Elladj Balde (Canada): Edge called on his triple flip-triple toe that also had a slight stepout. Triple axel underrotated ,two footed, and fallen on. Slight bobble on the triple lutz too. First spin was nice, the other two weren't as successful. You could see he was trying to really perform, which is nice. TE 28.82 PCS 28.17 Deduction - 1.00 = SP 55.99 (10th)
Ross Miner (USA): Pretty sure this is the same short program he had last year (it's the same costume as last year, at least). Singled axel at the beginning and his triple lutz was a bit scratching and he only managed a double toe on the end of it instead of a triple. He got it back on track with a nice triple flip. Most spins were alright; the last one was particularly nice, and his footwork was okay. I'm glad Ross didn't give up and got the performance back on track, but it still was kind of bland. Something to work on, for sure. TE 29.62 PCS 31.21 PCS = SP 60.83 (9th)
Denis Ten (Kazakhstan): He has nice speed across the ice. Triple axel was good in the air and initially on the landing too, but he somehow leaned too far back AFTER actually landing it and stumbled a bit (they counted it as a fall on deductions). His triple flip-triple toe was alright, followed by a lovely death drop and a triple lutz that was fine. Camel changefoot camel with an alright donut position but it slowed. Last spin was a combination spin with an A frame position which was done well enough (that position still is a least favorite of mine though). Footwork has some nice twizzles and other steps, but his arms got flaily in a few parts of it, which was probably made to appear worse than it was by the style of sleeves his costume had. TE 38.94 PCS 33.46 Deduction - 1.00 = SP 71.50 (5th)
Andrei Rogozine (Canada): Good triple flip-triple toe and a spread eagle to his triple axel; the landing had to be worked a bit, but that's was a rather difficult entry. The music randomly changed while he was spinning.. it was a little odd. Good triple lutz and a good spin after. His footwork was okay but his last spin was really slow by the time he was finishing it. TE 35.68 PCS 31.60 = SP 67.28 (6th)
Javier Fernandez (Spain): Nice quad toe to start the program! Man... I forgot how fast Javier rotates in the air - it's really something. Very good triple lutz-triple toe after that, as well as a good triple axel. His footwork went was really suited to the theme of the program; it was cute and done well. His spins could use some work. They traveled a lot and were on the slow side. Pretty impressive overall though... those jumps were ridiculous. He was very pleased with his performance; his reaction was adorable, haha. TE 45.60 PCS 39.11 = SP 84.71 (1st)
Alexander Majorov (Sweden): His costume made me think that he was Richard Dornbush for a second. His triple axel was alright, but some trouble on the triple lutz; he pitched forward a bit on the landing and had to settle for a double toe on the end of it to complete his combination with it. He had more trouble on the triple flip after that, turning out on the landing. Sloppy sit change sit spin and trouble on the other spins as well. He tried to be entertaining with this Austin Powers routine, but it didn't really work for me; the footwork in particularly felt kitschy. TE 33.36 PCS 31.78 = SP 65.14 (7th)
Adam Rippon (USA): Haha, he made a great face before starting... looking confident. Good Rippon triple lutz to start and nice speed in general. It looked like his free foot might have touched the ice a bit on the landing of his triple axel, but it was rotated and he avoid falling out of it, which is still a victory for him. Triple flip-triple toe combo; the flip was alright but you could see on the replay that the triple toe was under. After that was an alright spin and his footwork sequence, which seemed a little clumsy - I'm wondering if he's just not comfortable with it yet. Loved his split jump after that, and it was nice to see his layback spin again. I'm not sure how I feel about this program; I think it'll take a couple more performances for me to know if I like it or not. Another great face after finishing his program. TE 36.61 PCS 36.28 = SP 72.89 (4th)
Kevin van der Perren (Belgium): Triple axel popped into a double to start, followed by a triple flip-triple toe and a good triple lutz. His spins are still pretty poor, but while his footwork wasn't done amazingly well, it at least had a section of one foot turns that are difficult, which is some improvement. TE 31.86 PCS 32.15 = SP 64.01 (8th)
Patrick Chan (Canada): First was his quad toe, which he put his hand down on and turned out of, followed by his triple axel attempt, which was doubled. Good combo spin but it traveled a bit. Triple lutz-triple toe was alright, and his flying spin and camel change camel were on the good side. Footwork had some nice twizzles and edges. As Patrick said in the kiss and cry, "Better than last year". I'm still not a fan of this program (which he kept from last season). TE 40.38 PCS 42.90 = SP 83.28 (3rd)
