Cup of China: A Preview

Pairs: This is possibly one of the deeper pairs fields on the Grand Prix so far, Zhang/Zhang, Kavaguti/Smirnov, Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, and Sui/Han likely being the major teams in contention for the podium. Zhang/Zhang led the field after the short program at Skate America and grabbed silver overall, despite not having competed in over a year. Moore-Towers/Moscovitch also medaled at Skate America and will obviously want to repeat that here, but I think it'll be more difficult this with the two Chinese teams and the Russians to contend with. Kavaguti/Smirnov have been World and Olympic medal contenders before and definitely have a good chance win over this field here if they skate well. Sui/Han are a very young team but they did well on the Grand Prix last season and won Junior Worlds for the second year in a row. They may lack finesse, but their big tricks can be absolutely massive, which often helps them shoot up the rankings. Americans Evora/Ladwig are an outside shot for a medal in my opinion, but a solid showing here would be a great way to build confidence going into Nationals.

Ice Dance: World bronze medalists Shibutani/Shibutani are the likely favorites for this event and look to win their first senior title of any kind here . Bobrova/Soloviev will probably be their main challengers for the gold. Beyond that, it's a bit more confusing with Carron/Jones and Coomes/Buckland having been World competitors and Lichtman/Copely who medaled at Junior Worlds last season. The newly formed team of Emily Samuelson/Todd Gilles will also be competing and I'm interested to see where they'll end up (Samuelson's former parter Evan Bates placed 4th at Skate Canada last week with his new partner Madison Chock).


Ladies: Carolina Kostner has to be considered the favorite at this competition. There's a few girls that could defeat her, but for most of them that will probably require mistakes on her part and excellent skates on theirs. Mirai Nagasu should be considered a threat, but her programs this season, especially her freeskate, are lackluster and she displayed very little fire at Skate Canada last week. If Mirai is on, I think she could take Carolina, but like Jeremy, it all depends on what's going on in her head. Kanako Murakami did extremely well on the Grand Prix last season (beating Kostner at Skate America even) and placed at the top 10 at Worlds; she reportedly is having boot problems but if she can fight through that, it's easy to imagine her medaling. Adelina Sotnikova is the 2011 World Junior Champion and will be making her senior GP debut at this event and will likely be a factor if her jumps stay together. Christina Gao will also be making her GP debut; I like her, but I'm not convinced she'll be in it for a medal. She does has a triple flip-triple toe that's been competition tested before though, so I don't think it's entirely out of the question.

Men: The battle for the podium here will be slightly less difficult than it was expected to be, due to Brian Joubert withdrawing because of a back injury he's been dealing with recently. It seems like there will be four main guys in contention, with a few possible spoilers should they falter. Jeremy Abbott is a fantastic all around skater, but how he places here will depend on his mental game; if he keeps it together he could come out with a massive score, but if he doesn't, he could end up off the podium entirely in this field. Artur Gachinski is lacking in some areas but can be a very consistent jumper and has a solid quad under his belt. Yuzuru Hanyu shocked many by placing second behind Daisuke Takahashi at Four Continents last season and while still developing (understandable because he's still only 16), has nice style and some absolutely gorgeous jumps. Nobunari Oda is not planning to attempt a quad here because of a knee injury he was dealing with a few months ago, which could make medaling here significantly more difficult with Gachinski, Abbott, and Hanyu competing; especially with all three planning to quad (to the best of my knowledge).  Kevin Reynolds, as usual, has the potential to play spoiler here as he'll probably be attempting at least two types of quads, but he lacks consistency and often falls apart in the freeskate. Richard Dornbush also has a quad planned and can be a steady competitor, but unless the others really struggle, I think don't think his odds of medaling are great.

Icenetwork Livestream Schedule
Isu Event Page

Post Men's Short Program Interviews

Daisuke Takahashi



Cutest. English. Ever.

Florent Amodio



More adorable English!

Nobunari Oda



More!

Ross Miner



Normal English.

Patrick Chan



Canadian English.

Skating Updates

Evgeni Plushenko is seeking ISU reinstatement

Some notes from Moscow

Czisny is relaxed and ready to go

Chan leads after the men's short

Be sure to keep checking Universal Sports and IceNetwork for videos and pictures from Worlds, and here for more updates!

Poll: Who do you want to win the men's title at Worlds?

And the winner is... Daisuke Takahashi, with 66% of the vote! Patrick Chan is the runner up, with 16% percent of the vote.

The next poll is now up! Vote and let me know who you hope will win the ladies title!

Skating Updates

The International Olympic Committee has approved six new events for the winter Olympics, a team skating event among them.  Some more info. According to Blazing Blades, it is planned to be the first of the skating events in Sochi.

Christina Gao and Rachael Flatt are the recipients of grants from the Women's Sports Foundation.

An interview with Amelie Lacoste.

Universal Sports spoke to Adam Rippon.

An interview with Evan Lysacek.

Nobunari Oda is back in Canada to train for Worlds.

A Patrick Chan article.

Japan may potentially have Worlds in 2015 

Ryan Bradley hopes to medal at Worlds. 

Skating Updates

Nobunari & Daisuke, via Nobu's twitter

Nobunari Oda won Winter Universiade with a total of 223.15. Sergei Voronov finished 2nd with 204.54, while Daisuke Murakami claimed bronze with 202.83. Nobunari did not attempt a quad in either program and only performed one triple axel in the freeskate.
Short Program Results
Protocols
Freeskate Results
Protocols

 Johnny Weir is claiming to be considering a comeback next season. He mentions his disappointment with Patrick Chan winning Grand Prixs with multiple falls and Vancouver. He also talks about his book and being congratulated on being Olympic Champion.

 An interview with Florent Amodio about his Europeans win. He will be working on his quad in hopes of having it ready for Tokyo.

Article on 2011 U.S. bronze medalist and World team member Ross Miner.He discusses his injury last season, his disappointment with his Grand Prix showings, and Nationals (of course!).

Japanese Nationals - Mens Results

1. Takahiko Kozuka
2. Nobunari Oda
 3. Daisuke Takahashi
4. Yuzuru Hanyu

The World team is Takahiko Kozuka, Nobunari Oda, and Daisuke Takahashi. 4 Continents is assigned to Takahiko, Yuzuru Hanyu, and Daisuke.

