Quick Europeans Update

Very quickly, some updates on Europeans.

First, Pairs Champions were crowned yesterday. Volosozhar and Trankov, looking much rested after skippping Russian Nationals, turned in a lovely performance to take the title.



Noticeably absent was Savchenko and Szolkowy who withdrew due to a muscle injury suffered by Aliona. "I was a very difficult decision for us," said their coach Ingo Steuer. "We came to the European championships and now we are unable to compete. The risk is too high to aggravate the injury further." Aliona plans to begin training again in 5 - 7 days.

Russian Teams in fact swept the podium with Bazarova and Larionov taking the silver and Stolbova and Klimov the bronze. See full results here. Top 6 below:



Amongst the men, Artur Gachinski upset Plushenko to take the lead in the mens short program. Plushenko has been complaining of injury and says his participation in worlds is "50/50." Verner and Fernandez were close behind in 3rd and 4th with Amodio and Brezina rounding out the top 6. Brian Joubert was way down in 10th. Full Results.



The Free Dance has also concluded with Pechalat and Bourzat winning after a lot of moving and shaking in the standings. Leaders after the short program Bobrova and Soloviev had to settle for silver and their teammates Ilinykh and Katsalapov moved from 7th all the way to the bronze medal. Full Results.





The ladies short program finds Carolina Kostner leading Kiira Korpi and Ksenia Makarova. Full Results.

Grand Prix Musings

She's Not a Fem-bot

So we learned today that Elizaveta Tuktamisheva is not a fem-bot. Until today I had never seen her skate live and I thought she was a programmed robot with the instructions...[In Russian Robot Voice] "Skate Perfect." But seeing her live, despite the botched jumps in her short program, I found a couple flaws: She's kind of slow and she doesn't cover the ice super well. I now believe she is in fact human...but the jury is still out on Julia Lipnitskaia (pictured)...she seemed kind of fem-botish today with a perfect skate (somewhere I know someone is praying she never grow boobs or hips). Carolina leads the field after a solid skate...no one really challenged her. Mao Asada was missed in the event. What sad sad news about her mother.

Bounce-Back

So Scott Moir had the fastest fall and bounce back up ever this afternoon. That's right...fall! He was doing some footwork and tripped (or got clotheslined by Tessa...couldn't tell which) and went down. But as fast as he was down he was right back up and never missed a beat. I actually think he gained points by that move it was so impressive. Nevertheless, the fall cost them precious points against Meryl and Charlie who steamrolled right through on their way to winning the SD.

Get on the Trankov Train

Last year Volosozhar and Trankov wooed me in and they have quickly become my favorite Pairs Team. I was somewhat concerned when on the warm-up Maxim kept favoring his left hip. No worries though as they went out and killed the short program to take the leave. "Get on the Trankov Train" somewhere near me yelled after their skate...I like it!

Patrick Chan...Unappreciated?

He's so unappreciated that he got a standing ovation and the lead after another...another I say...botched short program. Hand down on triple axel and banging into the boards just before sitting down on combination = amazing score. Patrick should not exert so much effort...he should go stand on the ice for his programs...that should earn him enough points to win. The judges had no problem slapping Daisuke Takahashi, Savchenko and Szolkowy, and Virtue and Moir for making mistakes...why is Patrick immune? I have a video of him being unappreciated (re: Thunderous Applause) that I'll upload as soon as I can figure out how,

Nebelhorn Afterglow

I've found some time to watch the performances. Some thoughts on the winners:



I love Spartacus but I'm not loving this music on Mirai...yet. I'm holding out that she is still working out the kinks and the program is going to blossom later in the season. Felt as though the climax of the program came too late after 3.5 minutes of tone foam. But the jumps (save that little blip on that double loop) looked pretty good. Mirai looks like she has finally grown into her body which is nice to see.



Surprise, surprise, surprise! I was having a hard time picturing Madison on the ice without Keiffer but smiled when I saw these two together. Such strides in such a short amount of time. I think this dance was sexy so some kudos to them for pulling it off. Making big gains in Ice Dance is next to impossible in the U.S. with powerhouse teams perched at the top but nice to see a new team and a fresh prespective.



