There is definitely a few young skaters that I've had my eye on, but the first one that comes to mind is definitely Adam Rippon. I decided to check him out after he won his junior national title a couple years ago, and I've really enjoyed watching him develop over the last two seasons. I am really hoping, like many, that this will be his breakout season. Adam has good basics, spins, and just a really great style/artistry to his skating. His jumps are also fantastic in general, and he even has his own signature move already (Rippon Lutz!) ! Adam reminds me of some of the best qualities in Johnny Weir's skating, which is definitely one reason why I first became interested. He also really seems like a sweet and genuine person, which translates to his skating.
Of course, I was super stoked when he won 4 Continents last season, plus a fantastic World Championship debut, and he really skated incredibly well at the Japan Open a few weeks ago. I am definitely hoping that he will take home the gold at Skate Canada this weekend!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Skate Canada Rundown
It's looking like Skate Canada is going to be... interesting. Due to withdrawals in both the ice dance and pairs events, neither has a clear favorite for the gold. The ladies have an interesting mash up of some familiar names, but there doesn't seem to be a clear front runner there either. And like NHK, it appears that the men will be the highlight, with most of the field being familiar names and a few definite front runners.
Ice Dance Entries
The only names on that roster that I am at least somewhat familiar with are the Kerrs, along with Crone/Poirier, and Chock/Zuerlein. The Kerrs placed 5th at Worlds last season, while Crone/Poirier placed 7th. I'm really not sure how everything is going to pan out, but I am thinking that those 2 teams are the most likely candidates for gold. And really... that's about the only thought I've had for the ice dancing at this event based on entries.
Pairs Entries
I'm not sure that I've ever seen any of these pairs skate! I do remember that Meagan Duhamel was half a pairs team that had some success before, so I think she and her current partner definitely have a shot at this title. Nothing else really to say here.
Ladies Entries
As previously stated, the ladies do have some familiar names in the lineup, but it isn't really a field with a clear cut favorite. Because of what I have heard of her consistency, I think that Agnes Zawadzki has a great chance to snag not just a medal here, but a gold, in what will be her senior debut. Fumie Suguri definitely is someone who could easily show up on the medal stand, but she hasn't been at her best the last couple of years it seems. Czisny and Phaneuf both have the potential to medal, but neither is none for consistency. It will be interesting to where everyone will end up in such an open field.
Men's Entries
By far the most exciting field in this competition (and my favorite in general), it looks like the main guys to keep an eye on here are Adam Rippon, Nobunari Oda, and Patrick Chan. I'm extremely excited to see how Adam fares as many are looking to him as the next star in American men's skating. If he performs anywhere near how he did at the Japan open a few weeks back, I think he'll easily be in contention for a medal, possibly even gold. Patrick Chan has reportedly been having more luck with the quad lately, but has commented that his triple axel still needs work. Unless he completely implodes, he'll probably get one medal or another here. Nobunari Oda is also definitely in contention. Although he had a disaster of a time at Worlds, I really do think (and hope!) that he will do well here. He's been landing quad-triple-triples in practice, and from a snippet of a video that I watched, his jumps in general are as wonderful as ever. Possible podium crashers here could be Kevin Reynolds (whose quads are great, but he lacks consistency and artistry), Javier Fernandez (who performed pretty well at Worlds this past season), and the always entertaining Alban Preaubert. I'm also looking forward to seeing how Jeremy Ten fares in this competition compared to NHK; he really does have lovely skating, and I'd love to see him skate clean and see where that places him.
P.S. Due to internet problems, I haven't recapped the ladies, pairs, or ice dancing freeskates from NHK and probably won't be able to do it for Skate Canada either. With the internet being inconsistent at best, I'm just trying to see the men for now. If I have an opportunity to recap the other disciplines when my internet is more consistent, I may try.
Ice Dance Entries
| 1 | Sarah ARNOLD / Justin TROJEK | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | Alexandra PAUL / Mitchell ISLAM | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Pernelle CARRON / Lloyd JONES | FRA | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Stefanie FROHBERG / Tim GIESEN | GER | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | Sinead KERR / John KERR | GBR | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Kristina GORSHKOVA / Vitali BUTIKOV | RUS | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | Madison CHOCK / Greg ZUERLEIN | USA | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| 9 | Rachel TIBBETTS / Collin BRUBAKER | USA | 6 |
The only names on that roster that I am at least somewhat familiar with are the Kerrs, along with Crone/Poirier, and Chock/Zuerlein. The Kerrs placed 5th at Worlds last season, while Crone/Poirier placed 7th. I'm really not sure how everything is going to pan out, but I am thinking that those 2 teams are the most likely candidates for gold. And really... that's about the only thought I've had for the ice dancing at this event based on entries.
Pairs Entries
| 1 | Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD | CAN | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Paige LAWRENCE / Rudi SWIEGERS | CAN | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH | CAN | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Huibo DONG / Yiming WU | CHN | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Stacey KEMP / David KING | GBR | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodari MAISURADZE | RUS | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR | USA | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Britney SIMPSON / Nathan MILLER | USA | 5 |
I'm not sure that I've ever seen any of these pairs skate! I do remember that Meagan Duhamel was half a pairs team that had some success before, so I think she and her current partner definitely have a shot at this title. Nothing else really to say here.
Ladies Entries
| 1 | Amelie LACOSTE | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cynthia PHANEUF | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | Myriane SAMSON | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Valentina MARCHEI | ITA | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Haruka IMAI | JPN | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | Fumie SUGURI | JPN | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Ksenia MAKAROVA | RUS | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | Sonia LAFUENTE | ESP | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 9 | Sarah MEIER | SUI | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| 10 | Alissa CZISNY | USA | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| 11 | Alexe GILLES | USA | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| 12 | Agnes ZAWADZKI | USA | 7 |
As previously stated, the ladies do have some familiar names in the lineup, but it isn't really a field with a clear cut favorite. Because of what I have heard of her consistency, I think that Agnes Zawadzki has a great chance to snag not just a medal here, but a gold, in what will be her senior debut. Fumie Suguri definitely is someone who could easily show up on the medal stand, but she hasn't been at her best the last couple of years it seems. Czisny and Phaneuf both have the potential to medal, but neither is none for consistency. It will be interesting to where everyone will end up in such an open field.