Freeskate Protocols
Freeskate Results
Overall Results

Congratulations to Takahiko on his first National title. It is a shame that he couldn't have won with a performance that he'd be more pleased with (I heard he disagreed with his score for the freeskate, thinking it too high), but it's still a big accomplishment.

As you could see from my post the other day day, I am extremely proud of Daisuke for pulling through and skating his best freeskate all season (and the performance of the night) to finish second in the freeskate and third overall. Here's to hoping that he takes a well deserved rest for a few days, and that his injury heals soon. After that, I think his focus should be getting the levels on his spins up (level 4's probably would have gotten him at least silver here), and obviously getting at least one of the quads consistent again. If Daisuke can do those things in the month and a half that he has until 4 Continents, he should be in much better stead. Sending my prayers that he'll be healthy and ready for Worlds!

Japanese Nationals - Men's Short Results

Well THAT certainly didn't go as expected! 

1. Takahiko Kozuka 87.91
2. Yuzuru Hanyu 78.94
3. Nobunari Oda 77.48
4. Daisuke Takahashi 74.78
5. Tatsuki Machida 73.75
6. Takahito Mura 72.33

From what I've gathered online, here is a summary how the top 4 skated. (If anything is wrong, I'll correct it once I've seen it and can confirm it.)

 Yuzuru Hanyu landed a clean triple axel, triple lutz-triple toe, and a triple flip.( Very good! It's nice to see him skate so well, he's definitely one to keep an eye on. Fuji TV's camera work was... interesting. It made it look like his donut spin was all over the place.)

Daisuke stepped out of his triple flip-triple toe, and had a shaky triple axel, but had a triple lutz that was fine. I didn't expect him to be under Yuzuru based on how Yuzuru was scored on the Grand Prix. I'm thinking he had something called underrotated or downgraded. (Upon watching, it is pretty evident Daisuke was not himself. None of the jumps were very secure and even the spins had trouble. It did look like he had the axel ,though maybe slightly underrotated, but then he flipped out of it. The second half of his combo looked underrotated in the replay too. In a Japanese article he said he's in a better condition than at the GPF, but his coach has alluded otherwise. :-/)

Takahiko landed a triple axel, triple lutz-triple toe, and a triple flip, all cleanly. (After watching... Holy cow! Those jumps were GORGEOUS! Definitely among the best I've ever seen him do. Good for him! I do still find it shocking that he hit 87 without a quad, but I've heard that he got level 4 on all his spins and the step sequence, and I guess the GOE was through the roof on the jumps, deservedly.)

Nobunari fell on his quad attempt, which was supposed to be his combo. He landed a clean triple axel and triple lutz-triple toe, but lost his balance and fell during the footwork sequence. (Ouch. Well, he did think on his feet this time and salvaged some points by making the lutz his combo.)

Unfortunately, it is definitely going to be an uphill battle for Daisuke to keep his title. Takahiko has over 13 points on Daisuke, so Daisuke's going to have to skate near perfect, sell it for everything it is worth and likely hope for mistakes by at least Takahiko.  Nobunari has his work cut out for him as well, if he wants the title, as he is 10 points behind the leader as well. 

As much as I love Takahiko, you can bet that I'll be praying for a Christmas miracle for Daisuke. :P

EDIT: Links added! Thank you to whoever sent them to me. 

P.S. Merry Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas to all of my readers!

Japanese Nationals - Schedule & Starting Orders

My sister was kind enough to convert the schedule from Japanese time to Eastern Standard time. =)

Friday, December 24th

Pairs Short 2:00 AM - 2:15 AM

Mens Short 2:20 AM - 6:30 AM

Short Dance 11:00 PM - 11:20 PM

Pairs Free 11:20 - 11:35 PM

Ladies Short 11:50 PM - 4:10 AM

Saturday, December 25th

Mens Free 4:05 AM - 8:00 AM

Pairs & Men's Awards 8:00 AM

Sunday, December 26th

Free Dance 1:00 AM - 1:20 AM

Ladies Free 1:30 AM - 5:30 AM

Ladies and Ice Dance Awards 5:40 AM

World's Team Announcement 7:00 AM

Monday, December 27th

Medalist on Ice Exhibition (Guests Stephane Lambiel and Evgeni Plushenko) 3:00 AM - 6:00 AM

Check on ontd_skating for streaming times (not live though).

Practice Videos 

1
2

(Sorry, I tried to embed them but they turned out huge and messed with the page a bit.)

Daisuke Takahashi, Takahiko Kozuka, and Nobunari Oda all seem to be in good condition - Daisuke told the press that his quad toe is inconsistent right now, but he might still go for it , but that if it is too unstable, he may try the quad flip instead. He does attempt a quad flip in one of the videos above and while I'm not sure it was fully rotated, I think it may have been more rotated than the attempt at the Grand Prix Final (though still two footed). Reportedly, the rest of his jumps are fine.

Also notable is that Mao Asada did land a triple axel in practice, but on the video it does look at least a little bit cheated.

Starting Orders
Mens Short

1	Ryuichi KIHARA
2	Yukihiro YOSHIDA
3	Sei KAWAHARA
4	Junzo NISHIGAMI
5	Yuya TAMADA
6	Yuki HORINOUCHI
7	Fumiya ITAI
8	Hiroki HABU
9	Ryujyu HINO
10	Kento NAKAMURA
11	Akio SASAKI
12	Jun SUZUKI
13	Hayato MIYAZAKI
14	Koshin YAMADA
15	Keiji TANAKA
16	Hikaru MURAYAMA
17	Junki SANO
18	Naoto SAITO
19	Yoji TSUBOI
20	Jo MATSUMURA
21	Yuzuru HANYU
22	Takuya KONDO
23	Kensuke NAKANIWA
24	Daisuke TAKAHASHI
25	Hayato ODAJIMA
26	Takahiko KOZUKA
27	Daisuke MURAKAMI
28	Tatsuki MACHIDA
29	Takahito MURA
30	Nobunari ODA
31	Yasuharu NANRI
32	Tomoyuki KORIYAMA

Ladies Short

1	Saya UENO
2	Haruna SUZUKI
3	Rumi SUIZU
4	Haruka INOUE
5	Nana TAKEDA
6	Shion KOKUBUN
7	Kana MURAMOTO
8	Juri OKAWA
9	Naomi TANIKAWA
10	Karen KEMANAI
11	Risa SHOJI
12	Kako TOMOTAKI
13	Aki SAWADA
14	Hikaru NASUNO
15	Yuki NISHINO
16	Risa MOCHIZUKI
17	Miyabi OHBA
18	Roannasari OSHIKAWA
19	Eri SETO
20	Risa SASAKI
21	Mutsumi TAKAYAMA
22	Ayane NAKAMURA
23	Shoko ISHIKAWA
24	Kanako MURAKAMI
25	Haruka IMAI
26	Miki ANDO
27	Mari SUZUKI
28	Akiko SUZUKI
29	Mao ASADA
30	Fumie SUGURI
31	Ayumi GOTO
32	Yuka KOUNO

Pairs Short
1Narumi TAKAHASHI/Mervin TRAN

Short Dance

1	Cathy REED/Chris REED
2	Emi HIRAI/Taiyo MIZUTANI

Universal Sports Article

I'm so excited!

