Best of the Best

Simply, my favorite performances from this seasons Grand Prix:

Skate America







Skate Canada







Cup of China



NHK Trophy













Trophée Eric Bompard







Rostelecom Cup

I Screamed Like a Girl

The Regular Grand Prix is over and I'm giddy with delight! I think next to Worlds (which I also will be attending!), the Grand Prix Final will be the best ticket of the year!

I won't go into specifics about who did and who didn't make it...you can check for yourself.

I was pleased with the ladies and pairs fields. I think Christmas came early with that dance field! And then I screamed like a girl when I saw the men's field!

OMG! Look!



No way! So if I was to pick my top six favorite men's skaters in the world...I got 5 of them right here (better luck next time Denis Ten) including my fave Jeremy Abbott. Sorry Yuzuru...I'm rooting for the other 5. Talk about EPIC!

Praying for no bogus withdrawals...I feel as though I would cry.

The Nitpick

At NHK Trophy there was way too many skaters "going against the grain." That is, trying to be skaters that they are not.

I have a pretty strong opinion about this. Skaters need to find a lane and stay in it. Perfect it. Optimize it. Win! I'll use my favorite skater of all time to demonstrate this point; Michelle Kwan.

For over a decade she was hammering out amazing programs...she stayed "in her lane." Then in 2004-2005 she did that Bolero program and for the first time I was like "Oh girl, that is not a great program." She tried to be a skater she wasn't...it didn't work.

At NHK there was an overwhelming amount of these types of programs happening. Here are some of the culprits:









Oh boy...ummm. The skaters that win a lot, even when they try new things, they do it in a way that doesn't take away from who they are as skaters. It's like changing the color of your car...but still keeping the same car. Skaters have to know what their strengths are as skaters and play to them. The above programs do the exact opposite. Armin is a flowing classical skater, Cynthia and Agnes are strength skaters, and the Reed's do best when they aren't attempting character pieces.

In short, what I'm saying is...If you're going to push yourself as an artistic and try something new...make sure it works.

Side note not associated with the above post, but I feel as if the judges righted a wrong by giving Shibby the win at NHK...however I feel like it was at the expense of Weaver and Poje...just saying.

The Nitpick

Grrrrrrrrrr....the Free Dance results at Cup of China were "redonk!"

I found the judges to be impertinent and devoid of all ability to actually "see" what was happening on the ice.

Take a look:



Then this hot mess took the ice...



Now I'm all for Walpurgis Night. Faust is greatly under-used in skating. But this dance was terrible. It lumbered across the ice at a snails pace. Ekaterina gave us her ususal poor posture. Don't get me started about the last 30 seconds or so when it went to complete s%*t! I watched it again to make sure I was giving them a fair shake...it was more painful the second time through.

Let's rewind the the Short Dance where I actually agreed that the Russians out skated team "Shibby." Maia and Alex have many things, but steamy sex appeal in a Rhumba isn't one of them (and now we have one of those weird brother/sister awkward moments). While I don't think I would have had the Russians like 7 or 8 points ahead...I would have given them the lead.

But what a load of crap that the judges not only handed the Russians the title...they marked them as skating better in the free...what?!?!?!?!?! C'mon, really? I realize figure skating is subjective and everybody has to have an opinion...but this is blatant ridiculousness. Put all feelings about style and music aside and just look at the skills and the skating. In short, the Russians weren't even close to being able to keep up with the skating abilities that Shibby displayed. And to even show their incompetence more...the judges didn't even make it close, but called it as a 7+ point blowout resulting in this disaster of a score:



I was pissed...still am! I think what pissed me off the most is that the Russians took their win in stride...they didn't even looked shocked. Not even a "Hey Babe, we just demolished a team that's clearly better than us, isn't that awesome?!?!" from Dimitri. If you just beat the World Bronze Medalists...wouldn't you be 'slightly' more excited?

And the sad part is, we'll never know which of the judges on the panel either don't know how to judge or are passing off favors...their anonymous. Didn't Beyoncé sing, "What goes around, comes back around..."

Cup of China

We are literally hours away from the beginning of Cup of China. So before I go to bed only to rise at an early hour...a few thoughts about Cup of China.

