The Free Dance was very predictable, with pre-event favorites finishing where we thought they would.
In fourth place, the Hubbells. They disgust me. I am sorry, they just do. They are a brother and sister team and they just make me feel uncomfortable. Her dress was way too low and the bottoms were cut wrong to be skating with your brother. Also she looks bigger than him. I do not like these people, and was not impressed. I am upset the fifth place team fell during their footwork, because they would have beat the Hubbells and landed on the podium.
In third place, Chock/Zuerlein. I enjoyed her interpretation and both of their footwork sequences, but was too distracted by his make-up to make any other comments. His make-up needs to be dialed down ASAP because he just looked batshit crazy out there - like he had just escaped from an institution for the clinically insane. Not a good look.
In second place, one of my favorite teams, the Shibutanis. They are a brother/sister team that works, because they DON'T try to be sexy. Their classic lines and elegance work to their advantage throughout their performance, and their posture is world class. I can't wait to see them develop in the future. They have made so much improvement from this season compared to last, and hopefully they can build a reputation for themselves and become contenders over the next couple of years.
And the winners are...Davis and White. No surprise here, but honestly, I am not a huge fan of their Free Dance. I really enjoy their short dance, but their free dance is still lacking SOMETHING for me, I just don't know what exactly it is. I think maybe there are too many music cuts, which makes the program seem choppy at times. This is a growing year for them, and this program has definitely grown since their debut on the GPS, but I am not sure this is the right program for them. Hopefully it will be enough for them to win worlds this year, as this is really their "golden opportunity", but I am looking forward to a new program from them next year.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Europeans
Well, I haven't been following Euros too closely seeing as U.S. Nationals are going on at the same time, but I did get the chance to watch the ladies and mens LPs.
Most of the ladies imploded, but Meier and Kostner were clearly above the rest of the field. It was so heartwarming to see Meier's expression at the end of her program, and then after seeing her scores. I have always appreciated her maturity and elegance on the ice, but she never seems to do it when it counts. I was so happy she could come out with her first performance of the season and nail her LP (with the exception of a single toe at the end), and to do it at home. I really like this new program of hers and I wish she would stay and compete at worlds this season, but with all of her injuries and success at this competition, I can see why she wants to retire on a high note.
The only other highlight was Kostner's LP. She went for the flip for the first time this season, and although she fell out of it, she didn't let this mistake affect the rest of her performance. She went on to nail a couple of double axels, one in combination with a triple toe, and some other jumps later in the program that were OK. She did fall once, but it wasn't that bad. I really appreciate her use of the new spiral requirements instead of contorting herself into some ugly beillman position she really isn't good at.
The Men's event, on the other hand, turned out to be a very interesting competition, with near clean performances skated by the top 4.
Kevin van der Perren was the biggest surprise for me. I by NO means like his skating or his style, but I actually enjoyed this performance. When he is on, he is one of the best jumpers out there, but his spins and presentation are still meh. His opening quad toe and triple axel were both beautiful.
Florent Amodio won overall, but was only 3rd in the LP. His triple axels were good today, but for worlds he needs to make sure he does one of his lutzes in a 3-jumps combo if he wants to contend with Chan and the Japanese. I still think his spins need some work, especially the sit-change-sit at the end, but there are a few months until worlds to get those cleaned up. Overall, it was a pretty good performance and I think he is on the right track for worlds. This may not be his year to emerge on top, but it is a year to build his reputation and establish himself as a contender for Sochi.
Thomas Verner finished second in the LP, but opened up with a HUGE quad toe, landing it for the first time this season. He lost his concentration on the triple axel, but got it back for the loop. Although he doubled a lutz at the end and did a single toe on the back end of a combination, this was a good performance for him - he doesn't want to peak too soon. I think training in Canada and doing full run-throughs is agreeing with him and helping his confidence. In the past, I don't think he could've recovered from the step-out on the triple axel.
Finally, the comeback kid (or man...). Brian Joubert surprised me with a near clean skate, and I liked it. He seems to have improved his spin positions and transitions this season, and this new style is working for him. The quad and two triple axels were great, but the choreography step was kind of pathetic. It was smart of him to put the flip in the second half of the program to lessen the penalty of the edge call, but then again he lost points on unnecessary touchdowns on easier triples (loop, sal). He, like Amodio, needs to clean up and polish his programs a little more before worlds, where the two Frenchmen will face stiff competition from Chan, the Japanese, and even the Americans (if they can get it together). Overall a great performance and confidence booster going in to worlds.