Grand Prix Final: Men's Freeskate

Florent Amodio (France): Good triple axel at the beginning, followed by his triple axel-double toe combo - he had to hold the axel, but he got it done. A attempted triple loop that looked off from the takeoff was crooked and doubled. Good footwork, albeit with some moments where he just stands and dances, but what actual content was there was good. A flying sit spin with a cannonball variation was okay. Triple salchow-triple toe, the latter of which was at least two-footed, but otherwise done. Triple lutz, fine, and a triple flip that was great, except the wrong edge yet again. I definitely hope he works on that edge in the future; he pretty consistently does a flip on the outside edge, and that results in deductions. Triple lutz-double toe was alright,  as was his last jumping pass, a double axel. Second footwork sequence was cute, and skated well enough. Combo spin was alright, but some of the positions could have been better, and the final sit change sit was okay. Not his best skate, but it really wasn't bad, and it was a pretty decent comeback from his short program.  Florent just has a way of making people smile when he skates; it is evident that he really enjoys performing, even if he wasn't at his best at this competition. He also further endeared himself to me by  pretending to eat a stuffed ice cream cone in the kiss and cry. =) 70.40 TE 69.86 PCS ; 140.26 FS = 201.90 Total (6th)

Tomas Verner (Czech Republic): Started the program with his first quad toe attempt of the season - unfortunately, it was popped into a triple. He got it back together with a good triple axel-double toe combination shortly thereafter though, and a good triple loop. His first footwork sequence was alright, but as noted before by myself and others, while Tomas does the footwork well, his skating skills aren't as polished as the other men competing at the GPF; maybe not even as polished as Florent's. Flying sit spin was okay I guess, followed by a good triple axel. Lovely triple lutz after that; he got a full point extra on GOE. Great triple salchow and a triple flip that was on the wrong edge, but otherwise good. Stepped out on his triple lutz-double toe combo, but he did get credit for it as a combination and not a sequence. Slowish sit change sit spin, another footwork sequence that was fine, if unremarkable, and an okay combo spin to finish up.  I don't think that Tomas had his usual energy and spark artistically that he sometimes has, but it was pretty good technically. Like Florent, he also messed around in the kiss and cry, haha. 74.35 TE 73.92 PCS ; 148.27 FS = 213.64 Total (5th)

Takahiko Kozuka (Japan): The choreography at the beginning of the program always seems to highlight how beautifully he moves his body while skating. Opened up with a quad toe attempt that was two-footed and called underrotated; I do think I agree with that call.Triple axel was a little bit tight looking to me, but still good. Triple lutz-double toe was fine, followed by an alright combo spin that was clearly the best up to that point. First footwork sequence was gorgeous; I was really captivated this time around. Triple axel-double toe was managed, but he decided against using it as his three jump combination like he did in Paris. Triple flip was alright, if tentative. Triple lutz-triple toe was again tough at the ending. After that, a triple loop that was fine and a triple salchow that was kinda scratchy looking to me, but it actually garnered positive GOE... maybe I saw wrong? Nice death drop and very nice footwork, followed by an alright combo spin, which had a pretty nice and well center scratch spin at the end. Not as good as Paris, but still a good skate. His main problem was just having landings that didn't have a whole lot of flow coming out of them. One has to wonder if Takahiko was affected by his crash with Daisuke a couple of days prior; everywhere I've read has said that he has apologized multiple times and really feels bad about the incident, so I wouldn't rule it out. 82.25 TE 77.64 PCS ; 159.89 FS = 237.79 Total (3rd)

Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): Surprisingly, he started with a quad flip attempt, which was two-footed, severely underrotated and consequently downgraded by the technical specialists (By the way, anyone wondering why Daisuke would attempt this while not feeling his best: when his quad toe isn't reliable, he feels like it is a safer bet to go for the quad flip, because even if he doesn't rotate it, it's worth more than a downgraded quad toe and he falls on it less.). Really good triple axel, which received two points extra on GOE! After that was a triple loop that was okay, maybe a bit rough. Flying sit spin combo was fine, and the first footwork sequence was good, but not as great as usual. Stepped out of a triple flip-triple toe combo, the latter of which was downgraded and a bad fall on his second triple axel attempt, looked underrotated. Flying layback spin was alright, and then a good triple lutz.Triple salchow, maybe underrotated a bit. Fall on the second triple lutz, also underrotated, but I had a bad feeling about that one from the preparation; he really didn't have much speed going into it. Second footwork sequence was definitely slower that usual, but okay as far as the normal standard goes, and the final combo spin was just okay.For some reason two spins were only level 1; he's probably going to want to work on that.

Poor Daisuke. He seemed really tired in the second half and I'm sure he's extremely dissatisfied with his performance. Even the artistic quality to his skating didn't shine through as well as usual. I still think it an admirable effort though; here he was considering withdrawing and then he goes for a quad flip, haha. But, ah well, there'll be other competitions and really, I think the biggest hit to his technical score was that he only could complete one combination; his two falls were on his second attempts on the triple lutz and triple axel, rendering them sequences and causing him to be unable to add any more combos and salvage more points. It seems he's learned from Nobunari's past mistakes; thank God someone has. Here's to hoping that he recovers well from whatever injury he received in the crash and will be ready for Nationals and Worlds.
58.20 TE 81.00 PCS -2.00 Deductions ; 137.20 FS = 219.77 Total (4th)

