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.

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 Nitpick

So, with my new job I've learned that I can't blog as much as I used too. So when I do blog I want to make sure I'm saying something meaningful. I could give a bland rundown of what took place at an event but those of you reading my blog probably already know about that so I've come up with "The Nitpick." I'll focus on one thing in particular about an event that popped to me.

So this weeks Nitpick...Chanflation.

Before I even begin...I think Patrick Chan deserved to win Skate Canada...let me just say that and get it out of the way.

But now that we have that out of the way, I'd like to offer Exhibit A...Patrick, Daisuke, and Javier's short programs from Skate Canada.

So, after the short program these were the top three men...all separated by less than 2 points (1.43 to be exact). I have to tip my hat to Patrick Chan...even with a less than great skate he managed to be within two points of Javier Fernandez who had the skate of his life! Chan, if he knows how to do anything, it's how to get points. His component scores where close to 4 points up on Javier's (3.79 to be exact). As good a skater as Patrick is...his skate was not 3.79 points up on Javier (typically it might be, but not this day). Seems as though (To me at least. Figure Skating IS still subjective) Chan was propped up a bit. Even Patrick looked a little surprised at his scores when they came up. He was in the Kiss and Cry apologizing for a poor skate and then really good scores come up despite botching some of his elements. What was even more impressive is how the judges managed to squeeze Takahashi in for 2nd...that took precision!

And just a moment discussing Javier...wow! It's like he's somebody brand new! Brian Orser has worked some magic here!

To be fair, even despite the mistakes in Chan's free, it's a brilliant skate and he obviously would have won anyway...but even his free skate wasn't perfect and yet he's pulling scores like he had the skate of his life.

I don't blame Patrick for any of this...I almost don't blame the judges that much. This is the one flaw (well...I think the biggest flaw anyway) with the judging system...it's about points. Despite Chan's errors, he gets tons-o-points by doing what he does on the ice. I'm fearful of the day when, in a huge competition such as the Olympics, he's going to make similar mistakes and still beat someone that skates perfect...then I think there will be an uproar about "Chanflation."

I'm happy that Javier won the short program...he deserved to do so. I think he deserved to win by a bigger margin...or at least it seemed as though his short was better than just 1.43 points.

Later tonight I'll post a rundown of Cup of China.

Portland to Moscow

It's been another one of those work weeks and I fear there are more to come. But nonetheless I will get my blogging in!

Some quick thoughts on Skate America. I am horribly depressed about Savchenko and Szolkowy's Free Skate, they had such a gorgeous program last season and this Pink Panther diddy just seems like a let down. And I continue to wait for the day when Denney and Barrett are going to bust through...it will happen. I was basically underwhelmed by the men except Armin who exceeded expectations and was amazing. I loved the Alex and Maia snagged another bronze medal. Glad to see Rachael keep it together to get the silver and likely make the Grand Prix Final for the first time. We wont talk about my fantasy team...

So we turn our attention to Russia for Rostelecom Cup. I'm really excited about the mens event, there is a pretty deep field. I'm rooting hardcore for Jeremy but there are plenty of skaters that can get in his way there! Ice Dance doesn't look very exciting at all...it will be fun to see how it shakes out. I'm going to go on a limb and predict Kavaguti and Smirnov win the Pairs event...not too exciting there either. In the ladies field, I'd guess the Japanese women are favored, but I'm most interested to see he places higher between Alena and Ksenia. And can Ashley muscle her way in there?

Here are my fantasy picks for Rostelecom Cup...I hope I get somewhere with these!



And Drumroll...I WILL be tweeting tomorrow during the competition! I have the morning off because I told my boss I deserved it...she couldn't argue that point!

NHK Trophy Roundup

So about the 2010 installmenmt of the NHK Trophy...

