Ice Musings: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Junior World Championships: Ladies Preliminary Round

There are 36 ladies competing. The top 12 (bolded) will advance to the short program.

Miyabi Oba, JPN: 49.57 TES + 43.27 PCS -1.00 = 91.84
Risa Shoji, JPN: 43.16 TES + 46.08 PCS = 89.24
Zijun Li, CHN: 46.86 TES + 42.24 PCS = 89.10
Ho Jung Lee, KOR: 40.85 TES + 40.42 PCS = 81.27
Ira Vannut, BEL: 39.25 TES + 40.68 PCS = 79.93
Alexandra Kamieniecki, POL: 43.85 TES + 34.34 PCS = 78.19
Monika Simancikova, SVK: 39.20 TES + 39.61 PCS -2.00 = 76.81
Alina Fjodorova, LAT: 40.20 TES + 35.62 PCS = 75.82
Alice Garlisi, ITA: 36.33 TES + 39.40 PCS = 75.73
Patrica Glesic, SLO: 39.35 TES + 34.41 PCS -1.00 = 72.77
Victoria Huebler, AUT: 36.38 TES + 33.27 PCS = 69.65
Brooklee Han, AUS: 33.61 TES + 35.88 PCS -1.00 = 68.49
Katie Powell, GBR: 32.52 TES + 33.02 PCS = 65.54
Rimgaile Meskaite, LTU: 32.04 TES + 32.61 PCS = 64.65
Anne Line Gjersem, NOR: 29.82 TES + 33.88 PCS -1.00 = 62.70
Alina Milevskaia, UKR: 27.69 TES + 34.67 PCS = 62.36
Vanessa Grenier, CAN: 25.22 TES + 38.54 PCS -2.00 = 61.76
Zhaira Costiniano, PHI: 27.84 TES + 33.48 PCS = 61.32
Chelsea Rose Chiappa, HUN: 25.88 TES + 31.68 PCS = 57.56
Joyce den Hollander, NED: 27.27 TES + 31.28 PCS -1.00 = 57.55
Marta Grigoryan, ARM: 30.43 TES + 28.52 PCS -2.00 = 56.95
Mimi Tanasorn Chindasook, THA: 23.96 TES + 32.82 PCS -1.00 = 55.78
Madelaine Parker, NZL: 28.55 TES + 26.95 PCS = 55.50
Reyna Hamui, MEX: 23.61 TES + 31.48 PCS = 55.09
Celia Robledo, ESP: 20.69 TES + 32.73 PCS = 53.42
Margot Krisberg, ISR: 23.22 TES + 29.49 PCS -1.00 = 51.71
Nastassia Hrybko, BLR: 23.29 TES + 30.16 PCS -2.00 = 51.45
Daniela Stoeva, BUL: 22.33 TES + 26.94 PCS -1.00 = 48.27
Brittany Lau, SIN: 22.65 TES + 24.74 PCS = 47.39
Nadia Geldenhuys, RSA: 20.63 TES + 26.04 PCS -1.00 = 45.67
Kristina Prilepko, KAZ: 18.38 TES + 26.89 PCS = 45.27
Sumika Yamada, HKG: 17.22 TES + 27.54 PCS -1.00 = 43.76
Sandra Ristivojevic, SRB: 19.06 TES + 23.83 PCS = 42.89
Jiajen Hsieh, TPE: 16.86 TES + 21.89 PCS -2.00 = 36.75
Maral-Erdene Gansukh, MGL: 15.17 TES + 18.76 PCS -2.00 = 31.93
Siau Chian Ching, MAS: 12.23 TES + 20.19 PCS -3.00 = 29.42

Junior World Championships: Dance Preliminary Round

The top 11 teams (bolded) advance to the short dance.

Papadakis/Cizeron, FRA: 39.02 TES + 35.25 PCS = 74.27
Visnova/Csolley, SVK: 35.34 TES + 32.33 PCS -1.00 = 66.67
Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: 32.92 TES + 32.50 PCS -1.00 = 64.42
Shtork/Rand, EST: 31.16 TES + 32.39 PCS -1.00 = 62.55
Nosulia/Kholoniuk, UKR: 29.99 TES + 29.24 PCS = 59.23
Zhang/Wu, CHN: 30.54 TES + 28.39 PCS = 58.93
Uzurova/Ali, KAZ: 31.79 TES + 26.62 PCS = 58.41
Elsener/Roost, SUI: 29.97 TES + 27.37 PCS = 57.34
Kavaleva/Bieliaeiv, BLR: 28.76 TES + 25.26 PCS = 54.02
Carroll/Gerber, POL: 25.77 TES + 27.60 PCS = 53.37
Tremasova/Lichev, BUL: 28.71 TES + 23.42 PCS = 52.13
Karmi/Lindholm, FIN: 29.84 TES + 23.07 PCS -1.00 = 51.91
Vellrath/Pirogov, LTU: 25.50 TES + 25.00 PCS = 50.50
Komatsubara/Mizutani, JPN: 26.17 TES + 24.70 PCS -2.00 = 48.87
Bugrov/Rogov, ISR: 25.08 TES + 23.67 PCS = 48.75
Demirsal/Akalin, TUR: 25.32 TES + 23.10 PCS = 48.42
Pecherkina/Jakushin, LAT: 26.25 TES + 23.03 PCS -1.00 = 48.28
Hew-Low/Hemmert, AUS: 18.57 TES + 17.91 PCS = 36.48
Yigit/Speden, NZL: 19.35 TES + 16.90 PCS = 36.25

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Junior World Championships: Mens Preliminary Round

27 men will compete in the qualifying round. The top 14 skaters advance to the short program (bold indicates that the skater has qualified).

Keiji Tanaka, JPN: 72.28 TES + 56.28 PCS = 128.56
Ryuichi Kihara, JPN: 66.91 TES + 57.16 PCS - 1.00 = 123.07
Artur Dmitriev, RUS: 54.86 TES + 56.00 PCS = 110.86
Liam Firus, CAN: 53.67 TES + 55.58 PCS -1.00 = 108.25
Petr Coufal, CZE: 56.13 TES + 47.80 PCS -1.00 = 102.93
Viktor Romanenkov, EST: 48.97 TES + 49.42 PCS = 98.39
Dong-Won Lee, KOR: 46.29 TES + 51.70 PCS = 97.99
Bela Papp, FIN: 52.22 TES + 45.38 PCS = 97.60
Tomi Pulkkinen, SUI: 49.63 TES + 46.56 PCS = 96.19
Saverio Giacomelli, ITA: 50.48 TES + 45.28 PCS = 95.76
Ondrej Spiegl, SWE: 42.93 TES + 49.08 PCS = 92.01
Jordan Ju, TPE: 46.01 TES + 41.84 PCS = 87.85
Vitali Luchanok, BLR: 44.52 TES + 42.50 PCS -1.00 = 86.02
Stanislav Pertsov, UKR: 36.12 TES + 49.22 PCS -1.00 = 84.34
Boyito Mulder, NED: 42.71 TES + 37.72 PCS = 80.43
Harry Mattick, GBR: 34.26 TES + 48.06 PCS -3.00 = 79.32
Brendan Kerry, AUS: 36.54 TES + 43.08 PCS -3.00 = 76.62
Vlad Ionescu, ROU: 36.13 TES + 40.58 PCS -1.00 = 75.71
Manol Atanssov, BUL: 34.86 TES + 37.28 PCS = 72.14
Harry Hau Yin Lee, HKG: 38.25 TES + 32.42 PCS -1.00 = 69.67
Slavik Hayrapetyan, ARM: 32.69 TES + 37.80 PCS -2.00 = 68.49
Saulius Ambrulevicius, LTU: 27.46 TES + 38.86 PCS -2.00 = 64.32
Ryan Zhi Jwen Yee, MAS: 28.27 TES + 33.30 PCS -2.00 = 59.57
Suchet Kongchim, THA: 23.70 TES + 29.64 PCS = 53.34
Engin Ali Artan, TUR: 28.09 TES + 32.44 PCS -2.00 = 58.53
Armen Agaian, GEO: 20.84 TES + 32.56 PCS -2.00 = 51.40

Girts Jekabsons of Latvia withdrew.

Junior World Championships: Dance Preview

Monko and Khaliavin by far have the best scores of the season and easily won the Junior Grand Prix Final. They are the only returning medalist from last season's Junior Worlds and they should easily win gold here. I think they'll win by a comfortable margin that will set them up for a jump to the senior level and a tough Russian field.

Pushkash and Guerreiro from Russia have consistently scored behind their teammates but put up a big score at Russian nationals to make the team. They have a great opportunity to set themselves apart from the other Junior teams by claiming a medal here.

Lichtman and Copely are the top U.S. team here. They are coached by Zoueva and Shpilband, arguably one of the best coaching teams in the world. I don't think this team looks as polished yet as some of the other teams they coach, but they've had a breakout season this year. The U.S. Dance field is especially deep and they'll need a medal here to stay competitive as they move to the senior ranks next season. I think the bronze is well within their grasp, but they tend to make small errors and if they can have two clean programs, they could definitely move up the podium.

Kosignia and Moroshkin will be looking to make this a Russian sweep, but there scores have been at both ends of the spectrum during the season. If they perform like they did at Russian Nationals, they could be very competitive for a medal.

Orford and Williams of Canada and Galyeta and Shumski of Ukraine will also be in the hunt and should be able to pull together a top 10 finish if not better. The Ukrainians were really consistent in their two JGP assignments but their score dropped considerably at the Final. If they can take care of these problems, they may be looking at a possible medal.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Monko/Khaliavin
Silver: Pushkash/Bukin
Bronze: Lichtman/Copely

Russia's dance field is so deep that they are leaving behind three of the world's best junior teams, including two Junior Grand Prix Final medalists. Stepanova and Bukin won two gold medals on the JGP and qualifed for the JGPF where they won bronze; Sinitsina and Zhiganshin won two silver medals on the JGP and qualified for the JGPF where they won silver; Antipova and Kudashev won a silver medal on the JGP and qualified for the JGPF.

The teams (a D indicates a direct entry)

Hew-Low/Hemmert, AUS:

Kavaleav/Bieliaiev, BLR: They finished 9th at JGP Romania and 11th at JGP Czech Republic.

Tremasova/Lichev, BUL: They finished 15th in the preliminary round at Europeans. They placed 13th and 16th at their two JGP assignments this season. They finished 32nd at the World Junior Championships last season.

Oliveira/Hockley, CAN (D): They finished 5th at JGP Japan and 6th at JGP Germany.