Patrick Chan (Canada): Opened with an okay quad toe and an alright triple axel-double toe combination. Nice triple lutz and good footwork too, as well as a pretty good death drop. Fallout on the second triple axel, as well as the second triple lutz-half loop-double toe. Good sit change sit spin and he held onto a triple flip-triple toe combo. Nice triple loop and a good double axel. Finished up with good footwork and a good combo spin. Loads better than his other freeskates this season and if he had to win, I'm glad it was pretty clean , but I don't really have much else to say besides ,"Oh, now you don't fall" :P. Oh, and huge scores... too huge, in my opinion. 86.94 TE 87.22 PCS ; 174.16 FS = 259.75 Total (1st)

Nobunari Oda (Japan): He started off by dashing my hopes with a fall on his quad toe (deemed underrotated, though I disagree with that one). He came back soon after with a very nice triple axel-triple toe and a gorgeous triple flip-triple toe. His first footwork sequence was alright, and the flying camel combo spin was nice too. Great triple lutz (though, alas, edge called), followed by a lovely triple axel. The followed triple loop was alright and then a triple salchow-double toe-double loop that lost speed, but was okay. Good double axel, but much to my chagrin, he fell on the landing edge (I think he said he hit a rough spot?) and then missed part of his footwork sequence after. He finished off with a pair of pretty good spins. Ugh. He's an extremely maddening skater. First the combo counting issues, and now this fluke fall on a double axel.79.58 TE 78.64 PCS -2.00 Deductions ; 156.22 FS = 242.81 Total (2nd)

Freeskate Results
Overall Results

Grand Prix Final - The Preview

After the marathon that is the regular Grand Prix season, it's always strange having this small lull in the action while the skating world waits for the Grand Prix Final to take place. This season is certainly no exception. So far, surprisingly, there have been no withdrawal announcements (although there are still a few days left for that). With the lineups the way they currently stand, the event has the potential to be rather interesting and in the case of the ladies (and the men to some degree), unpredictable. All that said, here are my thoughts.

 Ice Dance Qualifiers
1. Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA)
2. Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat (FRA)
3. Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier (CAN)
4. Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev (RUS)
5. Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN)
6. Nora Hoffmann/Maxim Zavozin (HUN)
Substitutes
7. Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani (USA)
7. Madison Chock/Greg Zuerlein (USA)
8. Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Trachenko (RUS)

I think the battle for gold here will most likely be between Davis/White and Pechalat/Bourzat. I'd still give the edge to Davis/White, but the French have come much closer to their point total than anyone expected before this season started. In all honesty, it seems like everyone else will just be fighting for the bronze.And my personal hope? Simply that a team will withdraw so that the Shibutanis get a chance to compete at the GPF this year and so we get a last chance to see them compete before Nationals.

Pairs Qualifiers
1. Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (GER)
2. Qing Pang/Jian Tong (CHN)
3.  Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov (RUS)
4.  Kirsten Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch (CAN)
5. Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze (RUS)
6. Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN)
Substitutes 
7. Narumi Takahashi/Mervin Tran (JPN)
8. Caitlin Yankowskas/John Coughlin (USA)
9. Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers (CAN)

 As in the ice dancing event, in pairs the top two teams are the clear frontrunners. Savchenko/Szolkowy and Pang/Tong should be the teams to watch here, but if either team really falters, Barazova/Larionov are the most likely to crash their party. Sui/Han will also be looking to place well in their home country and might be a threat for bronze if all of their tricks are there. Also, a fun fact: Sui/Han also qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final this season, but chose to compete in the Senior event instead (which I feel is definitely a wise choice), and the first alternates Takahashi/Tran also qualified for the JGPF. 

Ladies Qualifiers
1. Miki Ando (JPN)
2. Alissa Czisny (USA)
3. Carolina Kostner (ITA)
4. Kanako Murakami (JPN)
5. Akiko Suzuki (JPN)
6. Rachael Flatt (USA)
Substitutes
7. Kiira Korpi (FIN)
8. Mirai Nagasu (USA)
9. Ashley Wagner (USA)

As I previously stated, the Ladies event is likely to be the most unpredictable in Beijing, which could be exciting or just disastrous. I'd normally say that Miki Ando has possibly the best chance at gold here, but she got injured at Cup of Russia and was skating in pain during the freeskate. How she places will probably be determined by how well she has recovered. If Miki is healed enough to rotate and land her jumps well, it might just be enough for the title. Carolina Kostner will likely still be skating with watered down jumping content but if she lands what content she has, the judges are pretty likely to reward her with a medal. Alissa Czisny is as inconsistent as can be, and while her spins and spirals are very pretty, I really doubt that the jumps will be there for her and consequently am not convinced that she'll manage more than a bronze, if that.

I also think that Akiko Suzuki has a clear shot at a medal if she just lands her jumps and is just a lovely skater to watch; I'm definitely hoping that she can put all the elements together at this event and claim the title. Kanako Murakami and Rachael Flatt are each a bit of a question mark here; Kanako is lively and vivacious, but not necessarily the most consistent jumper, and I still find her rough around the edges, while Rachael is somewhat the opposite; consistent, but never exciting, and the judges haven't been doing her many favors lately (compared to other ladies).

Mens Qualifiers
1. Takahiko Kozuka (JPN)
2. Daisuke Takahashi (JPN)
3. Patrick Chan (CAN)
4. Tomas Verner (CZE)
5. Nobunari Oda (JPN)
6. Florent Amodio (FRA)
Substitutes
7. Jeremy Abbott (USA)
8. Brandon Mroz (USA)
9. Adam Rippon (USA)

As has been the case all season, the men look to be the highlight of the competition. All of these guys have the potential to be on the podium, so this event is somewhat hard to predict, though there's one or two that I find more likely to be on the podium than the others. Patrick Chan may have a harder time getting away with big mistakes in a field this deep, but I have a feeling that he's likely to medal even with those mistakes unless his competitors skate lights out. Daisuke Takahashi hasn't been as clean as he would've liked thus far this season, but his freeskate has been getting stronger at each event, so hopefully it will come together for him here. If Daisuke is clean, that along with his high (deservedly so) component scores will likely give him the win, and even if he has a couple of minor mistakes, he'll probably still be in the mix for a medal. Takahiko Kozuka, the surprise top qualifier for the Grand Prix Final,, will find himself in good stead if he skates as consistently as he has at his two Grand Prix events; if Patrick and Daisuke really fall short, Takahiko potentially could beat both of them and win his first major ISU championship. Even if he doesn't win, he has an excellent shot at medaling.