Most of the ladies imploded, but Meier and Kostner were clearly above the rest of the field. It was so heartwarming to see Meier's expression at the end of her program, and then after seeing her scores. I have always appreciated her maturity and elegance on the ice, but she never seems to do it when it counts. I was so happy she could come out with her first performance of the season and nail her LP (with the exception of a single toe at the end), and to do it at home. I really like this new program of hers and I wish she would stay and compete at worlds this season, but with all of her injuries and success at this competition, I can see why she wants to retire on a high note.
The only other highlight was Kostner's LP. She went for the flip for the first time this season, and although she fell out of it, she didn't let this mistake affect the rest of her performance. She went on to nail a couple of double axels, one in combination with a triple toe, and some other jumps later in the program that were OK. She did fall once, but it wasn't that bad. I really appreciate her use of the new spiral requirements instead of contorting herself into some ugly beillman position she really isn't good at.
The Men's event, on the other hand, turned out to be a very interesting competition, with near clean performances skated by the top 4.
Kevin van der Perren was the biggest surprise for me. I by NO means like his skating or his style, but I actually enjoyed this performance. When he is on, he is one of the best jumpers out there, but his spins and presentation are still meh. His opening quad toe and triple axel were both beautiful.
Florent Amodio won overall, but was only 3rd in the LP. His triple axels were good today, but for worlds he needs to make sure he does one of his lutzes in a 3-jumps combo if he wants to contend with Chan and the Japanese. I still think his spins need some work, especially the sit-change-sit at the end, but there are a few months until worlds to get those cleaned up. Overall, it was a pretty good performance and I think he is on the right track for worlds. This may not be his year to emerge on top, but it is a year to build his reputation and establish himself as a contender for Sochi.
Thomas Verner finished second in the LP, but opened up with a HUGE quad toe, landing it for the first time this season. He lost his concentration on the triple axel, but got it back for the loop. Although he doubled a lutz at the end and did a single toe on the back end of a combination, this was a good performance for him - he doesn't want to peak too soon. I think training in Canada and doing full run-throughs is agreeing with him and helping his confidence. In the past, I don't think he could've recovered from the step-out on the triple axel.
Finally, the comeback kid (or man...). Brian Joubert surprised me with a near clean skate, and I liked it. He seems to have improved his spin positions and transitions this season, and this new style is working for him. The quad and two triple axels were great, but the choreography step was kind of pathetic. It was smart of him to put the flip in the second half of the program to lessen the penalty of the edge call, but then again he lost points on unnecessary touchdowns on easier triples (loop, sal). He, like Amodio, needs to clean up and polish his programs a little more before worlds, where the two Frenchmen will face stiff competition from Chan, the Japanese, and even the Americans (if they can get it together). Overall a great performance and confidence booster going in to worlds.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
U.S. Nationals - Ladies SP
Not exactly live, but close enough!
Alissa Czisny - Triple lutz+Double toe DEEP outside edge, triple flip possible edge change, spiral, double axel, once again off a deep outside edge. Now we can relax - beautiful flying camel with attractive catch-foot positions, footwork went well with the music, very fast combo spin, ends with a well centered and fast layback, but I noticed she wasn't completely flat in the original layback position. Overall a great performance, the only scary jump being the double axel. 62.50
Looking at the protocol, she changed edge on the flip. PCS were WAY too low.
Christina Gao - HUGE triple flip-triple toe, nice triple lutz - edge looked pretty good, but didn't see a replay so I'm not sure. Flying sit spin and laybacks OK, but the positions could be stretched more. VERY scary double axel - it looked like she slipped off the edge, OK footwork and combo spin. Good performance, but her axel really scares me. 58.43
Appropriate scoring on the protocol.
Agnes Zawadzki - once again a HUGE triple toe-triple toe followed by a big triple lutz. I then got distracted by her awful dress and hair style. There was too much going on in the front, and not enough on the back AND it included a tail. I am confused. I saw a good layback, OK footwork, flying sit spin, good double axel and good combo spin. The dress needs to go. It is awful. 61.54
Still not over her costume after looking at the protocol.... but her PCS were all over the place (Judge 1).