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): The crowd absolutely errupted when his name was announced. Good triple flip-triple toe to start. Good triple axel! A flying sit spin that was quite nice and then an alright triple lutz. His camel change camel with a not so great donut variation and it was his slowest spin. His trademark footwork was gorgeous and he ended with a nicely done combo spin. I love the mood of this program; it's intense and you could see as soon as he took his opening pose that he was ready to perform. This performance was more than I dared hope from Daisuke at this point in the season; it was rock solid technically and he really drew you into the program. I could not be happier with how he skated. TE 42.41 PCS 42.25 = SP 84.66(2nd)
Showing posts with label Skate Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skate Canada. Show all posts
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Skate Canada: Ladies Short Program
Adriana Desanctis (Canada): Handdown on the triple lutz to start, followed by an alright triple salchow-double toe combo. Her layback spin was nice but it lost speed at the end. Telegraphed double axel, she pitched forward on the landing a bit. Okay combo spin, then slow footwork and a slow spin to end. Her overall program was slow and her music had a strange, moseying feel to it which really didn't help. 26.18 TE + 20.96 PCS = SP 47.14 (9th)
Elizaveta Tuktamisheva (Russia): This is her senior GP debut. Opened with a very nice triple lutz-triple toe, followed by an okay triple loop and a very light, airy double axel (clearly a frontloaded program, but certainly an impressive display regardless). Her layback traveled, and her other two spins weren't particularly great either. Her posture during her footwork could be better, but there was some nice elements to it. She needs maturity, but she's still only 14... she has plenty of time yet and she has a spark about her. 33.95 TE + 25.62 PCS = SP 59.57 (1st)
Sarah Hecken (Germany): Skating to one of the warhorse pieces... Malaguena. Messy triple toe-double toe, followed by a triple salchow that was okay. Her layback could use a lot of improvement. Nice double axel, then she finished up with a couple of okayish spins and footwork sequence. Not a very exciting performance, but it seemed like she was making an effort to try to perform, which I have to appreciate. 22.78 TE 21.72 PCS = SP 44.50 (10th)
Ashley Wagner (USA): Opened with a very nice triple flip-double toe with a Rippon variation on the latter. The landing of her triple lutz was kind of hoppy and she flutzed as well. Finished her jumping passes with a nice double axel. Her spins had nice positions, her footwork was alright, and I really liked her outside edge spread eagle. I liked her program; it was pleasant and suited her well. The thing I like best about Ashley's skating is that she has her own unique feel about her skating that makes her stand out from the other girls. TE 30.02 PCS 24.48 = SP 54.50 (2nd)
Amelie Lacoste (Canada): Okay double axel, a good triple loop-double loop combo, and then a fall on an downgraded triple flutz. Rough day for her. TE 26.71 PCS 24.89 Deduction -1.00 = SP 50.60 (6th)
Cynthia Phaneuf (Canada): I question the design of the back of her skirt... Nice double axel, and then she popped her triple lutz into a single, followed by a triple toe-double toe. One of her spins was alright, , the others weren't as good. Her footwork sequence that had a bit of sass to it. TE 23.36 PCS 25.34 = SP 48.70 (8th)
Rachael Flatt (USA): I actually forgot that she planned to keep this East of Eden short program, so I was a little surprised to hear it when she started skating, haha. Triple flip-double toe, triple lutz (that one looked possibly a little underrotated to me), and double axel were all completed fine, but her strange technique on all three is still there. That's definitely something I'd love to see her improve on - she'll get more height in her flips/lutzes without the highkick and could get more height of the axel with a different takeoff technique. Her foot position on her layback was nice and turned out, though it'd be nice to see more bend in her back position. Good speed on her footwork but the arm movements could be toned down still. TE 29.14 PCS 25.69 = SP 54.23 (3rd)