Men's Entries
| 1 | Patrick CHAN | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Kevin REYNOLDS | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | Jeremy TEN | CAN | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Alban PREAUBERT | FRA | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Paolo BACCHINI | ITA | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | Yasuharu NANRI | JPN | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Nobunari ODA | JPN | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | Artur GACHINSKI | RUS | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 9 | Javier FERNANDEZ | ESP | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| 10 | Kristoffer BERNTSSON | SWE | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| 11 | Grant HOCHSTEIN | USA | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| 12 | Adam RIPPON | USA | 8 |
By far the most exciting field in this competition (and my favorite in general), it looks like the main guys to keep an eye on here are Adam Rippon, Nobunari Oda, and Patrick Chan. I'm extremely excited to see how Adam fares as many are looking to him as the next star in American men's skating. If he performs anywhere near how he did at the Japan open a few weeks back, I think he'll easily be in contention for a medal, possibly even gold. Patrick Chan has reportedly been having more luck with the quad lately, but has commented that his triple axel still needs work. Unless he completely implodes, he'll probably get one medal or another here. Nobunari Oda is also definitely in contention. Although he had a disaster of a time at Worlds, I really do think (and hope!) that he will do well here. He's been landing quad-triple-triples in practice, and from a snippet of a video that I watched, his jumps in general are as wonderful as ever. Possible podium crashers here could be Kevin Reynolds (whose quads are great, but he lacks consistency and artistry), Javier Fernandez (who performed pretty well at Worlds this past season), and the always entertaining Alban Preaubert. I'm also looking forward to seeing how Jeremy Ten fares in this competition compared to NHK; he really does have lovely skating, and I'd love to see him skate clean and see where that places him.
P.S. Due to internet problems, I haven't recapped the ladies, pairs, or ice dancing freeskates from NHK and probably won't be able to do it for Skate Canada either. With the internet being inconsistent at best, I'm just trying to see the men for now. If I have an opportunity to recap the other disciplines when my internet is more consistent, I may try.
NHK Trophy - Men's Freeskate
After having to miss the men's short program intially, I was really excited to see how the freeskate panned out. I'm happy to say, they certainly didn't disappoint.
Jeremy Ten (Canada): Opening triple axel was a little wonky, but he squeezed it out. Triple lutz-triple toe was alright. Following triple flip maybe two footed?Triple axel-double toe was fair, but he keeps have slightly scratchy landings on the jumps, even though the rotations look good. The music was lovely and his basics really are nice. Good footwork, but then popped his triple loop into a single loop-double toe combination. Second triple lutz was fine, but the double axel after it was scratchy, weird. His spin positions are pretty good, and his triple salchow near the end was good. Overall, a pretty decent skate. Jeremy could definitely smoothen out his jump landings a bit, but his skating is growing on me. 61.20 TE 60.80 PCS = 122.00 FS ; Total 176.48
Kevin Van Der Perren (Belgium): Good quad toe, although he pitched forward a bit on the landing. Triple axel, maybe two-footed? Triple flip-triple toe-triple toe; Good! I can't remember him pulling that off the last couple of years, so good for him. Footwork was okay, just nothing special. Cool hydroblade move into a triple salchow. Handdown on the triple loop and a triple lutz that appeared to be two-footed. Second triple flip seemed a little wonky to me. Again, boring footwork, but a nice double axel-double axel sequence at the end of the program. Good way to start out the season for him! 74.26 TE 59.84 PCS = 134.10 FS ; Total 189.41
Adrian Schultheiss (Sweden): Triple flip-double toe was fine, as well as his triple axel-double toe. Double axel fine, but the following spin was rather slow. Nice triple loop and triple salchow. A second double axel and triple flip were solid, but then Adrian fell on his triple lutz. Good overall all, but not particularly inspiring. 57.81 TE 62.42 PCS - 1.00 Deduction = 199.23 FS ; Total 181.47
Takahito Mura (Japan): Quad toe was good, but he pitched forward on the landing a bit. Turnout and second foot down on the first triple axel.. Triple flip was rough, with a single loop tacked to the end of it. Triple lutz-double toe was fine. Pretty footwork and very nice triple axel-double toe. Triple loop was also good, but the following triple salchow was a little rough, likely because of the lack of speed in the entry. Underrotated triple lutz, but again, nice footwork with an interesting stop in it. Nice program overall, and I'm liking his style. 69.03 TE 59.62 PCS = 128.65 FS ; Total 191.85
Jialiang Wu (China): Nice triple axel-triple toe and triple salchow. Lovely spread eagle into a good triple axel. Fantastic triple lutz and his footwork was wonderful. I really like this music choice for Jialiang, it's very pretty and seems to be complimentary to his style. Triple lutz-double toe, okay. Popped his first attempt at a triple loop into a single, but his second attempt was fine, but the double toe he added to it was downgraded. Good triple flip and the second set of footwork was really nice also. Most of the spins were lovely too. Very nice program, and I do believe this is love at first skate sight for me! I think all of the elements are there, though some think he just needs better choreography. 66.72 TE 58.80 PCS = 125.52 FS ; Total 189.58