Ice Dance
The field is lacking some depth so it should be a very easy road to victory for the World Bronze Medalists, Alex and Maia Shibutani. Another of the U.S. new teams makes a debut with Samuelson and Gilles hitting the ice. My guess is Bobrova and Soloviev come in a distant second and a fun little fight for third.

Men
I don't quite know how to handicap this one...Gachinski, Oda, Abbott...any could be the one to beat. Lurking in the background are Hanyu, Dornbush, and Reynolds. I'm rooting for Jeremy...last season was a little rough, this one needs to go better!

Pairs
I'm excited to see how Zhang and Zhang stack up against Kavaguti and Smirnov. I'm also excited to see how Evora and Ladwig figure in the mix. I'm hoping they have improved the technical elements.

Ladies
I think Carolina Kostner runs away with this title. Her programs are fantastic this season and is skating great. Her biggest challenge will probably be Kanako Murakami. Team USA has potential to do well but I'm not holding my breath. Sotnikova? Young Russians would appear to be on a roll...?

Skate Canada Rundown

Lots of exciting things going down this weekend in Mississauga.

I'm stoked to see Virtue and Moir healthy and competing this early in the season. I'm expecting nothing less than an epic showdown between them and Meryl and Charlie this season. Meryl and Charlie threw the first punch at Skate America...time for Tessa and Scott to swing back! I don't think there is anyone in the field that came close to being competitive with them. I do have a feeling the silver/bronze race will be close. On paper Cappellini and Lanotte look the best but a couple talented young Russian duos, a fresh new American team, or a dynamic Canadian partnership could steal the prize away.

Amongst the ladies, team USA has the opportunity to send a strong message. Save Alissa Czisny, I think this is the strongest possible field the U.S. could muster at an event (Nagasu, Flatt, and Wagner). I suspect both Russians, Leonova and Tuktamisheva, as well as Akiko Suzuki of Japan could prove worthy challenges. The ladies wildcard is Cynthia Phaneuf. She's either hot or cold.

The pairs event, I'm guessing, will be an easy walkaway for Volosozhar and Trankov. The World Silver Medalists may, however, find worthy competitors in the young Chinese team of Sui and Han. They have a dynamic spark on the ice and are known for going after (and occasionally hitting) big tricks. However, at least judging from Skate America, the judges are really rewarding basics this season and Volosozhar and Trankov will excel there. Takahashi and Tran of Japan, if they can hit technical content, could be a threat as well. Boo...no Americans in the field!

The men's field as Skate Canada is really good! World Champ Patrick Chan gets his season started. It was at this event last season that he smoked the competition and never looked back , going on to win the Grand Prix Final, Canadian Nationals, and of course Worlds. He'll meet tough competition this weekend with his World champ predecessor, Daisuke Takahashi, taking aim. It's the first heavy weight match of the season. Toss in Kevin Van Der Perren (who was surprisingly good at Skate America), Adam Rippon (who I think is on the precipice of being great), Denis Ten (who I think any moment will shock us), and Javier Fernandez (ultimate wildcard!) and I think you have the possibility of some amazing skates.

Skate America Day Three

The final day of competition. I've gotten used to this weather here in Southern California....it'll be hard to go back to Illinois where the weather is...not as nice.

The Pairs in general I thought skated very well. Savchenko and Szolkowy made a great recovery to jump from 5th to the win. Their free skate is awesome and very different. Zhang and Zhang were not able to bring the expressiveness they had in the short and dropped to second after a lifeless program. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch had an amazing performance to take the bronze. Loved the Henry V music choice. Finishing 4th was Denney and Coughlin who had a gorgeous skate and I thought...wait for it...should have won! There was some Twitter back and forth about how their skating comes across on T.V. versus in person. In the arena they brought the house down...but somehow that didn't translate to broadcast. In any case, they were fantastic and I'm scratching my head about their placement. The rest of the pairs field was somewhat lack luster. Poor Mary Beth Marley learned a lesson in tough competitions today...she had real trouble keeping on her feet on the jump elements.