Orford/Wiliams, CAN (D): They won bronze at JGP Great Britain and finished 5th at JGP Czech Republic.

Zhang/Wu, CHN: They finished 6th at JGP Japan. They placed 25th at World Juniors last season.

Prochazkova/Ceska, CZE (D): They finished 9th at JGP Germany and 6th at JGP Czech Republic.

Shtork/Rand, EST: They finished 23rd at the Olympics. They placed 21st at Europeans. They finished 8th and 6th at their two JGP assignments this season. They placed 28th at Junior Worlds last season.

Karmi/Lindholm, FIN: They finished 14th at JGP Great Britain.

Papadakis/Cizeron, FRA: They finished 4th at JGP France and won bronze at JGP Austria. They placed 22nd at World Juniors last season.

Zahorski/Miart, FRA (D): They finished 4th at JGP Romania and won silver at JGP Czech Republic.

Dieck/Zenkner, GER (D): They finished 8th at JGP Japan and 14th at JGP Germany.

Aiken/Whidborne, GBR (D): They finished 9th at JGP Great Britain and 11th at JGP Germany. They placed 15th at World Juniors last season.

Bugrov/Rogov, ISR:

Rizzo/Manenti, ITA: They finished 17th at JGP Czech Republic.

Sforza/Fioretti, ITA (D): They finished 6th at JGP Romania and 8th at JGP Germany. They placed 31st at Junior Worlds last season.

Komatsubara/Mizutani, JPN: They finished 11th at JGP Japan and 15th at JGP Germany.

Uzurova/Ali, KAZ:

Pecherkina/Jakushin, LAT: They finished 13th at JGP Austria and 17th at JGP Germany.

Vellrath/Pirogov, LTU: They finished 14th at JGP Austria and 12th at JGP Czech Republic.

Yitig/Speden, NZL: They finished 20th at JGP Germany and 13th at JGP Japan. They placed 34th at Junior Worlds last year.

Carroll/Gerber, POL:

Kosignina/Moroshkin, RUS (D): They won bronze at Courcheval and gold at Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the JGPF where they finished 6th.

Monko/Khaliavin, RUS (D): They are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists. They won gold at Brasov Cup and J. Curry Memorial to qualify for the JGPF where they won gold for the second year in a row.

Pushkash/Guerreiro, RUS (D): They won silver at SBC Cup and gold at Czech Skate to qualify for the JGPF where they placed 4th. They finished 6th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Visnova/Csolley, SVK: They finished 9th in the preliminary round at Europeans. They placed 10th and 7th at their two JGP assignments this season. They placed 19th at World Juniors last season.

Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: They finished 15th at Europeans. They placed 10th and 5th at their two JGP assignments this season. They finished 16th at Junior Worlds last season.

Elsener/Roost, SUI: They finished 19th at Europeans. They finished 7th and 13th at their two JGP assignments. They placed 27th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Demirsal/Akalin, TUR: They are the reigning national champions.

Galyeta/Shumski, UKR (D): They won silver at Brasov Cup and bronze at Czech Skate where they finished 7th. They finished 8th at the World Junior Championships last season.
Nosulia/Kholoniuk, UKR: They finished 5th at JGP Austria and 10th at JGP Germany.

Bonacorsi/Mager, USA (D): They won bronze at JGP Romania and finished 5th at Great Britain.

Cannuscio/McManus, USA (D): They won silver at JGP France and finished 4th at JGP Japan.

Lichtman/Copely, USA (D): They won gold at JGP Austria and bronze at Germany to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Junior World Championships: Pairs Preview

This is a unique event as all of the medalists from last year are back this season.

Leading the pack are Sui and Han who rocked the senior circuit this season, medaling at both of their Grand Prix assignments and qualifying for the Grand Prix Final where they won bronze. They have a throw quad that they've been landing more consistently in their free skate throughout the season. This team is also caught up in the falsification of age scandal which might take away their focus here. If they skate like they have been all season, they should repeat as champions here.

Takahashi and Tran took the silver medal at this event last season and also had a good senior debut, medaling in both of their Grand Prix assignments. They are the only pairs team in Japan and they are really taking advantage of their eligibility, competing in two JGP, two GP, JGPF, Four Continents, Junior Worlds and Worlds this season. I thought they showed this strain at 4Cs and were sloppier than normal. They're also training two programs at the same time and are likely not getting enough reps in on either one.

Stolbova and Klimov are the only junior team to have defeated both Sui/Han and Takahashi/Tran this season. They were nine points from gold at the JGPF, but have had the over two months since to focus solely on their programs. I think they have a really good shot to pull up here, and with the deep pairs field in Russia, they'll have to really pull out all the stops if they want a place on the senior teams next season.

Yu and Jin from China have not been able to excel to the same level as their teammates and are also caught up in the age scandal. They had good scores on the JGP and took home a medal from the JGPF but they're far behind the top three teams and will need some mistakes at the top to make it onto the podium here.

Cain and Reagan are leading the U.S. teams here and a top 5 finish is well within their sights. They showed a maturity to their programs at nationals that was not matched in the field and put out two clean programs. If they can repeat that here, they should have a strong finish to their first international season.

Silaeva and Minchuk qualified for the JGPF and placed 11th at this event last season but are not on the Russian team here. Steele and Schultz also qualified for the JGPF but did not make the Canadian team.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Sui/Han
Silver: Stolbova/Klimov
Bronze: Takahashi/Tran

The teams:

Martini/Kiefer, AUT: They placed 15th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. They placed 20th at Junior Worlds last season.

Palyakova/Fomichev, BLR:

Jones/Gaskell, CAN: They placed 6th at Cup of Austria and 4th at Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the JGPF where they placed 6th. They placed 7th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Purich/Schultz, CAN: They won bronze at J. Curry Memorial and Czech Skate to qualify for the JGPF where they placed 7th.

Sui/Han, CHN: Sui and Han are the reigning World Junior Champions. They won the silver medal at Cup of China with personal best scores across the board and bronze at Skate America with a personal best free skate to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won bronze. They won bronze at JGP Austria and gold at JGP Czech Republic to qualify for the JGPF but withdrew to focus on the senior event.

Yu/Jin, CHN: They won bronze at JGP Cup of Austria and gold at Czech Skate to qualify for the JGPF where they won bronze.

Kadlecova/Bidar, CZE: They placed 7th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. They finished 7th at both their Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed 6th at Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best short program. They finished 14th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Clement/Hunt, GBR: They placed 13th at JGP Great Britain. They finished 19th at Junior Worlds last season.

Khnychenkova/Magyar, HUN: They finished 15th at their Junior Grand Prix assignment. They placed 7th at Trophee Eric Bompard. They finished 15th at the World Junior Championships last season.
Gillespie/Dematte, ITA: They placed 12th at Europeans. They finished 8th and 11th at their two JGP assignments this season.

Takahashi/Tran, JPN: They are the reigning Junior World silver medalists. They placed 7th at Four Continents. They won silver at J. Curry Memorial and Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the JGPF where they won gold. They won bronze at NHK Trophy and silver at Rostelecom Cup.

Epstein/Epstein, NED: They won the Junior event at Ice Challenge and NRW Trophy.

Klatka/Chruscinski, POL: They placed 12th at JGP Austria and 11th at JGP Germany.

Astakhova/Bochkov, RUS: They finished 9th at JGP Austria.

Stolbova/Klimov, RUS: They are the reigning Junior World bronze medalists. They won JGP Cup of Austria and J. Curry Memorial to qualify for the JGPF where they won silver. They placed 5th at Skate America.

Vasilieva/Shevchuk, RUS: They finished 9th at JGP Great Britain.

Morand/Leemann, SUI:

Labrentieva/Rudik, UKR: They placed 13th at JGP Austria.

Andrews/LeDuc, USA: They are the reigning national junior silver medalists.

Cain/Reagan, USA: They finished 6th at J. Curry Memorial and won silver at Czech Skate to qualify for the JGPF where they finished 5th.

Junior World Championships: Ladies Preview

The favorite in this event is Russian national champion Adelina Sotnikova. At just 14, she won't be eligible for senior worlds until 2013 so look for her to try for the first of two world titles here. She has an impressive arsenal which features a triple+triple and has posted the highest international junior score of the season. She also had an impressive victory at the Junior Grand Prix Final, besting the field by 9 points.

Elizaveta Tuktamisheva took home the silver medal from the JGPF but her scores have been all over the place this season. She also has a triple+triple in her arsenal and posted an impressive 193.56 score at Russian junior nationals.

Polina Shelepen is the final entry for Russia and also is a medal threat here. Her scores have been fairly consistent throughout the season, but have been consistently lower than her countrymates. She finished 20 points behind Tuktamisheva at Russian junior nationals.

Christina Gao leads the United States entries. She had good scores early in the season but had problems in the JGPF and was only able to finish 6th. She has had a major growth spurt this season and that has effected some of her technique as she adjusts to her new proportions. She seemed to have settled a little at nationals and nailed her triple+triple combination and two clean skates. She is beginning to look more and more like Yuna Kim on the ice, and I expect it won't be long before she's putting up similar scores.

Agnes Zawadzki is the reigning silver medalist at this event and the only medalist from last year to return. She competed on the senior Grand Prix and had one of the best scoring short programs of the season but seemed to struggle with her long at both her events. She skated a clean long at nationals including her triple+triple and put up an impressive score. She is reworking her current free skate to meet the junior time and element requirements. She is a determined young lady and is returning to this event with the intention to medal.

Courtney Hicks is entering Junior Worlds as her first ever international competition. She had the highest junior score ever posted at U.S. Nationals under code of points, edging out Agnes Zawadzki for that honor. She has already been compared to Sasha Cohen due to her look and skills on the ice, but it seems like she has one important difference: she can land her jumps. She demolished the field at U.S. Nationals with a triple+triple combination and a unique spin she invented called the Tw-Hicks. It will be interesting to see how she fares under the pressure against a very tough field.

Risa Shoji was edged out for the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final due to a tiebreaker. Her scores have been fairly consistent all season, but don't match up to the scores of the top Russian and American ladies. Her consistency is a plus though, as she can sneak in for a medal if other ladies make a mistake.

Zijun Li is in much the same boat as Shoji, whom she defeated to take the bronze medal at the JGPF. Her scores are good enough to put her in the top 10 and consistent enough to earn a medal if others make mistakes.