Nobunari Oda is also a possible medal threat - when he's on, he's great, and he always garners a lot of positive Grades of Execution on his jumps. He'll need to keep track of his combinations in this field though; it might be a close contest and he can't afford to give away that many points. Tomas Verner and Florent Amodio are the wild cards of sorts here; if either skate flawlessly, they could find themselves on the podium, but it may take mistakes by others to make that happen. Also, neither of them have attempted a quad in competition so far this season and if the other guys land theirs, that might end up being the difference between 3rd and 6th. Tomas plans to put a quad in at some point this season, possibly at the Final, but Florent has no such plans (his coach Morozov is leaving it out in attempt to build consistency and thus far, it is working).

Overall, the Grand Prix Final looks like it could really be a good competition, with some of the top skaters facing each other for the first time this season. The action starts Friday morning at 4:15 AM, Eastern Standard time.

Grand Prix Final Entries
Grand Prix Final Live Streaming Times

30 Days of Skating - Day 11: Top 5 Favorite Male Figure Skaters

Decisions, decisions... I could probably list ten or fifteen favorite male skaters! I'll try for a top five though, and maybe some honorable mentions, so that I don't fully exclude some that I really like, but that don't quite make the top five. The top five are....

Daisuke Takahashi: If you've read more than one or two posts on this blog, I'm sure you saw this one coming from a mile away. :P What can I say? Daisuke has gorgeous jumps, amazing footwork, very nice basics, and really skates with passion. I first noticed him when he skated at the Paris Grand Prix at least 5 years ago, but not for the reason you'd think; He was having a rather rough free program, even having a wipeout during footwork or something, and I actually heard some people in the crowd laughing, which really made me feel badly for him. After a somewhat disappointing Olympic debut, Dai really amazed me at 2007 Worlds, where he claimed silver after a very inspiring freeskate. He's been a favorite ever since. (Also, may I say; Who's laughing now? ;) )

Johnny Weir: Yeah... I know. The last few seasons haven't been Johnny's best, for many reasons, but he still holds a special place in my heart. I first saw him when I was 11,  when he skated to second place in the short program at 2003 Nationals, but injured himself in the freeskate and consequently had to withdraw. Like Daisuke, I felt terrible for him, but one day when I was about to leave the house, I found Eastern Sectionals on tv just in time to see Johnny on the ice. I was really happy that he came back after the "Dallas Disaster", and was thrilled when he not only made Nationals, but won it with a flawless freeskate. After that, Johnny did have a couple more excellent seasons, and of course some that weren't so great, but he has left me with some magical memories and performances to look back on, along with frustration that he never really reached his full potential.

Jeffrey Buttle: I don't remember thinking anything in particular about Jeffrey, until the 2006 Olympics, where he won the bronze after falling twice in the free, which really didn't sit well with me with Johnny placing behind him with no falls, and whatnot. Now that emotions aren't so high (I wanted a medal for Johnny SO badly!), and I've watched the performances again, I actually can see why Jeff placed ahead of him and why, despite usually making at least a couple of errors, Jeff has so many medals. He really does skate beautifully and has a magic that was rarely tarnished, even when there where technical problems. Thankfully, I did learn to appreciate his skating a couple of years before his retirement, and I was so thrilled when he finally put a clean competition together and won a World title. He really did deserve it, and I have to say, I still miss his presence on the competitive circuit.

Stephane Lambiel: I do remember seeing Stephane win his first World title on tv in 2005 and thinking he did well, but he didn't quite capture my attention at that point in time. Like Jeffrey, I didn't understand his placement at the Olympics at first, with he not even attempting any triple axels. Again though, after some time passed and I rewatched the competition, I really enjoyed Stephane a lot! His musicality, his step sequences, and spins are just wonderful. He paid/pays so much attention to the artistry of the program, I still go back and watch competitions where he'd had technical trouble because the actual performance was still fantastic. Unfortunately, this past Olympic Games were the one exception that I can recall where the life was sucked out of the performances. Even so, as a whole, his skating is pure, lovely, and entertaining, and I will miss seeing him compete.

Adam Rippon: I first heard about Adam right after he won his junior National title. Many people that mentioned him were saying how his style was similar to Johnny Weir's... so I decided to check him out once junior World's videos were up on icenetwork. I was very impressed by his skating; even without a triple axel, he could break the 200 mark! As time has gone by, I definitely think Adam has continued to improve, technically and artistically. He's very comfortable to watch; usually he inspires a sense of confidence that the jumps are going to get done, unlike many skaters. I think that he is becoming an ideal all around skater, as he seems to have few weaknesses. One of the things that stands out most about him for me, is the sense of joy in his skating. I love the freedom and passion in it. It is something that so often gets lost in the grind of competition,so I love seeing it in him; it is incredibly refreshing. I think Adam has what it takes to be at the top of the sport, and I am really looking forward to seeing him compete over the next few years.

Honorable Mentions: Takahiko Kozuka, Jeremy Abbott, Florent Amodio, and Nobunari Oda.

Skate America: Men's Freeskate

Viktor Pfeifer (Austria):Good triple toe-triple toe to start. I'm rather surprised that he picked that for a combination, but it was performed well. Okay double axel and a triple flip that had a wonky takeoff. Triple flip-triple toe, with a delay between the jumps but otherwise okay. Circular step sequence was so very slow. Triple salchow-double toe - somehow pulled it off despite a bit of a slip on the salchow. Turnout on a triple lutz, but a fine triple loop soon after. Camel spin with a change of edge into a catchfoot that had a nice position, but it lacked speed. Fall on a double axel. A spin featuring a cannonball position was slow, and then blase footwork. Weird sit variation change sit into that weird upright spin that he did in the short as well. That was a really flat performance and he skates really slowly. 53.02 TE 55.44 PCS -1.00 Deduction ; 107.46 FS = 162.47 Total

Shawn Sawyer (Canada): Triple axel attempt... two footed but probably the best one I've seen him do! It was marked underrotated in the protocosl though... Boo! Triple flip-triple toe was good, but then a triple lutz that looked two footed and flutzed to me. Triple salchow with a tano arm I think? It was scratchy. Lovely sit with a twist variation and then an amazing spiral. Footwork into a triple loop. Double flip-half loop-triple loop sequence, good aside from the doubling of the flip. Character driven footwork, which is especially cool to see since I love Alice in Wonderland. Nice double axel, and then a cantavalier into an outside camel with more variations.  More good footwork, and then a double axel-double toe-double loop (underrotated) that overall was fine. Another nice spin featuring his split spin to end. Go Shawn! That was actually fairly clean, and it's really nice to see this program without a fall. Someone threw him a Mad Hatter hat which he wore in the Kiss and Cry, haha. I love it. 63.10 TE 66.58 PCS ; 129.68 FS = 186.62 Total