What I Liked
NHK Trophy gave us a good peak at some of the young and up-and-coming talent from Japan. In the short program especially, Yuzuru Hanyu and Kanako Murakami came out like gang busters...very impressive. And while not perhaps their best performance, Takahashi and Tran did a nice job of putting Japan on the Pairs radar as far as seniors go. I loved some of the new programs out there including Daisuke Takahashi's short, Jeremy Abbott's short and free, Denney and Barrett's free, Shawn Sawyers, free, Yankowskas and Coughlin's free, Ilinykh and Katsalapov's free dance, and the Shibutani's free dance. I also loved that the Shibutani's nabbed a bronze medal in their Senior Grand Prix debut! While I'm not jumping for joy over the programs (yet), I love the class and sophistication Davis and White and Pang and Tong brought to their victories.

What I Didn't Like
I was not a fan of the short dances. One of the things I asked Ice-Dance.com on Twitter was what should we look for with these and one of the most important things was the transition between prescribed steps from the old compulsory dance to the original choreography. I felt like few of the teams managed this well. It seemed like there was a compulsory dance, and then there was a mini original dance, and all the teams were huffing and puffing around the rink trying to get all the requirements in on time. Only Davis and White I felt managed a smooth transition between the two types of 'ice dancing' required in the short dance. I also didn't like the result of the ladies competition. I think Rachael Flatt should have had an easy win here and yet she found herself second behind a watered down Carolina Kostner. I poured over the judges protocol and on the technical side, the judges were slightly more generous with positive grades on the things Carolina did well vs the positive grades for what Rachael did well. Carolina had 1's and 2's where Rachael had 0's and 1's. Also, a near seven point gap between Carolina and Rachael on the PCS scores seems ridiculous to me. I think in some areas (some!) Carolina may have a slight advantage...but overall I feel their skating is quite even on a component scale. I would love for a judge to sit down with me and explain point-by-point how Carolina is that much better. In general, I don't feel the judges were very forthcoming with scores for any of the American competitors.

What I Hated
First, watching Mao Asada have an utter meltdown! Nothing worked for her here, either in the short or free. And with an 8th place (yes 8th!) finish, a trip to the Grand Prix Final in Beijing is near impossible. I hated the ridiculous number of Tango's this season. Not just in dance, but in all the disciplines so many competitors have a Tango! The best Tweet during NHK Trophy was from @icedancecom! Only Daisuke Takahashi's Tango passes the Axels, Loops, and Spins overused music test and gets a pass. I even still have to warm-up to Davis and White's Forever Tango/Il Postino. The final thing I hated was the scoring amongst the top three in the mens competition. First I had a hard time with Amodio sneaking past Abbott in the free skate (even though he placed behind him overall). The sophistication of Abbott's program coupled with the fact he only had one major jump error led me to believe Abbott would sail past Amodio but not the case. To be fair it was the technical score that got Amodio past Abbott but still. I mean standing at center ice for 11 seconds doing Michael Jackson isn't exactly skating. On the flip side, Takahashi was scored nearly 7 points better than Abbott in the PCS score on his way to a win. No way is Takahashi 7 points better than Abbott in PCS...at best they are about dead even. Like the women, I want someone to sit down and explain how Daisuke is 7 points better...anyone? I'll get off my soapbox!

As for my fantasy picks...wamp wamp! I'm tied for 365th place. Get em' next time!

You can see the full results here. Next week, Skate Canada!

2009-2010 Top 10 Performances

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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


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

#6 - Daisuke Takahashi - 2010 World Championships Free Skate


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

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


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

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


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

#3 - Evan Lysacek - 2010 Winter Olympics Free Skate


Olympic Gold Medal...enough said.

#2 - Joannie Rochette - 2010 Winter Olympics Short Program

Joannie Rochette 2010 Olympic Games SP Vidéo Flutz2508 sélectionnée dans Sport

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

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


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

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

The Reader's Choice Final Five

All last week readers posted, tweeted, and facebooked their choice for skater of the year. It was very close but five emerged as the top vote getters. The five skaters you've decided to nominate for Reader's Choice Award for Skater of the Year are (in no particular order):

Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Kim Yu-Na

Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao

Daisuke Takahashi

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

The poll is up over on the sidebar.