The ladies began with the battle of the pinks which Ksenia Makarova won despite the fact her program (and music choices) were a hot mess. In the final group Caroline Zhang and Haruka Imai had poor performances, Haruka managed to stay in fourth despite finishing 9th in the free...Caroline dropped to 6th. Viktoria Helgesson turned in a lovely skate set to Sunset Boulevard. The choreography was impressive and I think she outdid herself by snatching the bronze medal! The battle for the gold was desperately close between Kostner and Czisny. Carolina skated first and turned in a wonderful program. Again, she picked a piece of music that works with her style and she didn't seem like she was trying too hard. Czisny skated last and had several technical mistakes but also managed some good content as well (again she seems to be fighting better than she has in past seasons which is good). When the scores went up she had lost the free to Carolina but had enough left in the gas tank from the short to take the title.

Results here.

The exhibition performances were quite good. Highlights included a positively beaming Kevin Van Der Perren, a simplistically beautiful Savchenko and Szolkowy, an awkward mambo from Denney and Coughlin, and stunning beauty from Alissa Czisny.

The first Grand Prix event is out of the way...five more to go. The next time I blog from an event will be the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City, Canada.

Skate America Day Two - Part 2

I feel like the energy at Skate America bumped up a notch tonight!

First the pairs, where Denney and Coughlin were first up and they smoked it! The much ballyhooed team delivered with a gorgeous skate. They currently sit second. Stealing the night was Dan and Hao Zhang...making a comeback from a season off for injury. In a rare turn of events, they skated a beautiful artistic program, to snag the lead and hang onto it for the night. Placing 3rd, but actually tying Denney and Coughlin in points, was Bazarova and Larionov. Classic Russian skating, but quite boring this time, and they had a fall on side-by-side triple toes that didn't help (trying to figure out how they got the same points as Caydee and John?). The big story is Savchenko and Szolkowy placing 5th. Hard fall on a throw triple axel (I like that they are getting after it but given Zhang and Zhang's skate seemed overly risky) and from that point out they seemed out of sorts. Not great choreography either. The other big news...Rockne now has short hair and looks like he's 17. He and Mary Beth had a cute program and are currently in 6th.

The top U.S. ladies did well tonight. Alissa claimed the top spot after a gorgeous program to La Vie en Rose. She had the crowd in her palm as she gracefully skimmed the ice. Looks like, for now, that form from last season is holding together nicely. In 3rd place is Caroline Zhang who was positively beaming tonight. She was smiling and had big crowd support (all the SoCal skaters have). One little booboo on the double axel but an otherwise solid skate. Between the two of them is Carolina Kostner. I loved her music choice...didn't seem like she was fighting her skating style but rather complementing it. She still hasn't added back the big jumps but most of what she did she did well, and of course she has brilliant speed. Just in 4th, Haruka Imai made a lovely impression with a beautiful skate and looks to be a factor in the free skate. Ksenia Makarova totally tanked, literally when she smacked the ice on her combo attempt. Elene Gedevanishvili also had a rough skate.

Full results here.

Skate America Day Two - Part 1

The skating today seemed somewhat more inspired...but the fact that it's early and the season and the fact there was such a quick turnaround for the skaters meant there was still lots of kinks in the chain as of yet.

First, an observation...This arena is huge and given it's size compared to the number of tickets sold...it looks desolate. A note to U.S. Figure Skating...we are in SoCal for crying out loud! Half of the World trains here, you'd think you could have sold a few extra tickets? I suggest to U.S. Figure Skating doing one of three things:

1. Pick a more intimate venue...maybe 5000 seats max. That way it looks full and I think that little "trick of size control" could do wonders.

2. Up the PR. Again, in SoCal, there is no reason why double this amount of tickets couldn't have been sold. This event, ticket prices, list of competitors, etc. should have been in every newspaper on Saturday from July thru last week from San Diego to San Francisco...I suspect it wasn't.

3. Two weeks prior to the event and you have tons of empty seats...start giving them away to local schools, colleges, promotions for non-profits, radio giveaways, etc. If you can't sell the ticket, at least get U.S. Figure Skating some exposure.

Now the skating...

We were treated to the men first. First a huge bit of Douglas Razzano who was 'Steady Eddie' out there and have a supberb skate. For the longest time he was winning the free skate and beat out, among others, European Champ Florent Amodio. Speaking of Amodio, again way too much standing and dancing in place, and I think the judges picked up on it this time (and the fact he didn't jump well). The music is great but you can't stand in place and shake your hips...that's another sport. He finished way down in 9th. Looking at the winners...the young Czech Michal Brezina took the title with a fun skate to The Untouchables. The first half was better than the second half but he had such a lead coming in he had enough buffer to win his first Senior Grand Prix. The silver, and free skate winner, went to Kevin Van Der Perren. It's been sometime since Kevin has looked this good. Jumped fairly well and did enough to be relevant again. Takahiko Kozuka pulled in for the bronze after a forced skate. The music is great but he had to work for just about all his jumps. Richard Dornbush took a note from Ryan Bradley's play book and played to the crowd with a fun western medley. He went for a quad and almost had it but it was under-rotated. He finished 4th. Ten and Murakami had some troubles too and finished 5th and 6th.

