3rd Annual Loop Axel Awards

Alright, part two of the Loop Axel Awards...time to have a little fun.

The categories are:

*Best Throw/Jump
*Hottest Skater
*The Twitterholic (NEW)
*Best Coach
*Most Improved Skater
*Best New Face
*Most Controversial (NEW)
*Best Outfit
*Memorable Moment of the Season (NEW)
*Blog of the Year (NEW)
*Reader's Choice: Skater of the Year

*Best Throw/Jump...the nominees are:

+Daisuke Takahashi - Quad Flip - 2010 World Figure Skating Championships (Free)
+Mao Asada - Triple Axel - 2010 Olympic Winter Games (Short)
+Evgeny Plushenko - Quad Toe/Triple Toe - 2009 Rostelecom Cup (Short)
+Inoue and Baldwin - Throw Triple Axel - 2010 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships (Free)
+Jeremy Abbott - Quad Toe - 2010 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships (Free)

And the winner is...Mao Asada - Triple Axel - 2010 Olympic Winter Games. In the pressure cooker that was that ladies Olympic short, it was a huge accomplishment to not only make history by landing the jump at the Olympics, but to hold up to the intense pressure that was being put on her. It was really fantastic and we all gasped when she hit it!

*Hottest Skater...the nominees are:

+Daisuke Takahashi
+Joannie Rochette
+Aliona Savchenko
+Charlie White
+Tanith Belbin

And the winner is...Tanith Belbin. Tough competition in this category but I think this time around Tanith wins out. At one point this season she was on the cover of Men's Health scantily clad and everyone was like..."woah!"

*The Twitterholic...the nominees are:

+Jeffrey Buttle (@J_Butt)
+Jeremy Abbott (@jeremyabbottpcf)
+Ana Cecilia Cantu (@cantufeelicks)
+Michael Weiss (@MichaelWeiss2)
+Charlie White (@CharlieAWhite)

And the winner is...Ana Cecilia Cantu. The National Champ of Mexico has some of the best tweets ever! She says what she wants and is always great for a laugh (and a great sit spin if you ever get the pleasure to see her in competition). If you aren't following her on Twitter...you should!

*Best Coach...the nominees are:

+Frank Carroll
+Brian Orser
+Yao Bin
+Igor Shpilband
+Jim Peterson

And the winner is...Brian Orser. This choice of all the awards for me was the hardest to choose because each of those coaches basically were completely amazing but I gave the award to Brian Orser because he had to guide Kim Yu-Na through far more than practice sessions. He had to basically manage a nations super-star and not only help her compete well, but stand up and handle the enormous pressure S. Korea was putting on her shoulders. Oh...and he's done an amazing job with Adam Rippon and Christina Gao too!

*Most Improved Skater...the nominees are:

+Michal Brezina
+Adam Rippon
+Akiko Suzuki
+Zaretski and Zaretski
+Faiella and Scali

And the winner is...Akiko Suzuki. Not that she didn't have her rough patches this season but to go from a long shot to make the Japanese Olympic Team last season to a Grand Prix Gold Medalist, Grand Prix Final Bronze Medalist, Japanese National Silver Medalist, and Four Continents Silver Medalist is quite impressive. Also, in almost every competition she managed to skate her butt off in the free skate. Also, she took a tired piece of music (West Side Story) and breathed new life into it.

*Best New Face...the nominees are:

+Kevin Reynolds
+Florent Amodio
+Ksenya Makarova
+Michal Brezina
+Adam Rippon

And the winner is...Michal Brezina. All season long I've called the young Czech a breath of fresh air. Easy straight forward skating and natural jumps. He gradually over the course of this season established himself as the top Czech skater over veteran Tomas Verner and his season culminated with a near flawless free skate at World's that I felt should have earned him a place on the podium. He may have come up short in Torino but he's the clear winner here!

*Most Controversial...and the nominees are:

+Evgeny Plushenko
+Sasha Cohen
+Johnny Weir
+Kim Yu-Na
+Domnina and Shabalin

And the winner is...Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin. They had the entire Australian Olympic Committee after them over that Aboriginal Original Dance. The social ramification and ripples that one dance sent through the figure skating community in the run-up to the Olympics was more controversial than anything coming out of Plushenko's mouth, fur on Johnny's shoulder, Sasha's inability to show up at a competition, or an earring on Kim Yu-Na's ear.