Caroline Zhang - Oh scary fall on the triple flip - I saw that coming she tapped WAY too far to the inside. Good recovery on the triple loop-double toe. Improved speed on spins and going into the double axel, and the return of the pearl spin! She looks like she's in MUCH better shape, so maybe this change is a good idea. Ok footwork, better speed on combo spin. 48.48
Appropriate judging on the protocol, but I think her PCS were a little low.
Mirai Nagasu - Ok triple lutz-double toe - lost some speed on the takeoff, slight flutz. Okay triple flip but it looked a little sideways in the air - she seems slow today. Good footwork and combo spin, big double axel, nice flying sit spin, and great layback. She did some weird stuff getting into her starting position...still confused. 63.35
Apparently the lutz was fine, but the flip got an edge call...? Interesting. Appropriate and fairly consistent PCS throughout the judges.
Vanessa Lam - Nice ina bauers into her double axel, small but fast rotations on both her triple lutz-double loop and triple flip, good layback and combo spins, expressive footwork, and nice flying sit spin to end the program. The crowd was really into it. 57.61
Not much GOE on her jumps. She needs to work on making them higher in case she's not growing, which is definitely possible, seeing as she is only 15. Good PCS for a relative unknown making her senior debut.
Ashley Wagner - Looks nervous at the boards. Steps out of triple flip, does the combo on the lutz, which actually didn't seem to change edge in the slo-mo. Fast flying sit spin, expressive footwork, OK combo spin, nice transitions into her double axel, but she didn't get the height. Good layback to end. You could tell the flu really affected her performance, and she was not happy. 54.63
No edge calls - I saw right. I guess that is one good thing from this performance. Honestly, I thought her transitions and interpretation marks should have been higher, and her performance/execution marks should have been lower. Weird PCS from judges.
Rachael Flatt - Easy triple flip-double toe, but you could tell she wanted a triple toe, swinging edge into the lutz, which seemed slightly under-rotated. Flying camel and layback spins not great, good double axel. Nice ina bauer! Why can't she stretch her back like that in her spins? It makes no sense. Frantic, flailing footwork - shades of Plushenko. Final combo spin OK. Less cringe-worthy than her old program, if you close your eyes during the footwork. 62.32
Looking at her protocol, I am very upset she got +3s for her footwork. Mao doesn't even get that at her own nationals, and there is NO comparison as to who has the better footwork. Also, PCS were higher than Alissa's, which is just WRONG. I am very upset. On the bright side, they judged her layback correctly and awarded her with a level 1.
Alissa Czisny - Triple lutz+Double toe DEEP outside edge, triple flip possible edge change, spiral, double axel, once again off a deep outside edge. Now we can relax - beautiful flying camel with attractive catch-foot positions, footwork went well with the music, very fast combo spin, ends with a well centered and fast layback, but I noticed she wasn't completely flat in the original layback position. Overall a great performance, the only scary jump being the double axel. 62.50
Looking at the protocol, she changed edge on the flip. PCS were WAY too low.
Christina Gao - HUGE triple flip-triple toe, nice triple lutz - edge looked pretty good, but didn't see a replay so I'm not sure. Flying sit spin and laybacks OK, but the positions could be stretched more. VERY scary double axel - it looked like she slipped off the edge, OK footwork and combo spin. Good performance, but her axel really scares me. 58.43
Appropriate scoring on the protocol.
Agnes Zawadzki - once again a HUGE triple toe-triple toe followed by a big triple lutz. I then got distracted by her awful dress and hair style. There was too much going on in the front, and not enough on the back AND it included a tail. I am confused. I saw a good layback, OK footwork, flying sit spin, good double axel and good combo spin. The dress needs to go. It is awful. 61.54
Still not over her costume after looking at the protocol.... but her PCS were all over the place (Judge 1).
Caroline Zhang - Oh scary fall on the triple flip - I saw that coming she tapped WAY too far to the inside. Good recovery on the triple loop-double toe. Improved speed on spins and going into the double axel, and the return of the pearl spin! She looks like she's in MUCH better shape, so maybe this change is a good idea. Ok footwork, better speed on combo spin. 48.48
Appropriate judging on the protocol, but I think her PCS were a little low.
Mirai Nagasu - Ok triple lutz-double toe - lost some speed on the takeoff, slight flutz. Okay triple flip but it looked a little sideways in the air - she seems slow today. Good footwork and combo spin, big double axel, nice flying sit spin, and great layback. She did some weird stuff getting into her starting position...still confused. 63.35
Apparently the lutz was fine, but the flip got an edge call...? Interesting. Appropriate and fairly consistent PCS throughout the judges.