Bummed your choice didn't make the list? It was a really close vote. All of these skaters had votes...just not enough: Mao Asada, Evgeny Plushenko, Michal Brezina, Adam Rippon, Evan Lysacek, Ryan Bradley, Mirai Nagasu, Johnny Weir, Pang and Tong, and Joannie Rochette.

Happy voting!

World's Rewind

It was quite a roller coaster ride all the way around.

The Pairs were first and had the most predictable set of results with Pang and Tong taking their second World Title, Savchenko and Szolkowy pulling in for the Silver, and Kavaguti and Smirnov working out the bronze. I thought the Germans were best on the night but the judges went with the Chinese. Ho hum. Now we get to wait and see who decides to retire...who decides to continue. I'm betting Pang and Tong will call it a day. As far as World berths next season, China and Russia get three, Canada and the U.S. get two, everyone else gets one.

The Men were next and provided the most fireworks. Daisuke Takahashi took this Championships by storm, killing it in both portions of the competition and surprising everyone when he almost completed a Quad Flip! Crazy! Patrick Chan took the Silver with an underwhelming performance, he's very fortunate to have such solid components because that is what kept him afloat. Brian Joubert muscled out a Bronze, having some technical struggles of his own. The surprise of the competition was Michal Brezina who I've called a "Breath of Fresh Air" just skated his heart out to finish fourth. I actually thought he should have been on the podium but I guess it wasn't to be. Jeremy Abbott and Adam Rippon skated fairly well (especially Adam) and earned the U.S. three spots next year. Speaking of those spots, Japan also earned three and Canada eeked out three. France, Italy, and Belgium nabbed two. Everyone else just gets one.

The Ice Dance competition was the closest. As expected, Virtue and Moir and Davis and White did battle...again. This time, Davis and White won the Free Dance but Virtue and Moir had enough lead to hang on to the win and complete a medal set. It's crazy how close these two teams are and how it comes down to the wire every time. Faiella and Scali earned their first World Medal on home ice taking the Bronze in a "feel good" moment. Like Pairs, now we get to wait and see who will and won't retire. As far as berths for next season, U.S. and Canada are in for three with Italy, Israel, Great Britain, France, and Hungary nabbing two.

The ladies competition was blown wide open when Kim Yu-Na finished 7th in the short. It was blown even more open when she made errors in her free skate. The only skater to take advantage was Mao Asada who recaptured the World Title after losing it to Kim last season. Mao did get a downgrade on her second triple axel but she looked far more put together in Torino and skated an amazing free. Despite the problems, Kim Yu-Na still managed to get the silver (actually won the free) and Laura Lepisto took the Bronze with, I'm sorry, a terrible performance. In fact, the ladies event past Asada, had little to hang your hat on. Canada's Cynthia Phaneuf probably had no idea she'd finish 5th! Both American's came undone to finish 7th and 9th...disappointing since Nagasu was the leader after the short program. Berths for next season, only Japan gets three. A smattering of countries including Korea, Finalnd, Canada, Italy, U.S., Russia, and Sweden all get two.

World's kind of ended on an unimpressive note. For me, the real standout star was by far Daisuke Takahashi who was incredible. Still scratching my head about Nobunari Oda's complete implosion and failure to make the free. Sad that the U.S. completely let a great opportunity to earn three women's spots slip away. And so very very thankful for Meryl and Charlie who saved face for the U.S. and kept us from having a medal shut-out.

Lots to digest in the off season. But, 3rd Annual Loop Axels are coming!

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.

A Tale of Two Nationals

Two big national championships took place this past week(end). Japan and Russia put their best foot forward and named national champions, solidified Olympic Teams, and gave us a few (very few) dramatic pauses.