*Best Outfit...and the nominees are:

+Davis and White - Original Dance
+Samuel Contesti - Free Skate
+Savchenko and Szolkowy - Free Skate
+Johnny Weir - Short Program
+Evan Lysacek - Short Program

And the winner is...Evan Lysacek - Short Program. I just loved that all black with the feathers around his neck and hands. I thought it was striking and powerful and perfect for his stature and the music. Also, his long limbs just accentuated the outfit and the performance.

*Memorable Moment of the Season...and the nominees are:

+Amanda Evora's flood of tears after earning an Olympic Berth.
+Joannie Rochette hugging her father after her Olympic Short Program.
+Evgeny Plushenko's #1 finger upon completing his free skate at Rostelecom Cup.
+John Baldwin's expression and interaction with the judges upon Rena Inoue's successful completion of the throw triple axel.
+Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's final pose in their Olympic Free Dance.
+Sasha Cohen's entire U.S. Nationals short program.

And the winner is...John Baldwin's expression and interaction with the judges upon Rena Inoue's successful completion of the throw triple axel. I mean it was priceless! He popped his finger straight up and gave the judges this look like "What! C'mon!" He showed her off beautifully and it was awesome! All of that on top of the fact she had just landed a throw triple axel.

*Blog of the Year...and the nominees are:

+Aunt Joyce's Ice Cream Stand
+Required Elements
+jumping clapping man
+XanBoni!
+Blips of Todd...
+Ice Charades

And the winner is...It's so hard to judge your peers so I give everyone the award! Wait...you're note letting me cop out like that? Okay, okay...The winner is...Blips of Todd...It's so funny to see the other side of the skaters you watch compete. What you might think is their personality based upon what they do on the ice is nothing like who they really are and Todd Gilles' Vlog gives us little 'blips of Todd' that let us into his very character in a very fun and charming way. I can say however, without reserve, that all the blogs listed here and even many that aren't are amazing.

*Reader's Choice: Skater of the Year...and the nominees are:

+Shen and Zhao
+Daisuke Takahashi
+Virtue and Moir
+Kim Yu-Na
+Davis and White

And the winner is...Kim Yu-Na. The people have spoken and Kim Yu-Na is Queen indeed! I don't think there is any arguing with this choice or any of the five skaters/teams chosen to vie for this award. Kim Yu-Na has been tremendous this season, her Olympic Free in particular was stunning. She's a national hero and treasure for South Korea and how fortunate they are to have her!.

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).

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.

formspring.me

You asked us for our opinion but what's YOUR take on the DomShabs OD controversy?

I don't believe they had any ill intentions with their dance...they just didn't do the research one might have expected from this high level of a team.

I do think they should make the costume adjustments that the Australian Olympic Committee and Aboriginal Leaders have asked for. I think they should review an authentic review of an Aboriginal Dance and adjust their program as appropriate. I also think after the games they should travel to Australia, apologize in person, and take some time to learn about the Aboriginal culture.

Ask me anything

Domnina and Shabalin Dance Controversy

Is Domnina and Shabalin's Aboriginal Original Dance offensive? The poll has closed and 64% of respondents think that it is while 35% think it is not. No matter how you see it, this will be a headache for Oksana and Maxim and Team Russia in Vancouver.

The debacle over this particular dance began last week as Domnina and Shabalin competed in Tallinn at the European Championships. The duo won the event using what many Indigenous Aboriginal leaders called "a dance offensive to Aboriginal people."

Despite the controversy, the duo plans to move forward with using this dance in Vancouver. Lack of time to change dances certainly was the leading factor in that decision.

While the Australian Olympic Committee will not be forcing the issue with Russian Olympic committee and asking them to make Oksana and Maxim ditch the program...they are asking them to change it a little. Bev Manton, the NSW Aboriginal Land Council Chairwoman told Tom Reilly of the Sydney Morning Herald:

We had considered asking the Australian Olympic Committee to intervene on behalf of Aboriginal people … but the fact is, the performance by Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, while offensive to Aboriginal people, is not illegal. It's also not unprecedented. Aboriginal culture is disrespected in Australia every day, in fact in many ways that's become a cultural norm.

What are some of the requests being asked of Domnina and Shabalin? Ditch the dark skin suits, also do away with the leaves and the feathers. They also want Oksana and Maxim to travel to Australia to meet with indigenous Aboriginal people to get a better cultural feel for their dance.