In Ice Dance, the first thing I want to talk about is Ralph and Hill's scores pictured below:



I can't figure out how they were scored so low so someone who get's these will need to explain them to me. I thought they were at the least, third best on the night and pretty well matched with the French Team...guess not. Crowd and Twitter weren't happy about their low placement. Tobias and Stagniunas from Lithuania pulled out the bronze with a Jive inspired free dance that had the crowd clapping. Pechalat and Bourzat looked much better in the free. This middle eastern medley has some fun choreographic moments but seems somewhat basic at times. However it is fun to watch. What isn't fun is watching Fabian nearly pass out from exhaustion after the dance. Actually, lots of skaters are looking downright 'gassed' at the end of their skates. Not looking gassed at all was Meryl and Charlie who delighted the crowd to a good proper waltz and skated away easily with the gold by nearly 22 points.

Scores are here.

I'll be back with more after the ladies and pairs shorts.

Skate America Day One

What happened out there on the ice? This is not what I was expecting as I departed Illinois this morning at o'light 30! As I got sneezed on by the little girl at Denver International Airport! As I braved the ridiculous L.A. traffic at...2:30pm (It wasn't even rush hour and it was out of control). All in all, not a spectacular night of skating.

First up was the men. My thought was all these guys should be saying, "Who needs Evan Lysacek?!?!" And my hope is they would all step up to the plate despite his absence. But it turns out that maybe we do need Evan (US Figure Skating, please work out whatever little financial squabble is happening between you and Evan). It was rather uneventful. Richard Dornbush did provide a little pizazz to the competition in the first half. However, he found himself behind Daisuke Murakami who quad salchow'd his way to an early lead. The second group didn't improve much. Kevin Van Der Perren jumped his way into the top four just behind Murakami, Kozuka ended the night in second after a free skate marred with a nasty miss on the quad. The winner of the night was Michal Brezina who Kodo Drumed his way to the short program win (I thought he did quite well actually). Florent Amodio completely missed his combo and sits in 8th place. Denis Ten and Armin Mahbanoozadeh turned in so so skates to place 6th and 7th. Razzano is 9th and Contesti is bringing up the rear with a terrible short. And if you watched and are scratching your head about Dornbush's placement...so are we.

Next was the Short Dance and it has been a while since I've seen that many falls take place. Skater were falling on twizzles and steps all over the place. Several of those falls came in Pechalat and Bourzat's performance. They were a mess! Despite the mistakes they still find themselves in 2nd. Germans Zhiganshina and Gazsi (???) are third. Davis and White won the short dance, easily, by just over 10 points...but even they looked a little rough around the edges. The rest of the ice dance field was simply bland and if the team stayed on their feet they likely did better than a team that didn't.

Fingers crossed the skating tomorrow goes up a notch.

Some goodies...you can see the program for Skate America by following this link right here.

You can see full results from the competition here.

This Blogs About to Blow!

I have been a sleeping giant since Worlds with relatively few posts.

I will share with all of you that this past year I've moved into a new position with my company which requires tons of my time. I'm on the computer as much as ever, but usually in charts, figures, and reports.

But...

Skate America begins tomorrow, and I'm making the trip out to California for the event. I can stay quiet no longer...I MUST BLOG! So, as the Senior Grand Prix gets underway, look for more posts from me (as well as a bigger Facebook/Twitter presence) as we move forward.

So about this Skate America competition...