Ira Vannut of Belgium had a decent JGP season but her scores didn't match up with the top of this field. She then went on to place 7th at Europeans, with a score that would make her competitive here. If she continues this improvement she could be a big dark horse at this event, but will definitely improve on her 22nd place finish here last season.

Yasmin Siraj and Kristiene Gong qualified for the JGPF but won't be at this competition due to a deep field in the United States.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Adelina Sotnikova
Silver: Elizaveta Tuktamisheva
Bronze: Agnes Zawadzki

The competitors:

Marta Grigoryan, ARM: She placed 3rd as a junior at the Nestle Cup.

Brooklee Han, AUS: She placed 10th at JGP Great Britain and 17th at JGP Germany.

Victoria Huebler, AUT: She finished 13th at JGP Austria and 12th at JGP Czech Republic. She placed 42nd at the World Junior Championships last season.

Nastassia Hrybko, BLR: She finished 26th and 29th at her two JGP assignments last season. She finished 12 in the preliminary round at Europeans.

Ira Vannut, BEL: She placed 7th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. She finished 4th at JGP Austria and won bronze at JGP Germany. She finished 22nd at the World Junior Championships last season.

Daniela Stoeva, BUL: She finished 26th at JGP Romania and 29th at JGP Czech Republic. She placed 32nd at Junior Worlds last year.

Vanessa Greiner, CAN: She placed 12th at JGP France.

Alexandra Najarro, CAN (D): She finished 10th at JGP Romania and 7th at JGP Great Britain.

Zijun Li, CHN: She won bronze at Cup of Austria and placed 4th at Czech Skate to qualify for the JGPF where she won bronze.

Chaochih Liu, TPE: She finished 24th at Four Continents. She finished 19th at JGP Japan.

Anita Madsen, DEN (D): She finished 14th at JGP Japan and 24th at JGP Czech Republic.

Gerli Liinamae, EST (D): She placed 13th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. She finished 9th and 10th at her two JGP assignments this season.

Juulia Turkkila, FIN (D): She placed 15th at the European Championships with personal best scores across the board. She finished 10th at her JGP assignment this season.

Yretha Silete, FRA (D): She finished 4th at JGP France and 6th at JGP Germany.

Isabel Drescher, GER (D): She finished 11th at JGP Great Britain and 16th at JGP Germany. She placed 18th at World Juniors last season.

Katie Powell, GBR: She placed 18th at JGP Great Britain and 14th at JGP Germany.

Georgia Glastris, GRE: She finished 44th at Worlds last season. She finished 17th in the preliminary round at Europeans. She finished 21st and 18th at her two JGP assignments this season. She placed 28th at Junior Worlds last year.

Sumika Yamada, HKG:

Chelsea Rose Chiappa, HUN: She placed 17th at JGP Great Britain.

Margot Krisberg, ISR:

Alice Garlisi, ITA: She placed 21st at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. She finished 19th and 7th at her two JGP assignments this season.

Yuki Nishino, JPN (D): She placed 7th at JGP Romania and won bronze at JGP Great Britain.

Miyabi Oba, JPN: She placed 7th at Coupe de Nice.

Risa Shoji, JPN: Shoji won gold at SBC Cup and silver at Czech Skate to qualify for the JGPF where she placed 4th (she actually tied for bronze but lost the tiebreaker).

Kristina Prilepko, KAZ: She finished 13th at JGP Romania and 22nd at JGP Japan. She placed 43rd at World Juniors last season.

Alina Fjodorova, LAT: She finished 15th at JGP France and 12th at JGP Germany. She placed 24th at Junior Worlds last season.

Rimgaile Meskaite, LTU: She finished 27th at JGP Great Britain and 19th at JGP Czech Republic. She placed 34th at World Juniors last season.

Siau Chian Ching, MAS:

Reyna Hamui, MEX: She placed 28th at Four Continents. She finished 20th at JGP Austria.

Maral-Erdene Gansukh, MGL:

Joyce den Hollander, NED: She finished 24th at JGP Austria.

Madelaine Parker, NZL:

Anne Line Gjersem, NOR: She placed 25th at Europeans with a personal best short program and total score. She finished 14th and 15th at her two JGP assignments earlier this season. She finished 26th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Zhaira Costiniano, PHI: She finished 36th at World Juniors last season.

Alexandra Kamieniecki, POL:

Ho Jung Lee, KOR: She finished 9th at JGP Romania and 6th at JGP Japan.

Polina Shelepen, RUS (D): She won gold at JGP Courcheval and bronze at Czech Skate to qualify for the JGPF where she placed 5th. She placed 4th at the World Junior Championships last year.

Adelina Sotnikova, RUS (D): Sotnikova won gold at JGP Cup of Austria and J. Curry Memorial to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where she won gold.

Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, RUS (D): She won gold at JGP Brasov Cup and Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the JGPF where she won silver.

Sandra Ristivojevic, SRB:

Brittany Lau, SIN: She placed 26th at Four Continents. She finished 18th at JGP Japan. She finished 46th at World Juniors last season.

Monika Simancikova, SVK: She finished 5th at JGP Austria and 6th at JGP Czech Republic.

Patricia Glescic, SLO: She finished 6th at JGP Austria and 17th at JGP Czech Republic.

Nadia Geldenhuys, RSA: She finished 30th at JGP Austria. She placed 49th at Junior Worlds last season.

Celia Robledo, ESP: She finished 23rd at JGP France. She placed 48th at Junior Worlds last season.

Rebecka Emmanuelson, SWE (D): She placed 16th at JGP Austria.

Isabelle Olsson, SWE (D): She placed 5th at JGP Romania and 6th at JGP Great Britain.

Romy Buhler, SUI (D): She placed 16th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. She finished 10th at her JGP assignment this season. She placed 13th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Mimi Tanasorn Chindasook, THA: She placed 19th at Four Continents. She finished 12th at JGP Japan and 21st at JGP Austria. Chindasook placed 29th at World Juniors last season.

Sila Saygi, TUR (D): She placed 13th at JGP France and 12th at JGP Romania. She finished 14th at World Juniors last season.

Alina Milevskaia, UKR: She finished 11th at JGP Romania and 9th at JGP Austria. She placed 21st at World Juniors last season.

Christina Gao, USA (D): She won silver at JGP Cup of Austria and silver at Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where she finished 6th. Gao finished 8th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Courtney Hicks, USA (D): She is the reigning national junior champion.

Agnes Zawadzki, USA (D): Zawadzki is the reigning World Junior Silver Medalist. She finished 6th at her Grand Prix debut in Canada with personal best scores across the board and 4th at Cup of Russia with a personal best short program.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Junior World Championships: Mens Preview

This should be a very competitive field with several of the JGP Final contestants here as well as medal winners from the JGP. Notably absent is JGP Final Champion, Richard Dornbush, who skated well enough at U.S. Nationals to qualify for the World team. Joshua Farris also qualified for the JGPF but broke his leg at nationals and won't be competing here.

I see eight competitors really fighting for the podium title. Artur Dmitriev just missed qualifying for the JGPF. He then went on to beat out his compatriots at the Russian Junior Nationals. He'll have to earn a spot in the short program by competing at the qualifying round, while many of the other competitors won't and the extra day of competition could affect his final score.

Andrei Rogozine had good scores at his two JGP assignments and qualified for the Final in first position. He had problems at the Final and posted his lowest score of the season. He had a disastrous performance at nationals, scoring over 30 points below his season's best. If this downward trend continues, he could have a problem medaling in this competitive field.

Gordei Gorshkov's scores are almost a virtual tie with Dmitriev's and both were very consistent over the season. He had the lowest score at the JGPF, however, and will be looking to rebound with a better score here.

Han Yan of China won the silver medal at the JGPF and has posted the highest junior international score of this field. His JGPF score gives him a 5 point advantage, but he won't be able to make any mistakes if he wants the Junior World title.

Keegan Messing has put up good scores all season, but his international scores were on a downward trend. He had a solid nationals performance as a senior. If he can put out programs like he did there he should have a good shot at a medal. He is not the most artistic skater and his strength is really in his jumping abilities which could be a factor. If all the skaters go clean, he doesn't have the artistic points to keep him on pace with everyone else. He finished 4th at this competition last season and is the highest placed returning competitor.

Max Aaron's scores have been trending upward all season, with minor improvements between each competition. He won the junior title at nationals but his score was no where near that of Messing, even taking into account the higher points possible in a senior program. He went for the triple axel in both of his programs at nationals but struggled. If he lands them, this could give him a big boost technically, but could put him out of contention if the rest of the field is clean.

Zhan Bush's scores have also been slightly trending upward over the season. His scores though are at the lower end of the top skaters. He kept pace with the Russians at their nationals and it will be interesting to see if the international judges do the same.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Han Yan
Silver: Artur Dmitriev
Bronze: Keegan Messing

The competitors (note: D indicates a direct entry into the short program):

Slavik Hayrapetyan, ARM: He finished 17th at JGP Czech Republic. He placed 34th at World Juniors last season.

Brendan Kerry, AUS: He finished 14th and 20th at his two JGP assignments this season. He placed 18th at Four Continents with personal best scores across the board.

Vitali Luchanok, BLR:

Jorik Hendrickx, BEL (D): He placed 16th at Europeans with a personal best free skate and total score. He finished 7th and 6th at his two JGP assignments this season. He finished 15th at World Juniors last season.

Manol Atanassov, BUL: He finished 40th at World Juniors last season.

Liam Firus, CAN: He finished 5th at the JGP Brasov Cup and won bronze at J. Curry Memorial.

Andrei Rogozine, CAN (D): He won bronze at the Junior Grand Prix Final after winning gold at both JGP Courchevel and SBC Cup. He placed 6th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Jiaxing Liu, CHN (D): He finished 10th at JGP Poland and 5th at JGP Czech Republic. He placed 14th at World Juniors last season.

Han Yan, CHN (D):Yan won JGP Cup of Austria and Czech Skate to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where he won silver.

Jordan Ju, TPE: He finished 13th at both his Junior Grand Prix assignments this season. He placed 17th at Four Continents with personal best scores across the board.

Petr Coufal, CZE: He finished 8th at JGP Austria and 7th at JGP Czech Republic. He placed 21st at World Juniors last season.

Keiran Araza, DEN: He finished 19th at JGP Austria and 24th at JGP Germany.

Viktor Romanenkov, EST: He finished 36th at the World Championships last season. He finished 8th and 11th at his two JGP assignments this season. He placed 26th at World Juniors last season.

Bela Papp, FIN: He finished 14th at JGP Romania and 16th at JGP Germany. He placed 24th at World Juniors last season.