This one could be a winner. Love Swan Lake and love this team. I think they look the part of Swan Lake. Tatiana is beautiful and pure, but definitely looks like she has a little bit of spunk and 'bad girl' in her. Maxim looks like a guy who given the choice, would choose the 'bad girl.' Sure up those throw landings and make sure to finish 'all' the lifts in the program and you have top quality skating here.



Yuzuru frustrates me a little. He is so talented. I want his coaches to scream at him across the ice and say, "SLOW DOWN!" When I watch him I feel like it's so frantic. I want him to figure out how to have impact without flailing and rushing. I love that he's chosen music from the Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack...I love even more the music from Romeo and Juliet he chose for the middle section of the program...but then he just flew through it at lightning speed. I wanted him to listen to the music and slow down and 'feel it.' For example, I loved the Ina Bauer he did...but I wanted it to last at least 5 more seconds. This is what I mean when I say 'reign it in.' stop...breathe...smell the roses...sometimes in skating it's okay to take your time. As an aside, loved the traveling cannon spin in his circular footwork.

Shoutout to Tatjana2541 on YouTube for posting all the Nebelhorn vids!

And Full Nebelhorn results can be seen here.

4th Annual Loop Axel Awards

How I look forward every year to take a look back at the season and point out the highlights! Get out your best Tux and Gown...it's the 4th Annual Loop Axel Awards!

[Queue Oscar-like overture]

This 4th installment of this annual tradition comes complete with several new categories, many suggested by readers. Official stuff today...a little fun to come afterwards. Enough of my prattling...Today's categories are:

• Best Ladies Free Skate
  
• Best Pairs Free Skate
  
• Best Free Dance
  
• Best Men's Free Skate
  
• Short Program of the Year
  
• Best Forgotten Program
  
• Worst Performance of the Year
  
• Best Exhibition Piece (NEW)
  
• Best Music Selection (NEW)
  
• Best Choreography (NEW)
  
• Competition of the Year (NEW)
  
• Skater of the Year
  

The Nominations for Best Ladies Free Skate please...

• Miki Ando - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships
  
• Mao Asada - 2011 Japanese National Figure Skating Championships
  
• Alissa Czisny - 2010 Grand Prix Final
  
• Alena Leonova - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships
  
• Sarah Meier - 2011 European Championships

And the winner is...I'm giving this one to Alissa Czinsy for her 2010 Grand Prix Final performance. It was like the program we all were holding our breath for. It didn't have complex movement but it's beauty was in its simplicity. There really is something to the saying "less is more." It was like a quiet whisper...soft and sweet.

The Nominations for Best Pairs Free Skate please...

• Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch - 2010 Skate Canada
  
• Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships
  
• Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships
  
• Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin - 2011 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships

And the winner is...Volosozahr and Trankov at this years World's. I fell in love with them at Russian Nationals and feel even deeper in love with them at World's. I find their skating to be exciting and I love that they bring me to the edge of my seat. Your eyes stay glued on Tatiana at every moment. Gush! I know they aren't as technically proficient as Savchenko and Szolkowy but I still love what they are cooking!

The Nominations for Best Free Dance please...

• Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier - 2010 Skate Canada International
  
• Meryl Davis and Charlie White - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships
  
• Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat - 2011 European Championships
  
• Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani - 2011 U.S. National Championships
  
• Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships

And the winner is...No contest really, but obviously Meryl and Charlie's Free Dance from Worlds. They took that Tango to a different place, both technically and emotionally. Solid work from the American World Champs (how nice to finally be able to say that!).

The Nominations for Best Men's Free Skate please...

• Patrick Chan - 2011 Canadian National Championships
  
• Richard Dornbush - 2011 U.S. National Championships
  
• Artur Gachinksi - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships
  
• Takahiko Kozuka - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships
  
• Adam Rippon - 2010 Japan Open

The winner is...Patrick Chan for going lights-out at the 2011 Canadian National Championships. Wow! I'm pretty sure I called that performance one of the greatest things put to ice. That was the first time we all kind of leaned back and said, "yep...he's got a good handle on those quads." Sometimes it all just clicks...and that skate...it clicked! Was very tempted to give this award to Takahiko for his World's free which I thought was endearing especially given the situation in Japan...but I couldn't ignore the two quads from Patrick.