Pairs

This is quite a mixed bag of goodies. The clear and easy favorites are World Champs Savchenko and Szolkowy. I'm excited to see their Free Skate to Pina which is a German Dance flick. Last season I was impressed with their technical skills but less impressed with the choreography to Pink Panther. However, even more interesting is the return of Zhang and Zhang. Hao of course had to miss the entire season with a hand injury and it will be interesting to see how they look. They ended the 2010 season not on the best note. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch made a splash on the Grand Prix last season with solid skates, can they back it up this season? USA Pairs skating has been in a state of flux recently. All three U.S. teams are making Grand Prix debuts; Baldwin and Vise, Denney and Coughlin, and Marley and Brubaker. I'm praying an American team can make it to the podium. Hausch and Wende of Germany could be the darkhorses in this event.

Ladies

Interesting group...lots of the wildcard types competing. We may get great skates...or iffy ones. I guess I like Alissa the best of them all. I'm hoping her improved form from last season has stuck with her. If it has, she's formidabble. Ksenia Makarova and Carolina Kostner represent solid threats from Europe. Carolina is usually amongst the top skaters often winning by pulling points from places other than jumps (no...not bitter at all). I'm not certain how to handicap Caroline Zhang...wait and see?

Dance

Davis and White and Pechalat and Bourzat should clear the field by leaps and bounds. My guess is that Meryl and Charlie have an easy road to victory but if anyone would give them problems it would be the French. The bronze is a bit up for grabs though...

Men

Really solid group even without Lysacek. If I had to guess on who would take this I'd put the good money on Kozuka but anything is possible. Amodio, if he has his brain together, could be a real threat. Ditto for Denis Ten. Double ditto for Brezina. Will be interesting to see how the U.S. men fare. Armin is the only one with Senior GP experience (including a bronze at this event last season). Dornbush did make a solid senior debut last season and he is known for consistency so it stands to reason he'll do okay. Douglas Razzano has nothing to lose. He turned some heads with his strong finish at Nationals last season...he really has to get after this like it's his last chance to prove anything. Finally KVDP, he keeps at it...I guess if he loves what he is doing. I just hope he comes in competition mode.

I'm landing in L.A. tomorrow afternoon and will make my way to Ontario in time for the start of all of the fun. Look for Twitter and Facebook updates all weekend long!

The Logo!

I've picked a winner for the logo competition! I would like to thank everyone that entered! I had 27 logo's come my way...that's awesome! My hope is to unveil the logo and announce the winner at the beginning of October to coincide with the near-start of the Senior Grand Prix when my blog will really get thumping again as I'll be attending Skate America. Until then...wait in suspense!

Summer Drought is Over!

All right kids...it's high time I get back to blogging! The summer figure skating drought is nearing it's conclusion and I'm ready to get clicking on the keyboard again.

So what's new? Today is the last day you can submit a logo for me...so if you have a cool logo to design...get it in!

I booked my airfare to L.A. for Skate America...I will definitely be attending the event! I'm also going to be attending the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City!

Finally, the Junior Grand Prix get's started this week in Latvia. A pretty spiffy group of Junior skaters are competing. Keep an eye on them...you never know who will surprise you later in the season (i.e. Ricky Dornbush did last season)...

So what's new with all of you?

Win, Lose, or Draw in Beijing

Some big winners in Beijing...some big losers in Beijing at the Grand Prix Final...and a few draws. See all the results here.

Winners
First and foremost, Alissa Czisny! She said after her free skate in Beijing "I almost feel like this is a new beginning for me. The past is gone - over and done with. I almost feel like I am a new skater." If it goes from almost to a certainty, none of the other girls have a chance at U.S. Nationals. We've all known for a few years now that if Alissa Czisny can put together a short program and a free skate in the same competition, she'd be formidable. Well...point proven! In Ice Dance and Pairs it was kind of what most people expected. Davis and White have virtually no competition currently with Virtue and Moir out so it was no shock to see them win. I think Savchenko and Szolkowy have refound their thunder (it was totally stolen by Shen and Zhao last season) and are back on track (despite a rather cheesy free skate to Pink Panther). Patrick Chan clobbered the field with a strong skate and huge component scores. Patrick has consistently brought in the biggest PCS score this season and now armed with a quad is the toughest guy to beat. The only skater currently in Patrick's neighborhood on PCS is Daisuke Takahashi and he was seven points back. Food for thought...