Romain Ponsart, FRA (D): He finished 5th at both his JGP assignments this season.

Armen Agaian, GEO:

Denis Wieczorek, GER (D): He placed 20th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. He finished 5th and 15th at his two JGP assignments this season.

Harry Mattick, GBR: He finished 11th at JGP France and 9th at JGP Great Britain. He placed 39th at World Juniors last season.

Harry Hau Yin Lee, HKG: He finished 22nd at JGP Japan. He placed 43rd at World Juniors last season.

Saverio Giacomelli, ITA: He finished 27th at World Juniors last season.

Ryuichi Kihara, JPN: He finished 10th at JGP Austria and won bronze at JGP Germany.

Kento Nakamura, JPN (D): He finished 9th at JGP Japan and 8th at JGP Czech Republic.

Keiji Tanaka, JPN: He finished 10th at JGP Great Britain.

Abzal Rakimgaliev, KAZ (D): He finished 26th at the Olympics and 21st at Worlds last season.He placed 13th at Four Continents with a personal best free skate and total score. He won bronze at his first JGP assignment this season and placed 8th at his second assignment. He placed 11th at World Juniors last year.

Girts Jekabsons, LAT: He placed 46th at the World Championships last season. He finished 19th at JGP Czech Republic. He placed 38th at World Juniors last season.

Saulius Ambrulevicius, LTU: He finished 38th at the World Championships with a personal best short program last season. He finished 13th and 16th at his two JGP assignments this season. He placed 32nd at World Juniors last season.

Ryan Zhi Jwen Yee, MAS: He finished 16th at JGP France and 21st at JGP Japan.

Boyito Mulder, NED: He finished 45th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Kamil Bialas, POL (D): He finished 18th at JGP Austria and 11th at JGP Czech Republic.

Dong-Won Lee, KOR: He finished 4th at JGP Romania and 11th at JGP Japan.

Vlad Ionescu, ROU: He finished 18th at JGP Romania and 12th at JGP Great Britain.

Zhan Bush, RUS (D): He won bronze at JGP Cup of Austria and silver at J. Curry Memorial to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where he finished 7th.

Artur Dmitriev, RUS: He finished 4th at JGP Germany and won silver at JGP Czech Republic. He placed 7th at World Juniors last season.

Gordei Gorshkov, RUS (D): Gorshkov finished 4th at JGP SBC Cup and won silver at Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where he finished 8th.

Francesc Palau, ESP (D): He finished 16th at JGP Great Britain.

Alexander Majorov, SWE (D): He finished 5th at JGP Japan and won bronze at JGP Czech Republic. He placed 8th at World Juniors last season.

Ondrej Spiegel, SWE: He finished 9th at JGP Romania and 10th at JGP Great Britain.

Tomi Pulkkinen, SUI: He finished 15th at JGP Japan and 14th at JGP Germany.

Suchet Kongchim, THA: He finished 17th at JGP France.

Engin Ali Artan, TUR: He finished 16th at JGP Romania and 23th at JGP Germany.

Stanislav Pertsov, UKR: He finished 13th at JGP Austria and 6th at JGP Czech Republic. He placed 29th at World Juniors last season.

Max Aaron, USA (D): Aaron won bronze at JGP Courcheval and silver at SBC Cup to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final, where he finished 4th.

Jason Brown, USA (D): He won silver at JGP Courcheval and finished 6th in Japan.

Keegan Messing, USA (D): He won gold at JGP Brasov Cup and placed 4th at Czech Skate to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where he placed 5th. Messing finished 4th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Junior World Championships Schedule

All times are EST.

Sunday February 27th: 8:00 pm-1:00am Mens Preliminary

Monday February 28th: 2:00am-5:05am Dance Preliminary
                                     8:00pm-2:25am Ladies Preliminary

Tuesday March 1: 11:00pm-2:50am Short Dance

Wednesday March 2: 5:15am-8:35am Pairs Short Program
                                  11:30pm-3:55am Mens Short Program

Thursday March 3: 5:30am-8:20 am Pairs Free Skate
                              11:00pm-3:25am Ladies Short Program

Friday March 4: 5:00am-8:10am Free Dance
                         11:00pm-2:50am Mens Free Skate

Saturday March 5: 4:30am-8:15am Ladies Free Skate

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Four Continents Championships: Recap

Men:

Of the three men who stood on the podium, only one is going to Worlds. Takahashi bested the field and finally showed off the skills that won him his first World Championship and set him up nicely to regain his title. The only hitch being that his score was still 15 points below Patrick Chan's seasons best and that was before he added a second quad to his free skate. This was a good step in the right direction for Takahashi but he still needs to step up his game. Takahashi did go for the quad in his free skate but it was downgraded.

The young Hanyu ended his season here and rode two third place programs to a silver medal finish. He's added another layer to an already deep field in Japan and there will really be a horse race for the three worlds spots next season. His jumps were one of the highlights of the competition and he received a +2 GOE on his quad and triple axel and a +1.86 GOE on his Triple axel + triple toe.

Jeremy Abbott was also ending his season at this competition and went out nicely with a bronze medal. He put the quad into his free skate for the first time all season but fell and had the jump judged under-rotated. Hopefully we'll see this more consistently from him next season.

Kozuka made errors in the short program and despite a second best free skate, couldn't pull up and grab a medal. This unfortunately means he won't have enough ISU points to overtake Oda and he'll have to skate in the preliminary round at the World Championships. He tried the quad in his free skate and while he fell, he was credited with the full rotation.

Adam Rippon continued to struggle with his triple axel and could only muster a 5th place finish here. He doubled one of his axels in the free skate and had the other downgraded. He'll need to work on this in the off-season if he wants to regain his footing among the world's best next year.

The Canadian delegation struggled without Chan and placed 10th, 11th and 14th. If Chan wins Worlds, the second Canadian man will need to finish no lower than 12th to maintain Canada's three spots at Worlds, and this could be problematic if they skate the way they did here.

I had one exact prediction (Abbott won bronze) and correctly predicted 2/3 medal winners (Takahashi/Abbott)

Ladies:

Miki Ando bested her short program demons and was able to place 1st in both segments and overall. She crossed the 200 mark for the first time in her career and is the first skater to do so this season. She's put herself in a good position to win another world title but will face Yu-Na Kim for the first time there. She didn't put out a triple-triple combination in her free skate here, but did have a double axel + triple toe and received positive GOEs on all the elements in her free skate.

Mao Asada also had a good event, winning silver and medaling for the first time all season. Her jumps were not very clean and lots of little errors kept her from having a shot at the gold medal. She's reworking her jump technique this season and I expect this to continue to improve. She had one triple axel in her free skate and received a positive GOE for it, but she also had one edge call and two under-rotated jumps.

Mirai Nagasu was finally able to show what she was capable of. She came to a competition with no pressure or expectations and was able to walk away with the bronze medal in her final competition of the season. She also posted the third highest score of the season overall. Her problems have always been mental, and if she can overcome the pressure of being in first, she could really have a great season next year.

Rachael Flatt received great scores for her new short program and set new personal bests. She also tried out a few new combinations here and while they weren't perfect, I think she's set herself up nicely to peak at Worlds and her scores here but her in the top 5 in the world. She had a Double axel + triple loop in her free skate and plans to add a triple-triple for worlds. She had Level 3s and 4s on all her spins with positive GOEs showing a major improvement for her.

Alissa Czisny didn't have a great competition but said she didn't feel as prepared as she would like. I think she made great strides though as she fought through both her programs even when she made mistakes, which the Alissa of the past wouldn't do. On a bad day she's still competitive with the rest of the world, but if she's on she can be unbeatable. She had two downgraded jumps, one under-rotated jump and one edge call in her free skate. Her step sequence did receive a Level 3 which is a big improvement over the Grand Prix.

I had one exact prediction (Ando won gold) and picked 1/3 of the medal winners (Ando).

Pairs:

Pang and Tong won gold here to no one's surprise and handily defeated the field at that. Unfortunately, their score didn't break 200 and puts them behind the Germans and Russians for the season and is almost identical to the score Volosozhar and Trankov received at the Mont Blanc Trophy. Their programs were better than I've seen them all season, but they'll need a little something extra if they want to make the podium at Worlds, let alone defend their title. They did have errors in both their side by side jumps in their free skate here, and these errors could make a difference in their Worlds placement.

Duhamel and Radford continue to impress in their first season together and put two clean programs together to capture the silver medal. They were 10 points ahead of the bronze medalists and are in the top 5 for the season. Look for them to have a shot at the final warm-up group at Worlds. Duhamel and Radford execute a rare side-by-side triple flip as well as a three jump combination in their free skate.

Lawrence and Swiegers capped off their season with a bronze medal and showed Canada's new dominance in this event. I think this young team will be strong contenders next season on the Grand Prix, and they finish in the top 10 for the season.

Yankowskas and Coughlin had some uncharacteristic errors that left them off the podium. Still, they were only five points behind a team that had two relatively clean programs. They've put themselves in a good position to peak at Worlds and with two clean programs they should have a strong finish to their season.

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch have seen their scores fall all season and after a great start, seem to be fading away. I can't exactly pinpoint what's going wrong with their programs, but they'll need to fix the problem fast if they want to reclaim their position as the best in Canada and one of the best in the world.

Evora and Ladwig struggled with boot issues in their short program and Evora looked like she wasn't into their program during their free skate, possibly due to personal issues. They did have solid scores here and I think they're looking at a top 10 finish at Worlds.

I had one exact prediction (Pang/Tong won gold) and correctly picked 1/3 medal winners (Pang/Tong)

Dance:

Davis and White won Four Continents and continue their winning streak for the season. They have all the momentum going into Worlds and one of the most difficult programs out there. They're still struggling with the Golden Waltz in their short dance, and a drop in levels cost them a placement in the short dance here. They received all positive GOEs in their free dance and Level 4s on everything but their step sequences which garnered Level 3s.

The Shibutanis are continuing a dream season with a silver medal here. Their scores put them in the top 5 in the world, and I think they have a great shot at making the final warmup group at Worlds which would be an amazing achievement for a team in their first year on the Senior circuit. I don't think they skated as well as they did at nationals, and if they can repeat that feat, they could easily move up a few more places. They also received positive GOEs on all the elements in their free dance and had Level 4s on every element but one step sequence.

Crone and Poirier have seen their scores continuously slip all season and were passed by the Shibutanis here. Their short dance doesn't suit them at all and they continue to have to come from behind with their free dance to have a shot at medals. If they don't step up at Worlds, they may find themselves being passed by more teams.

