4 Continents Pairs Videos

Pang & Tong's short program


Pang & Tong's Freeskate


Evora & Ladwig's short program


Takahashi & Tran's short program


Takahashi & Tran's freeskate


Duhamel & Radford's Freeskate

4 Continents Pairs Freeskate & Overall Results

1. Qing Pang & Jian Tong TE 61.23 PCS 66.81;FS 128.04 = 199.45 Total (CHN)
2.Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford TE 66.55 PCS 55.32 ;FS 121.87 = 181.79 Total (CAN)
3.Paige Lawrence & Rudi Swiegers TE 58.20 PCS 53.53.55 ;FS 111.75 = 171.73 Total (CAN)
4.Caitlin Yankowskas & John Coughlin TE 57.16 PCS 54.56 ;FS 111.72 = 166.97 Total (USA)
5.Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch TE 58.93 PCS 53.88 -1.00 ;FS 111.81 = 166.22 Total (CAN)
6.Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig TE 53.57 PCS 53.50 -2.00 ;FS 105.07 =  Total 157.30 (USA)
7.Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran TE 52.56 PCS 51.82 -2.00 ;FS 102.38 = 152.63 Total (JPN)
8.Mary Beth Marley & Rockne Brubaker TE 51.35 PCS 47.51 ;FS 98.86 = 144.46 Total (USA)
9.Huibo Dong & Yiming Wu TE 47.38 PCS 41.31 ;FS 88.69 = 135.10 Total (CHN)
10. Yue Zhang & Lei Wang TE 45.63 PCS 42.69 ;FS 88.32 = 138.93 Total (CHN)

Detailed Freeskate Results
Protocols

Skating Updates

Mark Ladwig's heel broke off of his skate during the pairs short at 4 Continents, but Rudi Swiegler very generously lent him his skate so Mark and Amanda Evora could finish their short program.

Qing Pang and Jian Tong plan to wed after Worlds this season.

Pang and Tong are also leading after the pairs short by over 11 points.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, in their first competition of the season, have a narrrow lead over Meryl Davis and Charlie White after the short dance. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje sit in third, while Maia and Alex Shibutani are in fourth.

Rise is tonight, here is info from U.S. Figure Skating about the event. There will also be another showing of it March 7th in some locations.

It has been announced that Short Dance's compulsory segment next season will likely be the Rhumba. Also, Daisuke Takahashi was landing quad toes in practice in the main rink and is happy with his condition. Miki Ando says she isn't in prime condition and is somewhat tired.

4 Continents Pairs Short Results

1. Qing Pang & Jian Tong TE 39.29 PCS 33.12 - 1.00 = 71.41 Total (CHN)2. Paige Lawrence & Rudi Swiegers TE 34.21 PCS 25.77  = 59.98 Total (CAN)
3. Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford TE 35.38 PCS 25.54 -1.00  = 59.92 Total (CAN)
4.Caitlin Yankowskas & John Coughlin TE 29.02 PCS 26.23 = 55.25 Total (USA)
5.Kristen Moores-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch TE 28.12 PCS 26.29  = 54.41 Total (CAN)
6.Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig TE 28.14 PCS 25.09 -1.00 = 52.23 Total (USA)
7.Yue Zhang & Lei Wang TE 28.93 PCS 21.68  = 50.61 Total (CHN)
8.Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran TE 26.77  PCS 25.48 -2.00 = 50.25 Total (JPN)
9.Huibo Dong & Yiming Wu TE 25.41 PCS 21.00 = 46.41 Total (CHN)
10. Mary Beth Marley & Rockne Brubaker TE 23.60 PCS 22.00 = 45.60 Total (USA)

Detailed Results
Protocol

30 Days of Skating - Day 16: Your Dream 2014 Olympic Medalists

...Like you didn't see that coming after you read the title. ;) This one is so much easier than predicting who I think will win!

For the ladies, I'd like to see something like this...

Gold -Mao Asada
Silver - Mirai Nagasu
Bronze -Christina Gao/Akiko Suzuki

Mao is a lovely skater and wants it (Olympic gold) so badly, and I appreciate that she is trying to relearn her jumps in order to have proper technique and a full set of triples. It's hard to correct something when you have the wrong way to do it in your muscle memory from doing it that way so long, and I think it's great that Mao is working on her weak points and trying to make her skating the best it can be. Mirai has a personality that really grabs your attention and when at her best, you can see it in her performances. Christina Gao stood out to me in the splat fest that was US Nationals last season, so I'd like to see her grow and hopefully be an Olympic medalist one day. And finally, Akiko Suzuki, because she skates with heart; you can see she enjoys skating and I love that she brings you along for the ride.

For the pairs... well. I don't see nearly as many anymore, but from what I do...
Gold - Pang/Tong (though in reality, I kinda doubt they'll stay in)
Silver - Savchenko/Szolkowy
Bronze - Barazova/Larionov

I have a soft spot for Pang and Tong after watching them for so long and I'm basically a sucker for a good pairs love story. I enjoy their lyrical style and it's always a pleasure to watch Chinese throws and twists. Savchenko and Szolkowy impressed me at the 2010 Olympics - I really loved their freeskate, and I find it a bit of a shame that their Olympic season didn't go quite how they had hoped (although never would I EVER wish that Shen and Zhao hadn't won in Vancouver) , and I think it'd be great if they stayed in and improved on their placement in Sochi. Barazova and Larionov have a beautiful style, and if they continue to improve and avoid injury, they could definitely be serious contenders at top competitions. I'd definitely like to see that, so long as she works on her jumps (they lack height and possibly rotation).

For ice dance, I'd like...
Gold - Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani
Silver - Meryl Davis/Charlie White
Bronze - ?

Although I have no idea who I'd like to have the bronze at this point in time, I'd love to see the Shibutanis and Marlie go 1-2, in either order (after all, the Shibutanis will still be pretty young for ice dancers). I really enjoy both teams, and how amazing would it be for America to win two Olympic medals in ice dance at one time?!?

For the men...
Gold - Daisuke Takahashi
Silver - Adam Rippon/Takahiko Kozuka
Bronze - Florent Amodio

Yeah, yeah - my pick for gold is extremely predictable, but what can I say? Daisuke is my clear favorite and he wants the gold so badly. I really feel that as amazing of a skater that he is and considering what he's overcome to get this far, that he deserves to be the first Japanese man to win the Olympic title in figure skating. For silver, I can't bring myself to decide who I want it for more at this point, Adam or Takahiko, especially because both will be about the same age and might be thinking of retirement by then :-/. Finally, for bronze, I'd like Florent to have it, although by then he might really be challenging for gold if he continues to develop the way he has been.

Hopefully at least a few of my dream picks will come true - the Olympics aren't exactly my favorite skating competition. There always seems to be a skater who misses out on a medal that really deserved one and either were judged poorly or they succumbed to nerves and robbed themselves. Also, sometimes a skater just happens to get lucky and skate well on the right day, but overall their skating isn't worth an Olympic gold and the recognition that comes along with it. I'll take the World Championships over the Olympic heartbreaks any day.

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

NHK Trophy 2010 Rundown

In anticipation of this season's Grand Prix opener, I've decided to post some of my expectations and hopes for certain skaters that I'm keeping my eye on, beginning with my favorite discipline - the men! 

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.