The Nominations for Short Program of the Year please...

• Florent Amodio - 2011 European Championships
  
• Ryan Bradley - 2011 U.S. National Championships
  
• Patrick Chan - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships
  
• Nobunari Oda - 2010 Grand Prix Final
  
• Qing Pang and Jian Tong - 2011 Four Continents Cup
  
• Daisuke Takahashi - 2011 Four Continents Cup

And the winner is...I almost want to give it to Pang and Tong for being the only skaters other than Men's singles to make the nominee list. I feel almost obligated to give it to Patrick Chan for that whopper of a score he got at Worlds...but I'll give it to Ryan Bradley because, more than anyone on the list, you can tell he genuinely had the most fun. Also, that Short Program, helped win him his first National Title. Hat's off to you Ryan!

The Nominations for Best Forgotten Program please...

• Miki Ando - 2010 Grand Prix Final [Free Skate]
  
• Brian Joubert - 2011 European Championships [Free Skate]
  
• Armin Mahbanoozadeh - 2010 Skate America [Free Skate]
  
• Brandon Mroz - 2010 Cup of China [Free Skate]
  
• Adam Rippon - 2010 Skate Canada International [Free Skate]

And the winner is...I'm going with Armin on this one. I thought he was pretty spectacular at Skate America in a field that kind of fizzled. It was one of the few times this year that the beautiful music of Avatar was really put to good use.

The Nominations for Worst Performance of the Year please...

• Mao Asada - 2010 Japan Open [Free Skate]
  
• Mao Asada - 2010 Trophy Eric Bompard [Short Program]
  
• Joshua Farris - 2011 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships [Free Skate]
  
• Rachael Flatt - 2011 World Figure Skating Championships [Free Skate]
  
• Denis Ten - 2010 Skate America [Free Skate]

And the winner is...Joshua Farris at Nationals. This kid is going to do great things in the very near future but his Free Skate that night was not to be. You can tell Joshua expects a lot from himself and after that disaster of a performance he literally just cried, perhaps from the pain from having a bum ankle or perhaps because he just expects more from himself. It was so sad. I think everyone in the arena just wanted to give him a big hug and let him know that there will be a better day.

The Nominations for Best Exhibition Piece please...

• Jeremy Abbott - "Rhythm of Love" by Plain White T's
  
• Alissa Czisny - "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Barbara Streisand
  
• Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy - "Barbie Girl" by Aqua
  
• Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir - "I Want To Hold Your Hand" from Across the Universe Soundtrack
  
• Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov - "Super Mario Bros." from Nintendo Super Mario Bros.

And the winner is...This is tough call...but I'm going with Virtue and Moir because they bring the music to life so beautifully. I could have gone on and one endlessly with various exhibition pieces but these are my faves from the seaason.

The Nominations for Best Music Selection please...

• Jeremy Abbott - "Life is Beautiful" from the Life is Beautiful Soundtrack
  
• Alissa Czisny - "Selections from Winter into Spring" by George Winston
  
• Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov - "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss
  
• Kim Yu-na - "Giselle" by Adolphe Adam
  
• Daisuke Takahashi - "Historia de un Amor" and "Que Rico El Mambo" by Perez Prado
  
• Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir - "Hip Hip Chindchin" by Club Des Belugas, "Temptation" by Diana Krall, and "Mujer Latina" by Thalia

And the winner is...Probably the best program this year that never got its due, Jeremy's Life is Beautiful program. What a gorgeous piece of music that just begged to be great. If there was any one program I wouldn't mind a skater reusing for a second year it would be this one...it never got its due.

The nominations for Best Choreography of the Year Please...