Ross Miner (United States): Triple axel was held onto. Triple lutz-double toe was okay, and the triple flip-double toe seemed okay to me as well (though the flip got an edge call* and deduction). Triple loop was fine, and the walley transition to the triple lutz was lovely, as was his spread eagle. Underrotated triple salchow with a handdown as well. Nice triple flip to rebound, but then Ross stumbled out of a double axel. Overall, he was okay, but again, nothing particularly stands out. He comes across a little bit Jeremy Abbott lite to me, personally, but it was only his first senior Grand Prix. 59.41 TE 62.28 PCS = 121.77 FS ; Total 186.62
Denis Ten (Kazakstan): A nightmare of a skate. Only two clean jumps. Enough said. Hopefully Denis will do better at his next event - he does seem to have potential, even if it wasn't clearly shown here. 45.16 TE 60.78 PCS = 102.94 FS ; Total 171.68
Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan): Opened with an absolutely gorgeous quad toe. Triple axel wonky, but held onto.Triple flip landed somehow, despite a lack of speed going into it. Nice spin following it. Great Ina Bauer transition into a triple lutz-double toe. Triple axel-triple toe was good, but the following triple lutz was a bit rough and triple loop attempt was popped into a single. Both footwork sequences were fine, but not the standout elements for him. Good triple salchow and spin to finish up. Very nice senior international debut! Overall I think that one of Yuzuru's greatest assets is his determination to land the jumps as cleanly as possible . He also has a nice style, but then again, being a Johnny Weir fan, I'd be inclined to appreciate it. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on. 72.57 TE 65.74 PCS = 138.41 FS ; Total 207.72
Florent Amodio (France): Beautiful triple axel to open, then follows up with a great triple axel- tano double toe. Interesting footwork. Great flying sit spin too. My mother is falling in love with this program already... all of the Michael Jackson movements and music are winning her over. Triple salchow-triple toe was really good. Good triple lutz, and I thought the triple flip was good, but it got the wrong edge call*. Triple lutz-double toe, maybe underrotated? (It wasn't marked UR in the protocols though.) Singled his double axel. Holy cow... crotch grab and cute footwork. Great spins to finish. Fantastic skate! Florent really looked like he had fun during that program, and I certainly had fun watching it. He even brought some of the program to the Kiss and Cry. 73.74 TE 70.02 PCS = 143.76 FS ; Total 213.77
Shawn Sawyer (Canada): Two footed and underrotated triple axel to start. Fall on a triple flip, and then a landed, but wonky triple lutz. Nice split jump into a triple salchow, unfortunately the latter seemed kind of off to me. Ridiculously good spiral; Shawn puts most of the current ladies skaters to shame. The transitions in this program as a whole are really nice, and I love that it's an Alice in Wonderland program, without it going too zany. He held onto the triple loop, and the second triple flip was nice, but singled the loop in the middle of the combination. He did manage a triple loop on the very end of the combo though. Double axel was fine, and his back bended, crouching spread eagle is really fantastic (it is definitely something you have to see to understand). Great footwork, and double axel-double toe was fine. Overall, spins, footwork, transitions - all wonderful. It's just the darned jumps that trip him up. Lovely program though, I hope we get to see it skated cleanly by the season end! The music and character of it are just great; Shawn even motioned as if he were the Mad Hatter adjusting his hat in the Kiss and Cry. 57.45 TE 67.20 PCS = 123.65 FS ; Total 193.80
Jeremy Abbott (United States): Solid opening with a good triple lutz and triple flip. Fantastic triple axel-triple toe, and the first footwork sequence is quite charming. Great double axel. Jeremy's facial expressions are really nice to see in this program. Popped his intended triple axel into a single, and the following triple loop seemed rather crooked to me, but somehow he cranked out a double toe and double loop on the end.Triple lutz-double toe, the former of which was two-footed and underrotated. Lovely triple salchow with a flourish after landing. Good footwork to finish. Very character driven program, and it was beautiful overall. 67.15 TE 76.42 PCS = 143.57 FS ; Total 218.19
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): Daisuke opened with a pretty nice quad toe, following it up with a fabulous triple axel. The triple loop was kinda tight, but he held it. Excellent footwork, and it definitely has the character of the music. I really love his interpretation. Good triple flip-double toe, though again, they edge called the flip*. Triple axel-double toe combo was great, and the spin afterwards was pretty. Fine triple lutz, but popped his triple salchow into a single afterwards. Triple lutz-double toe start fine, but he fell on the tail end of the combination. Again, really great footwork, which is often considered one of his signatures. Overall, lovely, sexy program, but Daisuke is definitely capable of better. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this program develops over the season. 74.17 TE 83.58 PCS = 156.75 FS ; Total 234.79
All in all, the men definitely brought it to the table at NHK. Most only had small errors, and their programs were, for the most part, not impacted very much by their mistakes. The freeskate definitely gives me a lot of hope for the men this season in general. I'm extremely excited to see how it unfolds.
I also was pretty satisfied with the overall results. Some do question why Daisuke got such high component scores in comparison to Jeremy, but I do find it fair. While I really enjoyed Jeremy's program, Daisuke just seemed to perform more I think, in spite of the fall. But either way, they're both really excellent skaters and I hope they both continue to develop even further.
*There were 5 wrong edge calls in the men's competition, and I'm not sure about all of them, but I'm pretty certain that at least 2 of called jumps actually were on the correct edges (Takahashi's and Hanyu's, each on a triple flip.), so unless I am mistaken, I'm not sure how accurate the callers were on the other edge and underrotation calls either.