Losers
Oh Rachael Flatt. It was so unfortunate to see her come undone like that. Let's not even talk about the scores (I'll leave that to Phil Hersh). A lingering leg injury is partially to blame but she was dealing with that same issue at Skate America and skated much better there. This performance has many doubting her chances in Greensboro: "I'm going to go home, regroup and start over from scratch on a few things. I need to use the time to build up my confidence in my training again." The only other big loss I think was dealt to Miki Ando who finished ahead of Rachael in 5th. After a disappointing short program (a new short program), she rallied to win the free skate...and didn't move up a single spot despite out skating everyone ahead of her. She came in the favorite and leaves empty handed...and behind two of what promises to be tough competitors at Japanese Nationals; Akiko Suzuki and Kanako Murakami (who took the bronze).

Draws
I think Pang and Tong had a draw here. Coming off of last season where they won the Olympic Silver Medal and World Title, I expected them to push Savchenko and Szolkowy a bit more here. They didn't skate bad...but where not up to the level they need to be to keep pace ahead of the Germans. A draw for Carolina Kostner who continues to be awarded for easy programs...but not a win this time. And Nobunari Oda who has a Patrick Chan problem this season (the monkey on his back). He has to figure out how to 1) get all the way through his free skate clean and 2) figure out how to raise his PCS score. He's skating good...he needs to find a way to skate great.

And how about this video...definitely affected both of their performances. A nasty crash between Kozuka and Takahashi in practice. Kozuka had to fight for the bronze and Daisuke ended up off the podium (his doctor advised he withdraw but he chose to compete anyway).



Also, take a look at the winning performances!









Bonus Video! Check out American Richard Dornbush kill it in the Junior Men's Free Skate!

Trophy Eric Bompard Short Program Flash

Anna KHNYCHENKOVA / Mark MAGYAR (HUN) - Music seemed to just drone on and their program was uninteresting...I can't even remember if they hit their elements or not...that's how uninteresting it was.

Felicia ZHANG / Taylor TOTH (USA) - Felicia completely missed her footing on the side-by-side jumps and never left the ice. Pretty program though. Into the lead despite technical issues.

Klara KADLECOVA / Petr BIDAR (CZE) - Seemed green. Petr made me think of Brian Joubert circa 2001 if he was a pairs skater. Also, totally missed a lift.

Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV (RUS) - Really pretty. Solid Russian basics make this program sing. Great job.

Maylin HAUSCH / Daniel WENDE (GER) - Really solid. Ten points behind Russians but good effort. Strong elements.

Mylene BRODEUR / John MATTATALL (CAN) - This team is so sterotypically Canadian! The music, their outfits, how they move across the ice...screams "Oh Canada!" Lots of Technical troubles...wamp wamp.

Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY (GER) - Great speed. Tight landing on the twist and Aliona had trouble on her sbs jump. Huge throw flip. Coin toss between them and Russians...I think the Russians should get it...a clean skate should be worth something right? Judges disagree with me.

Zoltan KELEMEN (ROU) - Kind of bland. Sat down on the back half of his lutz combo. Needs to pay more attention to performance.

Chafik BESSEGHIER (FRA) - Out of nowhere performance that included a quad triple and nice triple axel. Skating skills need work but the jumps look great! 70.33...impressive!

Peter LIEBERS (GER) - Clean program but he needs to loosen up. You can't skate to the blues and look so serious.

Anton KOVALEVSKI (UKR) - Looks undertrained. Needs to find some inner fight to make these performances happen...because they currently aren't happening.

Nan SONG (CHN) - *Yawn

Florent AMODIO (FRA) - Kind of brilliant. Not so much as an unsteady wobble in that program. Seems to be thriving under Morozov.

Kevin REYNOLDS (CAN) - Maybe some jump downgrades...not near the performance he had in Canada. He was confused a bit by the scores.

Brandon MROZ (USA) - Some awkward moments in the jumping. Muscled the quad combo and had a weird post-slip after axel. Program didn't flow as well as it did in China.

Takahiko KOZUKA (JPN) - Music is awful but he did the elements. Axel wasn't great but completed. He's pretty slick on his feet though and has solid skating skills.

Brian JOUBERT (FRA) - Messy. I am still loving his new programs but Brian is struggling technically this season. Only 5th place.

Grand Prix Crunch in Paris

As this season's final event, Trophy Eric Bompard will decide who is in for Beijing, and who is out. The last Grand Prix event is always interesting because I imagine skaters on the ice trying to make the final are perhaps as nervous as those watching at home hoping they've done enough to qualify.