Before the competition most had predicted that it would be smooth sailing for Kozuka, Oda, and Takahashi to make the Japanese Olympic Team but what wasn't so sure was how the three would place coming out of Nationals. Most assumed that Kozuka would get the bronze with the real fight being between Oda and Takahashi. Kozuka surprised all by sneaking into second place after Oda fell on a triple flip in the short. But in the free the world righted itself, with Kozuka slipping back to third and Oda and Takahashi going against each other. In the end Takahashi held on to win with clever choreography and some pretty spectacular (and some not so spectacular) jumping. All three men are Vancouver-bound.

4666 Miles Away in St. Petersburg Russia, the Russian ladies were a hot mess on the ice. Russian upstart, Alena Leonova who was the easy favorite to win this championship, faltered...repeatedly...and found herself hanging on to a silver medal. She almost fell to the bronze after Elizaveta Tuktamisheva won the free skate from 10th place and pulled all the way up to the bronze. The overall winner, Ksenya Makarova, was only third best in the free. Makarova recently placed fourth at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Tokyo.

The men's competition in St. Petersburg was a bit of a spectacle. Evgeny Plushenko, despite a flawed short program, scored a whopping 100.09 points. Everyone is quick to point out that scores at a national championships are inflated. But there is point inflation...and there is ridiculous...I file that score under ridiculous. Plushenko breezed his way to an easy victory with another flawed performance that earned a large score. The actual fight here was between Artem Borodulin and Sergei Voronov. Voronov had a flawed free skate and was beaten by Borodulin but managed to hang on to the silver. Voronov, too, had a huge score from the short program. I'd file that one under...excessive.

Also sealing up victories in St. Petersburg were Domnina and Shabalin who finally had a chance to show off their new programs. They were quite sloppy, understandably after being out of competition up until this point, but also pulled in a big ole score. I filed that one under...exaggerated. I'm a big fan of their Aboriginal OD though...it's fun. Bobrova and Soloviev were second, Rubleva and Shefer third. Khoklova and Novitski withdrew prior to the event. Kavaguti and Smirnov won another Russian Title. Mukhortova and Trankov were second with Bazarova and Larionov placing third.

Back in Osaka, I should note that Cathy and Chris Reed along with Takahashi and Tran won the Ice Dance and Pairs competition respectively.

The biggest of all the showdowns was the Japanese ladies competition which has been a bit of a cliff hanger to this point as to whom would make the Japanese Olympic Team along with Miki Ando (who secured a berth following her silver medal Grand Prix Final performance). Oddly, Ando finished fourth, off the podium at Japanese Nationals only adding to the intrigue of the Olympic selection. Securing the first spot was Mao Asada who breezed her way to an easy victory in the deep field. Triple axels in both the short program and the free skate put her well ahead of the field. Yukari Nakano and Akiko Suzuki were left to fight it out for the last spot. Yukari turned in a conservative free skate hoping to use her short program advantage over Akiko but Akiko turned up the heat and turned in another solid performance to surge ahead of Nakano for the silver, and earn a ticket to Vancouver.

The next big national showdowns come next month with Canada and the United States stepping up to the plate.

10 Most Tagged

I took a look at the skaters that I've tagged the most since I began writing this blog (way back in 2005...I know, right?!?!?!). Who has grabbed my attention, the news headlines, the spotlight, etc. Cool thing I might do at the end of every year.

As a pre-notation...I'm equally intrigued by the skaters that aren't on this list (no pairs, no ice dancers, no Europeans). It gives me some ideas on where to spread my blogging to.

#10 Kimmie Meissner - The majority of my coverage on Kimmie has been, sadly, focused on her downward spiral that began at the 2008 U.S. Nationals and just continued from there. She is one of my favorite skaters so it stands to reason she'd be among the top. Here's wishing her a better next year!

#9 Evan Lysacek - A recent heavy hitter, he was nowhere near being in the top ten until last March when he won the Gold Medal at World's and has continued to be a huge force to be reckoned with this season. Evan has slowly won over my graces...my love of his skating hasn't come easy...but I'm getting there (I don't think Aunt Joyce will approve though...).