Mirai Nagasu (USA): I love her dress, especially the skirt. Lovely Ina Bauer to a nice triple loop and good general speed across the ice. Fall on a downgraded triple lutz, leaving her without a combination. She got it back together with a good double axel, followed by a very pretty layback spin with a good Biellmann variation (free foot in the layback could be turned out a little more, but honestly, that's just nitpicking, considering the overall quality of it). Nice spin position on her flying camel and her footwork was a little slow, but had some nice elements. She finished with nice positions but again, on the slow side. I love Mirai's skating, but I'm not really sold on this program so far. TE 27.61 PCS 26.12 Deduction -1.00 = SP 52.73 (5th)
Alena Leonova (Russia): Interesting pirate costume. Fallout on her combination, a triple toe-triple toe; the second was tilted in the air. Alright triple flip, then a singled axel. Her footwork was character driven but there was a lot of stopping and standing. TE 23.86 PCS 2589 = SP 49.75 (7th)
Akiko Suzuki (Japan): Good presence from the start. Hop out on her triple toe- single loop. Triple lutz looked underrotated to me and got an edge call. Nice double axel and well performed, difficult footwork. Her spins are some of the nicer ones in the competition, with pretty positions and alright speed. I really like this program a lot - it's interesting and she works it. TE 26.14 PCS 26.68 PCS = SP 52.85 (4th)
Short Program Results
Protocols
Elizaveta Tuktamisheva (Russia): This is her senior GP debut. Opened with a very nice triple lutz-triple toe, followed by an okay triple loop and a very light, airy double axel (clearly a frontloaded program, but certainly an impressive display regardless). Her layback traveled, and her other two spins weren't particularly great either. Her posture during her footwork could be better, but there was some nice elements to it. She needs maturity, but she's still only 14... she has plenty of time yet and she has a spark about her. 33.95 TE + 25.62 PCS = SP 59.57 (1st)
Sarah Hecken (Germany): Skating to one of the warhorse pieces... Malaguena. Messy triple toe-double toe, followed by a triple salchow that was okay. Her layback could use a lot of improvement. Nice double axel, then she finished up with a couple of okayish spins and footwork sequence. Not a very exciting performance, but it seemed like she was making an effort to try to perform, which I have to appreciate. 22.78 TE 21.72 PCS = SP 44.50 (10th)
Ashley Wagner (USA): Opened with a very nice triple flip-double toe with a Rippon variation on the latter. The landing of her triple lutz was kind of hoppy and she flutzed as well. Finished her jumping passes with a nice double axel. Her spins had nice positions, her footwork was alright, and I really liked her outside edge spread eagle. I liked her program; it was pleasant and suited her well. The thing I like best about Ashley's skating is that she has her own unique feel about her skating that makes her stand out from the other girls. TE 30.02 PCS 24.48 = SP 54.50 (2nd)
Amelie Lacoste (Canada): Okay double axel, a good triple loop-double loop combo, and then a fall on an downgraded triple flutz. Rough day for her. TE 26.71 PCS 24.89 Deduction -1.00 = SP 50.60 (6th)
Cynthia Phaneuf (Canada): I question the design of the back of her skirt... Nice double axel, and then she popped her triple lutz into a single, followed by a triple toe-double toe. One of her spins was alright, , the others weren't as good. Her footwork sequence that had a bit of sass to it. TE 23.36 PCS 25.34 = SP 48.70 (8th)
Rachael Flatt (USA): I actually forgot that she planned to keep this East of Eden short program, so I was a little surprised to hear it when she started skating, haha. Triple flip-double toe, triple lutz (that one looked possibly a little underrotated to me), and double axel were all completed fine, but her strange technique on all three is still there. That's definitely something I'd love to see her improve on - she'll get more height in her flips/lutzes without the highkick and could get more height of the axel with a different takeoff technique. Her foot position on her layback was nice and turned out, though it'd be nice to see more bend in her back position. Good speed on her footwork but the arm movements could be toned down still. TE 29.14 PCS 25.69 = SP 54.23 (3rd)
Mirai Nagasu (USA): I love her dress, especially the skirt. Lovely Ina Bauer to a nice triple loop and good general speed across the ice. Fall on a downgraded triple lutz, leaving her without a combination. She got it back together with a good double axel, followed by a very pretty layback spin with a good Biellmann variation (free foot in the layback could be turned out a little more, but honestly, that's just nitpicking, considering the overall quality of it). Nice spin position on her flying camel and her footwork was a little slow, but had some nice elements. She finished with nice positions but again, on the slow side. I love Mirai's skating, but I'm not really sold on this program so far. TE 27.61 PCS 26.12 Deduction -1.00 = SP 52.73 (5th)