ISU Results page for the Men's Free
Men's Overall Results
Jeremy Ten (Canada): Opening triple axel was a little wonky, but he squeezed it out. Triple lutz-triple toe was alright. Following triple flip maybe two footed?Triple axel-double toe was fair, but he keeps have slightly scratchy landings on the jumps, even though the rotations look good. The music was lovely and his basics really are nice. Good footwork, but then popped his triple loop into a single loop-double toe combination. Second triple lutz was fine, but the double axel after it was scratchy, weird. His spin positions are pretty good, and his triple salchow near the end was good. Overall, a pretty decent skate. Jeremy could definitely smoothen out his jump landings a bit, but his skating is growing on me. 61.20 TE 60.80 PCS = 122.00 FS ; Total 176.48
Kevin Van Der Perren (Belgium): Good quad toe, although he pitched forward a bit on the landing. Triple axel, maybe two-footed? Triple flip-triple toe-triple toe; Good! I can't remember him pulling that off the last couple of years, so good for him. Footwork was okay, just nothing special. Cool hydroblade move into a triple salchow. Handdown on the triple loop and a triple lutz that appeared to be two-footed. Second triple flip seemed a little wonky to me. Again, boring footwork, but a nice double axel-double axel sequence at the end of the program. Good way to start out the season for him! 74.26 TE 59.84 PCS = 134.10 FS ; Total 189.41
Adrian Schultheiss (Sweden): Triple flip-double toe was fine, as well as his triple axel-double toe. Double axel fine, but the following spin was rather slow. Nice triple loop and triple salchow. A second double axel and triple flip were solid, but then Adrian fell on his triple lutz. Good overall all, but not particularly inspiring. 57.81 TE 62.42 PCS - 1.00 Deduction = 199.23 FS ; Total 181.47
Takahito Mura (Japan): Quad toe was good, but he pitched forward on the landing a bit. Turnout and second foot down on the first triple axel.. Triple flip was rough, with a single loop tacked to the end of it. Triple lutz-double toe was fine. Pretty footwork and very nice triple axel-double toe. Triple loop was also good, but the following triple salchow was a little rough, likely because of the lack of speed in the entry. Underrotated triple lutz, but again, nice footwork with an interesting stop in it. Nice program overall, and I'm liking his style. 69.03 TE 59.62 PCS = 128.65 FS ; Total 191.85
Jialiang Wu (China): Nice triple axel-triple toe and triple salchow. Lovely spread eagle into a good triple axel. Fantastic triple lutz and his footwork was wonderful. I really like this music choice for Jialiang, it's very pretty and seems to be complimentary to his style. Triple lutz-double toe, okay. Popped his first attempt at a triple loop into a single, but his second attempt was fine, but the double toe he added to it was downgraded. Good triple flip and the second set of footwork was really nice also. Most of the spins were lovely too. Very nice program, and I do believe this is love at first skate sight for me! I think all of the elements are there, though some think he just needs better choreography. 66.72 TE 58.80 PCS = 125.52 FS ; Total 189.58
Ross Miner (United States): Triple axel was held onto. Triple lutz-double toe was okay, and the triple flip-double toe seemed okay to me as well (though the flip got an edge call* and deduction). Triple loop was fine, and the walley transition to the triple lutz was lovely, as was his spread eagle. Underrotated triple salchow with a handdown as well. Nice triple flip to rebound, but then Ross stumbled out of a double axel. Overall, he was okay, but again, nothing particularly stands out. He comes across a little bit Jeremy Abbott lite to me, personally, but it was only his first senior Grand Prix. 59.41 TE 62.28 PCS = 121.77 FS ; Total 186.62
Denis Ten (Kazakstan): A nightmare of a skate. Only two clean jumps. Enough said. Hopefully Denis will do better at his next event - he does seem to have potential, even if it wasn't clearly shown here. 45.16 TE 60.78 PCS = 102.94 FS ; Total 171.68
Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan): Opened with an absolutely gorgeous quad toe. Triple axel wonky, but held onto.Triple flip landed somehow, despite a lack of speed going into it. Nice spin following it. Great Ina Bauer transition into a triple lutz-double toe. Triple axel-triple toe was good, but the following triple lutz was a bit rough and triple loop attempt was popped into a single. Both footwork sequences were fine, but not the standout elements for him. Good triple salchow and spin to finish up. Very nice senior international debut! Overall I think that one of Yuzuru's greatest assets is his determination to land the jumps as cleanly as possible . He also has a nice style, but then again, being a Johnny Weir fan, I'd be inclined to appreciate it. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on. 72.57 TE 65.74 PCS = 138.41 FS ; Total 207.72
Florent Amodio (France): Beautiful triple axel to open, then follows up with a great triple axel- tano double toe. Interesting footwork. Great flying sit spin too. My mother is falling in love with this program already... all of the Michael Jackson movements and music are winning her over. Triple salchow-triple toe was really good. Good triple lutz, and I thought the triple flip was good, but it got the wrong edge call*. Triple lutz-double toe, maybe underrotated? (It wasn't marked UR in the protocols though.) Singled his double axel. Holy cow... crotch grab and cute footwork. Great spins to finish. Fantastic skate! Florent really looked like he had fun during that program, and I certainly had fun watching it. He even brought some of the program to the Kiss and Cry. 73.74 TE 70.02 PCS = 143.76 FS ; Total 213.77
Shawn Sawyer (Canada): Two footed and underrotated triple axel to start. Fall on a triple flip, and then a landed, but wonky triple lutz. Nice split jump into a triple salchow, unfortunately the latter seemed kind of off to me. Ridiculously good spiral; Shawn puts most of the current ladies skaters to shame. The transitions in this program as a whole are really nice, and I love that it's an Alice in Wonderland program, without it going too zany. He held onto the triple loop, and the second triple flip was nice, but singled the loop in the middle of the combination. He did manage a triple loop on the very end of the combo though. Double axel was fine, and his back bended, crouching spread eagle is really fantastic (it is definitely something you have to see to understand). Great footwork, and double axel-double toe was fine. Overall, spins, footwork, transitions - all wonderful. It's just the darned jumps that trip him up. Lovely program though, I hope we get to see it skated cleanly by the season end! The music and character of it are just great; Shawn even motioned as if he were the Mad Hatter adjusting his hat in the Kiss and Cry. 57.45 TE 67.20 PCS = 123.65 FS ; Total 193.80
Jeremy Abbott (United States): Solid opening with a good triple lutz and triple flip. Fantastic triple axel-triple toe, and the first footwork sequence is quite charming. Great double axel. Jeremy's facial expressions are really nice to see in this program. Popped his intended triple axel into a single, and the following triple loop seemed rather crooked to me, but somehow he cranked out a double toe and double loop on the end.Triple lutz-double toe, the former of which was two-footed and underrotated. Lovely triple salchow with a flourish after landing. Good footwork to finish. Very character driven program, and it was beautiful overall. 67.15 TE 76.42 PCS = 143.57 FS ; Total 218.19
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): Daisuke opened with a pretty nice quad toe, following it up with a fabulous triple axel. The triple loop was kinda tight, but he held it. Excellent footwork, and it definitely has the character of the music. I really love his interpretation. Good triple flip-double toe, though again, they edge called the flip*. Triple axel-double toe combo was great, and the spin afterwards was pretty. Fine triple lutz, but popped his triple salchow into a single afterwards. Triple lutz-double toe start fine, but he fell on the tail end of the combination. Again, really great footwork, which is often considered one of his signatures. Overall, lovely, sexy program, but Daisuke is definitely capable of better. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this program develops over the season. 74.17 TE 83.58 PCS = 156.75 FS ; Total 234.79
All in all, the men definitely brought it to the table at NHK. Most only had small errors, and their programs were, for the most part, not impacted very much by their mistakes. The freeskate definitely gives me a lot of hope for the men this season in general. I'm extremely excited to see how it unfolds.