Weaver and Poje have one of the best short dances out there but can't seem to hold on to their lead in the free dance. They had a personal best total score here, but it wasn't enough to hang on to a medal. If they could handle their nerves and skate two clean programs, they could easily surpass their compatriots and some of the other teams. They received no credit for their dance spin in their free dance here.

Virtue and Moir skated an elegant short dance to open a slim lead over Davis and White in the short dance. Their free dance looks very promising and extremely difficult but didn't yet look as clean and polished as some other teams. They stopped shortly into their program due to pain in Tessa's quad. They have vowed to continue on to Worlds but whether she'll be 100% or their program will be perfected to the levels needed to retain their World title remains to be seen.

I had one exact prediction (Davis/White one gold) and picked 2/3 of the medal winners (Davis/White and Crone/Poirier)

Overall:

I had four exact predictions and picked 6/12 of the medal winners. My USFSA Fantasy Team finished in 2nd place.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Four Continents Championships: Ladies Free Skate

Group 1
1. Crystal Kiang, TPE: 23.75 TES + 30.96 PCS = 54.71 Total: 86.60

She was in 21st place after the short program
The feed I'm on is a little jumpy so I'm waiting for the other feed before I do a play by play

2. Chaochi Liu, TPE: 22.26 TES + 29.50 PCS -2.00 = 49.76 Total: 78.28 and into 2nd place

She is in 24th place after the short program

3. Melanie Swang, THA: 26.11 TES + 26.47 PCS = 52.58 Total: 82.08 and into 2nd place

She is in 23rd place after the short program

4. Mericien Venzon, PHI: 23.41 TES + 30.12 PCS = 53.53 Total: 84.17 and into 2nd place

She is in 22nd place after the short program
Triple salchow + double toe very weak landings
Double axel
Triple + double loop + double loop
Nice positions on her sit spin but not a lot of speed
Her second double axel was really nicely done
A nice donut position in her combination spin and a decent haircutter position
Her step sequence seems to be a little bouncy on top of the ice and she doesn't really get into her knees and edges; not very much upper body movement or use of arms
Good stretch through her spiral position
Triple salchow but not a good landing
Triple + double toe
Double loop
Her hand positions are not very good in the camel spin, good flexiblity through the catch foot position

5. Lejeanne Marais, RSA: 37.07 TES + 32.84 PCS = 69.91 Total: 101.90 and into 1st place

She is in 19th place after the short program
This is a really pretty dress, white with flowers over the top but in interesting patterns
A turn out and step out of her opening triple loop
Big lead in to her double salchow double toe and no speed coming out of the jump
Turn out of her double axel but she keeps the free leg up
Good positions in her sit spin but not a lot of difficult in the variations
She needs a little more extension through her spiral and I'd like to see her drop her hip a little bit more and get a better position
Slow through her layback spin and she has no difficult variations
Double salchow + double toe was better than her other jumps
Double jump--she has a lot of preparation before all of these jumps
Double toe + double toe + double toe and I'm not sure how much credit she'll get for these because she didn't seem to be going in a straight line
Not really any transitional steps or choreography in this program
Some upper body movement here but mostly leaning forward and not a lot of difficult footwork
Might have ended just after the music

6. Jaimee Nobbs, AUS: 28.58 TES + 30.41 PCS -1.00 = 57.99 Total: 89.93 and into 2nd place

She is currently in 20th place
Her dress seems a tad bit short but I like the bright red color on her and it really stands out against the ice
A step out of her double axel and she puts hand down
Triple loop double toe but no real ride out of her landing
Double axel with a low landing but she hangs on to it
Double jump but I missed the entry
Not a lot of stretch through her camel position and not a lot of speed
She has no speed or power even in transition movements and this is likely affecting all her elements
Needs a lot more flexibility and stretch through the back on those spiral positions
Double toe
Double lutz with a one arm variation
Interesting combination spin--started with a scratch spin
I wish she would have picked a more lyrical piece of music because this music is really out pacing her
A fall on her final double jump
Finished after the music

Group 2
7. Melinda Wang, TPE: 27.04 TES + 32.60 PCS = 59.64 Total: 96.15 and into 2nd place

She is in 14th place after the short program
She has some nice expression and musicality
She popped her first jump and two footed the landing
Double flip + double toe
Nice height on her double axel + double toe but not a lot of speed out of the second jump
Loss of centering on her combination spin and slow
She has some really nice transition moments well choreographed to the music
Very nice stretch through both of her spiral positions and nice extension
Double lutz + double toe
Double loop
Double salchow--she's really landing her jumps well
She seems a little scratchy on this step sequence and could work on her edge quality and getting into her knees but she has nice use of her upper body
Good twist variation in her sit spin and a nice low position

8. Mimi Tanasorn Chindasook, THA: 28.93 TES + 30.88 -2.00 = 57.81 Total: 91.54 and into 3rd place

She is in 18th place after the short program
Fall on her opening double axel
Triple toe + double toe with a big set up
Fall on a triple salchow
Double flip + double toe + it looked like she tried to tack on a third jump but I'm not sure she'll get credit for it
Nice scorpion spiral position and great flexibility with her leg held in the front
Not a great leg position for her in the layback but she does the haircutter and the biellman but not a lot of speed
This is a tango and I'd really like to see her attack this footwork sequence and she's not--seems to be slowing down as she reaches the end
Triple toe nicely done but a long set up
Pops her second axel and two foots the landing
No speed going into this double but she pulls it out
Nice positions in her combination spin but not a lot of centering and she's really scratching the ice

9. Victoria Muniz, PUR: 30.79 TES + 33.16 PCs = 63.95 Total: 99.40 and into 2nd place

She is in 15th place after the short program
She's a little too stiff for these ballet moves at the beginning
Singles her axel and two foots the landing
Singles her loop
Hand down on the triple salchow
She has good speed hrough her camel spin and a nice donut position
A nice layback position and nice use of her arms into a haircutter position
Triple flip was nicely done
Singles her loop
A little bit of an awkward entry to her spiral but a nice position
Triple toe + double toe
She has no expression and seems really unhappy on the ice right now
She seems to be struggling a little bit to get through this step sequence and is really slow by the end
Double axel + double toe + double toe was nice
Good positions in her combination spin and really good speed

10. Bingwa Geng, CHN: 29.86 TES + 38.52 PCS -3.00 = 65.38 Total: 104.58 and into 1st place

She is currently in 13th place
Doubled her lutz and fell on the landing
Triple flip but a big ice spray on the landing
Double salchow
Nice speed and positions in her combination spin but she seems to lose her centering a little bit
She has a nice quality on the ice and good speed, but not a lot of expression
A very nice scorpion spiral with one hand hold
Two footed the landing of her triple lutz
Triple toe nicely done
Really nice position in her layback spin and tons of flexibility into a fully extended biellman and she keeps up the speed
Some nice variety in her step sequence but I'd like to see more use of her upper body in different ways and more power across the ice
Fall on her triple salchow
Fall on her double axel
Nice camel position and she picks up speed into the donut position
She's one of the skaters caught up in the Chinese age scandal and I wonder if that's affecting her performance here

11. Qiuying Zhu, CHN: 33.30 TES + 36.00 TES -2.00 = 67.30 Total: 102.38 and into 2nd place

She is currently in 16th place
This is a little nitpicky but I wish she'd do her bun properly and make it look neat, because this just makes her look unpolished
Fall on her opening triple flip and she had an interesting entry to the jump
Triple toe + double toe
Double salchow + double toe--her jump entry is with both knees bent and her back slightly hunched over--If she fixed her technique these jumps could be better
Very slow in her sit spin
Triple toe
Fall on her double axel
Nice extension through her spiral position with her leg to the side
Double salchow with a lot of ice spray
Double axel with a turn out but she doesn't put her foot down and adds a single loop
She could use more stretch through her sit spin position
She needs a lot more attack through this step sequence, more stretch through her legs, and more use of her upper body
Nice camel position but her arms are very awkwardly placed and very stiff

12. Chae-Hwa Kim, KOR: 32.33 TES + 36.70 PCS -1.00 = 68.03 Total: 101.79 and into 4th place

Triple toe nicely done to start her program
Fall on the triple salchow
Triple loop--a little tight on the landing
Nice camel position into a nice donut position and a really interesting variation where she's kind of at an angle with her leg pulled up almost to a biellman
Nice flexibility through the combination spin, nice low sit spin, just not a lot of speed
Nice stretch through her spiral and good eye contact with the judges as she passes their table
Two footed and a little forward on the landing of her triple salchow
Pops open a triple toe and kind of goes flying
Nice double axel + double toe
Single axel--she just doesn't seem to have enough speed to get enough height to get around in these jumps
It looks like she's going through the movements in this step sequence and not really truly performing each step
Good positions in her combination spin and good speed

Group 3
13. Min-Jeong Kwak, KOR: 51.09 TES + 45.59 PCS = 96.68 Total: 147.15 and into 1st place

She is in 8th place after the short program
Triple lutz and she barely eked out the combination
Triple flip nicely done
Pretty double axel
Nice positions in her sit spin but very slow
Nice entry into her spiral in a Biellman position and great extension
Very nice triple lutz
Triple salchow well done
I'm not crazy about her leg position in the layback spin but she has a beautiful haircutter and Biellman position and really nice speed
Popped open a salchow
Nice variety in her step sequence but she doesn't really seem to finish all her movements and really lengthen through all the steps
Double axel + double toe + double loop very nice
Great flexibility in her final combination spin but some trouble centering

14. Cheltzie Lee, AUS: 34.90 TES + 44.28 PCS = 79.18 Total: 127.90 and into 2nd place

She is in 10th place after the short program
Triple toe + double toe + double loop with really nice height and good speed out of the landings
Triple salchow and she steps out of the landing
Nice sit spin position but she could be a little lower and have more speed
Triple toe but a little forward on the landing
She seems to not have enough power and speed to really get through this step sequence and there are a few places she needs to really stretch through her free leg more
Triple salchow with a nice landing
Good camel position but she loses her centering a little bit into a nice sit position and good extension through the upright spin but not much speed
Nice double axel
Decent layback position but her hands and arms are very stiff
Nice spiral position but it takes her a while to get into it
Nice double axel + double toe
She ends before her music and comes out of her ending pose before the music stops