Stephen Carriere (United States): Good double axel in the beginning, but then a fall on an underrotated (and downgraded) quad that had a less common entry. Had a minor slip on the footwork, but it didn't really interrupt it and the rest of it was fine. An alright triple lutz, then a flying camel that could use more height, and the donut variation could be better, though it did have nice speed. Had to hold the triple flip a bit, but it wasn't bad. Double axel-triple toe, nice, then a triple loop-double toe with a tano arm-double toe. Good speed on the sit change sit, but the A-Frame strikes again. Another footwork sequence that was okay, but it didn't leave much of an impression. It seems like a lot of these guys aren't really using the footwork to connect to the audience and draw them into the performance. Good triple salchow, and a rough triple flip, but he managed to eek out a double toe on the end. Spin with a cannonball variation then a hop into a sit variation with a foot held in the back. Pretty good skate for him, best I've seen him do in the last couple of seasons. He needs his triple axel back though. In an icenetwork post-event article, Stephen said, and I quote, "The triple axel hasn't been my best friend; it's been a pain in the butt, literally." 62.28 TE 63.78 PCS -1.00 Deduction ; 155.06 FS = 184.20

Nan Song (China): Quad attempt popped into a double toe, but managed a triple axel-triple toe after, despite the lack of speed on the entry. No speed at all going into the triple loop, resulting in a fall. Okay spin with a hopover. Held onto the triple lutz-double toe. Twist spin and another sit variation, not bad. Fallout on the second triple axel, but the jump itself was good. Okay triple flip that was edge called, and pretty footwork, though a bit slow. Another triple lutz that was held onto, but possibly two footed. Triple salchow-double toe was okay, though a delay in between the jumps. Spread eagle to flying camel into a sit that was okay. He really ran out of gas at the end and didn't seem to get his feet under him in general. Cute moment making a stuffed animal wave in the K&C. 60.55 TE 58.34 PCS ; 117.89 FS = 180.10 Total

Kevin van der Perren (Belgium): I'm awfully glad there's mesh on this costume this time and if you've seen it, I'm pretty sure you agree with me. :P Pretty good quad toe to start things off, pitched forward a bit but he absolutely refused to put a hand down. Good for him. Really nice triple axel too! Triple flip-triple toe, the latter being two footed. Much better twist in this program, but there was a slow variation after that. Footwork... meh. Hydroblade into a triple salchow, nice, but he could get down lower in that hydroblade (don't get me wrong though, it's nice to see one again, as they've become scarce.). Held onto a triple loop, then popped the lutz into a double. Triple flip-double toe was good, though the flip wasn't as easy as the first. Flying spin into slow sit change sit, but fine double axel-triple toe. Slow camel variation into sit then variation. That combo absolutely crawled at the end. I forgot about the second footwork sequence somewhere in there... just didn't stand out I guess. He really needs work on the spins, footwork, and maybe stamina. 69.87 TE 62.54 PCS ; 132.41 FS = 194.63

Adrian Schultheiss (Sweden): Solid quad toe, wow. I didn't realize he had one. Triple axel-double was nice too, and the triple lutz-double toe was fine, though he could reach back more on the lutz. Flying camel was fine until he lost the spin on a variation, resulting in only a level 1 and a negative GOE. Doubled his loop after that, then footwork that was alright. Good triple salchow and an okay combination spin but again, level 1. Singled an axel. Triple flip and triple lutz-double toe were managed. Footwork was okay, and then a final spin with a twist position and another variation, a little slow at the end. That was one of the better performances I've seen him do, and it's nice to see after his concerns over his coach the prior night. (Who, by the way, was at the rink for the freeskate and thanked the doctors and crowd for the support in the K&C.) 60.21 TE 64.28 PCS ; 124.49 FS = 188.20 Total  

Denis Ten (Kazakhstan): He has some fight in him, but that was pretty much a disaster. Five falls. Insanity. I feel bad for Denis. :-/ 54.69 TE 61.92 PCS Deductions - 5.00 ; 111.61 FS = 176.11 Total

Daisuke Murakami (Japan): Edge called triple lutz-triple toe, which aside from the edge, was nicely done. Solid triple axel-double toe. Triple flip had a bit of a scratch, then an okay camel spin with a catch foot variation. Footwork was sold nicely, he definitely succeeded in getting the crowd involved, and it was pretty good. He smiles a lot during his programs, at least at this competition, which I do think helps add some expression to it. Another triple axel which was pretty good, as well as a triple salchow that was nice too.  Triple loop, fell out of and put both hands down on, counted as a fall. Good triple toe and double axel, along with another footwork sequence which was alright. Deathdrop was a little slow at the end, but overall it and the final combo spin were okay. More than I expected from him coming into this event, based off his Nationals placement. 68.83 TE 68.16 PCS - 1.00 Deduction ; 135.99 FS = 203.00 Total

Armin Mahbonoozadeh (United States): Music is from Avatar, interesting choice. I think his costume reflects the character well, without looking too over the top. Walley into a triple toe to begin, followed by a lovely triple axel! Next was a great triple lutz-double tano toe, and a good triple loop. He really has excellent speed going into his jumps. Footwork was nice and relaxed, pretty.  Second triple axel in combination with a double toe; well done. Flying sit to twist to a back sit variation, lovely. Spread eagle into a triple flip, nice again! Followed that with a great combination spin with interesting variations. Triple salchow, fine, and then a small mistake in singling the intended second triple lutz, but Armin tacked on a double toe- tano double loop, making up a few lost points. The second footwork sequence was very nice, and the final combination spin featured a lovely donut position, sit position, and then a scratch to end. So much more than what I expected out of him! That program was absolutely awesome. I loved it even more upon seeing it again on the NBC broadcast! He even got a standing ovation. 73.62 TE 69.94 PCS ; 143.56 FS = 211.17 Total