Olympic officials in Vancouver are also keeping a close eye on this story as they are insistent these games be in no way offensive to the traditions of the four First Nations indigenous peoples.

Some advice to Oksana and Max...tread carefully.

Take a look at the Dance in question.

European Championships Wrap-up

The European Championships have concluded in Tallinn and there was plenty of interesting plot twists and turns to keep skating fans entertained.

The Pairs Free saw the defending Champions sub-planted. Savchenko and Szolkowy had botched side-by-side salchows as well as a missed throw triple flip. They did settle into their performance but the damage was done and they would have to settle for silver. Mukhortova and Trankov continue their solid season winning the bronze in Tallinn. The Gold, however, went to their teammates Kavaguti and Smirnov who had a tremendous performance to take the win. What is it about Tamara Moskvina teams...The closer they get to the Olympics the better they get! Also, Kavaguti and Smirnov were knocking on the door of Shen and Zhao's record total from the Grand Prix Final, just 1.10 points back. Volosozhar and Morozov were fourth and Bazarova and Larionov fifth.

The men's event saw the first showdown between Plushenko, Joubert, and Lambiel since the 2006 Winter Olympics. Joubert was the first of the three to skate in the free skate and had several mistakes and clearly lacked the same attack and intensity he had earlier in the season. You're forced to wonder if his foot injury played a factor in his conditioning for this event. Joubert, ultimately, would relinquish his title and take the bronze. Plushenko was the second of the big three to skate. He had a solid performance...hitting his quad toe-triple toe combo. He missed a triple flip late in the program but it hardly mattered. He ended his program to a rousing ovation and 10 years removed from his first European Title he took his 6th. The judges, did however, bring him back to earth. After another seemingly 'high' short program score score, he was marked far more conservatively and seemingly in-line in the free. Oddly, the post competition buzz was not about Plushenko, but rather Stephane Lambiel who debuted his new La Traviata free skate here and added his name to the list of serious Olympic contenders. Lambiel was not without jump mistakes but his program is charming and he delivered it with great ease. Still no triple axel, but he did accomplish two quads and several other triples. He also beat Plushenko in program components on his way to the silver medal. Michal Brezina was fourth and Samuel Contesti was fifth.

The Ice Dance competition got overshadowed by complaints that Domnina and Shabalin's Aboriginal Original Dance is offensive (add your opinion in my quick poll). It's become such a big story it was the lead headline at Yahoo! Yesterday! The 2008 European Champions lost that OD as well as the Free Dance but managed to hang on to win another European Title. But the question heading forward for them is what to do with this Original Dance...if they use this at the Olympics it could be a PR disaster for Team Russia but there is scarce time to scrap it for another one. The bit of positive news coming out of the dance event was Faiella and Scali who won both the OD and the Free Dance to take the silver medal with some gorgeous performances. They definitely had the crowd behind them. We may have figured out why Khoklova and Novitski skipped the Grand Prix Final, they showed up here in Tallinn with a new Free Dance set to The Firebird (popular piece this season). While far from perfect, they were good enough to hang on the bronze. Pechalat and Bourzat (who I had pegged to win) were fourth after a sloppy ending to their Free Dance and Kerr and Kerr where fifth.

The ladies event continued to show that European women's skating is in a slump. It was a verifiable splatfest! Carolina Kostner won the event with a less than stellar performace. She sat down on her triple loop but managed to hang on to some other jumps. Even despite the flaws she was clearly the best in the field. In a post event interview she said "she lost track" halfway through her program. Nonetheless, a win here gives her the Olympic Berth for Italy. Italian National Champ Marchei who was looking to nab the berth was just 8th. The silver went to Laura Lepisto who, after a gorgeous triple toe-triple toe combo, proceeded to double or mess up the majority of her remaining jumps. Her solid component scores helped the defending champion along to the silver. Elene Gedevanishvili slipped in for the bronze medal after a conservative but pleasing free skate (actually second in the free). She and coach Robin Wagner seemed pleased with the effort and score in the Kiss and Cry. Kiira Korpi was fourth and Sarah Meier moved all the way up to fifth.

All results can be seen here. Take a look at a couple of my favorite performances from the event below.