I also was pretty satisfied with the overall results. Some do question why Daisuke got such high component scores in comparison to Jeremy, but I do find it fair. While I really enjoyed Jeremy's program, Daisuke just seemed to perform more I think, in spite of the fall. But either way, they're both really excellent skaters and I hope they both continue to develop even further.
*There were 5 wrong edge calls in the men's competition, and I'm not sure about all of them, but I'm pretty certain that at least 2 of called jumps actually were on the correct edges (Takahashi's and Hanyu's, each on a triple flip.), so unless I am mistaken, I'm not sure how accurate the callers were on the other edge and underrotation calls either.
ISU Results page for the Men's Free
Men's Overall Results
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
NHK Trophy - Men's Short
Overall, from what I've seen ( and read, since my internet decided to die as the men's short program was just getting underway.), the men had an excellent competition at NHK. Because of my internet problems, I wasn't able to watch it live, and by the time I had the time and internet access to watch it on demand on Universal Sports, only the version with the men's short and the free dance with commentary was available. That'd be alright normally, but this version doesn't have all the skaters unfortunately, so I gave up and went for youtube, but I still couldn't find all of the skaters, so I'm just going to recap what I can. That being said, let's get started!
Ross Miner (United States): Handdown on the triple axel, but his triple lutz-triple toe and his triple flip were alright. Boring footwork and overall, nothing about his skating really stood out to me. 34.88 TE 29.97 PCS = 64.85 Total
Jialiang Wu (China): Triple lutz-triple toe was pretty good. Very nice triple axel, albeit a bit too close to the boards for comfort. Great triple loop. His spins were on the slow side though. Nice skate overall. Might be more of a contender with a little more polish. 35.48 TE 28.58 PCS =64.06 Total
Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan): The 2010 World Junior Champion opened with a lovely triple axel. He had to hang onto his triple lutz but he avoided putting his hand down and pulled off a nice triple toe on the end of it. I thought his triple flip was good, but they gave Yuzuru on edge call on it (although rewatching it on the slow motion a couple of times, I still am pretty sure it was on the correct edge.). Footwork and spins were fine, the latter exhibiting his flexibility. 37.85 TE 31.46 PCS = 69.31 Total
Florent Amodio (France): Triple axel was great, and his spins and footwork were alright. His triple flip was also good, but his triple lutz-triple toe was beautiful. Pretty darn good performance, and Florent seemed thrilled with it. 37.18 TE 32.83 PCS = 70.01 Total
Shawn Sawyer (Canada): Triple axel had a stepout, but his triple flip-triple toe was fine, and the triple lutz seemed to be as well, though I thought it might have had a bit of a two-foot. His flexibility in that unique spread eagle of his, as well as his final spin is insane. 36.58 TE 33.57 PCS = 70.15
Jeremy Abbott (United States): Triple flip-triple toe was very nice, and his triple axel was as well. Triple lutz was fine too. Most of the spins were nice enough, but one received no credit. It was a good skate, but the arm movements were quite excessive. 36.27 TE 38.35 PCS = 74.62 Total
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): Opening triple flip-triple toe was good, but handdown on the triple axel. Nice speed on his layback spin. Nice speed into his excellent triple lutz, and his footwork was well done, as well as very fun. I really love Daisuke's interpretation of the music, and he seemed like he was enjoying himself. All in all, a very nice debut for his new short. 36.83 TE 41.21 PCS = 78.04 Total
ISU Results Page for the Men's Short
Ross Miner (United States): Handdown on the triple axel, but his triple lutz-triple toe and his triple flip were alright. Boring footwork and overall, nothing about his skating really stood out to me. 34.88 TE 29.97 PCS = 64.85 Total
Jialiang Wu (China): Triple lutz-triple toe was pretty good. Very nice triple axel, albeit a bit too close to the boards for comfort. Great triple loop. His spins were on the slow side though. Nice skate overall. Might be more of a contender with a little more polish. 35.48 TE 28.58 PCS =64.06 Total
Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan): The 2010 World Junior Champion opened with a lovely triple axel. He had to hang onto his triple lutz but he avoided putting his hand down and pulled off a nice triple toe on the end of it. I thought his triple flip was good, but they gave Yuzuru on edge call on it (although rewatching it on the slow motion a couple of times, I still am pretty sure it was on the correct edge.). Footwork and spins were fine, the latter exhibiting his flexibility. 37.85 TE 31.46 PCS = 69.31 Total
Florent Amodio (France): Triple axel was great, and his spins and footwork were alright. His triple flip was also good, but his triple lutz-triple toe was beautiful. Pretty darn good performance, and Florent seemed thrilled with it. 37.18 TE 32.83 PCS = 70.01 Total
Shawn Sawyer (Canada): Triple axel had a stepout, but his triple flip-triple toe was fine, and the triple lutz seemed to be as well, though I thought it might have had a bit of a two-foot. His flexibility in that unique spread eagle of his, as well as his final spin is insane. 36.58 TE 33.57 PCS = 70.15
Jeremy Abbott (United States): Triple flip-triple toe was very nice, and his triple axel was as well. Triple lutz was fine too. Most of the spins were nice enough, but one received no credit. It was a good skate, but the arm movements were quite excessive. 36.27 TE 38.35 PCS = 74.62 Total
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): Opening triple flip-triple toe was good, but handdown on the triple axel. Nice speed on his layback spin. Nice speed into his excellent triple lutz, and his footwork was well done, as well as very fun. I really love Daisuke's interpretation of the music, and he seemed like he was enjoying himself. All in all, a very nice debut for his new short. 36.83 TE 41.21 PCS = 78.04 Total
ISU Results Page for the Men's Short
Monday, October 25, 2010
30 Days of Skating - Day 3: Favorite skating spectatorship moment
Going to Champions on Ice and Kimmie's Angels on Ice in my hometown was really nice, especially getting to meet skaters like Johnny Weir and Jeffrey Buttle, and their skating is exquisite live.