Adam Rippon (United States): The opening of his freeskate really reminds me of Johnny Weir's Otonal :). Adam seemed a little off from the start, and then he singled an intended triple axel and tacked a single toe onto it. Cue Lisa entering the nervous zone entirely. After that he did a spread eagle into a nice double axel, and then a Rippon triple lutz, but had a slight wonkiness on the landing with the free leg. Footwork was really pretty, but not as nice artistically as it has been at his prior competitions.  Flying sit into a twist position was nice, and then a triple axel with a hand down. Triple flip-triple toe, the latter called underrotated was alright aside from that, but he needed to RELAX! Another spread eagle into a tano triple lutz-single toe-double loop with a tano. That lutz was a little off though. A fall on a triple flip was followed with a good spin, and nice footwork, but again, not as inspired as usual. Next was a triple salchow that looked nice, but was apparently underrotated. Another good spin to end. Poor Adam. :/ That was so shaky! I don't think I've ever seen him skate so poorly. He said in the K&C that he had no idea what had happened. Such a shame. 57.94 TE 72.24 PCS - 1.00 Deductions ; 129.18 FS = 203.12 Total

Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): Popped open his quad into a triple and stepped out of it. He managed to hold onto his first triple axel, thank goodness. Nice triple loop and an okay flying sit combo. Footwork was good; I think most would agree that his footwork sequences are a highlight of his programs. They always seem to incorporate the spirit of the program and draw you in.After that, triple flip-double toe, okay. Then an unfortunate wipeout on the second triple axel, which was downgraded. Next, a flying layback, pretty with decent speed. Good triple lutz I thought, but edge called? Huh. Good triple salchow, and then a triple lutz (again edge called)-double toe. Again, the footwork was wonderful and then closed with an alright combo spin. Certainly far from his best technically, but with his transitions and interpretation, I thought the actual performance was still pretty good, even with the fall, stepout, and a couple slightly scratchy landings. I dunno about the edge calls though; if the lutzes were on the wrong edge, it wasn't very obvious. Oh, and also like Armin, I enjoyed the program even more on the second viewing. 64.95 TE 85.00 PCS -1.00 Deduction ; 148.95 FS = 227.07 Total

A side note: Daisuke has said something after the competition about adjusting to the spring of his jumps being more powerful again (He had been jumping for again for only a few months before last season started) , so hopefully that is what is making his jumps less consistent than usual.

Nobunari Oda (Japan):Fall on the quad to start. Don't get me wrong, I like Nobunari, but that fall made me retain hope of Daisuke winning (As if you didn't know he was my favorite by now!:P) and thus, breathe a sigh of relief. Triple axel was alright, if a bit held on the landing. Triple flip-triple toe was fine, but didn't have his usual ease to it. Footwork was alright, and the first spin was good. Triple axel again, fine, but no combo on it makes it count automatically as a sequence, leaving Nobu with one legal combination left. Triple lutz-triple toe good, but triple toe was called underrotated. Triple loop, alright, but then he does too many combos with a triple salchow-double toe-double loop, receiving absolutely no credit for it. Good double axel to finish up the jumping, and ended the program with another well done footwork sequence and two spins, including a flying camel combo. I hate when he forgets to count the combinations! I feel bad for him, but I'm also really surprised that he hasn't learned to remember by now; I mean, it cost him a trip to the 2006 Olympics AND two World bronze medals (if I remember correctly.). 68.17 TE 79.64 PCS - 1.00 Deductions ; 146.81 FS = 226.09 Total

Freeskate Results
Overall Results

Skate America - Men's Short (Plus a tidbit of Skate Canada)

Okay... I know, I'm really behind, but I promise I will try to catch up on the men's free from Cup of China in the next couple of days (my internet keeps spazzing out during the events and I inevitably have to go back to watch at least a couple of skaters) and post about the men's free from Skate America too. However, there is no forthcoming post on Skate Canada, as I was busy that weekend and only got to see a few of the men. A couple of quick thoughts on it though, for the heck of it.

Adam Rippon had two nice, solid programs with at least some magic to them. Nobunari Oda was good overall, if a little uninspired - as others have mentioned, he really would benefit artistically from programs that draw some sort of emotion out of him, such as his Charlie Chaplin freeskate from last season. And, of course,  Patrick Chan got the Canadian bonus to a ridiculous extent, considering that at that event overall, he was the Chanboni. I'm sorry, but 3 falls in the short program alone should have left him buried, even with his obviously wonderful basics. I must note though, that I'm not one who really sees much semblance of artistry in him that others think is exceptional, which isn't too surprising, skating being a very subjective sport. Short program aside, I don't even think Patrick had a freeskate worth such a high score. Most of his landings were tentative at best, scratchy at worst, and then of course that crash on the triple axel... the only jump I thought was particularly good was the opening quad ( Of course, that may just be me... haha). That went on way longer than I intended... oops ;P. Anyway, onto the actual blog topic: the men's short program from Skate America!

Daisuke Murakami (Japan): Good triple lutz-triple toe to start, as well as a good triple axel! Wow, I really wasn't expecting such a strong start from him! Triple flip was alright, and the following spin had nice enough positions, but was on the slow side. Second spin was much better though, and some nice enough footwork was okay. Okay flying camel, but lost speed on the catch foot variation. Pretty good skate overall! I'm actually kind of impressed. 36.26 TE 30.75 PCS = 68.01 Total

Armin Mahbanoozadeh (United States): Opened with a nice triple axel, but put his hand down for some reason... it wasn't necessary. Triple flip-triple toe was alright, and his donut variation in his flying spin was really nice. Good triple lutz and then a fast sit spin. His footwork was nice as well, and I really enjoy how he  sells the program with his smile; it's rather charming, and somehow not cheesy. Nobunari and Takahiko should take notes from him on facial expression ;). Again, a fast spin with an interesting downward facing camel position with a bent free leg and arms in front. Very nice program, and a pleasant surprise for certain! Armin really has very nice spins - some of the best that I've seen so far this season, for sure. 37.05 TE 30.56 PCS = 67.61 Total 

Viktor Pfeifer (Austria): Good double axel, and triple lutz-triple toe was nice as well. Unfortunately, after that Viktor doubled his flip, pretty much killing his score considering that he didn't even try a triple axel. Fairly nice camel spin and catch foot variation. Fun footwork, but a lot seems to just be arm waving. Okay flying spin, but a weird sit variation and a weird upright spin variation on the end of it. It looked almost like the transitional part of a biellmann, when you are starting to pull the leg up. Also, oddly, it resembled a spin from the Nintendo DS game Imagine: Ice Champions that they called the Yoga Spin (It's a guilty pleasure of a game, okay? Hahaha.). Anyway, scores were 26.82 TE 28.19 PCS = 55.01 Total