European Championships Preview (Dance)

The last of my European Championship Previews before the event kicks off next Monday, the Dance event in Tallinn is quite unusual this season. The teams that we might consider the favorites have either not competed at all this season or are making some slight comebacks from injury and such. This aura of uncertainty makes me believe this title is possibly up for grabs. The teams to watch? I'm keep an eye on:

Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder - This team has competed since winning the 2008 Grand Prix Final. A shoulder injury kept them out of last season's Europeans and Worlds and Isabelle's pregnancy kept them out of this season's Grand Prix. It's is still unclear if the 2008 World Champs will compete in Tallinn. FFSG (French Skating Federation) is weighing the pros and cons of having them compete there with an announcement expected anytime. I think anytime you can run your programs and get feedback pre-Olympics it's a good thing (but I'm not the one on the ice). They've said they are ready to compete no matter FFSG's decision so we may be seeing them next week.

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat - In Delobel and Schoenfelder's competitive absence this other top French team has been slowly moving up the ranks. They won the bronze at the recent Grand Prix Final and look to be possible Gold contenders in Tallinn. Their program, however, has looked less put together each time I've seen it this season. Let's hope the break between Tokyo and Tallinn has given them some time to polish things up. If Delobel and Schoenfelder are rusty/don't compete and Domnina and Shabalin aren't put back together yet...this is the team to beat.

Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski - This team was just 5th at Samsung Anycall Cup of China but then shocked me at Skate America taking the bronze medal (actual was second in the free skate ahead of Cappellini and Lanotte). They also won the recent Golden Spin of Zagreb competition. This team apparently is doing something right as far as the judges are concerned. This competition gives them the opportunity to move into the top ranks of ice dancers. They are exciting, have beautiful programs this season, and are perhaps coming together at the perfect time. On a side note, and maybe someone can answer this for me...why do Israeli skaters compete at European's and not Four Continents Cup? I'm pretty sure I didn't fail Geography and Israel is an Asian nation. I suppose the same question applies to Azerbaijan...

Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin - This team is attempting to quick get it back together prior to the Olympics. They won Russian Nationals (although Khoklova and Novitski didn't compete) convincingly despite looking a hot mess. They looked a little better at a recent send-off show...a little. The reigning World Champs easily have the most unique OD set to Aboriginal music but I think it's going to take more than that to win this. If they somehow manage to show up in Tallinn in top form, well that would be a miracle! But if any team could pull it off I think it's them. This team may be helped along by the rust prevailing in the other teams, lack of consistent competing by other teams, and good ole Russian Ice Dancing luck!

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte - One of only two teams competing in Tallinn that have done the full gambit of competition this season (two Grand Prix's, Grand Prix Final, Nationals) which may help them in the long run. They've had more time to put their programs in front of international judges and tweak them. After a surprisingly (surprisingly!) easy qualification into the Grand Prix Final, they struggled in Tokyo finishing 5th (actually was last in the free dance losing to Canadians Crone and Poirier). They also enter this event as the number two Italians, not the national champs. Still, this team can be exciting to watch and given the special circumstance of this competition they may find themselves in a race for the podium.

Sinead Kerr and John Kerr - The other team that has had a full plate this year, the British brother and sister duo seem forever stuck as the bridesmaids and never the brides. At the Grand Prix Final, they didn't look as sharp as they had in the past. This team is always one of the crowd favorites and it's hard not to like them this season with a Linkin Park Free Dance but this team needs to make a big move here to push through to the top. The best thing about this team is the passion and abandon they skate with when they are 'in the zone.' I say at Europeans hold nothing back and just go for it. Throw caution to the wind and let it all hang out...they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Jana Khoklova and Sergei Novitski - After a promising start to their Grand Prix Season in Beijing (they won the silver) they came undone a bit at Cancer.Net Skate America, fell off the podium, and failed to make the Grand Prix Final. Then they actually made the final when Belbin and Agosto withdrew (I will let the tooth saga go...) but decided not to compete. They didn't compete at Russian Nationals either due to a knee injury for Sergei. This team heads to Tallinn a little beat up and needs a turnaround performance to get themselves back in the judges good grace. Their programs are...um...unique? Russian to the core I'd say. Their best asset is their 'in your face wow factor.' They have to use it or I think they will not be happy with their result. The defending champions may have a rough time defending here.

Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali - This team has yet to get their footing under them this season. A shaky start at Samsung Anycall Cup of China where they were just third, they were then forced to withdraw from HomeSense Skate Canada when Federica took ill. They do enter European's having won Italian Nationals and can hopefully get back on track. They won the silver at last season's European's and are hoping to at least match that performance here. They have a great program this season that tells a great story. This team is great at telling stories on the ice. Again, no team looks like clear front runners so anything is possible...perhaps a step higher up the podium this season?