Beginning with Ice Dance, three teams have sealed the deal as far as the Grand Prix Final goes: Americans Davis and White, Canadians Crone and Poirier, and Russians Bobrova and Soloviev. Competing in Paris with a shot at making the Grand Prix Final is Pechalat and Bourzat of France. Having won Cup of China they look to be in really good shape to make the final and are the CLEAR FAVORITES at this event. I think if they just stand on the ice and look good they win. Then it becomes a bit of a scramble. The dance field in France is the weakest thus far on the Grand Prix so it's somewhat unpredictable. American's Chock and Zuerlein are in the running for the Grand Prix Final after their bronze medal effort in Canada. Three more teams, with a win, could make the final in Paris: Riazanova and Tkachenko of Russia, Carron and Jones of France, and Huang and Zheng of China (a bit remarkable that we are still talking about a Chinese Dance team being in the running for the GPF...it's been one of those seasons!)...however it is a bit unlikely that any of these teams would win. Who is at home biting their finger-nails? With the best shot of any is Canadians Weaver and Poje who are on the better end of a tie-breaking situation and barring some very unusual results will likely qualify. Praying for miracles are Hungarians Hoffmann and Zavozin and Americans Shibutani and Shibutani.

The ladies competition has been so odd this season, I haven't known what to really make of it. Given that, 5 of the 6 spots for the Grand Prix Final have already been decided: Italy's Carolina Kostner, Miki Ando, Kanako Murakami, and Akiko Suzuki all of Japan, and American Rachael Flatt have all qualified. That means one spot is still open. Who can get after it? American Alissa Czisny has the best chance having won Gold at Canada. Should Alissa have big problems, and certain placements happen, three ladies are still in the running including Canada's Cynthia Phaneuf, American Mirai Nagasu, and Finland's Kiira Korpi. Needing a miracle to make the final is Japan's Haruka Imai. Even more interesting, mathematically Mao Asada of Japan and Mae Bernice Meite of France still have a shot...but they need more than a miracle...they need divine intervention. Not only would they have to win....but they also would need Nagasu, Korpi, Phanuef, and Czisny to finish TEB with little to no points (depending on the competitor). Not gonna happen. No real nail-biting at home...even though Ashley Wagner is on the bubble, she is unlikely to make the final...it would take one of those miracle scenarios.

In Pairs, four teams have sealed the deal for the final already. China's Pang and Tong, Canadians Moore-Towers and Moscovitch, Russians Iliushechkina and Maisuradze, and China's Sui and Han (the latter two teams on the good end of a tie-breaker). Only two teams competing in Paris have a shot at making the final. Germans Savcehnko and Szolkowy who won Skate America and Russia's Bazarova and Larionov who took silver in Japan. Those two teams should have no problem going 1-2 and nabbing the last two spots at the final. But...should disaster strike, mathematically Takahashi and Tran of Japan and Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin are still viable...it's a stretch though. Takahashi and Tran have a better shot if Bazarova and Larionov have troubles.

Finally the men...what a season so far! Four guys have secured spots in Beijing: Daisuke Takhashi of Japan, Patrick Chan of Canada, Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic, and Nobunari Oda of Japan. A whopping five men competing in Paris have a shot at making the final yet. With the best opportunity is Takahiko Kozuka of Japan. American Brandon Mroz has the next best shot after finishing right behind Takahiko in China. Trickier but still with a decent chance is Florent Amodio. And even more tricky but still possible is Brian Joubert and Kevin Reynolds. The REAL nail-biting is being done by Jeremy Abbott who is on the serious bubble! He still has a shot at the Grand Prix Final depending on how the guys finish in Paris...it'll be close. Poor Adam Rippon...after his hiccup at Skate America he has hardly any shot at all for the Grand Prix Final. This will be the crunchiest of all the numbers in Paris!

Fantasy picks...take a look below. I'm determined to move up the standings after the Dance event in Russia killed me! Am I crazy to go with Asada?

Bland Weekend in Moscow

In General, I was very BLAH about Rostelecom Cup this past weekend. Very little actually got my blood pumping. I felt the ladies competition was boring. Miki Ando skated a clean but safe program to win. Akiko skated a pretty program peppered with little errors for the silver, and Ashley Wagner nabbed the bronze after a better but still not amazing free. Half the dancers didn't even compete leaving a field of medalists nobody would have predicted. The men failed to excite with Tomas winning with his less than spectacular MJ Medley (The choreo Hugo...the choreo!). We learned that Chan is beatable, he just has to fall like 3 or more times. And Jeremy may have missed his shot at Beijing with just a bronze.

