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.

News Round-Up

Surgery, new Skating shows, old commentators making comebacks...I have to dedicate myself to work for a week and the skating news cycle blows up!

Michal Brezina is out of Cup of China....wamp wamp. Universal Sports Tweeted that "he had surgery yesterday on a varicose vein in his stomach yesterday." Sounds kind of gross...but not too serious. The doctor has ordered two weeks rest, so the Czech Champ will miss stop #3 on the Grand Prix Final and will thus not be able to make the Grand Prix Final...darn. And while on the topic of Surgery, Tessa Virtue also had surgery associated with her CECS (Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome) condition. "Apparently the surgery went really well and I am confident that I have the most competent support team to help me with my recovery. I am excited to get back on the ice as soon as I can and look forward to training and competing pain-free" Tessa told Skate Canada. The Olympic Champ hopes that she and partner Scott Moir can be back on the ice and be ready to compete later this season.

Move aside Jennifer Gray (did I just put in an early DWTS winner prediction; yup!)...at the conclusion of this season of DWTS, Skating with the Stars will hit the ABC airwaves. From the Press Release:

You’ve seen what happens when celebrities take on the ballroom, now see what happens when they hit the ice on blades of steel, in “Skating with the Stars.” The new series from BBC Worldwide Productions pairs a celebrity with a world class ice skater as they prepare to compete in front of a live audience in a televised ice skating competition. The skating pairs will be critiqued by a panel of expert judges and will receive a set of scores based on artistry and technique and by viewers at home, with one couple being eliminated each week. “Skating with the Stars” will kick off its six-episode run with a live premiere episode on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Trainwreck or Triumph...we shall see.

Ah the Glory days of figure skating coverage...aka the Michelle Kwan years. You know, before NBC took over and ABC ruled the skating roost? Well NBC has made one it's best moves yet, by grabbing a little old and making it new. Terry Gannon will join the likes of Scott Hamilton, Tara Lipinski, and Michael Weiss to cover this season's Grand Prix. I'm not even got to beat around the bush and tell you I am not a fan of Tom Hammond and his broadcast "style." If he never returned I'd be happy. Terry covered these skaters for a long time and really 'knew' them and it will be nice to have an actual broadcast voice of knowledge on the Grand Prix. I pray NBC keeps him for Nationals and Worlds!

Last, a little spying on skaters in training for the upcoming season. Take a peek at this spiffy Quad Toe-Triple Toe-Triple Loop from Nobunari Oda. Isn't he about to be (already is?) a dad? Update: Yup! A dad!

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!.

European Championships Preview (Men)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results Round-Up

As I discussed last week, this past weekend was a bit of a National's Marathon for a good deal of Europe. Here is some of the notable results and happenings...

Italy: Faiella and Scali won with Cappellini and Lanotte right behind. National scores tend to be inflated but Federica and Massimo's scores where right in there with the best in the world; about on par with what Belbin and Agosto have produced. Contesti skated to an easy victory. The big news is Carolina Kostner was unable to beat Valentina Marchei for the title. The plot thickens as Kostner's L.A. meltdown last season only provided one Olympic berth for Italy...??? Both ladies will be at European's...this might get scrappy!

Germany: Stefan Lindemann won as expected but he surprisingly had to come from behind to do it, third after the short he had to sweat it out against Peter Liebers. Both will compete at the European Championships. Savchenko and Szolkowy opted to not compete in Mannheim.

Sweden: Viktoria won the battle of the Helgesson's defeating Joshi. Kristoffer Berntsson bested Adrain Schulteiss in the men's division. That was hotly contested as Sweden only gets to send one guy to Vancouver. Both will be at the European Championships.

Czech Republic/Slovakia: Michal Brezina continued his breakout senior season with a win over Tomas Verner. Brezina bested Verner by just over 20 points.

Finland: The ladies competition unfolded as most predicted with Laura Lepisto slipping in for the win with Korpi behind in second. Pöykiö could only manage the bronze. All three women will compete at the European Championships.

France: Ice Dance newbies Carron and Jones won their first French National Title. However, neither reigning National Champs Pechalat and Bourzat or 2008 World Champs Delobel and Schoenfelder competed. Only two Olympic berths open for France in Ice Dance. James and Bonheur defeated Canac and Coia for the Pairs title. The French men continue to be wildly unpredictable this season. Joubert opted to not compete. Florent Amodio came out on top managing to get past Yannick Ponsero. Preaubert who looked great at Skate Canada only managed the bronze. Two Olympic berths open for the men and it's still up in the air who besides Joubert will get in? Some are reporting that Amodio gets the ticket to Vancouver. Did the French Federation make that decision before European's?