As for competitive spectatorship, I've never gotten to go to a figure skating competition that my sister or I weren't competing in, so these will be based on video spectatorship only.( And of course, I really can't pick only one moment.)
As for competitive spectatorship, I've never gotten to go to a figure skating competition that my sister or I weren't competing in, so these will be based on video spectatorship only.( And of course, I really can't pick only one moment.)
- Johnny Weir winning his 2004 and 2005 National titles
- Daisuke Takahashi winning World silver and then dominating most of the following season.
- Daisuke Takahashi coming back after a career threatening injury to win the 2010 Olympic bronze medal AND the World title the following month.
- Jeffrey Buttle putting all the puzzle pieces together at 2008 Worlds to win his World title.
- Almost everytime Michelle Kwan took to competitive ice.
Friday, October 22, 2010
NHK Trophy - Ladies Short
Lena Marrocco (France): I love the fact she used music from the Blues Brothers, but I was a little concerned she'd have a deduction because of the vocalizations. Shaky triple lutz and fell on her triple flip. Her double axel was okay, but not particularly great. Hers spins in general were nice, but she could work on turning out the free foot on her layback. Footwork went with the music well. 22.99 TE 19.68 PC - 1.00 Deductions = 41.67 Total
Diane Szmiett (Canada): Fall on triple toe, doubled the flip, leaving her without a combination. Went on to pop her axel into a single and was just generally sluggish. 14.04 TE 18.86 PC - 1.00 Deduction = 31.90 Total
Viktoria Helgesson (Sweden): Fall on an underrotated triple flip. She had good skating skills and speed. Triple loop and double axel were fine. Nice, fast spins. 21.49 TE 23.17 PC - 1.00 Deduction = 43.66 Total
Jenna McCorkell (Great Britain): Heinous, tacky costume that was rather unflattering. Double axel and triple lutz - double toe were good. Really overdramatic music and interpretation of it. Hand down on triple flip and slow footwork. 26.36 TE 22.71 PC = 49.07 Total
Ashley Wagner ( United States): Triple flip - double toe was okay, as well as the triple lutz. Nice spin with good speed. Her double axel out of a spiral was a little lacking in height. Her layback spin is lovely though. Good overall skate. 27.34 TE 25.59 PC = 52.93 Total
Kanako Murakami (Japan): Triple toe- triple toe was fine, as well as her triple flip and double axel. This program is fun, but I feel like her attempts to be playful are ruining her skating skills in this program. She isn't skating smoothly. 29.91 TE 26.29 PC = 56.10 Total
Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia): Man. That dress is not suited for a girl as top heavy as she is... it emphasizes it. I feel like everytime she bends over that she is going to pop out, despite the mesh. Triple lutz was fine, but she fell out of her attempted triple toe- double toe, so the combo probably didn't count. Singled the axel. Meh. 18.65 TE 25.86 PC = 44.51 Total
Caroline Zhang (United States): All the talk about Caroline improving her technique has actually proven to be more than just talk! The horrific highkick is gone, ladies and gentlemen! That said, while her triple flip-double toe combo and her triple loop were perfectly fine, she went into her double axel so slowly that it's amazing she landed it at all. Her layback and biellmann spins are absolutely fabulous. Overall, a really nice skate for her. Obviously, the speed could use some more improvement, but I'm just thrilled that that highkick is gone! 25.93 TE 24.78 PC = 50.71 Total
Rachael Flatt (United States): Apologies for bringing up the costumes up again but... that haircut is aging her a lot and the dress, while okay on it's own, is NOT helping at all. Right... the skating... anyway, triple lutz-double toe with her kind of odd technique. Meh. The triple flip had some of Caroline's former highkick in it, though thankfully not to that extent. Her layback and double axel were both nice, but the attempt at artistry isn't really appealing to me. It's cheesetastic and the "sexy" movements weirded me out. 28.29 TE 25.40 PC = 53.69 Total
Kiira Korpi (Finland): Doubled the first jump in her triple toe-triple toe combo. Triple loop was alright. Her sit spin and variations on it are really nice. Double axel was okay. She's pleasant enough to watch, but kind of dull. I would have put Caroline ahead of this. 23.89 TE 28.71 PC = 52.60 Total
Carolina Kostner (Italy): Triple toe- double toe, might have been underrotated. Same with her triple loop, which she had to hang on to. The double axel was fine. Blah. I've never been a fan of hers. 27.52 TE 29.75 PC = 57. 27 Total
Mao Asada (Japan): Oh, Mao... Triple axel was underrotated and she ended up on two feet. Triple loop-double loop was good enough. Triple flip was popped into a wide open single. The end of the footwork was pretty cool and I love her biellmann spin. But overall... ouch. Poor Mao. 20.00 TE 28.95 PC - 1.00 Deduction = 47.95
Wow. I can't believe Carolina is in first after that, and that they actually put Mao into 8th place. Hopefully she has a much better freeskate. The American girls actually skated pretty well though. I certainly hope to see some movement in the standings in the free!