15. Myriane Samson, CAN: 28.81 TES + 46.06 PCS = 74.87 Total: 121.20 and into 3rd place

She is in 11th place after the short program
I think this shade of blue is absolutely stunning on her
Pops her opening loop and two foots the landing
Pops her lutz as well
She's such a gorgeous skater and has great musicality and presence on the ice
Double salchow
Nice layback spin with interesting position variations but she only does a haircutter
Hand down on the triple lutz
Nice spiral but could be a bit smoother getting into her first position
Triple flip
Single salchow--just didn't get any height on the takeoff
Nice position variations in the combination spin but she's lacking speed in the middle
Single axel + single axel
She needs more stretch through her free leg in this step sequence but its nice to see her still performing with a smile on her face
Really pretty twist sit position
An unfortunate skate for her

16. Yea-Ji Yun, KOR: 34.76 TES + 38.73 PCs -1.00 = 72.49 Total: 111.86 and into 4th place

She is in 12th place after the short program
This shade of pink is maybe a little too pale for her as it washes her out
Fall on her opening triple lutz--she has a really bent free leg on the takeoff
Triple salchow + double toe
Triple flip + double toe
This step sequence seems pretty repetitive and basic
Nice layback position but I'd like to see more softness in her arms and a good Biellman
Triple flip with a step out
Double axel and she tries to tack on a combination but almost seems to stumble around
Her leg is really to the side on that spiral instead of being directly behind her
Popped open a salchow
Nice low sit spin position with ok speed
Double axel with a two footed landing
A nice camel position into an upright twist variation; nice flexibility through her upright catch foot spin

17. Amelie Lacoste, CAN: 40.18 TES + 48.24 PCS -1.00 = 87.42 Total: 137.48 and into 2nd place

She is in 9th place after the short program
Nice double axel sequence with nice height on the free leg in the landing
Triple loop + double loop + double loop but not a lot of speed in the landing
Double flip
Nice low sit spin position
Double flip
Nice layback position into a haircutter but not a lot of speed
Double toe
Good spiral position
Two footed landing on the triple salchow and a fall--her feet just got tangled up underneath her
Not too much power in this step sequence and not a lot of energy or difficulty
Triple loop looked two footed to me
Really rough illusion spins into a slow sit spin and a slow upright spin

18. Cynthia Phaneuf, CAN: 52.35 TES + 55.14 PCS = 107.49 Total: 163.14 and into 1st place

She is in 7th place after the short program
Very solid triple toe to open her program
Pops a triple flip
Triple loop + double toe
Nice speed through her layback spin with some interesting positions but no difficult variations
Double salchow
Nice height on her leg in the spiral but she could have more arch in her back
Triple loop with a very low landing but she hangs on to it
Nice triple lutz
Double axel + double toe is well done
Good posiiton in her sit spins with good speed
Some nice attack in this step sequence and she has some good variety but doesn't always stretch all the way through her free leg
Good camel position but she needs to straighten her bottom leg in the upright spin

Group 4
19. Rachael Flatt, USA: 60.94 TES + 57.14 PCS = 118.08 Total: 180.31 and into 1st place

She is currently in 3rd place
Double Axel + triple loop--a little tight on the landing but an impressive combo
Triple flip + double toe--a little off on the landing of the first jump
Not as good in the catch foot position of her camel spin as I've seen her do other times
Really nice triple lutz
Needs a little more stretch through her free leg in the sit spin position but otherwise good combination spin
Much better position on her arabesque spiral
Triple lutz + double toe + double loop--a little tight on the first landing
Triple flip
Really nice triple salchow with good flow out of the jump
Nice expression from Rachael through the footwork and good speed throughout
Nice double axel
Really nice Ina Bauer on a musical crescendo
Good camel position into a nice donut
Seemed a little tight on the jumps but she fought for all of her landings

20. Mirai Nagasu, USA: 69.61 TES + 60.07 PCS = 129.68 Total: 189.46 and into 1st place

She is in 4th place after the short program
She looks really nervous--that look usually isn't good when she takes the ice
Triple lutz + double toe was nicely done
Double axel + triple toe and both jumps had a ton of height
Triple flip with good flow out of the jump
Great speed in her layback spin and beautiful positions but her Biellman didn't seem as stretched out as it normally is
Nice position in her scorpion Biellman but I'd like to see some expression and performance from her here
Nice triple lutz
Triple toe + double toe + double loop
Nice triple loop
Great double axel
She could have a little more stretch in her free leg in the sit spin but good speed
Nice camel spin position with good speed and nice position changes with good flexibility in her upright spin
A huge improvement for Mirai over her program at nationals

21. Miki Ando, JPN: 73.03 TES + 61.73 PCS = 134.76 Total: 201.34 and into 1st place

She is in 1st place after the short program
Triple lutz + triple loop with great height
Triple loop with nice flow
Nice speed in her sit spin
Good position in her camel spin and a nice low sit spin position into a nice catchfoot in her upright spin
It's nice to see Miki smiling on the ice!
Nice stretch through her spiral
Double axel + triple toe
Triple lutz with a big ice spray on the landing
Triple flip and she's making this look too easy
Triple toe
Double axel + double loop + double loop
The crowd is getting behind her on this step sequence and she has some nice attack and a good use of her upper body
Good camel position with good speed, not a very good illusion variation, nice sit spin, good haircutter
That should be enough to win

22. Akiko Suzuki, JPN: 49.18 TES + 55.77 PCS = 104.95 Total: 162.59 and into 5th place

She is in 6th place after the short program
She got a hair cut and I think it looks really nice on her and really suits this program and costume
Popped open her triple flip
Double axel + double toe
A nice triple lutz + double axel sequence
Nice positions in her combination spin but her change foot always looks a little wild
Nice extension through her spiral but her leg could be more behind her shoulder instead of out to the side
Stumble out of her triple lutz but she tacks on a double toe
Low on a triple flip but she hangs on
Triple loop with a really though landing
Another low landing and a turnout out a triple slchow
A nice camel spin but not a lot of speed
This is such a cute step sequence and is really a crowd pleaser and there's a ton of difficulty in here
Nice final combination spin with good positions and good speed

23. Alissa Czisny, USA: 52.82 TES + 58.05 PCS -1.00 = 109.87 Total: 168.81 and into 4th place

She is in 5th place after the short program
Triple lutz + double toe
Fall on a triple flip
Triple toe + double toe + double loop
Her camel spin is exquisite and no one can match her speed
Tight on the landing of the triple loop but she hangs on
Alissa just looks really cautious here
I love her spiral--no one else can take their leg from the side to the back without dropping it
Doubled a lutz and two footed the landing
Double axel a little tight on the landing
Triple toe + double toe
Hopefully this is her bad program for the season and she can go clean at worlds because she could be world champ if she just skates clean
This step sequence is so much better from the beginning of the season and is really well timed to the music
Gorgeous layback spin into a nice Biellman with tons of speed

24. Mao Asada, JPN: 70.18 TES + 62.71 PCS = 132.89 Total: 196.30 and into 2nd place

She is in 2nd place after the short program
Triple axel--maybe double footed on the landing
Triple flip + double loop--her arms looked very far out on that jump instead of pulled in to speed up the roration
Triple lutz
A nice camel spin with a nice transition to a sit position with a spiral and good flexibility through the upright spin
Triple axel + double toe--really tight on the landing of the second jump
Triple flip + double loop + double loop tight on the landings again
Triple salchow--another tight landing with no speed or flow
I'm not sure these jumps are clean enough to overtake Miki and Mao has only broke 200 once in her career.
Nice triple loop
Good positions and speed in her final spin with lots of speed in the Biellman
Nice spiral but not a lot of speed

Gold: Miki Ando
Silver: Mao Asada
Bronze: Mirai Nagasu

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: 78.65 TES + 82.86 PCS -1.00 = 160.51 Total: 244.00
Yuzuru Hanyu, JPN: 78.30 TES + 73.38 PCS = 151.58 Total: 228.01
Jeremy Abbott, USA: 71.70 TES + 78.28 PCS -1.00 = 148.98 Total: 225.71
Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: 83.19 TES + 75.08 PCS -1.00 = 157.27 Total: 223.52
Adam Rippon, USA: 66.10 TES + 71.20 PCS = 137.30 Total: 210.01
Jinlin Guan, CHN: 72.30 TES + 66.00 PCS -1.00 = 137.30 Total: 201.98
Armin Mahbanoozadeh, USA: 67.93 TES + 66.34 PCS = 134.27 Total: 200.67
Jialing Wu, CHN: 74.90 TES + 61.58 PCS = 136.48 Total: 199.78
Nan Song, CHN: 75.02 TES + 60.64 PCS -1.00 = 134.66 Total: 195.13
Shawn Sawyer, CAN: 59.31 TES + 67.92 PCS = 127.23 Total: 192.94
Kevin Reynolds, CAN: 63.34 TES + 64.74 PCS -2.00 = 126.08 Total: 191.55
Misha Ge, UZB: 62.68 TES + 60.78 PCS = 123.46 Total: 182.06
Abzal Rakimgaliev, KAZ: 61.80 TES + 58.00 PCS = 119.80 Total: 180.75
Joey Russell, CAN: 57.87 TES + 57.64 PCS -2.00 = 113.51 Total: 171.18
Min-Seok Kim, KOR: 64.28 TES + 50.64 PCS = 114.92 Total: 168.59
Mark Webster, AUS: 48.16 TES + 47.12 PCS = 95.28 Total: 143.54
Jordan Ju, TPE: 48.04 TES + 42.92 PCS = -1.00 = 89.96 Total: 134.33
Brendan Kerry, AUS: 40.11 TES + 41.08 PCS -1.00 = 80.19 Total: 125.64
Wun-Chang Shi, TPE: 39.18 TES + 41.42 PCS = 80.60 Total: 120.96
Stephen Li-Chung Kuo, TPE: 36.92 TES + 43.22 PCS = 80.14 Total: 117.96