Vanessa Lam - Nice ina bauers into her double axel, small but fast rotations on both her triple lutz-double loop and triple flip, good layback and combo spins, expressive footwork, and nice flying sit spin to end the program. The crowd was really into it. 57.61
Not much GOE on her jumps. She needs to work on making them higher in case she's not growing, which is definitely possible, seeing as she is only 15. Good PCS for a relative unknown making her senior debut.
Ashley Wagner - Looks nervous at the boards. Steps out of triple flip, does the combo on the lutz, which actually didn't seem to change edge in the slo-mo. Fast flying sit spin, expressive footwork, OK combo spin, nice transitions into her double axel, but she didn't get the height. Good layback to end. You could tell the flu really affected her performance, and she was not happy. 54.63
No edge calls - I saw right. I guess that is one good thing from this performance. Honestly, I thought her transitions and interpretation marks should have been higher, and her performance/execution marks should have been lower. Weird PCS from judges.
Rachael Flatt - Easy triple flip-double toe, but you could tell she wanted a triple toe, swinging edge into the lutz, which seemed slightly under-rotated. Flying camel and layback spins not great, good double axel. Nice ina bauer! Why can't she stretch her back like that in her spins? It makes no sense. Frantic, flailing footwork - shades of Plushenko. Final combo spin OK. Less cringe-worthy than her old program, if you close your eyes during the footwork. 62.32
Looking at her protocol, I am very upset she got +3s for her footwork. Mao doesn't even get that at her own nationals, and there is NO comparison as to who has the better footwork. Also, PCS were higher than Alissa's, which is just WRONG. I am very upset. On the bright side, they judged her layback correctly and awarded her with a level 1.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Taking Back What I've Said
I would like to take back what I said about PChan's freeskate. I am not a huge Chan lover, but I do appreciate his skating skills and high quality elements when he performs them well. This performance at Chanadian Nationals was phenomenal! Yes, I still think his expression and interpretation need work, but everything else was spot on. I do, however, agree with my previous comments in that this performance should have earned a score around 185, not 197.
Either way, enjoy this great performance - it is definitely the best LP we have seen from any Male skater this season.
Either way, enjoy this great performance - it is definitely the best LP we have seen from any Male skater this season.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Something I Have Noticed...
Something that I have noticed becoming increasingly awful is the coverage of skating news on IceNetwork.com. I realize that all websites and reporters (and me) have their biases, but IceNetwork is becoming ridiculous. If you look at their website, almost all of their headlines are articles about skaters from Colorado Springs. Yes, that's great every once in a while, but would it hurt them to write an article about someone OTHER than Tom Zakrajsek's students? It's not just because I personally find them all boring, but what about writing about up-and-coming skaters like Vanessa Lam or Yasmin Siraj? Don't they want to expose us to knew skaters so we can know about them in the future when the current skaters retire?
But wait! There is hope - IceNetwork sometimes brings us news from one other rink! I do admit, the stories from Canton, Michigan are much more interesting, but even they get stale after a while. What about doing a report on Sectionals? Or writing about up-and-coming Novice and Junior competitors? I just don't understand why skaters from the East, West, Texas, etc. never get written about.
OK rant over.
OH FYI: I will be doing reports on Nationals, but only on the skaters I feel like watching in the events I want to see. HOPEFULLY that will mean live commentary on some of the Senior events, but we will have to see...
But wait! There is hope - IceNetwork sometimes brings us news from one other rink! I do admit, the stories from Canton, Michigan are much more interesting, but even they get stale after a while. What about doing a report on Sectionals? Or writing about up-and-coming Novice and Junior competitors? I just don't understand why skaters from the East, West, Texas, etc. never get written about.
OK rant over.
OH FYI: I will be doing reports on Nationals, but only on the skaters I feel like watching in the events I want to see. HOPEFULLY that will mean live commentary on some of the Senior events, but we will have to see...
Friday, January 21, 2011
US Nationals
With US Nationals coming up, I wanted to share my thoughts on not only what I think will happen, but also what I want to happen.
First, the Men.