Stephen Carriere (United States): Man, he looks older than I remember. Haven't seen a whole lot of him the last year or two though, so that probably explains it. Older Stephen, but same triple axel problem that night :-/. Crash on an underrotated triple axel. He did recover well, with a good triple lutz-double toe combo, and a triple loop. Flying spin and variations were alright. Like Pfeifer, fun footwork, but I'm not used to seeing Stephen with a program quite like this, though he's done something probably not too far off a couple years ago, just a little more subdued I suppose. Very nice sit spin, but variation got slow at the end. Ending spin was fine overall too. I think this program reminds me of Rachael Flatt's short last year, which is more than likely why I'm not quite sold on it. Oh well. 27.17 TE 32.97 PCS -1.00 Deduction = 59.14 Total

Shawn Sawyer (Canada): Triple axel two footed, fallen on, and downgraded to a double by the technical specialists. Good triple flip-triple toe though, and I LOVE his cantavalier (sp?). Ugh, doubled the lutz. Great camel change camel with a catch foot variation, and a flying spin with a sit twist variation. Nice footwork too, and finished with a combination spin that included his signature split spin. Man, everything but the lutz and axel was great! Can we come up with a new discipline to allow Shawn to skate solo, but not jump? Singles ice dancing? Well... I can dream :P. Such a shame. 24.63 TE 33.51 PCS - 1.00 Deduction = 56.94 Total

Nan Song (China): Triple flip, stepped out. It was intended to be his combo. Seems like there's some attempt at expression going on, even if it's not a huge effort. Spread eagle, then a solid triple axel. Flying camel was fine, but lost speed on the variation. Very nice triple lutz, which he really should have tacked a combination onto. Sit change sit with twist variation was alright, and I liked the footwork; it seemed to have some nice dynamics, and did actually suit the music. Final spin had some traveling issues, but it wasn't horrible.  Not too bad of a skate. More transitions and presentation than some of the Chinese guys, which might not be saying a whole lot, but still, it is nice to see some effort is being put forth. 31.23 TE 30.98 PCS = 62.21 Total

Denis Ten (Kazakstan): It feels like I've been hearing his name around for awhile, but he's only 17. Unfortunate crash on the triple axel attempt right off the bat. Then tries a triple lutz-triple toe, but turns out in between the two. However, Denis did manage to hold onto his triple flip at least, and he has a great camel position in his spins, and a nice cannon position as well. Nice sit twist variation also, but lost speed at the end of the spin. His footwork was kind of hyperactive, and maybe a bit too Evan Lysacek-esque for me, which isn't too shocking, given that Frank Carroll now coaches Denis. Good height on his flying spin, but lost speed on the donut position. 32.50 TE 33.00 PCS -1.00 Deduction = 64.50 Total

Adrian Schultheiss (Sweden): Somehow pulled off that triple lutz-triple toe despite an obvious lack of speed. Triple axel attempt, handdown. Flying spin was fine but the variations were kind of weird. Sit, twist variation, change sit was alright. Pretty good triple flip too, and the last spin was fine, except the loss of speed. Ended with footwork that wasn't bad, but was on the blah side. 32.21 TE 31.50 PCS = 63.71 Total

Side note: Later found out that Adrian's coach was missing and he couldn't locate him before the short program, but he skated because he thought his coach would want him to. At some point after that I believe Adrian's coach was found unconscious in his hotel room and was taken to a hospital due to heart palpatations. All things considered, with the stress of having no idea where your coach is, it's amazing what Adrian accomplished in the short. Kudos to him for holding it together.

Adam Rippon (United States): Opened with a fallout and hands down on a triple axel, but it was fully rotated. Nice triple flip-triple toe combo, followed by a lovely Rippon triple lutz, with a flourish and great expression on the ride out. Great spin* after that, and then some pretty nice footwork. I love all of the little details in this program, a head tilt here, a twist of the body there, etc. A good final spin in a sit change sit with a variation, ending the spin with a upright back crossfoot position. A pretty good performance overall, I thought. I am definitely looking forward to seeing it develop further as Adam becomes more comfortable with it. 36.83 TE 37.11 PCS = 73.94 Total

Kevin van der Perren (Belgium): Someone clearly didn't get the 'plunging neckline = mesh' memo. Yikes... how I wish he'd gotten that memo! Anyway, very, very good triple axel at the beginning, with at good triple lutz-triple toe not long after. Doubled the flip soon after that too... Silly! Death drop was okay, but the variations weren't great positions and it lacks speed. Camel spins could definitely use a lot of improvement in position and again, the speed. Uninteresting footwork with absolutely no zest to it :-/. And finally, a combo spin at the end that was ridiculously slow. I was appalled. Great jumps aside from the flip, but his spins are really poor in general. 30.12 TE 32.10 PCS = 62.22 Total

Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): Well, I think we certainly know who owns the crowd even before a single element is performed! Great triple flip-triple toe followed by a triple axel that seemed perfectly fine until he had a step out after it'd already glided back some. How very odd. It was called underrotated too... hm. Flying layback was alright, but only got a level 1 because he didn't hit the position fast enough upon landing.Fallout on the triple lutz, I think he just couldn't quite check it out properly. Sit change sit, fine, and footwork... fantastic, as anticipated. Simultaneously very fun, flirty, and difficult; the man certainly knows how to work a crowd. Okay camel, sit variation, crossfoot combo spin to finish. Obviously some problems on the jumps, but in terms of actually performing, it was very fun and alive, lots of spark. Despite the mistakes, still very enjoyable. 35.69 TE 42.43 PCS = 78.12 Total

Nobunari Oda (Japan): Good triple axel in the opening, as well as an easy triple flip-triple toe. Very nice flying camel and variations. Great triple lutz too! Sit change sit with variations and then lost speed on that dang A-Frame I love so much *eye roll*.( I HAVE wonder what possessed someone to think that that position is attractive in the slightest.) Footwork is well done and everything, but there's nothing exciting about it or significance to it aside from it being a basic requirement. Sit change sit cannonball variation, very nice, and loads of speed on basics throughout the program. Excellent technically, but nothing special on a artistic level. 39.60 TE 39.68 PCS = 79.28 Total


*My apologies for lack of detail on some spins, etc. It's hard to catch all of them when variations change so quickly, especially when you're wracked with nerves, hoping for a particular skater to do well. O-:-)
Men's short results