Alena Leonova (Russia): Interesting pirate costume. Fallout on her combination, a triple toe-triple toe; the second was tilted in the air. Alright triple flip, then a singled axel. Her footwork was character driven but there was a lot of stopping and standing. TE 23.86 PCS 2589 = SP 49.75 (7th)
Akiko Suzuki (Japan): Good presence from the start. Hop out on her triple toe- single loop. Triple lutz looked underrotated to me and got an edge call. Nice double axel and well performed, difficult footwork. Her spins are some of the nicer ones in the competition, with pretty positions and alright speed. I really like this program a lot - it's interesting and she works it. TE 26.14 PCS 26.68 PCS = SP 52.85 (4th)
Short Program Results
Protocols
Friday, October 28, 2011
ISU GP Skate Canada -- Daisuke TAKAHASHI - SP
2nd place behind Javier Fernandez with 84.66 points. My thoughts on the men and ladies' short programs will be posted later!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Skate Canada: A Preview
It is almost time for what will almost certainly be the most... interestingly scored event of the Grand Prix. I'll give it to you straight - I am both really looking forward to this and yet dreading how the scoring will play out. In any case though, I'm certainly hoping for much better skating than we saw at Skate America last week.
Ice Dance: Virtue/Moir are clearly the team to beat here - unless they have an absolutely massive meltdown, I just can't see them not winning, especially in their home country and with Pechalat/Bourzat withdrawing due to Bourzat being ill, I don't think there's anyone here to challenge them. Cappellini/Lanotte and Weaver/Poje seem likely to be in the medal hunt. Also of note is the new team of Madison Chock/Evan Bates, both of which have been U.S. National medalists and Worlds competitors with former partners; I have yet to see them skate, but it'll be interesting to see how they do here, as a team that will be hoping to snag that third U.S. Worlds spot come January.
Pairs: World silver medalists Volosozhar/Trankov shouldn't have much trouble here. I think it'll probably a battle for the other two spots on the podium between Sui/Han, Takahashi/Tran, Lawrence/Swiegers, and Duhamel/Radford. Jessica Dube will be competing with her new partner Sebastian Wolfe and maybe they could play spoiler but it's hard to say, especially with them having skated together for less than a year.
Ladies: Like Skate America, there are a lot of ladies here that have medal potential. Akiko Suzuki did very well on the Grand Prix last year, despite less than generous PCS from the judges, and Mirai Nagasu could be a huge factor if she keeps it together in her freeskate. Cynthia Phaneuf will have the home country advantage and has placed in the top 5 at Worlds and Alena Leonova just missed out on a World bronze last season, so if their jumps are there, they're ones to keep an eye on. Rachael Flatt wasn't scored generously internationally last season, but still managed to medal at both of her events and make the Grand Prix Final and is often one of the more consistent competitors. Ashley Wagner has a different style than most of the other ladies and might do very well if her jumps are clean, but she is prone to two footed landings on her triples. Lastly, Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, fresh out the junior ranks, is definitely a girl to keep your eye on. Despite her youth, she is known for consistently landing difficult triple-triple combinations and there's even a video floating around on youtube of her landing a triple axel! The ladies definitely look to be one of the most exciting competitions of Skate Canada and I'm looking forward to seeing how this pans out.
Men: There are probably three main guys to watch out for here; Patrick Chan, Daisuke Takahashi, and Adam Rippon. In all honesty, I'll be surprised if Patrick doesn't leave with the gold here; he fell three times at the Japan Open a few weeks ago and still was the top scoring man. With his generous scores in general and this being one of the events with the most inflated scores, that's probably just the way it's going to be. The 2010 World Champion Daisuke Takahashi is planning to try a quad in both programs this season, but it's hard to say how ready his jumps will be considering his screw removal surgery in his knee a few months ago. I believe in him wholeheartedly, but he just simply might not have enough mileage on his jumps yet for them to be steady here. Adam Rippon started off last season with a bang at the Japan Open but fizzled out as the season went on. If he stays confident and he can control his triple axel and his new quad - the lutz, he has a great shot at medaling here.