UPDATE: Delobel and Schoenfelder have withdrawn from Europeans

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.

Pic of the Week

Domnina and Shabalin missed the fall season completely due to Maxim's pesky knee. I think that they are back in action this week in St. Petersburg at the 2010 Russian National Championships. They don't necessarily have to compete this week (having a bye to the Olympics) but it would certainly be a good idea to work off some rust prior to Europeans and the Olympics.

In Oksana and Maxim's absence (as well as Delobel and Schoenfelder), North American teams have taken control of the ice dance situation. Davis and White, Virtue and Moir, as well as Belbin and Agosto are posting high scores this season and dominated the Grand Prix Series. The reigning World Champs have some catching up to do!

But last season, they were in and out with injury and pulled through to win Worlds. So whether they compete or not this weekend I get the feeling they'll be just fine. They also have legacy on their side...Russian teams have medaled in how many of the last Olympic Ice Dance competitions...??? That's right...ALL OF THEM!

Chan out of Rostelecom Cup

Good news for Plushenko, Weir, and Kozuka...bad news for Canada.

Patrick Chan has withdrawn from Rostelecom Cup next week in Moscow, Russia due to a tear of his left calf muscle. He is, however, expected to compete at Skate Canada. Skate Canada will be the final event in the Grand Prix series over a month away.

Apart from the injury which will be a set back...Chan will not be at the Grand Prix Final now in Tokyo, a competition that would have been a nice pre-Olympic test against the best in the World. The next time he'll have an opportunity to compete against that talent wont be until the Olympics. He will face Abbott, Takahashi, and Contesti at Skate Canada so he'll have to make the most of that. There will also be the Four Continents Cup at the end of January, but that is only two weeks before the Olympics and he'll have to decide if a trip to Korea is worth the strain of competition so close to the biggest event in his life. Given this withdrawal...I think he should consider it.

UPDATE: Chan's news has been made official on his blog. New development, apparently World Champions Domnina and Shabalin of Russia have withdrawn from Rostelecom Cup as well (possibly NHK Trophy as well). Much like Chan, that doesn't give them the needed competition (especially against the North American Teams) that one would like prior to the Olympics. More news when I have it.

Pic of the Week

I'm going on a brief hiatus as I have a wedding to attend. I'll be in San Diego (how did I get so unfortunate as to be in SoCal twice within the span of a month?!?) and I'm not taking my laptop...so no posts until next week.

But before I go...a pic of the week to tie you over. 'The Matrix' was one of the most widely used pieces of music this season. Brian Joubert even resurrected his 'Matrix' program, with some modifications of course, for Worlds. His might of been "Matrix Revolutions" or something...but anyway...

So it was no surprise when Domnina and Shabalin entertained the crowd with an acrobatic performance to...'The Matrix!

Apart from the program, the outfits were really quite interesting and the whole time through the program I just kept thinking..."With the lights down and just show lights...can they really see with sun glasses on?"

But, till next week, enjoy Oksana and Maxim looking quite posh! Enjoy their performance too!

Worlds - Day 4

Wow. This has simply been an exciting competition. I cannot tell you how thrilling it has been here in L.A.

Before the top ladies competed in the short program, they did another public medal ceremony for the men. This time, I watched from my perch at a cafe outside the second level of the Staples Center. Evan Lysacek was absolutely gracious towards his fans and their support the previous night. He also revealed he had a stress fracture on his left foot. He didn't mention it before the event because he didn't want the focus to be on his injury...what a competitor! All the skaters were asked who their inspiration was and all gave interesting answers. For Joubert, it was Alexei Yagudin, Chan named Kurt Browning, and Evan named Michelle Kwan. A member in the crowd asked Joubert about his quad and if he feels he needs to continue to attempt because he keeps getting beat by people not doing it. His answer was straight forward..."Yes I will do the quad. In Vancouver my goal is to do three. We have the Olympics next year. It will be a good fight. I will be ready." Ummm...them sound like fighting words to me!

The ladies short program was great! First, trouble for American Champ Alissa Czisny. After a gorgeous lutz combo she went on to crash and burn on the triple flip, sliding right into the boards. If that wasn't disaster enough, she fell on her double axel as well. She's in 14th place and that all but seals the deal on the U.S. Olympic fate.

