Memorable performances were given from Mao Asada, Dube and Davison (again that Blower's Daughter piece is amazing!), Savchenko and Szolkowy, and Brian Joubert (who had far more energy in his exhibition than his free skate). The best part came when 3 teenage ladies who had been screaming at Brian everytime he skated past them during his exhibition were standing at the boards and during his encore he skated over and hugged them. These 3 girls went nuts and one of them captured a picture of him on her cell phone and was screaming, it was great!

I had never been to Quebec and I must tell you I fell in love with this place. The people are charming and inviting. The history of this historic place can be felt all around and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Au revoir Ville Du Québec. J'espère venir visite vous à l'avenir!

Joubert out...Weiss in

Sorry die-hard Brian Joubert fans...apparently he has conflicts and cannot compete in the Campbell Soup's Skating Classic. But fret not...for Michael Weiss has joined the line-up. Also competing in the men's group will be Timothy Goebel, Takeshi Honda, Evan Lysacek, Emanuel Sandhu and Johnny Weir.

Hopefully, Michael will preview his new free skate. This season, Michael has chosen three Beethoven pieces, 5th Symphony, Moonlight Sonata, and Ode to Joy. If I recall, Michael had pretty good success with Beethoven in the past (1998). Here's wishing Michael the best start to his season.

Brian Joubert will now make his season debut at Skate America.