Of course, there are other men who could be factors and given the events of last week, it'd be silly of me to disregard them! Kevin van der Perren will be fresh off his silver at Skate Canada and while I doubt that he'll be able to replicate that result here, it definitely proves that if more complete overall skaters really falter on their jumps, his jumping prowess could stand him in good stead. Javier Fernandez, Denis Ten, and Ross Miner likely all have quads planned and if they hit them as well as their other jumps... things could get interesting. Also of note is Chan's countryman, World Junior Champion Andrei Rogozine will also be competing - I haven't the slightest idea where he might end up, but I'll be keeping an eye out.
Here's the online streaming schedule.
Ice Dance: Virtue/Moir are clearly the team to beat here - unless they have an absolutely massive meltdown, I just can't see them not winning, especially in their home country and with Pechalat/Bourzat withdrawing due to Bourzat being ill, I don't think there's anyone here to challenge them. Cappellini/Lanotte and Weaver/Poje seem likely to be in the medal hunt. Also of note is the new team of Madison Chock/Evan Bates, both of which have been U.S. National medalists and Worlds competitors with former partners; I have yet to see them skate, but it'll be interesting to see how they do here, as a team that will be hoping to snag that third U.S. Worlds spot come January.
Pairs: World silver medalists Volosozhar/Trankov shouldn't have much trouble here. I think it'll probably a battle for the other two spots on the podium between Sui/Han, Takahashi/Tran, Lawrence/Swiegers, and Duhamel/Radford. Jessica Dube will be competing with her new partner Sebastian Wolfe and maybe they could play spoiler but it's hard to say, especially with them having skated together for less than a year.
Ladies: Like Skate America, there are a lot of ladies here that have medal potential. Akiko Suzuki did very well on the Grand Prix last year, despite less than generous PCS from the judges, and Mirai Nagasu could be a huge factor if she keeps it together in her freeskate. Cynthia Phaneuf will have the home country advantage and has placed in the top 5 at Worlds and Alena Leonova just missed out on a World bronze last season, so if their jumps are there, they're ones to keep an eye on. Rachael Flatt wasn't scored generously internationally last season, but still managed to medal at both of her events and make the Grand Prix Final and is often one of the more consistent competitors. Ashley Wagner has a different style than most of the other ladies and might do very well if her jumps are clean, but she is prone to two footed landings on her triples. Lastly, Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, fresh out the junior ranks, is definitely a girl to keep your eye on. Despite her youth, she is known for consistently landing difficult triple-triple combinations and there's even a video floating around on youtube of her landing a triple axel! The ladies definitely look to be one of the most exciting competitions of Skate Canada and I'm looking forward to seeing how this pans out.
Men: There are probably three main guys to watch out for here; Patrick Chan, Daisuke Takahashi, and Adam Rippon. In all honesty, I'll be surprised if Patrick doesn't leave with the gold here; he fell three times at the Japan Open a few weeks ago and still was the top scoring man. With his generous scores in general and this being one of the events with the most inflated scores, that's probably just the way it's going to be. The 2010 World Champion Daisuke Takahashi is planning to try a quad in both programs this season, but it's hard to say how ready his jumps will be considering his screw removal surgery in his knee a few months ago. I believe in him wholeheartedly, but he just simply might not have enough mileage on his jumps yet for them to be steady here. Adam Rippon started off last season with a bang at the Japan Open but fizzled out as the season went on. If he stays confident and he can control his triple axel and his new quad - the lutz, he has a great shot at medaling here.
Of course, there are other men who could be factors and given the events of last week, it'd be silly of me to disregard them! Kevin van der Perren will be fresh off his silver at Skate Canada and while I doubt that he'll be able to replicate that result here, it definitely proves that if more complete overall skaters really falter on their jumps, his jumping prowess could stand him in good stead. Javier Fernandez, Denis Ten, and Ross Miner likely all have quads planned and if they hit them as well as their other jumps... things could get interesting. Also of note is Chan's countryman, World Junior Champion Andrei Rogozine will also be competing - I haven't the slightest idea where he might end up, but I'll be keeping an eye out.
Here's the online streaming schedule.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
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
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
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.
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