The top two groups of ladies put out some solid skating. Switzerland's Sarah Meier is 10th, Suguri of Japan 9th, and Georgia's Gedavanishvili 8th after strong programs. American Rachael Flatt is 7th. She had just a tiny little jilt on the landing of her triple flip, otherwise fine. She was just .36 from making the final group of skaters. That top group will include Finland's Laura Lepisto who barely edged Flatt. Carolina Kostner is in 5th after a clunky program that, as per usual, somehow gets the points from the judges! I think she could just stand on the ice and medal! Miki Ando is in 4th after a beautiful short program. She put a mini spell on the audience with her 'Memoirs of a Geisha' short program. She went for the big triple lutz/triple loop but cheated the loop just a bit. She'd be higher had that combo been perfect. Mao Asada is 3rd despite doubling her triple lutz. Her footwork, to be fair however, is brilliant. Joannie Rochette was the first skater to get the crowd to their feet. She put on quite a show for the Staples Center which has a huge Canadian cheering contengent! She earned a new Season Best score with her effort.

But the class of the field was Korea's Yu-Na Kim! She had a solid warm-up. Speaking of warm-ups...Mao Asada was meticulously steering clear of Kim during the warm-up. You could tell because I have never seen so many cameras rolling on a warm up, they were watching! But back to Kim's program. The crowd went crazy for her...CRAZY!!! Every single element she performed; jump, spin, footwork, the ovation just kept getting louder and louder. Every element was performed with absolute perfection. At the end of her program, she was elated as was her coach Brian Orser who was jumping up and down madly near the Kiss n' Cry! She soaked it all in as the crowd poured accolades on her. Korean flags seemed to appear out of nowhere as the crowd amplified it's applause. When the score went up there was a huge sound of shock as Yu-Na shattered the record for a short program score by a female skater. She has almost a 10 point lead over Rochette and I can't see how she can lose this event!

The night concluded with the Free Dance and the excitement continued! Samuelson and Bates were the first American Team to skate earleir in the night and skated very well. They finished 11th but made up ground and was able to get back ahead of Crone and Poirier of Canada and Zaretski and Zaretski of Israel who they had fallen behind earlier in the competition. They also were knocking on the door of the top ten.

Cappellini and Lanotte of Italy finished 10th with a dance that looked awfully copycat to Sale and Pelletier's 'Love Story.' Same cut of music, same outfits, similar choreography, same hair even! Carron and Jost of France finished 9th. That 9th place finish, however, cost France three Olympic spots in Dance...they needed to finish 8th (Delobel and Schoenfelder's withdrawal was felt there). 8th place, in fact, went to the other Italian Team of Faiella and Scali who came back after a terrible fall in the OD with a strong skate. In my opinion, one of the most undermarked teams, Kerr and Kerr of Great Britain placed 7th after a gorgeous Free Dance that brought the crowd to their feet. Wherever the Kerr's go, the crowd loves them!

The top six all skated well. Khoklova and Novitski finished 6th (I had pegged them to win...shows what I know!) after an interesting program. They received a deduction for something, not sure what, but that deduction cost them dearly in the final standings. Moving ahead of the Russians was the French team of Pechalat and Bourzat, their circus themed program was one of the crowd favorites.

Then there were two distinct battles...one for the Gold...the other for the Bronze. Davis and White lost the bronze battle to Canadians Virtue and Moir, however it was desparately close! Davis and White's 'Samson and Delilah' program was gorgeous and they showed tremendous skating. Their twizzles are amazing! They actually beat the Canadian's in the Free Dance but Tessa and Scott had just enough of their lead from the Compulsory Dance to hang on. To be fair, they're Pink Floyd 'Gig' program was excellent as well. In the end, the difference was .04...talk about razor thin! The Gold Battle was tense. Belbin and Agosto were first to skate. They looked more polished than in previous competition and skated well. They skated a little safe, however, I think feeling the pressure of being in a position to well as well as truncated training time due to the injury. Nonetheless they hit a huge score and took the lead. Domnina and Shabalin skated after Belbin and Agosto and looked polished as well. Natalia Linninchuk really got these teams together in a hurry! The difference was the freedom and abandonment the Russians skated with...they just let it go and skated from the heart. When the scores went up, they narrowly eclipsed Belbin and Agosto and got a good ovation from the crowd, the judging was fair.

What a day...tonight the event concludes with the ladies free skate!