The only thing that DID excite me about Rostelecom Cup was Kavaguti and Smirnov's Free Skate. GUSH! It's a thing of beauty and they skated it brilliantly. Tamara Moskvina has really put something special together there. Not sure on the outfits (Sasha's in particular) but the skating gets an A+.

How did I do fantasy wise...don't ask. The Men's and Dance events killed me! But somehow I keep moving up the overall standings...156th overall...meh!

Later this week a Grand Prix Final Crunch pre Trophy Eric Bompard.

Also, bare with me...my work schedule has become haphazard so blogging and working has become...interesting. But...I'm still committed!

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!

Skate America

The Grand Prix makes its annual stop in the U.S. this week. A quick rundown on who to watch (blogging on the quick!):

Men:
Nobunari Oda (JPN) - Silver Medal at Skate Canada

Adam Rippon (USA) - Bronze Medal at Skate Canada

Shawn Sawyer (CAN) - Strong components scores

Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) - Won NHK Trophy

Denis Ten (KAZ) - When on has few weaknesses

Kevin van der Perren (BEL) - Solid jumper (at times)

Pairs:
Denney and Barrett (USA) - Technical consistency

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch (CAN) - Silver Medal at Skate Canada

Savchenko and Szolkowy (GER) - Olympic Bronze medalists. Veteran competitors

Stolbova and Klimov (RUS) - Solid Russian basics equaling strong pair skills

Sui and Han (CHN) - Silver at Cup of China, has solid throw quad salchow

Ladies:
Rachael Flatt (USA) - Silver Medal at NHK Trophy

Carolina Kostner (ITA) - Gold Medal at NHK Trophy

Kanako Murakami (JPN) - Bronze Medal at NHK Trophy

Ice Dance:
Crone and Poirier (CAN) - Gold Medal at Skate Canada

Davis and White (USA) - Olympic Silver Medalists. Gold Medal at NHK Trophy

Shibutani and Shibutani (USA) - Bronze at NHK Trophy

Weaver and Poje (CAN) - Silver at NHK Trophy


I've posted my fantasy picks below...hoping for the best!

Cup of China Wrap

A very fast wrap-up of Cup of China. I'm on limited blogging time!

Ice Dance was a runaway for Pechalat and Bourzat of France. They had a nice lead out of the Short Dance and just extended it in the free. Bobrova and Soloviev of Russia surprised many by taking the silver. Faiella and Scali had to settle for the bronze after a nasty slip in the free dance. Three bland programs at this point for the top three teams but I think Faiella and Scali's Flamenco has potential.

Pang and Tong put experience to good use in Beijing besting their Chinese teammates Sui and Han for the win. It was as unusual meeting of experience vs youthfulness as the senior most competing Chinese team took on the youngest. Sui and Han provided some fireworks with a very solid throw quad salchow attempt and a flair for performance rarely seen in Chinese competitors. Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin improved their 4th place finish at NHK to a bronze in Beijing and have a slim shot at making the Grand Prix Final, also in Beijing. Pang and Tong are the first skaters to earn a trip to the Grand Prix Final.

It was Japan full steam ahead in the ladies competition. Miki Ando showed a jumping clinic to take the ladies title. Akiko Suzuki was in tow in second with a solid effort and a beautifully choreographed program. Russia's Alena Leonova backed into the bronze medal after Mirai Nagasu, leader after the short, tanked in the free to finish 4th overall.

Japan again was on top in the men's division as Takahiko cruised to an easy victory with two programs chock full of strong components. American Brand Mroz surged in the free skate with a tremendous skate that included a clean quad to take the silver.
Tomas Verner managed to hang on for the bronze with an entertaining (but somewhat lacking) skate to Michael Jackson. The big story in the men's field was Brian Joubert, with a decent performance, dropping down to 4th due in major part to only receiving level 1's for his spins.

My Fantasy picks weren't horrible...I tied for 222nd for Cup of China which doesn't sound great...but I moved up to being ranked 139th overall. I'm just going to stick with it...

You can see the full Cup of China Results here.

Skate America starts tomorrow.