• Patrick Chan - "Take Five" by Paul Desmond/Lori Nichol Choreographer
  
• Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier - "Eleanor Rigby" by Paul McCartney and John Lennon/Christopher Dean Choreographer
  
• Meryl Davis and Charlie White - "Il Postino" by Luis Bacalov and "Forever Tango" by Lisandro Adrover/Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva Choreographers
  
• Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov - "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy/Peter Tchernyshev Choreographer
  
• Qing Pang and Jian Tong - "Nocturne in C Sharp minor" by Frédéric Chopin/Lori Nichol Choreographer
  
• Shawn Sawyer - "Alice in Wonderland" from the Alice in Wonderland Soundtrack/Marie-France Dubreuil Choreographer

And the winner is...Oh so hard a choice! The choreography represented here is truly the cream of the crop. Six way tie? Not gonna let me off that easy? Ok ok...I'm going with Kavaguti and Smirnov. It was subtly beautiful while still exciting. Peter Tchernyshev really outdid himself here and Tamara Moskvina always knows where to add a little extra flourish. There are moments in this program where you can here a pin drop and the audience is breathless. They use every bit of the music to express the character of the piece. And the choreography seems simple while it's actually quite complex...not an easy feat to accomplish.

The nominations for Competition of the Year please...

• 2010 Grand Prix Final
  
• 2010 Japan Open
  
• 2010 Skate Canada
  
• 2010 Skate America
  
• 2011 World Figure Skating Championships

And the winner is...almost by default after an extraordinary season and massive change of event and venue, the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships. It was an event chock full of surprises, with an outpouring of love for those suffering in Japan, and a few amazing performances, and an historic event given the unusual timing. There were many great competitions this season but for reasons not needing explanation, this will be the most memorable.

The nominations for Skater(s) of the Year please...

• Miki Ando
  
• Patrick Chan
  
• Alissa Czinsy
  
• Meryl Davis and Charlie White
  
• Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy

And the winner is...not be confused with the Reader's Choice Award, this is my choice for whom I think is most deserving of the award. Decisions decisions. Do I give it to a skater that has made vast improvements? Do I give it to a team that has gone undefeated? Do I give the award to a record breaker? Do I give the award to a skater that brought hope to a nation that things might be better soon? This is my struggle for this award this year. In the end...I've decided to award the Skater of the Year award to Patrick Chan. Aside from setting records this season (I know, I know...Chanflation), he did something I really respect. I've long been a member of the camp that I'll take a well skated program sans quad to a badly skated one with a quad. Patrick Chan has long defended the well rounded skate even as other "quad veterans" hounded him about it (he did do a little "rebel rousing" himself from time to time). Well this season he just went ahead and shut everyone up by adding two quads (perfect ones at that) to his already well rounded skate. It made him a near unbeatable force combining the absolute best of both worlds. It shut up all the "non-quad" nay-sayers and for that alone I think he's most deserving of the award.

Thus concludes part one of the 4th Annual Loop Axel Awards. What surprises and twists and turns will happen in part two? Stay tuned...

Best of the 2011 Worlds

Just decided to throw up my fave performances from last week.

What were your faves?

Revisiting Russian Nationals

Ah Saransk...

City of few hotels, cheap taxis, and adjoining rivers...how interesting thou are. Even more interesting is the fact that last month the city played host to the Russian National Championships.

If you look at the results I don't think there is a whole lot that one wouldn't expect. The men's winner, Konstantin Menshov, reeled off two quads in a Plushenkoesque Michael Jackson free skate that brought modest applause from the audience at the end. My favorite part is the 45 seconds or so you spend in an Aviary...



In pairs, new champions were crowned when newly formed team of Volosozhar and Trankov threw done a very solid program to Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. The two sets of side-by-side triple jumps were super impressive. This team can't compete internationally just yet but when they do they'll be top contenders.



For ice dance, Bobrova and Soloviev have solitified themselves as the top Russian team moving forward. I'm not sure they are quite yet ready to be considered top contenders yet (although they did place 4th at the Grand Prix Final), they are certainly a team to watch going forward (as are the gazillion Russian Junior Teams). Russia barely hit the ice dance podium in 2010...lots of work to do before 2014 when the Olympics are in Russia.



Finally the ladies, where young Adelina Sotnikova jumped her little butt off on her way to a win. She's only 14 so we wont see her at Europeans or Worlds but there is a spark here! In other news, Ksenia Makarova finished 5th...wamp wamp.



Someone did a nice job of organizing the full results on Wikipedia...take a peak.

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