Four Continents Championships: Ladies Short Program

1. Miki Ando, JPN: 35.69 TES + 30.89 PCS = 66.58
2. Mao Asada, JPN: 33.20 TES + 30.21 PCS = 63.41
3. Rachael Flatt, USA: 33.43 TES + 28.80 PCS = 62.23
4. Mirai Nagasu, USA: 30.55 TES + 29.23 PCS = 59.78
5. Alissa Czisny, USA: 31.00 TES + 28.94 PCS -1.00 = 58.94
6. Akiko Suzuki, JPN: 29.61 TES + 28.03 PCS = 57.64
7. Cynthia Phaneuf, CAN: 28.90 TES + 27.75 PCS -1.00 = 55.65
8. Min-Jeong Kwak, KOR: 26.81 TES + 23.66 PCS = 50.47
9. Amelie Lacoste, CAN: 25.03 TES + 25.03 PCS -1.00 = 50.06
10. Cheltzie Lee, AUS: 25.40 TES + 23.32 PCS = 48.72
11. Myriane Samson, CAN: 22.22 TES + 25.11 PCS -1.00 = 46.33
12. Yea-Ji Yun, KOR: 22.08 TES + 17.29 PCS = 39.37
13. Bengwa Geng, CHN: 19.80 TES + 20.40 PCS -1.00 = 39.20
14. Melinda Wang, TPE: 18.61 TES + 17.90 PCS = 36.51
15. Victoria Muniz, PUR: 18.11 TES + 18.34 PCS -1.00 = 35.45
16. Qiuying Zhu, CHN: 19.02 TES + 17.06 PCS -1.00 = 35.08
17. Chae-Hwa Kim, KOR: 15.56 TES + 18.20 PCS = 33.76
18. Mimi Tanarsorn Chindasook, THA: 17.76 TES + 15.97 PCS = 33.73
19. Lejeanne Marias, RSA: 17.39 TES + 15.60 -1.00 = 31.99
20. Jaimee Nobbs, AUS: 17.11 TES + 15.83 PCS - 1.00 = 31.94
21. Crystal Kiang, TPE: 15.95 TES + 15.94 PCS = 31.89
22. Mericien Venzon, PHI: 16.19 TES + 15.45 PCS -1.00 = 30.64
23. Melanie Swang, THA: 16.33 TES + 13.17 PCS = 29.50
24. Chaochih Liu, TPE: 14.81 TES + 13.71 PCS = 28.52
25. Tiffany Packard Yu, HKG: 12.96 TES + 14.55 PCS = 27.51
26. Brittany Lau, SIN: 13.14 TES + 13.47 PCS = 26.61
27. Taryn Jurgensen, THA: 14.10 TES + 14.18 PCS -2.00 = 26.28
28. Reyna Hamui, MEX: 11.32 TES + 13.41 PCS -1.00= 23.73
29. Mary Ro Reyes, MEX: 9.71 TES + 12.51 PCS = 22.22

Four Continents Championships: Free Dance

Group 1
1. O'Brien/Merriman, AUS: 35.72 TES + 26.30 PCS = 62.02 Total: 104.69

They are in 10th place after the short dance
A very different costume for her than most ice dance dresses but I really like and it looks good on the ice--silver sequined top and three layers of a ruffled skirt in different colors
Nice curve lift with her over his knee and leaning back
I'd like to see more extension from both of them through their free leg in this first step sequence and for her to use her arms more naturally instead of placing them
This step sequence is also really bouncy, especially from her and they don't get very deep into their knees or edges
They come really close to each other in the first set of twizzles, she seems to be bouncing instead of spinning through the second set and has to put her foot down early
A really interesting lift in which he spins on one leg while she's in an arched position, very unique
A nice rotational lift--flip into the entry with her on his shoulder and a change of position
Good positions in their dance spin and decent speed
She has a little bobble on some footwork
Nice entry into the lift near the end but messy exit
Overall they have some nice qualities to work with but they have some things they need to work on as well

2. Borounov/Borounov, AUS: 24.66 TES + 19.05 PCS = 43.71 Total: 72.23 and into 2nd place

They are currently in 12th place
She is wearing a very long skirt and with all the skirt problems this season, I hope she doesn't get tripped up by it
Nice positions in the dance spin, not a lo of speed, slightly awkward exit out of the element
She really needs to straighten her free leg through this footwork sequence--it also seems like she's looking toward the ground and is skating very cautiously
Straightline lift with her leaning back toward the ice
Simple rotational lift with one arm and she catches her back foot
He gets a little out of control on his twizzles, loss of unison, she puts her foot down early in the second set
I'd like to see her work on her carriage as well, it looks like she's slightly hunched over in all of the holds
It just seems like this team is lacking a lot of their basic technique and it makes a lot of the program a struggle for them
A straight line lift with her bent back and him on one foot
An interesting curve lift with her in a haircutter position but wrapped around his back

3. Guan/Wang, CHN: 35.10 TES + 28.39 PCS = 63.49 Total: 106.26 and into 1st place

They are in 9th place after the short dance
She is in an all white dress with long sleeves and a long skirt--makes it harder to really see her positions with the white ice and white boards
First set of twizzles is done with leg extended and seems a little wild but they stay in unison through all sets
Some nice changes of holds through this first step sequence but they're very stiff with their hands and it destroys their arm line
Flip into the first lift over his shoulder and some position changes into a nice stretched out arabesque on his foot with good extension
Really good speed and extension through the dance spins and it's nice to see the male partner execute one of the more difficult positions on one of the variations
Their straight line lift with her standing on his boot seems to zig zag a little bit at the beginning
Awkward hold in the beginning of the step sequence with them facing different directions and having their hands on each others backs--they seem to have trouble holding it
One arm rotational lift in a pretty simple position
There isn't really a connection to each other or their music but they're doing a lot of nice elements
A good rotational lift with him dipping her up and down through the rotation

4. Bruhns/Westenberger, MEX: 24.95 TES + 22.92 PCS = 47.87 Total: 88.55 and into 3rd place

They are in 11th place after the short program
Nice entry into their twizzles but they're really off unison--she's one or two twizzles ahead
This footwork sequence seems really slow
They seem to kick their free leg into position instead of flowing through the movements
A nice lift with three changes of position for her
Problem centering the entry of the backward camel for their dance spin and the whole sequence is really slow
They need to really use their free arm more throughout the step sequence and really extend their lines through these holds
Simple one armed rotational lift
An interesting hydroblade move ith her hand on his foot
One footed curve lift with her standing on his boot and leaning back
I like the abandon they're showing through this choreography at the end--this is the most free they've been the whole dance and it really brings up their performance level

Group 2
5. Chock/Zuerlein, USA: 44.15 TES + 41.15 PCS = 85.30 Total: 142.44 and into 1st place

They are in 6th place after the short dance
There program is Cabaret and both of the characters suit their personalities so perfectly and this is a true performance
They make the twizzles look so easy, are well timed with the music, but get a little far apart
Nice step sequence
Good positions in their dance spin and good speed
Great speed going into this footwork
Great entry into their lift, it happens so fast and she's right in the upside down position with a nice change of position
Nice lift with her hanging upside by only her leg and he skating backward on one leg
Easy one armed rotational lift
Madison could stretch through her leg more in a few places in the second step sequence and really get into her edges
Good fast rotation in their final lift
Little bobble getting into their ending pose
They're getting a standing ovation from the American Pairs teams watching in the stands
There are so many little details in the choreography of this program and it's just put together so well

6. Crone/Poirier, CAN: 47.27 TES + 42.90 PCS = 90.17 Total: 151.83 and into 1st place

They are in 5th place after the short dance
Really interesting choreography at the beginning and a nice languid feeling to their opening movements
Good speed throughout the dance spin and there wasn't a huge pause during their change of foot
Lift with her upside down and he one one leg and she's hanging on with just her arm over his shoulder
This footwork seems a little slow, but I think they could use that to their advantage and get into their knees a little more
Twizzles were really well done and they were right on time for all three sets
Nice cartwheels over his extended leg
Curve lift with him in a spread eagle and leaning back with changes of position as she spirals up to standing on his leg
Good speed through this second step sequence but I'd like to see a little more connection with each other instead of the focus out the whole time
Flip into a rotational lift with her wrapped around his body
Nice rotational lift with her hanging down and holding on by one arm
This program has really improved since I last saw it at the Grand Prix Final

7. Huang/Zheng, CHN: 40.01 TES + 37.35 PCS = 77.36 Total: 130.29 and into 3rd place

They are in 7th place after the short dance
She really needs to straighten her leg, it never seems to get all the way straight through any of these steps
Curve lift with him in a spread eagle and holding her in an arch
Good timing on their twizzles with good variations
A full turn jump into a lift with variations of position--reminds me of one of Davis and White's POTO lifts.
Nice positions in the dance spin, but slow and he could have a better free arm position
We started with Singing in the Rain but now seem to be in some kind of techno remix of the song--kind of breaks up the charm and easy flow of their program
Nice curve lift with him in a hydroblade position and she's leaning on him in an arched position
I've really seen an improvement in the Chinese teams as a whole--they've become more expressive in their performances and are really working on emulating the American style lifts with lots of position changes and difficulty. I think this might be the next field with China might have a big breakthrough.

8. Yu/Wang, CHN: 40.92 TES + 34.25 PCS = 75.17 Total: 125.75 and into 4th place

They are in 8th place after the short dance
Flip into a shoulder lift and change of position
They have some good speed into their twizzles and have good unison, positions, and placement in relation to each other
Most of the time she has full stretch through her free leg, but when the steps are faster, she'll bend her free leg, not point her toe and sickle her foot
Straightline lift with him going backwards and she standing on his boot
Nice positions in the dance spin but not a lot of speed; they have great use of their arms through the spin
They have a very nice lyrical flow through their arms and upper body throughout the program and perform this program nicely
She has very nice lines through these lifts and hits some great arabesque and attitude positions
One armed rotational lift with her in a catch foot looks a little labored toward the end of the program

Group 3
9. Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: 48.76 TES + 44.58 PCS = 93.34 Total: 155.38 and into 1st place

They just look so effortless on the ice together
Great speed through their dance spins and really nice positions, especially her layback
They have such nice deep edges and and knees throughout this step sequence and all of their movements are so clean and crisp
Great entry into their first lift with great changes of position and fast rotation with her in a catchfoot position--they change positions to quickly for me to even type them!
They have the fastest and best twizzles in the world and they executed them beautifully here
Flip over the head and a nice twist to drop her down to hip height
It is impossible not to watch this program and smile along with them
Their timing and musicality is impeccable
Simple one armed roational lift at the end of the program

10. Davis/White, USA: 50.01 TES + 53.01 PCS = 103.02 Total: 172.03 and into 1st place

Meryl is back to her Forever 21 dress from the Grand Prix Final. I prefer her nationals dress to this one.
There is so much passion and performance in this program from every inch of their bodies
Entrance into their first lift with arms crossed and a flip onto the back and he skates backwards on one leg while she balances on it
Nice clean edges and deep knees in the step sequence and good timing
This transition footwork in the middle is so fast
Really fast twizzles, looks they might have slightly lost unison on the end
She jumps up onto his leg for the next lift with a nice side curve
I love these steps here with the dueling feet characteristic of a ballroom tango
Such a difficult position for her in their dance spin but I wish she'd straighten her free leg a little more
Rotational lift with a change of position to holding her only by the knees and letting her upper body swing free
Nice second step sequence and great facial expressions from both
Final rotational split lift with tons of speed

11. Virtue/Moir, CAN: Withdrawal

They are in 1st place after the short dance
Hello hips! They are really working the samba feeling at the beginning of this program and look like they're doing a real ballroom routine
Interesting twizzle sequence in a circle but I don't think they were exactly on time with each other
Great timing on their accents and well choreographed with the music
He tosses her up into a full twist and they do a rotational lift with her leg wrapped around his head
They've stopped now after the lift and are talking to their coaches
Tessa is injured and they've withdrawn. From the part of the program they did, their program was to die for.