ISU results page for Ladies Short
30 Days of Skating - Day 2: My favorite pairs program
I adore Shen and Zhao. Their skating, their story, their love - all of it. They didn't win the 2004 World Championship, but they probably would have if it had been under CoP. All the same, they certainly won everyone's hearts, yet again.
NHK Trophy - Pairs Short
This was definitely the cleanest pairs short that I can remember EVER seeing! Such a pleasant surprise and contrast to the usual splat fests that abound. With that said, here's my thoughts on the pairs.
Bazarova/Larionov (Russia): Nice side-by-side triple toes, but a little out of sync. Good double twist, throw triple, and death spiral. Kind of far apart in their SBS spin, but the unison was great. Good skate overall, but they could use maybe a little more polish. 34.36 TE 25.80 PC = 60.16 Total
Hausch/Wende (Germany): Very nice SBS triple toes. Double twist and throw triple salchow were nice. Footwork was slow though. Great SBS spin. 28.40 TE 22.09 PC = 50.49 Total
Yankowskas/Coughlin (United States): They seem like powerful skaters. Throw triple salchow was nice, but on the SBS triple toes John was a little bit low on height. Really good lift and death spiral. 29.93 TE 24.26 PC = 54.19 Total
Zhang/Wang (China): Gorgeous twist. Their SBS triple toes were out of sync, but done well otherwise. SBS spin was out of sync too. Decent overall. Might just need a little more time; they seem like a young pair. 27.63 TE 22.09 PC = 49.72 Total
Brodeur/Mattatal (Canada): Slight collision on their twist. Triple toes slightly out of unison, but good. Nice throw triple salchow and really nice SBS spin. I love this music, and I think it suits them pretty well. Lift scared me for a second there. Lovely program overall. 31.00 TE 23.28 PC = 54.28 Total
Denney/Barrett (United States): Good opening with twist. SBS triple toes were a little wonky for Jeremy. Their throw was good, but I really hate the position they used for the death spiral. SBS spins were out of sync at first, but they adjusted and the speed was great. 30.22 TE 24.81 PC = 55.03 Total
Takahashi/Tran (Japan): They fist bumped before they took their starting positions. Adorable. They did SBS triple salchows, which were out of sync and I think she may have underrotated hers. Double twist had an insane amount of height and their SBS spin was nice. Good transition into a throw triple flip (I think). They had a little slip in the footwork but otherwise it was fine. Really great lift and a lovely death spiral to finish. I definitely want to keep an eye on them in the future... I really enjoyed them! 31.70 TE 25.53 PC = 57.23 Total
Pang/Tong (China): Her dress is gorgeous! Nice, easy SBS triple toes and double twist. Fantastic death spiral, nice throw triple loop, and lift. Their SBS spins were out of sync, but other than that, really lovely program with nice transitions. 34.23 TE 32.87 PC = 67.10 Total
ISU results page for Pairs Short
Hausch/Wende (Germany): Very nice SBS triple toes. Double twist and throw triple salchow were nice. Footwork was slow though. Great SBS spin. 28.40 TE 22.09 PC = 50.49 Total
Yankowskas/Coughlin (United States): They seem like powerful skaters. Throw triple salchow was nice, but on the SBS triple toes John was a little bit low on height. Really good lift and death spiral. 29.93 TE 24.26 PC = 54.19 Total
Zhang/Wang (China): Gorgeous twist. Their SBS triple toes were out of sync, but done well otherwise. SBS spin was out of sync too. Decent overall. Might just need a little more time; they seem like a young pair. 27.63 TE 22.09 PC = 49.72 Total
Brodeur/Mattatal (Canada): Slight collision on their twist. Triple toes slightly out of unison, but good. Nice throw triple salchow and really nice SBS spin. I love this music, and I think it suits them pretty well. Lift scared me for a second there. Lovely program overall. 31.00 TE 23.28 PC = 54.28 Total
Denney/Barrett (United States): Good opening with twist. SBS triple toes were a little wonky for Jeremy. Their throw was good, but I really hate the position they used for the death spiral. SBS spins were out of sync at first, but they adjusted and the speed was great. 30.22 TE 24.81 PC = 55.03 Total
Takahashi/Tran (Japan): They fist bumped before they took their starting positions. Adorable. They did SBS triple salchows, which were out of sync and I think she may have underrotated hers. Double twist had an insane amount of height and their SBS spin was nice. Good transition into a throw triple flip (I think). They had a little slip in the footwork but otherwise it was fine. Really great lift and a lovely death spiral to finish. I definitely want to keep an eye on them in the future... I really enjoyed them! 31.70 TE 25.53 PC = 57.23 Total
Pang/Tong (China): Her dress is gorgeous! Nice, easy SBS triple toes and double twist. Fantastic death spiral, nice throw triple loop, and lift. Their SBS spins were out of sync, but other than that, really lovely program with nice transitions. 34.23 TE 32.87 PC = 67.10 Total
ISU results page for Pairs Short
NHK Trophy - Short Dance
*Disclaimer: I am not, nor do I claim to be an expert on ice dancing. It is by far the discipline that I am least knowledgeable about. That said... here are my thoughts on the first ever short dance in Senior Grand Prix history! =)
Turoczi / Major (Hungary): I thought they were skating a bit slowly and were very cautious. Twizzles ended up getting messy and the unison in the footwork wasn't very good. 15.81 TE 16.87 PC = 32.68 Total
Yu/Wang (China): Nice flow across the ice. Their twizzles were pretty good, albeit with slightly off unison. I really enjoyed their program. Hopefully they will continue to improve over time. 22.85 TE 20.65 PC = 43.50 Total
Coomes/Buckland (Great Britain): Good speed and I really liked their opening lift. They seem to have an ease about them that makes them pleasant to watch. Twizzles were alright. 22.36 TE 21.16 PC = 43.52 Total
Reed/Reed (Japan): Chris has a weird mustache... guess it is part of the costume. Cool opening lift, but they skated a little slowly. Big problems on the twizzles. They had the best footwork so far though, I thought. 21.86 TE 23.04 PC = 44.90 Total