#8 Patrick Chan - He moved into the Senior ranks well and I am constantly impressed with his talents and abilities. If he doesn't get his time to shine at home in Vancouver, I have little doubt he'll be a major factor in Sochi.

#5 Daisuke Takahashi, Sasha Cohen, and Johnny Weir - Three way tie here. Johnny and Daisuke are two skaters that I admire for their artistic sensibilities. No surprise that Johnny Weir grabs one of the top spots...he's a headline grabber for sure with his quick wit, quotable soundbites, and reality television show on the horizon. Sasha was tagged in lots of posts in the wee early days of my blog in her run-up towards Torino and has recently been tagged a lot as she attempts (attempts...) to make her comeback.

#4 Kristi Yamaguchi - Perhaps a fluke of Reality T.V...Kristi was tagged in tons of the Kristi Can Dance posts during her winning run on Dancing with the Stars. I think she was a Face of Influenza too...

#3 Michelle Kwan - My favorite skater ever! She has been a constant on this blog. Her attempt to compete in Torino, her grace as she withdrew, her happenings in the in-between, the mystery behind 2010, her recent skating appearances in Korea. She'll always be featured here...ALWAYS!

#2 Mao Asada - The rise, the fall, the axels. She's one of the most tagged skaters because she's just that good. She's also given us a dramatic storyline this season as she has struggled a bit.

#1 Kim Yu-Na - No question about it...she's the skater with the most global buzz. Isn't she Korea's Person of the Year...again?

Showdown in Osaka

My title sounds like a Quentin Tarantino movie!

So this week brings about one of the most highly anticipated National Championships of the season. Of course I'm talking about Japanese Nationals.

I predict that Reed and Reed will win the Ice Dance competition and Takahashi and Tran will win the Pairs competition. But that's the easy part...

What isn't easy to predict is arguably the deepest singles fields in the world. A Clash of Titans, if you will, are set to do battle in Osaka. Here's who to look out for:

Fumie Suguri - She hasn't had the best season this far but she is a veteran and she's won this event before. Also, aside from Ando, she's the only other competitor in the field that has Olympic experience. It's worth noting that she has a track record of skating very well at the Olympics; 5th in Salt Lake City and 4th in Torino. I think to make the Olympic Team she'll assuredly HAVE to win and even then she may yet have to prove herself at the Four Continents Cup. Don't count her out...her experience may serve her well.

Yukari Nakano - She's kind of been the ugly step child of Japanese women's skating (figuratively...not literally). She tends to be consistent enough to always place decently in competition but never seems to breakthrough and be the shining star (except at the 2008 Worlds where I feel she was positively robbed!). Her jump technique gets her in trouble often. Last season at this competition she won the short program only to fall apart in the free. Like Suguri, I think a win is a MUST in order to even be considered for the Olympic Team.

Akiko Suzuki - She's been the surprise this season. A win in Beijing put her on the map. She squeaked into the Grand Prix Final and then did it again with a show stopping performance at the Grand Prix Final landing her on the podium there with the bronze medal. She's proven this season she can be a contender but we are all still wondering if she can keep this up? She seems to be the sentimental favorite this season and most people are pulling for her. I think if she hits the podium at Japanese Nationals she will have made a strong case for herself.

Mao Asada - The other surprise this season...but unfortunately the exact opposite of Suzuki. By her standards, a disastrous finish in Moscow coupled with a failure to make the Grand Prix Final all have us scratching our heads. She's had an extended period of time to train and get her head together. I have a sneaky suspicion she's is going to come out like gang-buster's at National's and be back on form. If she falters, however, her disastrous season may continue. She needs to prove that this fall was a fluke and it's all behind her.

Miki Ando - She doesn't have the Olympic pressure the other ladies have as she already has a guaranteed ticket to Vancouver but she does have the pressure of expectation as the top Japanese woman this season. Miki, I think mostly for herself, needs to win this competition to bolster her self confidence in being the top Japanese woman this season. If she gets beat here, especially a bad beat, it might crumble her confidence and we could see a Torino repeat where she went to pieces. She has the goods...she's a World Champion, she was very close to Kim at the Grand Prix Final, she beat Asada at the World Championships to make the podium. She needs to own this and I think the sky is the limit...a failure could prove costly.