Cup of China Ramblings

All in all a decent event. Some thoughts...

Amongst the women...some of these ladies need to get their head around attempting the harder triples. I know many of them are not comfortable with lutzes and flips but I think you need to try it anyway. You're probably not going to place well without it so why not try it, get used to it, and when you hopefully make it to bigger competitions you have that experience under your belt? I say you're probably not going to place well because apparently Laura Lepisto doesn't need them in her program to medal. I'm completely baffled at how Lepisto was ranked ahead of Ashley Wagner...completely! I'm going to scrutinize those judging sheets and try to figure it out...I may post a separate post on that. Speaking of Wagner...I just love the opening minute of that 'Spartacus' program...talk about off and running! No shock about the top two, however, I think Miki Ando needs to get her head around doing a little choreography in her program. If she continues to just focus on the jumps she won't get close to the Kim's and Asada's of the world. Again Yu-Na Kim won easily, but less spectacular this time. You get so caught into her performance that it's easy to forget she fell out of her first triple lutz and has again omitted the triple loop. Food for thought...

In the pairs I was completely impressed with the artistic strides the Dan and Hao Zhang have made in their skating. I've never been their biggest fans but I really enjoyed their skating here and very much felt they deserved the win. I was really impressed with the Volosozhar and Morozov as well. I'm a sucker for the 'Pearl Harbor' soundtrack and I thought they turned a beautiful performance for the silver. On the flip side, I'm a huge fan of Pang and Tong and I didn't like either their short or free skate. I think they should rethink the music choices...it don't think it suits them. Maybe I'll give it some time to settle in. Shout out to Evora and Ladwig for landing that gorgeous throw triple lutz!

I don't know how I feel about the Ice Dance competition. We'll I know I do feel that the Italians Cappellini and Lanotte should have won the bronze, even if their free dnace was just a little too reminiscent of Jamie and David's 'Love Story,' costumes, choreography, and all. However, I thought their dancing was far superior to Khoklova and Novitski's. I love the power the Russians exhibit and they have amazing "tricks" but I feel they really lack in the inbetween stuff. Just my opinion I guess. Very, very close at the top. But it was the Russians, Domnina and Shabalin, who got the slightly (just slightly) bigger sliver of the pie. They defeated Americans Belbin and Agosto by 0.36. That's close. But to be truthful I was unimpressed with both teams. I have come to the personal conclusion that I'm not a fan of the new Tanith and Ben. I'm reminded of Angelika Krylova who had this amazing expression and all that caked on drama worked (see 'Carmen' 1998 Olympics), it doesn't work for Tanith and I'm finding myself less and less impressed with them each time I see them...so sad for a team I love. I was also unimpressed with Domnina and Shabalin. Their 'Spartacus' bit (wow... Spartacus is in this season!) was, in my opinion, completely uninspiring. I know I'm being critical but I expect more from these top teams!

But the men really saved the day for me! For the first time this season I looked at a guy and thought, YES! Jeremy Abbott was fantastic. I don't think there was a bit of that tango music (tango's are big this season too!)that he didn't hit. Talk about working the system for every point your worth! A very much deserved win...long time in the making. I was impressed by Carriere as well! I don't think anyone, certainly not me, expected the U.S. to go 1-2 in the men's event, well done gentlemen, well done! Verner salvaged a bronze medal after an iffy free skate...nice quad though. I was so hoping Vaughn Chipeur would skate well after that great short program and that gorgeous triple axel (I mean...it was just pretty!), hopefully he can put two together soon because he has great potential.

I think we can say Belbin and Agosto and Miki Ando have made the Grand Prix Final and we can definitely say Yu-Na Kim has. Looking at the men, Lysacek now has new troubles with Abbott and Carriere's finish here and nothing definitive yet in the pairs event. Next week the Grand Prix lands in the beautiful Paris where we'll get a look at heavy hitters Asada and Joubert.

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

More coach swapping!

Now Tanith and Ben have new training mates...Domnina and Shabalin of Russia.

Reportedly, the duo has decided to take from Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov whom Belbin and Agosto just switched to in April. Not exactly sure what has prompted the No. 1 team from Russia to make the change?

Interestingly, Oksana and Max are one of Tanith and Ben's biggest competitors and the teams have had quite a rivalry on the Grand Prix for the past couple of seasons. Wonder how Tanith and Ben are taking this?

Oy! These skaters and their coaching changes!