I would like the podium to consist of Jeremy Abbott, Adam Rippon, and Armin Mahbanoozadeh, but Brandon Mroz has had a strong season so I think it will be tough for Armin to get on the podium. I really like Jeremy's LP this season, and hope he can perform it almost to its potential (save the best for worlds) at Nationals. He is the favorite, but if he messes up, others can and will take advantage. Adam had a VERY strong season opener at the Japan Open, but his triple axel proved troublesome during the Grand Prix series. Hopefully everything is under control and he will be able to nail his axels in competition to get his confidence back on them. I really enjoy both of Armin's programs this season, not just for the jumps, spins, choreo, etc., but also because you can tell he really enjoys being out there. His programs are interesting and unique, and he is one of a very small group of men who can actually do a good camel position!
Now, the Ladies. There are only two spots for worlds this year, and the contenders all better bring their A-game, because no one can really afford to make a mistake.
I would like to see Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner, and Alissa Czisny on the podium, but I honestly don't know who the best team will be to get the three spots back at worlds. It would seem like Mirai and Alissa have the most potential to get the spots back, but I fear that Alissa has already peaked and will feel the pressure of living up to expectations after winning the GPF. Her skating is beautiful and I really love both of her programs this year, but I just have a feeling that she has already skated her best programs of the season. Mirai has the potential to place highly at worlds with the technical content she is attempting, but that is only if she rotates her jumps. Even with the new < rules, you still lose base value and GOE marks, essentially making under rotated triples equal to the value of well executed doubles (instead of less like last year). She also needs to change her spiral in the LP to an arabesque to maximize potential GOE.
Many people have been counting Ashley out this year, but I actually think that may be a good thing for her. The two times Ashley has been considered a "frontrunner" at nationals, she has messed up the short program and had to come back fighting in the long. However, back in 2008 when the attention was on Caroline and Kimmie, she delivered two of the best performances of the night, placing second in both segments of the competition. On the other hand, everyone is counting on Rachael Flatt to make the podium because of her consistency, but this season has shown us that she is not as consistent as she used to be. With the foot injury and change in technique, I don't know if Rachael is back into top form, and wouldn't be surprised if she finished off the podium at Nationals. Plus, the performances she gave at the GPF are in the back of her mind, and doubts can creep back in under pressure. Overall, the ladies field is fairly wide open, but I think that Mirai will take back her National title.
First, the Men.
I would like the podium to consist of Jeremy Abbott, Adam Rippon, and Armin Mahbanoozadeh, but Brandon Mroz has had a strong season so I think it will be tough for Armin to get on the podium. I really like Jeremy's LP this season, and hope he can perform it almost to its potential (save the best for worlds) at Nationals. He is the favorite, but if he messes up, others can and will take advantage. Adam had a VERY strong season opener at the Japan Open, but his triple axel proved troublesome during the Grand Prix series. Hopefully everything is under control and he will be able to nail his axels in competition to get his confidence back on them. I really enjoy both of Armin's programs this season, not just for the jumps, spins, choreo, etc., but also because you can tell he really enjoys being out there. His programs are interesting and unique, and he is one of a very small group of men who can actually do a good camel position!
Now, the Ladies. There are only two spots for worlds this year, and the contenders all better bring their A-game, because no one can really afford to make a mistake.
I would like to see Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner, and Alissa Czisny on the podium, but I honestly don't know who the best team will be to get the three spots back at worlds. It would seem like Mirai and Alissa have the most potential to get the spots back, but I fear that Alissa has already peaked and will feel the pressure of living up to expectations after winning the GPF. Her skating is beautiful and I really love both of her programs this year, but I just have a feeling that she has already skated her best programs of the season. Mirai has the potential to place highly at worlds with the technical content she is attempting, but that is only if she rotates her jumps. Even with the new < rules, you still lose base value and GOE marks, essentially making under rotated triples equal to the value of well executed doubles (instead of less like last year). She also needs to change her spiral in the LP to an arabesque to maximize potential GOE.
Many people have been counting Ashley out this year, but I actually think that may be a good thing for her. The two times Ashley has been considered a "frontrunner" at nationals, she has messed up the short program and had to come back fighting in the long. However, back in 2008 when the attention was on Caroline and Kimmie, she delivered two of the best performances of the night, placing second in both segments of the competition. On the other hand, everyone is counting on Rachael Flatt to make the podium because of her consistency, but this season has shown us that she is not as consistent as she used to be. With the foot injury and change in technique, I don't know if Rachael is back into top form, and wouldn't be surprised if she finished off the podium at Nationals. Plus, the performances she gave at the GPF are in the back of her mind, and doubts can creep back in under pressure. Overall, the ladies field is fairly wide open, but I think that Mirai will take back her National title.
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