12. Weaver/Poje, CAN: 42.29 TES + 43.30 PCS = 85.69 Total: 151.14 and into 4th place

They are in 3rd place after the Short Program
This first step sequence has really nice speed and they have good use of their full body
Good twizzles with a slight loss of unison
He has a little bobble on a transition step and they have to abort their dance spin after one revolution but then start again--not sure what kind of credit they'll get for it--might be enough of a mistake to give the Shibs the go ahead
He picks her up from the ice in a nice one armed rotational lift
I'd like to see a more tender connection between them in Come What May
A great lift where he flips her over and holds her up by the blade of her skate
A really difficult straight line lift and they have trouble at the end and he has to set her down a little early
Really nicely choreographed step sequence here at the end
Rotational lift with her in a haircutter position
Holding her on his back and a flip around to a fish hold

Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Shibutani/Shibutani
Bronze: Crone/Poirier

Four Continents Championships: Pairs Free Skate

Group 1
1. Marley/Brubaker, USA: 51.35 TES + 47.51 PCS = 98.86 Total: 144.46

They are in 10th place after the short program
This team has only been together for 6 months
They open with a nice high twist but a little bit of a crash on the landing
Nice triple toes + double toes sbs
Nice position in her overhead lasso lift and good stretch through the change of a position and a nice toss exit
Throw double salchow
She his very expressive through the spiral sequence
Nice death spiral but slightly awkward exit
She doubled their side by side salchows
Very nicely landed throw
She could use more stretch through her top leg in this lift but they have a nice carry feature with his on one leg
Decent unison on their side by side spins but some of their position variations are just slightly different from each other
Nice final lift with a one handed exit
Good positions in their pairs spin

2. Takahashi/Tran, JPN: 52.56 TES + 51.82 PCS -2.00 = 102.38 Total: 152.63 and into 1st place

They are in 8th place after the Short Program
Their costumes suit them nicely and the purple color is gorgeous on her
She takes an awkward fall on their opening side by side triple salchows
An effortless double twist with a good catch
Very nice throw triple salchow with a nice landing by her
They're off on these side by side spins
A nice entry into the death spiral but she doesn't have a great position and her working leg gets really close underneath her instead of being extended
She takes a fall on the double axel and she completes the sequence but he deletes the second jump
Nice dance lift straight into their lift with good positions
Throw triple nicely done
Good position variations in their pairs spin but a loss of centering toward the end
Nice air position in this second lift but a little awkward on the exit
She has great extension through the spiral sequence
She gets one leg higher than the other in her air position in the third spin and they should be even

3. Dong/Wu, CHN: 47.38 TES + 41.31 PCS = 88.69 Total: 135.10 and into 3rd place

They are in 9th place after the short program
He can't complete the second jump in their triple + double combination
Clean on their second set of side by side triples
Double twist with some nice height but not the execution you're used to seeing from Bin Yao's team
You can hear him calling the side by side spins but they have good unison
Nice entry to the overhead lift with a good carry feature and nice positions for her; I'd like to see a better position for her free leg on the exit
Nice height on the throw triple loop with a good landing but not a lot of ice coverage
They go right into their throw triple salchow with not as nice of a landing
Her air position could be better in this lift with more flexibility through her back
He checks his balance on the spiral sequence
She takes a squat into the death spiral and she's almost flat on the ice
I think they're really trying to mask her weak air positions with some of these variations in the lift
Not a lot of speed on their pair spin

Group 2
Zhang/Wang, CHN: 45.63 TES + 42.69 PCS = 88.32 Total: 138.93 and into 3rd place

They are in 7th place after the short program
I really like their costumes; very pretty blue color and an interesting design
Nice double twist but she might have been a little on his shoulder on the landing
Nice triple toe + double toes
She hung on to the landing of the triple salchow
Some better air positions for her in the lift but I'd like to see a little more stretch
Not a lot of choreography or transitions in this program
They're hitting very different position variations in their side by side spin and are really off unison timing wise
Looks like they might have had a bobble here on some footwork, seem a little lost
They go into their lift but abort it and skate down the center of the ice
Nice spiral positions
Very nice throw triple loop with good height
Good throw triple salchow
A nice entry into the death spiral but she doesn't have a great position and her free leg is very high
Good stretch through the split position in this lift but she could use some more flexibility
Good positions in the pair spin and nice flexibility from her but not a lot of speed at the end
No performance at all in this program--I think if they had some better choreography and worked with their music more it would really help their scores

Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: 58.93 TES + 53.88 PCS -1.00 = 11.81 Total: 166.22 and into 1st place

They are in 5th place after the short program
Not really any height on their triple twist and she's on his shoulder on the landing
Good unison and execution on their double axel + double axel sequence
Nice throw triple loop
I'm glad to see she's pinned her bangs back today as she's had to shake them out of her face to see before during the program and it was distracting
Nice position in the first lift with a good flip exit
He looked off in the air on those sbs triples but landed the jump fine
Nice position on the spiral sequence
Sort of an awkward entry into the death spiral and she is completely flat--not crazy about this position
Good position in the pair spins and I really like the way she uses her free arm and their effortless exit from the element
A nice carry feature in this second lift and she has a great split; she almost goes into a handstand as he skates forward on one leg--great control
Fall on their second triple throw
Not a lot of flexibility for her through some of the sbs spin positions and I'd like to see her really stretch through her free leg
Nice entry into their final lift with him on his knee and coming to a stand

Evora/Ladwig, USA: 53.57 TES + 53.50 PCS -2.00 = 105.07 Total: 157.30 and into 2nd place

They are in 6th place after the short program
He said his boot has been fixed. Praying it holds up through the free skate!
Their twist looked pretty effortless but she didn't get a lot of height
She falls on their opening side by side jumps and he turns out of his landing but keeps his free leg up
Not a lot of height on their first throw triple and she's really forward on the landing
They lost the unison in their side by side spins in the middle but were able to pick it back up
Nice spiral sequence, but I'd like her arms to be more organic here and less placed
She falls on the first double axel in the double axel sequence
Good positions in the pairs spin and a nice exit
Evora seems to be going through the motions a little bit in some of this choreography
Great lift with him holding her on just the hip with one hand
Good throw triple loop and less forward on the landing
Nice backward entry into their final lift with a good carry feature but her position got a little awkward at the end and she could stretch through her legs a little more
Not a great death spiral position and not a lot of speed through their rotations
Nice final lift
Just seemed to be an off day for them and didn't seem like they were really performing this program

Group 3
Pang/Tong, CHN: 61.23 TES + 66.81 PCS = 128.04 Total: 199.45 and into 1st place

They are in 1st place after the short program
I think he singled the second double axel in their sequence and she didn't have a great landing
Nice side by side triples
Nice entry into the overhead lift with a good position change
A slight loss of unison in the middle of their side by side spins but they pick it up nicely
Very nice use of her arms and upper body to accept the positions in their pair spin and a nice exit from the element
Really nice height on their triple twist and a nice catch
Great height on their throw triple salchow
Really nice spiral position
They have such great speed and ease of movement through this program
Nice second lift with a good position for her
Great throw triple loop--I wish more teams worked on the height and ice coverage of the throws because they're truly spectacular
A decent death spiral position
Nice carry with a one arm hold and him in a spread eagle position
They seem to be performing their program much more here than they did at the Grand Prix Final and she looks like she might be wiping away a tear when they finish

Lawrence/Swiegers, CAN: 58.20 TES + 53.55 PCS = 111.75 Total: 171.73 and into 2nd place

They are in 2nd place after the short program
An interesting choreographical moment at the building with him supporting her in a run
Nice triple twist but lacking the height of the Chinese team
My feed froze up so I may have missed a few elements
Throw triple loop was good but she was a little sideways on the landing and might have put a hand down
She could work on her overhead lift position and they could have a smoother exit
Straight into another lift and I would like it if they had a little more variation if they're going to put the lifts back to back
Nice throw triple salchow
Good extension through their spiral sequence
Nice positions in their pair spin but they seemed to lose their centering before the change of foot

Duhamel/Radford, CAN: 66.55 TES + 55.32 PCS = 121.87 Total: 181.79 and into 2nd place

They are in 3rd place after the short program
Good height on their triple twist and a nice clean catch
Triple + double + double combination with a one arm variation on their final jump
An interesting entry into their first throw triple from a spiral position
A really nice stretched out air position for her in the first lift and a nice spread eagle for him
Nice unison on their side by side spins but a little slow
Another skater with the high death spiral position and the high free leg
Solid side by side triples
Good flexibility through the spirals but it looks like she may have been wobbling on her edge a bit
I'd like to see more flexibility through her back in the air in this second lift
A little forward on the landing of the throw triple salchow but she hangs on to it
Good speed through the final lift
Nice speed in the pair spin and good position changes

Yankowskas/Coughlin, USA: 57.16 TES + 54.56 PCS = 111.72 Total: 166.97 and into 4th place

They are in 4th place after the short program
Opening sbs double axels were well done
Nice height on the triple twist but there may have been a bobble on the catch with her free leg
Nice throw triple loop
Good Triple toe + double toe + double toe combination. Nice to see the pairs doing the three jump combos
Nice air position in the first lift and a nice one arm exit
As far as the higher death spirals go, she has one of the nicer positions
Good unison on their side by side spins but they could both use more stretch through their free leg in the sit spin position
Nice spiral positions and great expression from both of them
She singles their throw triple salchow and two foots the landing--something must have gone wrong on the takeoff
Nice position in the second lift
Nice entry into the final lift with him holding her by her hip and a nice stretched out position
Good positions in their pair spin and I like the use of her arms here
Too bad about the throw error, because this was a lovely program otherwise

Gold: Pang/Tong
Silver: Duhamel/Radford
Bronze: Lawrence/Swiegers

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