Ilinkykk/Katsatpov ( Russia): Very nice twizzles. I really didn't like the music. The lift in the middle of the program was great and they had nice footwork. 29.79 TE 27.10 PC = 56.89 Total
Mysliveckova/Novak (Czech Republic): The first half was really folk style, not necessarily my favorite thing. Good footwork, bad unison on their twizzles though. 22.07 TE 23.13 PC = 45.20 Total
Shibutani/Shibutani (United States): Maia's extension is lovely! Really nice twizzles, especially the last set. Best footwork so far, but then a random fall (apparently Alex got caught in Maia's dress) and a small shred of her dress was hanging on by a thread. Beautiful lifts. They were lovely, but for the fall. Hopefully they can make up ground for a medal still. 28.57 TE 26.11 PC - 1.00 Deductions = Total 53.68
Weaver/Poje (Canada): Really can't stand At Last... anyway... smooth skating and the ending lift was nice, but overall they bored me. :-/ 31.15 TE 27.54 PC = 58.69 Total
Cappellini/Lanotte (Italy): Again, not loving the song. Bah. Footwork was fine, and the twizzles had a little bit of unison issues, but weren't bad overall. Her skirt is kind of distracting though, especially during the twizzles. 27.57 TE 28.11 PC = 55.68 Total
Davis/White (United States): AMAZING twizzles, and the lifts were good. They really seemed like they were enjoying themselves out there, which is awesome to see. Overall, they were definitely as good as they are hyped up to be. 32.28 TE 34.69 PC = 66.97 Total
ISU results page for the Short Dance
Yu/Wang (China): Nice flow across the ice. Their twizzles were pretty good, albeit with slightly off unison. I really enjoyed their program. Hopefully they will continue to improve over time. 22.85 TE 20.65 PC = 43.50 Total
Coomes/Buckland (Great Britain): Good speed and I really liked their opening lift. They seem to have an ease about them that makes them pleasant to watch. Twizzles were alright. 22.36 TE 21.16 PC = 43.52 Total
Reed/Reed (Japan): Chris has a weird mustache... guess it is part of the costume. Cool opening lift, but they skated a little slowly. Big problems on the twizzles. They had the best footwork so far though, I thought. 21.86 TE 23.04 PC = 44.90 Total
Ilinkykk/Katsatpov ( Russia): Very nice twizzles. I really didn't like the music. The lift in the middle of the program was great and they had nice footwork. 29.79 TE 27.10 PC = 56.89 Total
Mysliveckova/Novak (Czech Republic): The first half was really folk style, not necessarily my favorite thing. Good footwork, bad unison on their twizzles though. 22.07 TE 23.13 PC = 45.20 Total
Shibutani/Shibutani (United States): Maia's extension is lovely! Really nice twizzles, especially the last set. Best footwork so far, but then a random fall (apparently Alex got caught in Maia's dress) and a small shred of her dress was hanging on by a thread. Beautiful lifts. They were lovely, but for the fall. Hopefully they can make up ground for a medal still. 28.57 TE 26.11 PC - 1.00 Deductions = Total 53.68
Weaver/Poje (Canada): Really can't stand At Last... anyway... smooth skating and the ending lift was nice, but overall they bored me. :-/ 31.15 TE 27.54 PC = 58.69 Total
Cappellini/Lanotte (Italy): Again, not loving the song. Bah. Footwork was fine, and the twizzles had a little bit of unison issues, but weren't bad overall. Her skirt is kind of distracting though, especially during the twizzles. 27.57 TE 28.11 PC = 55.68 Total
Davis/White (United States): AMAZING twizzles, and the lifts were good. They really seemed like they were enjoying themselves out there, which is awesome to see. Overall, they were definitely as good as they are hyped up to be. 32.28 TE 34.69 PC = 66.97 Total
ISU results page for the Short Dance
30 Days of Skating - Day 1: How I got into figure skating.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
NHK Trophy 2010 Rundown
Daisuke Takahashi - I definitely expect (and hope!) that the reigning World Champion will land on the podium, and think that it's pretty likely that he will land on the top step. Daisuke expects a lot from himself, artistically and technically, and I look forward to seeing how that culminates here.
Jeremy Abbott - Jeremy is a skater that I really do enjoy watching, but you never really know which Jeremy is going to show up on the ice. He either skates beautifully or explodes entirely. I do expect him to medal, but think it is more likely to be silver than gold.
Florent Amodio - This up and coming French skater first capture my attention at the 2010 Olympics, especially with his sad clown program. With more difficult content being put into his short program this season, hopefully he'll continue to move up the ranks, starting here. I'm hoping that either Florent or Yuzuru Hanyu capture the bronze.
Yuzuru Hanyu - The 2010 World Junior Champion already seems to have a nice presence on the ice ,and the technical content to challenge for a medal at his first senior international ever. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does this season.
As for the ladies, I'm curious to see if Mao Asada can find her consistency again, as she has been reworking her jump technique after switching coaches. At the Japan Open, she honestly was a mess, but hopefully these last few weeks have given her enough time to get her technique under her belt.
I don't really have many thoughts as far as the American ladies go for this event - I am curious to see if Caroline Zhang's work on her speed and technique have paid off though.
Kanako Murakami, the 2010 World Junior Champion, seems like a good bet for the podium, as long as she holds up under pressure.
My only expectations as far as ice dancing and the pairs go are that Meryl Davis and Charlie White will dominate the dance event easily, Qing Pang and Jian Tong will do the same in the pairs event, and I think that the American pairs team of Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett might land the bronze.
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