The men seem less dramatic with most believing that Kozuka, Oda, and Takahashi will assuredly make up the Olympic Team. But the order of their finish at Nationals seems up for grabs...

Nobunari Oda - He needs to just keep doing what he's been doing. His program is charming and it works. If he manages to get that tricky 3-jump Quad Combo in and skates clean, I get the feeling he wins. If he struggles at all, the others will have an opportunity to capitalize.

Takahiko Kozuka - He hasn't had the season like he had last year but he's still a threat. He has those solid basics that make him formidabble. "A skater's skater" as Scott Hamilton would say. Quad has eluded him to this point but he often gives it a valiant try. If he can just stay steady and consistent he'll be just fine. I love his music choice this season, it's one of the most imaginative and original picks.

Daisuke Takahashi - Hot and cold this season. He was cold at NHK Trophy, hot at Skate Canada, and both at the Grand Prix Final (won the short...lost the free). Stamina would appear to be an issue this season. Coming back from an entire season off due to injury can't be easy and the rust has shown. But, he is one of the most gifted skaters on the scene and has every ability to lay down stunning performances. If his conditioning is good I believe Takahashi is the one to beat. May come down to the quad...if he hits it he's in good shape. Missing it could be the deal breaker.

I'm not as up on the Japanese 'B-Listers' but I'm sure, as with any national championship, there is the opportunity for a spoiler or two.

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.

Impressive!

When I talk about complex, high point earning choreography, this is exactly what I mean...



We'll forgive him the silly stumble at the end!

Finlandia Trophy

The last big, what I'll call 'pre-season,' competition begins today in Vantaa, Finland; Finlandia Trophy.

There are really some good talent competing there. The Kerr's from Great Britain are competing in Ice Dance and then immediately competing in Eric Bompard Trophy the following week (busy schedule). An extremely strong Finnish ladies team will be competing including Susanna Poykio, Laura Lepisto, and Kiira Korpi (who will also be competing in Paris). Veteran Fumie Suguri of Japan is also in the ladies field. The men's event boasts Japan's Daisuke Takahashi in his first major event since returning from injury. Also competing is Belgium's Kevin Van der Perren, Czech Republic's Michal Brezina, Russian Sergei Voronov (who like Korpi and the Kerr's will be busy as well), and American Stephen Carriere.

UPDATE: A quick update on the winners for Finlandia. No shock in Ice Dance as the Kerr's skated to an easy victory. Daisuke Takahashi held on to win the men's event despite finishing second in the free skate to Russia's Sergei Voronov. And among the women, I failed to even mention Alena Leonova of Russia in my event primer, an error to be sure, as she had as good of chance as anyone to win and the young Russian upstart did just that.

Pic of the Week

The men's competition this season will no doubt be one of the best ever.

I was skeptical about Daisuke Takahashi’s conditioning. Coming back from a knee injury isn’t easy and I worried that he wouldn’t be competition ready by the start of this season.

But he did everything right. He didn’t try to come back too soon. He followed the doctor’s orders and it looks to me that he’s ‘ship-shape and Bristol ready.’ I saw his short program debut from Carnival on Ice and he looks like a totally new skater. The jumps looked great and the choreography looks up-to-par to compete with the best in the world.

With Daisuke Takahashi back in commission, the Japanese Men’s Team looks very, VERY strong as we push towards Vancouver.

Japanese Olympic Podium sweep?

The video below is a bit odd. Competing Tango's I call it. It's Daisuke's new Short Program at both Dreams on Ice 2008 (pre-knee injury, on the left) and the recent Carnival on Ice 2009 (on the right). Apparently this would have been his short had he competed last season but he's had a year to perfect it and you can tell how improved it is. I love it!